BUON APPETITO!
Today’s Italian cuisine holds fast to tradition
LIVE AND LEARN
HARD HITTING
Canadians are embracing hard cider
New Culinary Arts Centre at Centennial College offers experiential learning
GRILL MASTERS
CA N A D I A N P U B L I CAT IO N M A I L P RO D U C T S A L E S AG R E E M E N T # 4 0 0 63 4 7 0
Barbecues come out of the backyard and into restaurant kitchens
PLUS
Our exclusive Oh Canada! signature series continues with a stop in the Canadian Prairies
challenges and opportunities
Operators are turning roadblocks into opportunities for growth MARCH 2017 $4.00
CONTENTS VOLUME 49, NO. 12 | MARCH 2017
C H A L L E N G E S A N D O P P O R T U N I T I E S : FI N D I N G T H E S I LV E R L I N I N G
IN THIS ISSUE
MARGARET MOORE [COVER CONCEPT IMAGE], iSTOCK.COM/ BHOFACK2 [MAIN BEER IMAGE], JEFFREY CHAN [CHEF STEVEN GONZALEZ]
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12 FEATURES 12
ITALIAN CONNECTION
Old-country traditions meet Canadian ingredient profiles
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COMING TOGETHER
Prairie cuisine is more than the sum of its parts
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CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
How restaurants are turning roadblocks into opportunities for growth
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PEOPLE PROBLEMS
Good staff is hard to find; and even harder to keep
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REAL-ESTATE RACE
Operators are battling for space as real-estate prices continue to soar
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CALORIE COUNTERS
Ontario’s new menu-labelling legislation is a huge undertaking for operators
DEPARTMENTS
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REALITY CHECK
Centennial College gives students a taste of real life
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NEWSMAKER
Russell Hendrix moves to the top of the supplier food chain
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BOTTOMS UP
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FIRE IT UP
Cider sales are on the rise
Barbecues are finding their way into restaurant operations
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FROM THE EDITOR
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FYI
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FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT CARTER
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CHEF’S CORNER:
Steven Gonzalez, Baro, Toronto
MARCH 2017 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY
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FROM THE EDITOR
MOVING THE NEEDLE
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FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY MARCH 2017
ROSANNA CAIRA rcaira@kostuchmedia.com @foodservicemag facebook.com/foodservicehospitalitymagazine instagram.com/rosannacaira
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
NICK WONG, LOCATION PROVIDED BY VIA CIBO
oodservice operators know only too well how challenging it’s become to run a restaurant. The high cost of real estate, the arduous task of recruiting and retaining employees and the mounting barrage of new legislation often make operators question why they’re in business. Add to that technology’s dizzying rate of growth and it’s enough to make your head spin. Through it all, it’s hard to deny that progress has been made. One need only look at how menus have evolved to become healthier, the growing importance of local and the role of technology in making the industry more efficient. But, if you look at the industry’s evolution through the lens of millennials, the rate of change is perhaps not fast enough; nor is it as far reaching as they would like. After all, the reality is, this cohort loves disruption and demands that the world change and do it faster. Operators need to ask themselves whether millennials will want to work in this industry if change doesn’t happen quickly? Granted, running a business is harder than ever, but to move forward, the industry needs to not only attract the right people, it needs to retain them and it can’t do either if this industry isn’t viewed as strong, professional and in step with today’s needs.
Bottom line: labour is the industry’s biggest challenge. Beyond recruiting and retaining, the industry needs to be viewed positively and ethically. Sound daunting? Perhaps, but amid these challenges there are myriad opportunities to improve how we look at the industry, what we expect from employees and how we treat them. It’s all part of building a healthy work environment; smart operators will work to figure out new ways to speak to what the millennial cohort wants. It’s only to everyone’s benefit. After all, according to the Conference Board of Canada, 58 per cent of 383 large and mid-sized corporations it interviewed in 2016, reported difficulty recruiting and retaining staff. As a story by Virginia Galt in the Globe and Mail on December 17, 2016 stated: “With an average voluntary turnover rate of 7.8 per cent in 2016 and with nine per cent of the workforce expected to retire in the next five years, many organizations are becoming more proactive with their retention strategies.” Unfortunately, the foodservice industry hasn’t always been viewed in the best light when it comes to treating staff properly — whether it’s paying them well, training and developing them, or promoting gender equality in its ranks. Ultimately, if attracting top talent who are committed to grow within your organization is important to you, then it’s time to move the needle on this issue forward — or risk being left in the dust.
EST. 1968 | VOLUME 49, NO. 12 | MARCH 2017
EDITOR & PUBLISHER ROSANNA CAIRA ART DIRECTOR MARGARET MOORE MANAGING EDITOR AMY BOSTOCK ASSISTANT EDITOR DANIELLE SCHALK EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ERIC ALISTER EDITORIAL INTERN EMILIE BELL MULTIMEDIA MANAGER DEREK RAE GRAPHIC DESIGNER COURTNEY JENKINS SOCIAL MEDIA/EVENTS CO-ORDINATOR JHANELLE PORTER SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER/U.S.A. WENDY GILCHRIST ACCOUNT MANAGER MARIA FAMA VIECILI ACCOUNT MANAGER MAGGIE SPENCE ACCOUNT MANAGER CHERYLL SAN JUAN CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSOCIATE ELENA OSINA ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT DANNA SMITH CIRCULATION PUBLICATION PARTNERS CONTROLLER DANIELA PRICOIU
ADVISORY BOARD CARA OPERATIONS KEN OTTO CRAVE IT RESTAURANT GROUP ALEX RECHICHI FAIRFAX FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LIMITED NICK PERPICK FHG INTERNATIONAL INC. DOUG FISHER FRESHII MATTHEW CORRIN JOEY RESTAURANT GROUP BRITT INNES KATIE JESSOP REGISTERED DIETITIAN KATIE JESSOP LECOURS WOLFSON LIMITED NORMAN WOLFSON MANITOWOC FOODSERVICE JACQUES SEGUIN SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY & TOURISM MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH BRUCE MCADAMS SENSORS QUALITY MANAGEMENT DAVID LIPTON SOTOS LLP JOHN SOTOS SOUTH ST. BURGER CO. JAY GOULD THE HOUSE OF COMMONS JUDSON SIMPSON THE MCEWAN GROUP MARK MCEWAN UNILEVER FOOD SOLUTIONS NORTH AMERICA GINNY HARE To subscribe to F&H, visit foodserviceandhospitality.com Published 11 times per year by Kostuch Media Ltd., 23 Lesmill Rd., Suite 101, Toronto, Ont., M3B 3P6. Tel: (416) 447-0888, Fax (416) 447-5333, website: foodserviceandhospitality.com. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: 1-year subscription, $55; U.S. $80; International, $100. Canada Post – “Canadian Publication Mail Product Sales Agreement #40063470.” Postmaster send form 33-086-173 (11-82). RETURN MAIL TO: Kostuch Media Ltd., 23 Lesmill Rd., Suite 101, Toronto, Ont., M3B 3P6. Member of CCAB, a Division of BPA International, Restaurants Canada, The American Business Media and Magazines Canada. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) of the Department of Canadian Heritage. Printed in Canada on recycled stock.
Now... that’s a sandwich! If you’d like to see your sales and profits reach new heights, contact Piller’s Foodservice Sales. We’re experts at helping your foodservice programs rise to their potential. pillers.com/foodservice 1-800-265-2627
WHATEVER YOUR JOB, FORD TRANSIT CONNECT WORKS.
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FYI
M O N T H LY N E W S A N D U P D A T E S F O R T H E F O O D S E R V I C E I N D U S T R Y
A STEP FORWARD New legislation allows temporary foreign workers to remain in Canada longer BY ERIC ALISTER
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n Dec. 13, 2016, Immigration Ministers John McCallum and MaryAnn Mihychuk announced the Canadian government’s first steps toward improving the Temporary Foreign Worker Program to help workers and employers and bolster the Canadian economy — lifting the long-standing four-year duration limit for temporary foreign workers. The time limit, known col-
loquially as the “four-in, four-out” rule was originally introduced in April 2011 and mandated a four-year limit on temporary work for foreign residents in Canada. Following the four-year term, foreign workers were required to spend an additional four years outside the country before being eligible to reapply to the program. “In many ways, the four-year rule put a great deal of uncertainty and
THE STANDING COMMITTEE BEGAN ITS REVIEW OF THE TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKER PROGRAM IN MAY 2016 AND TABLED ITS REPORT, OUTLINING ITS RECOMMENDATIONS, IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS ON SEPTEMBER 19.
instability on both temporary workers and employers,” says McCallum. “We had the sense that it was an unnecessary burden on applicants and employers and also on officers who process applications. The HUMA hearings confirmed it. We believe this important recommendation from the committee requires rapid action.” In order to ensure Canadian citizens continue to have first access to available job opportunities, the government has also introduced a new requirement for low-wage employers, where appropriate, to advertise to more than one, and up to four, under-represented groups in the workforce — which include persons with disabilities, Indigenous people and newcomers. The rule has not yet come into effect, but employers will be notified once it is. The government is maintaining its existing 20-per-cent cap on the percentage of low-wage temporary foreign workers who may be employed at a given company. For employers who accessed the program after June 20, 2014, the cap is 10 per cent. Though the foodservice industry still requires new approaches to employee hiring and management, the recent change in foreignemployment legislation is expected to increase restaurant operators’ ability to secure and retain employees. The Canadian government has pledged further reform, with more announcements to come.
IT’S NO SECRET THAT OUR FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY struggles with finding workers and keeping them. According to Bruce McAdams, restaurant expert and professor at the University of Guelph, there is a strong transient nature to foodservice operations; chefs leave their posts due to high stress levels and low pay, while servers see the job as a short-term way to make good money. This translates to high turnover rates — between 200 and 300 per cent, says McAdams.
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FYI
HELP ON THE WAY
New B.C. Franchise Act regulations came into force February 1, promising greater protection for franchisees. The Act aims to help level the playing field for small business owners by requiring franchisors to provide prospective franchisees in B.C. with a
Franchise Disclosure Document. The Act, which reflects both the template franchise regulations developed by the Uniform Law Conference of Canada and recommendations made by the British Columbia Law Institute, also requires disclosure of all material facts relating to the franchised business being offered so the prospective franchisee can make an informed decision about the investment. B.C. is the sixth Canadian province to implement franchise specific legislation.
Foodservice and Hospitality regrets that numerous errors were made in a story titled “Out of Alignment”, which appeared in the February 2017 print and digital editions of the magazine. The story incorrectly stated that there are currently a total of 75 active claims against Second Cup in the City of Toronto. Second Cup has advised that there is only one active franchisee claim in the City of Toronto. It also reported that in March, 2015, Kathy Wilkes, a former franchisee, filed a $1-million lawsuit against Second Cup and that subsequently the company terminated her agreement. Ms. Wilkes’ agreement with Second Cup was actually terminated in February 2015. The story also incorrectly stated that Wilkes was a former Franchisee of the Year award winner. Most importantly, the article failed to state that the allegations against Second Cup made by Ms. Wilkes have not been proven in court. We sincerely apologize for any negative characterization of Second Cup which may have resulted from these errors, as this was never our intention.
+ Some things are simply better together . . .
