F&H December 2016 Digital Issue by Courtney A Jenkins

FEEDING THE SOUL Today’s dessert trends aim to inspire diners

PUB GRUB The pub segment

is reinventing itself by offering more sophisticated food-andbeverage options

THE 2016

PINNACLE ISSUE John Betts, president & CEO of McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada

CANADIAN PUBLICATION MAIL PRODUCT SALES AGREEMENT #40063470

POP THE CORK Sparkling wine is reclaiming its place at the table

THEY’RE LOVIN’ IT! Company of the Year McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada reinvents its 20th-century model for a 21st-century market

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THE 2016 PINNACLE AWARDS ISSUE VOLUME 49, NUMBER 9 DECEMBER 2016

CONTENTS

PHOTOGRAPHY: NICK WONG [COVER, JOHN BETTS] MATT TAYLOR-GROSS [MERINGUE FLOATING ON CRÈME ANGLAISE], JIM GOAD [FIRKIN GROUP OF PUBS INTERIOR], LUKE GILLETT [CULINARY OLYMPICS]

Features

12 FEEDING THE SOUL Today’s dessert trends

are inspiring diners By Laura Pratt

19 THE 2016 PINNACLE AWARDS 20 COMPANY OF THE YEAR SUSTAINING SUCCESS McDonald’s Restaurants

of Canada reinvents itself By Sarah B. Hood

28 REGIONAL COMPANY OF THE YEAR LEAP OF FAITH How a chance encounter led to a

restaurant empire By Rebecca Harris

32 INDEPENDENT RESTAURATEUR OF THE YEAR TRENDSETTERS

By Eric Alister

40 SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR GOOD THINGS GROW Beretta Farms shares its ethical-

farming values By Lindsay Forsey

43 SAVOURING SUCCESS Canada shines at IKA 2016

BMeX Restaurant Group is shaping the face of Calgary’s dining scene By Danielle Schalk

36 CHEF OF THE YEAR A CULINARY JOURNEY The life and times of Anthony Walsh

47 PUB GRUB The pub segment

By John Placko

is offering more sophisticated fare By Andrew Coppolino

50 POP THE CORK Sparkling wine reclaims

its place at the table By Danielle Schalk

51 KEEPING THE HOME FIRES BURNING

Operators are jumping from the frying pan into the fire By Denise Deveau

Departments 2 FROM THE EDITOR 5 FYI 11 FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT CARTER 56 CHEF’S CORNER: Michael

Hunter, Antler Kitchen & Bar, Toronto

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

WINNING T

he passage of time remains one of life’s mysteries. Try as we might to understand why it passes so indeterminably slowly when we are young and then seems to fly as we age, there is no easy answer. And, no matter how hard we may want to slow it down, or speed it up, time marches to its own drummer. These days, as technology continues to impact our lives in dramatic ways, time seems

2 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

Season

to march even faster — almost at warp speed. Wasn’t it just the start of 2016? So, when December suddenly arrives on our doorstep, it’s not surprising that we are left to ask ourselves ‘Where did the year go?’ Where indeed? With December’s sudden arrival, we are once again proud to salute this year’s stellar crop of Pinnacle Award winners, a total of 10 individuals and companies that are impact-

ing the foodservice and hospitality landscape in significant ways. Undoubtedly, they too are left to wonder how the year passed so quickly. Perhaps they were too busy innovating, introducing new elements to their businesses or growing at such a fast clip that they just didn’t notice it slipping between their fingers. Clearly, time changes us, sometimes imperceptibly; sometimes in obvious ways. But, hopefully through the captive hands of

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FROM THE EDITOR For daily news and announcements: @foodservicemag on Twitter

THE KML TEAM: (standing l to r) Maggie Spence, Courtney Jenkins, Derek Rae, Danielle Schalk, Amy Bostock, Danna Smith, Daniela Pricoiu, Margaret Moore, Maria Fama Viecili, (sitting l to r) Elena Osina, Rosanna Caira, Jhanelle Porter, Cheryll San Juan Missing from photo, Wendy Gilchrist and Eric Alister

time, we also grow and evolve. At KML, the growth and evolution continues full-force as we get set to announce several exciting new initiatives. First off, I’m proud to announce that late last year, after more than three decades of working and growing at KML, I became majority owner of the almost 50-year old media company. Together with founder Mitch Kostuch’s daughter Lynn, we now form the new ownership of KML. Sadly, Mitch’s passing two years ago left a great void in the company, but it also set the stage for the next step in the company’s evolution and growth. And, knowing Mitch, he would be happy to see that his daughter Lynn and I are at the helm, continuing his great legacy and his dream. As the forwardthinking entrepreneur that he was, were he still alive, Mitch would be thrilled to see the innumerable changes we’ve introduced in the new past two years, including new digital product offerings, new conferences and the adaptation of new technology. Now, after two years of change, the KML team is set for more. Early in 2017, we will be unveiling a new tiered membership club that will allow you to choose what kind of information is most important to you and customize it to suit what you need to run your business. You can still select from either the print or digital options, but in the new year, through exclusive benefits offered as a member of our new KEY by KML membership club, you’ll be able to access a slew of new features such as webinars, podcasts, aggregate content, spe-

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and Foodservice and Hospitality on Facebook.

cial research reports, video interviews, native content, special contests, unrestricted access to web-only exclusive features and White Papers, as well as special discounts on all the KML events we produce — from the Icons and Innovators series to the Pinnacle Awards, to several new conferences launched this past year, including the Canadian Foodservice Summit, the Housekeeping Forum and more. By becoming a KEY by KML member, you will be able to tap into a variety of offerings from our print, digital and events pillars that will enhance and broaden your reader experience. Over the next few weeks, we will be letting you know more about this new way of consuming content, bringing us to the next step of our continued evolution as a true media company. For now, what I can tell you is that KEY by KML will open new doors and new opportunities for you — our industry partner, giving you access to more essential information than ever before. And, as we all know, in today’s information age, content is the true currency. Hand-in-hand with these changes, we will also be unveiling our refreshed and updated websites for both our magazine brands, as well as the KML corporate site. And, just in time to celebrate Canada’s 150th birthday, we are also thrilled to announce a series of initiatives, including the launch of Oh Canada!, a six-part series highlighting the varied regional cuisines of our fabulous nation, as well as #KMLMadeinCanada, an integrated photo contest that will give our readers a chance to submit, via Instragram, great photography of the iconic products, places and people that are uniquely Canadian — while having the opportunity to win a collection of great prizes that will allow them to experience Canada in unique and exciting ways. From January to October, 2017, 10 winning entries will be chosen for F&H magazine and Hotelier magazine for a total of 150 pictures. From this stellar collection of original Canadian photos, which will be showcased on all our social-media platforms and on the pages of our magazines, our jury of judges

will choose the top-10 winning photos for both magazines that reflect Canada’s spirit and varied portfolio of products. At next year’s Pinnacle Awards, we will celebrate the winners of this important contest and also salute the iconic figures who have been instrumental to the growth of Canadian cuisine and hospitality through another exciting initiative that would make Mitch Kostuch very proud — the KML Canadian Hall of Fame. Time doesn’t stand still and neither do we. As the new majority owner of KML, rest assured that we will continue to grow, to evolve and to impact your business. It’s a commitment I, and our entire team, take seriously. On behalf of all of us at KML, here’s to a fabulous sesquicentennial for this great country we call home, and, as we head into the holidays, here’s to a season filled with health, happiness and, always, a touch of magic.

Rosanna Caira Editor/Publisher rcaira@kostuchmedia.com

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

EDITOR & PUBLISHER ROSANNA CAIRA rcaira@kostuchmedia.com ART DIRECTOR MARGARET MOORE ideas@margaretmoorecreative.com MANAGING EDITOR AMY BOSTOCK abostock@kostuchmedia.com ASSISTANT EDITOR DANIELLE SCHALK dschalk@kostuchmedia.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ERIC ALISTER ealister@kostuchmedia.com MULTIMEDIA MANAGER DEREK RAE drae@kostuchmedia.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER COURTNEY JENKINS cjenkins@kostuchmedia.com SOCIAL MEDIA/EVENTS CO-ORDINATOR JHANELLE PORTER jporter@kostuchmedia.com SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER/U.S.A. WENDY GILCHRIST wgilchrist@kostuchmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER MARIA FAMA VIECILI mviecili@kostuchmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER MAGGIE SPENCE mspence@kostuchmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER CHERYLL SAN JUAN csanjuan@kostuchmedia.com CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSOCIATE ELENA OSINA eosina@kostuchmedia.com ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT DANNA SMITH dsmith@kostuchmedia.com CIRCULATION PUBLICATION PARTNERS kml@publicationpartners.com, (905) 509-3511 CONTROLLER DANIELA PRICOIU dpricoiu@kostuchmedia.com FOUNDER MITCH KOSTUCH

ADVISORY BOARD CARA OPERATIONS KEN OTTO CORA FRANCHISE GROUP DAVID POLNY 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 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 VOLUME 49, NUMBER 9 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.

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MONTHLY NEWS AND UPDATES FOR THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY

WAGE RAGE

As minimum wage increases across Canada, the foodservice industry remains divided in its attitude BY ERIC ALISTER

orkers in Alberta are looking forward to a steady stream of minimum-wage increases in the province over the next two years, with a goal of reaching the $15-per-hour mark in 2018. The plan was set in motion on October 1, when the Alberta government raised the province’s minimum wage from $11.20 to $12.20. Also, liquor servers’ $10.70-per-hour minimum wage has been abolished in favour of standardizing $12.20 per hour as the minimum wage for all. In Ontario, the minimum wage was also increased on October 1 from $11.25 to $11.40. Liquor servers, however, will still make less — their $9.80-per-hour wage was raised to $9.90. While most workers consider increases in minimum wage a positive move for the labour force, foodservice operators, workers and customers have several concerns. Many operators are faced with a shortage of back-of-house workers as most employees favour the tip-based front of the house. To foster a more lenient pay system, many operators are eliminating tipping at their restaurants. “We believe a cook who makes a

burger is equally as important as the server delivering the burger,” says Craig Blize, VP of Operations at Earls Restaurants. The chain began experimenting with no tipping at its Earls.67 concept restaurant in Calgary in July, giving all emplyees higher wages. This comes with a price for customers, however, as operators add a mandatory administrative fee — from 15 to 20 per cent — which gets divided evenly among the restaurant’s staff. Earls.67 adds a 16 per cent ‘hospitality charge’ to diners’ bills, which is then divided among all hourly staff. While this system clearly benefits back-of-house workers, many front-of-house employees are seeing a decrease in their salaries. Most don’t see hourly increases of a dollar or two as equal compensation for abolishing customer-initiated tipping. “Tips are the way to go for a higher standard of service,” says Michael Richardson, waiter and bartender at Abruzzo Pizza in Richmond Hill, Ont. “Being regularly rewarded for good service with good tips changes the work environment. It’s an incentive to try harder and make a customer’s visit extra memorable.” Jamie Ferland, managing partner at the Jasper Ave. State and Main in Edmonton, says approximately half of his front-of-house staff prefers tips to marginally higher salaries. “Some people are a little worried about hours,” he says. “The $1.50 for them doesn’t mean as much as someone working at a minimum wage job where they don’t get tips.” For Albertans, minimum-wage increases,

FYI CAUTIOUS CORPORATIONS

Amidst ambitious plans for minimum-wage increases across Canada, corporations are taking a more cautious approach due to widespread uncertainty regarding the nation’s economic climate and business conditions. The Conference Board of Canada’s Compensation Planning Outlook 2017 projects average national base increases for non-unionized employees to be 2.2 per cent in 2017, with the lowest increases going to workers in Alberta. Nearly half (48 per cent) of companies report plans to freeze salaries in 2017. “The economic growth we saw in the first quarter of 2016 quickly tapered off,” says Allison Cowan, director, Compensation Research Centre at the Conference Board of Canada. “While conditions are expected to improve, Canadian organizations are being cautious and opting for another year of modest wage increases.”

combined with the hit operators take from fixed-rate gratuities, means potential lay-offs and cuts to employee hours. Ferland, however, doesn’t believe Alberta’s minimum-wage increases will have too much of a negative impact on foodservice workers. “We’re not doing any lay-offs,” he says. “Restaurants are going to have different ways to deal with this — it’s going to be interesting.”

