Hi all, I have a small update for you: In the coming days, you may notice we’ll be temporarily taking down contests from the site’s main navigation bar. This is happening to make space for all of our Thanksgiving and holiday goings-on—but don’t worry, as I've said, the contests will be back! They’ll be returning in a smarter, easier-to-understand format in 2018. We’ll be back with the details in January, and we thank you again for your patience.
Lisanne, and others, I understand your disappointment that contests are taking longer than we thought they would to come back, and I am sorry for that. Just because it's not happening as quickly as we'd like doesn't mean there isn't a great deal of enthusiasm for them though. They're an important part of Food52's history and will continue to be an important part of our future.
In the meantime, for those of you missing more daily interactions, I'd encourage you to check out the Cookbook Club and Baking Club. I know not everyone is on Facebook, but for those who are, both groups are super fun and engaged and active and chatty. You can find them here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1891444884421806/
and
https://www.facebook.com/groups/790448157775030/
Seems to me as if the financial backers do not perceive that the contests add value or drive traffic to the site; perhaps the feeling is that that staff submissions can be more satisfactorily tied in with the e-commerce site. There does not seem to be much enthusiasm for reviving this aspect of the site, or it would have happened. Too, too bad.
Ok, I know, I know, I'm spitting into the wind here. But please oh pretty please could we at least bring back a few holiday contests? I loved the holiday themed contests. Best Leftover Turkey, Best Christmas Dinner Roll, Best Vegetarian Side. I'm all sad and droopy over here.....
I don't want you feeling sad and droopy, but I'm sorry to say that I don't think it will be feasible to bring them back in time for holiday-themed ones this year. Making a note that they were a hit though for future reference!
I think part of the reason i miss the contests is that it created a regular new crop of recipes that have been tested. I just clicked on the Thanksgiving link this morning and thought "well, its all same recipes as last year" and i felt really sad. I appreciate the staff recipes and selected contributors but i don't have the same level of interest because they are so random. I just don't understand the driving force to the site anymore.
We added Thanksgiving to the navigation yesterday for early-bird planners, with familiar content, but rest assured that we have lots of exciting Thanksgiving content and fresh recipes in the weeks to come!
I've been thinking that the many recipes that are submitted by staff should be labeled "Editor's Picks" rather than "Community Picks". I think there should be a distinction and a "Community Pick" should be picked by ....the COMMUNITY!
My pet peeve besides the assault of photos inserted every which way in any content is the wording of Community Picks for staff recipes. drives me nuts, lol.
I've noted this before, but we agree with you! It's on the list of things to address, but it's not a quick fix, given that there are community picks and wildcard picks (and the currently confusingly applied heirloom recipes), and staff and contributor recipes are intermingled with community recipes in all of those categories -- it's going to be a bigger project than it might initially seem.
Most are not even articles. Just short, fluffy click-bait overloaded with over sized photos of old recipes and shop items that don't provide much information, IMO.
I've only been a member for about a year. Not sure how it use to be but I enjoy it. There are many who were here when I joined and I no longer see them posting. However there are many new people that I have learned from.
I sense that the decision was made to appeal to a young-20s demographic with less cooking experience, rather than accomplished home cooks, and to push the shop as the main moneymaker (which I don't think is affordable by young-20s so I haven't been able to figure out the logic, but oh well). I don't see a whole lot of new content daily as I used to. Things change, I guess that's where the money is. The goals changed. I guess that's how it is sometimes.
The two features I miss the most are the New Recipes link and the contests. That's how I learned of amazing cooks like Kukla and Anka. For me it was a ritual to hop on food52 and go to the new recipes page to see what's new each day. The contests brought to light recipes that would otherwise get buried in the archives, regardless of their "newness".
Add me (and my mom) to the list of people who do not come here very much anymore. There is so much content I am not interested in, and I feel like almost everything I see is written by staff members. I can't find what I'm looking for as easily I used to. It's just not my cup of tea these days and I prefer to read certain cooking blogs instead now.
