Jeff Houck

The Tampa Tribune’s food writer since 2005, Jeff Houck covers the way people live through their food. He also hosts the Table Conversations food podcast and believes that everything crunchy is good.

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A Page Turns [Flavor Rides Into The Sunset]

Posted Sep 30, 2008 by Jeff Houck

Updated Sep 30, 2008 at 04:14 PM

One of my favorite ads on TV right now is this Dunkin’ Donuts commercial:

I cannot get this song out of my head. I’m even singing it in the newsroom. Pity my colleagues. What can I say? I have a soft spot for Egyptian-slaves-building-a-pyramid dirges.

What does all this have to do with The Stew? Well, like George, Weezie and Lionel Jefferson, it’s time for us to move to that deluxe apartment in the sky-y-y, so to say.

On Sunday, the print version of The Stew column and many of the features you read each week in the Flavor section will join with stories from the At Home section as well as fashion, parenting and pet columns and articles each week in a new journalism condo we’re calling BayLife Magazine.

Not everything will be the same, unfortunately. As with all moves, (Gosh, this relocation metaphor is getting tiresome), Orlando-based columnists Pam Brandon and Anne-Marie Hodges, better known as The Divas of Dish, end their 20-month run with us. Their playful recipes were like a vacation for the taste buds. Their helping of sass and fun-loving attitude helped us re-make the Flavor section earlier this year with a much more lighthearted tone.

We also say goodbye to Tony “Fatso” Siciliano, our king of barbecue and grilling, who joined after the Flavor section switched in March to a tab format. Thanks to his column, I’ve stolen more grilling tips than I’ll ever admit. We thank him for his work and wish him well with his “On the Grill” radio show each Saturday on 970-WFLA AM.

Jaden Hair‘s Steamy Kitchen column will continue to appear weekly in BayLife Magazine, but Greg and Michelle Baker‘s Culinary Sherpas column will run every other week. They can, of course be found at their wonderful Web site.

“Recipes Lost & Found?” It’s making the move. “Consumers Ask?” Same. “Greasy Remote, “Cravings,” and “Eat Their Words” will still run with the same regularity, too, just on Sunday instead of Wednesday.

All of which means — if I haven’t been clear — that the Flavor section on Wednesday will end its publication.

We at the Tribune all know it will be hard for you. Routines are always difficult to change, and the Flavor section has run on Wednesdays like clockwork since John McCain was a toddler.

Flavor was a section you held on to, read during the week, shopped with on Saturdays and cooked with on Sundays. You and other readers have a relationship with Flavor. Recipes you clipped in 1968 are still in your files, just in case someone needs one they can’t find.

Someone once asked me why the RL&F column continued to flourish despite the abundance of recipes available online. I told them I think there were two reasons: (1.) Flavor readers are a nice bunch and they like to help others. (2.) People still like to see their name in the paper for reasons other than births, deaths, weddings, divorces and arrests.

As I wrote in March when we changed formats, I’ve always been honored be a part of a section readers deeply cared about. To that end, we’ve tried to cover your life with food, not just about what was in the pan, on the plate or in your glass.

But this change is not only inevitable, it’s necessary.

What does that mean for The Stew: The Blog? Well, I’ll be posting items there more often — especially on Wednesdays when you want them the most. And the food channel on TBO.com with the catchy address — http://www2.tbo.com/static/sections/tbo-life-food/ — will feature more stories, podcasts and videos as well.

I get more pitches for appearances on the blog than I have time to do, quite honestly. Hopefully this will allow me to do more and do it more funly.

Yes, I realize funly isn’t a word. Well, it is now. Welcome to the New Stew.

If you want to chat about the changes, I’ll be glad to talk or e-mail with you. I’d also love to hear your ideas about what food stories you’d like me to write about.

My phone number is (813) 259-7324, and my e-mail is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).