Publicists, PR pros and foodies of all stripes gathered for a February panel featuring key editorial staff from some of the world’s top food media outlets.

The sold-out panel, held at the 3 West Club in New York, served as a roundtable for seasoned industry pros who discussed everything from what makes our current food-obsessed media landscape so vibrant, to what PR pros can do to insert their culinary clients into the conversation of our nation’s gourmands.

According to Sarah Kunin, food segment producer for ABC’s “Good Morning America,” her show is on the hunt for “dynamic, funny and intriguing ways to make food.” The program’s fallback formula, Kunin said, is to host a known chef who can teach everyday Americans how to make compelling, chef-quality dishes at home “and have fun while they’re doing it.”

food panel
The PCNY February Food Media Landscape luncheon (from L to R): Hugh Merwin, associate editor, Grubstreet New York; Georgia Kral, features and special sections Editor, am New York; Dan Pashman, creator and host, The Sporkful; Emily Fleischaker, food editor, Buzzfeed; Michael Endelman, features editor, Food & Wine; Sarah Kunin, food segment producer, ABC “Good Morning America.”

Photo by Peter Himler

Michael Endelman, features editor of Food & Wine, said his publication uses a similar model.

“The main thing we’re looking for is this: what are the most interesting chefs in the country, and how can everyday people learn from them and make something at home?” Endelman said.

“I can’t be best friends with every chef in the country, but each of you can be,” said Emily Fleischaker, food editor of Buzzfeed. “If you can help me share their story, it’s a great way for both of us to get your client’s message out there.”

An eye for current food trends is key. A chef or restaurant that allies with a popular food fad has a much higher chance of getting coverage than those who don’t. According to the panel, sustainable and local are both winning topics.

Trends also need a narrative. Hugh Merwin, associate editor of Grubstreet: New York, said that while trends in the restaurant world — openings, closings, chef changes — determine a large portion of what’s covered on his site, more than anything Merwin admitted that “what I’m really interested in is compelling stories. Anything from food safety, immigrant stories, local food, the economy, applies.”

The way this information is delivered also has to be different. Give your client’s story a twist. “Keep in mind that whatever you send me, it has to be something really unique,” Kunin said. “It might be an interesting story, but it also has to look good on television.”

“We don’t just do a story because someone writes a cookbook,” said Dan Pashman, creator and host, The Sporkful. “We’re quirky. We look for things that aren’t going to be covered by everyone else.”

“I’m interested in features about trends, but I’m really interested in quirky, out-there stuff that’s still accessible,” said Georgia Kral, features and special sections editor, amNew York. “I like covering restaurant openings, but tell me a story: what is that little thing that makes them different from everyone else? What is it that makes people want to go to this restaurant?”

Like much of the current news cycle, social media serves as a barometer for food headlines. Look at the issues making the rounds in social circles today. Make sure there’s an urgency in what you’re pitching to the press.

According to Fleischaker, social media is such a pervasive part of her publication’s culture that Buzzfeed’s front page is now their Twitter page.

“We have editorial meetings every morning. We look at what everyone’s talking about on social media and what’s trending on Twitter, and that determines, to a large degree, what we’ll talk about that day,” Fleischaker said. “If we write about these trending issues we know that tons of people will follow it. So, in a way, our lead time is instantly.”

Speaking of, lead-time is an odd variable in the food beat, and an unpredictable one at that.

“Usually a few months is a safe bet,” said Kunin. “Having said that, I haven’t started working on my segment for tomorrow.”

“For us, lead time is pretty far out,” Endelman. “May is done, June is covered, and July is 90% done. Right now we’re working on August and beyond. For big stories, we’ll start as far as a year in advance.”

Of course, different publications focus on different areas of physical coverage. Food & Wine is a national magazine, so they’re interested in food trends playing out across the country. amNew York is, obviously, a New York City based publication, so coverage has to be local.

A big benefit about the food beat, the panel said, is that the topic is incredibly broad. Stories involving everything from politics, economic factors, the environment, diet trends, travel, health and science all have potential impacts on the food we eat and the culinary trends of tomorrow.

“We’re into a very broad range of things,” Endelman said.  “So if you don’t have something that fits into what I do, I can still probably pass you on to someone who does.”

“We do everything from game show segments to fashion segments on our show,” said Kunin. “If we like the story, there’s always a way we can have it play off an existing segment on our show.”

Pashman offered an aphorism that aptly summarized PR’s relationship with the press: “I can’t promise I’ll cover it, but I can’t promise I won’t say bad things about it either.”