Stuffing your facebook: The kitchen is open online Chefs take to Twitter and other social media to connect with diners beyond restaurant walls Comments September 30, 2009
BY CHUCK SUDO
By the time I've brewed my morning coffee at 7 a.m., Carl Galvan has been Twittering for close to three hours.
Galvan, a sales representative at Supreme Lobster & Seafood in Villa Park, uses the messaging service Twitter to post photos of fish and other seafood Supreme is offering and to interact with chefs interested in placing orders based on those photos.
Since Galvan started using Twitter four months ago, he estimates his sales have doubled.
"What helps the most is that the chefs who follow my updates can actually see the quality of the product we're carrying, in real time," Galvan says.
He isn't alone. As technology has made communication easier and faster, a growing number of chefs and others in the food industry have taken to social media services such as Twitter and Facebook to promote themselves and their projects, interact with customers and fans, offer special promotions -- or just see what all the fuss is about.
Others have taken to setting up their own blogs or writing blogs for larger media groups, such as Alinea's Grant Achatz, who routinely files posts for the Atlantic Monthly's food blog.
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