Online "flash" sale retailer Gilt Groupe unveiled their latest project with the arrival of Gilt Taste this morning. The site combines a marketplace of "artisanal hard-to-find foods" with magazine-style features. Among the many notable food personalities contributing: Ruth Reichl, the former editor-in-chief of now-defunct Gourmet magazine; Francis Lam, also formerly of Gourmet; James Beard award winner Barry Estabrook; Hank Shaw, of the blog Hunter Angler Gardner Cook and Le Bernardin pastry chef Michael Laiskonis.
The marketplace carries a wide variety of products ranging from California Caviar to Jumbo White Asparagus. The site is currently in beta so stay tuned as it evolves further.
In her welcome letter, Reichl explains the mission of the site: "Gilt Taste is a radical venture. On one hand it's a showcase for the artisanal products that talented bakers, butchers, candy and cheese-makers are now crafting all over the country. It's a place to meet a new generation of farmers, the men and women who are tilling the land in sustainable ways, saving seeds and raising happy animals. It is a celebration of food, mostly American."
Also, within hours of the launch, award-winning humorist Ruth Bourdain has parodied the site with her version: Guilt Taste. It features offers for Chilean Sea Bass ("unsustainable yet unctuous") and Ortolan ("endangered enshmangered").
PS: Am I actually saving any money with these offers or just getting access to hard-to-find food products? That is not clear.
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