Totally agree with these sentiments :( Unfortunately for me, without the contests - or even the biweekly wildcard winners - I feel like the site has just sort of evolved into another standard cooking blog. When all of the recent recipes featured are from staff - what role does the community even play? I keep hearing about the Heirloom Recipes but its not an easy feature to find and its not publicized on the main page. Since its inception, F52 has been my favorite food website - but I find that I am not checking daily anymore and I am wanting to seek out alternatives. It also seems like the featured recipes aren't all that balances - for example if you click on the recipes tab and you see the most recent "featured" recipes - aside from the recently added salads by Sarah Jampel - its almost all deserts! it has seemed like that all year. I am often looking for ideas for main courses - but aside from the genius recipes - they don't come along all that much like they did when the contests were in full swing. Sorry for what feels like complaining - it just seems like the site has evolved in a way that it is a stranger to the original form. Now it seems like a shop needs to provide enough income to support a large staff. I appreciate that this is a business - but the community aspect appears to have fallen by the wayside.
For those of us who have been here for a long time and were used to articles having column names that were easily clickable (myself included!), I know that the shift in layout can be an adjustment. We've found that more people look for general categories like what to cook or home & design rather than specific topics, like the Heirloom Recipes. Personally, I've bookmarked some of the topic pages that I like to check regularly, you can find Heirloom Recipes here: https://food52.com/topics/heirloom-recipes. We do have a lot of content, so it might be easy to miss, but we feature one a week and it's always on the homepage (and the carousel at the top).
And although Food52 has evolved, the community remains the backbone and will always be a priority. For anyone who missed it, here's a post from earlier this year about what we've been working on community-wise: https://food52.com/blog/19611-how-we-re-working-on-making-our-community-stronger
I respect the editorial position that the volume of new content generated by a contest does not justify the amount of work put in to the event. I would however advocate for the value of resubmissions. I admit to being a shameless user of contests but I probably will never enter one. But contests are a great way to bring to light many wonderful recipes that are buried in your archives. I love the retrospective articles Food52 produces such as “20 Great Recipes For XYZ” because they bring to light gems I never noticed, or those I thought interesting but allowed to slip out of my attention. But I also appreciate via contests the chance to view many wonderful recipes that people are justifiably proud of, new or old. I hope a solution can be found, good luck!
Hi all, contests aren’t over, but you’re absolutely right that we dropped the ball in terms of letting you know that the most recent one was canceled, we’re sorry about that.
To luvcookbooks’ point that the last contest had a lot of entries, it did, however many of them were resubmissions (as has increasingly been the case with past contests). We allow for resubmissions because we know that great recipes don’t always get picked out and should get a chance to shine again, but we're having a dilemma because the point of contests had been to inspire new recipes and cooking and while there are still ample entries there are very few new recipes. I hope you can understand that we need to think about the effort needed to maintain these as is and/or come up with new ways to do these. We know you love them. We do too! We really appreciate the suggestions and input you’ve shared here and will keep you posted as we move forward.
As I've suggested before in other threads on this topic, perhaps Food52 could do a survey similar to the others in the past year or so, but devoted to the subject of contests. Include fields on as many pages as possibles to allow people to explain their answers, as well as a 1,000 word box at the end for additional thoughts and ideas. Then, after running the survey, you could open the topic up for further discussion on the site.
This community is full of creative, intelligent people with good ideas who can solve problems. Let us help you solve this one. ;o)
P.S. Given the lack of functionality for seeing the latest posted recipes submitted by community members (non-staff or featured contributors), the vast majority of recipes posted to the contests are "new" to the community members who don't have a workaround.
AntoniaJames nailed it. I'm not a frequent visitor any more so much of the content is new to me when I do browse.
If Food52's site traffic is dominated by repeat (rather than unique) visitors, then your goal of inspiring new recipes makes sense.
Off-the-cuff idea: When it comes to contests held on YouTube, rules often state that there be a physical sign in the videos to prove it was created specifically for the contest. You could do the same for photos in recipe submissions.
Great idea, Sean. I might add as well that many recipes submitted for multiple contests are tweaked and improved for the purpose of that particular contest theme. I almost always re-test and edit any recipe that I submit to a contest. I can't always re-shoot due to my crazy schedule. With so little time for submitting brand new recipes (or first ever committed to text), I find it difficult to get in as much testing as I'd like before posting. Perhaps a longer period from announcement of the contest to the entry deadline would encourage more new recipes, especially from those of us whose time in the kitchen is limited due to work demands, planned weekends away, etc. ;o)
Anybody up for a no contest contest? Since it is summer , the theme is zucchini or squash. Post a photo of a dish you are making on this thread with a little info. Try and post something you are making now . You can vote for the recipe you like (besides your own) by hitting the i agree button. Most "agrees" wins, well nothing but satisfaction.
