June 2018 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional

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Issue 6 Volume 18

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WHISK(E)Y

A Family Affair

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June 2018

CONTENTS AND COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLISHER MIKE FRYER

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WELCOME TO THE LAS VEGAS FOOD & BEVERAGE PROFESSIONAL JUNE ISSUE, and thank you for your continued support and comments on the publication. We hope to keep all our professional readers updated and informed on what’s happening in the industry, especially focused on Las Vegas. I would be missing the boat if I didn’t mention and pass on a word about the amazing expansion hockey team taking Las Vegas by storm, “Go Nights Go!” OUR COVER FEATURE is a timely article preparing for Father’s Day featuring WHISKY presented by one of the foremost authorities on whisky here in Las Vegas: Max A. Solano, Beverage Program Specialist/Whisky & Spirits Educator at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Nevada. Max tells us, “With Father’s Day right around the corner, I would like to make some recommendations for yourself or your dad by companies whose whiskies were started and currently are produced by families. Nice touch Max, thank you…

PAGE 7 Takes us to the Broads of Bourbon where the informed ladies tell us about “The Whisky Attic: The Worst Kept Secret in Vegas” and an update to this very special bar/tasting room that has withstood the test of time and is providing us with a great opportunity to sip and learn.

PAGE 15 Journalist Pat Evans’ column “Chef Spotlight” introduces us to Chef Brittany Snyder and we are always excited to see more women chefs helping to round out the culinary industry, especially with talents in the kitchen. Please read more on this exceptional up-and-coming chef.

PAGE 28 Gives us a recap of the recently held WSWA Convention at Caesars Palace compiled by LVF&B Pro’s Editorial Director Bob Barnes, who adds his professional insight to the new products now, or soon to be, on the market. If you were unable to attend WSWA, here is your opportunity to learn.

CHEERS! MIKE FRYER SR.EDITOR/PUBLISHER

Page 4 Hot off the Grill!

Page 5 Wine Talk Mixed Reality: The next generation of wine labels Page 6 What’s Brewing

Page 15 Chef Spotlight Brittany Snyder

Page 26 Chef Talk The Good Thing in a Small Package: the Sesame Seed

Page 19 Recipe for Fun=JottShots

Page 8 Brett’s Vegas View

Page 20 Best of the Best

Page 9 Product Review

Page 21 COOK•EAT: Asia Asian Food Business

Page 10 Blue Ox Tavern Delivering Midwestern Hospitality for 38 Years Page 12 What’s Cooking

www.lvfnbpro.com

Page 25 Human Resources Insights The Power of Positive Thinking

Page 16 COVER FEATURE Whisk(e)y: A Family Affair

Page 7 Broads of Bourbon

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Page 14 Twinkle Toast The Gospel of Dom Pérignon

Page 13 The Restaurant Expert Running a Successful Restaurant Is a Numbers Game

Page 27 UNLV Epicurean Society Page 28 WSWA 75th Annual Convention & Exposition Brings Interesting and Delicious Products Page 30 Events Ad Index

Page 23 The Bottom Line When to Go into the Delivery Business Page 24 Nevada Restaurant Association Our Next Generation of Culinary Stars

June 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 3

The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 7442 Grizzly Giant Street Las Vegas, NV 89139 www.lvfnbpro.com

HOT OFF THE GRILL!

Mike Fryer

Sr. Editor/Publisher

For any questions or comments please email mike@lvfnb.com

Bob Barnes

Editorial Director bob@lvfnb.com

Juanita Fryer

LVF&B Pro’s Beverage Editor Adam Rains, after winning the regional competition, earned the right to compete in the finals for “Star of the Bar” at the NRA Show in Chicago, and we were there covering it.

Unfortunately, Adam didn’t get 1st place in the finals competition, but ran a close second, according to inside information. Way to go, Adam!

Congrats!

Adam Rains

Assistant To Sr. Editor ACF Chefs Liasion/Journalist juanita.fryer@lvfnb.com

photo courtesy Robotaster

At the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago we had the chance to attend and cover the Rational Reception with a guest appearance by Chef Thomas Keller, who is always very accommodating to pose with and have a little Q&A. Here Sr. Editor/ Publisher Mike Fryer gets a shot with Chef Keller.

Thank you for joining us in this issue of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional.

Beverage Editor adam.rains@lvfnb.com

BELLAVITA – The Italian Marketplace and Pavilion was a virtual food and beverage show of Italy and has now become the largest Italian Food & Beverage Expo outside Italy. Including cooking demonstrations, food samplings, and wine tasting, this was the pavilion not to miss at the NRA Show in Chicago.

Juanita Aiello Creative Director juanita@lvfnb.com

Advertising sales@lvfnb.com

Article Submissions/Suggestions articles@lvfnb.com

Calendar Submissions calendar@lvfnb.com

Website webmaster@lvfnb.com

Press Relase Submissions news@lvfnb.com

General Information info@lvfnb.com

@lvfnb

The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Journalist Wine Talk Alice Swift

Journalist The Bottom Line Ben Brown

Accounting Manager Michelle San Juan

Journalist Brett’s Vegas View Jackie Brett

Journalist Best of the Best Shelley Stepanek

Journalist UNLV Epicurean Society Justin Leung

Journalist Made from Scratch John Rockwell

Journalist The Restaurant Expert David Scott Peters

Journalist Good for Spooning LeAnne Notabartolo

Journalist COOK•EAT: Asia K. Mike Masuyama Ph.D.

Photographer Audrey Dempsey

Journalist Chef Talk Allen Asch

Journalist Al Mancini

Journalist Samuel’s Beer Picks Samuel Merritt

Journalists Broads of Bourbon Mary Powers & Delilah Tennyson

Journalist UNLV Spoon University Vincent Kwan

Journalist Pat Evans

Photographer Joe Urcioli

Journalists Twinkle Toast Erin Cooper & Christine Vanover

Journalist Lisa Matney

Journalist HR Insights Linda Bernstein

4 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I June 2018

www.lvfnbpro.com

Wine Talk

with Alice Swift

By Alice Swift Alice Swift has been writing Wine Talk since 2011, and has a passion for education and hospitality/ F&B. In 2016, she obtained her Ph.D. in Hospitality Administration from UNLV and moved from the “ninth island” to the island of Oʻahu. She now works for Kamehameha Schools as an instructional designer/project manager, and teaches part-time for UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality.

See more at www.aliceswift.com.

Mixed Reality: The next generation of wine labels As you may or may not know, I have an odd fascination with the marriage of F&B and technology. Even my education has been crossed hospitality with instructional design and (educational) technology. With the amazing advancements that we have made in the technology world, it was only a matter of time before the beverage world started exploring the crazy possibilities!