MAR. 23 Icons and Innovators Breakfast Speaker Series with Arne Sorenson, CEO of Marriott International, Tel: 416-447-0888, ext. 235; email:dpricoiu@kostuchmedia. com; website: kostuchmedia.com/shop MAR. 24-26 Expo Manger Santé et Vivre Vert, Palais de Congrés, Quebec City. Email: louise@expomangersante.com; website: expomangersante.com MAR. 31-APR. 2 Toronto Food + Drink Market, Toronto Congress Centre, Toronto. Tel: 289-293-0710; email: cjacobs@ metroland.com; website: tofoodanddrinkmarket.com APR. 6-7 The Canadian Health Food Association West Trade Show and Conference, Vancouver Convention Centre, West Building, Vancouver. Tel: 800-661-4510; email: info@chfa.ca; website: chfa.ca APR. 19-20 13th Annual North American Summit on Food Safety, Old Mill Inn, Toronto. Tel: 866-298-9343 ext. 200; email: customercare@strategyinstitute.com; website: foodsafetycanada.com APR. 23-24 Bakery Congress Trade Show and Conference, Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver. Tel: 905-405-0288, ext. 22; email: amutaher@baking.ca; website: baking.ca MAY 2-4 The 14th Annual SIAL International Food Tradeshow, Enercare Centre Toronto, Toronto. Tel: 483-476-2232; email: sguignard@expocanadafrance.com; website: sialcanada.com MAY 9 Canadian Foodservice Summit, Toronto Reference Library, Toronto. Tel: 416-533-6066; email: erick.bauer@npd. FOR MORE EVENTS VISIT http://bit.ly/FHevents com; website: npdgroup.ca
iSTOCK.COM/BERNARDASV [HELP ON THE WAY IMAGE]
CORRECTION AND APOLOGY
COMING EVENTS
FYI
RESTO BUZZ Wendel Clark’s Classic Grill and Bar opened its fourth location in downtown Brampton. A grand-opening celebration, featuring a meet-and-greet with former Maple Leafs’ player Wendel Clark, took place Feb. 1, 2017. The event also offered a chance to sample a selection of the restaurant’s signature food and beverages, as well as a puckand-jersey autograph-signing session and photo-op with Clark…Montreal-based chocolate bistro Cacao 70 opened its first West-coast location in Vancouver. The 2,200-sq.-ft. space, which seats 44 guests, offers chocolate sourced from Ghana, Ecuador, Belgium, Peru, Saint-Domingue and Cacao 70 Tanzania, priced at $12.95 for 300 grams. Its chocolates are also served in the form of specialty hot chocolates ($9.25)… Jefferson Alvarez recently opened a new restaurant called Cacao Progressive Latin. The lunch menu consists of an assortment of quinoa bowls with a few Latin-inspired twists, such as arepas; masa-dumpling chile-chicken soup; and a two-tiered chocolate flan cake. The dinner menu boasts dishes such as the sturgeon chicharron — sturgeon meat coated in activated charcoal and ash made from burnt lemon rinds, covered in a mousse of whipped sturgeon spinal marrow and liver ($14)… Big Rock Brewery and Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants launched Liberty Commons in Toronto in February. The brewpub is a combination of comfort food and quality craft beers…Italian restaurant Parm, which Lucille’s Group (Oyster Dive and Brasserie Lucilles) opened just eight months ago — closed over the 2016 holiday season. Despite its initial acclaim by critics such as Lesley Chersterman, its prices were considered, by many, to be too high.
Opening a new restaurant? Let us in on the buzz. Send a high-res image, menu and background information about the new establishment to abostock@kostuchmedia.com.
IN BRIEF Effective April 15, Toptable Group will assume ownership of the iconic Il Caminetto, founded in 1981 by Umberto Menghi. After a brief closure for fine-tuning, the summer season will see a ‘soft launch’ of the Italian restaurant under its new branding and management company…The Ontario Hostelry Institute (OHI) has released the names of the Il Caminetto honourees who will be celebrated at the Gold Awards this year. The awards will be handed out on April 20 during the OHI Gold Awards Dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel…Pizza Pizza Royalty Corp. and Pizza Pizza Limited announced that effective Jan. 1, 2017, the total number of restaurants in the royalty pool was adjusted to include 27 new locations opened in 2016 and 12 closed locations, which were removed from the pool…The Oak & Thorne public house in Langley, B.C.’s Walnut Grove area will soon become a test kitchen for the Joseph Richard Group, in order to expand and refine the culinary offerings created by its team of chefs…Fuddruckers opened a second Canadian location in Regina on Jan. 30 with local franchise partner Bradd Restaurants, Ltd. …This spring, Restaurant Brands International — the parent company of Tim Hortons and Burger King — is launching an app Canada-wide that will allow customers to order and pay in advance, using their smartphones.
PEOPLE Chef Mathew Peters of restaurant Per Se in New York has won the prestigious Bocuse d’Or, taking home bragging rights and 20,000 euros in prize money…Chris McDonald has released a new cookbook, The Complete Sous-Vide Cookbook, which includes more than 175 recipes for preparing succulent and tender meat using the sous-vide method…Daryl Kerr, corporate chef for Calgarybased Great Events Group, has been named Chef of the Year by the Calgary Academy of Chefs and Cooks — a branch of the Canadian . . . C O N T I N U E D O N PA G E 8
Bacon is to eggs what Russell is to Hendrix, an unbeatable combination. Over the next several months, Canada’s two largest foodservice equipment dealers will become one. The merged company, Russell Hendrix Foodservice Equipment, will supply customers across Canada. Stay up to date at russellhendrix.com
FYI
U.S. chef Mathew Peters took home top honours at Bocuse d’Or
Culinary Federation. The award recognizes Kerr’s inspiring passion for his craft, unending pursuit of creativity and commitment to promoting the local food industry in Calgary…Charlottetown restaurateur Liam Dolan joined the board of directors of the Washington-based National Restaurant Association on Jan. 24. Dolan is currently the owner of Claddagh Oyster Bar, Olde Dublin Pub and Peak’s Quay.
SUPPLY SIDE TouchBistro has been named the Best POS System for Restaurants for the third consecutive year by Business News Daily in its annual review of point-of-sale (POS) equipment. The publication cites TouchBistro’s ability “to run all types of food establishments without all the fuss” as the winning factor…Trading Post Brewing recently presented a scholarship for Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) students in John Mitchell’s name. Commonly referred to as the father of craft beer in Canada, Mitchell worked to change legislation and opened a micro-brewery and Canada’s first in-house brewpub in the early ’80s…Chesher Ltd. has announced improvements to its Amana RMS microwave oven series. New units now feature an enhanced, heavy-duty, stainlesssteel door and escutcheon (a piece of protective metal). All interior and exterior surfaces of the ovens are also covered with easy-toclean stainless steel. The models that have received this upgrade include the RMS10DS and the RMS10TS…Bridor is investing $40 million to double the size of its Boucherville baking facility, allowing the company to increase its production capacity by 80 per cent and stimulate employment growth in the area…Canada Beef has appointed Matthieu Paré as its new director of the Canadian Beef Centre of Excellence (CBCE). The CBCE is located within Canada Beef’s Calgary headquarters and serves as a leader in beef communication, culinary training, education and business development, with onsite commercial kitchens and a beef-fabrication room.
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THIS MONTH’S CONTEST FINALISTS It’s Canada’s birthday, and to celebrate we’ve launched the Made in Canada photo contest. Foodservice and Hospitality readers are invited to tap into their creative side by entering photos that reflect a typically Canadian theme focusing on typical Canadian ingredients, products, menu items, Canadian-born chefs, as well as quintessential Canadian restaurants. In February, a judging panel comprised of the F&H editorial and design team, photographers and contest sponsors chose our first batch of winners: 10 Instagram photos that reflect a Canadian sensibility. We’re proud to showcase this month’s finalists and top-winning entry for the month, who has won Brunch for two at Toronto’s King Edward Hotel.
MARCH WINNER CHEF ANDREW EVANS Vaughan, Ontario
@chefandrewevans All-Canadian, all-natural beef cheeks
Later this year, at the 2017 Pinnacle Awards, held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel on December 1, we will be presenting 12 Grand Prize Winners with a collection of Experience Canada prizes. Visit foodserviceandhospitality.com/madeincanada for the complete prize list.
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@langdonhallchef
his getables eatt e keup root v @wa y grown n herbs ll w ro ca
Chanterelle ice cream, woodruff and wild mint
Lo eg hom with
@_alteredstate_ Favourite dessert memory from Canoe in Toronto
@eat_whats_good Mulled Canadian cider and Salted Caramel Cheesecake
AMY BOSTOCK Garden on Wood Milton, Ontario
@wakeupeatthis Chinese Ying Yang Hotpot
@chefandrewevans Bounty from the garden
@_alteredstate_ A plate from Canoe’s new tasting menu
rs utche pokeb @bes ye roast from uck e s Ch ke Farm Bespo
@langdonhallchef Octopus with wild mustard and maple
Enter for a chance to win great prizes. Visit foodserviceandhospitality.com/madeincanada for details and contest rules. OUR SPONSORS PLATNIUM
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FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT CARTER
A BIG YEAR FOR BREAKFAST Breakfast sales in Canada up eight per cent in 2016
D
espite tepid market growth over the last 12 months, it’s been a big year for breakfast in Canadian foodservice. This notion is supported by the fact that market giants such as McDonald’s and A&W have both rolled out all-day breakfast offerings in their Canadian restaurants in Q1 of 2017. According to recent market data from The NPD Group, Canadian breakfast sales (including a.m. snacks) grew eight per cent to $5.6 billion in 2016, outpacing growth in the U.S., where sales grew five per cent over 2015 to $41 billion. But why is there such a strong appetite for breakfast north of the border? First and foremost, Canadians love their coffee. In fact, that fondness for coffee led
Beyond Coffee,
the top-growing items at QSR breakfast/brunch in Canada include: Breakfast sandwiches
up 47 million
servings vs. a year ago Hash browns/home fries iSTOCK.COM/CHAT9780 [BREAKFAST SANDWICH]
up 21 million
servings vs. a year ago Breakfast wraps
up 19 million servings vs. a year ago Iced/frozen/Slush coffee
up 16 million
servings vs. a year ago
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
Canadians to consume more than three billion servings of the hot beverage at foodservice in 2016 — a trend that bodes well for breakfast sales since many items available during the breakfast daypart tend to pair well with a cup of joe. While many of these items are considered standard breakfast fare by most, there is no denying Canadians have developed a unique penchant for them, which has led operators to increase their availability in an attempt to offset traffic and sales declines at lunch and dinner. This makes sense, despite the fact the average eater check at breakfast, which stands at $4.95, may not be as robust as that of lunch ($7.43) or dinner ($8.84). Ultimately, it’s all about focusing on a daypart that is growing, as opposed to those — such as lunch and dinner — that have shown weak-
ness in recent years. In the end, the success or failure of these all-day breakfast offerings will be measured by their ability to drive sales and attract consumers from competitive offerings. And while it will take some time to determine how Canadians take to these offerings, one thing is certain — the data seems to suggest it’s a winning strategy. FH
Robert Carter is executive director, Foodservice Canada, with the NPD Group Inc. He can be reached at robert. carter@npd.com for questions regarding the latest trends and their impact on the foodservice business.
