-Imelda Marcos

After all, it’s not the first time the French claim to culinary supremacy has come under threat. Molecular gastronomy by way of Spain has been making noise for a few years now. New York’s dining scene remains as strong as ever.

But haute-cuisine temples aren’t the only kind of restaurants suffering in France, some say. Articles in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have pointed to the plight of the French café and portrayed the bistro as a dying breed. C’est vrai?

“If you’re looking for pot-au-feu, maybe,” says Alexandre Cammas, co-founder and editor of Le Fooding, a restaurant guide and grassroots culinary movement that has emerged as a cultural force to be reckoned with in a country that takes its food very, very seriously.

While most Parisians will reluctantly agree that the locals-only bistro complete with zinc bar and grandmère in the kitchen is hard to come by, chefs like Grégory Marchand of Frenchie and Iñaki Aizikiparte of Le Chateaubriand have rejuvenated the idea with neo-bistros embracing tradition without being bogged down by it.

As part of the new guard of food critics, Cammas is a good man to ask. He started Le Fooding as a guide for Nova magazine in 1998 and started publishing a stand-alone guide after the magazine folded.

Cammas was working as a food writer at the time for the French daily Libération and wanted to capture “le goût de l’époque,” or a taste of the times, in an annual guide destined for the coffee-table. For the title, he finally settled on “Le Fooding,” an amalgamation of ‘Food’ and ‘Feeling.’

The guide was there when established chefs like Alain Ducasse and Yves Camdeborde started moving away from the “more dramatic, classical forms” of cuisine to open smaller places with an emphasis on the food they wanted to cook.

Ducasse expanded Parisian palates with new international flavors when he opened Spoon off the Champs-Elysées. Meanwhile, Camdeborde cooked at La Bigarrade before opening Le Comptoir du Relais near Odéon, a bistro serving Béarnaise fare which is currently booked through September. To capture the new zeitgeist, the buzzword “bistronomie” was coined in a Le Fooding editorial meeting.

“We were the first people to say there wasn’t only one good taste…to say the Michelin taste wasn’t the best in the world,” he says. Instead of the oft-criticized star system, Le Fooding favors words and phrases like “Feeling,” “Fais-moi mal,” and “Trop Bon” - some of which escape translation. Cammas knows he can never budge the ubiquitous red guides off their pedestal in France, but Le Fooding isn’t limited to the publishing world.

The brand has also expanded with food festivals with all of its P.R. and production done in house. Their most recent bacchanal, “Les Incorrects,” was held in a renovated swimming pool in the 16th and was devoted to politically incorrect fare like horse meat and butter, with a certain masked chef making an appearance.

They even took the show on the road to New York last summer, bringing along a cast of Parisian chefs like Iñaki Aizikiparte of Le Chateaubriand and Stephane Jégo of Chez L’Ami Jean to mingle with their American counterparts like David Chang of Momofuku and Wylie Dufresne of W.D. 40 in an event held at P.S.1. in Long Island City.

Cammas admits the city had never seen anything like it. They sold 1,800 tickets in four days.

Cammas was no stranger to the New York food scene, having spent five months in Fort Greene, Brooklyn last year with his family. While New York’s best restaurants certainly rival their equivalents in Paris (Paul Liebrandt’s Corton in Tribeca is one that comes to his mind), Cammas finds that “food is less cerebral” and sophisticated in New York, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Among his favorite restaurants, he names humbler places with an emphasis on simple, fresh food like Roman’s in Fort Greene.

“The pleasure you can have in a restaurant in New York is immediate,” says Cammas. The U.S. clearly lacks the culinary tradition of France, whose’ sacred ritual of dining dates back to the days of Brillat-Savarin and Escoffier. While the growing ranks of the food-obsessed in cities like New York, San Francisco, and Chicago are labeled “foodies” or denigrated as “food snobs,” it seems that a passion for food is nothing short of a prerequisite for citizenship in France.

Cammas is currently organizing another event next summer at P.S.1. which will pit New York and San Francisco chefs against each other in a battle royale. Despite their success abroad, Cammas doubts Le Fooding will stray too far from France, although he does foresee publishing an international dining guide including cities like New York, Tokyo, Sydney, and London in the next couple of years.

