Ricardo empire named Strategy Brand of the Year
Ricardo, right, has been recognized by Strategy publication for spreading his cooking on multiple platforms.
From kitchenware to cookbooks and magazines to restaurants (and of course, a contributor to the Star’s Food section), Ricardo Larrivée has one heck of food media empire since he plated his first dish on his cooking show in 2002.
To recognize his ability to continue to engage fans — be it through dining at one of his restaurants, flipping though his books or picking up some holiday-themed table linens at his online store — Torontobased Strategy marketing magazine gave Ricardo its Brand of the Year award earlier this month.
“My wife, and Ricardo president, Brigitte, and I launched our magazine in French17 years ago. But we knew from the beginning that we did not want to put all our eggs in one basket,” says Ricardo in an email.
“We wanted to create a strong brand with a focused mission: to promote the importance of cooking and eating together. Today, we are proud that Ricar- do is more than just a magazine. We offer a rich, multi-platform experience to all Canadians, and this award is a great honour which inspires us to continue to do what we do well, day after day.”
In a time when media brands are working on alternative revenue streams as print advertising dollars decline, the Ricardo brand is flourishing with a 140seat food hall just opened in the Galeries de la Capitale mall in Quebec City.
Being able to maintain rele- vancy over the course of nearly two decades is no small feat as dining habits change and social media has released a new generation of cookbook authors and recipe bloggers.
But Ricardo and his team manage to still get their food onto people’s plates, putting a bigger emphasis on having mobile-friendly recipe databases or maintaining a physical presence with retail stores and cafés appealing to diners who might not have the time to cook for themselves.