JOB HUNTING National job-creation rates throughout 2016 have proven to be the weakest since the 2008 recession, with only 107,000 new jobs. Manitobans are expected to see the highest pay raises in 2017, with an average projected increase of 2.7 per cent. Workers in Quebec and B.C. can expect a 2.5-per-cent increase, while those in Ontario and Saskatchewan will likely see a 2.4-per-cent increase. The Atlantic Provinces fall at the lower end of the national average, with 1.9-per-cent growth forecast for the New Year. FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

ÂŠ2016 The Original Cakerie

FYI

JAMIE’S MISSION Jamie Oliver visited Toronto in early October, making a pit stop at Jamie’s Italian in the Yorkdale Shopping Centre to talk nutrition and promote his latest cookbook, Super Food Family Classics. Members of the media were treated to a casual Q&A with the celebrity chef, moderated by Abbey Sharp of Abbey’s Kitchen. Many of the questions focused on Oliver’s mission to get children to eat healthier and to reduce obesity — a huge advocacy project for Oliver. When asked by Foodservice and Hospitality magazine whether he felt his mission had achieved the kind of progress he envisioned, Oliver said it depends on how you judge the results. “Things are changing,” even if it seems like a slow process. “Sometimes, the changes are so slow you don’t see them.” But as Oliver noted, there’s much work that remains. “It all comes back to honesty. Kids don’t get enough honesty,” he said, stressing the importance of promoting balance in eating. “I’d sleep well at night if we had balance.” Oliver later met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss the importance of promoting healthy eating to children. — Rosanna Caira

COMING EVENTS Jan. 9-12: Western Canadian Crop Production Show, Prairieland Park, Saskatoon. Tel: 888-931-9333; email: agmanager@saskatoonex.com; website: cropproductiononline.com Jan. 20 - Feb. 5: Dine Out Vancouver Festival, various locations, Vancouver. Tel: 614-682-222; email: lpavan@ tourismvancouver.com; website: dineoutvancouver.com Jan. 21-25: SIGEP Artisinal Sweet Show, Rimini Fierra Expo Centre, Rimini, Italy. Tel: 39-0541-744-772; email: g.degirolamo@riminifiera.it; website: en.sigep.it Jan. 26-29: The 36th Annual Guelph Organic Conference, Guelph University Centre, Guelph. Tel: 519-824-4120, Ext. 56311; email: organix@auracom.com; website: guelphorganicconf.ca Jan. 28-29: Guelph Organic Trade Show, Guelph University Centre, Guelph. Tel: 519-824-4120, Ext. 56311; email: organix@auracom.com; website: guelphorganicconf.ca

FOR MORE EVENTS, VISIT HTTP://BIT.LY/FHEVENTS

Three foodservice operations made the cut in Canadian Business’s 2016 Profit 500 rankings, recognizing the country’s fastest-growing companies. Calgary-based Fiasco Gelato was Canada’s top-ranked foodservice company, snagging fourth position on Canada’s Fastest-Growing Retail Companies list and ranking 62nd overall with five-year revenue growth of 1,224 per cent. Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria weighed in at number-9 among the list’s retail companies and ranked 106th in the overall rankings. The Richmond, B.C.-based fast-casual chain — made up of franchised restaurants across B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario — recorded five-year revenue growth of 680 per cent between 2010 and 2015. Mabel’s Bakery & Specialty Foods — a small, Toronto-based bakery chain — also made the list, ranking 232nd and 15th among the country’s retailers. The company, which has three Toronto locations, recorded five-year revenue growth of 238 per cent. The concept offers home-style artisan breads, pastries and readymade meals using all natural, local and organic, non-genetically modified ingredients. FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

INDUSTRY LEADERS

FYI

STARBUCKS INNOVATES

Starbucks introduced its latest cold-brew innovation to Canadians in October. The Nitro Cold Brew — the company’s signature cold brew, infused with nitrogen for a smooth, creamy texture — is now available at select Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver locations, making Starbucks the first large-scale coffee chain to offer Nitro Cold Brew in Canada. After handcrafting the cold-brew recipe, baristas pull the tap, allowing the coffee to mix with nitrogen. Nitro Cold Brew is cold right out of the tap so it is served without ice. While premium hand-crafted espresso continues to be a best seller, Starbucks is experiencing an increased shift in consumer preference to cold versions of these beverages. Iced-beverage sales saw approximately 30-per -cent growth over the past two years and represents one of the fastest-growing areas of the business. Approximately one in two beverages sold out-of-home in Canada are cold and Starbucks expects to more than double the size of its cold-beverage business in Canada within five years. “We know our customers are seeking flavour experiences that are unique and Nitro Cold Brew delivers on a cold-coffee experience we know they will enjoy,” says Rossann Williams, president, Starbucks Canada.

RESTO BUZZ

The newest location of Toronto-based Mill Street Brewery’s Mill Street Brewpub chain opened in Calgary, marking the brand’s official entrance into the WesternCanadian market. The new location features a selection of Calgary-exclusive beers, created by head brewer Bennie Dingemanse and Mill Street’s brewmaster Joel Manning, along will a menu of beer-friendly, Western-Canadian fare conceived by chefs Sheldon Guindon and Glen Manzer…Pho Vistro, a new pho restaurant on Toronto’s Queen West strip, has officially opened its doors to the public. The Vietnamese eatery features a unique dry pho signature dish alongside an array of traditional pho in chicken, beef and vegan varieties…George Koay, former executive chef at Lift Bar and Grill, has opened Breakfast Table — a local alternative to chain restaurants in the Granville and Broadway area of Vancouver, which uses sustainable food and local vendors for its ingredients. Signature dishes include slow-roasted, coffee-crusted pork belly hash ($15); beef bulgogi hash with two eggs, kimchi, king oyster mushrooms, spinach and Korean sweet-chili sauce ($16); and a Toad-in-the-Hole dish for the kids ($8)…SIR Corp. has closed its Toronto restaurants — Far Niente, Four and Petit Four — due to failed lease negotiations. SIR was unable to negotiate a lease extension with the landlord with a sufficient term to ensure a suitable return on its planned investment and therefore decided to allow its lease for the site to expire…Cory Vitiello closed The Harbord Room after 10 years in Toronto to allow himself and his partners to focus on other projects.

Opening a new restaurant? Let us in on the buzz. Send a high-res image, menu and background information about the new establishment to ealister@kostuchmedia.com.

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Congratulations to this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pinnacle Award winners

2016 Toasting the industry leaders

From your friends at Ecolab

FYI

IN BRIEF

was awarded to Vancouver’s Kissa Tanto. The 2016 People’s Choice Award went to Backhouse in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont… The Duke of York pub in Toronto recently celebrated its 40th birthday. The Duke of York has a special place in Toronto’s history as it was the first British pub in the

Canada’s inflight magazine Air Canada enRoute announced its 2016 Top 10 list of Canada’s Best New Restaurants in late October and the winner of the Air Canada enRoute People’s Choice Award on eatandvote.com. This year’s number-1 spot

city…MTY Food Group Inc.’s announced acquisition of BF Acquisition Holdings, LLC. (BFAH) is now complete. MTY paid a total of US$27 million in cash at closing for full equity interest. At the time of closing, BFHA operated 160 Baja Fresh Mexican Grill and 23 La Salsa Fresh Mexican Grill restaurants, with annual system sales of approximately US$145 million.

PEOPLE

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At the 2016 S. Pellegrino Young Chef Award Grand Finale in Milan, chef Mitch Lienhard from the U.S. won first place with his roasted duck with spiced orange and yam. The jury selected the winning dish based on ingredients, skills, genius, beauty and message…Chef Matthew Stowe is the new director of Culinary Operations for The Joseph Richard Group (JRG), one of B.C.’s fastest-growing food, beverage and entertainment organizations…West Restaurant’s sous chef Alex Hon was recently awarded The Hawksworth Young Chef Scholarship — the most demanding culinary competition for emerging chefs in Canada.

OBITUARY: Domenico Ciccocioppo has died at the age of 74. Ciccocioppo came to Canada from Italy in the 1960s and quickly made a name for himself in the highly competitive hospitality industry with restaurants such as Gourmet Pique-Nique, Bumpkins, Old Angelo’s and, for the last 20 years, the award-winning Oro on Elm St. in Toronto.

SUPPLY SIDE Ofﬁcial Blender of the Restaurants Canada Show 2017

*Motor horsepower for our commercial blender motors were measured using a dynamometer, a machine laboratories routinely use to measure the mechanical power of motors. Our 3.5 horsepower (HP) motor reference reflects the horsepower rating of the motor itself and not the commercial blenders horsepower output to the blending vessel. The output horsepower to the blending vessel will be somewhat reduced. For more information, visit KitchenAid.ca/Commercial ®/™ KitchenAid ©2016. Used under license in Canada. All rights reserved.

10 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

At the Rational 2016 Think Big Tour stopover in Toronto, Louis Philippe Audette, managing director for Rational Canada unveiled the new SelfCookingCentre XS, which offers full Rational power and intelligence in a unit measuring only 55.5 cm deep, 65.5 cm wide and 56.7 cm high…Commercial foodservice-equipment manufacturer AltoShaam has achieved the highest level of ISO 9001 certification, an international standard that demonstrates the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT CARTER

DRIVING DECLINES

Breaking down the anemic FSR market in Canada

t’s no secret the restaurant industry in Canada is undergoing a period of mediocre growth. Today’s operators are navigating a challenging environment whereby stealing share is the only real way to achieve growth. And while total foodservice has experienced anemic growth over the last five-plus years, it’s been a particularly challenging few years for full-service restaurants in Canada. Overall, traffic at FSR continues to decline year-over-year, down 141 million visits compared to 2012. Dollars are also down on the year and have been relatively flat since 2012. While the mid- to long-term trend has been negative, the short-term trend has also been lacklustre. Traffic is down three per cent year-over-year in 2016 and dollar growth is failing to keep pace with inflation

Atlantic Provinces. In fact, the Atlantic Provinces grew by seven per cent compared to last year, while other major regions, including Ontario and Quebec, experienced significant declines on the year. Another driving force behind the declines is the fact that families are seeking new alternatives to FSR. In fact, FSR traffic for parties with kids is down by 55 million since 2012, averaging a four-per-cent decline yearover-year. And while families still make up 23 per cent of overall visits at FSR, they are currently driving 39 per cent of declines. Millennials are also contributing to declines at FSR as the age demographic of 18 to 34 has seen an annual traffic decrease of 27 million since 2012. Many of these individuals have been drawn to QSR offerings — a troubling trend for FSR operators since the share of millennials will increase in Canada over the next decade, while share of Boomers (who are currently driving growth at FSR) will decline. While this data may cast a dim picture of the FSR market, there are key growth areas that — if executed properly — can allow savvy operators to buck the current trend. For example, both premium-casual and delivery have continued to see growth despite the challenging environment. Furthermore, FSR operators can learn a thing or two from the QSR and fast-casual segments, which have done a great job of winning over millennials by focusing on bold and unique flavours, aggressive innovation, LTOs and dealing, convenience, socialmedia engagement and digital platforms/ advertising, as well as modern/trendy atmospheres. l

(a decrease of two per cent compared to last year). Further compounding this challenging marketing is the fact that Average Daily Penetration is the lowest it’s been in recent years at 10.5 compared to 11 in 2014 and 11.9 in 2012. So what’s driving the declines? Research by The NPD Group suggests FSR-traffic declines are being driven by independents, with only a few top chains in that space driving good growth. This is significant when you consider that independents represent 62 per cent of FSR visits and have driven 76 per cent of FSR declines since 2012 — down 107 million visits. Overall, independent restaurants declined by 2,000 units in 2015 and by 6,000 units since 2012. But, there is a bright spot when it comes to independent restaurant traffic — the

FSR INDEPENDENTS PERFORMANCE BY REGION The Atlantic is the only bright spot when it comes to independent restaurant traffic.