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Not Your Nonna’s Noodles TRENDS IN ITALIAN CUISINE IN CANADA BY CAROLYN GRISOLD
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nce upon a time, Italian-Canadian cuisine was a culinary newborn. As a country of immigrants, when families came to Canada, they typically brought with them a taste of home. These traditional recipes merged with Canadian customs and ingredients to create cuisines that can now be found in all manner of restaurants in Canada — from budget-friendly takeaway slices at Pizza Pizza or family meals at East Side Mario’s, to the award-winning haute cuisine of Buca Yorkville in Toronto. FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
“I’m first-generation Italian and my family brought a lot of their traditions to Canada when they immigrated — especially when it came to food,” says Rob Gentile, executive chef at Buca, Bar Buca and Buca Yorkville. “I spent a lot of time in my grandmother’s garden and in the kitchen rolling out gnocchi. My family grew produce, cured meat and preserved anything possible, so growing up, I was surrounded by Italian cuisine and tradition.” At his restaurants, Gentile says he tries to showcase classic dishes and techniques from different regions of Italy “but we like to reinterpret them, take a modern approach and adapt them to suit today’s diner while still maintaining the integrity of each dish.” At Buca Yorkville, the menu boasts dishes such as Bigoli, a duck-egg pasta with duck offal ragu, Venetian spices, mascarpone cheese and basil ($21); Polipo, braised octopus with veal- bone marrow, cavolo nero, crisp artichoke and fregola sarda pasta ($32); and buffaloricotta gnocchi with Stirling whey butter and black truffles from the Molise region of Italy ($39). CIAO! Today’s Italian cuisine melds tradition with innovation (opposite page); Italian food is diverse and ingredients vary from region to region (above)
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Meeting the needs of your discerning customers from coast to coast
BAKED GLORY While the Italian food scene has come a long way, traditional favourites are still found on most menus
The 36-year-old chef also takes research trips to Italy to keep up-to-date with the food scene, ingredients, techniques and interesting dishes from various regions. “The country is so diverse, when it comes to local cuisine and ingredients, the food changes from one region to the next,” he says. “I feel so connected to Italy. The people, the food, the way of life and the land are constant sources of inspiration. Recently, I went on a trip where we foraged every day and cooked what we brought back.”
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“The Italian food scene has come a long way,” says Janet Zuccarini, CEO and owner of Toronto-based Gusto 54 Restaurant Group, which includes Trattoria Nervosa and Gusto 101, as well as the forthcoming Gusto 501 and Felix in L.A. She says this “universally loved” style of cooking has evolved on Canadian soil. “Our food is only getting better and the quality that you can expect [in Canada] is nothing short of world class.” Tony Cammalleri, corporate chef at Toronto-based Pusateri’s, agrees: “I am incredibly proud of the Italian chefs in Canada and what they are doing,” he says. Established by Sicilian immigrants as a small family-run produce market in Toronto in 1963, Pusateri’s now includes gourmet grocers in Yorkville, Bayview Village and Avenue Road, as well as an
Ingredient Profiles SORRENTO LEMONS are one of the most unique and flexible ingredients in Italian kitchens. They can be salted and cured; cooked and made into jams or preserves; zested to finish a pasta dish; roasted to accompany meat; or squeezed on to elevate the flavour of any entrée. GUANCIALE is made by rubbing pork cheek or jowl with a combination of salt, sugar, pepper, herbs and spices before air-drying for several weeks. Traditionally, guanciale is used in classic pastas such as spaghetti alla carbonara. NDUJA PASTE is a chili-spiced, spreadable pork sausage from Calabria. It can be thinly spread on toasted bread, used as a base for a stew or in a pasta dish with shellfish. It gives different flavours to a simple tomato sauce or soup and can be served diluted with pasta cooking water. POLPETTE are Italian meatballs, normally fried and eaten without any sauce. To make a complete meal, serve them with a mesclun or arugula salad, or lightly sautéed vegetables, such as spinach or chard.
— Emilie Bell
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outpost in Oakville Place that offers à la carte prepared fare such as truffle mac ‘n’ cheese made with luxe truffle oil and a mix of hand-grated gouda, fontina and fourme d’amber. Italian cuisine is not just spaghetti and meatballs, says Cammalleri. “It is a cuisine based on the seasons, on local products and on recipes passed down through generations. Comfort food at its finest, Italian cuisine can be rustic or gourmet. That’s what makes it so popular — it’s fresh, simple and regional.” It’s this simplicity that allows chefs to successfully adapt Italian cuisine to QSR and full-service restaurants, attracting customers from all demographics. Acclaimed British chef Jamie Oliver — the protégé of Italian-born Gennaro Contaldo — also opened the first North American location of his Jamie’s Italian restaurant chain in Ontario. Working in collaboration with King Street Food Company, of which Rob Gentile is a managing partner, additional Canadian
locations are in the works. A Toronto outpost of Eataly, partly owned by celebrity chefs Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich, is also slated to open in the next few years.
CHANGE IS GOOD Adapting Italian cuiSIMPLICITY IS BLISS Today’s Italian sine to Canada extends food can be rustic or gourmet beyond adjusting to native produce’s shorter growing season. With pan-cultural pizza-eating experience and that means backgrounds and diverse dietary requireadapting to food sensitivities,” says Abe ments, restaurateurs need to “ensure they Ibrahim, master franchisee for Uran Brick have a range of offerings to satisfy diners Pizza. “We offer gluten-friendly dough, of all kinds,” says Zuccarini, including vegan options, and [accommodate] relivegetarians and vegans, as well as those gious requests from customers.” with religious or health restrictions such “It’s a misconception that Italian food as celiac disease. is not healthy,” Zuccarini says, pointing “We want everyone to have a great
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to the fact Italian cuisine is part of the highly praised Mediterranean diet, which has been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease and is associated with lower cholesterol rates and incidences of cancer. “Unlike some other cultures, Italians eat in a very macrobiotic way, using whatever is growing from the land and is in-season to craft their meals,” says Zuccarini. Changing consumer demands offer Canadian chefs the opportunity to be innovative with Italian cuisine and debunk the myth that it revolves solely around heaping bowls of pasta — “dense, carb-heavy items that have become, in our minds, staples of the Italian diet,” says Zuccarini. “This is why we see the return of cucina povera, or ‘poor food’.” Cucina povera is a style of Italian cooking that came about through necessity — having to prepare and eat what is affordable and accessible — and is focused largely on the use of vegetables
and legumes. Cammalleri knows this way of cooking well. His PASTA FOR ALL As demand for parents came to gluten-free grows, Canada from Sicily suppliers are and, after living answering the call in Toronto for 20 years, bought a small farm in Caledon, Ont. Cammalleri grew up eating only what the farm produced. “Italian cuisine has always embraced the use of vegetables,” ays Zuccarini. “But it’s the treatment of the vegetable that has been changing — [you have to]show [how] you’re preparing and cooking it.” Gentile says ingredients are paramount to success. “Even before we opened our original Buca location, we were adamant about using the best-quality ingredients available to us in Canada. We really wanted to produce dishes close to what you would find in Italy, but back then, some ingredients were difficult to
Tomayto,
Tomahto Quality tomatoes are key to Italian cuisine. Juan Pablo Carnevale, Mutti’s Export Area Manager for Canada, says the Parmabased company uses approximately 30 of the 300 tomato varieties cultivated in Italy. During production, Mutti ensures no freshness or flavour is lost by limiting its processing and using lower temperatures during heating, steaming and pasteurizing.
— Emilie Bell
FOOD FILE
source. Now, that’s changed; the demand is there so we’ve got amazing suppliers offering unique ingredients and products. This gives us the freedom to constantly develop our menu, which changes pretty much daily.” Authenticity of recipes is the next trend to watch, Cammalleri predicts —
“Dishes made by hand, using traditional methods and regional flavours.” “What is specific to [the Canadian] Italian food scene,” says Zuccarini, “is our ability to bring innovation to an otherwise very traditional cuisine and give it those unique twists that you wouldn’t necessarily see in Italy.” FH
GLUTEN BUSTERS “Over the past few years, research has shined a
light on the effects gluten has on individuals with gluten intolerances and celiac,” says Anna Rosales, Nutrition manager - Americas at Barilla. “In fact, nearly one-third of Canadians reported looking for gluten-free products.” In 2013, Barilla — headquartered in Parma, Italy — released a variety of non-semolina-based pastas, including gluten-free products crafted with nonGMO ingredients. “Gluten-free products are critical for those individuals who have gluten sensitivities or celiac disease,” says Rosales. “These are medical conditions and are here to stay. It is important to have these products readily available.” Brampton, Ont.-based Italpasta introduced its own line of gluten-free pastas five years ago to answer the call-out from its end users and distributor network. “For example, Boston Pizza was looking for a gluten-free pasta to fulfill its needs for added menu items, not a substitution, and there seemed to be a similar need across all foodservice segments,” says Frank DeMichino, COO at Italpasta. He says the product line came on strong at first and then dipped “but from a growth perspective, in terms of the number of [restaurants] that have added it to menus, [demand for gluten-free pasta] continues to increase.” Gluten-free currently accounts for approximately five per cent of the company’s pasta sales. Italpasta’s gluten-free products were initially corn and rice based. “Generally speaking, pasta made with rice is a bit tasteless, as opposed to the nutty taste you get from the semolina,” says DeMichino. “Adding corn gives it a bit of a sweet taste but we found corn wasn’t always attractive to people’s dietary needs from a nutritional point of view so we’re looking at using ingredients such as buckwheat, brown rice and quinoa and mixing it in so you have a flavour profile that’s palatable even by itself with a little olive oil or butter.” While the needs of consumers seem to change on a daily basis, DeMichino says you can’t draw a line when it comes to food trends. “We have to give the consumer what they want. If there’s a very small trend, we might not launch a product right away but we will pay attention to see if it’s a fad or an actual trend. From a business point of view I’m motivated to make sure menus put out by restaurants still have pasta on it, so if I have to come up with a product that’s more health-conscious and more clean, I have to make sure I’m able to do it.”
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oh Canada!
More than the Sum of Its Parts ETHNIC DIVERSITY AND A CO-OPERATIVE SPIRIT HAS BUILT A THRIVING CULINARY COMMUNITY IN THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES BY DEN ISE DE V E AU
FOOD FOR ALL SEASONS The menu at Blair Lebsack’s RGE RD restaurant in Edmonton, Alta. changes with the seasons and with crop availability
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oh Canada!
The clichés surrounding Prairie cuisine may still play a role in its evolution. With the plethora of top-grade beef, grains and pulse vegetables, the next generation of culinary masters are putting their own spin on the local bounty to create distinctive dishes that pay homage to the cultural diversity and strong community spirit that runs throughout the region.
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Food choices and preparation were built around the realities of life in the 1800s. Growing seasons were shorter and survival depended upon crops that would last through the winter months. Come winter, cellars would be overflowing with the year’s harvest of root vegetables and beans. Indigenous plants helped round out their menus, from wild berries to mushrooms. Family members became experts at pickling, preserving and smoking — an art that today’s chefs are happy to showcase. German, Scandinavian, Eastern European, South and East Asian and French settlers all played a part in the culinary heritage. Virtually every small town that dots the landscape has a Chinese
restaurant — a throwback to the days when Asian labourers came to the region to build the railway. Add to that more recent influxes of Middle Eastern and Filipino populations and you now have a vast community where chefs are inspired by cultural differences and are willing to share their ideas and expertise.
