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Companion's Josh Allen has just announced details on his third annual CollaBREADtive, one of the more creative marketing programs to come along in years: a quadruple cross-promotion where eight chef-inspired breads will be featured not only in a dish at their respective restaurants, but will also be available at both Companion cafes as well as retail grocery outlets where Companion breads are sold.
The highlight of the program is, of course, seeing which chefs are participating and the wild array of breads they've created. The CollaBREADtive program has produced several of Companion's top-selling new breads, such as last year's runaway hit—pretzel bread—an invention analogous to drink holders in movie theaters...something so obvious that no one ever thought of it.
Anyone familiar with Marketing 101 (or has watched even one episode of AMC's Mad Men) knows a product often rests on the shoulders of its creative campaign, and in this regard, CollaBREADtive gets an A+. Last year, the theme was a whimsical, Rube Goldberg-ian flying contraption; this year, the collaborators are depicted as culinary rock stars.
The breads will be introduced in 6-week intervals, according to the schedule below:CollaBREADtive 2010 - 2011
Sept 13–Oct 24
The Boathouse: Mark Erker
Muffaletta
Oct 25–Dec 5
Bixby's: Todd Lough
Pain Normande
Normandy Apple Bread
Dec 6
Jan 16
Fox Theatre: Stephen Proctor
Chocolate Cherry Espresso Bread
Jan 17
Feb 27
Fond Restaurant/Township Grocer: Amy Zupanci
Ancient Grains Boule
Feb 28
Apr 10
River City Casino: Bill Gideon
Artisan English Muffins
Apr 11
May 22
BARcelona: David Molina
Cocas
Spanish Flatbread
May 23
Jul 3
Pi Pizzeria: Marc Baltes
Classic Pizzeria Grissini
Oregano-Crushed Red Pepper-Parmesan
Jul 4
Aug 14
Brasserie by Niche: Summer Wright
Almond Crostada
And last but not least, ladies and gentlemen, rockers and rollers, allow me introduce the members of the band: They are, left to right:
David Molina - guitar
Marc Baltes - DJ/mixer
Amy Zupanci - fiddle
Todd Lough - drums
Josh Allen - front man
Summer Wright - on frypan guitar
Mark Erker, Stephen Proctor, Bill Gideon - horn section
Enjoy the show!