PCYA

CAGR*

+7% +1%

-3%

-1%

IMAGE: DREAMSTIME.COM

33%

-3% -7%

39%

-6%

22%

Traffic Share

TOTAL WEST

ONTARIO

QUEBEC

ATLANTIC

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. FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

SWEET EMOTIONS Meringue floating on crĂ¨me anglaise

FOOD FILE

Today’s dessert trends aim to inspire diners by reinventing the classics BY LAURA PRATT PHOTOGRAPH BY MATT TAYLOR-GROSS

RECENTLY, an elderly guest at Chartier Restaurant lifted her fork to her mouth at the sweet culmination of her meal and rewarded her hosts with precisely the reaction they covet: she wept. The pouding chômeur was the first she’d eaten since she was a little girl in her grandmother’s kitchen. Now, at this 74-seat standout in the French-Canadian community of Beaumont, Alta., she was transported back. “If we can do that with our desserts,” says co-owner Sylvia Cheverie, “then we’ve succeeded.” The ability to inspire such nostalgic jogs is just one of the recently identified trends defining the dessert course in Canadian restaurants.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

Others include the reinvention of classics with innovative twists; a shift from heavy, complicated dishes to lighter confections; the forsaking of fine-dining restaurants’ pastry departments for dessert-only shops; and simply a focus on this meal part at all. Across the board, fuelled by the so-called “Instagram effect” (the mad obsession with capturing food dishes for digital sharing), along with the enduring popularity of food-based TV, desserts are getting a fresh turn in the limelight. The numbers support the premise. According to Toronto-based NPD Group, in the year ending Aug. 16, 2016, Canada’s foodservice operators served up approximately 445

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million desserts, an increase of two per cent over the previous year. Christine Couvelier, an executive chef and a global culinary trendologist with her own Victoria-based company, Culinary Concierge, isn’t surprised. She says desserts have reclaimed top spot among diners’ post-restaurant-visit chatter. “When I’ve talked to people about their memorable meals over the last year, desserts are more often than not the standouts.” In a nod to Chartier’s intuition, Couvier confirms “a lot of pastry chefs are creating their menus around food memories.” In some cases, that means returning to the classics with a view for nostalgic improvement. Think red velvet cake as red velvet doughnuts. “Everybody has food memories. It could be a five-star dining event, sitting on a dock at the cottage, or fish and chips in a village stopover. The idea is that food can deliver a FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

person back to that place where the memory originated.” For much of the past decade, however, desserts themselves were in peril of becoming a memory, as restaurants shed pastry departments. With few exceptions, they were seen as unnecessary luxuries. The restaurant scene became less about expensive bottles of wine and fanciful puddings than quickhit tapas and taco hybrids. Slowly but surely though, fine dining has returned — and desserts are part of the comeback. “We’ve seen a decline and an uprise in pastry culture over the last few years,” says Richmond Station chef and co-owner Carl Heinrich. “It’s really common in a kitchen for the cook responsible for the first course to also be responsible for the last. He’d toss the niçoise salad and then wash his hands and cut a slice of apple pie. That’s changing. Desserts are on

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ing serving profiteroles under cover of a hard chocolate dome that obscures its pyramid-stacked interior until the server pours hot chocolate sauce over it. “So much of making a dessert stand out is in its presentation,” says Wong. “That’s one area where a restaurant can find a point of differentiation.” Another is with concessions to health, the all-consuming preoccupation that’s a fixture in every other meal part. Filed under the same category as requests for vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free desserts, special-interest dietary requirements are not being ignored on restaurant’s dessert menus. Café Boulud includes gluten-free île flottante (steamed meringue, maple sugar and crème anglaise; $9) on its lunch menu; and rotisserie golden pineapple ($12), a sorbetbased treat without any gluten or

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the rise and the pastry chef is in high regard again.” And more is being demanded of these chefs than ever. The crème brûlées and chocolate tartes are always going to sell, says Heinrich, whose four-year-old, 80-seat restaurant is in downtown Toronto, but the challenge now is to prepare them distinctively. “It’s less about making that perfect lemon tart and more about making something unique and creative. If you want to be on the top lists nowadays, you’ve got to make food that no one’s ever seen before.” At Café Boulud, a French-style concept restaurant in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood, pastry sous chef Joyce Wong works to create unprecedented versions of such traditional desserts as milles-feuilles and soufflés. She tweaks these classics with her own touches, includ-

FOOD FILE dairy, on its dinner menu. Health concerns get a voice, too, in the simpler offerings some restaurants are pushing in restrained response to yesterday’s densely complex concoctions. The dessert emphasis at Foxy, a 60-seat livefire restaurant in the Griffintown neighbourhood of Montreal, is on offering diners “something refreshing and light at the end of the meal. Nothing heavy and creamy or intensely chocolate and caramelly,” says head chef Leigh Roper. “That’s not my vibe anymore.” More her vibe? Light-touch selections such as almond and peach trottoire ($12), choco-mint ice cream terrine ($12) and Concord grape sorbet ($12). So intense has the focus gotten on dessert that dessert-only restaurants continue to assert themselves in and among their full-menu

counterparts. By 2011, frozenyogurt shops dominated every city corner, heralded by cutesy names such as Yogen Früz and Yogurty’s. According to NPD, Canadians ate more than 12 million servings of frozen yogurt between 2010 and 2012. Why not, says Patti Hollenberg, co-owner of Chess Piece Pâtisserie & Café, in Fredericton, N.B. She believes, since only the highestend restaurants can afford on-site pastry chefs, dessert-specialty spots will always prevail. “My bills are a little easier for people to swallow than [the bills they’d get] going out for four-course meals with dessert,” she says. In fact, the dessert-only restaurant enjoys a niche that falls outside of the one occupied by traditional restaurants. “We offer up our shop as a different form of

Long gone are the days when a dessert pantry was populated by predictable staples alone. Sugar, chocolate, vanilla, butter, flour and cocoa powder are great starting points to be sure, but, say today’s pastry chefs, they aren’t going to be enough in the cutthroat arena of today’s global-minded pastry chef. The innovation that is the hallmark of a modern dessert calls for all manner of creative injection — and that calls for an inventive, well-stocked stash of go-to ingredients. Herewith, then, the revised shopping list for a modern pastry chef’s pantry:

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entertainment,” says Hollenberg. Rather than heading out for a pint or lingering over your phone while your kid’s at hockey, people flock to dessert joints and find a whole new platform across which to engage. Back at Chartier, where the dinner guest was so recently moved by her encounter with the pouding chômeur of her grandmother’s kitchen, co-owner Cheverie cuts to the heart of a dessert’s role in a meal. “The truth,” she says, “is no one eats dessert because they have to. It’s not sustenance, after all. Dessert fuels your soul.” l

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THE 2016 PINNACLE AWARDS With the holiday season upon us, it’s time to celebrate industry excellence at our annual Pinnacle Awards. This year marks the 28th anniversary of KML’s celebration of the best in foodservice and hospitality — companies that have left an indelible mark on the Canadian landscape, while at the same time making a difference in their communities. The following pages spotlight this year’s winners. We hope you are as inspired as we were. — Amy Bostock

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FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

John Betts, president and CEO of McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurants of Canada

COMPANY OF THE YEAR SUSTAINING SUCCESS

Company of the Year McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada reinvents its 20th-century model for a 21st-century market BY SARAH B. HOOD

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK WONG

ometimes a company is more than a business; sometimes it becomes an icon that enters into the cultural psyche of its consumers in a way that transcends its function as a mere vendor of products. Think of the genius of Henry Ford, whose innovative assembly-line production process forever changed — for good and ill — the way people would work in factories. In Canada, when T. Eaton Co. estab-

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lished mail-order shipping via its beloved catalogue to almost every community in the country, it became not just the country’s most successful dry-goods supplier, but almost a family friend. McDonald’s is one of these iconic companies. Everyone knows something about its founding story and Ray Kroc’s 1954 purchase of a small restaurant run by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald. Realizing that standardization of menu ingredients and production processes was the key to providing the best food at the lowest price in the shortest possible amount of time, Kroc had already sold his 100 millionth hamburger by 1958. Over the next two decades, the company grew to dominate the QSR sec-

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tor in North America and globally — closing out 2015 with estimated Canadian gross sales of $3.8 million across its 1,443 locations. McDonald’s has many familiar faces. For the commuter, it’s a convenient “drive-thru.” For students, it’s a comfortable, affordable hangout. And for parents, it’s a playroom and a Happy Meal. We can all hum the jingles; we all know what goes with “two all-beef patties;” we all recognize Ronald. But the formula that guaranteed success in post-war America was not impervious to outside forces. Consumer tastes shift and by the turn of the millennium, the demand for standardized, meat-focused meals was shrinking, while a taste for variety, international flavours and “healthier” options was growing fast. Like all icons, the company reached a point where it had to evolve. McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited has shown remarkable creativity and resourcefulness in meeting these new demands, which is why it has been chosen as the Pinnacle Awards’ Company of the Year for 2016. By 1981, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited had become the largest foodservice organization in Canada. Today, it consists of close to 1,500 restaurants employing more than 85,000 people; about 80 per cent are independently owned and operated. The McDonald’s of the 1970s is not the McDonald’s of today. In 2008, the Angus Burger appeared on the menu to capitalize on the growing popularity of “gourmet-style” burgers. In 2011, McDonald’s Canada invested $1 billion into its largest-ever store-by-store makeover, which included the addition of free Wi-Fi at more than 1,000 restaurants. In 2011, McDonald’s launched its McCafé concept (lattes, cappuccinos and mochas) and in the process, established itself as a major player in what has sometimes been dubbed the “coffee wars,” second only to beloved Canadian icon Tim Hortons and leading even Starbucks in this robust market. Since the arrival of McCafé, the brand’s coffee sales have tripled and its market share has doubled. Last December, McDonald’s fired a shot across the bow of its caffeinated competitors with the opening of the first standalone McCafé in Toronto’s Union Station. The choice of venue made an especially big splash as the first permanent retail operation to open in the station’s refurbished York Concourse. It was quickly followed by a second in the nearby Exchange Tower at First Canadian Place. Think of these outlets as Parisian chic in a New York minute: they’re a little smaller than the average McDonald’s (the First Canadian Place location boasts a total of 19 seats), and they cater to the rushed downtown consumer with self-ordering kiosks, mobile charging stations and free Wi-Fi. On the other hand, the menu is comparatively lavish. It features pâtisserie — croissants, chocolatines and danishes — alongside quick sandwiches and salads, plus (of course) the one-handable Egg McMuffin. Some of the offerings sound distinctly un-fast-food-like: brie and apple on a croissant ($5.49), lentil-sweet potato hummus wrap with kale ($5.99), kale and Brussels sprouts salad ($6.99) and a quinoa-edamame-mandarin salad ($3.49). “We’re putting the café in McCafé and making the brand a destination in its own right,” says John Betts, president and CEO of McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada. “The new standalone McCafé locations allow us to build on our strong coffee credentials and create even stronger connections with our brand by offering our guests the more complete café menu they’ve been asking us for.” This year has seen another profound philosophical shift with the FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

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introduction of Create-Your-Taste burgers, which give diners an 650 were brought into the new Guest Experience Leader positions. “For McDonald’s Canada, 2016 has been our year of transformaoption to choose different buns (or a lettuce wrap) and customize their burger with a choice of five cheeses and extras such as chipotle tion,” says Betts. “We have introduced a lot of changes — new prodaioli, sriracha, guacamole and sundried tomato pesto. The burgers are ucts, new service models, new levels of hospitality and new ways of thinking about our business. The magnitude of these changes can’t then delivered to the table. be ignored and they haven’t been easy either. “We want our guests to walk in and be wowed Transformation takes time and patience.” by an experience that’s modern and personalized, Another dramatic shift has been the chain’s but still the McDonald’s they know and love,” bold moves to bring its menu in line with says Betts. the burgeoning appetite for “cleaner” food: Building a custom burger is facilitated by more local sourcing and ingredients that are the introduction of self-order kiosks, which are healthier, more sustainable and more humane. gradually popping up across the country. These McDonald’s Canada has been edging in this brightly coloured touch-screen boards near the direction for many years. In fact, back in 2008, cash area are an intuitive choice for a customer they moved to trans-fat-free cooking oil, base that’s increasingly adapted to interacting and in 2012, the “Our Food. Your Questions” with the screen of a smartphone or tablet. campaign challenged consumers to ask the And if someone’s feeling flummoxed by the JOHN BE T TS, PRESIDENT & CEO, McDONALD’S CANADA toughest questions about ingredients. But in the device, there’s a brand-new type of employee past 18 months alone, McDonald’s has upped the to ease the transition: the Guest Experience Leader is a sort of greeter who can help guide customers through the stakes considerably. In September of 2015, the company announced that it would new McDonald’s experience. Thus, although the kiosks would seem like a way to cut down on staff, they actually mesh with McDonald’s be moving to sourcing only 100-per-cent Canadian cage-free eggs (known as free-run in Canada) for its restaurants over the next 10 Canada’s plan to grow to 100,000 employees before the end of 2017. In April, the company hit a hiring record by bringing on 8,920 new years. This step was followed in October 2015 by a second initiative — employees in a single day during its sixth annual National Hiring Day, sourcing only chicken raised “without antibiotics that are important exceeding its own goal by 1,920 people, or almost 30 per cent. Of these, to human medicine” by the end of 2018.

