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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T-Minus 1 Day And Counting

Posted Mar 4, 2008 by Jeff Houck

Updated Mar 4, 2008 at 09:04 AM

Because I’m really bad when it comes to keeping quiet regarding things I’m excited about (and because, you know, my boss already spilled the beans), I wanted to share some news about changes to our Flavor section starting tomorrow in the Tampa Tribune.

Yes, we’re making changes. All newspapers are. Yes, cost-cutting measures are partially the reason. All newspapers are feeling the pinch. And by pinch I mean “the soul-crushing blow of a downturning economy.”

But I’m more than a little pleased to say that the end result for Flavor readers will be that they’ll finally have a section to call their own.

First, we’re showcasing almost all of the same features in a “tab” or magazine size that you got in the previous broadsheet incarnation. Mary Keith‘s popular Consumers Ask column. An expanded Recipes Lost & Found, including the new online recipe archive. The Savory Selections culinary calendar by Camille Scringer. And, as usual, you get a sassy helping from The Divas of Dish, Pam Brandon and Anne-Marie Hodges.

One casualty: the 7-Day Menu Planner column. As much as we love Susan Nicholson, it simply couldn’t be shoehorned into the new size for the section. Fans can still find her column online. We wish her well. We’ll be including more recipes to patch the hole.

With subtraction comes addition. Lots of it. We’re increasing our coverage of wine and spirits with Tribune writer Kurt Loft‘s Uncorked column and help from Bill Daley at the Chicago Tribune when Kurt’s out chasing space shuttles or orchestras. We’re adding a book review page called Eat Their Words. The Greasy Remote suggests the best food-related programming on television in the coming week. The Cravings page is where you’ll find the kitchen tools, new products and other cool stuff we come across. You’ll get a steady stream of Table Conversations Q&As with authors, chefs and celebrities. Designer Pat Kane-Prescott, a food lover in her own right, has crafted a new, lively look for the section. And we’ll be adding a new stable of local columnists in the coming weeks — something we’re very excited about.

They’ll include:

* Jaden Hair, cooking instructor and blogger at Jaden’s Steamy Kitchen. She’ll be writing about modern Asian cooking and how to infuse eastern flavors into everyday dishes.

* Michelle and Greg Baker, local personal chefs for Cooks & Company who will write The Culinary Sherpas column on local eats. (They’ve been my cohorts in the Tampa Underbelly Tour.) Greg writes under the pseudonym Mal Carne on his Bad Meat blog. Michelle pens The Urban Eater blog and has contributed to Sticks of Fire.

* Tony “Fatso” Siciliano, the host of “On the Grill Radio” from 3-5 p.m. every Saturday on 970 WFLA-AM. (He rode along for the last Underbelly tour.) He also sells sauce online.

The columnists make their debuts in the March 12 section.

What you won’t get in Flavor will be are any of those annoying comics, advice columns, TV grids, What To Do lists or movie schedules. Those have moved elsewhere in the paper.

For the foreseeable future — which in newspaper journalism means the next 10 minutes — Flavor will be all about flavor. All food, all the time. And, as usual, if you can’t wait for Wednesday, you can keep tabs on The Stew.

I hope you like what you’ll see. Drop me a line at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and tell me what you think of your new section.