Alberta: Comrades in cuisine For Evan Robertson, executive chef of Market Calgary, the strongest draw is the camaraderie between chefs and restaurants — a common theme across the Prairie Region. “There’s a lot going on here and lots of opportunities for
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TOP CHEFS
PRAIRIE PRODUCE Carrots and beets, grown on the Canadian Prairies, can be found on many restaurant menus
The Prairies has its fair share of chefs who have gained international attention. Here are a few of the many notables who are bringing their signature style to Prairie tables: JUSTIN LEBOE, owner of Calgary’s Model Milk restaurant and Pigeonhole wine bar in Calgary was named Most Innovative Chef 2016 by Canada’s 100 Best and won the 2013 Pinnacle Award for Chef of the Year. His “rustic chic” restaurant prides itself on serving simply prepared local and regional products. Award-winning chef DUNCAN LY opened Foreign Concepts in late 2016 in Calgary, where he serves Pan-Asian fare based on a dim sum and hot pot concept. MIKE MCKEOWN of Prairie Harvest Café in Saskatoon offers fresh fare, from pierogies to local fish to homemade gnocchi. He’s been featured on Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here. DALE MACKAY of Ayden Kitchen & Bar in Saskatoon is Saskatchewan’s most famous celebrity chef, having won the first season of Top Chef Canada in 2011. Ayden features French- and Asian-influenced fare made with local ingredients. ADAM DONNELLY is a co-owner at one of Winnipeg’s hottest restaurants, Clementine. He and his partner, Carolina Konrad, also own Segovia, named one of Canada’s top 50 restaurants by Macclean’s magazine. Up-and-comer MATTY NEUFELD was recently named executive chef at Pineridge Hollow in Oakbank, Man. He made a name for himself early in his career as a vocal advocate of the slowfood movement.
chefs to stretch their wings.” He admits the culinary scene used to be quiet and traditional. “We’ve made a large jump from the days of greasy spoon holein-the-walls in a strip mall. Now, younger chefs are making their marks. A lot of those chefs like to help and promote each other [through] collaborative dinners and pop-up events. That sense of camaraderie just keeps growing, which helps the younger crew of kids in the kitchen.” Robertson’s menu reflects the diversity of the local region, from his chicken and waffles to Koreanstyle BBQ dishes to home-made jerky (a very traditional Prairie staple). Bison, maple syrup, Brussels sprouts, duck, Saskatoon berries and, of course, beef are all
EATING LOCAL Chef Blair Lebsack’s RGE RD in Edmonton works with two wood-burning ovens for firing and smoking, using a variety of woods
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ISTOCK/ YINGKO [CARROTS AND BEETS]
elements in his menu choices. While local vegetable supply may not be as “luxurious” as what can be had in Vancouver, he says, they always go as local as possible. “We are what you might call ‘ultra-local.’ The ranchers and farmers are so close to home. I can travel outside the city for 45 minutes and talk to a person raising cattle, see the grass and see how they’re raised.” Blair Lebsack, chef and owner of RGE RD in Edmonton takes his local connections more seriously than some. His closeness to the farm community goes beyond a day trip. “We have family dinners and sleepovers at our farms and consult with them on seed choices each year.” He adds, “There are lots of cattle ranchers in Alberta and plenty of the best black topsoil for vegetables, so the products we get are phenomenal.” While his menu changes with the season and crop availability, dishes such as sautéed mushrooms with green beans, asparagus and/or Brussels sprouts are always on order. Lebsack also draws inspiration from First Nations’ cooking. He is currently working with two wood-burning ovens for firing and smoking, using different types of wood, including Saskatoon-berry branches. There has been a big change in the Edmonton food scene over the last decade, Lebsack says. In
oh Canada! MANITOBA’S MAIN EVENT RAW:ALMOND is a culinary festival held every winter where the Assiniboine and the Red River meet. Started in 2013, the pop-up concept is open for 21 days and features local, national and international chefs. Cooking and service is done in a specially constructed structure on the rivers’ frozen waters. Chef Mandel Hitzer of Winnipeg’s deer+almond tapas restaurant, spearheaded the concept and has even taken a smaller-scale version to Churchill, Man. In celebration of
STATIONPOINT PHOTOGRAPIC [RAW:ALMOND]
Canada’s 150th this year’s Raw:almond featured an all-Canadian culinary team representing seven Canadian cities and 26 restaurants.
fact, the “Alberta movement” towards local dining actually started 20 years ago with A-listers such as Jack’s Grill and Hardware Grill. “They really started the trend of people wanting to eat in their own town.” That movement has had a big
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impact on independent restaurateurs in particular, he adds. “I see a lot of small restaurants with chef/owners in the kitchen or out front working the floor. They are very hands on. They want their diners to have a good time.”
Saskatchewan: More than a breadbasket Often hailed as the breadbasket of the world, Saskatchewan’s agricultural offerings are more diverse than many realize, says Clinton Monchuk, executive director for Farm and Cook Care
Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. “We are more than a big wheat field,” he says. Saskatchewan’s major claim to fame is that it has the most arable land of any province: up to 35 million acres are devoted to agricultural production, which accounts for roughly half of Canada’s arable land, Monchuk estimates. “What people don’t realize is that we’re not bordered by water, but a majority of the province is forest. Everything from that forest line to the U.S. border is arable land.” The variety of crops has had a significant influence on chefs. The post-war era — from the 1950s to the ’70s — saw new crops being cultivated that could adapt to the shorter growing season, including rye, barley, rapeseed and flax. More research led to investment in pulses (i.e. peas, lentils, chick peas, beans) and, in the 1960s, mustard seed rapidly became a thriving cash crop. “Lentils are huge in Saskatchewan,” says Dan Clapson, Canadian food critic and Eat North co-founder. “Canada is the largest producer in the world and
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oh Canada! Saskatchewan grows about 95 per cent of what is produced here. Overall, the Prairies also account for 90 per cent of the mustard produced in Canada.” The Eastern-European influence is particularly strong, Clapson adds. “Pierogies are huge, from casual mom-and-pop to drive-thru restaurants. It’s the food of Saskatchewan, for sure. You also see a lot of berry desserts and syrups.” Dee Hobsbawn-Smith, a former chef, cooking educator
and food advocate, and author of Foodshed: An Edible Alberta Alphabet, says Saskatchewan food is truly about its roots. “We’re really down to earth about what we eat; the ingredients we use are as earthy as they come. The whole is always better than the sum of parts because people had to make do with very little.” Beans and lentils with smoked or cured pork products count among the staples in westernCanadian diets. “It keeps body and soul together when there’s not a
Calgary’s claim to fame Not every city has exclusivity when it comes to culinary inventions, but Calgary has two noteworthy firsts that have since become staple menu offerings. The first Caesar (the drink, not the salad) was invented in 1969 by Calgary Inn’s (today the Westin Hotel) bar manager Walter Chell. Calgary also saw the birth of ginger beef — a dish that is now a standard offering on every Chinese-inspired restaurant menu. The dish’s origin in the mid-1970s is credited to chef George Wong at the Silver Inn.
FARM TO KITCHEN Evan Robertson, executive chef at Market Calgary has created a menu that reflects the diversity of the local region
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lot of meat on the table she says. Baked classics include yeasted sourdough and egg breads. When you think about the Prairies, it’s easy to be disparaging about root vegetables and beans, Hobsbawn-Smith says. “It comes back to one-pot meals made with ingredients that could be kept through the winter.” Summer is a different story. Berries and hardier strains of fruit are the natural bounty of the Prairies. “Sour cherries are one of the best things to come out of Prairie agriculture,” she says.
Manitoba: The best kept culinary secret Chef Tim Appleton is proud to call himself a Prairie boy. The award-winning Culinary Arts instructor for Red River College in Winnipeg says that one of the biggest stereotypes about the province’s food scene is the agricultural aspect. But what intrigues him most about the culinary community in Manitoba is the “huge ethnic scene that goes hand-in-hand with the agriculture. If I [were] to walk a half kilometre circle, I would come across 40 different ethnic cuisines, from Indian to Thai. We’re even starting to get into African-based restaurants.” What’s especially exciting in Winnipeg, he says, is the growing presence of niche restaurants with small-plate menus. “These independents are really strong. They’re not too big, but they’re always busy.” The ethnic diversity has also spawned a wave of fusion restaurants, he adds. “Chefs are looking more at indigenous foods and utilizing them in modern ways, like spruce tips for pickling or smoking. There are tons of mushrooms in Manitoba and so many berries. Another favourite is birch syrup.
The Saskatoon berry is a legendary local favourite. Despite the name, Saskatoon berries are plentiful throughout the Prairies. Stronger tasting than blueberries, they’re high in fibre, protein and antioxidants and a popular ingredient in pies, sauces and jams.
The variety of mustards is [also] extremely popular with chefs.” As he sees it, “A lot of products are now more respected in terms of how they are being utilized in our industry, including in cocktails. Highlighting a product in its natural form is a big thing.” “Everyone is into charcuterie,” Appleton says. “It has blown up here and butcheries are coming back.” Local fisheries offer up plentiful supplies of goldeye, walleye, northern pike and trout. And, of course, everyone loves pierogies. “Even the highest-end menus have altered versions, such as wildberry stuffed pierogies, as a side dish with elk, or duck-confit pierogies as an appetizer.” Clapson believes Winnipeg is the most underrated food city in Canada. “There’s a lot of history there. In the late 1800s and early 1900s it was the most booming city in Canada. It also has a large Aboriginal population, so you see bannock, foraged berries and bison on menus,” he says, adding that a massive French population brings classic French dishes such as tourtière and poutine to restaurant tables. FH
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While many people dream of owning a restaurant, few understand the challenges associated with running a successful operation. With so many roadblocks in their path, how do operators not only surpass them, but also transform these challenges into opportunities for success? In this month’s Challenges and Opportunities feature, F&H explores three key industry issues and sheds light on how savvy businesses are finding a silver lining. FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
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no strings attached
WHEN IT COMES TO OVERCOMING LABOUR CHALLENGES, NORTH AMERICA’S FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY HAS BEEN ITS OWN WORST ENEMY S T O R Y BY E R I C A L I S T E R
THE CHALLENGE According to Bruce McAdams — industry veteran and professor at the University of Guelph — labour shortages have long been a pandemic in the North American foodservice landscape. “I remember thinking in 2005 that we have issues now like we did in 1985, when I started in this business,” says McAdams. “And if I look back now, we have the same labour issues in 2017 that we had in 2005. There
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seems to be a pandemic throughout our industry.” McAdams, who’s worked in the industry for the past 30 years as a chef, waiter, operator and, most recently, a researcher, believes the essence of the labour problem lies in what he’s coined “the transient nature” of foodservice occupations. “Part of my research study has looked at why labour shortages
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CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
are an issue in our industry and [one] that never seems to go away,” he says. “Although it changes slightly over time, much of it is rooted in the fact that we’re still seen as a transient occupation in many cases. And our modeling, from a compensation point of view, fosters that transient nature.” In 2017, a young chef who has just finished culinary school can
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expect to earn an hourly wage of $13. Two years later, that might turn into $14. Unsurprisingly, most chefs become disillusioned with an industry that puts them below the poverty line. They soon abandon the kitchen and earnest new-hires replace them, with the same aspirations the departed chefs once had. The cycle repeats itself, which is half the problem. In the front-of-house, waiters and servers earn between $25 and $30 per hour, factoring in their tips. Admission into the occupation is easy — there are almost no prerequisites for applying. Serving, therefore, becomes an attractive temporary or supplementary occupation — but rarely a career. Students view it as a way of paying for university; those struggling to make ends meet with their existing jobs take on serving as a second job; and basically anyone looking for some quick cash thinks ‘I’ll become a waiter.’ “When I ask people, ‘have you ever worked as a waiter or a server before?’” McAdams says, the typical responses are, ‘I did it after university, before I got a real job,’ or ‘I did it to put myself through school,’ or ‘I’m a supply teacher and I can’t make ends meet. Serving is quick cash, so I do it on weekends to supplement my real job.’ But this isn’t the case in other parts of the world. “I’ve studied restaurants in France, Italy and Iceland, where you can be a server or a cook and have a mortgage, raise a family and go on vacations,” says McAdams. “You’re a productive and respected member of the community. Whereas, unfortunately, in North America, we don’t view restaurant work in the same way.” Vastly disparate earnings between back-of-house and front-of-house jobs not only create animosity between the two parties but also hurt the foodservice sector by contributing to the transient nature of foodservice occupations. “Many positions in our industry have to be filled two or three times a year for the same job,” says McAdams. “Turnover is 200 to 300 per cent because people stay for four to six months and then you have to bring in someone else and train them. There’s a huge economic cost.” There are repercussions other than economics. “What also suffers, if you’re continuously short-staffed and continuously turning over people, is your ability to produce a quality food product and quality service,” McAdams points out. “You don’t have enough staff on the floor, and if you do, they’re not quite up to speed yet so they can’t perform to the standard that’s expected.”
