Tag Archives: Frontera

This is San Diego week here at the T60 blog. We took a trip out west last Monday and Tuesday for a shoot, and I did my best to accumulate some good material to write about.

First-up, I was THRILLED to see that Chicago-based celebrity chef Rick Bayless has a Frontera Grill spinoff in O’Hare Airport’s American Airlines terminal called Frontera Tortas. If you’re not familiar with Bayless, you’re probably not a foodie. Suffice to say, he’s one of our nation’s best chefs and his specialty is Mexican cuisine.

What struck me is he didn’t miss a beat with this grab-n-go food stand. My sandwich was outstanding… second best breakfast sandwich I have ever eaten (The Commuter at La Grande Orange Grocery in Phoenix remains the champ)… but the other thing was that he didn’t miss a beat marketing-wise.

There are two TVs in the small bar area where you can eat. One was tuned to the Olympics, the other was tuned to Mexico: One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless… his TV show.

I’m sure they just run episode after episode on a loop, and why not? There have to be tons of people passing through O’Hare who have never heard of Rick Bayless, so why not take the opportunity to introduce him using the best means available… video.

Bayless is one of the most decorated chefs in the country, but he doesn’t rely on his ability in the kitchen to make an impression. He uses well-produced video to carry his passion for Mexican food to as many people as possible.

Business leaders could learn a thing or two from him… one torta at a time.

–Tony Gnau

As I mentioned yesterday, our San Diego shoot inspired a bunch of blog posts. Here’s a tease ahead to next week…

Frontera Tortas: I was excited to see that celebrity chef Rick Bayless has his own restaurant in O’Hare Airport’s American Airlines terminal. It serves all sorts of gourmet tortas. I was there in the morning and had one of the best breakfast sandwiches I’ve ever tasted. While sitting at the bar eating, I looked up at the TV and was impressed with what I saw. It wasn’t the Olympics.

American Airlines Safety Video: yes, the video that tells us all to buckle-up and points out that our seats are also flotation devices. Of all things that could impress me, this might have been the most surprising. The video was… terrific. It was a whole new spin on something we’ve all seen before.

Print Turn Video: this is something I’ve written about in the past, but it was driven home during our trip. Print publications that now offer video. Sounds ridiculous, but it’s happening in all sorts of different ways.

Don’t Pass Up Good Shots: we’ve all be there. You’re producing a video, you’ve been shooting all day and put away your gear, you’re tired and thinking about evening plans… when… you spot a good shot. Do you take that camera back out? We did… and I’ll show you why.

–Tony Gnau