This past week I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of students in “Using Public Relations as a Marketing Tool” taught by Howard Geltzer at New York University.   As I was preparing my presentation I felt compelled to bring real food into an academic environment since my business is about food and culinary travel. Of course, I don’t think Howard expected me to devote time to a tasting.  While he was presenting the agenda, I was trying to figure out where I could slip this surprise in without causing too much disruption. I was a guest and Howard was the host, educator and consummate PR man.

Words can be powerful but they are no substitute for the sensory experience of taste and smell.  If I was going to talk about my business, Cucina della Terra, a cooking school in Italy, 3000 miles away, I needed to demonstrate how certain foods are distinctive and worthy of a trip to the country of origin.

By the time I reached the classroom I was loaded down with shopping bags filled with napkins, paring knife, parmegiano reggiano, an Argentine reginatto, a 25 year old balsamic vinegar and a highly commercial unaged balsamic, sliced ciabatta, and two bottles of olive oil: one from my own harvest in 2008, and one from Sicily that was unfiltered but with no DOP status, and of course some wet wipes. While everyone else had briefcases and computers slung over their shoulders, I was schlepping shopping bags of food.  Talk about feeling like the New York bag lady.

In a very simple way, I created a contrast of tastes.

To a group of students focused on a topic in business, there attention was diverted to thinking about the food in front of them.  Packaging became less important than the experience of taste and the quality of what we tasted.   Ultimately where our food comes from and how it is produced is far more important. So, the next time you are reaching for a highly publicized product, think about why and for what you are putting your money down  - and ask yourself if it’s worth it.