PHIL, love your idea. My summer squash inspiration isn't really a recipe per se: slice different types of summer squash thinly (I use a mandolin), arrange in concentric circles on a plate, drizzle with good extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice and then finish with torn basil, crumbled fresh goat cheese, lemon zest + flaky sea salt & freshly ground pepper. Et volià!
What bothers me the most about this is the fact that I don't think anyone from Food52 was planning on mentioning the end of contests and only did because of this question. Sad.....
I miss the contests. They were the driving force of the site and also the creative force. If they were brought back, I would bet that interest in contests would return to the glory days.
I miss the good old days, when contests were frequent, it was the best and I do miss it but its understandably difficult since Food52 has grown and frequent contests are a lot of work for the test kitchen and editorial staff. There has to be a happy medium.
If the monthly contest is too difficult to do, with all the testing involved, sponsors etc.. , why not do a monthly theme where people can put in their recipes just like the contest except no testing / prize. I think most cooks here want to share their recipes , the prize is just an added bonus. So for example , lets say this months theme is Mango. let people post to a community page mango ideas and we can try each other's recipes if we want and comment on them. Maybe limit postings to 50 - 100 recipes. You can probably do this weekly without much effort. A recipe that gets a lot of attention can be tested by Food52 staff possibly.
I like this idea. I usually go through most of the recipes submitted for the contests and decide which look like they would be well received by my family before the Food52 staff chooses recipes to test. It has been a good way to find recipes that I would likely not otherwise find.
So sad, even though I had to wait for it was planning to re-test and re-work a recipe for muffuletta (the word alone is delicious). Miss the old days of the smaller site but love the new things, too. Met Frog Hollow Farm apricots through this site. Also Tattly tattoos at the open house.
Would like more frequent contests and some way to look at recipes added by community members. Used to look every morning at the new recipes and used a lot.
I hear you BerryBaby. Maybe the issue is not preferential treatment but (my perception) that so many good recipes that are posted in Food52 are not really looked at/tested and featured. But I am still and will remain a Food52 fan.
it's my understanding all someone has to do is change an ingredient say from vanilla extract to almond extract.
Personally I think they should just all be original recipes that you create and show the side of your creativity JMO.
Hi BerryBaby, all recipes need to be your own, though they can be inspired by someone else's. For more on what's considered acceptably different enough, head here: https://food52.com/contests/about
I love Food52 but i dare to say in the hope that it is viewed as constructive criticism and not negativity 3 things. 1) Recipes featured are no longer as enticing as before. 2) I see lots of good recipes, posted years ago or recently, that are posted by Food52ers but that are not featured. Do you have someone who more diligenty or more periodically look at all the recipes on the site? 3) The food contests were fun and i bet they attracted more people to the site. However, I sometimes felt that a good and thorough review of submissions was not done, based on your selection of recipes to be tested. To me, it seemed that more well known Food52ers were (unconsciously or not) given preferencial treatment. I could be wrong but I still want to put this out there.
Respectfully submitted.
I didn't see preferential treatment. What I did notice was some recipes that won were from sites online but was advised this was acceptable. All mine were my creations and I never was selected and that's ok. Many saved them and I hope they enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
Thanks for the feedback Regine (and all!), in response to number 2, we absolutely spend time digging through the archives, we feature one community recipe every week! The easiest way to see them is to look at the Heirloom Recipes topic page: https://food52.com/topics/heirloom-recipes
BerryBaby I never got the impression that using recipes from online sites was acceptable. The contest page rules specifically states that recipes have to be your own. They can have a basis in an existing recipe if significantly changed (at least that was my interpretation). My recipes are also my own (however, having said that, the opposite occurred--a couple of my own recipes that received recognition on Food52 were subsequently published by other bloggers or websites. That's life on the internet if you "share" I guess.
That's a shame about the contests. I was looking forward seeing a collection of recipes that were inspired by community members travels and experiences.
In the meantime...to the Food52 community, do you have any recipes inspired by somewhere that you traveled that you want to share? Reading other people's stories is one of the best parts about Food52.
I no longer teavel but have a few recipes I enjoyed. Problem is, they are not my recipes. All I'd be doing is posting someone else's recipe. Not very exciting.
Yes, I do. A tart recipe inspired by a trip to Paris - https://food52.com/recipes/10018-tarte-aux-pommes-et-sucre and http://www.kitchenbutterfly.com/2010/10/24/tarte-aux-pommes-et-sucre/. Thank you for asking.
