- Lucky Charms is adding unicorn-shaped marshmallows to the mix. This is the first time a new candy has been permanently added to Lucky Charms boxes in 10 years. The unicorn is replacing that dumb hourglass marshmallow, which nobody liked, anyway.
- Shake Shack is continuing its rapid expansion, but the company’s stock has taken a hit due to expected flat sales in 2018. For now, Wall Street doesn’t seem to be too worried about Danny Meyer’s fast-food burger institution.
- Tea is the latest industry set to be disrupted by a Silicon Valley start-up. “Our goal is to help people in the modern world be able to get the amount of tea that they need to achieve the benefits from it,” Simon Cheng, founder of new instant tea brand Pique, tells Fast Company. “We also want it to be as safe and potent as it can be.”
- After their coach left, the members of the Jamaican women’s bobsled team faced the possibility of losing their sled. But just in the nick of time, the makers of Red Stripe offered to help the Olympics competitors with some new gear:
No bobsled, no problem. If you need a new ride @Jambobsled, put it on @RedStripe’s tab. DM us and we’ll be in touch
— Red Stripe USA (@RedStripeUSA) February 15, 2018
That’s a super nice offer, but the team figured out how to resolve the sled issue without needing some back-up from the beer brand.
- What, exactly, does “natural” mean when it comes to food marketing? No one really knows. Lawyers are trying to figure it out.
- On Twitter, chef Eric Ripert shares a treasure trove of old photos from his decades in the kitchen:
A little early spring cleaning leads to a trip down memory lane...a chance to reflect on some great memories...and some embarrassing ones! #FlashbackFriday pic.twitter.com/dWdQpEOzgn
— Eric Ripert (@ericripert) February 16, 2018
- New York Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer attempted to own Senate Majority Leader and Republican from Kentucky Mitch McConnell by boasting that a certain Brooklyn-based bourbon is better than any from the liquor’s native Bluegrass State. It ended up as a self-own, because Widow Jane bourbon is actually distilled in Kentucky and only aged in Brooklyn. This is Democratic-vs-Republican politics in a nutshell.
- Iliana Regan is going to host a series of Wes Anderson-themed pop-up dinners next month at her restaurant Elizabeth in Chicago, timed with the release of Isle of Dogs.
- A young man by the name of Porter Z. Long is one of the people in charge of concocting new flavors and mix-in options for yogurt titan Chobani. The Times learns that he got the gig after submitting a sample of “sesame-miso-flavored Greek yogurt dressing and an avocado-lime-cilantro yogurt dip.” Porter hasn’t yet convinced the top brass to turn that into a real flavor, but he has helped bring Mint Chocolate Chip Flip to grocery store shelves.
- Ikea is going to add vegan hot dogs to the menus of its cafeterias later this year.
- Cool job alert: French chef Emeric Fiegen operates a floating bakery in Jalisco, Mexico that caters exclusively to people on boats.
- The Pokemon Go craze lasted all of 15 minutes. But Oreo wants to bring the phenomenon back and plans to launch its own scavenger hunt-style AI game. The Great Oreo Cookie Quest is a result of Oreo’s partnership with tech giant Google, and it’s now available on Android and iOS devices.
- You can’t un-see the Cheddar Bay Biscuit bundt cake.
- And finally, in addition to a memorably weird performance of the National Anthem by Fergie, last nights NBA All-Star Game also featured food by the bro-tastic trio of Guy Fieri, Aarón Sánchez, and Michael Voltaggio.