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CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES McAdams says the growth of robotics and automation could prove a boon for the hospitality industry’s labour woes, as the manufacturing sector, which is experiencing the highest level of lay-offs due to automation, looks to foodservice as a new career. “There is a shift to the service sector — including restaurants,” he says, adding the industry has to make itself more appealing for these newcomers. “There needs to be strong partnerships between associations and large companies to create viable career opportunities for the wave of new-hires that we’re expecting in the future.”
THE OPPORTUNITY As a result, the past couple of years have produced innovative strategies from restaurateurs for improving employee satisfaction and reducing turnover rates. The most popular — and controversial — strategy has been the abolishment of tipping. Restaurants of all sizes have introduced no-tipping policies and replaced the arbitrary practice with a flat-rate service charge, which is then divided equally among the staff. With this practice, operators hope to bridge the gap between front-of-house and back-of-house wages that’s causing talented chefs to leave and mediocre servers to dabble in the industry for the wrong reasons. This is a good first step, McAdams says, who is a strong advocate of abolishing North America’s tipping culture. “Tipping promotes discrimination,” he adds. “Studies have shown that different ethnicities, genders and age groups tip differently. And guess who knows this? Servers. In many cases, servers go to the table with a predetermined tip amount that they think they’re going to receive and they adjust their service accordingly, focusing on the guests who they believe will give the largest tips.” Tipping, therefore, promotes inequality not just among staff members
but also towards guests, causing restaurants across North America to question the efficacy of the practice. So far, operators who are officially on-board with no-tipping practices include Earls Restaurants — which is experimenting with no-tipping models at its Earls.67 concept restaurant in Calgary — Toronto-based Sidecar restaurant in Little Italy, The Avalon Jazz Lounge in Owen Sound, Ont., Bar Marco in Pittsburgh, Pa. and Dirt Candy in New York. Each operator is striving to replace tipping with its own unique alternative. At Earls.67, employees from all areas of the restaurant enjoy above minimum-wage salaries as a direct result of removing tipping. The establishment adds a 16 per cent ‘hospitality charge’ to diners’ bills, which is then divided among all hourly staff. “We believe a cook who makes a burger for a guest is equally as important in the experience as the server delivering the burger,” says Craig Blize, VP of Operations at Earls Restaurants. Sidecar has increased the price of menu items by 10 to 20 per cent in order to facilitate its ‘no-tipping’ policy, support its $1-per-hour raise for kitchen staff and maintain the $18-to-$20 hourly wages its servers currently receive. “Not only are people not supposed to tip, it’s not accepted at all,” owner William Sweete says. “We build the cost into the pricing.” He is optimistic the new dining model will provide staff with more financial security and a consistent income. But, according to McAdams, in order to fix labour issues permanently, expectations from all sectors must change, “because we simply can’t afford to look at the hospitality industry as we are doing today and have been for decades. The industry has been complacent to its own misconceptions and it’s time now that it reevaluated itself.” If we are to create a hospitality industry that’s as effective as that of Europe’s, he says, “we need to analyze the foundation that it currently rests upon and seek to answer some very difficult questions. We need to ask ourselves, ‘what are the causes of this continuous problem that has been an anchor around our industry and around our own individual businesses?’ They’re holding us back. It’s time to move forward, towards solving them.” FH
the fallout
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The Avalon Jazz Lounge in Owen Sound, Ont. pays its entire staff an equal hourly rate that’s approximately $4 higher than Ontario’s current minimum wage. However, it hasn’t proven an easy policy to administer, as the fledgling restaurant is struggling to stay profitable as a result. Avalon owner Gary Murphy told the Owen Sound Sun Times in April, 2016 that he now owes money to his suppliers and his utility bills are mounting. “You can’t expect a shop like this to turn a profit in its first year and I didn’t,” he told the newspaper. Murphy’s solution has been to launch an online fundraising campaign. Currently, a gofundme.com page has raised $2,275 to help with Avalon’s expenses. “Please help us continue to bring jazz and arts culture from all around to Owen Sound and provide a new kind of venue in downtown Owen Sound,” the website reads. For operators, tip elimination as a means to creating equal pay among staff members means smaller profit margins, so while large operators can often afford to eat the added cost, small businesses simply can’t keep up with the practice. If operators increase the prices of their menu items to offset new costs, it means customers have to pay higher prices than they are currently accustomed to and restaurants can expect to receive significant resistance from guests.
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RISING REAL-ESTATE COSTS AND LIMITED AVAILABILITY LEAVE RESTAURANT OPERATORS FIGHTING FOR SPACE S T O R Y BY A M Y B O S T O C K
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CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
THE CHALLENGE
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With quality real estate at a premium and prices on the rise in all major city centres, finding a good location to set up shop remains a top concern for restaurant operators. According to information from Vancouver-based Colliers International, good real estate in downtown Vancouver averages $40 to $75 per sq. ft., while property in Toronto’s downtown core currently demands, on average, $75 per sq. ft. But price is not the only real-estate roadblock. Ed Khediguian, senior vice-president at the Montreal office of CWB Franchise Finance, says the challenge comes from a combination of price and availability. “It depends on the type of restaurant concept and the locations they’re looking for,” he says. “The prime, triple-A sites across most major markets are dominated by a very [small]number of landlords, so they drive a hard bargain relative to cost. Availability of those prime spots is also an issue.” Khediguian adds that although the larger, major concepts are fighting for the same real estate in the prime locations, opportunities still exist for concepts with smaller footprints who can capitalize on the lower prices and greater obtainability of B- and C-grade locations. The real-estate landscape, says Khediguian is driven largely by the economy, meaning cities such as Toronto and Vancouver (downtown cores) are in high demand, while Calgary and Edmonton are soft. “Montreal is relatively stable, but the core locations are much fewer and very concentrated, so there’s a big gap between the core and noncore locations.” Another part of the real-estate challenge is that competition of every stripe is snapping up the real estate as it becomes available. “Take Queen St. E. in Toronto as an example,” says Jay Gould, president of Toronto-based South St. Burger. “A hard-goods realtor closes down and a restaurant takes its place — to the point where now from University, west, there’s almost nothing but restaurants [resulting in] competition for space and for consumer dollar — it’s competition right in your face.” He also points to the challenge large shopping centres across the country are facing when it comes to keeping fashion retailers as having an impact on the restaurant segment’s competitive landscape. “Somebody big goes out and a Joey’s comes in, so the real-estate problems are multi-faceted. We’re not just competing for space…there’s too many damn restaurants.” As online shopping picks up and retailers close their doors, Gould predicts only the strongest regional shopping centres will survive. And when space comes available, they have many restaurant operators looking for space. “The temptation,” he says, “is to give it to them — even
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“THERE’S A COMBINATION OF COVENANT STRENGTH/ QUALITY OF THE BRAND AND HOW WELL IT FITS INTO THE OVERALL RETAIL EXPERIENCE, SO THESE VERY LARGE LANDLORDS THAT CONTROL THESE TRIPLE-A SITES ARE BALANCING THE TWO.” — ED KHEDIGUIAN , CWB
though, in the end, from an overall product mix perspective, it may be hurting the draw.” And, he adds, when operators finally do find a space, “it’s not just the rental that the landlord is looking for, but the taxes and common-area costs (for shopping centres) are over the top. I used to have a fry shop in the food court at the Eaton Centre and we were somewhere north of $60,000 in real-estate taxes annually for a location that is three levels below grade and 400 sq. ft.” Although Gould says occupancy costs at the location were approaching $300,000, the mall was delivering the traffic. “To be fair, the food courts trade on a larger space, using common seats and the shopping centre’s bathrooms, so we’re paying for the table space, the clean-up of that space and insurance on that space. It was akin to having a 1,500-sq.ft. restaurant of our own. But still, 10 years ago, that space in the Eaton Centre might have been $100,000 to $120,000.” While large chains have better buying power to secure triple-A locations, smaller restaurants and independents often have to settle for
what’s left. “The landlords are looking for covenants they can count on,” says Khediguian. “They are more likely to lease to an established brand than someone with a new concept.”
THE OPPORTUNITY While restaurant operators generally want less than nine per cent of gross sales attributed to rent, the reality is that landlords want to achieve the highest possible rent. Historically, conventional retailers have paid more than restaurants for space, but now, some landlords with larger developments are beginning to treat good restaurants as an amenity and are more willing to make concessions. “It’s a balance,” says Khediguian. “There’s a combination of covenant strength/quality of the brand and how well it fits in to the overall retail experience, so these very large landlords that control these triple-A sites are balancing the two. They appreciate a good balance sheet, but it’s also driven by what they’re going to put into the space.” He says that attitude has had a real impact. “Larger landlords are starting to be more dynamic in terms of what they want to offer from an amenities and retail-experience standpoint when it comes to food-andbeverage. They’re not necessarily out to squeeze the restaurant operator. [The trend] might evolve as landlords follow suit and look at amenity impact on their sites.” Khediguian doesn’t see the limited supply of triple-A spaces increasing and says concepts will have to adapt and “go into infill markets that are less triple-A and make up for it through branding and size.” At South St. Burger, for example, Gould says the company is finetuning its real-estate criteria. “We’re trying to find [locations] where there’s a reasonable real estate/acquisition cost but also still in the right part of town,” he says. “Downtown Toronto isn’t necessarily the place to be; we’re looking at more suburban plazas and centres where the cost of living isn’t quite so high.” He says ideal opportunities involve taking over the competition when acquiring new space. “We could kill two birds with one stone if we could pick up two or three new units and take out a competitor, but chances are the reason we’re looking at taking out the competitor is that its real estate isn’t good enough. If they aren’t doing well [in that location], we might not either, so that doesn’t always work as well as it sounds on paper.” FH
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by the numbers NEW LEGISLATION IS CREATING MENU LABELLING CHALLENGES FOR ONTARIO OPERATORS S T O R Y BY A M Y B O S T O C K
THE CHALLENGE On January 1, 2017, the Healthy Menu Choices Act, 2015 came into effect, requiring foodservice operations with 20 or more locations in Ontario to display calorie information for all standard menu items. The goal of this new Act — which affects all foodservice locations offering processed/prepared food-and-beverage items intended for immediate consumption on or off premises, and also meet the prescribed number of locations — is to raise public awareness about the calorie content of
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food and beverages consumed outside of the home. “Even though our menu is skewed towards the healthy/nutritious side, we were a little intimated at first by the scope of work required to do this,” says Daniel Davidzon, manager, Marketing and Communications for Toronto-based Aroma Espresso Bar, which is celebrating its 10th year in Canada. “Although we are confident in the nutrition factor of our menu, there was some concern that certain items on our menu, when
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customers saw the calorie counts, they might be a little taken aback.” But, he says, the brand was confident the legislation would work to its advantage, “because we’ve had high standards when it comes to nutritional integrity for years. We’ve always made sure our menu is transparent in terms of the ingredients we use and the level of nutrition in the menu items we put together.” The process, he admits, was rigorous and, at times, all-consuming.
