Take some of the most famous, best for you food in the entire Bay Area, add a dash of innovation and a sprinkle of search, and you get Google's newest search tool. It's called Recipe View, and it just might make you a better, more calorie-conscious cook.
The company, almost as well known for its cafeterias as it is for its search technology, is trying to level the playing field when it comes to finding something to eat. For those of you with the will to cook better, this might be the best thing since the debut of The Food Network.
Google lets you start by searching for a dish, or a few ingredients, even a holiday -- who knew there were that many themed dishes for President's Day -- and it will serve up results aimed at making you a better cook, and a healthier eater.
Google's Executive Chef Scott Giambastiani gave us a tour of one of Google's many cafes.
Besides the top-flight chefs, like Giambastiani, the great majority of food preparers are contract workers from nearby restaurants or cafes.
And, according to Giambastiani, "They're the best. We demand a little more at Google." Hey, when you feed thousands a day, making sandwiches, pastas and meat dishes turns into something like art.
If you want to get better at that sort of thing, and are the experimenting type, you might want to give Recipe View a try.
Cheaper than a cooking class, less demanding than a TV show, the searches let you try things out in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Need to scramble something together quick? Feed a lot of people for a themed party? Google can help, just like it can give you a tour of the Mariana Trench, track a tech stock, or find that long lost episode of "Good Times."
Not that food is trivial. Google, with pros like Giambastiani at the helm, is serious about creating a ton of healthy eating options for its army of employees. If you want to get a little piece of that action, start with the search engine. It might turn you on to a something new.
