Chefs

"Soapbox is a great resource. I particularly enjoy the questions about topics in the news. Giving chefs a forum like that is important and Spoonfeed is invaluable for that."
Edward Lee — Executive Chef, 610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY

"Now we have a platform to speak and inform our guests of what we believe in and think. We have always been subjugated to written reviews from critics/yelpers etc. Now we have a voice."
Bernie Laskowski — Executive Chef, Park Grill in Millennium Park, Chicago, IL

"Ultimately, I believe in the concept of Spoonfeed because I believe in myself, my cooking, my restaurant, and my message. I believe I am best off speaking for myself to the media without a filter. I also believe that my cooking and my restaurant are compelling and will be written about if given a forum. If you believe in your cooking and your own story, why wouldn't you get on board? This is your chance to speak up and be heard!"
Paul Fehribach — Executive Chef/Owner, Big Jones, Chicago, IL

"What RIA is doing is fabulous - very innovative and intelligent way to connect chefs, bloggers & journalists."
Perry Hendrix — Executive Chef, Custom House Tavern, Chicago, IL

"I really like the site. And am planning to use it extensively. So much better than Facebook!"
Kevin Callaghan — Executive Chef/Owner, Acme Food & Beverage Co., Carrboro, NC

"Spoonfeed and Soapbox have allowed us unadulterated access to media outlets large and small, local and national. Eighteen months ago, no one knew who we were and within the first week of affiliation with RIA we were being reviewed by the Chicago Tribune. Last week we were interviewed and photographed for Travel and Leisure! The sky is the limit with RIA, I cannot express the long term significance this company continues to provide for The Southern."
Cary Taylor — Executive Chef, The Southern, Chicago, IL

 

Journalists

"Spoonfeed understands that food media is no longer one person shouting from a mountaintop, but conversations on the same level. No longer are chefs anonymous cooks in toques, but someone we can now engage in dialogue easily. And that's indispensable for journalists. No hyperbole. I spent 20 mins reading up on a chef and my interview questions to him were 10 times better because of it."
Kevin Pang — Food Writer, Chicago Tribune and James Beard Nominee for writing about chefs

"I’m hesitant to endorse RIA’s extraordinarily rich site too enthusiastically. Selfishly, I’d prefer to keep it as one of my new semi-secret weapons in the effort to generate powerful and unique content. Browsing Soapbox and other nooks and crannies of the site has proven a powerful spark to ideas for articles and radio segments. When I’ve queried chefs using MediaFeed, I’ve been knocked out by the quantity of high-value insights I’ve received back. Some journalists may find it challenging to work within RIA’s automated platform, which supports a more direct way for food journalists to interact with chefs and others in the industry. That’s their loss, because journalists who are not making use of this site are missing a huge opportunity to access information, quotes and contacts in ways that save what journalists never have enough of: time."
David Hammond — Food Writer, Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ (Chicago's NPR station)

"Facebook is a time suck. Soapbox is, too, but here's the difference – it's a productive one. There is such a thing. When I need the quick who/what/where of a restaurant or chef, I know exactly where on the site to look. When I have the time to slow down and poke around, the site becomes the proverbial onion, and peeling back the layers - reading how a chef got his or her start, or why they're keen on a certain ingredient - becomes this enlightening, engaging exercise from which stories germinate. That’s time well-spent."
Janet Fuller — Food Editor, Chicago Sun-Times

"I was very happy to be able to cut down my work hours by researching the menus we needed in one spot. I love your web site; it is so helpful."
Bill Rice - One of Food Writing's Godfathers

"This is a really awesome resource. I'm going to use it often."
Kate N. Krader - Restaurant Editor, Food & Wine

"I never thought writing about a restaurant would be easy. R.I.A. has all of the information in one place so I can really hone in on the details without getting caught up in the chase. It's incredibly progressive and is bound to catch on."
Emily Fiffer - DailyCandy

"It's great to have everything in one place! Nice work."
Elaine Glusac - AARP, American Way, Best Life, Bon Appetit, Chow, Conde; Nast Traveler, Cooking Light, Cottage Living, Food & Wine, Glamour, Gourmet, Hemispheres, In Style, Outside, National Geographic Traveler

"So exciting and SO SMART. I think this is just great. I will look forward to reading greedily!"
Nadine Ekrek - Freelancer

"I just checked out the web site -- genius. I can't believe no one has done this yet. We could've used this when scrambling for a photo on a recent deadline."
Ari Bendersky - Freelancer

"What a smart idea!"
Jeff Ruby - Chicago magazine

"R.I.A. is incredible! I can spend less time collecting background information and more time finding out the real story."
Jenny B. Davis - Travel + Leisure, Saveur, Travelocity magazine, USA Weekend and Christian Science Monitor

"The site is great. I will definitely be making lots of use of it!"
J.P. Anderson - Where Chicago

"It's impossible to find updated info on so many different restaurants and general culinary topics in any other place; the fact that it's backed by a top publicist like Ellen Malloy makes it all the more effective and trustworthy. I've been waiting years for a resource tool like this; now I've got it"
Jody Robbins - Freelance writer and social media expert

"Restaurant Intelligence Agency's members [are] immediately accessible. In the magazine world, there is no bigger plus."
Francine Maroukian - Esquire, Travel + Leisure, Marie Claire, Oprah, In Style and Real Simple

"I love it!"
Louisa Chu - Gourmet, Chicago Tribune, moveable-feast.com

"It's definitely a site I refer to often and really, really makes my job easier. It's where I go first when doing research for articles."
Lisa Shames - CS Magazine, Daily Candy, Time Out Chicago, Gayot