Sweet marketing
Next time someone asks for a business card, warn them that it may not last long. Franklin Street Bakery is bringing together baking and technology to make card-sized or button-sized cookies with a corporate logo — or whatever image you want to promote. There's a one-time processing fee of $25 to set up the template. For details, contact www.FranklinStreetBakery.com.
The Food Network wants you
Casting producers for "Food Court Wars," a new show from the Food Network and chef Gordon Ramsay, will be in the Twin Cities this spring. They're seeking local teams with pre-existing relationships (such as friends, families, couples, co-workers) who think they have a winning idea for an original, locally inspired eatery. The concept must be "specific to the local Minnesota region," according to press materials. Tyler Florence will host the competition to win a rent-free restaurant space for a year in a Minnesota mall. To learn more, visit www.FoodCourtWarsCasting.com. Deadline to apply is April 3.
Contest round-up
The American Pie Council is accepting applications from bakers, potential pie judges and other erstwhile volunteers for its annual national pie championships April 26-28 in Orlando, Fla. Deadline is March 30. Last year's competition drew 801 pies. For the forms and details, visit www.piecouncil.org. The National Pork Board offers a $5,000 first prize in its Pork Passions Pursuit contest with five categories up for grabs. Plus it has launched a social network all about pork. Really! For more information, visit www.PorkBeInspired.com. March 22 is the deadline for Olive Garden's annual Pasta Tales essay writing contest, which asks students in grades one-12, "How would you help end hunger in your community?" Prizes include a $5,000 grant to bring the winner's essay to life in his or her local community. To enter, visit http://bit.ly/WLCP9g.
Order with confidence
You may not think a computer mouse can save you from embarrassment, but the folks at Eat24, a new online food order service in Minneapolis and St. Paul, say it's true. http://eat24hours.com. By clicking on a menu choice for pho instead of calling it in, you needn't risk being mocked for saying, "fo," instead of "fuh." Still, sometimes you have to speak up, so they assembled the top 10 mispronounced menu items:
bruschetta: broo-sket-ah
gnocchi: nyawk-kee
espresso: e-spres-oh
chipotle: chi-poht-lay
beignet: ben-yay
sriracha: shree-ra-cha
quinoa: keen-wah
gyro: yee-row or zheer-oh
quesadilla: kay-suh-dee-uh
pho: fuh