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“We’re doing this because we know our guests want good food that they feel great about eating — all the way from the farm to the restaurant,” says Betts. “McDonald’s is on a journey to improve. We’re working to get better in every aspect of our business and as a restaurant company, it starts with our food. If it matters to our guests, it matters to us. That’s why we have been on this food journey — and, we’re not done.” This was also a chance for the company to show off its considerable impact on the Canadian farming economy with its “Not-WithoutCanadian-Farmers” campaign. McDonald’s buys approximately 120 million eggs from Canadian farms across the country every year, as well as nearly 143 million lbs of potatoes, 52 million lbs of chicken, 24 million litres of milk and cream and 67 million lbs of ground beef (which incidentally makes it the largest purchaser of ground beef in the Canadian restaurant industry). “We are absolutely committed to sourcing our food in Canada,” says Betts. “Of the almost $1 billion we spend on food, more than 85 per cent is purchased from suppliers in Canada — a Canadian feat we’re very proud of. “ In a LinkedIn post from September 1, 2016 titled “Why Canada Matters: The ‘Not-Without-Canadian-Farmers’ Story,” McDonald’s Canada senior vice-president of Marketing Antoinette Benoit wrote “To further our commitment to Canadian beef, this past June, we announced the successful conclusion of the Verified Sustainable Beef Pilot, an industry-first. This marks a major milestone of our leaderVentura_McDonalds Ad_3.375 X 4.875_PRINT.pdf 1 2016-11-04 ship and partnership with the Canadian beef industry over the past

30 months, dedicated to advancing more sustainable beef practices.” The Beef Pilot tracked 8,967 head of Canadian cattle from “birth to burger” through 121 ranches, 34 backgrounding operations, 24 feedlots, two beef processors and one patty plant. It was designed to show it is possible to verify sustainable practices and outcomes through the entire Canadian beef supply chain. “The Canadian beef industry is one of the best in the world and McDonald’s Canada remains committed to serving our guests only 100-per-cent Canadian beef,” Betts says. “The Pilot has demonstrated the remarkable progress and success that can come when industry and ranchers work together towards a more sustainable future.” The future does indeed look sustainable — not only for farmers, but for McDonald’s Canada, a remarkable example of a company that has succeeded in reinventing itself entirely while still maintaining the best of its brand identity. Heading into its 50th anniversary, Betts says McDonald’s is “building on everything we’ve accomplished together by creating a brand experience that’s unmatched in Canada. We will continue to be known for quality food from sustainable, Canadian sources. Food that’s freshly prepared, tastes great and is served with pride.” Betts is confident that McDonald’s will continue setting a new standard for the guest experience — one that’s innovative, personalized, easy and enjoyable — shifting from transactional to emotional connections on both sides of the counter. “In short, together with our franchisees and more than 90,000 crew from coast-to-coast, we will 1:55 PM differentiate and we will lead.” l

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2015-08-11 3:42 PM

Congratulates the Winners of the 2016 Pinnacle Awards As a proud sponsor of the awards, we are pleased to recognize this year's talented recipients.

CONGRATULATIONS

McDONALD’S RESTAURANTS OF CANADA! On behalf of Kruger Products, a warm congratulations on receiving the “Company of the Year” award in this year’s Foodservice and Hospitality’s Pinnacle Awards.

REGIONAL COMPANY OF THE YEAR LEAP OF FAITH

A chance encounter led Mohamad Fakih to build a Middle-Eastern restaurant empire BY REBECCA HARRIS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK WONG

n just under a decade, Mohamad Fakih has put Middle-Eastern cuisine on the mainstream map in Canada. Under Fakih’s deft leadership, Paramount Fine Foods has grown from a single location in Mississauga, Ont. to 36 restaurants in Canada and seven international locations, including Florida and the Middle East, with plans to expand to 51 locations worldwide by the end of 2016. The Paramount umbrella also includes FreshEast, a halal sandwich-shop concept launched in 2015, and a quick-service concept for non-traditional settings. In 2014, Paramount opened the first of two quick-service spots at Toronto Pearson International Airport with another four locations — including one at McGill University in Montreal.

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In addition, the company owns Paramount Butcher Shop, an upscale halal-butcher concept. It’s a rapidly growing empire, which started with a leap of faith. Fakih, who was born in Lebanon and is a trained gemologist, says he never expected to be in the restaurant business. He moved to Canada in 2000, worked for a watch company and eventually ran his own jewelry business. But on a Saturday morning in 2007, a chance encounter changed everything. Fakih and his wife, Hanan, were going on a boat trip with friends and wanted to get some baklava as a way to share a part of their culture. She sent him to a rundown Middle-Eastern bakery called Paramount, located in an industrial area of Mississauga, Ont. The owner recognized Fakih from a magazine article and bluntly asked him for a $250,000 loan, as the place was going to be shut down in a matter of days. Fakih gave the

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

man his business card, hoping he would lose it. That didn’t happen — he called first thing Monday morning and after careful consideration, Fakih agreed to loan him the money. Days later, the owner told Fakih there was additional debt and he was closing the business. He wanted Fakih to sell as much equipment as he could to recoup his money but after looking at the whole operation and consulting with a friend in the food-and-beverage industry, Fakih’s vision began to take shape. “When I came to Canada, I didn’t have a place to take my friends, where I would be proud to show them our culture and our dining experience through the food,” says Fakih, who serves as president and CEO of Paramount. “I decided to try to alter the way the whole world looks at Middle-Eastern culture through the food and introduce Canadians to a new experience.” Fakih hired consultants who developed systems and reengineered the menu to turn the struggling operation around. With an interior renovation and a new menu focused on fresh and healthy MiddleEastern cuisine, Paramount Fine Foods flourished. A second location followed in Thornhill, Ont., then a third at Yonge and Dundas streets in downtown Toronto. “The whole idea took a crazy man to do it and you know what? I always believed good, crazy people change the world,” quips Fakih. He’s certainly changing things up in the culinary world by bringing an elevated Middle-Eastern dining experience to the masses. Paramount Fine Foods serves up baked pita straight from woodburning ovens, charcoal barbecue halal meats, manakeesh (various

flatbread-style dishes) and fresh baklava handmade daily. This past summer, the chain introduced six new menu items, including three varieties of Saj Wraps served on a wooden board with chicken shawarma, beef shawarma or Sujuk sausage ($11.99 to $12.99); a BBQ Shrimp Plate served with basmati rice and tomato garlic sauce ($16.49); a Mezza Plate with hummus, moutabbal (eggplant dip) and tabbouleh ($9.99); and BBQ Chicken Wings ($7.49), which Fakih thought would be a good item for Paramount’s new homedelivery service in Ontario, in partnership with Just Eat. Fakih worked closely with his two long-time chefs, Ibrahim Jobran (senior executive chef) and William El Dbaissy (executive chef) on the new menu items. The chefs regularly travel to Lebanon to see what’s new on the food scene and the team also receives ideas from Paramount’s chef in Beirut, where the company opened a restaurant and butcher shop this past summer. “Their job is to see what’s new and understand if it will work for us,” says Fakih. On the decor side, Paramount restaurants have a high-end look, with features such as waterfalls, high ceilings and chandeliers. The majority of locations also have an indoor children’s playground, which Fakih admits contradicts the high-end setting, but it’s all about being welcoming. “If you like to dress up, we’re worth the dress-up, but if you want to come in jeans and a T-shirt and bring in your children to scream — this is the place for you.” The clientele at Paramount Fine Foods is “everybody,” says Fakih. “When we started, we were supported the most by the Middle-Eastern community and the halal community at large,” he says. “Then they

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started bringing their friends and colleagues…and then their colleagues brought their families and it snowballed.” Paramount’s welcoming culture extends beyond the clientele. This past March, after visiting a refugee camp in Lebanon, Fakih committed to hiring 100 Syrian refugees across the company. “Sponsoring a family or cutting a cheque would be an easy way for me to feel like I did my social responsibility,” he says. But visiting the refugee camp was life-changing. “Seeing the children, fathers my age or younger and mothers from all ages who can’t save their children from the cold, the hunger, the fear…I felt that cheque-cutting was just a hand wash from me. That woke me up.” When Fakih returned home, Paramount Fine Foods launched a partnership with Ryerson University Lifeline Syria Challenge (RULSC) and Magnet, a job-matching service, to help settle some of the refugees. Paramount Fine Foods committed to hiring three to five newly arrived Syrian-Canadians at each location and is also helping to fund an employment-support counsellor to assist refugees in job searches in other fields. Paramount has given back to charitable organizations and causes such as The Make a Wish Foundation and Cops for Cancer. This past June, Paramount’s Ramadan fundraiser for SickKids Foundation raised $10,000. “I grew up in a house where giving back to the community was very important,” says Fakih. “Then I came here and I saw how generous Canadians are and how accepting and inclusive they are. That made me feel I still can do what I was brought up to do.” A hands-on business leader, Fakih visits franchisees at every location once or twice a month. “I ask them, ‘what can we do better together?’” says Fakih. Regional managers visit the stores every two weeks and the franchisees receive continuous support from the corporate office, on everything from operations to HR to marketing. So far, the company hasn’t had to actively find franchisees — “they find us,” says Fakih. “We have not advertised [for franchisees]…We made our food known to others by word-of-mouth.” Fakih decided to franchise the business in 2013, after seeing the success of a location in London, Ont. “We said ‘let’s test and see if we can service something far,’” he says. “There was only one way to go: either size the dream down to six or seven locations because of the management and operation, or take it all the way to the world with the franchise system.” The dream has definitely been sized-up and Fakih is now setting his sights on further expansion. While the majority of Canadian locations are in Ontario, Paramount is planning to open 15 locations in Alberta (there’s already a location in Edmonton) and 20 in B.C. Fakih is also planning an ambitious international expansion, citing high demand from prospective franchisees. The company recently signed a franchise agreement in the U.K., with plans to launch 20 locations in London. Locations are also opening in Lebanon, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. When it comes to Paramount’s secret to success, Fakih gives all the credit to his team. “It’s good to know what you don’t know in life, because when you establish what you don’t know, you can find the right people that will supply you and your company with that knowledge,” he says. “My team is my biggest asset and is better than I am…that’s why Paramount is where it is today and hopefully will go where we want it to go in the future.” l FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

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INDEPENDENT RESTAURATEURS OF THE YEAR TRENDSETTERS BMeX Restaurant Group’s continued growth is shaping the face of Calgary’s dining scene BY DANIELLE SCHALK

PHOTOGRAPHY BY COLIN WAY

ight years ago, Kelly Black and Jayme MacFayden identified an opportunity to bring something new to Calgary’s dining scene and turned what was meant to be a summer stopover in the city into the creation of BMeX Restaurant Group — a growing collection of independent neighbourhood restaurants. The pair of Kamloops, B.C. natives have played key roles in the evolution of Calgary’s independent restaurant landscape with their intimate, experiential style of hospitality — garnering a bevy of awards along

32 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

the way. In 2015, Black and MacFayden were named among Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 and their restaurant, Native Tongues, was named Best New Alberta Restaurant by The Globe and Mail, took third in Avenue Magazine’s Best New Restaurants list and claimed top honours in Huffington Post’s list of Calgary’s best new restaurants. Despite setting out on disparate career paths, the pair of business and life partners gravitated toward the restaurant industry. In his past life, Black owned a production company in Kamloops, but the sporadic nature of the business always kept him working in restaurants. For MacFayden, “It was the human aspect of hospitality that kept me coming back.” This love of the industry drew the couple to Victoria, B.C. and later Turks and Caicos where they worked as servers at a

