Ontario Restaurant News - April 2013

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estaurant News R April 2013 Vol. 28 No. 3

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By Elaine Anselmi, assistant editor

Carmen grows up QDOBA OPENS ITS DOORS IN ONTARIO

TORONTO—The owners of Kensington Market’s Torito Tapas Bar are opening a new Spanish concept on Queen West, Carmen.

Taking over the space formerly occupied by Caju, the restaurant officially opened Apr. 1, following a soft open the week prior, executive chef and coowner Luis Valenzuela told ORN. “Carmen is Torito’s big sister, even though she’s younger,” he said. The new space is larger and has more fully developed dishes along with some tapas style options, said Valenzuela, who remains executive chef of both restaurants but with a more hands-on position at Carmen.

Paella is the specialty at Carmen, with several options including a house style and one influenced by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi – who Valenzuela said inspired him on a trip to

3 Torito chef and owner Luis Valenzuela is branching out to Queen West.

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Barcelona. The kitchen has one designated paella cook that will allow them to make it to order, he said.

Smaller dishes range in price from $6 to $12. Valenzuela said he wanted a menu where customers can order several smaller items and a beverage for a reasonable price. For a larger piece of meat that would be considered a main course, or a dish large enough to be shared, prices are between $18 and $26.

The menu has a playful nature to it, reflected in dishes such as the “carnivorous quail”, a deboned quail stuffed with chicken confit. It’s carnivorous “because the quail ate the chicken,” Valenzuela quipped.

The bar has a menu of in-house canned or jarred preserves, said Valenzuela, mainly seafood such as sardines, mussels and anchovies, as well as a jarred cocktail ceviche.

Continued on page 3

• Ready, set

restaurant

pub

...duck.

Fionn MacCool’s

WINE WIRE TAKES THE PLUNGE

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established 1996

“Just another day at the office.”

TORONTO—Students from Niagara College’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute were the first to the finish in King Cole Ducks’ “Great Amazing Duck Race” on Mar. 16. Teams from nine Ontario colleges competed in this Amazing Race-style, farm-tofork challenge.

Client: PrimeTabitha RestaurantsHendricks, | Docket: Development a first- | year culinary innovation and food technology student, and Scott McInerney, a second-year culinary management student, won the race that extended from Newmarket to downtown To-

ronto, according to Niagara College’s Mar. 19 JOSH PEACE Franchise owner release.

The race began at the King Cole Ducks farm, where teams selected and prepared their own duck to tow r e l i s h , on the TTC to the St. Lawrence and fried Project: Ontario Edition 10” xoysters 3” | Build:with 100% | Colors: CMYK | Revision: 1 RN_JOSH-ONT duck marketRestaurantNews to select ingredients.

The| Trim: race ended at George Brown Birch tree syrup glaze, according to the release. For a main apple glaze.

College with a duck cook-off.

For their prize, Hendricks and McInerney course, the team prepared a herb served an appetizer trio of pista- and citrus duck breast with yam both students won $1,000 chio duck liver parfait, duck slid- puree, beet dumpling and local from King Cole Ducks. er on a duck egg bun with beet vegetables with a sweet and sour An early morning start at King Cole Ducks’

Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40010152

franchising@primerestaurants.com 1-877-694-8186 ext. 404 primepubs.com

FEATURE: THE BURGER EFFECT

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restaurant

breeder farm. Photo by Kim Lowes.

• pub

Fionn MacCool’s established 1996

“Just another day at the office.”

SUE CHRISTENSEN Franchise owner

franchising@primerestaurants.com 1-877-694-8186 ext. 404 primepubs.com Client: Prime Restaurants

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Docket: Development

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Project: RestaurantNews Ontario Edition

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Trim: 10” x 3”

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Build: 100%

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Colors: CMYK

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Qdoba opens second Canadian location LONDON, ON—Qdoba Mexican Grill has opened its second Canadian location and the first in Ontario. The London, ON restaurant opened its doors in mid-March, after the first Canadian store opened at the end of 2012 in Brandon, MB. “I think we’re just excited about being the first ones in Ontario and we’re looking forward to seeing Qdoba here,” London franchisee Leo Starthakis told ORN. This is the first franchise Starthakis has operated and he said his interest in Qdoba was piqued after dining at a Michigan location. “I’d make frequent trips to Michigan just to get Qdoba,” he said.

Starthakis’ 60-seat Qdoba location in a complex at the corner of Wellington Rd. and Southdale has been under construction for approximately three months. The process of acquiring franchise rights has been significantly longer, coming closer to three years.

“We have a pretty selective process where we look for franchise partners with a number of different attributes,” John Dikos, director of franchise development, Qdoba Mexican Grill, told ORN. He said work began a few years ago to find the necessary suppliers and support to allow for Canadian franchises, and effort has been put into protecting the Qdoba name to make expansions possible.

“We’ve approved basically Ontario, west to B.C., in terms of franchise development,” said Dikos. “We have other agreements signed but we keep those close to the vest.”

Although Dikos said there are 75 to 80 restaurants planned to open throughout

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Left: Qdoba is expanding into Ontario. Right: London franchisee Leo Starthakis.

North America, the majority will be in the U.S. Dikos said the mass closure of video stores in recent years has opened up a number of well-suited locations for Qdoba restaurants, such as the Rogers Video store that served as the site for Qdoba’s Brandon, MB location. “When those free-standing locations and video businesses of 65,000 square feet or larger close, we take an end-cap and demise the space,” said Dikos.

The typical Qdoba has an approximately

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55 to 75-seat dining room, said Dikos, but there are differences between each location.

“We have to be flexible to adapt our concept to all kinds of different spaces,” he said.

“Qdoba has kind of a kit of parts that we use in each one of our restaurants. A brand wall that really speaks to the inspiration and the colour palette, entry and queue line.”

Starthakis said he’s received a positive response from the London community and celebrated the opening with a ribbon cutting and 500-burrito giveaway.

Carmen makes an entrance on Queen West Continued from cover

“You have the option of sitting at the bar, have $15 worth of food and feel satisfied, with a glass of beer,” said Valenzuela.

The 1,500 square foot space seats 82 people between the bar and dining room, and an additional 35 seats are open on the back patio. Valenzuela said the whole space was renovated from its prior use, making it more open and with the addition of an entirely new kitchen suited to the Spanish menu.

Chandeliers, brought in from Montreal, were made especially for the restaurant, out of cut Champagne and beer glasses that have been affixed to each other, said Valenzuela.

“There are lots of accents and different little stories we wanted to put into the restaurant,” he said. “We’re not comparing this res-

taurant with any other, but we’re very proud of what we did. The menu has been a reflection of all of these years of how we were working.”

The menu is related to the building and environment, said Valenzuela. An example is the wall near the entrance that, like the paella dish, was inspired by Gaudi’s appreciation for elements of the natural environment.

“I thought that [Gaudi] was a man that had a clear idea of what he was doing on this planet. I was so moved by his work that I wanted a higher purpose for what we were doing than just cooking,” he said. “There are many accents at Carmen that are related to our experience.”

Valenzuela said service is very important to him, both at Carmen and Torito. He sees a

trend of restaurants opening with long waittimes and tight seating that gives the impression it is the patron’s privilege to be allowed in.

“We are alive because of them,” he said.

“We want to be a restaurant that my mother would be able to come to if she wants a cup of tea.”

Creating a comfortable environment that welcomes guests was Valenzuela’s goal in building Carmen.

“If someone wants to come and spend $5 they are welcome to do that,” he said. “At the same time, we want to have a restaurant that people want to come and spend a lot of money…but that’s up to them.”

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RestaurantNews

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www.can-restaurantnews.com Editorial Director Leslie Wu ext. 227 lwu@canadianrestaurantnews.com Senior Contributing Editor Colleen Isherwood ext. 231 cisherwood@canadianrestaurantnews.com Assistant Editor Elaine Anselmi ext. 226 eanselmi@canadianrestaurantnews.com National Sales Manager Dave Bell ext. 230 dbell@canadianrestaurantnews.com Senior Account Managers Debbie McGilvray ext. 233 dmcgilvray@canadianrestaurantnews.com Joe Couto ext. 229 jcouto@canadianrestaurantnews.com Production Stephanie Giammarco ext. 0 sgiammarco@canadianrestaurantnews.com Circulation Manager Don Trimm ext. 228 dtrimm@canadianrestaurantnews.com Controller Tammy Turgeon ext. 237 tammy@canadianrestaurantnews.com How to reach us: Tel (905) 206-0150

O N TA R I O R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

Considering the chew

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scientist quoted in a recent New York Times article about the study of chewing concluded that since the mind associates crispness with freshness, “to a certain extent, we eat with our ears.”

Although many chefs focus on the sight and taste of the plate they’re putting out, often the other senses get a little forgotten.

With the explosion of burger operators on the market, novel and premium items are key market drivers.

I can’t help but wonder if perhaps this rush is distracting us from the meat of the matter – from the visceral nature of grabbing a teetering burger with two hands and navigating that first bite: the feel of the soft bun beneath your fingertips, the rustle of the paper

BITS Publisher Steven Isherwood ext. 236 sisherwood@canandianrestaurantnews.com

EDITORIAL ADVISORY COUNCIL Mickey Cherevaty Executive Vice-president, Moyer Diebel Limited Neil Vosburgh President, Imago restaurants Inc. Marvin Greenberg President, S+H Realty Corporation Jack Battersby President, Summit Food Service Distributors Inc. Barney Strassburger Jr. President, TwinCorp Paul LeClerc Partner, Serve-Canada Food Equipment Ltd. Michael Stephens Director of Retail, Inventory and Wholesale, LCBO Ralph Claussen Director Food and Beverage Operations Woodbine Entertainment Group Adam Colquhoun President, Oyster Boy John Crawford Director of Sales-Canada, Lamb Weston Tina Chiu Chief Operating Officer, Mandarin Restaurant Franchise Corporation Matt Johnston Vice-president, Marketing, Moosehead Breweries Martin Kouprie Chef/Owner, Pangaea Restaurant Joel Sisson Founder and president of Crush Strategy Inc. Leslie Wilson Vice president of Business Excellence Compass Group Canada Chris Jeens Partner W. D. Colledge Co. Ltd. Volume 29 No. 3 Ontario Restaurant News is published 12 times year by Ishcom Publications Ltd., which also publishes: Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News, Atlantic Restaurant News, Canadian Lodging News, Ontario Chains and the ORN Buyers’ Directory.

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Toronto Life changes online listings TORONTO–Restaurant and bar owners should note changes to TorontoLife.com’s online listings, which now allows them to contribute content about their establishment.

According to a mid-March release, the website has more than 1,550 listings, and the site now offers free listings as well as three paid options.

Restaurants recommended by Toronto Life include star ratings and reviews. These listing aspects are managed by the magazine’s food editors and remain separate from advertising listings, stated the release.

Premium Brands buys Freybe Gourmet Food VANCOUVER–Premium Brands Holding Corporation, a producer, marketer and distributor of branded specialty foods, announced on March 25 that it will purchase family-owned Freybe Gourmet Foods Ltd., a western Canadian manufacturer of gourmet deli meats.

The sale will include Freybe’s 118,000 square foot production facility in Langley, BC. “Freybe’s modern production facility has significant under-capacity,” said George Paleologou, president of Richmond, BCbased Premium Brands in a release.

