What is your big announcement?

The big announcement is that we, Founder and CEO Divya Gugnani and COO Caroline McBride, launched culinary site BEHIND THE BURNER and are open for business. We beta launched on Oct 30th, and the home page is now open for public access.

What inspired you to launch Behind the Burner?

Throughout my years of cooking and dining out, I became privy to so many tricks of the trade; hot tips from sizzling chefs and inside scoops from restaurateurs. With Behind the Burner, I've reached out to those culinary visionaries to share their skills with the world. My vision for Behind the Burner was to bring authority and expertise to the food media landscape. The general public can now learn the tip,s tricks and techniques used by the authorities of the food and wine world. Even better they can purchase ingredients and tools recommended by the experts at below retail prices via our promotions.

How was Behind the Burner funded?

I have been a venture capitalist for years, and funded the business myself until I raised a $500k angel round. The investors are individuals from hedge funds, venture capital funds, private equity funds and the law firm Wollmuth Maher Deutsche. I only wanted to raise $350k and yet got interest for $720k in a week. I'm glad I took the extra funding as the finance market dried up after I raised my round!

What is the business model?

Our business model is to provide educational and entertaining content (videos and articles) and couple it with commerce specials. See Behind the Deals- featured promotions and permanent deals. We offer ingredients and tools at off retail prices and get a share of the revenue from transactions completed. We are running e-commerce revenue now and have additional revenue streams planned for the coming months. We are not profitable just yet!

How much of a foodie are you?

I acquired a taste for my future in culinary arts as a child. I grew up in a household where food was the center of existence - our kitchen was the heart and soul of our home. At Cornell University I completed my degree in Policy Analysis, and took a cooking course at the School of Hotel Administration. After a few lessons on Chinese noodle salad and duck a l'orange, I was hooked. After a year as an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs, I attended the French Culinary Institute and discovered my inner chef. For the years that followed, I kept my day job in finance; even got my MBA at Harvard Business School, but my passion for food coexisted with my demanding career as I continued to cater events and worked short stints in restaurant kitchens.

What is the advantage of your financial background?

As a technology venture capitalist, I have spent the better part of six years as an investor providing entrepreneurs with strategic and operational guidance to achieve their visions. Every company has its twists and turns; ups and downs, and as an investor I have felt like a passenger along for some pretty exhilarating and bumpy rides. In creating Behind the Burner, I have become the captain of my own ship and am finally blending my long-time passion for culinary arts with my expertise in business.

How is the market for food sites?

According to comScore, food sites attracted 45.6 million unique visitors in September 2008, up 10 percent from a year ago, more than double the rate of total Internet growth in the United States. Everyone has to eat and people have been showing up their appetite for food media by their consumption of content on the Internet. The power of the Internet is that my mother can share her signature Dover sole recipe with the world. The downfall of the Internet is that everyone's mother, father, brother and sister is sharing their recipes so we don't know what to trust. We don't know which recipe has the right measurements and which has the best flavour pairings.

Are you seeing a greater trend toward people preparing meals at home vs. dining out?

Yes. According to a recent study by Booz & Company, 43% of respondents are eating out less, 39% are choosing less expensive restaurants, and 35% are packing their own lunch for work, compared to six months ago. Behind the Burner allows people to use the trips, tricks and techniques of culinary masters in their own home while purchasing the chosen ingredients and tools at off retail prices during our promotions.