This month's quotes come to us from the world of celebrity chefs:

"Food is not about impressing people. It's about making them feel comfortable." - Ina Garten

"When you get your first asparagus, or your first acorn squash, or your first really good tomato of the season, those are the moments that define the cook's year. I get more excited by that than anything else." -Mario Batali

"Grilling takes the formality out of entertaining. Everyone wants to get involved. The culture of it creates an atmosphere that is festive but casual." -Bobby Flay

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Dalmatia Green Olive Tapenade Olive tapenade is a classic Mediterranean spread that every family has a passed-down recipe for. Add-in's often include items such as capers, lemon and garlic. Dalmatia Green Olive Tapenade is crafted from exquisite all-natural and hand-selected olives from the Mediterranean that are pureed with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. Available in both bulk and retail sizes, Dalmatia Green Olive Tapenade is ideal to flavor sandwiches, pasta or spread on crackers for a healthy and unique snack.

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Olive oil is prized for its superior taste, fine texture and health benefits. The olive tree is one of the oldest cultivated plants known, deeply rooted in cultures around the globe for centuries. The fruit, leaves, and branches symbolize peace, wealth, fruitfulness, purity and are revered for their wide range of uses from nourishment to medicinal and cosmetic treatments, as well as playing an important role in religious rituals. Our single-estate Divina Renieris Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the quintessential oil for dipping, dressings and drizzling. Divina's Renieris Estate oil offers exceptional fruity character, a peppery quality reminiscent of arugula and a texture that signals its origins from the Mediterranean's most prized olive groves in the renowned Kissamos region of western Crete. Careful attention, time and effort must be paid to the olives that produce quality, aromatic and delicious olive oil. Olive trees must be carefully tended to and the soil, climate, and traditions of a region affect the characteristics of the oil. FoodMatch strives to source olive oils of the highest quality that offer a range of uses and price points to meet your unique needs. From picking, sorting, washing, crushing and finally pressing, we ensure the distinguished quality, taste and aroma of our olive oils meets our - and your - exacting standards.

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The Mediterranean Diet is a lifestyle that is proven to keep your body healthy and strong. Dietary data from parts of the Mediterranean region that follow these guidelines suggest that its population have enjoyed the lowest recorded rates of chronic diseases and the highest adult life expectancy. Mediterranean Diet Observations - Your abundance of food should come from plant sources. - Fresh and local foods are preferable to processed. - Olive Oil should be your principal fat as opposed to butter or margarine. - Per month, only 12-16 ounces of lean red meat is suggested. - Regular physical activity is essential.

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New York City recently began enforcing a new law that was put into effect in an effort to combat obesity and help consumers make healthier food choices. Dubbed as New York City's landmark "calorie law," all fast-food chains will now be required to clearly display how many calories are in their meals. Chains that do not comply face a per store fine of $2,000. The law, based off of similar regulations recently passed in the state of California initially met with great resistance from restaurants who argued that the customer should be responsible for what they order and the health risks associated with it, not the restaurant itself. In the past few weeks, two of New York City's largest chain stores, McDonald's and Dunkin Donuts unveiled new menu boards at scores of locations throughout the city, taking calorie information and putting it front-and-center above the cash register. Patrons can still choose that gut-busting 1,500-calorie meal, but they won't be able to say they didn't know what they were getting into. Dietary guidelines for adults recommend about 2,000 calories a day, depending on age, gender and activity. Recent studies suggest that American adults and children consume about one-third of their calories from restaurants and other food-service establishments, and studies link frequent eating out with obesity and higher caloric intakes. Without nutrition information, it is difficult for consumers to make informed choices. In requiring fast-food restaurants to disclose calorie information on their menus, New York City has taken the lead in addressing one of the largest contributors to the nation's obesity epidemic. The U.S. Surgeon General and the National Academies' Institute of Medicine, responsible for most of this research, have also recommended that chain restaurants provide more nutrition information. New York and California have taken the first steps in informing consumers and encouraging them to make smarter food choices. The questions remains...is your state next?

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As the warm weather begins to subside and summer turns to autumn, many American's look to Labor Day as their last chance to enjoy the treats of the sunny season. Labor Day has long been a day reserved for spending time with family and friends. If weather permits, many people choose to BBQ in their backyard and take a final dip in the pool or ocean. In the spirit of Labor Day, FoodMatch has come up with the ultimate "Easy Entertaining" plan for your 2008 Labor Day Party. Appetizers A nice idea for a Labor Day party would be to offer a pairing selection of cheese, olives and antipasti making sure that each pairing has at least one ingredient from the USA. Cheese: Cheddar USA Antipasti: Divina Greek Pepper Mix Greece Olive : Divina Mt. Athos Green stuffed with Garlic Greece Cheese: Mozzarella Italy Antipasti: Divina Roasted Red Tomatoes USA Cheese: Domestic Feta USA Olive: Divina Kalamata Olives Greece From the Grill Get your charcoal burning and grill fired up for a delicious combination of Grilled Sea Bass and Grilled Artichokes. Grilling Tips: - Sea Bass is a thicker cut of fish and can stand more time on the grill than your average filet - The fish is done when the meat is completely opaque through the middle and easily flakes - To grill an artichoke, slice either the whole stem or heart in half and grill each side - Drizzle both the bass and artichokes with some EVOO to prevent each from sticking to your grill

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Just the Facts
Name: Mary Caldwell
Department: Marketing
Job Title: Creative Services Manager
Years @ FM: 1.5
Hometown: Woodstock, IL

Job Description: "I oversee the development of marketing communications and campaigns to support the products and brands represented by FoodMatch - from sell sheets to customized merchandising and national POP campaigns."

Favorite FoodMatch Memory: "The Fancy Food Shows - they're fun and exciting. I get the opportunity to see all of my colleagues who are located throughout the US. I meet our customers, our producers and have the opportunity to promote our products in person. It's also a blast to see the evolution of our booth from a giant empty space with crates and pallets scattered about to the final polished booth showcasing our products." Little Known Facts and Hobbies: Mary is a Scrabble fiend.

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