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“We had four R’s we had to go through: review, redesign, re-test and then re-review. Over the course of three or four weeks, all our team did was read over every menu item, every number, line by line,” he explains. Not an easy undertaking for a chain with 39 locations featuring digital menus, printed wall menus, in-store/takeout/delivery menus, kosher-store menus and a website — not to mention nutritional information sheets made available as digital downloads and in store. “That’s [a lot of] items right off the bat that needed overhauls and a limited amount of time to get it done,” says Davidzon. After reviewing all the marketing materials — and the legislation itself — with a fine-toothed comb, the Aroma design team then had to figure out a way to display the information in a way that wouldn’t overwhelm its customers. “We are basically doubling the number of numbers on our menu,” he says. “It’s a lot to look at and it’s a challenge to make it visually appealing.” The Government of Ontario, for its part, provided restaurants with tools such as infographics to help clarify what restaurants can and cannot do in terms of this new legislation. “There were a few times at the beginning, and just before we went to print, when we had some scares about whether we could print it the way we had it. But the information was all there, which made the job a little easier for us,” Davidzon admits. From a financial perspective, he says the actual cost of executing and rolling out the new menus was greater than the price Aroma had to pay for consultations or lab testing on its food and beverages. “There was a lot of manpower required to roll this out, a lot of hours spent reviewing and doing the design work to put the menus in place, but overall it’s well worth it for a restaurant like Aroma.” But according to Jay Gould, founder and president of Toronto-based South St. Burger Co., the legislation is meaningless and will “cost restau-
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“PEOPLE WHO ARE HEALTH-CONSCIOUS KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT HOW THEY SHOULD EAT IN ORDER TO MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS. IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE IN THE END.” — DANIEL DAVIDZON, AROMA
rants an absolute fortune to implement.” He also says the playing field is not level under the new legislation, “Those of us with more than 20 restaurants have to do this while someone with one or 10 doesn’t have to do a thing. It’s not a level playing field and it’s misleading, to say the least.”
He says if the government would spend its money trying to educate people with programs such as ParticipAction and ones promoting healthy food choices, it would have a far more genuine impact. “People look at the calories on day one and after that, it’s wallpaper; but it’s a lot of wallpaper and it’s a significant cost to us to implement in the first place. Now somebody has to patrol it — the government will need to have a whole new section of Queen’s Park dedicated to policing it…is this really the best use of money? It’s another example of the government going too far and interfering.” Davidzon agrees that adding calories to the menu may not have the impact the government is hoping for. “There’s been a lot of research done in places such as New York (where the legislation has been in place for some time) that shows after the first few months, changes [to eating habits] seem to plateau and people revert back to old habits…because the calories become just another thing you see on the menu and stop paying attention to after a while.” According to Kate Comeau, manager, Public Relations and Media for Dietitians of Canada (DOC), the fact that the new legislation only gives information on calories can be misleading for consumers. “A chef or dietitian knows a 750-calorie sandwich made with basic ingredients is a nourishing lunch, compared to a brownie at 450 calories,” she says. “This is an extreme example perhaps, but will the public make [food] decisions based only on calories? From a health perspective, calories don’t tell us very much about how nourishing a food is and this has dietitians concerned.”
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“At many restaurants, nutritional information has been there for some time, for those who cared to go looking for it,” says Daniel Davidzon, manager, Marketing and Communications for Toronto-based Aroma Espresso Bar. “Now it’s there for everyone to see. That said, calories are just a small part of the picture. We have some items on our menu that are higher in calories but, nutrition-wise, are very good for you. Customers have to take other components such as sugar, fats, carbs and other nutritional info [into account] depending on what they’re trying to achieve.” At Aroma, approximately 90 per cent of the food and drinks on its menu have been measured at or below 500 calories — not including pastries from the pastry case, which are not listed on the menus. Only approximately 15 of the 81 individual food and drink items on its menu exceed that value, “demonstrating our long-held commitment to providing freshly prepared nutritious meals to health-conscious customers.” However, Davidzon says it’s hard to say how relevant this information is to people every time they eat, everywhere they go, “people who are health-conscious know enough about how they should eat in order to make informed decisions,” he notes. “It’s all about balance in the end.”
THE OPPORTUNITY While many restaurants are unhappy with the costs associated with compliance, Davidzon says the legislation will likely pay off for most restaurants in the long run. “It’s giving [consumers] the chance to make informed decisions based on the information you’re providing them. Hopefully, this will lead to a healthier lifestyle for the majority of our customers.” Comeau agrees and says DOC supports the new legislation. “We were happy that many of the changes proposed by dietitians during the consultation phase were incorporated,” she says. “Still, we have some reservations about the effectiveness and unintended consequences. We have recommended education around the new label and a comprehensive evaluation strategy. She says there is likely to be pressure to make changes to some items by consumers and “a sort of sticker shock could happen. There is an opportunity to work with a dietitian to change recipes or serve smaller portions to meet consumer demand. That said, calories aren’t everything, and hopefully consumers continue to look for healthier, balanced choices when eating out.” “[The legislation] is still new, so we’ll see how it rolls out, but we’re optimistic our menu very much aligns with the spirit and the ideology of this legislation so we’re pleased with that,” says Davidzon. “Whether it’s going to be a good thing for all restaurants going forward, I don’t know. Certainly we’d hope so — it’s empowering people to learn more about what they’re putting into their bodies.” FH
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PROFILE
REAL-TIME
LEARNING CENTENNIAL COLLEGE MAKES EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING THE CENTRAL PATHWAY TO THE FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY
REALITY CHECK The new Culinary Arts Centre at Centennial Collage gives students a taste of real restaurant work
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STORY BY JENNIFER FEBBRARO
witter can reveal a lot of passion. In just 140 characters, dean Joe Baker of Centennial College’s School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts does more promotion for the college than any advertisement could. In late January, Baker tweeted: “Today I had an omelette @TheLocalCC made by a baking student. It was the second time she had ever made one in her life! Only @CentennialEDU.”
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PROFILE
What Baker’s tweet doesn’t reveal is how many times the student had to scrap the omelette before getting it right. “That’s the beauty of combining our culinary programs with actual restaurant experience on site — someone might have to make that coffee two to three times to perfect it,” explains Baker. “But that’s where the real learning happens.” The newly designed, Toronto-based Culinary Arts Centre at Centennial, a collaboration with Diamond Schmitt Architects, coincides with the college’s 50th anniversary — a celebration that also commemorates its history as the first publicly funded Ontario college. The eight-storey building combines a 740-unit student residence with an open-con-
cept Culinary Arts Centre featuring a whopping 353,500 sq. ft. of space. This includes an expansive ground-floor school environment with five contemporary kitchen labs, eight large classrooms and a full-service restaurant, quick-service café and Grab-and-Go shop open to the public. The kitchens of The Local Cafe and The Local Restaurant are also on view so the public can observe the students at work — and coincidentally, the students can also get used to being in the spotlight. On the top floor, a conference space, banquet and event centre with jaw-dropping views allows for students to practice the rigorous planning and coordination required for large-scale event with up to 460 guests. Four “practice” hotel rooms, usually reserved for college guests and/or industry stakeholders, allow for event planning and hotel-management students to learn the ins and outs of hotel operations before their first paid day on the job. “This is about experiential learning, where students can get a simulation of various settings within the industry,” says Baker. He recalls his own college experience and the huge gap he experienced between theory and practice. “Once I was out of school, my first
ROLLING WITH THE TIMES The ground floor boasts 353,500-sq.-ft. of space, including five contemporary kitchen labs
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job was at The Keg,” recalls Baker. “The first thing they did to train a Keg employee was to have them rotate through literally every position at the restaurant — from dishwasher to bartender — so they had a holistic sense of what it took to run the operation.” Baker says he learned more within that first month than he did at school. Not only did Baker work his way up the ranks of the B.C.-based Keg Steakhouse, he also worked at Toronto-based Oliver & Bonacini restaurants prior to joining the world of education. Since Baker came from the industry, he knew what new graduates were lacking. To this end, he made the critical decision to foster a school that merged education and industry experience: “Our program bridges the gap between school and industry learning, something that truly differentiates us from other colleges.” The curriculum changes and opportunities — especially the ability to practice cafe, restaurant and event-size service— has resulted in a surge of applications to the program. “For sure, the number of applications has gone up because industry onlookers and stakeholders want to hire our graduates over those who have merely studied the theory and don’t have the day-to-day, real-time operational experience,” says Baker. Prior to Baker’s arrival as dean, the culinary school remained a fairly small part of the college, with only a couple of culinary labs. Baker seized the opportunity to remake the program with a view to attract local and international students and to become a world leader in the field of hospitality. Working with project architect Branka Gazibara, a senior associate at Diamond Schmitt Architects, Baker created a green-friendly renovation out of the original Howard Johnson hotel, on which the former culinary institute was built. The building now meets LEED
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PROFILE PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH The new Culinary Arts Centre features a full floor of event space, offering students a chance to practice what they learn
Silver-certification criteria by incorporating water-saving technologies, as well as a green roof and an open green space/leisure area for students on the ground floor. “This was a unique project because it was to be a place where students live and also where they would study in a sort of real-life, interactive setting,” explains Gazibara. “The large kitchens on the ground floor of the building allow for student collaboration and optimized observation of other people practicing, making mistakes — just learning.” Gazibara notes there were challenges along the way. “There were a lot of demands on this building,” she explains. The biggest one was figuring out how to incorporate all the different program components in one building on a very limited site. “It couldn’t have worked without close collaboration between the client, the users, the consultants and its construction managers to make sure all diverse requirements for each venue — the classrooms, event centre and student residences — are met,” notes Gazibara. “But we’re very pleased with the results and so are the students.” Little details reveal the design attention given to the new culinary institute. The teaching spaces, for example, are each assigned different colours and bold graphics to identify what they’re used for. The all-purpose lab, the bake lab and the multicultural lab (for international cuisine) feature stainless-steel appliances and are extremely well-lit with student work sections designed with individual fridges, cutting boards and recipe holders. And the
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“THIS IS THE FIRST CULINARY SCHOOL IN ONTARIO THAT FOSTERS A TRULY EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE. IT’S SOMETHING I’M PROUD TO BE A PART OF AND TO PARTICIPATE IN EVERY DAY.” — JOE BAKER, DEAN
Wi-Fi signal is strong, with state-of-the-art audio-visual capabilities throughout the building. Culinary classes can also be broadcast to other areas of the building for large events or different teaching opportunities. “We wanted to maximize the natural light in this building as much as possible,” says Gazibara. “At the same time, we wanted the public to be able to observe the culinary labs and student learning, so that the programs are really being showcased, even to people just passing by.” A beverage lab, geared for taste-testing more so than mixology, was also created, as well as a full-scale catering kitchen on the eighth floor where events are held. Many different venue options were incorporated into the design of the building. “The foodservice industry is constantly changing,”
says Baker. “One student may start in a café, but the other may go to work in a high-end environment or a banquet hall. From an education standpoint, you have to embed all these experiences within the curriculum as essential skills.” He hopes no matter which aspect of the industry graduates are drawn to, they will be prepared. “That’s why I don’t think it’s enough to just focus on fine dining and baking,” says Baker when discussing the traditional curricula of other culinary programs. “It’s just not realistic for an industry that is trending in a different direction. Fast-casual is our focus for our students because we know that that’s the segment of the market that is experiencing the most rapid expansion.” Culinary education has become big business as millennials make restaurant visits soar, so attracting a keen student body and staking out industry partners can make or break a college’s education. “We knew this would be a high-visibility building for the college,” explains Gazibara. “You have to appreciate the presence it has now. It’s literally the gateway building to Centennial and it really animates the entire street.” This makes the culinary program itself highly visible and a local hotspot for the public. “Interacting with the public, customer service, is a key component of our curriculum,” explains Baker. “You get the opportunity not just to perform the task, but to get the butterflies out of the way so you’re confident and experienced once you’re out there in the ‘real world’ facing the public for the first time while on the job.” While customers know that students are the ones preparing the food, there are almost always line-ups to the various venues. “This is the first culinary school in Ontario that fosters a truly experiential learning experience,” Baker says with a smile. “It’s something I’m proud to be a part of and to participate in every day.” Even if that participation means simply buying his breakfast from a first-year student who has no idea what she’s doing. “Mistakes are good in the school context,” says Baker, adding “That’s how you learn.” FH
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NEWSMAKER
LEADER OF THE PACK Merger creates powerhouse in the foodservice industry BY SHERENE CHEN-SEE
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wo leaders in the Canadian foodservice sector — Hendrix Hotel & Restaurant Equipment and Supplies and Russell Food Equipment — have merged to create a powerhouse in the industry. Under the banner of Russell Hendrix Foodservice Equipment, the new company is set to become the largest foodservice and supplies company in Canada, with a virtual monopoly in the business. In 2015, Blue Point Capital Partners, a private-equity firm that partners with entrepreneurs and management teams investing in and growing lower middle-market companies, took ownership of Russell Food Equipment. Blue Point also acquired a controlling interest in Hendrix and recently announced the merger of Canada’s two main foodservice equipment dealers.