You’ve probably heard of terms such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), etc. Surprisingly, these innovations have been around for multiple decades, but just never really “took off.” Do you recall inventions that began over 50 years ago, such as “Smell-ovision,” “Sensorama,” or 3D stereoscopic films?

At the time, those inventions were difficult to sustain due to the high costs associated, but they did form the foundation for film enhancements we watch today (widescreen movies, IMAX, 3D, etc.). In the gaming world, AR & VR have made a fair entry into the market, but it has only been in recent years that it has been applied to more specialized industries, like education, and more recently, food and beverage.

This month, I will be sharing one particular area, generally categorized as mixed reality, and one of the applications that has recently surged in popularity in the consumer beverage world recently.

What is Mixed Reality?

If you think of the extremes of the environments that we reside in, we live in the “real” environment. On the other end of the spectrum is the “virtual” environment. The real environment is the one that you live in. Virtual reality immerses users into a fully artificial, simulated digital (i.e., virtual) environment.

Mixed Reality, often used interchangeably with, but is also a subset of the Mixed Reality umbrella term (encompassing real, virtual, and mixed reality), is where the real and virtual environments are blended together to varying degrees. Within Mixed Reality, you have Augmented Reality, where virtual elements are overlaid them into the real world environment, to Augmented Virtuality, where reality elements are overlaid into the virtual environment.

In the beverage world, I have seen some technology like QR codes being used on wine bottles, in tasting rooms and wine shops, to the vineyards. However, recently, Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) began experimenting with Mixed Reality. Read on to learn all about it! www.lvfnbpro.com

Living Wine Labels App (formerly the 19 Crimes app) Website: https://www.livingwinelabels.com/ What started as a one-time, disruptive innovation to use for one wine brand, has now spawned an entire program to take expand and advantage of the possibilities! Initially, Treasury Wine Estates sought out Tactic and J. Walter Thompson to create the 19 Crimes augmented reality app for the wine brand as a marketing tactic to draw millennials.

19 Crimes Website: http://19crimes.com/ The 19 Crimes wine label concept team drew from a historical reference to the 1700s.

Beginning in 1783, those in Britain who were convicted of one of 19 crimes would be punished and sentenced to live in Australia, rather than face death. Their stories now live on through the augmented reality app. Consumers who purchase the bottles are able to use the app to scan the labels, and learn about this period in history through the criminals themselves, who tell their story. They appear to be real (or simulated through augmented reality) and speaking directly to the viewer, which makes it that much more intriguing.

Due to its unexpected popularity boom, the 19 Crimes app was revamped to the Living Wine Labels app, which has since increased its wine label offerings.

The Walking Dead Website: https://www.thewalkingdeadwine.com Its most recent successes have been with the new release of The Walking Dead wine brand (brought to you by The Last Wine Company, a partnership between Skybound Entertainment and Treasury Wine Estates). This latest brand takes advantage of the cult following of the popular TV series. The Living Wine Labels app allows consumers to experience joining forces with Rick Grimes of The Walking Dead, or simulate the experience of escaping a zombie.

If you purchase both bottles, you can even use them together to unlock a special experience: the final battle for survival!

Other brands available on the app: Treasury Wine Estates has capitalized on this disruptive marketing program by adding to the number of wines that are now available on the Living Wine Labels app: • Beringer Bros.

• Gentleman’s Collection • Chateau St. Jean (exclusive to US and Canada) Treasury Wine Estates has maintained its double-digit growth over the past few years, likely in part due to the company’s willingness to adapt and innovate. The embracing of technology has really worked for the company, as they are willing to apply innovations to stay on the forefront of advancements.

Technology really has come a long way, and it’s great to see so many companies embracing its application in their respective fields. I am excited to see the possibilities continue to evolve and grow within the beverage world. Who knows, we may one day have not only augment reality, but VIRTUAL reality experiences applied to the beverage industry (if not already)!

Until next month, Cheers~!

Alice

June 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 5

By Bob Barnes

what’s

BREWING

Bob Barnes is a native Las Vegan, editorial director of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional, regional correspondent for Celebrator Beer News and covers the LV restaurant scene for Gayot.com.

He welcomes your inquiries.

Email: bob@lvfnb.com

Nevada Takes Four Medals at the 2018 World Beer Cup

Mark your calendar for July 21. Big Dog’s Brewing’s next quarterly beerfest will be its Summer Beer Fest & Reggae Party, held under the stars from 5-11 p.m. in the outdoor area of the Draft House at Craig Rd. and Rancho Dr. There will be live bands playing reggae throughout the night, BBQ platters and as always, more than 45 local, regional and international beers will be poured, including several from the host brewery. For the line-up of beers visit bigdogsummerfest.com.

Another Landmark for Steiner’s My apologies to Roger Sachs and his Steiner’s-A Nevada Style Pub. In the last issue in congratulating them on their 20th anniversary I mistakenly listed their opening date occurring in 1988. Of course it should have been 1998, which just goes to show how rusty my math skills have become since retiring from teaching 11 years ago. Anyway, this correction gives me an excuse to mention his next landmark, the 15th anniversary of the Buffalo and Vegas Dr. location of Steiner’s (1750 N. Buffalo), which after the original location developed its craft beer following, opened five years later with a larger space and increased footprint, on August 24, 2003 (I double checked the math using a calculator this time!). Show up on August 24, 2018 and enjoy food and drink specials, giveaways, entertainment and free gaming.

As always, great beer happens in Vegas!

Brewers Association Founder Charlie Papazian, Jeb Taylor (Head Brewer) & Mike Sotiriadis (Lead Brewer) accept awards for Revision Brewing.

Mob Museum Opens Working Distillery and Brewery Las Vegas has a new brewery/distillery, albeit on a very small scale. The Mob Museum has opened a new wing known as The Underground. Named for its location in the Museum’s basement, the new addition is dedicated to educating visitors about the era of Prohibition, and included in the instruction are a working distillery and brewery. The distillery has a capacity of 60 gallons and can distill approximately 250 750ml bottles of 100% yellow corn moonshine per week, while the even smaller brewing apparatus holds only 20 gallons and will be able to produce about 15 gallons (about one keg) a week. Overseeing both is Las Vegas Distillery Owner George Radz, who is training Lead Museum Educator Cole Miller to eventually take over both distilling and brewing duties. CraftHaus Co-head Brewer Steve Brockman has also been advising on recipes. Plans are to generate Prohibition-era pale ales, amber ales, porters and stouts. A speakeasy with full view of the brewing and distilling systems is where you can sample the brews and moonshine. The red-wallpapered room with leather banquettes is filled with artifacts and displays delineating the history of Prohibition, a working jukebox from the 1920s and a long wooden bar. To access the speakeasy during daytime you must purchase a ticket to the museum, but after 5 p.m. no ticket purchase is required, but only those 21 or over are admitted and one will need to enter from a not-so-secret side door on the northeast corner of the building down a flight of stairs and say the password-of-the-week (posted on the Museum’s website and social media). The museum, located in a former federal courthouse built by the federal government during the 1920s and 1930s with Depression-era neoclassical architecture, has been doing quite well in drawing guests in, with nearly a million visitors since opening in 2012. Now with these new additions we have more reasons to visit and check out the history of Prohibition while imbibing the once illegal products of which the outlawing led to a storied part of our nation’s history.