He noted transferring some of the production of deli meats there from the Richmond, BC facility, which is slated to close this year, is an “ideal situation.”

Paleologou said Freybe president Sven Freybe, whose family founded the company in 1844, will be joining the Premium Brands management team.

According to the release, the $55-million purchase is expected to “close shortly.”

Inaugural Halal Food Festival MISSISSAUGA, ON—An idea fostered by food blog Halalfoodie.ca has brought the city’s first Halal Food Festival to fruition.

On June 1 to 2, the International Centre will host between 50 and 70 Halal food vendors, Salima Jivraj, marketing director for the event told ORN.

There’s a reason that politicians use burgers as a means of connecting with voters (as evidenced by U.S. president Obama’s endorsement of his favourite burger outlets during his last campaign.)

Like a jazz riff, a burger symbolizes both the familiar and the potential to build upon a foundation; to constantly revisit and revise.

It can be down to earth or pretentious, excite some while leaving others cold, and relies on variation and experimentation.

And to enjoy it requires no education besides an open mind and a willingness to totally engage your senses.

as you lift it, the rush of fat and the sensation of salt when your teeth close around that caramelized patty.

Although the term burger flipper used to be an insult in our industry, it’s amazing how many chefs clearly savour the description of that first bite of burger, or describe the care that they take in getting that perfect grind, testing bun after bun, or achieving the perfect sear.

Whether they craft fine dining meals or churn out countless burgers a day, the chefs that I talked to for this month’s burger feature all lit up when describing the methods they use to achieve that burger bliss.

Burgers create a communal experience that transcends class, restaurant type or background.

Leslie Wu, Editorial Director

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“I knew there was a gap in terms of what the [Muslim] community needed,” said Jivraj.

“Toronto is home to most of the Muslims in Canada. I know from personal knowledge there is a diverse mix of Halal restaurants here.”

The event will offer a mix of vendors sampling food as well as selling, she said. There will also be a bazaar-like area with 30 to 40 nonfood related vendors.

“It is about people with a like-minded interest in Halal food bringing together their own skill-sets,” said Jivraj.

The event space in Hall 6 is between 80,000 and 100,000 square feet and will have an outdoor component in the surrounding parking lot that will allow for a sort of rib-fest, said Jivraj, since the rules of the centre prohibit open flame and cooking with smoke indoors.

“The biggest thing for us is that a lot of these restaurant owners aren’t marketing the best way they can just because it’s such a hard industry. They’re swamped and don’t have the time,” she said.

“We want to showcase them, their hard work and give them the spotlight they deserve.”

BITES Chicken farmers recognized for food safety program OTTAWA—The Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) were given the first letter of recognition from the On-Farm Food Safety Recognition Program (OFFSRP).

On March 19, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz presented the national organization with the letter for its development and implementation of an effective and consistent food safety management system.

“This is a major milestone for Chicken Farmers of Canada and a source of great pride in being the first commodity to receive this recognition,” CFC chair Dave Janzen said in a release.

The OFFSRP is part of a government recognition program aimed at enhancing on-farm and post-farm product safety and consumer confidence by encouraging national organizations to apply for recognition.

R.E.D. awards for 2012

Left: Alain Goyette, sales manager, Canada, Vollrath and Mike Otter, president, R.E.D. Right: From left: Frank Hebner, Scotsman, Dao Riopel, Distex, Kathy Pocius, R.E.D., Michel Prevost, Distex.

Mike Otter, president of R.E.D. presented two awards at the R.E.D. 2013 Conference from March 17 to 21 at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in Coronado, California.

The 2012 Supplier of the Year – Smallwares, went to Vollrath and was accepted by

Alain Goyette, sales manager, Vollrath Canada.

The second was the 2012 Supplier of the Year – Equipment, which went to DistexScotsman and was accepted by Frank Hebner of Scotsman and Dao Riopel of Distex.

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Talking business over breakfast

CRFA SHOW 2013 TORONTO—From March 3 to 5, the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto played host to more than 13,000 members of the foodservice industry at the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association show. The event saw 1,200 exhibitor booths and demonstrations from chefs including Mark McEwan, Vikram Vij, Anna Olson and Michael Blackie.

Educational seminars ranged in topic from allergies and restricted diets, to tips and tricks on creating a wine list or a catering menu.

The CRFA also hosted Industry Night out, a networking event at the Liberty Grand, and the CRFA Breakfast with Champions, a panel discussion on the state and future of the industry.

Photos: 1. Fresh produce from the Ontario Greenbelt area. 2. Chef Michael Blackie does a cooking demonstration. 3. The Seed to Sausage team. 4. Fire on the floor at French’s.

5. Veraida-Lyn Bermejo, marketing director for Town and Country displays a new line of uniforms. Town and Country held a draw for chef’s uniforms at the show. The winners can be found at www.can-restaurantnews.com. 6. Claudio Baldinelli, national sales manager, Alto-Shaam Canada. 7. Flair bartenders practice their moves. 8. Chef Bruno Elsier and Lotte Andersson, area sales manager for Ontario and Manitoba at Barry Callebaut Canada.

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Left to right: Garth Whyte, CRFA president and CEO, Susan Senecal, chief marketing officer for A&W, chef Mark McEwan, chef Vikram Vij, Debra Lykkemark, CEO and founder of Culinary Capers, Paul Methot, vice-president operations for Pizza Pizza and CBC host George Stroumboulopoulos.

TORONTO—Members of the foodservice industry broke bread on March 5 at the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association’s Breakfast with Champions, a part of the annual CRFA Show. The event at the Exhibition Grounds’ Liberty Grand hosted a panel of some of the industry’s biggest names, including Vikram Vij, chef and owner of Vij’s and Rangoli in Vancouver; Susan Senecal, chief marketing officer for A & W and the newly appointed chair of the CRFA; Paul Methot, vice-president operations for Pizza Pizza; Debra Lykkemark, CEO and founder of Culinary Capers in Vancouver; and Mark McEwan, chef and owner of North 44, Bymark, ONE and Fabbrica in Toronto.

Panel moderator, CBC host George Stroumboulopoulos, offered his role in the foodservice industry with his first job at a Mr. Sub in the GTA’s west end. Stroumboulopoulos joked that he then graduated to being a sandwich artist at Subway.

Panellists debated topics from allergy-conscious diners to eco-friendly operations.

“I think everyone in Toronto developed a wheat allergy this year – it’s the fashionable allergy,” McEwan mused at a question of the direction of the foodservice industry. Lykkemark affirmed an increase in food allergies as an important factor driving change in the industry.

Due to the increase, she said that her company was “developing some delicious things that we can use for those various allergy conscious consumers.”

“We definitely have to appeal to new customers,” said Methot. He cited Pizza Pizza’s thin crust offerings as a response to new health demands from consumers and a way to attract new customers that still appeals to the existing customer.

Vij pointed out that incorporating international flavours is on the rise on North American plates. “The hottest trend right now is to bridge the gap from where you live,” he said. “Using Old World spices with produce from here, and bringing in who you are as an individual.”

From community involvement to environmentally conscious operations, the panelists also tackled corporate responsibility. “It’s very important to remain focused [on the fact] that we are not here to waste the land,” Vij said.

Through recycling and composting programs even large-scale national brands such as A&W and Pizza Pizza, can make a change to more sustainable practice. At Culinary Capers Lykkemark said they have found ways to re-use certain food scraps, such as their crispy salmon skins, into dog treats.

Social responsibility is an important part of McEwan’s constantly expanding footprint in Toronto where he works closely with Second Harvest, supporting and advocating for feeding the city’s homeless population.

Speaking on some of the challenges that face operators, McEwan said, “staying relevant in your business is one of the big challenges we

all face.” Vij offered a similar concern that all restaurants have a sort of shelf life, which he said underlines the importance of teaching the younger generation and instilling the same passion for food.

“When you go to a restaurant you’re looking for good ambiance, good people and good food,” said Vij. Consistency within these qualities and maintaining focus is key, he said.

“I think you have to stand for something and when people get [to your restaurant] you have to give what you promise,” said Senecal.

Trends and forecasts for Canadian foodservice industry members TORONTO—The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association released their annual survey of Canadian chefs predicting the trends for 2013 and beyond.

The association’s senior economist, Chris Elliott, spoke at the CRFA Show on March 3, giving a sneak peak of the survey results and a forecast for the economic future of the industry (see following page).

According to the 2013 Chef Survey, allergyconscious options are holding their ground as a menu must-have, as are locally-sourced ingredients. While local foods remain in high demand, internationally inspired flavours also make the list of what is here and what is to come.

Top 10 Canadian menu trends in restaurants this year are: •

Locally produced and locally inspired dishes; • Gluten-free and food allergy conscious; • Sustainability; • Farm or estate-branded ingredients; • Food trucks and street food; • Ethnic-street food inspired appetizers, such as: tempura, taquitos; • Greek yogurt; • Simplicity and back-to-basics; • Non-wheat noodles or pasta, such as: quinoa, rice, buckwheat; and • Ancient grains, such as: kamut, spelt, amaranth.

• Top 10 up and comers for 2013: • Red rice; • Digital menus; • Goat; • House-made soft drinks; • African cuisine; • Gluten-free beer; • Kid-friendly versions of adult dining options; • Underutilized fish, such as: mackerel, bluefish, redfish; • Drinkable desserts; and • Black/forbidden rice.

While there are some familiar contenders on the CRFA’s list of top menu items, Elliott said as far as the economy goes, the foodservice industry will be seeing some big changes.

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The foodservice forecast CRFA’s senior economist, Chris Elliott.

TORONTO—The CRFA’s senior economist, Chris Elliott, hosted the seminar Economic Forecasts and Foodservice Trends during the CRFA show in early March. Musing over the annual lecture’s gloomy tendencies, Elliott offered the audience some positive, forward-looking advice. “We just have to make it through 2013 and into 2014 and that will lead to healthy gains in the foodservice industry,” he said.

Growth in foodservice is up since 2011, Elliott said, and a great deal of this has to do with a changing consumer base. “Consumers don’t know how to cook and don’t have time,” he said.

Both are contributing to the largest gain in the FSR segment since 2006, more than five per cent.

In the QSR segment, Elliott said of the more than four per cent gain, 40 per cent of this is attributed to Tim Hortons and MacDonalds.

Elliott said that one sector that is seeing strong growth is catering, due to an aging demographic that is populating both retirement homes and hospitals.

A rise in the minimum wage has had an effect on restaurants, increasing their overall operating costs and skewing the ratio of those costs. Restaurants are seeing more than 32 per cent of their overall expenses going to salaries and wages, up from 29 per cent last year.

Due to a trickle down effect, Elliott said the high unemployment rates in the U.S. and loss of manufacturing jobs is reaching the Canadian economy and in turn, restaurant operators. He predicted that it would take at least 18 months before the U.S. economy returns to its prerecession state. In particular, Elliot said, “The U.S. economy has huge implications for Ontarians.”

One disconcerting factor Elliot mentioned is that consumer spending has outpaced their income. “Canada has one of the highest household debt loads in the world,” he said. With competitive costs becoming increasingly important in low-economic times, Elliot said general merchandise stores such as Walmart and Target are seeing the strongest gains in overall food sale shares.

