It’s amazing to see the kind of changes a connected world is bringing to food consumption and food production. Even before the internet, consider what the printed word did for food. Those of you who watched Julie & Julia, saw the beginning of a revolution in cooking brought to the US by a cook book. More specifically it was brought by a cook, Julia Child, who talked to the masses through a book and through television. Suddenly new ways of making food became readily available.

In the new millenia, a blog started by Julie Powell who cooked her way through Julia’s cookbook brought millions more to try out new food, new cooking techniques and have more appreciation for food.

The connected world is changing us even more. It’s not even on the PC any more. A friend just sent me a link to foodie, an iphone application that gives you real-time news about restaurants and deals in Chicago. The Chicago limit is, I’m sure, a question of marketing and having to find the deals. There’s no reason why the app wouldn’t work anywhere in the world.

On my blackberry, I now have Yelp mobile that helps me find reviewed restaurants next to me, and a recipe application that lets me search for ingredients I need while at the supermarket. Suddenly I’m not limited to making spaghetti and marinara sauce, and I don’t have to do a lot of research before I start shopping.

So what brought this post on? Whole Foods is hosting an event next week around New Media and food, or social networks and food: A New York New Food Media Panel. You can read more about the event in The Food Section. auntieChef.com is all about democratizing food production and letting small food producers reach us, the people looking for good food. In a sense, we’re enabling UGF – User Generated Food. I’d love to be at the event though it’s sold out, so I’m shamelessly making a public plea – please please, are there any tickets left?

We are what we eat and what we eat is changing. The future looks very exciting (even if I don’t make it to the event)!

What a great concept – a community soup kitchen that holds cooking classes for people in need – teaching folks how to prepare delicious, healthy meals on a shoestring budget.  The prevalence of obesity among the disadvantaged may seem a bit perplexing at first- if you don’t have enough money, how do you get overweight?

But in America, eating truly nourishing meals (and forgoing fast food) may actually be a luxury:  it requires time (to cook), resources (to buy fresh ingredients), and knowledge (about nutrition).  And unfortunately, the underpriviledged also are the least able to handle the health consequences of poor nutrition – imagine being a diabetic while struggling to make ends meet.

The Nourishing Kitchen of NYC is helping to increase access to healthful food to those who may need it the most in the community.  I hope it can develop a sustainable business-model – especially in these tough times.