Mob Museum—The Underground 300 Stewart Ave. | Las Vegas, NV 89101 | 702-229-2734 | themobmuseum.org

photo courtesy George Radz

Big Dog’s Summer Beer Fest

Jazz Aldrich, Charlie Papazian, Bonda Young, Patrick Dalton and Tom Young accept awards for Great Basin Brewing. photo courtesy Brewers Association

Although Nevada currently has less than 40 breweries, our brewers managed to claim four medals at the awards ceremony at the World Beer Cup held at the Craft Brewers Conference in Nashville on May 3, which this year attracted 8,234 entries from 66 countries. The four medals were earned by two breweries from Reno: Revision Brewing and Great Basin Brewing. Revision, only two weeks shy of celebrating its one year anniversary, struck gold with Revision IPA in the American-Style India Pale Ale category with 377 entries, and silver for Revision DIPA in the Imperial India Pale Ale category with 196 entries. These wins are not a major surprise, as IPA styles are what the hop-forward brewery specializes in, but winning in the two categories with the highest number of entries is quite impressive.

Great Basin maintained its claim to having won more major competition medals than any other brewery in Nevada, this year adding two bronze medals to its collection for Bitchin’ Berry in the Fruit Wheat Beer Category with 70 entries and Truckee River Red in the American-Style Amber/Red Ale category with 110 entries. This latest win brings Great Basin’s total to a very remarkable 9 WBC awards and 13 GABF medals.

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www.lvfnbpro.com

The Whisky Attic: The Worst Kept Secret in Vegas Originally located in the upstairs addition of the Freakin’ Frog, the Whisky Attic was a quick climb out of one bar and into a room full of board games and bookshelves chockfull of whiskies most had never seen before. The atmosphere was different and alluring and complemented

by Adam Carmer giving everyone a personal recommendation based off of their flavor preference. He created a memorable experience with a simple suggestion, and people caught on. Flash forward to 2018, a newer location in a quiet unassuming business park takes the original Whiskey Attic to a new level (ground level). JD, the newest addition to the whiskey educating duo invites us in to the waiting room to browse their collection of relics and vintage bottles while he finishes hosting a tasting for a group of out-of-towners. We are eventually led into the tasting room (cue Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory music) and behold over 4,000 unique expressions of whisky from around the world stacked floor to ceiling with that same eerily familiar suit of armor display off to the side (we may be speculating, but there’s probably a nanny cam in there).

Guests can choose several different packages that include exclusive rare finds, or just have the guys pick one out for you. “It’s not a sales pitch, it’s a preference. We aren’t sponsored by anyone and are completely unbiased,” he says as he pours our glencairn glasses with a surprise offering. One of the main goals of The Whisky Attic is to take the pretentiousness out of whisky tasting. “We want people to leave happy, but smarter than when they came in.” He elaborates on how wine tastings leave people feeling dumb and out of place when in reality it’s just a way for the people selling wine to make more money. These guys are in it for the pure enjoyment and education of the spirit, and they truly love to share their knowledge in a fun relatable way. Taste is also completely relative. One person might pick up fruit and honey, while another might get Sharpie and tacos. Eventually we all discover specific types that we enjoy and there shouldn’t be judgment attached to that. JD will be the first to tell you that he still prefers a good old shot of Jack Daniels over most high priced whisky offerings. It’s consistent and regardless of where he is in the world, Jack Daniels tastes the same (he’s also partial because they share the same initials).

The tasting initially starts off with JD asking each of us a few questions about our taste preferences (we won’t spoil it for you), but the guys are able to select whiskies that will target and expand tastings. JD elaborates that “there’s a whisky out there for everyone, and we’re happy to help you find it,” and he certainly does a great job of it. One of the major bonuses of the tasting is learning how to utilize the CSTEM (Carmer Spirits Tasting Enhancement Method) from the guy who created it, which is a complete game changer. JD is well versed in the method and very easily walks us through what we should be doing in order to get the best possible sipping experience from our whisky. It’s a pretty simple method that allows your olfactory system to acclimatize to the spirit you are drinking so that you are able to pull flavors that you wouldn’t have otherwise been able to pick up. The usual way is to smell the spirit before you sip, and that just won’t fly around here. We’ve learned a few other ways to drink whisky, and this was the only one that actually made sense. Instead of taking one to the dome and reacting to the sweet burn, you’re taking in small sips and allowing yourself to taste the several different levels of flavor. We’re not going over all of the steps here, that’s what google is for. We’d actually recommend learning it in person from the pros since they’ve educated master tasters and distillers all over the world. This is definitely a great group experience and if you’re looking to expand your whisky knowledge these are the guys to talk to. Check them out at: www. whiskyattic.com. www.lvfnbpro.com

photo by Ashley Flaig

BOURBON

Mary Powers and Delilah Tennyson are a couple of whiskey enthusiasts from Las Vegas, NV known for their humoristic and unconventional whiskey reviews on YouTube. They are the ladies of Broads of Bourbon. thebroads@broadsofbourbon.com Instagram: @broadsofbourbon Youtube: @broadsofbourbon Facebook: @bourbonbroads

photos by Mary Powers

Broads of

By Mary Powers & Delilah Tennyson

June 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 7

Brett’s

By Jackie Brett

Jackie is a freelance public relations specialist and writer specializing in the Las Vegas entertainment and travel scene. Her writings have appeared in magazines and newspapers nationwide and on numerous websites.

Email: jackiebrett@cox.net

ENTERTAINMENT

“The Stevie Wonder Song Party: A Celebration of Life, Love & Music,” will headline Park Theater at Park MGM Aug. 3, 4, 8, 10 and 11.

Surviving Queen band members and American Idol star Adam Lambert have a 10-date limited engagement of “The Crown Jewels” at Park Theater Sept. 1-22. Widespread Panic will follow with a three-show run Oct. 26, 27 and 28.

Barry Manilow returns to the Westgate’s showroom with a new show and residency. June dates are 14-16 and 21-23. YES will bring their “Quintessential YES: The 50th Anniversary Tour” to Westgate Saturday, Sept. 1.