He said grocery stores have to compete by offering value-meal deals and are coming in direct competition with restaurants on the sale of cheaper items such as frozen pizzas.

Elliott attributed an increase in foodservice sales in 2012 to an additional statutory holiday (family day) and minimal snowfall. His prediction continuing from 2013 to 2016 drops slightly below the 2012 levels of nearly five per cent growth, particularly in 2013.

Left: Benjamin Tal, chief economist of CIBC World Markets Inc. Right: Food and Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) senior vice-president of public and regulatory affairs Derek Nighbor.

FCPC Foodservice Interchange TORONTO—“Someone who is employed in Spain will affect your business even though they won’t visit your restaurant,” warned deputy chief economist of CIBC World Markets Inc., Benjamin Tal. Speaking to a room of 125 foodservice executives, Tal was one of the presenters at this year’s Food and Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) Foodservice Interchange, held at the Exhibition Allstream Centre during this year’s Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association conference in early March.

In linking world markets to local concerns, Tal talked about the Canadian market in broad strokes. “I’m not incredibly confident in the Canadian consumer because they are not starving,” said Tal, noting that American consumer confidence went down 40 per cent last year

while Canada’s decreased by only 10. “This was a made-in-the-U.S. recession and we are basically second hand smokers. We borrowed our way out of the recession,” he said. “The consumer is exhausted and not borrowing as much as they used to. Since some of this borrowed money went to consumption, they’re not spending as much as they used to because they’re more conscious of their debt and paying it off.”

Derek Nighbor, FCPC senior vice-president of public and regulatory affairs, also addressed Canada’s regulatory landscape, including issues such as recent moves towards restricting sugar sweetened drinks and sodium reduction. He also spoke of the difficulties faced in creating such regulation. “Childhood obesity can be a sensitive and controversial topic to address, especially to those involved,” he said.

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DEC ODI NG THE D ATA

Polishing the health halo I

n the past few years, we have witnessed a trend toward healthier lifestyles. Consumers are more health conscious and numerous lifestyle choices ranging from low-carb diets to decreasing caloric intake are ever present.

Restaurants have changed menus to offer a wider variety of products to consumers to adjust to this trend. Many of the QSR operators are now offering perceived healthier options including salads, soups and various chicken wraps to accommodate the changing consumer. This also applies to the FSR operators as well. According to NPD’s Full Service Dining Report, 44 per cent of consumers would like to see more available healthy options at restaurants.

Older diners want healthier options The changing health trend is really being driven by the older generation. The 44+ age group accounted for 51 per cent of healthy servings at FSR and drove 10 per cent growth in the last year.

While this group tended to skew slightly toward females, both genders consumed more healthy foods in the last year. This trend was not confined to one particular daypart, as all dayparts at FSR showed significant growth.

This certainly appeared to be more of a lifestyle choice for this demographic. According to the Full Service Dining Report, 71 per cent of FSR consumers say it is important to have nutritional information on menus. Over 50 per cent of consumers are concerned about their intake of fat, calories and sodium.

In order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, FSR consumers are seeking a greater variety in salads, soups and seafood. The top three items consumed at this channel were chicken, seafood and salad respectively. Healthy foods (five per cent growth) outpaced the FSR growth of three per cent. We can expect FSR operators to continually adapt menus to accommodate this trend.

The health trend has not performed as well at the QSR channel. While the channel grew at two per cent, healthy foods remained flat. Healthy foods remained flat due to a younger consumer in this channel.

Younger diners go for indulgence The under 44 age group accounted for more than 64 per cent of the QSR consumer. It would appear that this age group is less sensitive to health concerns, as they tend to purchase more indulgent items. The

top three items at QSR were soft drinks, fries and burgers respectively. Salads ranked as the 17th item, while soups were 24th. Both salads and soups witnessed declines in the last year of four per cent and eight per cent respectively.

The QSR channel’s core business remained mainly as indulgent items.

Despite having healthier options at QSR, consumers are clearly making more of a choice to indulge at QSR, while being more health conscious at FSR.

So who is winning?

While consumers say they want to be healthier, are they really becoming healthier?

In the last five years, the QSR channel has shown consistent growth, while the FSR chan-

nel has remained relatively soft. While some of the FSR declines can be attributed to economic concerns, consumers have switched to QSR and selected alternatives perceived as less healthy.

According to Stats Canada, over 52 per cent of adults were overweight or obese in 2011. This had increased by more than one per cent from the 2007 results. As well, over 20 per cent of the youth population are now considered overweight or obese, which has also increased more than one per cent from 2007. As both of these percentages have increased, it would seem to indicate that Canadians are becoming less healthy over time.

Despite calorie labelling on food items, smaller portions and other measures, it remains up to the individual to make choices about what they consume. Education of the younger consumer and individual actions will dictate whether we become a healthier society.

Ian Wilson is a director of client development in the foodservice industry for the NPD Group. The NPD Group has more than 25 years experience in providing consumer-based market information for the foodservice industry. For more info, visit www.npd.com or contact ian.wilson@npd.com.

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C 10 |

atering 16 IDEAS IN 16 MINUTES

DEBRA LYKKEMARK

1. Mobile carts 2. Fake wedding cakes 3. Reinvented mini-Yorkshire puddings 4. Hand-pulled noodles

www.can-restaurantnews.com

Tips from top Canadian and U.S. caterers

O N TA R I O R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

Left to right, Debra Lykkemark, Jack Milan, Frank Puleo and Russell Day shared 60 catering ideas at the CRFA Show in Toronto last month. ORN has taken a look at 16 of the best.

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Debra Lykkemark, CEO of Culinary Capers Catering and Special Events is based in Vancouver, and recently opened an office in Beijing.

FRANK PULEO

5. Tiny Coke floats 6. Service wall made from inexpensive IKEA shelving 7. Servers’ T-shirts show what they’re serving 8. One-bite candy apples

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JACK MILAN

9. Food walls 10. Jar cooking 11. Meringue mushrooms 12. Key lime lollipops

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Frank Puleo is the owner of Framboise Catering, a distinctive full-service catering operation located in New York City.

Four caterers’ top tips for unforgettable events TORONTO—Four catering experts, two from Canada and two from the U.S., presented a lively, fast-paced seminar at the CRFA show held last month in Toronto. Titled “60 Catering Ideas in 60 Minutes,” the presentation ran the gamut from food presentation and serving station solutions, to innovative T-shirts and costumes for serving staff.

In the interest of space, we have only presented 16 of those ideas here. For the full PDF showing ideas from the presentation, go to www.canrestaurantnews.com.

Mobile carts and a noodle puller Debra Lykkemark of Vancouver-based Culinary Capers Catering and Special Events has made use of ordinary, stainless steel mobile carts (#1 above). She’s used them for a dessert station featuring empty profiteroles that can be filled with three types of mousse and with various sauces. They’re also great for after-dinner coffees and liqueurs, or even a gnocci station.

If you don’t have the ability to make an eyepopping wedding cake, fake it (#2 above), says Lykkemark. She gets cake forms from Nicholson’s Baker Supplier. She sews pink covers and pale pink ribbons onto the forms, and places lemon drop kisses and petite desserts around the edges of each tier.

In a twist on a classic, Lykkemark recommends mini-Yorkshire puddings (#3 above).

They’re just two bites of beef tenderloin and horseradish cream.

For interactive entertainment, Lykkemark has a hand-pulled noodle station (#4 above), where the specially-trained server pulls and stretches the

noodles until they turn into angel hair pasta. The serving table features prepared noodles with a variety of toppings.

Milan’s innovations.

Wait-staff as gladiators and more

Some of Frank Puleo’s events involve sponsor integration, i.e., little tiny Coke floats (#5 above).

Puleo, of Framboise Catering is based in New York City.

The serving wall can be brought up to date with simple, inexpensive IKEA bookshelves (#6 above). They can hold pre-plated items and plates for the following courses.

After a big event, servers’ voices can become hoarse as they tell guest after guest what it is they are serving. A T-shirt with type that explains the menu item (#7 above), can make the server’s job a little easier.

While guests probably wouldn’t eat an entire candy apple, just one bite (#8 above) can appeal to childhood memories. Slices of apple coated with candy also look attractive when plated.

At a Premier Fitness gathering, Russell Day of Toronto’s Daniel et Daniel, dressed up the waitstaff as gladiators (#13 at right). At the Film Festival, the servers wore ascots (which were actually napkins). At the launch of the Bell Canada film, “After the Wedding,” the wait-staff dressed up as brides. And at a Women, Wine and Shoes party, Day had male wait-staff wear high heels.

“You can’t put a price on that look,” Day says.

Fun serving vessels are another way to differentiate your event. “There are so many different vessels—if you don’t have them, rent them,” says Day. He uses mini frying pans, martini glasses and tasting spoons for presentation. One of his favourites is stand-up cocktail forks (#14 at right).

Day also believes that ice cream doesn’t necessarily have to be sweet. He serves savoury ice cream flavours, such a chili-glazed chicken with peanut ice (#15 at right). He also does tomato tatin with olive tapenade sorbet and popcorn crunch.

And if the bride doesn’t want a traditional cake or cupcakes, Day says that “donuts are the new cupcakes” (#15 at right).

“I use mini Tiny Toms, bring them in and have little bags for the guests,” he notes.

Day believes in subconscious branding of events through food. That’s why he has petit fours with slippers on top for ballet events, and the CBC logo on cookies for their event. “You can buy the printer and the sheets,” he says.

Boston-based caterer Jack Milan makes good use of space with food walls (#9 above), with horizontal holes in the walls to hold plates of food. The walls can also be used to hold plastic glasses in place with Velcro.

Milan also likes jar cooking (#10 above), with jars that can just be popped in the oven to warm.

This approach works for both main courses and desserts.

Meringue mushrooms (#11 above) sell for $80 a box. They’re easy to make—basically a Pavlova recipe that is making a comeback. Milan

RUSSELL DAY

13. Dressing up wait-staff (as gladiators, etc.)

14. Fun serving vessels 15. Savoury ice cream (chili-glazed chicken with peanut ice) serves them with three different types of sorbet.

Key lime lollipops (#12 above) are another of 16. Donuts—the new cupcakes for weddings.

Mini Coke floats and candy apples

Arranging food on the wall

Jack Milan, president of Different Tastes, Edibles

By Jack, Boston’s Picnic Company, Magic Marketing and The Fast Repast, has 35 years experience in the catering and restaurant business.

13.

14.

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Russell Day, VP of Daniel et Daniel, has been setting tables and creating experiential events for 19 years in Toronto and area. He sits on the board of the International Catering Association, allowing him the opportunity to give back to the catering community.

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E Sight:

Although the old truism that diners eat first with their eyes is a bit of a tired cliché, there’s no arguing that burger presentation can be the first step to winning over the customer. A wellplated (or wrapped) burger can be a brand distinguisher, not to mention a bit of free promotion on social media if the diner snaps a picture.

Think about how you want your brand represented in that single snapshot.

At Motor Burger, Souilliere plates on bamboo cutting boards. “We wanted to have a green element and wood is relatively inexpensive,” he says. Although some customers see a cutting board and request a plate, some people get a kick out of it, he says, plus it makes the burger the central element and provides a canvas for the house made slaw, pickles and other sides. A bamboo spear through the burger helps keep all the items together.

