Sunday, 06 June 2010 19:49 administrator

I wrote most of my debut editorial two weeks ago in France, at the time it only seemed appropriate penning my thoughts in the city that created haute cuisine. Unfortunately due to several circumstances beyond my control, launch was delayed and pushed back a week. With that said, my original editorial has been postponed till next week, because I feel that I, as editor-in-chief and founder of this site, owe you an apology. Ultimately, it was my fault for not launching on time and for that I am sorry. For the past six months or so we’ve been promising you a new way to look at food on the internet. We hammered down the date May 31st over and over again… and as the 31st came and went, there was no new site. Here we are, we are finally launched. But there is a but, we are not whole nor complete—we’re about 75 percent there. Already we have an impressive spread of content, but you’ll notice gaps here and there. As the days go by, those gaps will be filled and slowly we’ll get out of our beta stage.

I can only thank our writers for their patience; this site would have never gotten off of the ground if it weren’t for them. It hasn’t been easy for them either, nevertheless I feel like we’ve created a site worthy of their passion for all things food and drink.

I also need to thank my business partner Ryan Sloane. We’ve come a long way from that day we decided to turn my Weber grill into a smoker (you can read Ryan’s column here) and we both know that we still have a ways to go.

Emma, my wife, also deserves a medal. She’s dealt with a lot of babbling, long hours and crazy ideas throughout our marriage-- but I think this one even tested her patience. She’s dealt with my Dine & Cook endeavors both at home and overseas. She’s been a trooper for understanding why I am doing this.

Why are we doing this? I’ve asked myself that a lot over the past weeks and I came up with a fancy way to say it in my French-inspired opus. Boiling it down, Dine & Cook wasn’t started for money or for the hope of one day having a show on the Food Network. Ryan and I are both journalists in the real world and we’re doing this because we both feel like it’s time to treat food as a news beat.

Food needs to be respected, but with that said, it also needs to be knocked down a notch or two. Enough with the pretentious crap! On the flip side, enough with the non-stop ramblings on what you ate for lunch today.

Ryan and I have invested our own money and time into this site-- yes there are ads on the site but we don’t expect to break even anytime soon. Plus, when that day of profitability does come, it’s our writers who’ll first cash in. We’re nothing without them.

Before launch I emailed our writers and told them that the reason for this site was because of their passion for life and food. They’ve shown to Ryan and me over and over again that it’s all about the food and how it makes life more interesting and fun to live.

Food blogs have exploded over the recent years. We aren’t just another food blog! Let me say that again, we are not another food blog. First we’re not a blog, we are an honest to goodness web site with custom programming and what not.

Also, this isn’t the effort of just one guy with a computer. Dine & Cook is a grassroots group effort to raise the bar of food writing on the internet. Admittedly we aren’t the largest food site on the net, but we have one thing going for us; our group of passionate writers who live for food.

All I ask of you is this. Give us a little time as we work out our kinks. I would have loved to launch with a perfect site, but it’s time to go live. Also, if food inspires you, get involved. We’re always looking for new writers and content. You can email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

If there’s something food-related on your mind, you can also send a letter to the editor at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Next week, I’ll return to regularly scheduled programming and publish my French wine inspired opus. For now, sit back and remember this: it’s just food, it’s meant to be enjoyed.

Cheers!

John Kunza IV

Founder, Editor-in-chief