Golden Rainbow will present Broadway musical “Chicago” for its 32nd Annual Ribbon of Life fundraiser at the Foundry at SLS Sunday, June 24 at 1 p.m.

Hooters two new shows are “Cons of Comedy” and late night sexy “Electric Candy.”

photo by Dennis Leupold

DINING

Mariah Carey will return with a new residency show “The Butterfly Returns” at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace beginning Thursday, July 5.

Janelle Monáe is bringing her upcoming North American “Dirty Computer Tour” to the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Tuesday, June 26.

Amy Schumer and Friends will headline an exclusive series of comedy shows at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan Aug. 10-11 and Nov. 2-3.

The “American Idol: Live!” 2018 tour will visit the Orleans Arena Sunday, July 29 featuring this season’s top seven finalists and Season 8 winner, Kris Allen.

“The Magic of Jen Kramer” starring the “Female Magician of the Year” opened at Westgate Cabaret.

Cindy Williams of Laverne and Shirley fame returned as guest star playing the fifth girlfriend in “Menopause The Musical” at Harrah’s.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers are returning for a poolside performance at the Sunset Station’s Amphitheater Friday, July 20.

Eddie Griffin has a headlining stand-up comedy residency inside The Sayers Club at SLS and will appear this fall in A Star is Born with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper.

Comedians John “Cap” Caparulo (ThursdaySaturday) and Tom Green (Sunday-Monday) are now The Comedy Lineup 10 p.m. regulars at Harrah’s.

Reggae YouTube star Conkarah returns for a performance inside Crimson at Red Rock Resort Saturday, July 21.

Osteria Costa opened at The Mirage offering Italian dishes meant to evoke the Amalfi Coast in space formerly occupied by Samba Brazilian Steakhouse.

Clubhouse Deli opened at Rampart Casino and JW Marriott, adjacent to the recently updated Race & Sports Book area, and The Palms Tower hall has a new Starbucks.

The Underground Lounge at Hooters opened next to the Sports Book with Karaoke Night Thursday through Saturday.

Beer Park introduced a new custom-made Budweiser beer bar with seating for 15 and beer from copper kegs sent directly from Budweiser’s brewery in Fairfield, Calif.

The Tropicana will host the second public “Summer Cookout featuring Robert Irvine” at the chef’s Public House Thursday, June 14.

ABOUT TOWN

MSG Sphere Las Vegas 18,000-seat arena is a 360-foot-tall spherical venue planned for behind The Venetian-Palazzo resorts in 2020 with an exterior illuminated with programmable LED lights.

The 47-story, 392-room Mandarin Oriental at CityCenter will become a Waldorf Astoria under the Hilton umbrella in August.

Accordingly, the plan is a $50-million renovation to reimagine the hotel.

Monte Carlo officially shed its name with the new signage taking on the new identity–Park MGM. Dining experiences still to be added include a new Roy Choi dining concept and a specifically-designed Eataly marketplace.

Wellness trailblazer Canyon Ranch has introduced its third brand extension. CR CREĀT is the company’s first stand-alone, quick-andcasual culinary concept located inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian/Palazzo.

World Market Center Las Vegas in partnership with the City of Las Vegas will build a new $76 million Expo Center.

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Julien’s Auctions will hold a Hollywood Legends auction at Planet Hollywood June 22 presenting Property From The Estate Of Jerry Lewis.

Mt. Charleston Lodge at the top of Kyle Canyon has been purchased by Ellis Island Casino and Brewery and will make minor renovations.

Moving from the Emergency Arts building, the Burlesque Hall of Fame downtown has a new larger location at 1027 S. Main Street.

Grand Canyon Scenic Airlines new year-round Antelope Canyon Expedition tour is the first and only excursion offering nonstop flights to Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend from Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

Fighters Only Magazine will celebrate its 10th anniversary with the World MMA Awards gala Tuesday, July 3 at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Beverly Hills Rejuvenation Center with its debut Las Vegas-spot in Boca Park opened its second location in Downtown Summerlin.

New developments at The LINQ include: Virtual Reality Adventures moving to a new mall location; Socks & Bottoms opening in June; and Marshall Retail Group opening their new retail concept, Welcome to Las Vegas Gift Shop.

EVENTS

Newly established United States of America Pageant will hold Teen, Miss, Ms. and Mrs. competitions for women from Nevada and California July 27-29 at the Conference Center of Las Vegas.

The 11th annual Grand Poker Series is being held at the Golden Nugget through July 3 in the Grand Event Center with more than 90 poker tournaments spread across 36 days.

The 7th annual Health, Healing & Happiness Conference & Expo June 8-10 at Tuscany features 30-plus presentations, the Holistic Living Expo, and celebrity doctor Joel Fuhrman returning as a keynote speaker. www.lvfnbpro.com

Product Review

New Breweries Entering Our Markets and a Unique Beer Gadget

By Bob Barnes

Einstök Water is the most predominant ingredient in beer, yet we hardly ever consider the type of H2O found in our brews. Iceland is known for its glacial water, considered the purest water in the world, with highly desirable pH and alkaline qualities that make it ideal for brewing beer. Now available in California and Nevada are the beers from Einstök, a fairly new brewery founded in 2011, which hails from Northern Iceland about 60 miles from the Arctic Circle, which uses pure glacial water tapped straight from a local mountain. Einstök’s brews have recently won some impressive accolades including earning Double Gold status in the 8th Annual New York International Beer Competition for its White Ale in the Belgian-style Witbier category. The brewery also entered five other beers, all of which also received awards. I sampled the Arctic Berry Ale—5% ABV summer ale with wheat malt, pilsner malt, oats, Bavarian hops and hand-picked Icelandic bilberries that is flavorful without being overly sweet; White Ale—5.2% ABV made with wheat malt, pilsner malt, oats, Bavarian noble hops, coriander and orange peel for a subtle spiciness; Arctic Pale Ale—5.6% ABV brewed with pale ale malt, crystal malt and chocolate malt and three kinds of hops: American Cascade and Northern Brewer and Bavarian Hallertau to give it a hoppy start and malty finish; and Toasted Porter—6% ABV, brewed with chocolate malt and authentic Icelandic roasted coffee, smooth and roasty with a subtle coffee undertone. www.einstokbeer.com