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FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

resort. When it closed for the summer season, Black and MacFayden headed to Calgary in search of work. Upon arriving in the city in 2005, the pair astutely identified Calgary’s lack of independent restaurants and recognized a chance to make their dream of restaurant ownership a reality. “We thought if we were going to go back to B.C. and [open a small restaurant], you can get lost [in the crowd] pretty easily. But if we stayed in Calgary, we saw an opportunity to give something cool to the city that it didn’t have yet and a better chance of standing out,” says MacFayden. BMeX Group’s first restaurant, Una Pizza + Wine — a small, casual-fine-dining concept — opened its doors in 2009 and was an instant success, quadrupling its projected sales in the first year. The restaurant offers Mustard Green Salad with double-smoked bacon, walnuts, Grana Padano and shallot vinaigrette ($15); the Beltline pizza featuring double-smoked bacon, fennel sausage, smoked mozzarella and maple syrup ($22); tagliatelle pasta with San Marzano tomato sauce, crushed basil and shaved Grana Padano ($15); and Tiki pizza with prosciutto cotto, shaved pineapple, San Marzano tomato sauce, Friulano and jalapeno oil ($19). “I think [Una] kind of opened doors for people — other restaurateurs in the city looked at Una and said ‘if these guys can do it, we can do it,’” Black notes. “Now, the average restaurant that opens in the city, the shift has been more towards that style of dining — shared plates, loud, tight, more current music. [After we launched] we just saw an explosion in the city and it hasn’t stopped.” Una’s success also inspired its owners to bring another new concept to Calgary with the launch of the city’s first true cocktail bar and Spanish tapas restaurant, Ox & Angela, in 2011. The young company has recently gone through a notable growth spurt, which is particularly impressive in light of the recent state of Alberta’s economy. Hot on the heels of opening Native Tongues — a traditional taqueria — in June 2015, 2016 saw BMeX grow its stable of restaurants with two new concepts and launch an outpost of Una Pizza + Wine in Saskatoon. BMeX Group’s latest concepts include an expansive takeaway concept under the Una banner, as well as a traditional French wine bar called Frenchie. Despite having vastly different concepts, all of BMex Group’s restaurants share a common philosophy focused on sourcing highquality ingredients and being mindful of their impact on the environment. To this end, all of the restaurants are LEAF-certified (Leaders in Environmentally Accountable Food Service) and make use of several products produced right in the city by YYC Growers and Distributors. This hands-on team also owns a bee farm comprised of three different colonies of bees, which ensures the bees producing honey for the company’s brands are protected in their ecosystem. This past year, MacFayden also opened her own garden next to Ox & Angela. The 1,300-sq.-ft. urban garden is the largest of its kind in the inner city and helps supply produce to BMeX’s restaurants. Managing such a large and varied roster is no small task for two people. “We’ve gone from 90 employees to about 250 and from a sales point of view will go from about $7 million to over $15 million, so it’s a big adjustment,” says Black. “With the responsibilities of the company more than doubling, that’s a big thing to take on for just the two of us,” he adds. Black and MacFayden have developed a strong team to help ensure

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everything keeps running smoothly. “We’re lucky that we have really great teams at all of the restaurants…we sit down with each of our managers at each of our businesses once a week and review everything from service and food to all of our numbers,” explains MacFayden. “We also set goals for them for the week and each week, the goals that were set the previous week are reviewed.” Their style of management is highly focused on team-building and transparency — a strategy the duo feels empowers their employees and encourages growth. “A huge part of our job is developing the people below us and helping them grow and whether they stay with our company forever or not, they’ll have those skills they learned from working with us that they can take with them for the rest of their career,” she adds. This approach to management, combined with the restaurant group’s take on hospitality, have undoubtedly contributed to the success of its restaurants. And this isn’t just talk — BMeX Group alumni such as Steve Smee and Aja Lapointe now own and operate Ten Foot Henry — one of Calgary’s most buzzed-about restaurants; Brett McDermott owns and operates Our Daily Brett; and Cody Willis, operating partner and chef at Native Tongues, has opened his own restaurant concept. Improvement, growth and general community building are driving forces behind everything Black and MacFayden have done since arriving in Calgary. “Kelly and I always look at our city and our industry as if we want to keep it growing — we don’t want to stay stagnant — so if we see a hole in the market or an opportunity to do something, it’s really hard for us to sit on our hands,” McFayden explains. “The idea [that keeps us] pushing forward is if this is our home and our community, we want to create unique things we think people in our community can benefit from and enjoy.” Fellow Calgary restaurateur Justin Leboe (Model Milk and Pigeonhole) feels the pair have been successful in accomplishing just that. “We’re in a good place in this market right now; there are a few key players in this city that changed the face of restaurants and Kelly and Jayme are certainly part of that group,” says Leboe. “Their greatest strength is that their personal vision tends to be on the money with the generational shift that is going on in Calgary. They tend to be in the right place at the right time and giving the city what it wants at the moment.” BMeX Group is continuously supporting local causes that further improve the community. The duo’s restaurants were early adopters of Meal Share’s “buy-one, give-one” program and played an instrumental role in the program’s expansion to Saskatoon. In addition to this ongoing support, MacFayden also sits on the organization’s board. The restaurant group also takes part in several charity events in collaboration with other restaurants, such as Our Table, which supports Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter and Brown Bagging for Calgary Kids, which helps deliver healthy meals to young students. “We love helping charities of all kinds, but I get a really strong sense of pride when someone in our community is being directly affected and you can see that,” says MacFayden. Eight years in, with six restaurants under their belts, it’s clear the entrepreneurial duo have set down deep roots in Calgary. As MacFayden puts it: “If you’re going to live here, why not give something back and do something great for the city. There is opportunity here to do that and that’s a pretty special place to be, because that isn’t happening in a lot of cities anymore.” l FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

CHEF OF THE YEAR A CULINARY JOURNEY Chef of the Year Anthony Walsh has spent 25 years helping to build a restaurant empire BY ERIC ALISTER

O PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK WONG

ne of Canada’s most revered and highly respected chefs, Anthony Walsh has spent the past 25 years since graduating from culinary school at Toronto’s George Brown College establishing a reputation as a great chef and mentor. And, he says, it’s all thanks to his mother. “My mother taught me the

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importance of the table and being together as a family,” he says. “I come from a big Irish-Catholic Montreal family. The food I grew up on as a youngster and adolescent was never fancy but it was always very good — I was really lucky that way.” Walsh was also lucky to find a mentor in chef Jamie Kennedy. “Jamie Kennedy was the first chef I worked for who was truly nurturing,” Walsh says. “There is a specific type of attitude towards cooking that I’ve developed from him. Whereas my mother influenced the emotional side of my cooking, [Kennedy] influenced the technical side. His philosophy really resonated with me. I remember going up to the Timber Hill Farm with

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“

We’re living in a time where information is right in your face and learning is exponential, but you have to couple that theoretical learning with absolute maniacal practice

”

Jamie, bagging pheasants and learning how to pluck them and going to Cookstown Greens and doing this whole farm-to-table thing. We literally did that before it was a thing; we put things in mason jars because we were using them. We weren’t being hipsters and laying them all through the restaurant and not ever using the stuff. This is the way Jamie Kennedy worked. There is a reason why he was always revered.” Now, as Oliver & Bonacini’s corporate executive chef, Walsh oversees the company’s 14 restaurants, 10 event venues, catering arm and more than 480 back-of-house employees. His culinary journey, he shares, can be divided into two parts: the first half is defined by his mother and professional mentors under whom he started his career, the second half by his wife and mother-in-law — to whom his latest restaurant, Leña, pays homage. “[My wife] grew up in Argentina. You always have this idea of Latinos having everybody around the table, but that’s not how she grew up,” Walsh says. “Her parents were working-class parents who worked all the time. I was the opposite. I came from a more privileged family and we always had everybody around the table, so we came from two very different worlds.” In the second half of his life, Walsh has learned to “dial it back” — as he puts it — and truly embrace simplicity in his cooking. The tortilla — which Leña has a reputation for crafting with the authenticity of a seasoned Argentine cook — is a reoccurring anecdote in Walsh’s arguments on what it means to be a great chef. “It’s one of the simplest and most beautiful dishes in Spain and parts of the Americas,” Walsh argues. “The flavours that come out can be so complex but it’s three ingredients. Unless you know how to do it, it’s just potato, egg and onion.” He explains that his tortilla is the outcome of endless thinking, debating, trying and retrying with his mother-in-law — and it’s just “a wedge of potato, egg and onion” he emphasizes. Despite his success in an industry often fraught with pretension, it’s evident Walsh harbours a strong disapproval of ostentation in professional cooking. He’s truly a humble guy who repeatedly stresses the importance of not taking oneself too seriously. “I’m not perfect,” he says. “But I stand by my actions. I look myself in the mirror every day and try to be a decent person.” In place of reputation and ego, he places special emphasis on honing skills through hard work and tireless practice — and offers that advice to young chefs and veterans alike. “Just because you’re a veteran doesn’t mean you’re relevant,” Walsh argues. In his current role, Walsh imparts his “work-hard” philosophy onto the many young O&B chefs he’s mentored over the years. “I’ve got so many young cooks and I try to do my due diligence and impart things into their culinary DNA that are appropriate,” Walsh says. Those close to him consider Walsh an enlightened leader who’s empowered count-

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less budding chefs by fostering their strengths and awakening their innate abilities. In fact, the Toronto Star recently celebrated Walsh’s contributions to the future of foodservice by featuring 10 current chefs who started their careers under Walsh’s wing — praising Walsh as “The godfather to many of the finest cooks in the city.” One of those chefs is Blackbird Baking Co. owner, Simon Blackwell. “Anthony’s work ethic really rubbed off on me,” says Blackwell. “It’s part of why I’m successful. If you worked with him, you showed up to work early because you wanted to be there and were excited to work with him. He’s probably one of the hardest-working guys in the city. He’s underappreciated. [Canoe] is still on the map even after 20 years.” Walsh joined Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants in 1996 as a saucier at Canoe and worked his way up to executive chef. The iconic restaurant celebrated its 20th anniversary this year, thanks in large part to Walsh’s strong leadership and commitment to the company. His unrivaled vision for haute-Canadian cuisine made Canoe Canada’s quintessential fine-dining establishment, placing the country on the international culinary stage. Walsh’s accomplishments continue outside of the O&B kitchens. In 2000, Walsh became the first chef to represent Canada at the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore. In 2004, he received the Ontario Hostelry’s Institute Culinary Gold Award and in both 2005 and 2007, he was awarded the Olympic Gold Medal Plates honour for Ontario. Beyond his ground-breaking work at Oliver & Bonacini Restaurants, Walsh has donated his time to a variety of foodservice and hospitality organizations across Canada, including the B.C. Spot Prawn Festival, the Hawksworth Young Chefs Scholarship Foundation, The Hunters Feast, Chefs for Change, the Evergreen Asado BBQ Fundraiser and Le Festival Yul Eat. Currently, Walsh has two projects in the works, which he speaks about passionately. “I’m super excited that we’re opening our brewery in Liberty Common [in Toronto],” Walsh mentions. “It’s all live fuel and I’m a huge proponent of cooking on wood. We’re working with Big Rock [brewery], who we’ve got a great relationship with. I’m also very excited [about] going back home to Montreal to open Bar George.” Bar George will be located in the old George Stephen House on Drummond Street in downtown Montreal. “It’s an incredible building and an incredible story about George Stephens, who came here in the late 1800s and became one of the founding fathers of the Canadian National Railway (CNR). It’s a celebration and expose on Anglo-centric cooking in Quebec. There’ll be a fantastic, unapologetic Quebecois pulse and humour — because Quebecers are some of the funniest people in the country.” In 2017, Walsh will turn his focus to Edmonton. “With the new arena opening, we’ve got quite a few projects going on. Edmonton is a terrific city that’s young and full of beans and they really want to do something.” For the future generation of chefs aspiring to achieve Chef of the Year status, Walsh’s advice is to “practice, practice, practice — and then practice some more. We’re living in a time where information is right in your face and learning is exponential, but you have to couple that theoretical learning with absolute maniacal practice. If you want to learn how to make something, read about it and then do it. Don’t do it once, do it 15 times.” l FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

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SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR GOOD THINGS GROW Beretta Farms shares its organic meat, ethical farming values and feel-good philosophy with Canadian foodservice friends BY LINDSAY FORSEY

