Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant to Unveil New Health-Conscious Vegan Desserts

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant of Montclair, NJ is proud to announce two new additions to its line of premium, all-natural desserts - Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, and Cherry Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies, made with a vegan batter with bittersweet chocolate chips added.

The cookies are prepared by local Montclair, NJ resident, Nicky Mesiah, creator of Miss Nicky’s Gourmet Toffee, who introduced Mesob to her health-conscious vegan and gluten-free product line. Mesiah’s products have been reviewed on The Today Show, and have received honorable mention in the New York Times.

Photographs of the new dessert cookies were taken by Mesob Internet Marketing Manager, Vickie Smith-Siculiano in her studio, surrounding the new desserts with ingredients that they contain. Cherries, chocolate and oats appear next to the new Cherry Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies, while raisins, oats and flax appear alongside the Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies.

“We at Mesob feel it’s very important to listen to what our social media audience has to say, and knew they would comment if they could easily see what were inside the treats. Within seconds of posting on Facebook, our customers posted positive responses, including one that said she would be there upon its debut. Because our social media audience on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr appear highly engaged with photos and video, we felt our customers would give us feedback if the cookies would visually connect with our audience.”
The new dessert cookies are made with a base of oats and flax seed. Like other Mesob dessert menu items, these new cookies are baked from scratch recipes with all-natural ingredients. Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant never uses trans fats, artificial flavors or chemical shelf extenders.

Berekti Mengistu, owner of Mesob, met Nicky Mesiah, the cookie’s creator, at a local farmer’s market. Says Mengistu, “I was excited to learn of the new cookies from Nicky, because they will fit on our menu of fresh, all-natural, no-preservatives added foods. Furthermore, because the Mesob family practices religious holidays throughout the year which eliminate meat and meat products from our diets, we are very sensitive to the Vegan dietary needs of many of our customers. These new desserts fit right in with our current all-natural desserts. We listen to our customers and want to create the best experience for them.”

Mesob Ethiopian Restaurant is located at 515 Bloomfield Avenue, in Montclair, NJ. For reservations or more information, call 973-655-9000 or visit Mesob online at http://www.mesobrestaurant.com.

ONE NIGHT ONLY Ethiopian Music at Mesob Restaurant October 1st!

Zena Bel Band is a three piece group, based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The group is the result of the continuing collaborations of two Ethiopian azmari musicians, and one violin player from Boston's Debo Band, a ten-member collective influenced by 1970s-era Ethiopian funk. Zena Bel Band's members first came together when Debo Band collaborated with some traditional musicians while on tour in Ethiopia in May 2009.

The traditional drum "kebero" is played by Asrat Ayalew, while Kaethe Hostetter's five-string acoustic violin evokes the Ethiopian "masinqo," a one-string bowed instrument. Selamnesh Zemene, the vocalist, sings in a variety of traditional Ethiopian styles. Her mother and grandmother both having been azmari singers, she is steeped in this tradition, which often incorporates humor and improvising during its performance. The azmari are traditionally wandering musicians from the countryside, who sing, play, and dance for money. With witty lyrics rich in innuendo and double entendre, Azmari musical traditions have been documented in a few volumes of Ethiopiques, the renowned CD series out of France.

Zena Bel Band plays familiar folk songs that most Ethiopians vehemently cherish. The trio's repertoire includes the beloved "Tizita" and "Ambassel," songs by Bezunesh Bekele, Birtukan Dubale, and Maritu Legesse, and some regionally specific songs that display the rich variety of Ethiopian traditions. They also play some original songs by Selamnesh and her husband, who is also an azmari

The music is by turns dreamily mesmerizing, circular, heavy, exhilarating, compelling and whimsical. Selamnesh's sure and powerful voice reaches across political borders and musical backgrounds. Kaethe's masinqo-like 5-string violin playing presents an innovative, modern ambiance. Asrat's kebero provides the project's strong backbone, as he highlights the contour of the songs while offering propulsive verve.