Some practical considerations come into play with this method of plating, however. Due to the relatively small size of the bamboo board, burgers are mostly served closed rather than open faced in order to prevent items from sliding off the board. “We seat 80 people and when it’s quite busy, expediters take out several plates at a time,” says Souilliere.

Winnipeg-based Boon Burger’s co-owner Tomas Sohlberg serves the restaurant’s vegan burgers on a square wooden plate with a liner.

“We wanted the place to have a modern feel, and had so many drawings and concepts,” he says.

Ultimately, the shape of the plate ended up mimicking the shape of the burger buns, which are made on a sheet pan and square cut by hand to provide a rustic look.

Colour is also an important factor in making a burger appealing. “The burgers for which I’ve gotten the most bang for buck have fascinating colours. The yellow mustard of the turmeric and the green from the lettuce, avocados or herbs like a chiffonade of basil or cilantro. Even the creamy white of sauces, such as mayonnaise and aioli,” says Trip Kadey, corporate chef for Reckitt Benckiser. “Burgers have the ability to throw a beautiful platform of colour at you.”

ngaging the senses through Burg

By Leslie Wu, editorial director

J

ay Souilliere, chef and co-owner of Windsor’s Motor Burger, enjoys watching how his customers dive in for that first bite of burger (and some of his burgers require not only two hands, but also a fork and steak knife.)

“I love to see the reaction,” he laughs. “People will grab a bite, shake their heads and go in for another bite.”

Faced with a burger consumer that will willingly trade mess for excess, operators are scrambling to invent the golden concept that will put their business front and centre in an ever-crowded market.

We live in an era where people can build burgers out of test tubes, sear, steam, smash or bake them, add half the contents of the spice rack or nothing but salt and pepper. If there is one thing to which operators keep returning to, however, it’s the sensation of the first bite of burger: a rush of juice, salty/sweet notes as the bun, toppings and patty mix together between one’s teeth.

For burger lovers, it’s an unparalleled sensation, and these days, they’ve proven that they will shell out money for premium, novelty, customization and above all, that sensory experience with the first bite. In this month’s burger feature, operators from across the country chime in on the tips and tricks that they use to capture that ephemeral moment…and bring customers back by the droves.

Smell:

The burger aroma can often be hidden away from the diner due to a closed off kitchen or range hood, smell can be a powerful way to engage your audience.

At Splitz Grill in Vancouver, run by Trevor Jackson and his wife Miriam, the open kitchen is front and centre. “As soon as you walk in, you smell that charbroil grill, with burgers cooking, and the smell of bacon, fried onions and garlic hits you,” says Jackson. He adds fresh garlic, salt and pepper, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and bread crumbs to his basic burger, which gives it a different savoury note on the grill. “We put a lot in our burgers, and why not? It’s like a sausage, you can mix things into it to make it taste better,” he says.

To Greg Brown, owner of Etobicoke-based Woody’s Burgers, smell is an integral part of his restaurant’s experience. “It’s one of the things you notice when you first walk into the restaurant,” he says. Brown uses Ontario hardwood to fuel the grill where all the burgers are cooked, and even makes use of the grill to add smokiness to items such as bacon, which they purchase already cooked. A flattop is used primarily to toast burger buns. “Toasters, for me, don’t toast them the fabulous way that you can get on a flattop with a bit of butter,” he says.

Using the wood grill is a method that is not without challenges, however. With a fat content in his grind of 80 per cent meat to 20 per cent fat, flareups can be a problem.“It’s a bit harder to cook over

open flame,” says Brown. “Flareups can be bad and dangerous. You need to train well, and you can’t put just anyone on the grill.”

Speed can also be a challenge with this method. Because of the unpredictability of the flame temperature, cooking time can take about 15 minutes, and customers are warned accordingly.

In the winter months, for example, the wood stored outside will not only start out freezing cold, but will also have water in it, causing it to steam rather than ignite.

Nonetheless, Brown is a firm believer that the challenges are worth it for the added olfactory boost. “The smoke that a wood grill imparts on food is unbeatable. It adds a little bit of something to the burger that makes it excellent,” he says.

Souilliere approaches cooking methods in a sear and bake method that alludes to his fine dining background. “I like the way the smokey burger fat on coal fills meat with flavour, and the taste that a cast iron grill imparts on meat.” During a busy lunch or dinner rush, however, he felt that it is difficult to keep the burger on high heat and prevent overcooking. Souilliere’s compromise is to use a high initial heat on the grill for five to seven minutes to form a crust, then the ambient heat of a 385 degree oven for about 12 minutes to penetrate into the protein. “When you’re doing 20 things at once, it’s a way to get a more consistent burger that stays juicy,” he says. “After a minute or two of rest time, you don’t get a lot of juice leakage, either.”

For thicker burgers, he offers a “super charge” option. “I’m not a fan of the one pound burger, which gets a bit like meatloaf when baking, so instead, we serve two half-pound burgers with one bun in a bowl.”

At Toronto-based BQM, founder and owner

Saeed Mohamed believes in the smash method, with some parameters. “We tell our guys, once you’ve smashed it down the first time, don’t press down again,” he says. Juices don’t escape because the meat is still cold, and the fat is still solid, and the blood is soaked into the meat, he says.

“Once it’s on the flattop for about 30 to 40 seconds, things start melting. That’s when you have to baby it.”

Sound:

When it comes to marketing, Chris Boehm, chef and owner/operator, prefers guerilla marketing to traditional methods of building buzz at Burger 55. Whether putting mini-burgers in cake boxes to distribute to local businesses or focusing on social media, Boehm says he’d rather get food directly into people’s hands than advertise in consumer publications.

His most recent addition to his arsenal is a video of the burger of the month. “We shoot it from the beginning, from the moment the burger hits the grill through how it builds and gets delivered to the customer,” says Boehm.

Boon Burger’s owners took a slightly different approach when it came to their first vegan restaurant. Sohlberg remembers that although they used social media to communicate, the biggest marketing strategy was to simply put a picture of a big bean on the window and a big sign indicating that they were opening Spring 2010. “That was all it took,” he recalls. “Just from that and Facebook, we had the CBC contact us before we were even open.

es

gers It was our first taste of what social media could do.”

To Rivers Corbett, CEO and cofounder of Fredericton-based Relish Gourmet Burgers, diners aren’t customers. “They’re our friends,” he says. “A lot of businesses do a lot of yelling on social media about me, me, me. We ask ‘Tell us about your kid,’ or ‘What are you doing this weekend?’”

Although some may see this type of dialogue as a step beyond the norm, Corbett believes that the engagement process creates a powerful incentive to stay with the brand. “If they have to consider another option when going out to eat a burger, they think ‘how can I betray my friend like this?’ It’s not just about a cheeseburger – it’s a personality.”

Within the restaurants, Corbett also engages a customer’s hearing by implementing a mandatory greeting similar to a Japanese izakaya. “When you walk in, everyone welcomes you, like when you enter a friend’s house. It’s noisy, engaging and fun. You have the ambient noise, the operational noise and the conversational noise. I’m a firm believer that no noise means empty and wasted space.”

Sometimes, a specialty item or limited time offer becomes a smash hit and key to an operator’s success. The peanut butter burger on offer at Darrell’s Restaurant in Halifax has been a prime source of sales. “At the time, we didn’t realize that it was going to become as famous as it was,” says owner/operator Dan Joseph.“Originally, we weren’t promoting it more than other burgers, but in recent years, a lot of our ad focus is on the peanut butter burger, because that’s what people remember.”

“If I have one goal in life, it’s that I’d like to come up with a burger that outsells that peanut butter burger,” he laughs.

At Bathurst, NB’s Big D Drive In, owner/operator Richard Dobson estimates that the Danny Burger accounts for 40 to 50 per cent of the restaurant’s total sales.

Invented by the original owners in a trailer 60 years ago, the formula for the burger remains the same today: a cheeseburger cut in three with the centre cut the opposite way to see the cross section. The burger is then topped with the secret Danny sauce, whose secret lies with Dobson and one other employee.

Apart from secret items, one of the more powerful menu strategies in recent years has been the move to green or sustainable.

Justin Leboe, operating partner with Calgarybased Clive Burger, based his concept on environmental awareness.“The proteins are all natural, all local, and with no antibiotics,” he says. Although he concedes that he is not the first fast food place to take these measures, Leboe is taking it one step further by ensuring that all the post-production packaging that is handed to the customers, such as straws and cups, are fully biodgradable. “All the waste we produce becomes topsoil in six weeks,” he says.

Leboe hopes to expand the Clive Burger concept through franchising, and thinks that his philosophy of “do one thing and do it well” will resonate with consumers. “We’re not trying to be everything to everyone. We have the classic cheeseburger, and focusing on doing that very well has impact.”

Touch:

When your customer first grabs that burger off the plate, what do you want them to experience? In a world filled with foot-tall burgers and toppings galore, how you build your burger can make a huge difference on the plate.

First, consider the bun. “With the rise of the gourmet burger, operators understand that customers are willing to pay more, and that people are asking for more premium product,” says Lee Andrews, president of Ace Bakery. “It got to the point where the bun was the lacking factor.”

Andrews recommends a bun that can stand up to the juices of a burger, and with a slight chew that adds to the texture of the burger.

“Many restaurants have commercial product that when you squeeze it, the bun compresses,” he says. “If the bread is solely for holding purposes, it’s not contributing to the

overall experience.”

Also, consider the structure of the bun itself. The bottom half of the bun has got to have structure to it, so it can take mayo or sauces and you can build off of it, says Andrews. The top, which tends to be an accent for appearance, can benefit from an egg wash that gives it a glossy sheen that is appealing in photos, he says.

When it comes to the taste of the bun, don’t shy away from contrasting flavours. Souilliere likes using a local artisan brioche at Motor Burger. “It’s got structural integrity, and the slight sweetness pays off with the slight saltiness of meat,” he says.

When building a burger, certain basic rules apply. Thicker and spreadable sauces should go on the bottom bun to insulate the bun from the juices.

Some operators, like Boehm at Burger 55, put shredded cheese directly on the bottom bun when wrapping the burger to go, which then melts when the burger is placed. “We use a lot of cheeses that don’t come in sliced form, such as feta and parmesan. Putting the cheese directly on the bottom bun makes for ease of use when building the burger, as well as keeping the grill cleaner,” he says. The customer is then advised to wait a couple of minutes so that the cheese has a chance to melt.

Sometimes, a small detail can be crucial to the ease of eating. When Joseph introduced a nacho burger at Darrell’s Restaurant, they found that it was too ingredient heavy. “When we analyzed it, we found that a slice of tomato made it hard to keep together. We replaced it with guacamole and it was fine,”

he says.

“That slice of tomato was the undoing of that burger.”

Another basic thing that can make it easier for the customer is to consider topping placement.

“Try to spread out to the edges when you’re building a burger with ingredients and sauces. It makes it easier to eat,” says Jackson from Splitz.

Continued on the next page

From left: Burger from BQM in Toronto. Stuffed cheese burger from Woody’s in Etobicoke, ON. The Brad Burger from Fredericton’s Relish Gourmet Burger. A vegan burger from Winnipeg’s Boon Burger.

Continued from the previous page

Taste:

Probably the most contentious aspect of burgermaking is the fat content. Most of the operators who were interviewed preferred a fat content somewhere between 17 and 25 per cent for taste reasons.

