With Julia Roberts' Eat, Pray, Love now whetting moviegoers' appetites, Ben Dehan, the founder and CEO of Foodbuzz, contributes a thoughtful point-of-view to Brandchannel on the digital connections forming between foodies and food brands.

Dehan, a foodlover (naturally) from Louisiana, isn't suggesting that Roberts (or Elizabeth Gilbert, who lived and then wrote the book on which the movie is based), could recreate that journey online and find emotional and spiritual engagement virtually.

Rather, the founder of Foodbuzz, which he tells us is "the largest online food community and the fastest growing major online food property on the web reaching 10 million people each month, according to Quantcast," writes that consumers who are passionate about what they put in their mouths are also skilled at word of mouth, and that savvy food brands and marketers who want to share their love should be paying attention and joining the conversation.

Hungry for more? Don't miss Ben's column and his foodie community. Thanks, Ben!

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