MARKETING & PROMOTION

Through deep industry connections and a strategic marketing campaign, Valenti and Samuels are committed to ensuring Bento Picnic hits the stands with a splash and becomes a highly successful project. With an expansive network of professional connections in the food and beverage industry across the country (restaurant patrons, direct-to-consumer retailers, food and wine festivals, trade events, wine and spirits courses, etc.), we are prepared to leverage our specific expertise, invest our energies, and engage our communities in a strong PR and marketing campaign to kick off the book’s inception. 

Public Relations

Our plans for promoting the book include:

  • Post free excerpts to Scribd and launch giveaway campaigns on Goodreads and Amazon to incentivize readership; offer a pre-order bonus of a downloadable PDF of recipes for the top five best-selling Bento Picnic desserts.

  • Excerpts and recipes from Bento Picnic will be sent to:

    • Magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, EatingWell, Edible Austin, Sake Today, Magazine F, So Good, Milk Street, Texas Monthly, and Austin Woman Magazine),

    • Newspapers (Austin Chronicle, Austin-American Statesman, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, in addition to national periodicals such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe),

    • Online Publications (Forbes, Sake Times, Austin360, Epicurious, Delish, CultureMap Austin, Eater, Serious Eats, and Austin Monthly). 

  • We will pitch complementary stories to the above publications with angles such as:

    • How Washoku Can Transform Your Mind and Body

    • How to Eat the Rainbow without Breaking the Bank

    • How to Pair Sake with Vegetarian Meals

    • 7 Sake Brewers Breaking the Mold in Japan

    • You Don’t Need to be an Expert to Appreciate Sake

    • How Sake Samurai Protect Japan’s Ancient Art of Sake

  • We will reach out to popular food & beverage podcasts including:

    • Good Food

    • Milk Street

    • Radio Cherry Bombe

    • Salt + Spine

    • A Couple Cooks

    • Feast Meets West

    • Japan Eats!

    • Bento & Co’s Japanese Food

    • Sake Revolution

    • Sake on Air

  • We will also reach out to thought leaders who host health pop & life-enhancing podcasts to expand the demographics of our readership beyond foodies. Conversation topics will include how Washoku can help us reclaim our palette from processed foods, and how it promotes enhanced awareness, stokes creativity, and can bolster the mental health of those who practice it.

  • We will engage in a multi-city book tour focusing on their respective home territories (Texas and New York) with targeted events outside of these locations. There are significant opportunities to host local events in Austin, Texas in places such as: Book People, First Light Books, The Training Kitchen and Sustainable Food Center. We will also engage in select cooking classes and tasting events both online and in person to generate sales and interest in the cookbook.

    Social Media

    With Instagram being our platform of choice, our current following has a total reach of 15,670+ followers.

Total Current Reach: 15,670+ Followers

We will also leverage our personal networks to do cross promotion and book launch support. For example, Valenti will reach out to members of her community, including influencers like:

Website and Blog

We will showcase the cookbook on our respective websites and blogs, and will promote reader engagement through giveaways. Komé Collective will feature the book on their direct to consumer website drinkpourtal.com for purchase. Ahead of the book’s release, the Bento Picnic website will feature the book cover, sample recipes, photos, and other promotional engagements. Valenti will continue to maintain the Bento Picnic blog and newsletter (of 3,300+ subscribers) which will include topics and articles relevant to the cookbook as well as partner recipes that act as teasers and encourage visitors to purchase the book.

Beverage Retailers

Bento Picnic will be promoted to Komé Collective’s clients and partners and promoted at trade events, consumer-facing festivals, and used as a supplemental tool for wine and spirits courses.

 
 

Praise for Bento Picnic

“Bento Picnic offers an experience unlike any other in town, offering deliciously nourishing and balanced meals, a culturally rich environment, and a drive to provide the community with healthy and refreshing meals without sacrificing flavor.” 

— Claudia Alarcón, Forbes Magazine

“What people are coming back to is the diversity and convenience of bento (the word originally meant "convenience") within a streetside setting that seems like something out of Austin's more relaxed past.” 

— Wayne Alan Brenner and Jessi Cape, Austin Chronicle

“Washoku . . . is an apt description for a style of cuisine that not only balances flavors like salty and umami, but also takes great care in the presentation of each dish. At Bento Picnic, this translates to colorful salads like the edamame garden bento full of guacamame (we bet you can guess what that is), greens, seasonal pickles, and Japanese pumpkin or the tofu rice bento with shredded carrot, organic kale, crispy shallots, quinoa sticky rice, and sesame tamari dressing.” 

— Brandon Watson, Culture Map

“Leanne creates edible tableaus that leave guests nourished and light. Stop in for breakfast and enjoy a smoothie bowl with a base of sweet potato puree whose mauve hue is complemented by the toasty brown of Leanne’s homemade granola and is speckled with freeze-dried raspberries, shredded coconut, and rimmed with sliced banana.” 

— Jessica Devenyns, Eastside Magazine

 
 

Praise for Leanne Valenti

“I’ve seen first-hand how Leanne leads with compassion and love. Whether she’s hosting community events at her shop, hosting training sessions for her team, or supporting Les Dames d’Escoffier’s fundraising efforts, she always operates from a joyful place that acts as a magnet to bring people together. I love spending time in the oasis that she’s carved out in our East Austin community, and I always feel nourished after each visit.” 

— Stacy Franklin, Chief Operating Officer of Franklin BBQ

“In the course of my career I have worked with thousands of aspiring culinary professionals, and I recognize something unique and outstanding about the energy and attention that Leanne brings to her culinary pursuits. Her curiosity and creative energy is so palpable that it draws others into the kitchen and encourages discovery and discourse.” 

— Ken Rubin, Chief Culinary Officer at Rouxbe Online Culinary School

“I've known Leanne since 2011, and have had the pleasure to see her develop as a chef, restaurateur, and an exemplary practitioner of Washoku over the past decade. She navigates the kitchen with poise and purpose, displaying reverence for the food she prepares and respect for those with whom she shares workspace. She also has an exceptional ability to take care of others and build community -- through her well-chosen words and nourishing food.” 

— Elizabeth Andoh, Taste of Culture and IACP-Award Winning Author of Washoku