Although some operators, like Leboe, chose to go higher, none went lower with a beef burger.

“Salt and fat spread flavour across the palate,” says Leboe.

“It’s like adding salt to garlic when you sauté it…it helps carry flavour molecules across the palate better.”

Chefs varied in their preference of meat grinds between chuck and sirloin, with addins such as short rib and brisket. Souilliere grinds his meat on a larger grind first, then a smaller pass through. “When you grind it once really big and once on a smaller grinder, you get more steak flavour because of the larger pieces of meat when they’re roasting. It gives me control over texture and quality.”

Mohamed offers three different types of burgers at BQM, suited to each palate. “If you want the first bite to be juicy, the untrimmed brisket has 30 per cent fat, and an intense taste, with an acidity due to the muscle movement of that

cut,” he says. For customers looking for a texturedriven, clean first bite, the sirloin is a nontraditional bite with 10 per cent fat that’s added in from the brisket. And for purists searching out the burger taste of their youth, Mohamed says the chuck would give you the standard first bite: not too fatty, but lean and flavourful, with a 20 per cent fat content.

When the grind is balanced correctly, the fat content can play a huge part in the enjoyment of the burger. “The mouth is always in love with fat. Why do you think people like ice cream?” says chef Ray Henry, co-founder at Relish Gourmet Burgers. “A great burger has balance and complexity of flavours.”

Henry uses items such as pickled beets and pickled onion relish to provide acidity.

“It gives the mouth a punch in the back of the throat,” he says. Introducing sweet notes through the sauce or the cook-

ing method can even out the flavours.

And for the real burger connoisseur, Henry recommends putting in a spice mix (Relish’s are proprietary and secret) that provides a finishing flavour in the mouth.

“Take a breath in. You should feel that spice mix hit in the back of the mouth, with a slow linger on the palate,” he says.

Ultimately, the perfect burger should engage all five senses. Heightening that eating experience will not only increase customers’ enjoyment but bring them back through the door, which for most operators in these economic times, is a welcome sight.

Top to bottom: The Harvest Jazz from Fredericton’s Relish Burger. An open faced burger from Darrell’s Restaurant in Halifax. A multi-layer confection from Penticton BC’s Burger 55. Woody’s Classic burger.

Credits: Grill photo by Remington Phillips. Eye photo by Loredana Bejerita. Nose photo by Andrew Shoshev. Lips photo by Nora Liskina. Hand photo by Kostya Kisleyko. Ear photo by Andrea Kratzenberg.

Blazing a culinary trail in Simcoe County

By Elaine Anselmi SIMCOE COUNTY, ON—In an effort to promote their locality, Simcoe County Farm Fresh (SCFF) is launching an agri-culinary food trail in the North Simcoe municipalities of Tiny, Tay, Penetanguishene and Midland. The Huronia Food Trail has a prospective launch date of Spring 2013, SCFF executive director Sandra Trainor told ORN. There is still a great deal of work to be done including a website launch and the production of printed materials, but Trainor said 14 operators including restaurateurs, farmers and a bed and breakfast operator have signed on.

“We have seen the success of other agri-culinary trails in Ontario and other parts of Canada and the world,” said Trainor. “It’s something we’ve been looking at since 2009.”

SCFF hosted an information session on the trail in mid-March where Rebecca LeHeup, executive director of the Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (OCTA), spoke on the opportunities presented by food and drink focused tourism. “Essentially it is an opportunity for a destination to cluster together their taste [offerings], taste education and experiences into a story line for the consumers that are interested,” she told ORN. Among the already active trails

in Ontario are the Apple Pie Trail in the Blue Mountains area, the Chocolate Trail and the Bacon and Ale Trail, both in Stratford and the Taste Trail in Prince Edward County, which is the longest standing trail of the group, said LeHeup.

Trainor said the Huronia Food Trail will offer a variety of experiences from farm to table and everything in between. “On-farm experiences will have everything from maple syrup production and understanding what goes into maple syrup production – to farms with livestock and learning about the animals and how they’re raised,” she said.

With a goal of illustrating the connection of the supply chain, the

trail will include restaurants that have created a menu around those ingredients from within the North Simcoe area.

In order to be a part of the trail, operators must also be members of the SCFF. Requirements for restaurateurs include sourcing from at least four farm producers in Simcoe or using at least 10 products from the area on a consistent basis throughout the year, said Trainor.

Disclosure of sourcing is necessary.

For food retailers, there is a minimum of 25 per cent local products offered in the store in order to participate.

“We also want all of our members to make sure that their staff

is trained and that they’re actively engaged and they’re committed to sourcing local food,” she said.

SCFF is a member of OCTA and Trainor said they are using their expertise to develop the trail, as well as hiring Eco-Huronie a local, bilingual, agri-tourism organization for on-the-ground assistance.

Food trails, like the Huronia, are an opportunity to create taste memories, said LeHeup, and often these are more impactful than any other experience because they involve all of the senses.

“At the end of the day, there’s only one activity every traveller does typically three times a day or more, and that’s eating,” she said.

And all that jazz...

By Leslie Wu

Top: The main stage features a Steinway Red Pops piano, measuring 6 feet 10-1/2 inches.

Bottom: Executive chef Matt Cowan.

TORONTO—The stage at the former site of the Top O’ the Senator is playing a brand new tune with the opening of Jazz Bistro in late March.

Former executive chef of Simple Bistro Matt Cowan is heading up the 12-member kitchen crew, along with Randy Farthing, the chef who replaced Cowan at Regent Park’s Paintbox Bistro last year. “I wanted to face the challenge of a bigger restaurant, in order to grow as a chef,” said Cowan to ORN in late March.

With a capacity for 270 diners in a space spanning two floors, Jazz Bistro’s 3,000 square foot space is expansive.

Owner Colin Hunter estimates that he has spent over $2 million to date renovating the restaurant’s four floors, including a basement for storage. On the first floor, the kitchen shares a level with a main stage, which features what Hunter said is the only Steinway Red Pops special-collection ebony grand piano in Canada. The second level has a cut-out in the floor allowing diners to see the main stage.

The third level, or “Jazz Cellar”, named after the wine covering one wall, also contains a rooftop patio.

Co-owner Joan Hunter designed the space with companies such as Chase International and Hirschberg Design Group. Features include rich woods, gold tones and red accents, as well as a giant red chandelier hanging over the stage.

Neither one of the husband-wife Hunter team have foodservice experience, although Colin Hunter is the founder and owner of Sunwing Travel Group, including Sunwing Vacations and Sunwing Airlines. A jazz musician as well, Colin Hunter felt attracted to the space, where he will also be performing.

“We felt there was a need for it, and that the formula that we had – better food, good Ontario musicians – would work in this market,” he said. “It’s a learning experience as you go along.

We started at a good level, but can be better based on clientele feedback, which we’re going to actively seek out.”

The menu will be traditional bistro with a modern spin and spotlighting technique, said Cowan, such as duck confit with brandied prune sauce and caramelized leek spaetzle and braised red cabbage. “We want to keep it fairly simple because it’s a large restaurant, and we don’t want it to detract from the restaurant.” The average check for two people is $100 including wine, tax and tip, with mains ranging from pasta at $16 to steak frites at $29, and appetizers ranging from $7 to $12.

“Toronto has the notion that a music venue doesn’t have good food – we want to change that train of thought,” said Cowan.

251 Victoria Street, Toronto. 416-3635299. info@jazzbistro.ca. @JazzBistro_ca.

Treadwell is moving from Port Dalhousie to Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Treadwell is moving shop

By Kristen Smith ST. CATHARINES, ON–Treadwell is moving east to Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The farm-to-table restaurant is closing the doors to its Port Dalhousie home on the water for seven years in mid-June. The restaurant will reopen at 114 Queen St. below the Victorian Villas Boutique Suites about a week later.

The currently under construction Niagara-on-the-Lake location will seat around 45 people, down from 90, but co-owners, sommelier James Treadwell and his father chef Stephen Treadwell, are getting their ideal building. “It’s a smaller footprint, but we’re utilizing the space better because it’s being built to our specifications,” said James Treadwell, adding there will be private dining rooms, a catering kitchen and a larger, 40-seat patio.

“The idea is open kitchen; my dad’s always wanted an open kitchen,” said Treadwell, noting there will be 14 seats at a kitchen bar table at which guests will be able to interact with Stephen Treadwell and his team. James Treadwell said the interior will fall in line with the restaurant’s logo and feature warm colours.

“We’re sad to be leaving Port Dalhousie, we have a great history here, where we created the brand,” he said.

Treadwell said the farm-to-table philosophy and concept are coming with them to Niagara-on-the-Lake. The menu, which changes often, will continue to feature plenty of lake fish, local meat and heirloom vegetables.

“Nothing is going to change; it’s still Treadwell,” he said. “We really try to showcase not only our teams’ talents, but also the many talents of local artisans, farmers and wineries in the area.”

The current average check is $25 for lunch and $60 for dinner per person, with wine, and there are no plans to alter prices at the new location.

Treadwell noted this is a return to Niagara-on-the-Lake for his father, Stephen, who was at Queen’s Landing for a dozen years before the two started the St. Catharines restaurant.

While the location in Port Dalhousie was a draw, Treadwell said he expects to see more volume on the main street of the major wine tourism region, despite having to contend with other nearby farm-to-table menus.

114 Queen St., Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON.

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Mill Street owner starts a Beer Hall TORONTO—Mill Street Brewery is staking out more territory in Toronto’s Distillery District with the opening of The Beer Hall in April.

The new location is attached to the Brew Pub, taking up the main floor of a newly constructed condominium, Mill Street’s cofounder Steve Abrams told ORN. “We had the opportunity to expand into the building when they were making it, so we figured why not make it us, as opposed to someone else competing with us,” he said. “This whole company has been this crazy evolution: sometimes we have these crazy ideas and sometimes they actually happen.”

The new 8,000 square foot space has a capacity of approximately 500 people, he said, bringing the combined seating of the two establishments and patio up to 900. The more than 2,000 square foot patio is covered with a Douglas Fir ceiling and will

have open walls in good weather.

With a lot of mouths to feed, Abrams hired on chef Elizabeth Rivasplata, a former contestant of Top Chef Canada. The new – and totally open concept – kitchen has a pizza oven and will offer more sharing options, a full charcuterie station and a beer-centric menu.

In addition to pairings and beer flights with charcuterie, Abrams said beer is an ingredient in 90 per cent of the menu items.

The wall dividing The Beer Hall from the Brew Pub was torn down allowing copper beer lines to run across the ceiling carrying brews straight from the brewery into The Beer Hall, said Abrams. The copper lines will also carry a new offering from the brewery, Mill Street Bierschnapps. Abrams said the schnapps are really the brainchild of brewmaster Joel Manning, who travels annually to Bavaria for a beer convention.

“It’s a very popular style of beer there,” said Abrams. “People have weird conceptions of what schnapps is in Canada.” Rather than the sweet liqueurs with which schnapps are often associated, Abrams said the bierschnapps is more along the lines of a vodka but still has the notes of the beer with which it’s made.

Manning will be distilling three Mill Street beers for bierschnapps: the Tankhouse Ale, Coffee Porter, and Framboise, said Abrams. The namesake process of distilling hasn’t occurred in the district since the late 1990’s when the Gooderham and Worts distillery closed.