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK WONG

f you read E.B. White’s short 1952 novel, Charlotte’s Web, as a child, there’s a good chance the lessons bestowed from the tale of unlikely friendships between a little girl, a pig and a spider, stayed with you into adulthood. On the surface, it’s a sweet story of talking farm animals, but White cleverly uses the ordinary to teach us about life and death; compassion and understanding; innocence and corruption. The fable also conveys a message about animal rights and the importance of respecting all living things, no matter how small. It’s fitting, then, that the tale of Beretta Farms — a family-run business that prides itself on raising animals in much the same way the owners have raised their children — begins with two little pigs

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named Charlotte and Wilbur. When founders Cynthia and Mike Beretta started the business in 1992, neither one of them had any farming experience. What they did have was the inspiration to buy a couple of animals and raise them with care before harvesting them to sell to family and friends. “We’ve always believed in ethically raised animals,” Mike Beretta says. “We named our first two pigs and raised them the best way we knew how. As the company grew, we realized we couldn’t name all of our animals, but we could raise them humanely and with respect. We value them as creatures; that’s the right way to do it.” The couple’s initial offering went over so well, they decided to do it again. First there were more pigs, then cattle and chickens, too. While the Berettas have been producing organic meat from

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Mike and Cynthia Beretta, of Beretta Farms

the get-go — never using antibiotics or hormones — the concept wasn’t nearly as trendy as it is today. “We had no idea we’d become pioneers, we just got hooked on it,” Beretta says. “Our customer base kept growing and our staff kept growing. It was obvious we were offering something people wanted, but we never intended to carve out a niche.” Mike went on to study agriculture at the University of Guelph, to fill in the gaps in essential knowledge of his new-found calling. After he graduated in 1994, the company had an opportunity to purchase a small abattoir and butchery in Wingham, Ont., and began processing its own products. A few years later, the Berettas bought their 800-acre farm in King City, Ont., where they raised their three children, as well as the much larger herds needed to meet growing customer demand. Over the years, they’ve hosted many Family Farm Day events, inviting folks to enjoy a day-in-the-life on the range, including feeding the pigs and collecting fresh eggs. In 2013, Beretta Farms was sold to One Earth Farms, a large-scale premium-branded meat business, where Mike is CEO and Beretta Farms is the flagship brand. Last year, the company surpassed $50 million in revenue. These days, the Berettas do less farming of their own, instead partnering with other farmers who share the same values and commitment to organic, ethically raised animals. “We have a network of ranchers from Ontario to British Columbia who grow for us,” Beretta says. “We still live on the farm and our hobbies are farm-related, but now we focus on the marketing and the storytelling. We’re helping other ranch families to grow and market themselves.” Other businesses under the One Earth Farms umbrella include Beretta Kitchen, a farmto-fork catering company started by Cynthia; Heritage Angus, comprised of a group of Western Canadian ranch families; Black Apron Beef, a private-label brand offering premium cuts of Canadian Angus beef; as well as several other businesses and brands. “As business scales, you have to make sure you don’t lose sight of your core values. We’ll never be the small husband-and-wife business growing a few pigs, but that experience is still so important in everything that Beretta Farms has become,” he says. The Beretta motto is “Sharing What Matters” and over the past two years, the company has been creating new partnerships and offering innovative services in order to share its vision with more customers. “Prior to last year, we had shied away from foodservice. We had some clients, but we were more focused on larger retailers, butcher shops and health-food stores. In 2015 and 2016, we’ve created great new

relationships in foodservice,” Beretta says. Some of the company’s new partners include Oliver and Bonacini Restaurants, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Earls Kitchen and Bar and Centennial Foodservice. In June 2016, Beretta also launched an e-commerce business called The Frozen Butcher, offering home delivery of its frozen products to customers across Canada, as well as in-store pick-up in Toronto. “We used to do home delivery with Beretta Farms, but as we grew, it wasn’t efficient for us anymore. It meant a lot to us — connecting directly with other families — and we wanted to bring that back. The Frozen Butcher is completely online, so it’s a more modern approach to home delivery,” he says. Staying true to Beretta roots, The Frozen Butcher sells only certified organic, antibiotic- and hormone-free meat. Products are flash-frozen and individually vacuum-sealed, before being bundled into a reusable polystyrene cooler with enough ice packs to keep everything frosty until it reaches the home freezer. (One of the biggest challenges with the service so far was managing product quality in the sweltering temperatures of summer 2016.) The online shop sells beef, chicken, pork, bison, seafood, ready-made meals and a handful of dry goods. “We got off to a great start and we’re very pleased with how the business is going,” Beretta says. The Frozen Butcher supports Heifer International, a charitable organization with a mission to end hunger and poverty by providing livestock and agricultural training in communities where people lack reliable food sources and income. Heifer works in more than 30 countries and The Frozen Butcher focusses its efforts in Peru, where Mike grew up and played professional soccer. “Frozen Butcher customers are encouraged to support Heifer International and we’ve made the commitment to match their donations,” he says. Beretta chose the organization for its obvious livestock connection, but there’s more to the story: Heifer participants must agree to pass on the first female offspring of any livestock they receive to another family in need, to keep the momentum growing in their community. The pay-it-forward concept resonates with the Berettas. In 1995, after losing their barn and livestock in a fire, the neighbouring Mennonite community helped them rebuild and passed along Ben and Mabel, two Percheron horses. They would not accept payment for their great assistance, but instead suggested that the Berettas be indebted to the next person who asked them for help. Much like Charlotte’s Web, the Beretta Farms story is one we can all take lessons from to help make the world a kinder, better place. l

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CULINARY OLYMPICS

Canada’s culinary elite shine at the Culinary Olympics BY JOHN PLACKO PHOTOGRAPHY BY LUKE GILLETT

anada’s National and Junior National teams took their A-game to the 2016 IKA Olympiade der Koche in Erfurt, Germany in October, collecting wins in a number of categories. Commonly known as the Culinary Olympics, the international event — held every four years — attracted 1,600 of the best chefs, pastry chefs and culinary artists from 59 nations for a four-day competition. This year’s competition featured 30 national teams, 20 junior national teams, 20 community cooking teams, 52 regional teams and hundreds of individual competitors in the categories of hot kitchen, culinary art, pastry art, as well as vegetable, bread, cheese and butter carvings/ creations. Organized by the German Chef ’s Association, Verband der Köche Deutschlands, this event — alongside the trade show component, Inoga — sees more than 25,000 visitors gather to watch the national teams battle it out in 18 glass

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kitchens to produce the three-course lunches and dinners, for which guests can purchase tickets. Canada first sent a National team to the Culinary Olympics in 1972 and, in 1984, Canada was crowned the World Champion for the first time. This year, the Canadian contingent included a National team from British Columbia, the Junior National team from Niagara as well as six regional teams and some individual competitors. The National team competed in the three sections: culinary arts and pastry arts cold display, as well as the hot kitchen competition, “Restaurant of Nations.” A maximum of 100 points are awarded for both the culinary arts and pastry arts sections with 25 points available in the four categories; presentation and innovation, composition, correct professional

preparation and serving arrangement. Medals are awarded with the following point score: 90 to 99.99 points for a gold medal; 80 to 89.99 points for a silver medal; 70 to 79.99 points for a bronze medal; and 60 to 69.99 points for a diploma. For the “Restaurant of Nations,” each team prepares a three-course menu for 110 guests at a cost of $80 per ticket. The Canadian National team dinner consisted of a starter course of butter-poached sturgeon, puffed amaranth, side-stripe prawn press, sun-choke foam, cured guanciale, green chickpeas and nasturtium-spinach purée; a main course of organic beef tenderloin, sweetbread-chanterelle terrine, braised daikon, salsify, sauerkraut purée, beet, potato barrel, creamed leek and pomme dauphine with natural jus; and a dessert of fondant chocolate car, pâté de fruit, raspberry semifreddo, macaroon, pistachio crisp, trou de beignet and dulce de leche.

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with cauliflower smear, sautéed vegetables, madeira sauce and beef-cheek tortellini with squash purée; and warm caramel-apple cake, apple dome with ice-wine apple cheesecake and lemongrass sorbet for dessert. The competition reflected the current state of the industry, with many chefs using modern ingredients, techniques and equipment such as sous-vide machines, Thermomix, liquid nitrogen and the spherificator, just to name a few. STRENGTH OF A NATION

The Canadian National team scored a gold medal for its culinary arts, a silver for the pastry arts and a gold for “Restaurant of Nations” — giving the team an overall silver medal in the final standings. CCFCC president, Donald Gyurkovits, was never far from the cold displays or the “Restaurant of Nations,” offering words of encouragment to the competitors. “The road to Erfurt was an exciting path. The journey was four years of dedication from the chefs, the management and our partners. The whole team did Canada and Canadian cuisine proud,” says Gyurkovits. Both of Canada’s Master Chefs were in Erfurt. Jud Simpson was one of five tasting judges for the “Restaurant of Nations” competition and was also instrumental in the coaching of the Junior National team. Along with Tobias MacDonald, Bruno Marti, undoubtedly one of the most respected chefs in Canada, coached the National team. The Junior National Culinary Olympic team from Niagara, Ont. was headed by Craig Youdale, a veteran of the Culinary Olympics, with two main coaches — chef professors Avi Hollo and Olaf Mertens. “I was absolutely thrilled with the team’s performance. They gave their best in the kitchen this week,” says Youdale, dean of Niagara College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute. “It was the best buffet I’ve ever seen them do and it was probably the best hot run I’ve ever seen them do.”

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The edible buffet featured finger foods, a cold-buffet platter for 12 people, a hot main course to be prepared in front of customers (live-cooking) and a dessert. The team was awarded a gold medal for its efforts, which was served to the Swedish Junior National team (defending 2012 champions). “The new category for the Junior National team, the edible buffet, was especially successful,” says Andreas Becker, president of the German Chef ’s Association. “For the first time in 116 years, the Junior National teams didn’t prepare a cold-plate presentation, but prepared an edible buffet that could be tasted and enjoyed by judges and guests alike. That is where the IKA is headed. We want to be more sustainable with our resources and give guests a special highlight to look forward to.” At the “Restaurant of Nations – Young Chefs” competition, the Junior National team was awarded a silver medal for its threecourse menu for 60 people — stunning in terms of appearance, taste, texture. The menu included a starter course of maple-spiced salmon, compressed lobster with pear foam, tender greens and grapefruit caviar with a kale sauce; a main course of beef striploin and mushroom terrine

The six regional Canadian teams again showed the world the culinary strength that makes up this nation. Each team was judged on two parts of its cold display — culinary arts and pastry arts. The team from Prince Edward Island (The Culinary Institute of Canada), competing for the fourth time since 2004, won a gold medal in a professional level of the competition and placed fourth overall. Culinary Team Humber garnered a gold medal for its efforts, while the Ontario Culinary Team was award-

GOLDEN SMILES Both Canadian teams brought home gold medals from the Culinary Olympics for their innovative and delicious creations

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CULINARY OLYMPICS

ed a silver medal and the Golden Horseshoe Culinary Team, Trillium Chefs Canada and Culinary Team Nova Scotia won a bronze medal for their combined culinary arts and pastry arts scores. The final awards ceremony was held in the Erfurt Messe, a large hall where the “Restaurant-of-Nations” competition

had taken place. This year, Sweden, the 2012 national champion, was knocked out of the top three positions with Singapore placing first, followed by Finland in second, and Switzerland in third place. The Community Catering section of the competition was won by Fazer Culinary team Finland, with Fazer Culinary team Sweden coming in second and Nationale Catering team Denmark, securing third spot. The National Junior team from Sweden, defended its title, followed by Switzerland in second place and Norway in third. Regional team winners included the Stockholm Culinary Team (gold), Skåne Kulinar (silver) and Amber Alliance from Lithuania (bronze). “Once again the Canadian culinary world got together to show its products

and talents to the world,” says Marti. “The words that come to mind — respectful and humble. [The teams] showed great professional skills in the different categories, juniors, regional and, naturally, the National team that represented all chefs and cooks in Canada. They earned two gold and one silver medal, their dedication and strive for perfection was visible in every dish. As a long-standing coach, I can only say thank you Team Canada members for your relentless work, not just here in Erfurt but for four years in the making, with raising a large part of the costs through fundraisers and some incredible partners — a team for all Canadians to be proud of ”. For many teams and individuals, sights are now set on the 2020 Culinary Olympics. For a detailed score sheet of the final results for the National, Junior National, Regional teams and individual competitors, visit www.foodserviceandhospitality.com l John Placko is the Culinary Director; Modern Culinary Academy & Powder for Texture.

