While tech fiends are anxiously awaiting web tablets made by Apple and TechCrunch, a recently-launched French touchpad device could become the darling of culinary geeks. Made specifically for kitchen use, QOOQ is a touchscreen tablet that aims to coach and assist both beginning and experienced cooks.

For EUR 349, the device comes loaded with 500 interactive recipes and 10 instructional videos. Customers can add their own recipes and—for a monthly fee of EUR 12.95—get access to a further 2,000 recipes and 500 video, with 50 new recipes added every month. Membership also includes unlimited access to a culinary guide that covers everything from wine pairing to chopping techniques. Spillproof and wifi-enabled, QOOQ was developed entirely to be used in the kitchen. Placed flat on a countertop, it rests on 'claws' that keep it safely elevated from crumbs and damp prep areas. It can also stand upright, for easier reading and for use as a digital picture frame (the device is multi-purpose: it also includes a radio and a weather station).

QOOQ's founders hope to encourage people to rediscover the pleasure of cooking, while making their lives simpler with features like intuitive menu planning tools and automated grocery lists. QOOQ's interface and recipes are currently only available in French—for anyone in food publishing in other parts of the world, this could be a natural fit.

Website: www.qooq.com
Contact: contact@unowhy.com

Spotted by: Thibaut Bayart

Last month, we reported on Milk Made: a Manhattan members club for artisanal ice cream. Operating on the same principle—food produced in small batches and delivered locally to pre-paying customers—is Dulcinea. The young baked-goods company, also based in New York, delivers 'a wholesome indulgence' every Wednesday. Customers subscribe per month, paying USD 28 per week.

Past deliveries include six jumbo rhubarb muffins, a blueberry lemon pound cake, and a half dozen strawberry scones. Dulcinea uses produce from local farms, choosing organic and sustainably produced ingredients as much as possible. Like the roaming restaurants we've covered, the subscription/members model used by Dulcinea and Milk Made is a great way for fledgling entrepreneurs to get a foothold in the food business, creating a steady income and a client base for other parts of their business (Dulcinea, for example, also does catering). Entrepreneurial foodies in other cities—what are you waiting for?! ;-)

Website: www.dulcineabaking.com
Contact: emma@dulcineabaking.com

Spotted by: Danielli Alejos

We wrote about Omlet's do-it-yourself chicken-farming kits back in 2005, and since then interest in urban farming has only gotten stronger. A number of updates on the topic have graced our virtual pages since then, and now Omlet has added do-it-yourself beekeeping to its line of offerings.

We've covered urban beekeeping atop a hotel and a department store, but Omlet's Beehaus kit brings the practice back down to earth for individual consumers. The Beehaus comes as a complete hive ready for colonization, with all the parts necessary including honey jars and a comprehensive beekeeping guide. Priced at GBP 465, the Beehaus is available in a choice of colours, and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. An optional starter kit, meanwhile, includes the accessories a first-time beekeeper will need, such as a bee suit, veil, smoker and hive tools. An average, colonized Beehaus will produce 50 jars of honey per year, UK-based Omlet says, with the potential for up to 100kg if things go well.

Will consumers tire of producing their own, hand-cultivated food? Survey says no, particularly during these rough economic times. One to bring to sweet-toothed consumers in your part of the global hive...?

Website: www.omlet.co.uk
Contact: info@omlet.co.uk

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

In a world wrapped up in complex supply chains, small farmers are in a catch-22: sell to the supermarkets and get less cash for your carrots, or spend a lot more time and effort trying to sell directly to customers. Consumers, meanwhile, are torn between loyalty to local businesses and the convenience of those established supply chains. Now a German farm, Peter-und-Paul-Hof, has found a solution in the form of... vending machines. The result of a collaboration between the farm and vending manufacturer Stuewer, the specially designed Regiomat machines currently sell fresh milk, eggs, butter, cheese, potatoes and sausage in thirteen German towns and communities.

It's not a solution that sprung up overnight. Initially, Peter-und-Paul-Hof were operating a service delivering milk to their customers. Finding this too time-consuming, they began encouraging customers to collect the milk from fridges on their farm, which proved successful and inspired them to use vending machines as a more versatile solution. The Regiomat machines can be placed outdoors 365 days a year as long as they're under a roof (some have even been placed alongside hiking trails in Switzerland), effectively giving locals a 24-hour farmers' market and farmers a lot more free time. By cutting out the middleman, this system also offers potential savings over retail stores. An update to the traditional farm stand that is beneficial to both farmers and local-loving consumers, this is definitely a concept we can see spreading to other parts of the world. (Related: Vending machines for healthy food.)

Website: www.stuewer.de/automaten/regiomat/index.html — www.peter-paul-hof.de
Contact: automaten@stuewer.de

Spotted by: Franziska Luh

It's no secret that satisfying a craving for chocolate can instantly improve a person's mood. It's lesser known that a huge range of natural foods can stimulate longer-lasting 'happy' hormones than chocolate ever could. Knowledge that could become more memorable thanks to Van Gogh is Bipolar, a restaurant and cafe that opened in Quezon City earlier this year. (The Dutch painter has been posthumously diagnosed with bipolar disorder by some psychiatrists, while others believe he suffered from schizophrenia.)

The cafe only serves all-natural 'happy-hormone-producing' foods, set to lift customers' moods. Its menu is loaded with foods that are believed to help balance the brain's levels of serotonin and dopamine, which in turn helps alleviate mild to moderate depression. While nutritional scientists have assumed this for a while, it's the first time—as far as we know—that the theory has been used as the starting point for a restaurant.

Resembling a living room, Van Gogh is Bipolar's interior is meant to make customers feel comfortable and at home. Dish names, meanwhile, are inspired by celebrities known to have suffered from mood disorders. There's the Larry Flynt Cabbage Experience and Jim Carey Sardines—and even a series of Presidents' Meals that includes concoctions for Roosevelt, Lincoln and Clinton. The menu is designed to show customers the key foods that maintain healthy hormone levels, helping them include these foods in their diet at home. Combining functional food with social entrepreneurship, the concept aims to make a real difference in a new way. An idea worth spreading!

Website: www.facebook.com
Menu: www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=252266930260

Spotted by: Robert Alejandro