From our VP

R.I.B.A. Growth and resurgence

Firstly, we hope this note finds you well, and that you and your families have been staying safe and healthy over the winter months. I know we are looking forward to brighter, warmer days ahead and the possibilities of restrictions further lifted.

In the very near future, you’ll be seeing changes to the format and content of The Bottom Line. It will serve as not only a R.I.B.A. publication, but will also be designed to expand our exposure within Foodbuy Foodservice or the Independent Channel.

R.I.B.A. is evolving and our program’s integration within the Foodbuy Foodservice or Independent Channel program, allows us to target and facilitate a complete package for Members nationally. With over 10,000 members and the power of our parent company Compass Group, Foodbuy remains the largest foodservice procurement and supply chain solutions organization in North America. The added leverage will allow our procurement specialist to negotiate further opportunities for our Members, allowing them to maximize the return of their membership.

COVID has played havoc within all of our businesses. Both Kerstin and I hate to use cliches but “we are seeing some sort of light at the end of the tunnel”. With partial openings in some areas of Canada, as well as a total lift in other areas, we are hopeful that the turbulent shut downs are behind us, and that our medical experts and immunization efforts will help curb this pandemic and get us back to some sort of normalcy within our daily routines.

Our commitment as a Foodbuy company will remain focused on our Members. We understand what you have been through, as many of us have been operators and have lived the life of an entrepreneur. Our dedicated staff of professionals are working not only on procurement but also on some exciting new technological advancements, including and not limited to Foodbuy Member Portal & Noma. These platforms will help to increase the effectiveness and communication to those we value and gratefully represent. Announcements will be made in the near future keeping everyone up to pace with our activities.

We will also be utilizing e-blasts to communicate special deals, program updates, new program additions and more. As a member, you have the right to opt out of such emails but we strongly encourage taking a look at them and contacting our office for an analysis.

We are also reaching out to many members with our Noma analysis on savings. Noma is a sophisticated proprietary software program which allows Foodbuy to look at your purchases and offer “like” products which will help grow your revenue. Lots on the go… stay tuned.

Both Kerstin and myself would like to wish everyone a safe, healthy, prosperous and loving Spring and rest of the year. We are almost through this and respect the efforts everyone has put forth to get through this hopefully once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Sincerely, Chris Kyriakopoulos, Vice President, R.I.B.A. Kerstin Fulford, Director, Marketing & Communication - Foodbuy

In-season Food for thought

Here’s three fresh in-season ingredients you can incorporate into your menus right now plus some interesting food fodder to feed your brain

MAPLE SYRUP

• It takes about 40 litres of sap to make one litre of maple syrup. Most trees only yield between 35 and 55 litres of sap in a season. • A tree takes about 40 years before it’s big enough to tap. • Only three of 13 species of maple trees native to Canada are used for syrup: Sugar maples, black maples and red maples. • Quebec produces two-thirds of the world’s syrup. • Stored properly, a sealed container of maple syrup can keep for several years. • Sap becomes maple syrup when it reaches 7- 1/2 degrees above the boiling point of water. At that point, it is 67% sugar. • To replace white sugar with maple syrup in general cooking, it is ideal to use ¾ cup of maple syrup for every one cup of sugar.

FIDDLEHEADS

TIP: Table syrup (sometimes called pancake syrup or breakfast syrup) is easily confused with maple syrup and has a much cheaper price tag, but don’t be fooled. This product is made from flavoured high-fructose corn syrup and is dramatically milder in flavour.

• A fiddlehead is the tightly coiled frond of a young fern. • They have a very short season, which typically starts in April, and is why they are often expensive. • Fiddleheads get their name from the scrolled shape at the end of a violin. • The village of Tide Head in New Brunswick is the “Fiddlehead Capital of the World”. Plentiful crops of fiddleheads can be found growing along the shores of the Restigouche River and its islands. • Their taste has been described as a combination of artichokes, asparagus, and pine nuts. • Fiddleheads have very short lifespan, only lasting a few days.

TIP: In salads, combing arugula with a sour taste such as lemon, vinegar or fresh/sundried tomatoes can cut through the leaf’s bitter taste and make a delicious pairing.

ARUGULA

• Arugula is a cool-weather crop that can be planted as soon as the soil thaws in the spring. • It is also known by other names such as salad rocket, garden rocket, roquette, rucola, rugula, colewort. • It is known as ‘rocket’ simply because of its rocket-fast growth speed. • The fastest-maturing varieties can be harvested just 35 days after sowing. Most are ready after 50 days. • Best time of the day to harvest this leafy green is in the evening, when it’s cool and dry. Never harvest in full sun, because the hotter the greens are when picked, the faster they will wilt. Avoid harvesting in wet weather, as it makes the greens soggy. • Arugula has a nutty, peppery flavour.

TIP: Do not eat raw fiddleheads. Fiddleheads themselves are not toxic, but they may have bacteria stuck in their coils that can cause gastrointestinal illnesses. Boil or steam them first before consumption.