Joining Zena Bel Band on some numbers are Melaku Belay, Ethiopia's top dancer, and his dance partner, Zinash Tsgegaye, both members of Fendika who, along with Zena Bel's members, are on tour with Debo Band in September of 2010. The physical home and performance venue of the Fendika group is "Fendika Azmari Bet," artist-owned and operated by Melaku. In Ethiopian culture, an "azmari bet," literally meaning the "House of the Azmari," is a place where people come to listen and enjoy traditional Ethiopian music. Under Melaku's direction, Fendika completely revolutionizes the artistic world of Addis Ababa by creating a home for music that presents a symbiosis between tradition and modernity. In special projects and collaborations, Fendika's traditional azmari music has continually shifted and reinvented, while being enriched by Ethiopian-influenced jazz and rock bands from abroad, including Imperial Tiger Orchestra (Switzerland), The Ex (the Netherlands), le Tigre des Platanes (France), Debo Band and Ukandanz (France), among others.

Zena Bel Band is exemplary of the vibrancy of the Fendika scene in Addis Ababa, where cross cultural exchange has encouraged the development of new groups and projects. This is Zena Bel's first North American tour and they are thrilled to bring their music to new friends, and introduce a new take on the tradition of which they are so proud.

"Enjoy Yourself!"

Consumers Demand Engagement - eMarketer

via emarketer.com

This study's findings mean alot to marketers. Especially in proving that the move to integrating social media into marketing plans cannot be ignored.

Social media adds value to the existing marketing mix for ANY brand, I don't care if it's brick and mortar or totally e-commerce, if you're conducting business you ARE a brand.

And brands cannot ignore the groundswell's desire to communicate what they want, how they want it WHENEVER they want it.

Social media will continue to be increasingly important for marketing success.

Posted via web from vickie_smith's posterous

VIDEO: Top Tips for Using Facebook for B|usiness - Social Media Examiner

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I was so impressed with this post on Social Media Examiner - with the relevant topic of tapping into Facebook for business, and also with the quality of the video post, included - so Web 2.0 and engaging.

Social media is all about conversation - learning and listening. Facebook is a GREAT platform to do it, with a strategy in place, and the right tools to do it - and Mari is at the forefront of this frontier, and I applaud Michael for bringing this to light in a very engaging way!

Does your business use facebook? Do you have a fan page?

What are your thoughts?

Posted via web from vickie_smith's posterous

Web-Savvy Seniors? 65+ boomers ARE online

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Seniors are NO slouches. And baby-boomers participate in a variety of ways, and at different levels of participation, many of them spectators, while a few of them creators and/or critics.

But they certainly are a savvy group, and if you want to tap into the groundswell, see Forrester Research for more info on this fascinating area.

It appears from the research that most of the respondents of the study have e-mail, followed by shopping online and looking up health/medical information.

Savvy seniors information gatherers, and if they are looking for information, what better way than to tap in, with an understanding of how they use the medium? The research is out there, and still growing!

What are your thoughts?

Posted via web from vickie_smith's posterous

Protect your URL in a social media world

via imediaconnection.com

I totally agree that we need to put forth a strong protect our URL in social media - especially if it's a brand name. You probably know about the benefits of shortening your links in a 140 character world. Especially if you've found this, then you've gotten just a glimpse -

But in MY social media world, after posting this blog grab from posterous (a fantastic social media tool), I will then later report is with the link to my blog using bit.ly - http://bit.ly/vickblog.

Grab your redirect shortened URLs like it's the wild west, folks.

And use them over and over! What are your thoughts?

Posted via web from vickie_smith's posterous

Online Marketing and Building Your Brand - The Power of Blogging

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If you want a deeper connection with your audience, whether it's B2B, B2C, or even building your personal brand for job search, the reports are in on the success of adding a blog to your marketing mix. You can't ignore the value of being able to post content in your own voice, and having thoughtful content spiced with strategic keywords placement for SEO.

I'm in the process of moving this blog over to my website, because I can't ignore the value of sharing valuable content and hearing what you have to add, or finding out what you want to hear.

It just depends on what you've got to say - but keep it consistent and use your blog for a strong branding effort. Here's proof in the pudding - and the stats to prove it!

Posted via web from vickie_smith's posterous