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NEWSMAKER
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THE PLAYERS Russell Food Equipment, based in Vancouver, B.C., has been offering equipment, supplies, parts and services to more than 20,000 foodservice operators across the country since 1938. It currently operates 14 distribution and three manufacturing facilities in Canada. Founded in 1981, Hendrix Hotel & Restaurant Equipment and Supplies is based in Brockville, Ont. Since its inception, the company has expanded nationwide with nine locations and three distribution centres, earning a reputation as one of the leading foodservice providers in Canada. The national headquarters for the newly merged company will be housed at Hendrix’s 93,000-sq.-ft. distribution centre on highway 401 in Brockville, between Toronto and Montreal, and with easy access to Ottawa and northern New York State. While some duplicate warehouses may need to be consolidated in some cities, it’s too early in the merger to say how staffing, logistics and operations will change.
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The Russell-Hendrix deal was driven by a natural fit, according to Russell Hendrix CEO Larry Vander Baaren (who founded Hendrix with his father Hendrik). He says since Russell and Hendrix did not frequently compete with each other, the merger will double the new company’s customer base. Vander Baaren believes the two companies have a synergistic relationship and the merger enables both companies to capitalize on its strengths. “Russell has developed many strong customer relationships over the years,” says Vander Baaren. “Its parts-and-service division has a presence across the country and its manufacturing division, Quest Food Equipment, builds high-quality cooking equipment and custom stainless-steel products. Also, over its 35 years, Hendrix has grown to become the largest commercial foodservice-equipment distributor in Canada in terms of sales volume. This merger was about seizing the opportunity to combine Russell’s attributes and its sales force with the growing Hendrix sales force.”
“We expect this merger to be transformative for both companies, as it will position the combined, seasoned management team to considerably expand capabilities and achieve greater growth” — MARK MORRIS, BLUE POINT
The merger also accelerates the combined company’s ongoing expansion strategy and further establishes it as the premier food equipment and services dealer in Canada’s top metro markets. “The combination of Russell and Hendrix is a highly strategic, value-enhancing step that brings together the unique strengths of two great companies to deliver best in-class capabilities,” adds Vander Baaren. According to Blue Point spokesperson Mark Morris, a partner with the company, the combined company will be positioned as a market leader in the Canadian food equipment and service industry — more than four times larger than the next biggest competitor. “We expect this merger to be transformative for both companies, as it will position the combined, seasoned management team to considerably expand capabilities and achieve greater growth,” he says in a statement. When asked about the impact of the merger on the Canadian restaurant industry, Vander Baaren says the Russell Hendrix merger will influence the market in a number of ways. “First, the increased regional presence (17 showrooms and four distribution warehouses) will give customers better access to Russell Hendrix’s services across Canada. Almost all of its showrooms have demo kitchens where chefs can test equipment or see live presentations of new equip-
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ADVERTORIAL
HORECA REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD WILL MEET AT HOSTMILANO IN OCTOBER 2017 has just begun, but the cogs of HostMilano have already been turning in preparation for the 40th edition of the leading fair in the Ho.Re.Ca., foodservice, small and large-scale retail, food and hotel industry, scheduled to take place in Milan from Oct. 20 to 24, 2017. This will be an important anniversary for the event, reconfirming the central role it plays in the international equipment, coffee and food panorama. It is expected to be a great success, considering that 1,437 companies have already confirmed their participation, 41 per cent of these from 48 countries outside Italy, including new entries Serbia, Liechtenstein, Egypt and South Africa. There will be more than 1,500 hosted buyers, selected also thanks to the partnership with the ITA - Italian Trade Agency, while the media campaign, entailing an investment of more than two million euro, will bring more than 1,000 international journalists to Host 2017, including 100 correspondents who will also visit an extremely lively Milan and Italy, recognized worldwide as the birthplace of good food.
ALL EYES ON CANADA Canada is one of the three areas targeted by this edition, together with the U.S. and the Middle East. It has therefore been the focus of special attention in the form of various activities designed to attract visitors from the country of the maple leaf, as well as through agreements with respected local associations. HostMilano began its mission in Canada by winning over the segment of restaurant owners and retailers with the support of Restaurants Canada, the most important association of foodservice and restaurant operators with more than 30,000 members, OCSA - Ontario Convenience Stores Association and WCSA - Western Canada’s Convenience Store Association, two associations that collectively boast approximately 13,000 local shops. More recently, agreements designed to promote the exhibition and the exchange of visibility regarding the event have also been established with the Baking Association of Canada (BAC), and Interior Designers of Canada (IDC), covering the main sectors featured at HostMilano.
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“This merger enables Russell Hendrix to invest significantly more to make the site even better as we anticipate website use will continue to grow dramatically as a way for customers to research products and place orders” — LARRY VANDER BAAREN, RUSSELL HENDRIX
ment,” he says. The merger also enables the new company to offer next-day service to 90 per cent of its customers across Canada — from Victoria B.C. to Halifax N.S. The purchasing power of the new company ensures its entire product line will be competitively priced in every market. “The Hendrix website and online-ordering capability already [made it] a leading site for the industry. This merger enables Russell Hendrix to invest significantly more to make the site even better as we anticipate website use will continue to grow dramatically as a way for customers to research products and place orders,” says Vander Baaren. In addition, customers now have access to Russell’s line of large restaurant equipment, such as ranges and ventilation systems, not previously found with Hendrix. The two companies bring not just a wealth of resources, but also tried-andtested approaches to business. “Russell and Hendrix have provided services to clients within the Canadian commercial foodservice industry. Both companies have a long history of providing equipment and supplies to any facility which prepares and serves food to the public — independent restaurants, caterers, multi-unit chains, stadiums, healthcare and delis,” says Vander Baaren. We are thrilled about the opportunities this merger will create for our customers, as well as our combined 600-plus employees and business partners.” FH
FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM
POURING FOR PROFITS
CIDER-UP TO THE BAR
Hard cider is in the midst of a Canadian renaissance BY DANIELLE SCHALK
CIDER PRIMER
W
iSTOCK.COM/ BHOFACK2 [MAIN BEER IMAGE]
I
n recent years, hard cider has become the darling of the readyto-drink alcoholic-beverage segment. Although cider has long been popular in Europe, it is currently in the midst of a renaissance in Canada. “If you go back four or five years, [cider] was a fairly niche category and it really took off with the [launch of] the Somersby brand (a brand of 4.5 per cent ABV cider by Danish brewing company Carlsberg Group) in the Ontario market,” explains Mark Wilson, Beer and Cider Category manager for the Toronto-based Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). “In a couple of years, it very quickly became our number-1 brand.” Consumers are being drawn to cider for a variety of reasons. Because most traditional ciders are made with only apple, water and yeast, they offer a natural alternative to cool-
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ers. As a predominantly gluten-free product, cider is also seen as a celiacfriendly alternative to beer. “If you’re mainly a beer drinker, cider offers a bit of a change over the course of an evening,” adds Wilson. And with sweet, dry and flavoured varieties available, cider casts a wide net. In B.C., licensee sales in the cider category grew in volume by 11.1 per cent in the year ending March 2015. Unlike in Ontario, the majority of this growth can be attributed to a 27.2-per-cent jump in importedcider sales, with domestic ciders experiencing a more modest 6.7-percent boost in sales (by volume). According to Wilson, it’s a different story in Ontario, where a burgeoning craft-cider industry has taken root. According to a LCBO press release, sales of Ontario cider have “more than quadrupled in the last three years.”
ith such a wide selection of ciders available, it’s hard to know where to start when exploring this category. According to Mark Wilson, Beer and Cider Category manager for the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), established European brands are still the market’s top contenders. “Somersby and Strongbow are still our biggest [sellers], but in terms of growth, [Toronto-based] Brickworks has really taken off,” he explains. “They’ve been up 100 to 200 per cent over the last year or so.” Ciders with more complex flavour profiles are popular with beer aficionados. Wilson points to Le Pere Jules Cidre Brut from Normandy ($13.60 retail) as a label that has attracted attention from Canadian beer bloggers.
“If you go back 10 years, about three-quarters of our [cider] sales were in imported ciders — because it was a much bigger business in the U.K. than it ever was in Ontario — but over the past year, a lot of the growth has been coming from the local craft industry,” notes Wilson.
HER FATHER’S CIDER BAR + KITCHEN, WHICH OPENED IN 2016 IN TORONTO, IS TOUTED AS CANADA’S FIRST CIDER BAR AND OFFERS MORE THAN 75 CIDERS “It was a relatively small part of our business, but it’s up about 55 per cent over the past year.” Overall, cider sales rose 18.6 per cent in fiscal year 2015/16. That said, players of all sizes, from all parts of the country have taken note of cider’s surging popularity, with provinces such as B.C. and Nova Scotia gaining a fresh crop of cider producers. Heavyweight Molson Coors Canada also answered this trend — launching its Molson Canadian Cider in 2013. Similar to craft beer, the industry’s big players have begun scooping up successful craft cideries. For example, last year Labatt-owned Mill Street Brewery acquired Toronto-based Brickworks Ciderhouse. Labatt Breweries of Canada also acquired Okanagan Cider, as part a portfolio of ready-todrink products, in late 2015. FH
MARCH 2017 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY
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Kostuch MedIa Launches
MADE IN CANADA
BIG, BOLD, AND BOUNTIFUL A YEAR-LONG PHOTO CONTEST
TO HELP CELEBRATE CANADA’S 150TH BIRTHDAY To coincide with Canada’s 150th birthday, KML readers are invited to tap into their creative side by entering the “Made-in-Canada” photo contest. Throughout 2017, readers can snap pictures of various iconic products, ingredients, menu dishes as well as hotels and resorts that reflect a Canadian sensibility and provide a visual perspective on what this country is all about. Each month a judging panel comprised of the F&H and Hotelier editorial teams, photographers, contest sponsors, editorial board members and graphic designers will choose a total of 10 photos that reflect strong composition, exposure and focus while adhering to a Canadian theme. By the end of 2017, the magazines will have a collection of 150 images from which to choose 10 “Grand Winners,” whose submissions will be featured in the December issue of both F&H and Hotelier magazine.
