• In further support of small farmers, Obama wants set up a farmers market outside the White House. [Grist]
• Ratings for the Food Network jumped to record levels this summer, maybe because “fresh ingredients [are] more widely available and more people are trying to re-create restaurant dishes at home,” says network president Brooke Johnson. But are viewers really just bummed about real estate and comforting themselves with food shows? [Bloomberg]
• Starbucks is raising the price of high-maintenance drinks like Frappucinos by as much as 30 cents, but will cut prices on simple cups of joe. [NYP]
• Taco Bell’s “new a.m. menu will feature Jimmy Dean sausage, Seattle’s Best coffee, Dole produce, and Cinnabon alongside its signature chalupas, gorditas, and double-decker tacos.” [NYDN]
• The Hudson Valley has become a popular destination for regional beer tours. [Newsday]
• To save wine from global warming, chefs and wine-industry folks in France “published an op-ed in the newspaper Le Monde calling on President Nicolas Sarkozy to ensure that strict targets on carbon emissions be adopted at the U.N. climate summit this December.” [Gourmet]
• The next Times critic is just like us: In an ode to bluefish, Sam Sifton complains that people say, “It’s oily, it’s ‘fishy.’” [NYT]
• Former Otto sous-chef Jacqueline Lombard will be the head chef at 69 Gansevoort, opening soon in the former Florent space. Her eponymous organic catering company has already worked with Jil Sander, Stella McCartney, and Elle MacPherson, so she may help court a fashion crowd. [Fork in the Road/VV]
• Kids’ menus feature most of the fried and unhealthy foods they did four years ago, even though more parents seem interested in healthier options, according to a Chicago-based research firm. [NRN]
• Hormel Foods profits jumped this quarter, partly owing to the falling prices of corn, which the company uses for turkey feed. [Bloomberg].
