Mediavore

Restaurants Rally to Support Haiti; Food Network Admits White House Veggies were Faked

• Le Passage and Hearty are both incorporating fundraising for Haiti into their restaurants. [TOC]

• …As has Billy Dec and Rocket Wrigley. [@BillyDec]

• The Food Network has admitted that the vegetables used in the highly touted White House episode of Iron Chef America were not actually from the White House garden. [Chicago Tribune]

• In an effort to appeal to both upscale and downmarket consumers, Johnny Rocket’s will debut three new concepts this year: a sports bar, a fast food restaurant, and a mobile kitchen. [NRN]

• After the ad caused controversy in the United States, KFC has pulled an Australian commercial that showed a white man mollifying a group of black West Indian people with fried chicken. [Ad Age]

• It’s that time of year again: El Bulli is now taking reservations for 2010. [Zagat Buzz]

• Veteran food expert Michael Taylor has been named as the country’s new food safety czar. [NYT]

• New numbers suggest that the rise of obesity in America may have leveled off in the past few years. [NYP]

Restaurants Rally to Support Haiti; Food Network Admits White House Veggies were