Enter the Made in Canada contest for a chance to win one of 10 trips to Canadian iconic hotel destinations. Winners will be announced and fêted at the 2017 December Pinnacle Awards Luncheon.
UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO:
#KMLMadeinCanada
or email jporter@kostuchmedia.com
Submit pictures in the following categories: • Food: appetizers (soups, salads); entrées, proteins,veggies, fruits, desserts • Drinks, cocktails, wines, beers • Ingredients: spices, herbs, maple syrup, et cetera • Iconic restaurants, iconic hotels and resorts, attractions • Hotel Rooms, lobby spaces, guestrooms, suites, bars • Personalities: chefs, hoteliers, farmers/ producers/suppliers.
For Contest Rules and Regulations visit
foodserviceandhospitality.com/ madeincanada
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WHERE THERE’S SMOKE
An ancient cooking technique is experiencing a resurgence BY ANDREW COPPOLINO
B PHOTOS COURTESY OF CROWN VERITY
arbecue — possibly humankind’s oldest method of cooking — is experiencing a re-awakening in commercial food operations. And it’s not going low-and-slow. Iconic barbecue, long the domain of high-profile pit-masters in the southern U.S., has been making its way into mainstream restaurants, says Steven Raichlen, James Beard-award winner and author of the best-selling series The Barbecue Bible.
GRILLING 2.0 Many trends in restaurant-grade grills are based on residential backyard cooking
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Barbecue is waking up to pit-barrel cookers, salt slabs, new fuel such as almond wood, “caveman” meats, pine and spruce finishing salts, more types of vegetables, rotisserie and “plancha-style” cooking surfaces. “There’s a resurgence in barbecuing. It’s the outdoor experience, the aromas, the flavour,” says Bill Verity, owner of Crown Verity — a company which got its start in 1991 and supplies stadiums and golf courses throughout Canada and the U.S. with rolling grills, built-in grills, towable grills and a host of barbecue accessories. “There has been a big trend in foodservice in the last five or six years at golf clubs; the members want to have a barbecue every Friday night
so the chef might put together a whole outdoor-grilling section with a couple of barbecues.”
Taking a cue from home cooks In a reversed order of things, trends in barbecuing and outdoor kitchens are originating from residential backyards and moving into commercial restaurants. Based in Concord, N.H., MagiKitch’n makes commercialgrade gas and charcoal barbecues
as well as outdoor-cooking equipment for operators seeking portability and convertibility. “We saw a proliferation of [home cooks] creating these beautiful outdoor cooking spaces and we wanted to come up with a commercial version of that,” says Mark Lang, vice-president of Sales. Oakville, Ont.-based Tarrison Products Inc., which has been manufacturing serving counters for restaurants for the past 14 years, has seen a shift in interest toward outdoor barbecue kitch-
MARCH 2017 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY
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EQUIPMENT
ens — prompting president Jim Witt to begin making counters rugged enough to be used outdoors. “It’s turned out to be a big item for us in the last number of years,” Witt says, adding the company is about to launch a new website dedicated to professional outdoor kitchens. The food operations at a hotel, he says, might want a cooking area on the patio — where aesthetics are important — that’s tough but doesn’t look institutional. “It’s a mobile modular system that doesn’t look mobile and modular,” he says.
Smoke on the horizon Chefs are smoking more ingredients than ever before, making it a significant trend, according
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What goes around, comes around “It’s the aroma [of the meat] as it goes around for several hours and the presentation when it’s taken off the rotisserie and carved. It’s an experience,” says Bill Verity, owner of U.S.-based Crown Verity, whose equipment can handle a small pig, several large turkeys, lamb, goat or a couple of 50-lb. hips of beef. GRILLING, AND BEYOND Today’s barbecues boast not just grilling surfaces but also deep frying and smoking capabilities
Of course, rotisserie isn’t new — the iconic Swiss Chalet chain has been serving rotisserie chicken for more than six decades and now you
to Ted Reader, chef, author and instructor at Niagara College. “Chefs are bringing smokers into the kitchen to help diversify their menus and are using a variety of charcoals and woods to add big flavour to foods.”
FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY MARCH 2017
Just as the boundaries of the barbecue belt are continuing to dissolve, Raichlen says there are signals that smoking is on the rise. “I called 2016 “the year of smoke” and that will continue into 2017.” However, he points out divergences: smoking traditionally uses pork shoulders, briskets and ribs, but it will now also take on vegetables, butter, heavy creams, Hollandaise sauce and desserts. In addition, Michelinstarred fine-dining restaurants are jumping on the smoking bandwagon in what Raichlen calls “Tweezer ’Q ” — using a smoker and a wood-burning grill to prepare refined foods such as pricey Wagyu beef. Verity says smoking is convenient and efficient: smokers can operate up to 20 hours on one load of charcoal, making it perfect for low-and-slow 18-hour pulled pork. “Restaurants will buy a Primo [ceramic grill] and put it outside and they smoke all kinds of things on it,” he says. Tom Field, corporate chef at Concord, Ont.-based AltoShaam, agrees there has been an increased interest in barbecue and smoking from food operations. And while chefs have been using smokers for more than a decade, new equipment can be programmable, so staff don’t even
can even find them at grocery stores — but there is a revival in the venerable method. “Spit-roasting is going to be a big deal,” says Steven Raichlen, James Beard-award winner and author of the best-selling series
The Barbecue Bible. “You’re starting to see places pop up now that use the traditional charcoal. That means much better flavour.” While he cites Le Coq Rico in New York, the popularity of rotisserie chicken crosses the road into Canada, notably at Toronto’s newly revamped Café Boulud in the Four Seasons Hotel, where chef Sylvain Assié uses a French-made Rotisol gas-fired rotisserie. “We can fit 24 chickens on it, either vertically or horizontally,” says Assié. His kitchen prepares chicken but also squab and lobster, and potatoes are cooked on the rotisserie — basting in the juices of the bird. “It’s more interesting,” Assié says. “Everybody cooks on the grill or in the oven.” The cooking time is increased, he notes, but the constant turning of the chicken keeps the meat juicy.
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EQUIPMENT
“IF YOU’RE SMOKING OR DOING BUTTERFLIED CHICKEN, MAKE SURE YOU CAN GET A TEMPERATURE SETTING FOR A LOWAND-SLOW PROCESS. SOME GRILLS DON’T LEND THEMSELVES TO THAT. THERE’S TOO MUCH HEAT.”
have to touch the smoker box. “Restaurants are beginning to understand the value of putting the smoker option in their combi oven. They can get a smoker that cleans itself,” he adds.
Make the right choice
A GRILL FOR ALL REASONS For most operators looking to add grills to the roster, the menu dictates equipment selection
Manufacturers and chefs recommend taking time to determine equipment needs. Pay attention to your horsepower and think about matching your BTUs with your needs, says Lang. “What volume will be going through your venue? Maybe you’re a winery doing catered events here and there compared to a restaurant trying to do 200 covers off that piece of equipment in a two-hour time span.” The menu dictates equipment choice as well, adds Lang. For example, fatty hamburgers will
require grease management. “If you’re smoking or doing butterflied chicken, make sure you can get a temperature setting for a low-and-slow process. Some grills don’t lend themselves to that. There’s too much heat.” Don’t forget clean-up, he warns, and be sure the equipment is built to be taken apart and vigorously cleaned regularly. “Especially if it’s in an outdoor kitchen and your customers can see it.” Field recommends thinking ahead about what you want to do with the equipment. “It used to be that people would say they’d never use a smoker,” he notes, adding that talking with operators that do a lot of smoking before you purchase is helpful. “Now, with barbecue being so popular, more cooks see the possibilities of the technique.” FH
ANNOUNC ING THE
WOMEN IN TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY CONFERENCE
2017
Powered by Hotelier magazine, Sequel Hotels & Resorts and
WITHORG.COM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 LOCATION: PARK HYATT TORONTO
BE PREPARED TO BE INSPIRED For more information visit hoteliermagazine.com/women-tourism-hospitality
CHEF’S CORNER
STAYING HUNGRY
Chef Steve Gonzalez is bringing the flavours of Latin America to North America BY ERIC ALISTER
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FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY MARCH 2017
SAY CHURRO
Gonzales built his brand serving street food at festivals
FAVOURITE INGREDIENT
“Cilantro”
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JEFFREY CHAN [ALL PHOTOGRAPHY]
olumbian-Canadian chef and restaurateur Steve Gonzalez has been working with food for nearly 30 years. Although it hasn’t been an easy journey, he’ll tell you he wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s been grueling work but that’s part of the hustle. I was always hungry, always on the hustle,” says Gonzalez. At 13, he got his first job as a dishwasher at St. Hubert’s, marking his foray into the foodservice sector. He says it was the camaraderie he witnessed in the St. Hubert’s kitchen that attracted him to the industry and has kept him there. “Being around people and seeing the hierarchy, I wanted to be at the top,” says Gonzalez. “I saw that from early on and I was able to have good chefs and mentors, which excited me even more.” Gonzalez’s career truly took off in 1998, when he began working at Chris McDonald’s highly acclaimed Avalon restaurant in Toronto and, to this day, McDonald remains one of his important mentors. “That opened my eyes to what real cooking was — to be cooking at that calibre,” says Gonzalez.
For the next 15 years, Gonzalez worked at Toronto chef Claudio Aprile’s Sen5es (both locations), Colborne Lane and Origin, which he says shaped his food philosophy. But, after a time, Gonzalez began to get hungry again. “I was thinking, it’s time to do something on my own — to be as Latino as I want to be,” says Gonzalez. “So I left Origin. I had some money saved and a partner who wanted in.” Gonzalez’s vision was to open a 30 to 40-seat restaurant that would serve his nuevo Latino (modern Latin) style of cooking, with flavours and recipes from every corner of Latin America. But first, he spent three years working patiently to build a brand — regularly working at night markets, the underground market, food festivals and popup restaurants under the “Steve Gonzalez on Tour” banner. When Valdez opened on King St. W. in 2013, Gonzalez had already established himself as one of Toronto’s foremost Latin chefs. But after only three years, Gonzalez began looking ahead to his next project. Baro opened on Dec. 7, 2016 in Toronto’s King West neighbourhood. The first floor of the new four-storey restaurant is modelled after the Valdez aesthetic and menu; the second features a lounge with a raw bar and Escobar; the third boasts a 2,200-sq.-ft. event space; and the fourth houses an outdoor Terraza inspired by Asado — the barbecue and rotisserie cuisine from Uruguay. Baro’s new dishes include the Japanese-flavoured ceviche, the Nikkei — Hamachi tossed in ponzu and lime with tofu, edamame, lotus root, radish and nori ($25). Baro also offers an impressive selection of South American spirits, including more than 25 tequilas. As tasks begin to fall into a routine, Gonzalez’s next item of business is sleep. “The biggest thing for me is to start getting some rest,” he says. “I’m just excited to finally have some days off.” FH
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