Surpisingly, it’s not all about the food. All of their events are done with the “Fooding touch,” incorporating art, graphic design, music, and other creative disciplines into the fun because Cammas insists that “nothing is more boring that someone who only talks about food.”

There are plans for a festival in Milan, a “foodstock” in the Alps, as well as a costume-themed party in the former Hermès residence at a hotel particulier in Montmartre this Spring. Cammas relies on heavy-hitting sponsors like Veuve Clicquot and San Pellegrino to keep things running smoothly.

While many restaurants have struggled during the economy, Cammas remains optimistic and feels the recession has had a few unlikely benefits.

“A good consequence of the crisis is that people want to have real pleasure,” he says. People aren’t willing to spend their money anywhere. Restaurants scaling back for the economy, however, are “doing it for the wrong reasons….they’re going to hit the wall.” Instead Cammas prefers restaurants where chefs prepare food like they’re “cooking for their friends.”

For dinner in Paris, Cammas prefers Caffé dei Cioppi, a neighborhood place hidden off the Rue Faubourg Saint-Antoine in the 11th for a good risotto.

Where’s he eating tonight? He’s taking the night off and eating at home with his kids.

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by Trafton Kenney
Photo by Mateja Smigoc
Gloobbi Cuisine

Good plus good must then equal even better. That’s the thinking behind the Red Velvet Lounge in the city where they’re up for anything, New York City.

Imaginative up-starters Jason Lawrence and Cole Bernard have already established their names in the boozy world of cocktails with two trendy bars, and now they have gone a step further. Perhaps out of boredom, perhaps out of a moment of unrivalled epiphany.

Taking a collection of alcohol enriched cupcakes from Baked by Melissa, and Charlotte Voisey, from the complex world of mixology, will concoct a daily complementary cocktail blend.

Espresso cupcakes with a shot of Jameson’s whiskey sounds like a perfectly natural fit with an Irish coffee, let alone a Jameson and espresso martini. It’s a flawless alternative to an energy drink (unless you’re counting calories)!

While the espresso-Jameson combo can start the night off, the icing on the cake of a great night out could be fulfilled with a vanilla and rum cupcake alongside a terrifying medley of rum, fresh ginger, and fresh lemon and apple juice. That actually does sound quite appealing.

It seems like a novel, if not great, idea. There are countless situations in which craving for alcohol and food go hand in hand. While perhaps coming completely out of the blue, the Red Velvet Lounge just might have stepped on a sugarcoated goldmine.

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by Henry Guyer
Gloobbi Cuisine

-Orson Welles

From laconic bikinis to elegant one-pieces, the pieces mold perfectly to the feminine form, while never giving too much away. In an age when bathing suits seem to keep decreasing in the amount of materials used (and increasing in the amount of skin shown), Zimmerman’s pieces hark back to a different era where class was prominent, and where a little bit less meant a little bit more.

The Zimmerman sisters are native to Australia, yet their latest spring/summer collection is unmistakably influenced by the United States. More specificlly, the United States of the 1970’s, taking a step away from the recent, and very tragic, 80’s trend.

Combining a daring ensemble of striking details: modish gaps in the fabric, animal prints and floral patterns, high necklines, makes good use of chiffon, satin and silk. The collection is colorful and festive, with its use of tribal print and baggy pants to complement the tight tops. In warm, bright colors, crisp blues and classy blacks, the eye-catching collection expresses grace and sex in one brushstroke.

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by Henry Guyer
Gloobbi Fashion

-Stéphane Mallarmé

With the 175 million dollar renovation completed, La Mamounia reopened its doors on September 29th, 2009 to the relief of many. The work of interior designer, Jacques Garcia, has reminded all of its visitors why everyone from Winston Churchill to Yves Saint Laurent swore by its restorative powers.

If you happen to book one of its 136 rooms, 71 suites, or four exclusive riads, you are luckier than most. However, any visitor to Marrakech will agree that a drink at one of the five bars at La Mamounia is as de rigeur as a trip to Place Djemaa el Fna.