Boulevard Brewing Also a new entrant to our markets is the Kansas City-based Boulevard Brewing Company, the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest now in 40 states and Washington D.C. I sampled the Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale—8.5% ABV saison/farmhouse ale with grapefruit hoppy notes and dry, peppery, lingering finish; Tropical Pale Ale—5.9% ABV with grapefruit and passionfruit juices blended with hops bringing citrus, papaya, pine and spice notes; The Calling IPA—8.5% ABV double IPA with minimal malt to let the eight hop varieties shine; Unfiltered Wheat Beer—4.4% ABV easy drinking, lightly hopped American wheat with natural citrus flavor and sweet bready flavor; and Bourbon Barrel Quad—11.2% ABV abbey-style quadruple aged up to three years in oak bourbon barrels, with cherries adding a tart cherry with caramel notes. boulevard.com

Beer Caramelizer Just when you thought there weren’t any more innovations or gadgets to help you optimize enjoyment of your beer, along comes a new product to play with your suds. The 1571 Fahrenheit Beer Caramelizer is inspired by the centuries-old tradition of heating cocktails with a hot poker. The idea is to plunge the stainless steel tool into a hot fire until the tip glows red and then dip into your beer for 2-3 seconds, long enough for the heat to react with the sugars in the beer to create a richer, smoother taste. It comes with an extension rod to maintain a comfortable distance from the heat of the fire. Although it’s suggest you use a campfire, for my ex-beer-iment I used a gas burner on my stove and after taking several sips of untreated beer and heat-dipped beer, I can attest that using this device definitely results in an altered taste, which to my palate was smoother and creamier. Its use is not limited to beer and the makers suggest trying it with any adult beverage. www.1571f.com

Premium Sustainable Solutions

By LeAnne Notabartolo When it comes to sustainability, sometimes looking back is the best option. That’s exactly what Premium Sustainable Solutions does in their North Las Vegas, Nevada facility. They provide logo glass bottles with ceramic swing tops filled with still or sparkling water. They pick up the empties, sterilize them, and deliver filled ones, just like brewers and soda makers did in the past. Reducing landfill waste and providing a superior product makes them an up-and-coming company in the sustainability field. In addition to restaurants looking to reduce their carbon footprint on bottled water, the bottles can be ordered for special events, such as weddings and galas, to be given as favors. And an added bonus to all businesses seeking more social media presence, the bottles look fantastic in social media pictures of food showing off the restaurant’s logo. pss-water.com

www.lvfnbpro.com

June 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 9

Blue Ox Tavern Delivering Midwestern Hospitality for 38 Years

By Bob Barnes | Photos by Chris Summers

How often do you hear of a 3rd generation family-owned bar/restaurant operating for 38 years in Las Vegas? Hardly ever, but the Blue Ox establishments, some of Las Vegas’ longest existing watering holes, have not only withstood the test of time, but have been updated to keep up with the times.

The family business dates back to David Aronsohn, who opened the Blue Ox Nightclub in downtown Minneapolis in the 1960s, and moved the family business to Las Vegas, opening the similar-named Blue Ox West at Valley View and Sirius in 1980. That original location has since closed, but three remain, all of which are owned and operated by his descendants. Native Las Vegan Nathan Aronsohn and his father Ron have owned and operated the Blue Ox Tavern location at W. Sahara near Jones since it opened in 1996 (the two other locations are Blue Ox Central on Eastern near Patrick and Blue Ox East on Sandhill near Flamingo). Both father and son are hands-on in their management and can be found at the Tavern every single day. Nathan grew up in the family bar/restaurant and over the years has rolled quarters, washed dishes, worked in the kitchen and bartended, before being promoted to Partner in 2015, but can still be found behind the bar on weekends.

Blue Ox Tavern Server Courtney Simmons and Bar Manager-Co-owner Nathan Oronsohn

Described by Nathan as “a restaurant-centric gaming bar,” remarking on what has helped them withstand the test of time he says, “There’s a bar on every corner, so what sets us apart from the millions of other options in town is being appreciative of everyone who comes through the door. Sometimes you go to a bar and they don’t give a shit that you’re there; we’re the opposite of that.” As observed during my visit, every patron entering or leaving was given a taste of Midwestern hospitality as they were immediately greeted by staff with a cheerful welcome or goodbye.

An establishment that has been around as long as the Blue Ox has, inevitably at some point will need updating. The perfect opportunity to do so presented itself when Departure Films came calling, offering to feature the Tavern in the pilot episode of Vegas Restaurant Rehab for the Food Network, a gentler version of Bar Rescue without overblown drama and with a focus on food instead of drink. Although the description of the episode states the Tavern was on the ropes, Nathan asserts they were not in danger of going out of business, and their establishment was picked because it checked all the right boxes: a family-run operation, in existence for several years and in need of a remodel without the available funds to do so.

The episode, titled “Blue Ox on the Rocks,” aired on April 29, and as would be expected, there has been a significant uptick in business, but Nathan believes most of the increase has been due to the improved surroundings.

Accomplished in only 48 hours, what used to be a very clean dive bar Nathan described as “like your grandmother’s basement in the Midwest,” was transformed into a classier version. Booths were reupholstered; a dated carpet floor was upgraded to a wood floor laminate; a banquet room was converted to a game room with

10 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I June 2018

pool table, pinball machine, video games, dart boards and beer pong table; and the ‘old school’ ox logo was replaced with the “Elegant Ox”: three variations of an ox in a tuxedo wearing a Vikings helmet, fedora and pilot goggles.

In addition, the food menu was pared down, but still continues to emphasize Midwestern comfort food favorites, such as Midwest loaded fries with house-made cheese sauce, BBQ pork and fried cheese curds; chicken fried steak and eggs; and pork belly bites—fried pork belly, BBQ sauce and blue cheese crumbles.

Further modernization can be found in an expanded whiskey selection and upgraded cocktails using top shelf ingredients, including the Elegant Ox Manhattan with Bulleit Rye, Grand Marnier, Dolin Sweet Vermouth and bitters; and high quality whiskey choices such as Willett Single Barrel Rye, Old Hickory Straight Bourbon, Brickston Mash “Destroyer” (blend of 55% Kentucky bourbon and 45% Florida rum) and Angel’s Envy Kentucky Bourbon finished in port wine casks.

Besides the aforementioned amenities, other incentives to check out the Tavern include a loyalty program offering rewards for repeat visits; twice daily happy hour from 3-6 p.m. and 11 p.m.-2 a.m. with ½ off selected appetizers and $3 domestic beer, house wine and well drinks; and a weekend brunch from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. for $20 offering bottomless bloody Marys and mimosas and choice of stuffed French toast, chicken and waffles, salmon baguettes or southwest steak omelet.