Kostuch Media Launches

N I E D A M A D A ND CA BIG BOL ,

, 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 F&H and Hotelier editorial team, 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.

Winners will be announced and fêted at 2017 December Pinnacle Awards Luncheon.

UPLOAD YOUR PHOTO:

#KMLMadeinCanada

or email jporter@kostuchmedia.com

Submit pictures in the following categories: • Food: Appetizers (soups, salads); 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

SEGMENT REPORT

DREAMSTIME.COM

PUB The pub segment is reinventing itself by offering more sophisticated foodand-beverage options BY ANDREW COPPOLINO

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While pub patrons want

spicy foods, decadent burgers and more craft beers, they also want healthier options and improved decor — making navigating and meeting expectations critical for operators. “Customers in all avenues and in all areas in pubs and restaurants want a better experience overall,” says Shaun O’Hearn, owner of Rockbottom Brew Pub and Your Father’s Moustache in Halifax, N.S. and a 20-year veteran of the pub business. “If you don’t sit down and talk about what people are looking for in a pub, you are going to miss something important.” As narrowly as they can slice the pub-sports-bar sector, statistics from Chicogo-based Technomic show that among sports-bar chains, sales in 2015 were up 1.8 per cent (to $309 million) over 2014, but that’s compared to 3.7 per cent for competitors in the casual-dining sector as a whole. The word pub — originally “public house” — is a differentiator: a concept dating back to the 17th century when it denoted a business offering not just liquor, but food and lodging. Today, the demands on a pub aren’t quite as deep, but they are wide.

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

SEGMENT REPORT tion, the figures represent a movement from a beverage place to a destination for a meal, adds O’Hearn. “When we first started out with Moustache, about 70 per cent of our sales were beer and liquor and 30 per cent were food. Now, those numbers have completely flipped to 70 per cent food.”

Food competition: pub grub but more As a result, the food element at pubs has shifted, too. “Pubs are making sure to cater to those guests who may want a lighter meal,” says Aaron Jourden, managing editor at Technomic. “There’s demand for healthier options at all types of restaurants. Some of the ways pubs are meeting this demand is by offering choices such as vegetarian items, salads and sandwiches that promise big flavour without a lot of guilt.” FACE LIFT Gone are the darkened rooms and stuffy atmospheres. Today’s pubs, such as the P.J. O’Briens chain and The Firkin Group boast funky and welcoming decor

New social conditions and new identity Far-reaching social initiatives are one reason pubs were forced to adjust recently, says Larry Isaacs, Marketing director for the Firkin Group of Pubs, a company with 27 franchised and corporate outlets in the Greater Toronto Area. Municipal smoking prohibitions and tougher drinking-and-driving laws have forced the industry to assume what Isaacs calls “a new identity.” These have had an impact on how pubs operate and how they market themselves in order to reach a broader and more diverse demographic, says Isaacs.

“

IT’S NOT AS IT WAS IN THE OLD DAYS. THE WAY PEOPLE UTILIZE PUBS HAS CHANGED

”

“The pub has taken on a new format,” Isaacs says. Firkin describes itself as a “new breed” of British pubs. “It’s not as it was in the old days. The way people utilize pubs has changed,” he says. And the change will continue. The numbers support the claim when it comes to food and drink: once upon a time, they shook out to a 65:35 ratio of liquor to food, according to Issacs. Today, he notes in many Firkin locations sales are more than 55 per cent food-driven. In terms of the original pub itera-

48 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

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IMAGES: PJ O’BRIEN PUB [TOP LEFT ], JIM GOAD [BRITISH INVASION DECOR], P.J. O’BRIENS [SMOKED SALMON, INSET]

”

It’s further complicated by an increasingly busy — and competitive — food landscape. A few years ago, Firkin embarked on a research initiative to understand where the market was going in light of food-and-beverage competition, even from coffee shops and retail food outlets. “You’ve got Longo’s and Loblaw’s offering full meals,” Isaacs says. “Hotdog carts are now serving chicken and sandwiches.” In addition, many restaurants in Ontario will have an added complication of disclosing calorie information on menus beginning in 2017. Jourden says one way pubs have adapted when it comes to food is with an indulgent classic pub category: burgers. They have been the focus of elevated bold flavours and decadent toppings, but not at the sacrifice of good ingredients, he says. “We are seeing over-the-top burger creations that really pile on the toppings, but operators are also paying more attention to the quality of everything, from the bun to the pickles to the sauces.” At the same time, patrons look for foods that eschew traditional pub grub, according to Isaacs. “They want a full meal with an appetizer and dessert too; they want diverse options. Not everybody wants nachos and wings,” he says, adding this has forced Firkin to increase its protein offerings and the way they are served as well. “That has required more product research, additional training in the kitchens and adjusting some of the kitchen equipment to accommodate some of these needs.” In her six-year-old, 65-seat pub in Ottawa — The Hintonburg Public House — owner Summer Baird says it’s clear customers want casual, no reservations and simply better food in the pub setting. While the term may rankle some, “chef-driven” is an aspect of the new

pub grub, she says. “The food has changed,” says Baird who has cooked in Ottawa for 12 years. “There’s a lot of gastro-style pubs that have opened and that’s what we are. Local comfort food, but elevated.” At the relatively new Victoria’s Tavern in Regina, Sask., Greg Hooker has rejuvenated his pub food. “I wouldn’t call it an upscale menu,” says Hooker, who co-owns several pubs and taverns, “but it has more variety and more made-from-scratch. We’re geared to the downtown lunch crowd, but we keep our kitchen open until 2 a.m., too.” The menu picks up on a popular theme: about a dozen shareable selections, including what they call a meat-and-taco “plank.”

IMAGES: P.J. O’BRIENS [CRAB CAKES, BEER AND POUTINE]

High beverage expectations The beverage side of the pub equation is equally important. The corollary of patrons drinking less is drinking “better,” as O’Hearn puts it. People are demanding better beer and better drinks. It’s a long way from the generic draft beer from a single tap of the olden days to today’s expectation of local and international craft-beer lists of several pages. “If you don’t keep up with those trends, then people will find pubs that have those varieties,” says O’Hearn. Craft beer is certainly important. Technomic’s Jourden cites a correlation between smaller-batch brewing and better food. “We have seen a general rise in demand for higher-quality, more chef-driven foods at pubs and a lot of that can be attributed to the rise of craft beer. People tend to want the food to match the quality of the beer they are drinking.” It’s not only beer. According to Isaacs, Firkin has added more craft beers but also new wines and ciders and has boosted its cocktail menus, drawing on the support of mixologists. O’Hearn at Rockbottom agrees cocktails in pubs have risen in popularity. “The older drinks are making a comeback with new twists and people are really into that now — when they aren’t drinking craft beer,” he says. For Baird at Hintonburg, “in-house” is the name of the game for both food and beverages. “Anything that goes into our cocktails, the mixes and other ingredients, are made from scratch.”

Atmosphere Fading, too, is the gloomy parlour-like decor traditionally associated with a “pub” in the classic sense. The new and broader demographic of pub patrons looks for contemporary design that is brighter, sleeker and “funky,” says Isaacs of the “new breed” Firkin. It’s partand-parcel of an atmosphere of better wine selections, FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

better food and an overall approach that is more welcoming to female guests. “The world has changed and the pub isn’t just a man’s world any longer. It’s a meeting place for everyone,” says Isaacs. In Regina, Hooker says they’ve purposely created a space that’s a “tight” fit for the 110-person capacity. “Our goal was to keep it intimate; there’s a better feel,” he says. While they are cozy, customers can choose from approximately 20 taps and several local craft-beer selections, including those of Rebellion Brewing of Regina.

Looking ahead All restaurants deal with fickle customers, but now there’s a discriminating and adventurous patron who is willing to explore — and move themselves and their dollars to another bar seat. “If you’re not keeping up with the times, you’re going to slowly lose customers. They’re not going to stay out of loyalty,” says O’Hearn, adding it’s an evolution that exceeds more than just being a trend. “The last 10 years, that has really been pouring on strongly.” It’s an increasingly competitive sector, too — and growing more so, notes Isaacs. “Western brands are moving east into Ontario and we’re competing against sectors that never used to be competitors.” Like all restaurants, food and labour costs, electricity hikes and property taxes can be deleterious to pub growth, acknowledges Baird. “Costs overall have gone up. I don’t know if they threaten my business, but you can only raise prices so high. I have taken a bit of a hit in my personal pocket.” Hooker feels that pinch, too, explaining that Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA) laws add to costs when he tries to bring in unique brews from Oregon or San Diego. “The SLGA just marked up one keg to $300 and it was only a seven per cent IPA,” Hooker says. In scanning the horizon, when O’Hearn travels from Halifax, he visits both independent pubs and chain venues as research — Earl’s, for instance, in the west and bar-restaurant outlets such as Moxie’s. “I’ll ask what’s hot, what’s selling on the menu right now?” A constant he sees is change. “We change our menus; we change the beers we brew,” he says. “Our brewmaster usually makes about three or four consistent beers that people can count on, but he is experimenting with different styles of beer that bring people in the door and gets them excited and trying different things.” l

“TENDPEOPLE TO

WANT THE FOOD TO MATCH THE QUALITY OF THE BEER THEY ARE DRINKING

”

GOURMET GRUB Today’s pubs cater to diners looking for lighter, more sophisticated fare

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

POURING FOR PROFITS

POP THE CORK

Sparkling wine is reclaiming its place at the table BY DANIELLE SCHALK

little bubbly is a classic accompaniment to celebrations and special occasions, but it’s also become a versatile staple on any restaurant’s wine list. “In the last couple of years, [sparkling wine] has been gaining steam with the popularity of drinks such as prosecco,” says Samantha Rahn, restaurant manager and wine director at Araxi Restaurant + Oyster Bar in Whistler, B.C. “We always have at least three sparkling wines available by the glass, as well as a large selection of bottles from top-end champagne to great-value Cava and local B.C. wines, too.” Rhan also notes that sparkling-wine sales have been less seasonal over the last couple of years. “The holiday period is when we see the greatest surge in sparkling-wine consumption, but more and more, we’re starting to see a great balance of sparklingwine consumption throughout the year,” she explains. “We’re seeing almost as much consumption of sparkling wine throughout the summer months as we are in the

Vigneto Giardino Prosecco as a standout in this category. That said, Champagne is still king. Of the 60 bubblies currently on Araxi’s wine list, approximately two-thirds of those are Champagnes. LCBO statistics also support Champagne’s continued popularity, reporting 8.9 per cent growth in sales in 2015/2016. The popularity of domestic offerings isn’t ignored on Araxi’s wine list, either — Rahn makes sure to offer a selection of local B.C. sparkling. “Because we are a prime destination for tourism, people are curious about B.C. wines and want to try them — locals and domestic travellers want to support local as well.” A particularly popular label is Haywire’s The Bub ($29.90/bottle, retail) — a pinot noir/chardonnay blend made in the traditional Méthode Champenoise. Rahn stresses the importance of stocking distinctive and unique offerings. To this end, she has included sparkling wines from Nova Scotia’s Benjamin Bridge and the New Mexicobased Gruet. l

In a flute is not the only place sparkling wine can shine. Cocktail programs can also benefit

from an infusion of bright bubbles. As Samantha Rahn, restaurant manager and wine director at Araxi Restaurant + Oyster Bar in B.C. notes, a restaurant’s cocktail program is a great way to move sparkling wine. Of course, there are classic Champagne cocktails, but the popularity of craft-cocktail programs has been pushing mixologists to get more creative with their sparkling creations. “There is a move away from the traditional Kir Royal or Mimosa and exploration of different creative uses for [sparkling wine],” says Rahn. For example, Araxi freshens up its rose-based peach sangria ($13.50/glass, $39.50/half litre) with some bubbles. The restaurant’s bar menu also offers the Frozen Vine cocktail featuring icewine, Canadian Iceberg vodka, sparkling wine, Chambord and frozen grape ($14.50); and The Passion made with Grand Marnier, Chambord, prosecco and passion fruit ($16.50).