After a day spent haggling in the souks, you’ll find welcome respite amid the warm interior of plush gold velvet banquettes at Le Bar Italien. It’s the ideal way to pique the appetite for the dinner of Moroccan salad, tagine, and couscous you’ll encounter at restaurants like Le Tobsil. The cocktails at the bar are expertly-mixed but don’t forget – prices are non-negotiable.

La Mamounia – Avenue Bab Jdid – 40 040 – Marrakech, Morocco

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by Trafton Kenney
Gloobbi Travel

The focal point of the project will be the textile and garment industry, while electronic goods, jewellery, furniture and pharmaceuticals, among other retail sources, will also be targeted. At present, the concept is still in its early stages of construction, with the ground already levelled and marketing which recently took place early this year.

The confident ambition of Al Tajamouat is reflected in the time period allowed for the project to roll out. Indeed, seven years is the current expected duration of development, which will be divided into three separate stages.

However, financial reward in the sum of $500 – 800 million is expected to be accumulated from exports once the complex is in action. It is predicted that employment opportunities will flourish in Cairo upon completion, and both Egyptian and foreign investors will be keen to invest generously in the plot.

With the support of the Egyptian government, managers believe this unique mega-city will open new markets and boost re-growth in struggling industries, by attracting international and local buyers, which may quickly restore faith in the economic sector and see prosperity return to the country in trying times.

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by Albertine Fox
Gloobbi Architecture

That’s easy enough. The Hotel Fazenda da Lagoa on the other hand, is hard to get to and they plan on keeping it that way. After a 30 minute flight from Salvador to Ilhéus, the hotel staff picks you up and the journey begins.

A forty minute car ride down the auto route takes you to Una rainforest reserve where you’ll reach the hotel gates. Are we there yet? Not exactly. After a three kilometer drive around the fresh water lake, you’ll reach a river and finally be ferried across to the Hotel’s grounds.

Is it worth it, you might ask? Valentino thinks so.

Designed by architect, Lia Siquiera, Fazenda da Lagoa offers 14 minimalist bungalows and suites surrounded by the sea, a stunning lake, and all with the rainforest at your back. It is ultimate privacy in an oasis of nature without compromising the comfort of any traveler.

Few details were lost in the planning of Fazenda da Lagoa. The landscaping was done with indigenous vegetation in mind. Even the staff’s uniforms were created by the designer, Lenny Neimeyer.

There are options to visit the Eco Park of Una and local cocoa farms, but no one will blame you if you spend your days lounging on their bright Bahian cushions, caipirinha in hand, wondering if water can get any clearer than this, and of course, planning your next trip back.

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by Trafton Kenney
Gloobbi Travel

One of the first things you think of though when you finally settle into a new apartment is how to personalize it, how to decorate it so it finds that delicate balance between personality, style, and composition.

This is also the aim of Ferm Living. What started off as a graphic design agency rapidly transformed itself into a modern way of interior decorating when founder Trine Andersen needed to redecorate her own house.

Their elegant yet daring wallpaper made Ferm quickly stand out from the rest, providing a variety of styles that range from the classic to the futuristic. This isn’t your grandmother’s barren and horrid type of peeling wallpaper. This is wallpaper that has been updated and perfected.

True to their graphic design roots, Ferm has created a new collection of graceful wall adornments. Simply named the Very Special Collection, Ferm Living’s latest is mainly inspired by the Scandinavian countryside.

A variation of trees, berries, branches, leaves, and long-stemmed flowers have been cleverly designed into patterns that bring an air of the natural indoors. Other wallpaper choices include graphic designs that are inspired by seventies cubism, a playful pop-culture style, and a sophisticated design that upon further inspection is actually an intricate map of ancient Paris.

To make wallpaper easier for the user, Ferm is using WallSmart technology – a non-woven brand of wallpaper that is easy to work with, where the glue is directly applied to the wall. With their gallant and refined styles, Ferm living has brought a breath of fresh air to vintage art.

To learn more about their work visit their site on www.ferm-living.com.

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by Henry Guyer
Gloobbi Design