Successful lobbying by the beverage industry is what killed the soda tax, the Times explains in an analysis of Governor David Paterson’s failed campaign. “The health message resonated with public-spirited groups like the New York Academy of Medicine and editorial writers,” says the public-spirited Times. “Enter New Yorkers Against Unfair Taxes, set up by beverage companies, grocers, Teamsters who represent drivers and production workers and others.” The American Beverage Association spent $9.4 million on its opposition campaign in just the first four months of 2010. The Alliance for a Healthy New York, a group the supported the tax, spent about half that. Where was the tobacco lobby when we needed them?

New York Drops Soda Tax Plan After Ad Campaign [NYT]

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The Macy’s fireworks may be exploding over the Hudson for the benefit of the people of New Jersey (again!), but at least Brooklyn has better food. Eric Demby assures us that the Brooklyn Flea is open for business on Saturday (Fort Greene) and Sunday (Williamsburg), with plenty of stuff to buy and eat. To further entice you, watch this fine short documentary about the Flea’s food vendors by Food.Curated’s Liza de Guia.

[Brownstoner via Food.Curated]

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Chef Colin Kruzic was fired on Sunday as executive chef of Jo’s, he told Grub Street in an e-mail. Co-owner Johnny Santiago confirmed that Kruzic was fired, but declined to specify why. According to Kruzic, his departure was the result of a “continuing disagreement of the direction of the business and the delegation of responsibility there.” (Kruzic was hired as executive chef in January.) Santiago and partner Jimmy Chu have no immediate plans to replace Kruzic. “The vision of the restaurant — fun dishes like meat in a cup — we’re taking much more control of that process and working with a team of chefs as more of a collaboration,” Santiago said. “I still hope they succeed,” Kruzic wrote. He plans to announce a new project within a few months.

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Upstairs at Bouley will close on Saturday, says the Tribeca Citizen. What Adam Platt once called a “haphazardly endearing little restaurant” is David Bouley’s second shuttering this year. He closed Bouley Bakery and Market in April. [Tribeca Citizen]

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Pat Kiernan, our favorite Canadian, is the prize for a Gothamist contest that starts today. The contest involves answering trivia questions posed on Twitter; the fantastic grand prize is eating poutine with Pat at Mile End. The contest begins this afternoon, and the winner’s date with Pat is July 15. Good luck, players! [Gothamist]

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Pastry chef and cocktail muddler Johnny Iuzzini will be the head judge on Bravo’s Top Chef: Just Desserts, we learned during last night’s episode of Top Chef: D.C.. Today, Bravo announced that Iuzzini will share the Judges’ Table with San Francisco chef Hubert Keller (who was a contestant on the first season of Top Chef Masters) and Daily Candy editor-at-large Dannielle Kyrillos. The show will follow the franchise format of Quickfire and elimination challenge, and will premiere “later this year.” Read the full release, below.

SWEET! BRAVO ANNOUNCES JUDGES FOR “TOP CHEF: JUST DESSERTS”

Renowned Pastry Chef Johnny Iuzzini Joins as Head Judge; Acclaimed Chef Hubert Keller and DailyCandy’s Dannielle Kyrillos Serve as Judges; And “Top Chef” and “Top Chef Masters” Judge Gail Simmons Set To Host

NEW YORK – July 1, 2010 – Bravo sweetens the deal as “Top Chef: Just Desserts” — a spin-off of the popular Emmy-nominated and James Beard Award-winning “Top Chef” — adds celebrated pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini as Head Judge with critically acclaimed chef Hubert Keller and DailyCandy Editor-at-Large Dannielle Kyrillos rounding out the judges’ table. As previously announced, “Top Chef” judge Gail Simmons will serve as the host of Bravo’s newest delectable delight that airs on Bravo later this year. For more information, visit www.BravoTV.com. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BravoPR.

Each episode of “Top Chef: Just Desserts” holds two challenges for the pastry chefs: the first is a quickfire test of their basic abilities and the second is a more involved elimination challenge designed to test the versatility and inventiveness of the pastry chefs as they take on unique culinary trials such as working with unusual and exotic ingredients or catering for a range of demanding clients.

Iuzzini, one of the country’s most celebrated and innovative pastry chefs, joins as head judge of “Top Chef: Just Desserts.” Currently the Executive Pastry Chef at Restaurant Jean Georges, which has three Michelin stars, and Nougatine, Iuzzini has received numerous accolades throughout his career. In May 2006, The James Beard Foundation awarded Iuzzini “Outstanding Pastry Chef of the Year,” for which he was also nominated in 2003; he was named one of the Comite Colbert’s “Emerging Young Artists of 2000;” earned the title of “Best New Pastry Chef” by New York Magazine in 2002; and was named one of the “10 Best Pastry Chefs in America” by Pastry Art and Design Magazine in 2003 and 2004. Iuzzini, who has appeared as a guest judge on “Top Chef,” published his first cookbook, Dessert Fourplay in 2008.

