Banana Republic Senior Vice President of Marketing Joins Tavolo Board of Directors.

SAN RAFAEL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 1999--

Tavolo (www.tavolo.com and AOL Keyword: Tavolo), the leading online retailer of premium-quality products for cooking, entertaining and gift-giving, today announced that Amy Schoening, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Banana Republic, has joined its Board of Directors.

Schoening joined Banana Republic as vice president of marketing in 1996. Over the past three years she has orchestrated the marketing efforts of the company and developed a sharply focused brand strategy to shape Banana Republic's image, resulting in the largest marketing launch in the company's 20-year history. In 1999, Brandweek magazine recognized her achievements by awarding her Marketer of the Year. Prior to Banana Republic, Schoening spent four years with Levi Strauss & Co., holding various marketing positions and culminating as director of consumer marketing for the Levi's brand.

"Tavolo is successfully positioning itself as the leading online resource for people who love to cook," said Schoening. "I'm excited about the opportunity to share my expertise with the company as they continue to build a trusted brand that consumers associate with a sense of style and quality."

"We are thrilled to welcome Amy to the Tavolo team," said Kevin Appelbaum, founder and CEO of Tavolo. "The experience Amy has gained in building such a strong retail brand as Banana Republic will serve us well as we continue to grow the Tavolo brand and customer experience."

About Tavolo, Inc.

Tavolo (www.tavolo.com), in exclusive partnership with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), the nation's leading center for culinary education, is the leading online retailer of premium-quality products for cooking, entertaining and gift-giving.

The site offers thousands of specialty foods-including a signature collection of more than 200 private-label ingredients and prepared foods, professional-quality cooking tools, and brand-name kitchen appliances including All-Clad, Braun, KitchenAid and Wusthof. Tavolo also provides thousands of recipes, hundreds of cooking tips, buying guides and other expert cooking information and advice, in addition to useful customized features.

Tavolo is the exclusive retailer of gourmet foods and kitchenware on iVillage, and a premier retailer of these products on AOL and Yahoo! The company has content licensing agreements with most major cookbook publishers and more than 100 renowned chefs. Headquartered in San Rafael, Tavolo's investors include Attractor, Boston Millennia, DAMAC, Hambrecht & Quist, Hearst New Media & Technology, IDG, Marquette Ventures, Pivotal Asset Management, Scripps Ventures, The Sprout Group, Van Wagoner and Weston-Presidio Capital.