“It’s kind of neat to say we’re bringing back distilling to such a historic place. This was the epicentre of booze in Canada,” said Abrams.

The Beer Hall, 21 Tankhouse Lane, Toronto, ON. (416) 681-0338.

Sapporo’s production shuffle in Canada GUELPH, ON, AND DARTMOUTH, NS— Sapporo International will be selling its eastern operations and sending some of its central brewing south.

The parent company of Sleeman Breweries Ltd. announced in a March 6 release that it will be selling its Dartmouth, NS facility and moving approximately 200,000 hectolitres of products from its Guelph, ON brewing facility to the U.S. The moves were made for efficiency and

meeting the demand for Sleeman and Sapporo products, according to the release.

“Sapporo has been increasing its North American market share in a category that is experiencing only modest growth,” said Shige Yokoi, president and CEO of Sleeman Breweries Ltd. “In order to consolidate and maximize this momentum, we must make some immediate and crucial changes to our North American brewing strategy to improve productivity across

our entire operation,” he said.

Sleeman generates more than 1.8 million hectoliters of product per year across Canada for North American consumption, of which 27,000 hectolitres comes from the Dartmouth operation. The sale will affect 32 employees at the Dartmouth operation.

The Guelph facility will continue to produce all products for Canadian consumption as well as some for the U.S.

A new master distiller for Bombay Sapphire

LONDON, ENGLAND—Bombay Sapphire is adding Nik Fordham to its roster as master distiller at the new Laverstoke Mill, England distillery, currently under construction and set to open this year.

According to a release in March, Fordham, an experienced distiller, will oversee gin production at the Hampshire, England location. Fordham will be responsible for crafting gin, quality assurance and managing the production team. Bombay Sapphire’s gin is produced based on Thomas

Dakin’s recipe, which dates back to 1761. Fordham will work with master of botanicals Ivano Tonutti, who selects plant ingredients from around the world.

Global marketing manager Emma Johansson said Fordham will help the “reinvigoration” of the gin category.

BR I E F S

Beverage trends for 2013 TORONTO—Fair trade and organic coffee topped the list of hot trends for non-alcoholic drinks in the CRFA’s 2013 Canadian Chef Survey, based on responses from more than 350 foodservice professionals.

Also included in the top five alcohol-free beverages are coconut water, specialty iced tea, such as thai-style or southern style, small-batch sodas, and green tea.

The survey looked at what chefs thought the up-and-coming trends might be for 2013.

House-made soft drinks, smallbatch sodas, dairy-free milk, specialty iced tea and agua fresca (Spanish for “fresh water”) made the list.

The survey also indicated that local wine and beer are at the peak of popularity when it comes to boozy beverages.

Craft beer and microbrews, microdistilled and artisan liquor, regional signature cocktails and bar chef or mixologist creations are trending right now.

According the to survey, the next hot trends in alcoholic beverages could be gluten-free beer, micro-distilled and artisan liquor, beer-based cocktails, culinary cocktails, customized for specific dishes; and specialty beer, such as seasonal and fruit-flavoured offerings.

New beer for Liberty

Nik Fordham was recently appointed master distiller for Bombay Sapphire.

TORONTO—Liberty Village Brewing Company, which in November debuted Eric Emery’s homebrew at neighbourhood tasting events, took a large step and brewed its first beer.

The initial idea was to decide on one or two beers to market and sell on a larger scale, according to BlogTO. On March 12, the Liberty Village Brewing Company made its first batch at Junction Craft Brewery.

The company is kicking things off with a pale ale.

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Left: Adam Bekhor.

Right: Nelson Abreu.

Wine on the web TORONTO—An online hub for wine lovers allows restaurants to provide customers with information and access to the wines they serve.

Winewire.ca offers customers a database of labels they may have tried in-store but are available only through a licensed agent.

“We’ve basically created a sort of hub or single point of access to find out about wines that are in restaurants and not in stores,” said co-founder Nelson Abreu. “Outside of supplying restaurants, the only way I can really find customers is when they go to a restaurant and try my wine, and then they call me.”

To ease the process of connecting consumers

with harder-to-come-by wines, Abreu and business partner Adam Bekhor have created referral cards for servers to give to customers. The cards have the website, contact information and a space to fill out the information needed to search the wine on Wine Wire’s database. Abreu said the benefit for the restaurateur is that it alleviates the need for a server or sommelier to dig up the information and agent’s contact, while still providing the customer with that connection. “It makes it easy for them. They take this card, write the name of the wine on it, and [customers can] go to the site.”

Some restaurants in the GTA have already received packages of the referral cards, said Abreu, including Ritorno and Julia Ristorante in Oakville, ON and Ascari Enoteca and Vertical Restaurant in Toronto. The website offers video clips of wine tastings with co-founder Bekhor and local sommeliers.

“If you [the consumer] go to Hy’s Steakhouse and Randy (Ostlund) has sold you a wine there, you can trust his opinion,” said Abreu. “If there’s a new wine on the site and [Ostlund] is recommending it, that breaks down that barrier and unfamiliarity.”

Due to regulations on liquor sales in the province, wine purchased through Wine Wire has to be by the case. They are only allowed to sell in the amount that the product was imported in, said Abreu, regardless of whether it was a case of six, eight or 12 bottles.

Brick Brewing bulks up KITCHENER, ON— Nick Relph has been appointed as vice-president, sales and marketing, a new position for the Kitchener-based Brick Brewing, president and CEO George Croft told ORN. The brewery operates Laker and Waterloo brands of beer, as well as Seagram Coolers.

“The immediate opportunity for us is enhanced sales and execution, seeing where we can get more volume from channels,” said Croft.

In the past, investment has gone primarily into the Laker brand, but Croft said this year the company will see more going into the Waterloo and Seagram marks.

Since acquiring the Canadian rights to Seagram Coolers in March 2011, Croft said Brick has seen more opportunity in expanding their market beyond Ontario. “Seagram really gave

us a platform with liquor boards in Canada to have a conversation about our beer business too,” he said.

Croft said the company’s first shipment to Quebec went out this month, meaning Seagram Coolers are now officially sold in every province.

One facet of the commercial industry that Brick is focused on is the craft beer market.

Croft said he sees particular growth in the craft area of the Waterloo brand. “[Relph] is here to help us grow our business in an accelerated fashion,” said Croft. “The way we run, he will lead all commercial-related activities.”

“We’ve worked hard to get the foundation of the business in place and we’ve had some really good growth,” said Croft. “This year, we’re putting significant investment into the commercial side and commercial choices.”

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Food on Campus:

By Elaine Anselmi

a seminar in service

With every September bringing new faces, new appetites and new trends, post-secondary foodservice operators and suppliers have a unique challenge. In order to satisfy the group of predominantly 20 to 30-year-olds, communication and consideration is key.

Students feeding students

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hile meal plans are motivation enough for some first-year students to stick to on-campus foodservice, those not bound by a localized food budget – often paid by their parents – have many options for off-campus eateries. How have post-secondary institutions and suppliers stepped up their game to satisfy hungry students?

Chartwells’ president Ross Munro says there is a formula that creates a unique quilt of foodservice at each school. “You have your national brand component, regional brand component, and then the remainder would be relative to the demographic of the school,” he says. “It’s a wide palette that we choose to best address the local need.” Building that successful quilt means creating food options that are worth staying on campus for.

At Brock University, Sodexo senior vicepresident, education and healthcare, Barry Telford says a pilot project coffee roaster that is targeted for the St. Catharine’s school is seeing a strong response from the students. Sir Isaac Brock Blend coffee, named after the war of 1812 hero and namesake of the school, is made and sold on-site. Alongside the campus staples such as Tim Hortons and Pizza Pizza, this unique component offers something available only at Brock.

Communication studies One of the best ways to find out whether food operations are satisfying students is by

communicating directly with them, and in this era of social media, there are no shortage of avenues. The UeaT brand at the University of Toronto is a direct result of engaging with students and wanting to further involve them in a conversation on food, says U of T’s director of ancillary services, Anne MacDonald.

“We developed it as an umbrella brand because [St. George] is such a big campus and there are so many different service providers,” she says. “Students don’t need to know who runs what and where, they just want to get on social media and talk to foodservice. So, [UeaT is] kind of the social media presence and outward looking face of foodservice.”

Along with a website, UeaT has a Facebook page, Twitter account and student bloggers who publish reports on issues of interest around foodservice, says MacDonald. One of the things she’s noticed over the past few years is the importance of having an open conversation with students. “They want to talk to us so we have to be available to do that,” she says.

The Hospitality Services Advisory Committee at Guelph, which has a student representative from each residence, offers regular feedback on the school’s food operations, says Mark Kenny, purchasing co-ordinator, hospitality services for University of Guelph. Along with dining hall surveys, Kenny says the majority of feedback comes from social media.

“People are always happy to tell you what they don’t like, but our students always tell us what they do like,” he says. “Students will

[write] that they liked one thing, and can we get more of this or that. There’s lots of opportunity for feedback from them.”

Sodexo recently started a Student Board of Directors that serves as a consulting committee for their campus foodservice segment, says Telford. Students serve on the committee for two to three years and have some regular engagement with the company and each other.

“They definitely get together twice a year at a specific campus and spend two or three days testing and going through trends, data and surveys,” says Telford. “We are starting to look at technology from a social media standpoint with digital menu boards. Social media is one that is a pilot piece.”

As of this year, Leigh Laidlaw, chef manager of Bridges Café at McMaster University, started a Facebook page for the café that lists the feature of the day and gives students an opportunity to respond. He says students will make requests for new items and if he gets enough requests, he’ll make it as a feature. If well received, that dish could get a spot on the menu.

“They can communicate through [the Facebook page] and we’re pretty open here for the students to ask us questions,” says Laidlaw.

MacDonald says the relationship between students and foodservice is really that of the university, and social media is an important vehicle for that.

It is in the interest of university and suppliers to listen to the students and provide the sort of service they require, she says.

Students and staff at Toronto’s Humber College North Campus can purchase a leg of lamb, pork roast, or lasagna made with fresh pasta for $4 to $6. Not a bad price for a full meal made fresh daily.

The Humber culinary program supplies the campus outlet, Gourmet Express, with dishes prepared by students in class. “The key to what we want to train [culinary students in] is how to do a presentable take out,” says Rudi Fischbacher, culinary program co-ordinator. “For us, it’s a cost recooperation, not profit making.”

Students prepare the meals in class to be put into a blast chiller and then labeled and sold at Gourmet Express, says Fischbacher. Profit made from the sale of food goes back into the program to cover food costs as well as machinery and equipment.

Daily specials are posted online and staff and students have the option of placing specific orders, such as combining a pasta dish with a protein, which will then be chilled and packaged for them.

Despite having 110 practical classes per week with 12 teams of students in each, Fischbacher says a chef has been hired to prepare supplementary meals to keep up with demand.

Humber’s School of Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism also operates The Humber Room, a full-service, upscale-casual restaurant on campus where food is cooked and served by students, says Fischbacher.

This summer will see a $1 million renovation of The Humber Room that will include reconfiguring the kitchen to a more open concept, as well as a new bar and private dining room, says Fischbacher.

Photos: This page: Chef Gordon Cooledge serves students at the University of Guelph. Photo by Laura Berman, GreenFuse Photos. Printed with permission from Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation.

