What TasteTV does

TasteTV is a privately held multi-platform lifestyle and entertainment media company headquartered in San Francisco and operating since 2005 under the legal entity TCB Cafe Publishing and Media LLC. The company produces original television series such as TASTEABLE, Short Films On, Music California, California Pilates, and Health Tech, distributed through PBS on demand and other channels, alongside digital video, branded online channels, and specialty books and journals issued through TCB Cafe Publishing. It also operates a portfolio of recurring live events and award programs including the TASTE Awards (15th annual), TASTY Awards, the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon (20th annual), the Sacramento Chocolate Salon (11th annual), the Fall Holiday Chocolate Salon, the Los Angeles Chocolate Salon, the Chocolate & Wine Cruise on San Francisco Bay, the California Music Video Awards, and the World Dog Surfing Championships (broadcast on ESPN The Ocho).

The company monetizes across five diversified but individually modest streams: television and digital advertising on owned programming; one-time sales of books and publications under TCB Cafe Publishing; transaction fees from live event ticketing, exhibitor fees, and awards entry submissions; merchandise and product sales via owned e-commerce storefronts (TheChocolateRegistry.com and CafeAndre.com); and a focused chocolate vertical (Chocolate Television plus chocolate-focused salons). Its primary customer base is consumer lifestyle enthusiasts seeking curated editorial content spanning food, beverage, fashion, luxury, travel, music, and wellness; the secondary customer base is consumer brand marketers in food, beverage, luxury, and lifestyle who purchase advertising, sponsorship, and event participation.

The business is organized around wholly-owned subsidiaries including TCB Cafe Publishing (book publishing), LaGrange Point (business and technology services), and TheChocolateRegistry.com (chocolate e-commerce). Geographic operations are concentrated in California—San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Pismo Beach—with reported editorial coverage extending to New York, Chicago, Seattle, Florida, the Caribbean, and Mexico (via recent Puerto Vallarta travel content).

Name

TasteTV

Legal name

TCB Cafe Publishing and Media LLC

Website

https://TasteTV.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TasteTV is a privately held multi-platform lifestyle media company producing original television series, online video, books, and live events such as the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon and TASTE Awards, serving consumer lifestyle enthusiasts and consumer brand advertisers since 2005.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lifestyle Media & Entertainment

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Wine & Beverage Festivals/Expos (MPAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)

Keywords

• Lifestyle media production
• Television programming
• Book publishing
• Live event management
• Awards program

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Television Programming & Broadcasting: TasteTV produces and distributes television content including series like TASTEABLE, Short Films On, Music California, California Music Video Awards, and World Dog Surfing Championships. Content is broadcast on television and streaming platforms including PBS on demand.
2. Publications & Books: The company publishes books and journals through TCB Cafe Publishing, including titles such as 'Chocolate French Recipes', 'The Fragrance Designer's Primer', 'TASTEABLE: A Journal of Curated Culture', 'The Chocolatier's Primer', 'The Winemaker's Primer', and photography books featuring award winners.
3. Live Events & Awards: TasteTV organizes and hosts live events including the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon (20th year), Sacramento Chocolate Salon (11th anniversary), Fall Holiday Chocolate Salon, Chocolate & Wine Cruise on San Francisco Bay, World Dog Surfing Championships, TASTE Awards, TASTY Awards, and California Music Video Awards.
4. Merchandise & Product Sales: The company operates an e-commerce shop selling chocolates and goods (via TheChocolateRegistry.com), TasteTV merchandise and fashion (via cafeandre.com), event tickets, and books. The Chocolate Registry is listed as a separate branded storefront.
5. Chocolate Television: Dedicated vertical focused on chocolate content, events, and products including the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

TasteTV is a multi-platform lifestyle media company that produces and distributes original television series (TASTEABLE, Short Films On, Music California, Health Tech, etc.), publishes books and specialty journals through TCB Cafe Publishing, operates annual live events including Chocolate Salons and the World Dog Surfing Championships, and runs industry awards programs (TASTE Awards, TASTY Awards, California Music Video Awards). Content spans food, beverage, chocolate, fashion, luxury, wellness, travel, and music for consumer audiences, with television programs airing on PBS and other networks.