Blue Ox Tavern 5825 W. Sahara Ave. Ste. A 702-871-2536 Open 24/7 every day of the year; kitchen hours 10 a.m.-2 a.m. daily www.blueoxtavern.com www.lvfnbpro.com

•Wholesale distributor of exceptional quality dried spices and specialty foods to the finest hotels and restaurants •Owned and operated by a former chef with over 20 years of experience •Custom packed Herbs and Spices •Custom Spice Bends •Private labeling •Now Certified Kosher

By Bob Barnes

What’s Cooking

Bob Barnes is a native Las Vegan, editorial director of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional, regional correspondent for Celebrator Beer News and covers the LV restaurant scene for Gayot.com.

He welcomes your inquiries.

Email: bob@lvfnb.com

Fresco Italiano at Westgate Las Vegas Serving Fresh Authentic Italian Cuisine

Bob Barnes with Fresco GM Dora Pane and Chef Paola Bugli

photos by Joe Urcioli

Fresco Italiano at Westgate Las Vegas recently hosted media to meet new executive chef Paola Bugli and her new menu. Both Chef Paola and GM Dora Pane treated us as family as soon as we walked through the doors, with tremendous hospitality and equally incredible cuisine. Chef Paola, a native of Florence, Italy, took over the kitchen in February and is putting her expertise in authentic Italian cooking to good use. She delighted us with a tasting that included Bruchette al Pomodoro with heirloom tomatoes; Crostini di Carpaccio— beef carpaccio with truffle oil and shaved Grana Padano; Gamberi e Polenta—sautéed shrimp over sundried tomatoes polenta; Filetto di Branzino con Farrotto e Salmoriglio— Mediterranean sea bass fillet over farro risotto; Porchetta—Tuscan-style roasted pork tenderloin with caramelized onions and broccolini; Tortellacci di Ossobuco—rosemary pasta stuffed with ricotta and mascarpone cheese over braised veal shank; and Semifreddo al Croccantino—semifreddo gelato with nut brittle.

My only regret was that I became so stuffed I couldn’t eat any more, as my version of heaven would have been to continue enjoying into eternity. This was my first visit to Fresco, but certainly not my last. Located right next to Edge Steakhouse and across from Benihana, it’s set in a beautiful room with a Tuscany theme featuring an open kitchen with copper overhangs, round pillars, wood floor and tables, a rotating photo display depicting scenes in Italy and a red brick walk adding to a rustic effect. Fresco is Italian for fresh, and after enjoying Chef Paola’s offerings I can see that it was a wise choice for the restaurant’s name.

Open daily from 5 p.m. www.westgatedestinations.com/nevada/las-vegas/westgate-lasvegas-hotel-casino/dining/fresco_italiano

Chef Scott Conant Opens Masso Osteria at Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa

12 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I June 2018

photos by Lauren Ungerer

Acclaimed chef, author, restaurateur and Chopped judge Scott Conant has been missed since he closed D.O.C.G. and stepped away from Scarpetta at The Cosmopolitan. After mastering both casual and fine dining Italian on the Vegas Strip, now he is back in town, but this time off the Strip, with his Masso Osteria Italian eatery inside Red Rock Casino, Resort & Spa, which is the James Beard award-winning chef’s first collaboration with Station Casinos.

Opened in February in the space most recently occupied by Salute Trattoria, the new restaurant has a refined yet comfortable ambience with the feel of both casual and fine dining, and offering in Chef Conant’s words: “serious food that doesn’t take itself seriously.”

The Masso moniker is Italian for boulder, chosen to reflect the nearby Red Rock Mountains the resort is named for. The décor reminds me of an Italian wine cellar, as the room is graced with a wood beam ceiling and rustic white brick walls. Other accoutrements are Conant’s favorite saying—Peace Love Pasta—lit up in neon lighting, and a large patio facing Charleston Blvd. offering al fresco dining.

Chef Conant is known for his mastery of pasta, and the pasta menu is well represented with Gemelli, a mix of sausage, peas and tomato. A wood-burning oven is put to good use on meats, fish, vegetables and pizzas like the D.O.C.G. Pizzette with fonduta, truffles and poached egg. Other worthy menu items include Classic Meatballs composed of veal/pork with capers, fregola and concentrated tomatoes; a robust, sizeable boneless Veal Chop Milanese with arugula salad; Cedar-roasted Whole Sea Bass with tomato glaze and grilled vegetables; and dining at a Scott Conant restaurant is not complete without indulging in his signature Salted Caramel Budino topped with a gianduia crumble.

Oenophiles will enjoy the selection of 300 wines (34 by the glass) with vintages mainly from Italy, as well as a collection from Argentina, France and California; and sitting at the intimate wine bar near the entrance, where they can sample 1-, 3- or 6-oz pours of the sommelier’s rotating pick list (which can be ordered in the rest of the dining room too).

Masso Osteria is the latest edition to Chef Conant’s growing restaurant empire, which also includes Fusco in NYC, The Pointe Ristorante in L. A., Mora Italian in Phoenix and Cellaio in the Catskills, NY. Chef Conant no longer resides in NYC, and the proximity of Las Vegas to his home in Scottsdale will hopefully mean we’ll be seeing a lot more of the affable and extremely talented restaurateur, but at the very least, we can once again enjoy his mastery of Italian cuisine.

Open daily for dinner from 5 p.m.; social hour Sunday through Friday 4-6 p.m. www.massoosteria.com www.lvfnbpro.com

The RESTAURANT EXPERT

By David Scott Peters

Running a Successful Restaurant Is a Numbers Game

I bet you’ve heard that a typical restaurant makes a nickel to 8 cents on every dollar they bring in.

I bet you’ve heard about the study Ohio State University did more than a decade ago where they learned that 60 percent of all restaurants fail within their first 3–5 years of business.

I bet you’ve heard that a typical full-service restaurant is supposed to run a 65 percent prime cost. I bet you’ve heard the National Restaurant Association many years ago said that the average full-service restaurant typically runs a 34 percent food cost and a 32 percent labor cost.

My goodness! That’s a lot of numbers! And how do they apply to your restaurant?

The truth is… THEY DON’T! Don’t get me wrong. You need numbers to go by for your restaurant. The challenge I have with benchmarked data is it is all about averages.

The average restaurant makes, the average restaurant runs a, the average, etc. Is your restaurant average? How many independent restaurants with different owners do you know that are on the same corner, serve the same food, provide the same style and level of service, serve the same quality products and serve them at the same price point? The answer is NONE! If you’re not the average restaurant, what are benchmarks good for? Absolutely nothing!

Let’s break the numbers down to find your personal benchmark, which is your target prime cost. When I grew up in the business, we referred to prime cost as controllable expenses. There are expenses that are in the direct control of management, such as how they hire, train, schedule and fire staff and how they purchase and utilize product. For all intents and purposes, these controllable expenses are your management team’s report card. It measures how well they are running the business and the numbers they control. The numbers typically have nothing to do with what you pay for rent, www.lvfnbpro.com

David Scott Peters is a restaurant consultant, event speaker and founder of TheRestaurantExpert.com, a company committed to the success of independent restaurants offering exclusive online restaurant management software designed specifically to meet the complete operational needs of independent operators. Learn more about how David can help you at www.

