Labels: food and beverage

Be on the lookout for some seriously cheesy television spots Drake Cooper recently developed for our client The United Dairymen of Idaho. All five of the fifteen second spots began running last week and are part of an integrated campaign for cheese. The spots are very short and simple but at the same time "hero" cheese while positioning it as a healthy snack alternative. Each block of cheese in the five spots was painstakingly hand carved to perfection and the film and animation effects were handled by North by Northwest Productions right here in Boise. Check out the rest of the spots on YouTube and remember if you need a healthy tasty snack "Say Cheese!"

Labels: creativity, food and beverage

Idaho's gold medal winning cyclist Kristin Armstrong loves chocolate milk. Armstrong is an active proponent of chocolate milk as a refreshing and refueling choice for post-workout thirst quenching or general enjoyment.

Last Thursday, Armstrong worked with Drake Cooper, United Dairymen of Idaho and North by Northwest to shoot a commercial promoting chocolate milk as her beverage of choice. Armstrong is sponsored by the United Dairymen of Idaho (Drake Cooper's new client.) Check out the pictures for a sneak peak.

The commercial will soon be appearing on a TV near you, but feel free to check out the finished product below.

Labels: Advertising, Chocolate milk, Dairy, Drake Cooper PR, food and beverage, United Dairymen of Idaho

I drank a bottle of Idaho wine Saturday night with some friends. It was good. Really good. It was Snake River Winery's 2003 Merlot. I'm not a wine expert. If it's red and bold, I'll drink it. But perhaps I have been a bit of a geography snob. At a time when I still hadn't given Australia much credit (or business), here comes the Idaho thing—an American Viticultural Area designation from the federal government; a noteworthy designation that I helped introduce to local and national media. But, truth be told, I had tasted only a few Idaho wines up to that point and had made some poor selections. Now, a year later, I can say that I have enjoyed several good Idaho wines. They include a 2003 Merlot from Parma Ridge; 2004 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon and a Chardonnay (can't remember the year) from Sawtooth Winery; and a lovely, delicate ice wine from Ste. Chapelle. I never would have dreamed I like desert wine but I do.

Labels: food and beverage

A new restaurant is on its way to BoDo and the Boise cultural district. Bonefish Grill will open its doors at Broad and 9th streets at the end of the month. As a way to join in our local community and truly become a part of the cultural district, Bonefish is kicking things off with a benefit for Boise performing arts. Proceeds from the April 25 event will significantly boost the Boise Arts & History Anchor Fund which is split among Boise Contemporary Theater, Ballet Idaho, Opera Idaho, Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Boise Philharmonic. Pulling this off has taken a great deal of time, effort and cooperation between the City of Boise and the various organizations involved. Yet the Bonefish Grill team has not swayed in its commitment to good local citizenship. They have actively been involved in planning the event, even going as far as to pay for postage for the more than 800 invitations that went to membership lists. If you didn't get an invitation but want to go, you can. Tickets are available at http://www.cityofboise.org/forms/artsbenefit/

It's not often that you get the opportunity to work with people who truly care and actively seek out ways to give. The first assignment we had from local Bonefish owner John Aemmer was to send him a list of all the major non-profit events going on in the city this year. He was interested in donating auction items and providing chefs for local events. He's followed through, giving more than a dozen "excursion-style" dinners for 8 and 16 as silent auction items for fundraisers and committing one of his chefs to help prepare the meals for the Idaho Foodbank's Chef's Affaire. These are not self serving acts. He wants to be part of the community and he sees the restaurant as an extension of himself. So, he says, "It's the natural thing to do."

This, and the fact that John and the guys from the corporate office hug us rather than shake our hands each time we meet, has been refreshing. There is such a thing as goodness in the corporate world and we are glad it’s just around the corner from us.

-Joanne

Labels: food and beverage, Public Relations