Tag: food

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business food savannah

Is Crowdfunding Free Money?

Big Bon Pizza

To finance a business or an artistic endeavor, many people have turned to crowdfunding to secure funding.  Crowdfunding is defined as “the funding a project or venture by raising many small amounts of money from a large number of people, typically via the Internet.”

Kickstarter is one of the most well-known crowdfunding platforms, but it is not the only one. Indiegogo and GoFundMe. Plus there are crowdfunding platforms that are for particular industries like PieShell for food and beverage industries.

Several friends of mine have created Kickstarter campaigns to raise funds for their projects, and I have supported them either by spreading the word and/or donating money. I have also consulted for an artist who needed help with promotion for their Kickstarter. Recently celebrities have used Kickstarter in order to fund films they want to make. They look to their fan base instead of studios for support.

Crowdfunding has led to the democratization of asking for money. Before crowdfunding sites, raising money used to be relegated to getting money from friends and family, applying for a loan or writing a grant (non-profit).

The current rise in crowdfunding for business has yielded concerns about the accounting treatment of those funds. Is it a gift? Is it income? It is unearned revenue?! Kickstarter used a reward based model of crowdfunding, where the backer receives a form of reward which may be of little value, and can even be akin to a donation. However, the backers cannot deduct the donation unless the Kickstarter is created by a nonprofit with a (501)c3 status.  Indiegogo now list equity offerings through First Democracy VC, a registered venture capital funding portal

Since moving to Savannah, I have heard about two successful Kickstarter projects, Big Bon Pizza and Paprika Southern.  Big Bon Pizza raised over $11,000 to build their wood fire pizza food truck. Paprika Southern over $6000 to print their southern women’s lifestyle magazine.

To answer the question, ‘is crowdfunding free money?’  The answer is no. Time is money. You have to put in a lot of time developing a campaign and detail the objectives of your project. If you are considering doing a crowdfunding campaign, make sure that you have time to promote your campaign and deliver rewards that people will enjoy.

Categories
food home cooking

Look What I Made: Green Tomato Relish

 

I have been experimenting in the kitchen with the fresh veggies I got from the Forsyth Farmer’s Market.  Last week I saw the green tomatoes, but I had no idea what to do with them.  Earlier this week, Indrani Sen asked on Facebook about recipes for green tomatoes.  Indrani who is a journalist, got a quote from me seven years ago when she wrote about the Unfancy Food Fest.   It was one of the first  New York Times articles about the Brooklyn foodie artisan movement.  Anyway, her query led me down a rabbit hole of green tomato recipes.  There’s green tomato salsa, remoulade, etc. I ended up using a Green Tomato Relish recipe from Food.com

Ingredients:

  • 3 chopped green tomatoes
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 1 red pepper chopped
  • 1/2 tablespoon salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 pinch of dill weed
  • 1 pinch of curry seasoning
  • 1 pinch of garlic pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon of  coconut vinegar (from La Terra Natural Oils)

 

Directions:

  • Put everything in a pot and let simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Let cool and then put in a mason jar.

 

It’s great with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Categories
food home cooking

New Potato Casserole

roasted new potatoes with cheese and capers

Last week, I walked the Book Lady Bookstore,  and bought an old cookbook, ‘Comforting Food’ by Judith Olney. The cookbook was published back in 1979.  It’s crazy how vintage cookbooks don’t have photos, only illustrations.  I read a recipe for baked potato with eggs and anchovies.  Inspired by the recipe, I created a new dish. First, I roasted  the new potatoes, orange pepper and Vidalia onion.

First, I roasted  the new potatoes, orange pepper and Vidalia onion that I got from the Forsyth Farmer’s Market.  Then I added heavy cream, cayenne pepper, sea salt and cumin and one clove of garlic. I roasted for 20 minutes or so until the potatoes were soft. Then I sliced the potatoes and mashed them a little.  I added cheddar cheese and sour cream. Then I topped the potatoes with capers I bought from Brighter Day.

Categories
home cooking savannah

Spring Recipe: Kale and White Bean Casserole

Kale and White Bean Casserole

Happy Spring! I went to the Forsyth Farmer’s Market over the weekend, and I bought some yummy produce. This morning, I use the kale and scallion to make an impromptu green and healthy casserole.

First, I added oil to the casserole dish and preheated the dish. They I added garlic, chopped onion and one banana pepper to the dish. Then I drained and rinsed one can of Northern white beans. I also chopped a few scallions and then added feta cheese, cheddar cheese and two tablespoons of heavy cream.

Then I pulled out my spices. I added black pepper, paprika, garlic salt, and oregano. I added the kale last after sauteeing the kale in water and one clove of garlic. Lastly, I had some leftover rosemary focaccia that I got from Back in The Day Bakery. I broke off a few pieces and threw them in. The result is a very delicious and inexpensive casserole that can either be a side or an entree.