Thank you for sharing Kitchen Butterfly, that looks amazing! I'm making a note of that one, and please don't stop sharing hidden treasures on this thread, but please do share them with us directly, too. As I noted below, we feature community recipes on a weekly basis and we want to know about the ones you adore -- please pass them on to us at [email protected] (or to me at [email protected]) and let us know why you love it.
Thanks for sharing the recipe @Kitchen Butterfly. Paris is one of my favorite cities to visit and I am sure that this tarte will take me back for a moment!
Most of my recipes are inspired by travel, it is one of my favorite ways to remember a place! Here are a few: From Amsterdam - https://food52.com/recipes/59180-bali-steaks-by-way-of-holland; Oaxaca, Mexico - https://food52.com/recipes/63646-chicken-soup-pipian; and New Orleans - https://food52.com/recipes/40713-chicory-coffee-glazed-game-hen-with-giardiniera-cabbage.
I hate to be a negative nancy, but I kind of agree with MMH. The more frequent contests were waaaay more fun. Plus, they focused on a specific ingredient or seasonal theme (best use of celery, best Halloween drink for when your kids are literally killing you, and so on). Can we puh-lease go back to monthly contests? I swear I'll participate more in the Hotline!
Hi morning glory, I'm sorry to say that we haven't been seeing a great response to contests and are once again working on a plan for them. Please stay tuned and I apologize for any disappointment.
It appears the old format is what interested the community. Why not go back to what people enjoyed. Like the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"
Thank you for your prompt response Lindsay-Jean. As others have now replied, I think we miss a more frequent contest. Quarterly seems to be too long to wait and we all wander off elsewhere! Maybe it doesn't need to be as frequent as before as I can see that did involve lots of work from the editorial team.
It would be sad if the contest went altogether. It happens to be one of the best recipe challenges on the internet and the standard of entries is very high. Perhaps a happy medium could be struck and it could be a bit more frequent but with a less complicated 'judging' process?
I think there were about 200 entries to the last contest. Was the testing the hard part? Not enough voting? For me, something more frequent would keep me engaged. I forget there's a contest because I'm not used to them even though I visit Food52 almost every day.
73 Comments
In the meantime, for those of you missing more daily interactions, I'd encourage you to check out the Cookbook Club and Baking Club. I know not everyone is on Facebook, but for those who are, both groups are super fun and engaged and active and chatty. You can find them here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1891444884421806/
and
https://www.facebook.com/groups/790448157775030/
And although Food52 has evolved, the community remains the backbone and will always be a priority. For anyone who missed it, here's a post from earlier this year about what we've been working on community-wise: https://food52.com/blog/19611-how-we-re-working-on-making-our-community-stronger
To luvcookbooks’ point that the last contest had a lot of entries, it did, however many of them were resubmissions (as has increasingly been the case with past contests). We allow for resubmissions because we know that great recipes don’t always get picked out and should get a chance to shine again, but we're having a dilemma because the point of contests had been to inspire new recipes and cooking and while there are still ample entries there are very few new recipes. I hope you can understand that we need to think about the effort needed to maintain these as is and/or come up with new ways to do these. We know you love them. We do too! We really appreciate the suggestions and input you’ve shared here and will keep you posted as we move forward.
This community is full of creative, intelligent people with good ideas who can solve problems. Let us help you solve this one. ;o)
P.S. Given the lack of functionality for seeing the latest posted recipes submitted by community members (non-staff or featured contributors), the vast majority of recipes posted to the contests are "new" to the community members who don't have a workaround.
If Food52's site traffic is dominated by repeat (rather than unique) visitors, then your goal of inspiring new recipes makes sense.
Off-the-cuff idea: When it comes to contests held on YouTube, rules often state that there be a physical sign in the videos to prove it was created specifically for the contest. You could do the same for photos in recipe submissions.
Would like more frequent contests and some way to look at recipes added by community members. Used to look every morning at the new recipes and used a lot.
Personally I think they should just all be original recipes that you create and show the side of your creativity JMO.
Respectfully submitted.
In the meantime...to the Food52 community, do you have any recipes inspired by somewhere that you traveled that you want to share? Reading other people's stories is one of the best parts about Food52.
Good luck with the revamp, editors!
Voted the Best Reply!
It would be sad if the contest went altogether. It happens to be one of the best recipe challenges on the internet and the standard of entries is very high. Perhaps a happy medium could be struck and it could be a bit more frequent but with a less complicated 'judging' process?