Page 19: From left: Mackenzie Cafe, Mediterranean Grill at Simon Fraser University. Photo courtesy of Chartwells. Salad bar at the University of Guelph. Photo courtesy of University of Guelph. Good to Go bar. Photo courtesy of Sodexo.

Page 20: University of Guelph’s Chef Gordon Cooledge with Taste Real brand. Photo courtesy of University of Guelph.

Background images: Ruled paper by Somad Jinn. Post-it Notes by Broken Arts.

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Healthy choices and restricted diets Among foodservice operators, suppliers and chefs, there is strong agreement that dietary restrictions and nutritional consciousness is on the rise. “We’ve seen a real new demand for special menus,” says Telford. “Whether it be vegan or gluten-free – some lifestyle, some religion, some health-related – it certainly has impacted us.”

He says that one of the largest ways these restrictions have affected Sodexo is in making them more innovative both in their food offerings, and how they sell it.

“I think the piece that’s really become apparent is that we have to market it. We have to make sure people know a gluten-free option does exist,” he says.

Telford gives the example of Queens University, where there is a well-advertised vegetarian station. “In some cases, we have an email address where you can make an appointment to see someone and make specific menu requests.”

MacDonald says, simply due to demographics, there is a higher representation of vegetarians and vegans on university campuses than in the general population. As well, with strong international representation, there is a high number of dietary restrictions. “[U of T] just started a labelling program so that vegetarian and vegan options are clearly identified. You want to be able to go up to a counter and know what you’re getting,” says MacDonald. She says the next phase of the labeling project is gluten-free.

While traditional cafeteria options will always be a selling point for an indulgent younger generation, MacDonald says it has become clear that they also seek out the healthier options.

“Students certainly seem to be more health focused than they were in my day. They’re more health conscious and more educated about nutrition than they were perhaps 10 years ago,” she says. “This doesn’t mean they don’t want pizza.

They do, but they also want healthier options.”

Munro says that giving students the freedom to individualize their own meals has allowed them to satisfy both restrictive diets and indulgent cravings. Many of Chartwells’ facilities have an area called My Pantry, where students can cook their own food, says Munro.

Students can go shopping for ingredients in the servery and then use a frying pan or other cookware needed to prepare themselves a dish.

As well as giving students the option of what to eat, it also gives them the freedom of choosing when they eat. “They go to bed at odd hours and work at odd hours. Their days are not like traditional days. They’re living on a much more global clock,” he says. “It’s like coming into your own kitchen,” says Munro. “You open the fridge, you’ll find eggs, rice that was for dinner last night – all labeled of course and held at the right temperature – you can make waffles, a smoothie, toast.”

A displayed shopping list in the pantry allows students to add to the list, whether it’s a

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certain food or spice, for the chef to bring in, says Munro.

Religious studies Students seeking alternative food options Among the factors that dictate a student’s diet can be religion. With a vastly multicultural were largely behind creating the business plan country, immigration increasing and a high volume of international students at Canadian for the all-vegetarian Bridges Café at McMaster, post-secondary institutions, religious dietary restrictions are becoming an ever-increasing facsays Laidlaw. Partnered with the department of tor for the student body.

Diversity Services, the café operates as part of U of T’s labeling project was sparked by the request of a board member to make Halal opthe overall foodservice at the school in that it tions more conspicuous, says MacDonald. “Halal items really need to be specific. You can’t qualifies as part of the meal plan for students, tell just by reading the ingredient list. We wanted to make sure we were providing a friendly but it is strict about its vegetarian mandate, says environment for people to come in and see some reassurance.”

Laidlaw. “We don’t allow meat on the premises, In response to the requirements of students, Laidlaw invested in providing Kosher fare at really out of respect for other diners,” he says.

Bridges Café, at McMaster University.

Bridges offers a full menu of hot and cold “Every Monday, I cook under Rabbi supervision,” says Laidlaw. “When the Rabbi is here, options as well as a grab-and-go salad station, we prepare, double wrap, label, and freeze everything.” says Laidlaw. A pasta and stir-fry bar offers at With stringent rules around food preparation and sourcing, Laidlaw says it has been a true least 20 different types of produce to incorpolearning experience. “There is a different set of rules,” he says. “It’s not a Kosher kitchen. Berate in the made-to-order dishes as well as varicause we are not 100 per cent Kosher, [the Rabbi] has to monitor everything I do.” ous types of rice or noodle. Including his main One of Laidlaw’s work tables is set aside specifically for Kosher cooking and the blessed menu board, Laidlaw says approximately 75 per cookware is kept in a locked cabinet to which the Rabbi holds the only key. cent of Bridges options are also vegan-friendly.

Laidlaw says he sees approximately 600 students per day coming through Bridges, which is He says such individual catering is feasible Sustainable sources approximately one quarter of what some of the by having a broadline solution for staples and There is an increased environmental awarelarger campus foodservice establishments see. then nuances that are unique to each school. ness and desire from students to know where At the beginning of each school year, Laid“You do the basics with the broadline,” he says. their food comes from, says MacDonald. A conlaw meets with every student that has food alFinding solutions that appeal to environcern for carbon footprints and issues associated lergies or dietary restrictions and alerts his staff. mentally-minded students comes naturally at with procurement have not been just a flash in He says they also have clear signage asking stuBridges Café. “Sustainability and vegetarianthe pan, but has shown a consistent increase for dents to make staff aware of any special requireism go hand in hand,” says Laidlaw. “Student several years now, ments. involvement has definitely increased as they’re she says.

“People are becoming more aware.” He tries to stay one step “The big chalwatching what ahead and shop as local as possible. Despite lenge with those they eat and belast year’s challenging growing season, Laidlaw sorts of things is ing more involved says he sources from local farmers that operate always the food and more aware,” pesticide-free. supply chain. he says. “Every “This is the generation that’s starting to ask Sometimes, it’s year, I get more more questions and be more curious,” says Laidthe middle of the and more queslaw. “They are more conscious and more aware supply chain that’s tions about nutriof their food.”

Leigh Laidlaw, chef manager, the issue,” says tional value.”

One trend that is cropping up on campuses, MacDonald. “I’ve To address Bridges Café including McMaster and Guelph, is going back found Aramark student questo the source and hosting farmers’ markets, or to be very flextions and conagricultural clubs on campus. ible over the years. cerns about “The Ontario Agricultural College was basiThey’ve come a health, the Unically the founder of all of University of Guelph long way and they certainly recognize and appreversity of Guelph offers SNAP – the Student and that really ties into the whole local food conciate that we have a relationship with our students Nutrition Awareness Program. The program cept,” says Kenny. “It’s a perfect fit for us. I always that we want to continue to be positive.” has second and third year nutrition students The push for sustainable foodservice prac- say we’re lucky to be where we are. We have all of advise others on food choices, says Kenny. They tices is not limited to urban schools, or a par- this great farmland around us. To be able to shop will give tips on concerns such as healthier food ticular province, says Telford. As with most food in your own backyard is really one of the keys.” choices than coffee and pop for exam period, or Last year, with help from the Greenbelt Fund, trends, there isn’t an easy differentiator between how to supplement a low-iron diet. They also Guelph opened a brand new produce processurban and rural schools because their student run programs whereby if you purchase a cercatchment is so broad. “What we did determine ing room. The facility allows them to purchase tain amount of fruit, you get stamps that evenis that each school has its own very unique iden- local seasonal produce and then wash, chop, tually accumulate to a free fruit reward. tity. It doesn’t necessarily relate to the school sanitize and freeze it to be used throughout the To promote an interest in healthier vegetatwo minutes away,” says Telford. He chalks winter, says Kenny. The room also operates as a ble alternatives U of T hosts Veggie Mondays. this down to national recruiting programs by jarring station where corned salsa, pickled pepMacDonald notes that the name is not Meatschools that once were more focused on local or pers, and other preserves are made for sale on less Mondays, since they don’t want to exclude regional marketing. From coast to coast, Telford campus under their own label. The university certain proteins. “We’re going with the positive says the demand for local produce and products has partnered with Guelph Wellington Local spin rather than the negative,” she says. “We Food on their Taste Real initiative that identifies is a real one. don’t take the meat away but we do want to Even on a large scale, local sourcing is a pos- food grown within the Guelph Wellington area. increase the vegetable options.” Food operators sibility on school campuses, says Munro. “A cusalso offer a 10 per cent discount to anyone who tom solution for Halifax is different than it is in purchases a vegetarian meal on Mondays.

Continued on page 20 Montreal or Vancouver or Toronto.”

“People are watching what they eat and being more involved and more aware.”

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Kenny says preserves from the processing Enrollment room are proudly labeled with the Taste Real logo.

Post-secondary institutions have the unique The processing room opened April 1, 2012 setting of foodservice within a hub of research, and Kenny says they are still in the learning learning and innovation. Everyday, students and phase. “We’ve been a year now, and put a lot professors are dedicating their time to discussions of product through,” he says. “[However,] we’re around agriculture, food security, sustainability still having to purchase some.” and other issues that are interconnected with their Along with chef Gordon Cooledge, who own daily meals. oversees the processing room, Kenny shops for “We have a much foodier culture now than we the school at the Elmira Produce Auction. Toused to,” says MacDonald. “Students don’t shut gether, they can see what is available and what that part of themselves off when they come to can be done with it for campus foodservice. For university.” Courses are geared toward food and example, Kenny says they found cherry bomb environmental issues, and MacDonald encourpeppers at the auction for a good price and deages students to have a united experience where cided they could be pickled and used down the their academics meet with campus life. In turn, road as a burger topping or other addition.

MacDonald says, foodservice wants to be a part of The next big project for Kenny is an onthe students’ academic experience. campus short order grill that will subscribe to Dana Lahey, a consultant and former national the regional ingredient philosophy. “As much coordinator for Campus Food Systems Project product as possible, in that particular restau(CFSP) says, “The value to foodservice providers rant, will be local (that being Ontario). We like is that they can tap into these incredible academic to use Foodland Ontario logos and things like capacities on the campuses they’re on.” The CFSP that, and the majority of that is produce,” says is a national initiative between the Sierra Youth Kenny. “We’re expanding that into protein and Coalition and Meal Exchange. It works with studeveloping the menus on that right now.” dent leaders on nine campuses across Canada Queens University has a similar pilot projto engage members at every level of foodservice ect, The Great Canadian Grilling Company, a operations in working towards more sustainable partnership between the school, Sodexo and practice, says Lahey. chef Michael Smith, says Kenny.

Working with schools from Newfoundland Guelph’s new restaurant will benefit from to B.C., CFSP put a call out to student leaders to the processing room’s capacity for local and put in applications explaining why they felt their house-made preserves. “We can start jarring school was ready for this change, and why they a lot of our own prodwere the right person to uct. If we wanted to make it happen. CFSO Case study: Seafood make our own kimchi provides two years of In working towards obtaining sustainable or ketchup – we can use support and funding seafood certification at McGill, a senior underlocal ingredients, make for the student leaders them for ourselves and graduate class in environmental studies dedi– generally there are two serve them at this loca- cated an entire semester to the cause. The class or three at each school evaluated the different systems of certification, tion,” says Kenny.

