The Social (Food) Network

It's no secret that food brings people together. Culturally, socially, politically — eating is paramout to the way we all interact. With the power of social media expanding so rapidly, it makes sense that food-focused networking sites would come to be so prevalent. Consider these three developments.

The French food networking site, Supermarmite takes the concept of eaing locally to new heights. By checking into your current location you can see what nearby members are cooking, and purchase their extra portions. Users can also post deals and promotions for local restaurants and markets. 

Another site, Foodily enhances the act of searching for recipes by adding your friends' opinions. Peruse your friends' favorite recipes and get side-by-side comparisons to help you make an educated choice. 

Lastly, Klout, a site dedicated to measuring the influence of social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, just released its list of the Top 10 Most Influential Chefs. Andrew Zimmern, Anthony Bourdain, Jamie Oliver, Bethenny Frankel, and Paula Deen round out the top five. 

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.