Located in the media capital of the world, The New York Produce Show and Conference serves the interests of the trade by running a substantial media outreach program. The program has various aspects. One element serves financial journalists interested in the business of produce. Another aspect serves journalists with culinary, shopping or homemaking interests. A final element is an outreach to consumer influencers of non-traditional types, such as those who blog, tweet or maintain Facebook presences speaking about food, restaurants and how people should eat.

The umbrella under which these media/consumer influencer programs function is called “Connect with Fresh.”

At the center of the program is a Media Luncheon. In the past we have had keynote speakers such as Florence Fabricant, Sara Moulton, Maricel Presilla. This year, we are honored to host the noted author, John Mariani. By a fortuitous circumstance, pundit sister publication PRODUCE BUSINESS has a Contributing Editor — and noted author himself — by the name of Paul Frumkin. Paul is a CIA-trained chef and has known John for many years and so we asked him to fill us in about Mr. Mariani and talk to him about his take on today’s New York food scene:

For the past 35 years, author and journalist John Mariani has traveled the world writing about food, wine, restaurants and culture. A columnist for Esquire magazine and Bloomberg News, Mariani has covered everything from the rise of nouvelle and American cuisines to the best pizza in Naples, the best barbecue in Texas and just about everything else that impacts restaurants. Over the last three decades he has been responsible for selecting the Best New Restaurants of the Year for Esquire, and for the past five years, he has written a wine column for Bloomberg News. He also publishes a weekly blog, Mariani’s Virtual Gourmet Newsletter.

Called “the most influential food-wine critic in the popular press” by the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mariani began his writing career in 1973 with an article that appeared in New York magazine.

Two fantastic sponsor companies, Frieda’s and Davik, were in attendance and making presentations and John Mariani Author and Journalist was the keynote Luncheon Speaker.