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Best of FOOD52 2011

by:
December 28, 2011

2011 is coming to a close -- and boy, do we have a lot to show for it. Check out all that we've accomplished together this year, and pat yourselves on the back. Here's to many more!

Whole Foods Market Cooking

We designed a network of community cooking sites for Whole Foods Market, starting with the first store in Rockville, MD and expanding to four regions.

Shop the Story

 

The 2nd FOOD52 Cookbook

We finished crowd-sourcing our second cookbook (which hits shelves October 2012!), with gems like Roasted Butterflied Chicken with Cardamom and Yogurt and Butternut Sage Scones.

 

Detroit Dirt

The Perennial Plate and Detroit Dirt, a community composting initiative, teamed up for an urban gardening extravaganza on Detroit Dirt's farm. FOOD52er mariaraynal helped organize the event, which brought together almost twenty voluteers to help with the project. Read her recap here

 

Amanda at James Beard Awards

Amanda won herself a James Beard Award for The Essential New York Times Cookbook. Since the very idea for FOOD52 grew out of Amanda & Merrill's work on this big, handsome book, the win is especially poignant -- we can all be grateful that this book is what brought us all together.

 

 

The Food52 Cookbook

We published our first cookbook, The Food52 Cookbook, with 140 recipes vetted by our extraordinary community. More than 40 potlucks were thrown across the country in celebration. Out of 195 "Best Cookbooks of 2011" lists compiled by Eat Your Books, ours came in 4th overall!

 

The Martha Show  Tangerine and Almond Shortbread Tart

As part of her winnings from our contest for Your Best Winter Late Winter Tart, FOOD52er lorigoldsby got the chance to make her gorgeous Tangerine and Almond Shortbread Tart on The Martha Show (with Martha Stewart herself as sous-chef!). Amanda & Merrill, of course, were there to cheer her on.

 

peko peko cookbook  japanese cookbook

Food writer and FOOD52er Stacie Billis (One Hungry Mama) spearheaded the cookbook Peko Peko, a beautiful, hopeful cookbook whose proceeds went straight to GlobalGiving in support of Japan. Two of the 50+ recipes, timWuNotWoo's Misoyaki Roast Chicken with Shoyu Onion Sauce and Teri's Quick Cucumber and Shiso Pickles, are favorites right here on FOOD52.

 

The Food52 Hotline App

We turned the FOOD52 Hotline into our first iPhone app, providing answers and guidance to thousands of home cooks all across the world. Food luminaries like Dorie Greenspan and Mollie Katzen joined in on the fun, too.

 

Food52 Shop

We expanded the FOOD52 Shop, bringing deals from our favorite producers and designers right into your kitchen.

 

Food52 homepage

FOOD52 got a spiffy new look, allowing all of you to interact more and discover more recipes, fellow cooks, and handy how-to videos than ever before.

 

iPad app

We created our first iPad app, The FOOD52 Holiday Recipe & Survival Guide, with recipes and tips from you, plus video of Amanda & Merrill wrestling a gingerbread house, among other things.

 

Secret Santa

Our ever-cheerful community pulled off FOOD52's first Secret Santa swap: a cross-country gift exchange organized by enbe, with over 100 FOOD52ers joining in.

Happy New Year -- thanks for making 2011 so much fun for us!

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • lorigoldsby
    lorigoldsby
  • EatArt
    EatArt
  • Carol303
    Carol303
  • Christy, Confessions of a Culinary Diva
    Christy, Confessions of a Culinary Diva
  • Trillinchick
    Trillinchick
Food52 (we cook 52 weeks a year, get it?) is a food and home brand, here to help you eat thoughtfully and live joyfully.

15 Comments

lorigoldsby January 2, 2012
Congrats to Amanda and Merrill ( and all Food52ers!) on an amazing year ! Thank you for including me! I absolutely had a blast! It was a thrill to meet you two and I hope I make it back to NYC so I can be a sous chef for a day with you!
 
EatArt January 2, 2012
What a beautiful cornucopia of brilliant achievements! And done with such grace, charm, humor, and warmth! Congratulations from a huge fan! Here's to a sparkling 2012!
 
Carol303 January 1, 2012
I am so happy to have found you in 2011. Great success for 2012.
 
Christy, C. January 1, 2012
I'm so glad I discovered Food 52 this year - it has been an inspiration in cooking and living. Can't wait to see what 2012 has in store!
 
Trillinchick January 1, 2012
Congratulations on your year of creativity, innovation, and success! After a few hesitations, and
Iimited without computer/printer access, I am finally and still on-board! What is most impressive as the year scrolls past my eyes, is the evidence of imagineering and hard work that must be going on behind the scenes. You obviously have talented, dedicated staff. I wish you all a happy, productive, and successful 2012. Assure yourselves that you've earned it and are worthy of it! ;-)
 
Merry January 1, 2012
Thanks for sharing your culinary achievements! So impressive ~ so inspiring! May 2012 mark the year of, "beyond what we could imagine or think"!
 
Panfusine December 31, 2011
Discovering Food52 was one of the best things that happened to me in 2011.. Thank you! here's wishing you a wonderful successful 2012!
 
deanna1001 December 29, 2011
What a fantastic year! I'm so glad I found you.
 
Sonali A. December 28, 2011
Congratulations on a spectacular year! It's amazing to see how much the site has grown in just a couple of years. Can't wait to see what's next!
 
Sagegreen December 28, 2011
Congrats to all. What a wonderful way you have enhanced our cuisine. And in the process helped us make such wonderful friends. Long live Food52!
 
LLStone December 28, 2011
Congratulations to all of you from a huge fan! I've so enjoyed this website. I tried so many wonderful recipes (and saved even more), enjoyed the weekly articles and the genius recipes, received some great items from the shop and thoroughly enjoyed the Secret Santa exchange. I threw a cookbook-launch party and converted six women to Food52 users, and one cooked a Food52-only Christmas dinner!

Happy New Year and thanks - I’m a better cook because of this website.
 
aargersi December 28, 2011
WOOT!!!!
 
drbabs December 28, 2011
Thank you for all this, and for making it so much fun to be a part of this community.
 
mariaraynal December 28, 2011
Fantastic year! So happy to be part of this wonderful group, and can't wait to see what's next....
 
JaneEYB December 28, 2011
Wow, you must be exhausted! Amazing achievements in 2011, here's to 2012 being even bigger and bolder!