And so it begins ...

The Food Dood Feed is live

In 32 years writing professionally, one thing has never changed: getting started remains the No. 1 obstacle.

Reckon those few keystrokes mean I’m back on the bike, but this time I’m not pedaling for The Oklahoman. For the first time in three decades, I’m peddling myself for what I hope is more than just a test ride.

The Food Dood Feed will be home to my coverage of the 405 diningscape, which will look different than it did for The Oklahoman.

I didn’t leave The Oklahoman because I fell out of love with covering the food-service industry or sharing the stories of our hardest working neighbors. The current print-media death spiral requires Swiss Army Knife reporters to juggle responsibilities across several beats. My former colleague JaNae Williams will do a tremendous job covering the local food scene along with county government going forward, and I wish her well. I’ve been reading her work and recommend you all do the same. Local journalism is more important now than ever.

Rather than diversify my efforts for Gannett, I thought I would double-down on covering local food and dining for a while longer to see if there was a market for independent coverage.

If that doesn’t work, I’ll find a job.

But first, I’ve started a company called Foodiciary. The Food Dood Feed operates under that umbrella and so, too, will the digital content and events I produce. Foodiciary represents a way of looking at food and dining that I learned in 14 years haunting grocery markets, farmers markets, restaurant kitchens, and barbecue pits. Along with content and events, that point of view will be expressed in tips, demos, and life-hacks with the help of the best local culinary talent in the market. I’ll also share recipes from the archives of the late, great John Bennett.

Coverage going forward will include formal restaurant reviews. I’m currently working with some local chefs to help develop guiding principles for the reviews. The goal of these reviews is to push the industry forward. When I first started covering restaurants back in 2008, Oklahoma City barely had 10 restaurants worthy of formal review. The market has matured to the point it now produces James Beard nominees with regularity. It’s time to set higher standards and see who can hang.

That means reviews won’t be written until I’ve visited a place a minimum of three times, the first time unannounced. And I’m not counting any visits I made while I still worked for The Oklahoman. That’s right, I’m starting fresh with everyone.

Unannounced visits have already begun.

But that doesn’t mean I won’t share photos and impressions from new places. Like the visit I took with my buddy Ron Cariker to Taqueria El Camino before it opened last November. The folks at Happy Plate Concepts moved the taqueria from Edmond Railyard to its new home at 9120 N MacArthur Blvd., conveniently located near one of Happy Plate’s Sunnyside Diner locations.

It was just a preview service, but it showed a lot of promise. Owners Aly Cunningham and Shannon Roper have expanded the menu to include enchiladas and a full line of cocktails to buttress the lineup of tacos they developed at Edmond’s concept incubator.

Before any other First Bites or reviews are posted, I’ll have some news to share.

Subscribers can expect a story to arrive in their inbox this coming Wednesday with a pretty big news item I found out about last week. Going forward, I won’t be hanging out at the Planning Commission combing for letters of intent or permit filings, but the folks around the local diningscape keep me informed. I have no doubt this news will have you sharing it with friends.

Going forward, I will rely on subscribers like you as my guide. I know Mondays are reserved for a preview of the week’s planned offerings, including any First Bites, and a Week to Weak Lunch Report.

Not only have unannounced restaurant visits begun, but so, too, has a report on pizza. There’s been tremendous turnover since Dec. 1 in the local pizzasphere, including the addition of Dado’s, the exit of Venn and the imminent return of Sauced on Paseo. Did I mention  lunch has arrived at Saucee Sicilian? Look for that report next week.

A similar burgercentric project is also percolating with the help of a local burger icon.

Foodiciary is also partnered with local independent television producer Rick Heath to develop a show focusing on the local dining scene and the folks who bring it to life. I’ll have a formal announcement about the show with some sneak peaks in early March.

Speaking of early March, you’ll see the Food Dood’s full-time return to Instagram with more of an emphasis on video beginning on the first of the month.

Thanks so much to all of you who chose to sign up for an early subscription to jump-start this project. The swell of interest was humbling and provided much-needed fuel to get this train moving.

Nothing would help these endeavors more than your pledge to pay for a subscription to The Food Dood Feed. I won’t be turning on the paid piece until April at the earliest, so use the time between now and then to see if I’m offering news worth five bucks a month and make that pledge. If you’re confident in me, rich or both – pledge now!