TheRestaurantExpert.com.

how much you spend on marketing, what your tax bill is, etc. But the numbers can be used to control product and people.

How do you arrive at your prime cost? The short answer: It’s your total cost of goods sold (to be calculated properly requires weekly or monthly inventories to calculate use because purchases divided by sales are NOT accurate), plus your total labor cost, including taxes, benefits and insurance, then divided by your gross sales (sales before discounts, not including sales tax).

When I first started coaching independent restaurants in 2003, the target prime cost was 65 percent for a full-service restaurant and 60 percent for a quick-service restaurant. But then in 2007 the economy took a major hit. You remember. Before that, after the worst day in modern American history, 9/11, food costs went through a major adjustment and pricing continued to rise. Today there are additional costs and added expenses in our operations that drive our potential for profit down, such as rising minimum wages, and you can quickly see that those targets don’t work anymore.

If you have a restaurant that does $850,000 a year or more in gross sales, your new prime cost target is 55 percent or lower! That means for a restaurant that does $1 million a year in sales operating at a 65 percent prime cost, thinking they are doing well, there are 10 points on the table, or $100,000, in bottom-line profitability.

This money is available if they are willing to do the work to get it. And the crazy part is the higher your sales, the lower that number can go. I am currently working with more than 300 restaurants and many of them now operate at 50 percent, 42 percent and even as low as 34 percent! They are achieving these low prime costs without changing product quality or levels of service.

How you get to your prime cost target depends on your financial situation, your core values, what you’re willing to change, and, ultimately, your budget. It all starts with an annual budget which allows you to easily see what needs to be done to achieve these kinds of numbers and then proactively apply systems that change your operation to achieve those numbers. Your budget will ultimately determine where your costs should be.

For example, a family casual full-service restaurant might run a 35 percent cost of goods sold and a 20 percent labor cost. A quick casual burger restaurant might run a 25 percent cost of goods sold and a 30 percent labor cost. A highend steakhouse might run as high as a 40 percent cost of goods sold and a 15 percent labor cost (a concept called “cash contribution”), and all of these scenarios equal 55 percent.

You see? Your targets have nothing to do with industry averages.

Last but not least, with proper budgeting and systems implemented in your business that control your costs, your goal can be a 15-20 percent profit margin!

While running a restaurant can be a numbers game, you don’t want to be playing the game with the wrong numbers. To understand where YOUR numbers should be requires a budget. Achieving those numbers requires implementing systems to achieve and control those numbers. Because here’s the deal: you get to decide which game you play and whether or not you win or lose. Now is the time to decide to change the game and be a winner!

Know your numbers and your profits will go up!

June 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 13

The Gospel of Dom Pérignon

When you think of champagne, it is difficult not to think of Dom Pérignon. We all know that it has historical ties, and has been around for hundreds of years but do we really know what makes it so incredibly special? As the official U.S. Brand Ambassador, Diego Meraviglia’s life’s work is dedicated to preaching the gospel of Dom Pérignon, and educating the industry and public about what makes it the world’s most luxurious champagne.

How did you come to be the U.S. Brand Ambassador for Dom Pérignon?

I think it was destiny. Dom Pérignon was always an inspiration for me throughout my studies as a Sommelier in Italy, and following into my career in the United States. It has consistently been one of my favorite wines, especially due to the history behind it. I am particularly passionate about history in general and think more people should study it. I was teaching courses all over the country and consulting for a multitude of establishments as well as distributors and schools, and amongst was the ‘Comite’ De Champagne.’ One day I got an email from someone who connected me to the recruiter that was handling the position. I immediately sent in my resume, and expressed my strong dream of working for Dom Pérignon.

The rest came quite quickly.

What makes Dom Pérignon so iconic?

Aside from the “since 1668” history which very few brands can boast, there is the heritage Secondly, our vineyards. We make our wine and legacy behind the wine and the abbey with a core blend of eight Grand Cru vineyards of Hautvillers. Our forefather, Dom Pierre and the one historical single-vineyard of Pérignon, is recognized as the spiritual father of champagne. He spent forty-seven years Hautvillers which is classified as Premier Cru. developing and harnessing the method that then The quality of our chardonnay and pinot noir became the “methode Champenoise,” which is grapes is unparalleled. Other wineries have the only true sparkling wine production method great grapes too, but you simply cannot get that obtains high quality wines and is utilized better fruit anywhere in Champagne than the worldwide today. The wine then got associated ones we make our wine with. with royalty and luxury and has been that ever Thirdly, TIME. A lot of time behind us in since. It was an incredible invention/discovery the form of history and a ton of time that we for the world. This history is completely at the basis of the brand’s reorganize-ability and dedicate to the production of every single vintage. Our wines are aged longer and age iconic status. longer than any other champagne in existence What are the three most important things on a consistent level. This creates a complexity, you’d like people to know about Dom harmony, elegance, depth and structure that is Pérignon? unparalleled.

Firstly, we are only vintage. Most other maisons do a vintage edition, yes, but we Why is Dom Pérignon more expensive than are ONLY vintage, which in champagne is other brands of Champagne? extremely rare and a risky proposition. This Well, consider that of all the wine made in is our commitment to excellence, skipping the world, champagne is less than 1%, and of vintages altogether when Mother Nature is not that 1% vintage champagne is less than 8% on kind that year. This elevates Dom Pérignon into the realm of fine Burgundy or Bordeaux. It can average. We are the rare of the rare of the rare. be collected, aged, cellared and sold at auction. Our grapes also come from the most expensive Verticals can be presented, and everyone can agricultural real estate in the world. On top of have an opinion or a favorite amongst the that, add the investment of ten years of aging various vintages. It keeps the wine exciting, in our cellars for every single bottle that is and creates anticipation every release. released.

14 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I June 2018

photo by Erin Cooper

Twinkle Toast

By Erin Cooper & Christine Vanover

Erin Cooper and Christine Vanover have been residents of Las Vegas since 2007. Vanover is also a UNLV Alumnus.

Both women are Territory Managers for the Resort Wine Team at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, members of Women Gone Wine and the founders of Twinkle Toast. info@twinkletoast.com • www.twinkletoast.com Facebook: @TwinkleToast Twitter: TwinkleToastLV Instagram: TwinkleToastLV

What are some common misconceptions that people have about Dom Pérignon or champagne in general?

That the wine is not terroir driven. Regarding champagne in general, that it is not even a wine.

