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(What are FoodVibes?

As a food blogger, I regularly get emails from publicists, publishers, restaurateurs, and business owners eager to share information about their latest projects, great deals, and upcoming events. Sure, they're looking for some free publicity, but a lot of it is interesting stuff. Rather than just keeping it to myself, it seemed like a good idea to make this information available to the general public. However, I wanted to be able to differentiate these posts from restaurants or products I'd reviewed myself. That's why I've created the [FoodVibes] tag to mark food news I've received from third party sources.

Please Note: Unless otherwise stated, I have not sampled this product, business, or event, and am not personally recommending it. FoodVibes are informational tidbits I've chosen to pass on because I think other food lovers might find them interesting.)

As part of my push to promote local restaurants and food-related small businesses, I thought I'd share the following press release with you guys. Daddy Cakes is an aspiring pancake mix company with a kooky send of humor based in nearby Newport Beach.

In an economic climate during which many small companies are experiencing little-to-no growth, Newport Beach-based, Daddy Cakes, which produces a line of nine flavors of pancake mixes, has grown exponentially over the past year, recently expanding their distribution in Orange County to Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmers Markets.

A fairly young company, Daddy Cakes launched its first mix in mid-2007 and, within a few months, went on to develop the complete line of nine flavors, all of which are vegetarian, with three 100% organic flavors & six vegan flavors, all available online at www.DaddyCakesBakery.com. While most small companies and start-up businesses were starting a downward spiral in early 2008, Daddy Cakes had expanded to multiple locations and by mid-2008, within a year of launching, the complete product line was picked up by a number of local retail locations in California. In addition to Whole Foods Market in Tustin and Sprouts Farmers Markets in Irvine, San Marcos and Seal Beach, Daddy Cakes can be found in Orange County at Mother's Markets & Kitchen locations, Farm to Market in San Juan Capistrano, Hershey's Market on Balboa Island, Promelis Market in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, Pacific Ranch Market in Orange, and Irvine Ranch Market in Newport Beach. In addition, the line is available at The Market in Park City, Utah and in Telluride, Colorado at The Panhandler and Golden Door Spa.

Daddy Cakes serves as a wholesome alternative to the many pancake mixes available on the market by utilizing real fruit, whole grains and organic flour to create a variety of heart-smart flavors.”

More information on Daddy Cakes products and availability can be found online at www.DaddyCakesBakery.com.

Now that we're well into Lent, I've had some desperate readers write in to ask for vegetarian restaurant and product recommendations. The emails are all pretty much the same. "I gave up meat for Lent and I'm running out of ideas. Help!"

I haven't tried Daddy Cakes' products myself, so I can't vouch for their quality. Luckily, Marisa McClellan at Slashfood has already posted a review.

You all know how strongly I feel about supporting local businesses in this economy, so I'm looking forward to giving Daddy Cakes a try myself.

List of Daddy Cakes resources:

• Website and online store


• YouTube Channel


• Facebook page


• MySpace profile