Meet my latest naming client...

Man's best friend may be a dog, but my best friend is an art director named Ron Werthmann. When he brought home a rescue dog, he was nice enough to let me submit few hundred name ideas. Since little Miss Thing has a whole-lotta-shakin' going on, the name Ron chose was "Hula." I like it because when she's naughty and runs away (which is like, all the time), he can yell, "Here Hula girl, here Hula."

When It Says Libby's Libby's Libby's...

What I can tell you is that my new client says Libby's Libby's Libby's on the label label label. What I can't tell you is what the new products are that I'm naming. As usual, when I can let the cat out of the bag in December, you'll be the first to know.

Save the Date - July 20th - Eat My Words PARTY

The first annual Eat My Words Summer Cocktail Party & Open House will be held on Thursday, July 20th from 6-8pm. Anna Delorefice, who catered the party here after the Fancy Food Show, will be back by popular demand serving her yummy mini burgers and other retro favorites. Clients, watch your email for more 411...

New Client: Omega Farms

Nishihara/Wilkinson Design always has fun work for me. My newest gig is to come up with a clever tagline for their client, Omega Farms. I love the logo, which N/W designed.

What... No Chocolate River?

Joyce Guan from Charles Chocolates invited me to a tasting at the factory in Emeryville, where founder Chuck Siegel wowed journalists with his confections including a sublime lavender honey truffle. I asked Chuck to talk about his retail test store, which I thought was a brilliant concept... he had the opportunity to test a retail space in Laurel Village for 7 weeks. In that short time, they:

• established the brand & created a loyal following
• learned what sold best & got ideas for new products
• gained valuable insights from speaking with customers
  

This crash course taught them A LOT and if and when they do decide to take the plunge and open a permanent retail store, they'll know what to expect. Smart! Read about what we tasted that evening in Shuna & Kim's delicious behind-the-scenes report on KQED's Bay Area Bites. Above photo of Chuck (with me taking copious notes) by Jason Jao.

New Client: Dunkin Donuts!

Dunkin Donuts has hired me to name a new product for them. Sweet! This is a dream brand for me. It's a good thing that they don't have stores in California, otherwise I might have asked to be paid in trade.

Cool Business Tool: LinkedIn

I was invited to join LinkedIn by Axel Albin, the Director of Verbal Branding at Addis and I now have a direct network 60 clients and freelancers. It truly is a fantastic tool for networking and I've discovered lots of new clients (Dunkin Donuts & Charles Chocolates) and potential clients through my own contacts and using the advanced search feature. Love it.

Food Addiction: Top Chef

If you missed the awesome reality series Top Chef, the "Project Runway" of the culinary world, check out the reruns on BRAVO. Every week the contestants are challenged with everything from a preparing a gourmet meal using only convenience store items, to catering a gay wedding overnight, to to having to make monkfish appetizing to picky school kids. The contestants run the gamut from uptight to unwound and the villian of the show is beyond redemption. If you're already a fan, the best line on the show, "I'm Not Your Bitch, Bitch" which Dave "Crying Chef" Martin says in his cattiest voice to Tiffani "The Snake" Faison, is now available as a t-shirt. And if you already know who the final Top Chef is, here's the Food & Wine article on the winner. The series was filmed at restaurants all over San Francisco from Aqua to Fleur de Lys and is hosted by the charming Tom Colicchio. It also features celebrity chefs including Hubert Keller and Elizabeth Faulkner. Let me know if you become hooked.