I have attached a release that I believe will be of interest to you.

An entire campaign devoted to all thing endive has just been launched. The tagline ‘ I HEART ENDIVE’, has been creating hype everywhere. The very notion of being an endive lover is just quirky. As you know, it’s a ‘sophisticated’ vegetable, but we are educating everyone about how versatile it is. A PR event, featuring endive-themed foods (ranging from appetizers to desserts) and wine pairings from three of BC’s best wineries, is being held in Abbotsford on the 20th. We will be holding one in Vancouver sometime in early June.

In terms of why I am sending this to you, I was thinking a blog posting mentioning the new campaign and the Pr event to be held in Vancouver. The event is not open to the public (only invited guests and media).

Also Celebrity Chef Ned Bell has endorsed BC Belgian Endive and stars in a series of webisodes. You can see them at http://www.endive.ca Ned owns Cabana Grill in Kelowna, and is a ‘celebrity’ given his appearances on the Food Network’s ‘Cook Like a Chef’ and CTB’s ‘It’s Just Food’. He was also just on the Urban Rush with Vikrim Vij doing a cookoff.

I’d love to hear from you

Endive Lovers Get Ready to Endive in

I HEART ENDIVE is an iconic, precedent-setting campaign promoting locally grown Belgian Endive. The campaign has successfully branded ‘BC Belgian Endive’ and contains several elements—an online video series, in-store demonstrations, playful button badges, massive highway signs with 3-dimensional endive characters, and the Endive Affair–an upscale food and wine event featuring endive-themed hors d’oeuvres and wine pairings.

Endive.ca launched on April 15th. A multi-layered site that features webisodes by Celebrity Chef Ned Bell, recipes from all over the world, and an online community. Endive.ca is a portal to ‘all things endive’.

The campaign is aimed at creating awareness for a vegetable that is still on the fringe of the mainstream in the North American market. Endive is still a diamond in the rough. Only elite foodies understand that the endive is an incredibly versatile vegetable with several culinary applications. Classic favourites include Endive Spears with Hummus or Honey-Braised Endive, but, at the guiding hand of Chef Ned Bell, we have creations like “Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Endive and Bacon” and “Endive Slaw with Crimini Mushroom Risotto”.

In Canada, only a few farmers grow Belgian Endive and Van Eekelen Enterprises, located in Abbotsford, are the only suppliers in Western Canada. “Endive to Belgium is like potatoes to you. When we saw imported endive on display that was highly priced and of poor quality, we knew we could offer a better quality product. That’s when we started growing endive. Over the years, we’ve seen how it’s caught on here and are really excited about our new campaign. A website devoted entirely to endive, an animated endive saying “Eat Me”, and giant ‘I HEART ENDIVE’ signs? I never would have guessed,” says Ria Van Eekelen.

Commonly referred to as Belgian Endive or Witloof Chicory, endive is a white vegetable with a cone-shaped head and broad leaves that have yellowish edges. It has a tangy, bittersweet flavour, and is often grouped with lettuce, escarole, and radicchio. Although endive is believed to have originated in Egypt or Indonesia in the 16th century, the official story is that it was accidentally discovered in 1830 by a Belgian Farmer named Jan Lammers. Since then, the Belgian Endive has made its way all over the world and has become a healthy, dietary staple.
BC Belgian Endive is available at several retailers, including Urban Fare, Save on Foods, Price Smart, Thrifty Foods, IGA Marketplace, and Choices to name a few. Be sure to ask for locally grown BC Belgian Endive for a fresh, locally grown and sustainable product. For more information, visit http://www.endive.ca , follow us at @endivelover on Twitter.

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Media Contact
Summer Dhillon
Relevention Marketing
604 557 1488 x 506
summer@relevention.com

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I’m actually doing this as a small get together with some friends tomorrow night already, but I’d be happy to organize this as a f-blogger event too I’ve tried the miracle berry tablets once and they were really wicked kooky. A fun tastebud trippin’ experience, if you ask me.

If you’re ok with hosting, then let’s do it!

re: miracle berry tablets, where are you going to get them and can the food bloggers join in? I know I’d love to! Hell, I’ll even host it, if folks don’t mind coming to the BBY.

Enjoy!

http://www.playingwithfireandwater.com/foodplay/2010/01/buddahs-hand-citron.html