– and coaches them on “We’re trying to tie all determining which was most useful and realisseeking out and bringof these little local food tic. The students also posed the question, “Is it ing together the foodrealistic for our distributors?” pieces into one presentIn March 2013, McGill became the first Ca- service stakeholders on able package that says their campus, Lahey ‘Do you know you’re do- nadian university to obtain certification from says. The student leaders the Marine Stewardship Council. ing local right now?’” are facilitating meetings

O N TA R I O R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

Case study: Poultry Chefs and students together decided poultry was one of the largest consistent categories purchased, says Lahey. Finding out the different options with sourcing poultry and which were actually feasible became the focus for three separate courses, one undergraduate group project and an independent study by one student that led to their undergraduate thesis project.

Through this work, areas such as supply and price points came into consideration as well as the varying standards for poultry such as grain fed or organic.

The study dictated that the manageable option was switching to 10 per cent grain fed poultry, a smaller percentage of organic and using those avenues to begin building supply chain relationships. between chefs, professors, administrators and the community to have a positive conversation on sustainability.

“It’s about creating a space to have collaborative discussions around these really big questions of: ‘We know we want to serve sustainable food, support the local economy, provide healthy, affordable food … What are the barriers, what are the opportunities and how can we work together?’,” says Lahey. One of the benefits of campuswide involvement in foodservice is that applied research partnerships can bring about answers to these questions.

“When you bring those players together, you can say ‘What research is needed by the [foodservice] provider?’ and then use the support of a passionate group of students who spend a semester or year working on that project,” says Lahey. “Students have a chance to tackle concrete, real world issues on their campus and do research that’s going to have a real impact.”

At McGill University, applied student research (the topic of Lahey’s thesis at that school) has led to in depth research in sourcing local and sustainable poultry, and most recently obtaining sustainable seafood certification.

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P ROD U CT S

Dry and wash all in one The Dyson Airblade Tap hand dryer washes and dries hands with no need to leave the sink. Infrared sensors pinpoint hand positions and release water from the tap stem. Once hands are wet and drying is requested, integrated circuitry computes the information and activates the Dyson digital motor V4, creating two high velocity sheets of air on the tap’s branches. Using Airblade technology, the Dyson Airblade Tap hand dryer sends sheets of unheated filtered air at 675 kph towards hands, literally scraping them dry. Hands are dry in 14 seconds.

The Dyson Airblade hand dryer passes washroom air through a HEPA filter which removes 99.97 per cent of bacteria at 0.3 microns from the air used to dry hands.

Closest thing to a coffee robot Who hasn’t wished for the day coffee brewed itself? From keeping up with the lunch rush to offering customers a higher degree of customization, Cafection has a solution.

The Cafection Innovation Series Total 1 and Total Lite are interactive and Internet connected, touch screen coffee systems. The systems offer three cup sizes and strengths, and a variety of flavoured coffee. Options include a mounted credit card system and receipt printer.

For more information, go to: www.dyson.com.

Scallops and sauce for foodservice

Taking the pressure off servers Expediently turning tables is the key to raising the bottomline in the restaurant industry. HubWorks has devised a tabletcompatible software that allows customers to place orders and pay bills on their own, rather than waiting for a server.

The software can be accessed by diners on a table-mounted iPad and is fully integrated with restaurant point-of-sales systems. To alleviate concerns over security and durability, Synapse has developed the HubWorks iPad Case, that allows for protection and safe use of the software.

Clearwater Seafoods is making seafood preparation easier for foodservice operators with their new product, Scallops & Sauce.

The scallops are MSC-certified and come in a garlic cream sauce. The scallop cooks in the cream sauce giving it a rich coating and are ready to serve in approximately six minutes.

Cooked in either the microwave or pan fried, the scallops can be added to pasta, risotto, chicken, steak, fish or as a side.

Clearwater Scallops & Sauce are available in 6 oz. portions for foodservice and can be customized under a private brand label.

For more information, go to: www.clearwater.ca.

For more information, go to www.synapse. com/projects/ipad-point-sale-case.

For more information, go to: www.cafection. com/en/products/innovation-series.

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O N TA R I O R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

PEOPLE

Photos: Clockwise from top left: Afrim Pristine, Cheese Boutique. Susan Senecal, A&W Food Services of Canada. Chef Ted Corrado, Drake Hotel Properties. Mo Jessa, Earls Restaurants Ltd.

The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) named Susan Senecal, chief marketing officer for A&W Food Services of Canada, as the new chair of the board at its annual general meeting.

The CRFA also released the names of this year’s executive committee and board members.

Executive Committee Susan Senecal, A&W Food Services of Canada Inc., North Vancouver. Chair of the Board.

Kevin Friesen, Imvescor Restaurant Group Inc., Moncton. First vice-chair.

Liam Dolan, Claddagh Oyster House/ Olde Dublin Pub, Charlottetown.

Vice-chair.

Paul Methot, Pizza Pizza Ltd., Toronto. Vice-chair.

Ian Mackay, ARAMARK Healthcare, Toronto. Treasurer.

Yvan Coupal, Salades Sensations, Laval, QC. Secretary.

Mark Pacinda, Boston Pizza International Inc., Mississauga, ON. Chair, strategic plan.

Donna Dooher, The Mildred Pierce Group, Toronto. Immediate past chair.

Board Members Bill Allen, Fresh Casual Restaurant Inc., Aulac, NB. Michael Aronovici, Interaction Restaurants Group Inc., Montreal.

John Betts, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada, Toronto.

Scott Bonikowsky, Tim Hortons Inc., Oakville, ON.

Darren Carter, Beer Bros. Gastropub & Deli/The Willow on Wascana, Regina.

Gerard Curran, The James Joyce Irish Pub and Restaurant, Calgary.

Tommy Cvitanovich, Drago’s Seafood Restaurant, Metairie, LA. National Restaurant Association exchange director.

Warren Erhart, White Spot Hospitality, Vancouver.

James Henderson, The Keg Steakhouse and Bar, Richmond, BC. Brad Kramble, Salisbury House of Canada, Winnipeg.

Daniel Labonté, Restaurant Normandin, Quebec City.

Guy Laframboise, Les Restaurants Subway Québec Ltée, Ville SaintLaurent, QC. Steve McMullin, Grafton Connor Group, Halifax.

Scot McTaggart, fusion grill, Winnipeg.

Brenda O’Reilly, YellowBelly Brewery & Public House, St. John’s.

Don Robinson, Cara Operations Ltd., Vaughan, ON. Patrick Saurette, The Marc Restaurant Group, Edmonton.

Bill Simpson, Drake Hotel, Toronto.

Chris Tzaneteas, Chrisco Restaurants Ltd., Halifax.

Vikram Vij, Vij’s Restaurant Inc., Vancouver.

Mike Yasinski, Hudsons Canadian Hospitality, Edmonton.

Annie Young-Scrivner, Starbucks Coffee Company, Toronto.

Third generation cheesemaker and co-owner of the Etobicoke-based Cheese Boutique, Afrim Pristine has become a guild member of the International Guild de Fromage.

At 32 years old, Pristine is the youngest to receive the maître de fromagier designation, and was awarded the chevalier role in 2007.

Pristine, who supplies restaurants around the Greater Toronto Area, studied history at Wilfred Laurier University, but his real education was in cheese.

He started at the Cheese Boutique at eight years old doing simple tasks like dusting.

“What I learned in school helps me with what I’m doing now,” he told ORN. “Throughout Italian and French history, there’s been the enjoyment of drinking good wine and eating good cheese,” he said.

“My job is to communicate, and honour cheese and cheesemakers,” he said. “For some people, it’s just food. For us, however, it’s our livelihood, and it’s magical.”

Mohamed “Mo” Jessa was appointed president of Earls Restaurants Ltd. and the Fuller Group of restaurants, the family business that operates Earls Kitchen + Bar, Joey Restaurants and Local restaurant on March 1 by Earls Restaurants Ltd., CEO Stan Fuller.

Jessa began his career with Earls more than 25 years ago as a junior prep cook, while attending university for biochemistry. In 1991, after advancing to senior cook at a new Earls location in Calgary, Jessa returned to school to acquire his Red Seal Certificate and Journeyman Chef papers.

He has held the positions of sous chef, chef and then regional chef, overseeing various B.C. locations, as well as acquiring levels of Certified Chef de Cuisine from the Confederation of Chefs and Cooks and a Masters Certificate in Hospitality Management from Cornell University.

Most recently, Jessa was Earls’ executive chef and vice-president, operations.

Jessa will work with Fuller to oversee existing Earls locations while expanding in both Canadian and U.S.

Drake Hotel Properties has announced Ted Corrado as the company’s first ever corporate executive chef. Corrado will oversee menu development and research for the Drake Hotel team, alongside head chef Darren Glew.

Corrado will also be instrumental in the Drake’s new outpost, the Drake Devonshire Inn, alongside a soon-tobe-appointed head chef.

Having acquired a chef training certificate from George Brown College in Toronto, following a philosophy degree at York University, Corrado headed abroad.

Corrado gained culinary experience while travelling abroad before returning to Toronto in 1998. Corrado’s culinary portfolio includes chef de cuisine at Rain, head chef at Luce in Hotel Le Germain and a position at George.

In 2006, with the expansion of the Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, Corrado was hired on as chef de cuisine at the museum’s new c5 restaurant.

COMING EVENTS Apr. 10: National Food, Tabletop & Supplies Show, Toronto Congress Center, Toronto, ON. For information, go to: gfscanada.com/en/ helping-you-succeed/foodshows.

Apr. 23: Nutrition for NON-Nutritionists, University of Toronto St. Michael’s College, Toronto. For information, go to: www.nutritionfornonnutritionists.com.

Apr. 24: National Food, Tabletop & Supplies Show, ExpoCite Quebec, Quebec City, QC. For information, go to: gfscanada.com/en/ helping-you-succeed/foodshows.

Apr. 30 – May 2: SIAL Canada, the International Food & Beverage Tradeshow, SET CANADA, the National Food Equipment and Technology Tradeshow, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto, ON. For information, go to: www. sialcanada.com.

May 1: Flanagan Foodservice Annual Tradeshow, Sudbury Show, Garson Community Centre, Garson, ON. For information, go to: www.flanagan.ca.

May 5-6: Bakery Congress, PNE Forum Building, Vancouver. For information, go to: www.baking.ca.

May 7: Flanagan Foodservice Annual Tradeshow, Owen Sound Show, Owen Sound Bayshore Arena, Owen Sound, ON. For information, go to www.flanagan.ca.

May 9-10: Canadian Society of Nutrition Management and Dietitians of Canada joint conference. Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel, Toronto, ON. For information, go to: www.csnm.ca.

May 29: 50th Anniversary of Canadian Culinary Federation National Conference, Marriott River Cree Resort, Edmonton. For information, go to: www.ccfcc2013.ca.

May 30: We Care Golf Classic with LCBO, Cardinal Golf Club, Newmarket, ON. For more information, go to: www.friendsofwecare.org.

June 1: We Care Gala Dinner & Awards, International Centre, Mississauga, ON. For information, go to: www.friendsofwecare.org.

June 7: Flanagan Foodservice Golf Tournament, Foxwood Golf Club, Kitchener, ON. For information, go to: www.friendsofwecare.org.

July 8: 19th Labatt Charity Golf Classic, RattleSnake Point Golf Club, Milton, ON. For information, go to: www.friendsofwecare.org.

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