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IMAGES: DREAMSTIME.COM

Add Some Sparkle

winter festive season.” In fact, according to the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch’s March 2015 Quarterly Review, imported sparkling-wine sales grew by 9.64 per cent over the previous year, while domestic sparkling wines experienced gains of 12.41 per cent. This trend has been mirrored in other regions as well. The LCBO’s 2015/2016 Year in Review shows European sparkling wines experienced 13.8 per cent growth in sales due to the popularity of prosecco and Cremant (sparkling wine not made in the Champagne region). Ontario VQA sparklers also experienced increased sales, with segment growth of 10.6 per cent. Rahn attributes prosecco’s growing popularity to a high level of consumer comfort with the category — particularly among the younger crowd. “It’s almost its own brand,” she explains. “The flavours tend not to be too bold, the styles not as bracingly acidic or dry as traditional champagne or traditionally made sparkling wines and the bubble is not as aggressive.” Rahn names Adami

EQUIPMENT

KEEPING THE HOME FIRES BURNING

Operators are happy to jump from the frying pan into the fire

IMAGES: WOOD STONE CORPORATION

BY DENISE DEVEAU

ome say the love of fire is a primal instinct; others simply find it a comforting way to cook. But there’s one common thread with people who gravitate to woodfired cooking — they love what they do. Andrew Richardson, execu-

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tive chef of CinCin Ristorante in Vancouver and author of the new cookbook CinCin: Wood Fired Cucina, says he’s been passionate about wood-fired cooking throughout his career. At CinCin, he had an opportunity to pursue that passion when it came time to replace an

aging Forno pizza oven. “I saw it as an opportunity to breathe new life into the menu, so we replaced it with a wood-fired system from Grillworks.” The Argentine-inspired six-foot-wide appliance, which cost approximately $27,000, has become a centrepiece of the kitchen,

FIRED UP Wood-burning ovens not only add flavour but are also a healthier way to cook

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

EQUIPMENT

FIRE POWER At The Berlin in Kitchener, chef Jonathan Gushue has created a full-on wood-fired menu on his 48-inch Grillworks unit

he says. The system has an oven unit with a stainless-steel front and heavy brick at the back that provides the space to burn the wood. Vents at the base allow air to flow through. As the wood burns down, it drops under the grill, so food can either be placed in the oven box or on trays over an open flame. “Wood-fired has become the heart and soul of our menu,” Richardson says, adding that more than 90 per cent of the dishes have an element of wood firing. Depending on availability and menu items, Stewart uses apple, birch or alder wood. “The flavour that comes through with

apple and birch is very nice and because they are harder woods, they burn longer. The embers last longer, as well, and create a nice glow for cooking meat and fish. Alder is more combustible, making it ideal for situations when you need high heat fast.” He says cooking with wood is also healthier. “It’s very simple because the flavours imparted from wood are quite incredible. You just need some vegetable or sunflower oil.” There are so many facets when it comes to working with a wood-fired appliance, he adds. “I can put root vegetables and onions in the coals and leave them overnight. Sometimes we smoke fish and vegetables. At

GAS OR WOOD-FIRED IT’S A TOSS-UP FOR PIZZA OVENS

There’s a growing number of people looking to wood and gas-fired ovens for their operations, says Christopher Moreland, Ontario regional sales director and executive chef for Chesher Equipment Ltd. “There’s a massive explosion when it comes to pizza ovens — and not just wood-burning ones. All sorts of restaurants are trying to copy Neapolitan-style pizzas to get ahead of the curve.” While there is a romanticism associated with wood burning, an increasing number of municipalities are banning wood-burning appliances. In places such as Vancouver, for example, restaurants can only operate them if they have been grandfathered. But purists need not worry, since gas-fired alternatives are equally efficient and effective — although they come at a price premium, says Travis Walker, corporate chef with Wood Stone Corporation. Wood-fired ovens range from US$10,000 to $25,000, while a gas-fired unit can cost $15,000 to $100,000. “We’ve had more calls than ever about wood-fired cooking, but increasing regulation, especially in urban areas, is turning people towards gas-fired.” He claims there is no discernable difference in taste, since the smoke is contained in a pizza oven, so the flavours of the wood can’t be imparted to the food. “People often ask about the difference between wood and gas-fired. It’s not so much about the flavour, because the food does not have direct contact with the [wood] smoke. And you get the same caramelization, whichever you choose.” The best thing about a gas or wood-fired appliance is that it can be used for all types of menu items, from meat and fish to vegetables and soups, Walker says. “You can squeeze a lot of fire power from one piece of real estate compared to [using] three or four appliances.”

52 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

very direct, so you can move something two or three inches to the left and the temperature will drop 300°.” His 48-inch Grillworks has movable shelves and a 24-inch split grill. “The shelves can be really anything. The hearth is the more important part because it provides a proper place to build the fire.” His woods of choice include apple, cherry and peach. The key to working with wood, he says, is planning ahead. “You have to be organized in advance because you can’t just turn it on. It takes a lot of organization.” While he likes his

IMAGES: JONATHAN GUSHUE [RED ONIONS], DREAMSTIME.COM [GAS OR WOOD SIDEBAR], WOOD STONE CORPORATION [GRILLING MEAT]

GRILL MASTERS Using charcoal to supplement wood during busy periods helps keep woodfired grills running at peak performance

times we use a bit of charcoal to maintain the fire through busy periods.” While the ventilation was already in place for a wood-fired oven, he says the restaurant had to substantially upgrade the extraction system. Training staff involves a considerable learning curve, Stewart says. “It takes quite a bit of learning to work FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

with fire. It’s always different. Some days the wood is damper and harder to light; other days it’s dry and highly combustible. It’s not like you can set it at 375° and walk away. You have to watch it and work with it all the time.” Chef Jonathan Gushue has also found his calling with a full-on wood-fired menu at The Berlin restaurant in Kitchener, Ont. He discovered cooking with wood in 1994 when he was in Japan. “That was my first exposure to using solid fuel. After that I just kept experimenting.” Gushue says every dish — from seafood and shellfish to soups and poultry — has a wood-burning element. “It seems everything lends itself to a grill. When we get mussels, oysters, squid or mackerel, the results are amazing.” He loves the versatility of wood-fired cooking. “Everything reacts differently compared to a pan or conventional oven. There’s a lot more to it, because you need to find out the effects of chemical reactions of the wood and meat or fish. What’s interesting is that the heat is

IT SEEMS EVERYTHING LENDS ITSELF TO A GRILL. “WHEN WE GET MUSSELS, OYSTERS, SQUID OR MACKEREL, THE RESULTS ARE AMAZING ” STONE HEARTH & SPECIALTY

Commercial Cooking Equipment

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FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

EQUIPMENT

“

WITH THIS TYPE OF COOKING, YOU’RE ONLY A SECOND AWAY FROM A GREASE FIRE IF YOU DO IT WRONG

”

Grillworks, he says he has seen a lot of innovation in appliances, especially in the southern U.S., where wood-fired cooking is a long-established art. “There are some people out of Texas who are doing great grills, including units you can pop in and you don’t need a hearth.” Stewart Roberston, owner of Crown & Anchor, a Torontobased catering business, had to head south to get his hands on the wood-fired smoker he uses at catering events and farmers’

markets. Since starting his business three years ago, he says he’s had fun learning about wood flavours and what goes with certain meats. His vertical unit came from Stumps Smokers in Georgia. “The beauty of working with wood is that it teaches you thermal dynamics and using air to fuel fires. I started seeing these vertical smokers at barbecue competitions. When I saw the one I wanted, I knew it was the best for portable use.” By the time he took care of the exchange and shipping, the smoker cost $5,500. The cabinet weighs around 500 lbs. and has all the necessary accoutrements for moving it around, including D-hooks for strapping it down and all-terrain wheels. It also features an all stainless-steel interior, while the outside is double-wall steel construction

filled with military-grade steel wool. “Even it if runs 12 to 15 hours, it’s barely warm to the touch,” he says. “That meant a lot since I’m often in parks where kids are around.” Greg Brown, owner of Woody’s Burgers in Toronto, is hanging his competitive hat on

wood-fired grilling in the QSR space. “Very few people do that in quick-service because of the cost,” he says. A low-end gas grill can be as little as $700, while the grills he has in his two locations (plus three others he takes on the road for his corporate catering business) are $10,000 apiece. Add to that the cost of implementing a separate exhaust system and the added fire-suppression system requirements and costs easily double. Brown sources his appliances from Aztec Grill in Texas. Between the two restaurants, he estimates he uses four cords of wood every six weeks for an average monthly cost of approximately $800. Since the staff members are not trained chefs, employees have to go through extensive training, he adds. “Even if we have a person from a culinary college, they don’t have a lot of experience on grills like this. With this type of cooking, you’re only a second away from a grease fire if you do it wrong.” Brown admits there are days he wishes they were using gas-fired grills instead. That said, he wouldn’t have it any other way. “It’s simply better food. We get to do a lot of things customers like.” l FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

2016-11-08 9:33 AM

IMAGE: JONATHAN GUSHUE [GRILLING VEGETABLES]

54 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

Untitled-1 1

WHERE’S THE BEEF Vegetables can be transformed when cooked over a wood- or gas-fired grill

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WISCONSIN MANUFACTURER OF THE YEAR

CHEF’S CORNER

NATURE’S BOUNTY

Celebrity chef and restaurateur Michael Hunter is bringing the forest to the table BY ERIC ALISTER

BITS & BITES

Brown’s culinary apprenticeship program. Following his studies, he flourished in the Toronto culinary scene — first as sous-chef de cuisine at Sassafraz, then chef de cuisine at Thompson Hotel’s Scarpetta and finally executive chef at Red’s Wine Tavern — before opening his own restaurant in October 2015. Antler Kitchen and Bar is the culmination of Hunter’s experience in the kitchen and outdoors. The 40-seat restaurant boasts an open kitchen, dining room and bar in a cozy space. The menu features a wide range of game meats, including venison, wild boar, duck and bison, coupled with foraged items hand-picked by Hunter. Some popular entrées include roasted duck breast — confit duck with vegetable lentils and wild blueberry jus ($35); and one of Hunter’s personal favourites, the spice ash-crusted rack of deer — braised shoulder with parsnip purée and Swiss chard ($39). For the less carnivorous palate, Antler offers both vegetarian and vegan options, such as the wild rice bowl — lentils, greens, toasted almonds, market vegetables, butternut squash purée and salsa verde ($17). “I respect vegetarian and vegan diets and understand that meat doesn’t sit well with some people’s diets or values,” Hunter says. Now, Hunter is focused on further building his brand. “My business partner is in film, so we’re experimenting with [shooting] documentary-style pieces at the restaurant,” he shares. We’re also working on a cookbook — it’s been a few years in the making.”

What do you cook at home? “I prefer simple and plain at home. I like steak; I like Ragu” Favourite cooking tool: “My cast-iron pans”

Favourite ingredient: “Anything wild that’s harvested or picked”

56 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY DECEMBER 2016

Favourite food memory: “I remember [watching] my aunts cooking; my grandma cooking. I remember trying sushi for the first time” FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

PHOTOS: MARAGARET MULLIGAN [MICHAEL HUNTER], DREAMSTIME.COM [BITS & BITES]

hef Michael Hunter’s fascination with food started in his early childhood. Growing up on a Caledon, Ont. horse farm, he spent ample time outdoors — foraging for mushrooms and other wild ingredients, collecting maple syrup, fishing, hunting and cooking over an open fire. “One of the reasons I hunt is because I don’t believe in factory farming,” says Hunter, noting a large portion of animal conservation funds come from hunters’ license and tag fees. He also feels hunting is a more humane practice than factory farming. “We buy from smaller, freerange and organic farms [since selling wild game in Ontario is illegal].” Hunter’s culinary career started with his first part-time job at a local diner, when he was only 13. Throughout high school, he worked at a golf-course restaurant, where his interest in cooking from scratch piqued as he witnessed large orders of frozen ingredients arriving at the restaurant on a regular basis. “I would ask the chef, ‘Why don’t we make this stuff, ourselves?’” Hunter explains. It wasn’t long before he moved on to a kitchen that better supported his values. That kitchen was at the Belfountain Inn, where he truly fell in love with cooking. “That was probably the first real restaurant I worked at,” he says. “The chef and I are still really close friends today. We made everything there — bread, pasta and charcuterie. That’s where I really learned scratch cooking.” After graduating from high school, Hunter enrolled in George

WE CUT THE

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