Maybe take up Youtube-ing... Make a channel devoted to some aspect of food/bev that your network will allow you access to that other people won't get because they don't have your connections. Make videos. Interview people. Go behind the scenes. Cut together interesting 5-10 minute segments. See if they catch on. Good Youtube channels seem to pull in cash... If you're an NYC media market guy, maybe you remember Colameco's Food Show that was on the NJN channels in the late 90s and 2000s... Something like that without the whole TV crew budget might be doable again via Youtube... provided you've got the right personality and presentation to catch on.
For example: