Chicagoland’s Premier Dessert Bakery!

Performance Foodservice - Chicago recently hosted a Spring Foodcentric Experience at their Culinary Event Center in Oswego, IL. The show featured Performance’s family of exclusive brands, including Pizza & Italian, Produce, and Center of the Plate. The show’s highlight was Chicago’s Corporate Chef, Steve Zabel. Besides sampling unique recipes, Chef Steve explained the benefits of meeting with him for a personalized consultation at the PFS-Chicago test kitchen - a dynamic, engaging, and interactive setting to sample new meal concepts and receive in-depth menu analysis. To schedule a personalized Foodcentric consultation, please contact a Performance Foodservice Area Manager.

This month I am proud to be pictured with executives from Chicago’s famed Antique Taco, Ashley and Rick Ortiz . Antique Taco has locations in the Bridgeport and Wicker Park neighborhoods of Chicago. The concept blends the freshest available foods from the Midwest, resulting in a menu of flavorful food filled with love, antique style and the comfort of home. Be sure to try their Sweet and Spicy Chicken Taco made with yogurt, cucumber, jalapeno, pink onion and mint, on a homemade corn tortilla. Lucas Bartzis (L) is in Business Development at locallybased Devanco Foods. He is joined by Executive VP of Marketing at Devanco, Bob Geocaris. Celebrating its 30th year, Devanco now operates out of a new, state of the art production facility that is 105,000 sq ft. with over 15 production and packaging lines with room to expand as business grows. The facility is equipped with real-time inventory management systems, electronically monitored led lighting, ovens, chillers, freezers, an IQF tunnel, a guest kitchen, automatic floor sanitation, and more to insure you receive the highest quality products designed to bring customers back time after time. If you’ve not tried Devanco’s products lately, you should. They are always developing new items to help their customers offer products that are on trend and very popular. You can see the Devanco ad on page 25 of this issue.

Andrew Morgan and Scott Owens (L) are with Local Foods, Chicago’s first wholesaler of exclusivelylocal food, including a full range of produce, meat, dairy, grains and more from the Midwest’s finest farmers and food producers. One of the firm’s goals is to strengthen our region’s food system, helping to keep more money in the local economy. They serve restaurants, grocers, country clubs and institutions. They also operate a retail food store open to the public, located 1427 W. Willow Street in Chicago.

Rehana Patel is the Senior Vice President of Bank of America Global Commercial Banking . She has extensive experience helping food businesses with sales between $5 and $55 million with business banking, commercial loans, lines of credit, leasing, international banking and treasury, deposit services, retirement solutions and franchise lending. Rehana is based in the BOA Schaumburg, Illinois offices and has experience in serving suppliers and end users in all channels of the food industry.

Chef Joseph Gomez is a Regional Sales Manager for Rational USA , one of the industry’s leading manufacturers of intelligent cooking equipment for commercial kitchens. Rational’s equipment saves users thousands of hours of labor as well as saving on energy costs and kitchen space. If you are considering a new commercial oven for your operation, contact Joe. He can help you make the best decision to achieve your goals. He is based in the firm’s Rolling Meadows Illinois offices.

Chef Profile

James Menendez

1480 W Webster Ave. Chicago, IL 60614

Birthplace: Alexandria, Virginia

Current Position:

Executive Chef

First Foodservice Job: Line cook

Favorite Food: Sushi, ramen, pupusas, tamales.

Awards/Honors: I worked in Michelin restaurants that retained two or three stars.

Memorable Customers: I remember a couple came in for their engagement. We made it special for them, but when I went to drop off their next course. I found out they came from Washington DC, since I lived in northern Virginia, I spent a lot of time in DC. That connection with them allowed them to feel more comfortable with us. Which allowed us to be able to make their occasion more memorable. It made me want to have more moments like that with guests.

Worst Part of Job: Missing out on events and not being able to see family as much as I wish.

Most Humorous Kitchen Mishap: I remember a service where things were getting out of control for a bit. I ran over to try to help a fellow cook who needed fried cabbage. His frying pot was too close to his pasta water and the oil boiled over into the water which caused a fire. At that moment I remember “Man I’m going to get fired just for being by the situation.” We quickly handled the situation before it got out of hand. As soon as we turned around we expected the chef to scold us but somehow no one noticed what just happened.

Favorite Food to Prepare: At home I always like making pupusas or ratatouille.

What part of the job gives the most pleasure? The memories you create with guest and staff. If you couldn’t be a chef, what would you be and why? I think it would involve soccer as a coach or something involving history.

Best advice you ever got was...Don’t quit push because you could be one step away from achieving the next milestone.

Where do you like to vacation? I always enjoyed my trips to Guatemala.

What do you enjoy most about FIN? Keeping me up to date.

Other than family, who was your greatest culinary influence? I had so many influences, I was lucky enough to work under some great chefs who pushed me in different ways. But I would have to say one of my instructors from culinary school, Phil Prifold. He set me up with the right mindset and with the right chefs when I first started.

Shoppers Demand Health, Convenience

Growing demand for healthy and convenient foods gives grocers the opportunity to bolster convenience offerings in perimeter departments and offer nutritious private-label items, says Daymon Worldwide's Megan Shumaker. "Retailers can offer signature salads and bowls with signature sauces, value-added proteins and vegetables with distinctive marinades, or unique deli sandwiches made with freshly baked bread from the bakery," Shumaker said.