Product overview

TasteTV is a multi-platform media entertainment company operating as a unified portfolio of content, events, and publications. The core offering is the TasteTV television and digital platform, supplemented by branded award programs (TASTE Awards, TASTY Awards), dedicated channels (Chocolate Television), and live events (Chocolate Salons in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, and the World Dog Surfing Championships). The TCB Cafe Publishing division produces books and publications. LaGrange Point provides business and tech services. Products are distributed through television broadcasts (including PBS), online channels, and e-commerce channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TCB Cafe Publishing: Publishing division of TasteTV producing books and publications on food, fragrance, chocolate, wine, and lifestyle topics
• TheChocolateRegistry.com
• The TASTE Awards
• The TASTY Awards
• TASTEABLE
• Chocolate Television
• World Dog Surfing Championships
• California Music Video Awards
• San Francisco International Chocolate Salon
• Los Angeles Chocolate Salon

Products and services

• TASTEABLE Television series featuring culinary destinations, food culture, and holiday cooking specials broadcast on PBS on demand; for general lifestyle and food enthusiast audiences.
• TASTE Awards Annual awards program recognizing excellence in food, beverage, lifestyle programming, and culinary content; broadcast on PBS and open to industry entrants.
• TASTY Awards Awards program celebrating culinary and lifestyle media content.
• Chocolate Television Dedicated programming channel featuring chocolate-related content, reviews, and coverage; tied to the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon.
• TCB Cafe Publishing Publishing imprint producing books, journals, and specialty publications on food, wine, chocolate, fragrance, and lifestyle topics; sold directly to consumers.
• World Dog Surfing Championships Annual dog surfing competition event held in Pismo Beach, broadcast on ESPN The Ocho and online; targeted at general lifestyle and pet-loving audiences.
• California Music Video Awards Annual awards program recognizing California-based music video productions and artists; the 9th annual edition was held in 2025.
• Short Films On Television series featuring curated short film content.
• Music California Television series spotlighting California-based music artists and performances.
• Health Tech Television series covering health and wellness technology topics.
• California Pilates Television series focused on pilates and fitness content.
• Teens TV Dance Party Television series featuring teen dance and music entertainment programming.
• San Francisco International Chocolate Salon Annual chocolate festival and consumer trade show event in San Francisco celebrating artisan chocolate makers; ticketed consumer event.
• Los Angeles Chocolate Salon Annual chocolate festival in Los Angeles featuring tastings and artisan exhibitors; ticketed consumer event.
• Sacramento Chocolate Salon Annual chocolate festival in Sacramento, celebrating its 11th anniversary in 2026; ticketed consumer event.
• Fall Holiday Chocolate Salon Seasonal chocolate festival in San Francisco featuring holiday-themed chocolate tastings and gift products.
• Chocolate & Wine Cruise on San Francisco Bay Cruise event combining chocolate and wine tasting experiences on San Francisco Bay.
• Online Channels Digital streaming platform offering online access to TasteTV's programming and branded video channels.
• The Chocolate Registry Online store selling chocolates and related goods directly to consumers.
• LaGrange Point Business and technology services division offering consulting and tech services to external clients.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Daily Meal: The Daily Meal is a digital food and lifestyle media brand covering restaurants, recipes, wine, and travel, with a similar horizontal lifestyle editorial approach and audience overlap to TasteTV's content verticals.
• Tastemade: Tastemade is a multi-platform food and lifestyle video media company producing original programming across YouTube, streaming, and social with a similar business model spanning content, branded content deals, and commerce. It directly parallels TasteTV's TV + digital + lifestyle commerce approach.
• Wine Enthusiast Media: Wine Enthusiast produces a magazine, digital content, books, and events (e.g., Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Awards) covering wine and lifestyle, mirroring TasteTV's wine content, publishing arm, and awards programming.
• Saveur Magazine: Saveur is a food and travel publication producing editorial content and books across culinary culture, overlapping directly with TasteTV's TCB Cafe Publishing culinary book line and editorial chocolate/wine coverage.
• James Beard Foundation: James Beard Foundation runs the prestigious James Beard Awards and culinary programs with major broadcast and event components, directly comparable to TasteTV's TASTE Awards and Chocolate Salon event programming in the food awards space.

Broad incumbents

• Eater: Eater (Vox Media) operates a network of city-specific food sites plus video and events (e.g., Eater Awards), paralleling TasteTV's mix of editorial food coverage, regional scope, and city-focused awards programs.
• BuzzFeed Tasty: BuzzFeed's Tasty brand is a major food video publisher on social platforms, producing short-form culinary content at scale. It represents the kind of digital-first competitor TasteTV faces for audience share in food video.
• Food Network: Food Network is the dominant cable TV lifestyle food brand producing hundreds of hours of programming and live events such as the Food Network & Cooking Channel South Beach Wine & Food Festival. It competes with TasteTV for advertising dollars and audience attention in food/lifestyle TV.
• Bon Appétit: Bon Appétit (Condé Nast) is a leading food media brand with a magazine, web videos, and YouTube channel covering food culture, similar to TasteTV's editorial coverage of food, restaurants, and recipes across multiple lifestyle verticals.

Emerging players

• Salon Chocolate Show: Salon du Chocolat is a global series of chocolate trade shows and festivals including editions in Paris, New York, and other cities. Its chocolate-focused event franchise competes with TasteTV's regional Chocolate Salon events for exhibitor and sponsor participation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tastetv
• Facebookfacebook.com/TasteTV
• Instagraminstagram.com/Taste_TV
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tcb-cafe-publishing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TasteTV