Keller will be a familiar face to “Top Chef” fans having appeared multiple times as a guest judge on “Top Chef” and as a contestant on season one of “Top Chef Masters.” His world-renowned restaurants, Fleur de Lys San Francisco and Las Vegas, feature Keller’s contemporary French cooking accented with Mediterranean flavors. With his palate attuned to America’s evolving tastes, Keller launched his wildly popular Burger Bar restaurants in Las Vegas, St Louis, and San Francisco as well as the cutting edge SLeeK Steakhouse and Ultra Lounge in St Louis. He has won numerous awards including the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef: California” and has been elected to the Foundation’s prestigious Who’s Who in Food and Beverage. Food & Wine magazine tapped him as one of the ten Best New Chefs in America, and Restaurants & Institutions gave him its Ivy Award.

Entertaining expert and Editor-at-Large of DailyCandy, Kyrillos shares insider scoop with readers across the country on the latest news in food, fashion, travel, gifts and entertaining. She wrote several chapters of DailyCandy’s two books, Daily Candy A to Z: An Insider’s Guide to the Sweet Life and The DailyCandy Lexicon: Words That Don’t Exist But Should. For the past four years, she has also helped cover the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen for Plum TV as an on-camera host.

Food & Wine’s Simmons, who has been a judge on “Top Chef” for the past seven seasons, takes on the hosting duties of this highly competitive spin-off series showcasing the best of the best in the world of pastry arts. She is responsible for special projects for the magazine, acting as liaison between the marketing and editorial teams on magazine events and chef-related initiatives. During her tenure at the magazine, she has been responsible for the annual Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, America’s premier culinary event. Born in Toronto, Canada, Gail moved to New York City to attend culinary school at what is now the Institute of Culinary Education. She then trained in the kitchens of legendary Le Cirque 2000 and groundbreaking Vong restaurants, and worked for esteemed food critic Jeffrey Steingarten at Vogue as well as for chef Daniel Boulud. Throughout her career, Simmons has contributed to several cookbooks, including It Must’ve Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten, Chef Daniel Boulud: Cooking in New York City and The New American Chef, by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page.

“Top Chef: Just Desserts” is produced by the Emmy-nominated Magical Elves. Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz serve as executive producers.

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Competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi blames the International Federation of Competitive Eating for blocking him from the Nathan’s hot-dog event on July 4. The eater says the Federation wants him only to compete in their events. Richard Shea, the federation’s Harold Hill–ish founder, told the News that Kobayashi has accepted this exclusivity clause for years: “His saying this is like Tom Brady saying he’d like to be in the Super Bowl, but not in the NFL.” Kobayashi is still in training (eating ten to fifteen hot dogs a day) in case he settles with the federation in time for Sunday’s contest.

Don’t Gag Me, Says Kobayashi [NYDN]

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“Brooklyn has become as much a brand these days as a location,” says Inc. in a story about opening businesses in Brooklyn. They make it sound so easy! In an accompanying list of “Best Brooklyn Entrepreneurs,” Inc. touts Brooklyn Brewery, Roberta’s, People’s Pops, and Red Hook Lobster Pound as local businesses making good. [Inc.]

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Filed Under: foodienomics, brooklyn, brooklyn brewery, people’s pops, red hook lobster pound, roberta’s, small businesses

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From the man who brought you page-view bait like “Spa Treatments Too Bizarre to Believe” and “Travel Etiquette in the World’s Most Visited Countries” (even his headlines are heavy with search-engine-optimization tricks), former Forbes.com publisher Jim Spanfeller plans to launch a food site. He even has funding from real, live backers! [MediaMemo]

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“I hope I don’t mistake him for a suckling pig!” —Expectant father Ilan Hall on the miracle of life [Life & Style]

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Sam Talbot has only one more summer in the Hamptons before he comes back to helm the restaurant at the Mondrian Hotel, and it sounds like he’ll spend much of it on the water. Per a VF Daily questionnaire (decidedly not Proustian), Talbot wears a Loomstate swimsuit, his song of the summer is Locksley’s “The Whip,” and he enjoys “herbal therapy” in the evening, whatever that could possibly mean. [VF Daily/VF]

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The team behind Abe & Arthur’s, SL, and Tenjune signed a lease for a seafood restaurant and lounge in the meatpacking district, Eater reports. Franklin Becker of Abe & Arthur’s will plan the menu and break in the kitchen, but will not be the full-time executive chef. Look for it next summer. [Eater NY]

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Filed Under: empire building, abe and arthur’s, franklin becker

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