The Latest in Flooring Innovation!

BY STONECARPET

Ideal Solutions for These Spaces: Kitchens

Bathrooms

Dishrooms

Walk-In Coolers

Walk-In Freezers

Service Areas

Indoor Pool Decks

Locker Rooms

Laundry Facilities

Mechanical Rooms

A Division of The Sexton Group

Shower Areas After Before

Pictured above: Club Lucky – Chicago, IL

SoyStep is a superior composition of quartz chips blended with our proprietary epoxy resin. The odorless mixture gets troweled to a 3/16” layer over existing tile, wood or concrete surfaces. The finished surface is slip resistant, waterproof, non-porous and very durable. A floor will not trap odors, and eliminates the need to clean or repair grout.

For more information, contact Michael Sexton: 847-421-2230 michael.sexton@stonecarpet.com stonecarpet.com

Restaurants Must Now Identify Sesame

Following the enactment of the Food Allergy Safety, Treatment, Education and Research (FASTER) Act in April 2021, the Food and Drug Administration added sesame to its list of major food allergens. Effective Jan. 1 of this year, packaged foods in the United States must label the presence of sesame “in plain language,” according to FARE, a consumer advocacy group that raises awareness and expands education on food allergies. The plant, which is turned into seeds, oils, and pastes is commonly found in bakery items, Asian cuisine, snack foods, and marinades, to name a few. The FASTER Act changed how food allergens were defined in the previous Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and sesame now joins milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans. While allergens found in restaurant foods are regulated at state level, the FDA enforces regulations that mandate companies to list ingredients on packaged foods and beverages.

— restaurantnewsresource.com

Pepsi’s Starry Soda to Replace Sierra Mist

PepsiCo is shaking things up with the launch of Starry, a great-tasting soda bursting with lemon lime flavor that delivers the crisp, refreshing bite consumers have been longing for in the lemon lime flavored soda category. Starry in Regular and Zero Sugar versions is now available at U.S. retailers and foodservice outlets nationwide. Starry is caffeine-free and is available in a variety of sizes to provide a refreshing burst of lemon lime flavor for every occasion.

Lou Malnati’s to Ship Nationally

Lou Malnati’s, the beloved Chicago pizza institution long known for its iconic deep dish recently announced that it will begin shipping its popular alternative – Chicago Thin Crust, exclusively through its Tastes of Chicago platform, giving the rest of the nation access to this other quintessentially Windy City staple. Available only in restaurants for the past 30 years, Lou’s Chicago Thin Crust features its signature buttery flaky crust, edge-to-edge toppings under melty Wisconsin cheese, and importantly, square cut pieces that have fed decades of debates between the virtues of topping-forward “Innie” pieces vs. crusty “Outie” pieces.

On February 8th 2023 the Illinois Restaurant Association held its annual meeting and installation of officers at Chicago’s Union League Club. The incoming IRA chairman is Kevin Vaughn of Vaughn Hospitality Group. The keynote speaker was Michelle Korsmo, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association. The meeting was the largest ever, with over 400 members and guests in attendance.

Chicago Beverage Director Showcased Black-Owned Wines

Chicago’s Esme has a carefully curated wine list dedicated to promoting wines made by women and people of color, as well as wineries attached to philanthropic projects. To celebrate Black History Month, beverage director Tia Barrett shared some of her top recommendations from Black-owned wineries, including Wade Cellars’ Three by Wade Chenin Blanc 2021, Michael Lavelle Iris Zinfandel 2018 and Lapin Rouille's nonvintage brut Champagne, which Barrett notes “was produced by the first Black female producer in Reims, France.”

— Source: Forbes

Pairing Wine with Tempura

Tempura pairs well with dry, high-alcohol sherries with crispy, nutty flavors such as fino, manzanilla, amontillado and dry oloroso, wine educator Hayato Kojima writes. Sparkling wines are also a good choice for pairing with tempura, since they can balance the richness of the fried coating, while unoaked, dry white wines like muscadet pair well with salty seafood tempura, Kojima writes.

— Source: Decanter

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The Espresso Martini Comeback

Espresso martinis have cracked the top 10 cocktails for on-premise sales in the US, according to CGA’s Cocktail Sales Tracker by Nielsen IQ. The drink, popular in the 1990s and early aughts, has risen on nostalgia and booted the Manhattan from the top 10.

— Source: Eater

Chef Anthony Mangieri developed his particular pizza style over 27 years of trial and error, and now serves up crowd-pleasing pies at Una Pizza Napoletana in New York City. Mangieri borrows from a classic French bread baking technique, adding more water to the dough toward the end of the mixing to keep it hydrated.

— Source: Forbes