A Culinary Experience from Gilt Groupe

NEW YORK, May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- New York- Gilt Groupe, Inc., the innovative lifestyle company offering highly coveted products and experiences at insider prices, announced today the launch of its culinary site, Gilt Taste, www.gilttaste.com.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110518/NY04660LOGO )

Gilt Taste, launching as a dedicated website that will not require membership, will provide the best foods in all categories and offer access to products and ingredients previously only available to chefs, as well as products that will be exclusively designed for Gilt Taste. The site will represent Gilt Groupe's first integration of content and commerce, with Ruth Reichl serving as editorial advisor. Drawing on her extensive experience as Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet and restaurant critic for The New York Times, Ms. Reichl will oversee editorial direction and actively advise on the assortment of artisanal products and development of a community of local purveyors.

The Gilt Taste editorial team includes Managing Editor, Jennifer Pelka; Features Editor, Francis Lam; and Contributing Editor and Weekly Columnist, Melissa Clark. Several notable writers, photographers, videographers and chefs will also be contributing to Gilt Taste for launch, including Barry Estabrook who writes about fracking's effect on the food system, Hank Shaw who takes us on a mushroom foraging expedition, and Lila Byock who bemoans the hard life of a chocolate hater. Chef contributors John Besh (New Orleans Restaurant August), Michael Laiskonis (Pastry Chef of Le Bernardin), and two-time Michelin three-star chef Laurent Gras (formerly of L2O) will share stories, personal essays, and dispatches from the field.

"I believe that Gilt Taste is the next generation of food media, giving you everything you love about food in one place: ideas, inspiration, recipes, stories, and the ability to buy the best. It's going to be the food magazine of your dreams," said Reichl. "With this site, we'll be able to create a community where people who love food can come together and share their experiences."

Gilt Taste will provide two ways to shop: an ongoing selection of the best foods in all categories, available at market prices, including meat, seafood, cheese & dairy, pantry, sweets, produce and equipment; and "flash sales" of exclusive and highly limited-quantity products. Items will be shipped directly from the source (farm, purveyor, store) to customers, to ensure the best quality upon arrival. Gilt Taste's team of writers, photographers and filmmakers, will introduce members to local farmers, purveyors, artisans, chefs, tastemakers, and experts, sharing the stories of their products, merging a continuously updated mix of compelling editorial content with a state of the art shopping experience. Unlike other Gilt categories, Gilt Taste, www.gilttaste.com, will not require registration.

"Our mission at Gilt Taste is to help our community discover amazing food in a simple, fast, beautiful way," said Shan Lyn Ma, General Manager of Gilt Taste.  "In true Gilt style, we will offer a carefully curated selection of our favorite foods, and deliver them straight to your doorstep."

"Based on our success in past sales, on Gilt and Gilt City, we know our members are passionate about food. By bringing together Gilt's strengths and Ruth's expertise, we aim to create a truly unique culinary shopping experience," said Susan Lyne, Chairman of Gilt Groupe.  

All of the products that will be available on Gilt Taste carry the same hallmarks: they are inspired, inspiring, honest, and coveted. The process through which each purveyor and each product is selected is carefully researched. Many on the Gilt Taste buying team, many of whom have worked with top chefs, restaurants, and editorial outlets in the past, and they meticulously research what purveyors and what ingredients these chefs and restaurants are using in their kitchens.  

About Gilt Groupe, Inc.

Gilt Taste is part of Gilt Groupe, the invitation-only lifestyle site offering highly coveted products and experiences at insider prices. Each day, Gilt offers its members a new, curated selection of merchandise, including apparel, accessories and lifestyle products for women, men and children, home entertaining and decor, along with luxury travel packages and offers on local services and experiences. Most sales start at noon ET and last only 36 hours, making Gilt an addictive destination for aspirational shoppers from coast to coast.

SOURCE Gilt Groupe, Inc.