– Source: Supermarket Perimeter

Have you changed your menu to suit your season?

Fonda Cantina Opens in Downtown Evanston

Chef Michael Lachowicz is proud to announce the addition of a brand-new restaurant concept to the acclaimed George Trois Group repertoire. Now open at 1735 Benson Avenue in Evanston, Fonda Cantina showcases an authentic and meticulously curated ‘Memoir of Mexico’, brought to life by Lachowicz’s longtime team members, all of whom are deeply rooted in the country’s traditions and regional cuisines.

Located in Evanston’s vibrant downtown, Fonda Cantina boasts a focused menu highlighting regional Mexican cuisine and an inspired beverage program to accompany it, a dynamic interior complete with dining room and cantina seating, versatile space for private parties, and a design and ambiance that brings the entire experience together. Combined with the gold-standard hospitality that the George Trois Group is known for, Fonda Cantina offers one of Chicagoland’s most alluring and distinct new dining experiences.

A major departure from the George Trois Group’s notable French cuisine – That of the acclaimed fine-dining mecca George Trois and admired French bistro Aboyer - Chef Lachowicz could not be more proud of the new concept and how his long-time team members have brought their passions for cuisine and heritage to the forefront to tell Fonda Cantina’s story. Michael tasked his long-time managing partners of the George Trois Group, Miguel Escobar (Consulting

Chef Partner) and Sergio Angel (Consulting Partner) with guiding the vision and experience, and seasoned Aboyer Sous Chef Carlos Cahue with commanding the new kitchen. Talented industry veteran Emlyn Thomas joins as the team’s General Manager.

“Miguel, Sergio, and Carlos have been part of the George Trois Group’s success and my success for a long time,” Lachowicz explains. “Without their high-level skill and passion contributing greatly to the group’s achievements over the years, that success would never have been realized. It only made sense that Fonda Cantina be the next step in our journey as a team. Miguel and Sergio have been with me for decades, and Carlos was quick to prove his incredible talent as our Sous Chef at Aboyer. Fonda Cantina is the next milestone for us, and these three people are at the heart of it all.”

The design and ambiance created inside Fonda Cantina plays a crucial role in telling the restaurant’s joyful story of Mexican culture. To bring this vision to life, Lachowicz enlisted the talents of the creative team at Perpetuum Designs. A hospitality design leader in Chicagoland and abroad, Perpetuum Designs partner Cristiana Crin piloted Fonda Cantina’s design efforts to create a space that radiates the personality and values of the restaurant and the team behind it.

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7-Eleven, Inc . is the premier name in the convenience-retailing industry. Based in Irving, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 13,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to 7-Eleven stores, 7-Eleven, Inc. operates and franchises Speedway, Stripes, Laredo Taco Co. and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits locations. BRACH’S, America’s seasonal sugar candy brand, offers a variety of iconic product forms, shapes, textures and flavors perfect for any occasion. Jelly beans have been an important piece of BRACH’S almost 120-year-long legacy of making moments sweeter. Citizen launches a collection of commemorative Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars watches as part of a Year-Long Tribute to Disney’s 100th Anniversary. Special timepieces featuring Mickey & Friends, Disney Princess characters, Villains, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and epic Star Wars characters designed to honor memorable moments throughout the decades. Easter Parade is a 1948 American Technicolor musical film starring Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Peter Lawford and Ann Miller. The music by Irving Berlin includes some of Astaire and Garland’s best-known songs, including “Easter Parade”, “Steppin’ Out with My Baby”, and “We’re a Couple of Swells.” Now through April 4, 2023 Casey’s and Monster Energy are coming together to help provide 10 million meals for children and families across the heartland. Funds raised by Casey’s guests during the roundup at the register campaign and with the support of 250,000 meals from Monster Energy will benefit 53 Feeding America network food banks in 16 states where Casey’s operates. Passover is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Egypt. Matzah, is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which chametz is forbidde. Passover starts at sundown Apr. 5 and ends Apr. 13, 2023. Tip for the perfect hard boiled egg – place your eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat, when the water is boiling cover and remove the pan from the heat. Let stand around 11-12 minutes. The Cards for Kindness initiative by the Creative Kindness Foundation has received more than 1,000,000 handmade cards from volunteer cardmakers all across the world. Through partnerships with over 50 nonprofit organizations, Cards for Kindness distributes these cards to people in need of an emotional boost or cheer. The original PAAS Easter egg dye was invented by William Townley. Mr. Townley owned a drug store in Newark, New Jersey, where he concocted recipes for home products. In the late 1800s, he came up with a recipe for Easter egg dye tablets that tinted eggs five cheerful colors. Celebrate with PAAS this Easter season with their line of, egg decorating kits and fun Easter items. Tsoureki is a Greek holiday bread that is made by Greeks during Easter. It is made from a sweet yeast dough of flour, sugar, eggs, butter and milk, with dyed red Easter eggs pressed into the dough. In the Greek Orthodox tradition, Easter eggs are dyed in red to mimic the blood that Jesus shed when he was crucified. Wynn Resorts announces that it has maintained its 24 Forbes Travel Guide (FTG) Five-Star Awards in 2023, more than any other independent hotel company in the world. In addition, Wynn Las Vegas, Encore Las Vegas, and Wynn Palace remain the three largest FTG Five-Star casino resorts in the world.

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