People need to understand how much of a wine champagne actually is. It is not some separate beverage of the wine world. It is one of the planet’s true fine wines with all the applications and connections that come with it.

What is the quirkiest pairing you’ve enjoyed with Dom Pérignon?

For me it was Lamb Burger and Rose’ Dom Pérignon. Incredibly decadent…

What is the rarest bottle of Dom Pérignon in existence, and where is it?

I would most likely say the original vintage of 1921. I know there are some bottles kept secretly back in Epernay although, one was opened for a high-end event in New York recently. I would generally say 1992, 1996, 2002 and wait for the 2008 to come out.

When you aren’t drinking Dom Pérignon, what is your drink of choice?

Bordeaux. I only drink wine. Rarely do I touch spirits, and when I do they have to be top notch.

Never beer and probably five times a year a cocktail. I am a complete Sommelier. A wine guy, all the way through my soul. www.lvfnbpro.com

By Pat Evans

Chef Spotlight Brittany Snyder

Pat Evans is a writer based in Las Vegas and Grand Rapids, Michigan. He is a regular contributor to Grand Rapids Magazine, October and The Manual often writing about food, beer and spirits. He has written one book, Grand Rapids Beer, and has more on the way.

Twitter: @patevans Instagram: @patrickmevans

photo courtesy Brittany Snyder

Brittany Snyder has only known cooking. She fast-tracked her life to make a living working in a restaurant and worked her way around Las Vegas before settling on her current home of Daily Kitchen in Summerlin. Off the Strip, Snyder’s been able to quickly work her way up in the management tree at Daily Kitchen and loves the environment where her ideas and concepts are embraced and being in a place she can apply all her early lessons and continue learning.

When did you know cooking was your career?

I’ve been cooking as long as I can remember. I was not a kid who wanted to play outside and my mom put me in the kitchen at 3 or 4, so there was no other career choice. I went to Johnson and Wales at 16 after graduating early from high school and finished my bachelors by 20. I had started in Miami and transferred to Denver, and wanted to be closer to family, so finished out there. Worked for two years before moving here to Vegas, and I’ve been here for four or five years and love it.

Prior to Daily Kitchen where’d you work?

Worked all around, started at Andre’s at Monte Carlo, then Spago, went to Comme Ça at Cosmo, worked Wicked Spoon at Cosmo, and my first sous chef job was Craftsteak at MGM and then came here. I was here for three months when I was promoted to head chef and then eight months to general manager.

What’s a lesson to learn working on the Strip?

It’s always at high volume and I worked under some wonderful chefs learning a lot. The biggest thing for me in the first few years was learning as much as I can, but also as many cuisines as I can. A lot with Italian and French and moved around cuisine to cuisine, Comme Ça being French—love the French and Italian cuisines—and at Wicked Spoon, under Mark Crane, I learned a lot of cuisines at the buffet, so that was wonderful.

Was it good to move around as much as you did?

Definitely, there’s something to be said about someone who stays in one place, but another for people who move around when the time is right. I moved when I felt there was nothing else to gain. By the point I was stagnant, I was ready.

How’d you get to Daily Kitchen?

I had left Craftsteak and was taking a break to be with family and my son, who needed me at home. I started looking around and was offered a few places but I had four interviews before I was offered (the job) and they were a great company and I loved the concept: all organic and open to being chef-driven. It’s so great to work for people who understand the chef.

Is working a healthy concept challenging?

It was definitely a big adjustment, not something I was used to. Some favorites I’ve had to alter to make them healthy. Its clientele are all Are you able to apply everything you’ve learned so far in this job? about being healthy. I try to source fresh and organic and other than I try to apply most of what I learned every day. The biggest thing that I’m focused on cutting down butter and oil and make sure we’re coming here is going from a big pond to a little pond and being the giving our customers what we believe in. big fish rather than little. It helps me grow as a chef and as a person.

Is working around a rotisserie difficult?

We’re a small crew who are tightknit and we look out for everyone. I love my crew.

I definitely saw it as a challenge in the beginning as well. It’s the biggest seller and once you open the mind you can put anything up So going to the small pond was good? there. We have chicken and tri-tip, but I’ve put pork, salmon, anything It can go either way. Some people do it later in a career, but because is possible.

I started so early, I’ve worked longer than most people my age. I How about serving all three meals? felt getting off the Strip, where you can feel underappreciated and overworked and they don’t want to hear ideas, it was an eye opener I actually thought that would be much more of a challenge. Breakfast coming here. They take the time to listen to what I think and want to is all day long, so there’s no hassle of turning things over. Everything is the same all day. do. That really helped me grow and I love it. www.lvfnbpro.com

June 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 15

(E)Y WHISK A FAMILY AFFAIR

By Max A. Solano | Photos by Bill Bokelmann

I truly love Las Vegas for its amazing energy and non-stop accessibility of things to experience! And, I love the Food & Beverage industry for a plethora of reasons, as well.

One of the biggest reasons is that this industry, whether it’s on a local, national or global level, is always growing, evolving and trending.

Anyone, who knows or follows me, is aware of my affinity (more like beastly obsession) for all things whisk(e)y, regardless of its spelling. I must admit that I have a very fascinating story of my very first whiskey encounters, but that is better saved for another day and time. However, my real fascination of whiskey started about 14-15 years ago where I would learn about it through trade publications, internet, industry professionals, tastings, etc. This is also when I started diving into the vast categories and slowly discovering what was favorable to my palate at that particular junction of my life.

Historically, whisk(e)y has not only played such a significant economical and social role in our country, but throughout the rest of the world. Even though, categorically, whisk(e)y had taken a step back beginning in the 1920s as a byproduct of multiple socio-economic reasons, as well as due to other major spirit categories taking the limelight such as vodka, tequila, gin, rum, Cognac and shochu. Whiskey, within the past 10-15 years, has not only slowly captured the center stage, but has done so in a manner that has never been seen before. With this Whiskey Renaissance we are currently witnessing and with what seems as an endless amount of selections to choose from these days, how is one to know if he or she is making

a sound purchase? With Father’s Day right around the corner, I would like to make some recommendations for yourself or your dad by companies whose whiskies were started and currently are produced by families.

The American whiskey industry is truly a family affair. Many brands were either created and/or evolved in the 19th or 20th centuries by families such as the Ripy, Gould, Beam, Dant, Stitzell, Jones, Russell, Van Winkle, Zoeller and Shapira just to name a few. These are brands that were given birth by family patriarchs who typically made their way from Europe and passed their knowledge and love of their craft to their sons.

Today, we at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits proudly offer some of these amazing familyinfluenced brands.

If you’re looking for a company whose whiskey brands are absolutely on fire, then look no further than the Bardstown & Louisville, Kentuckybased, Heaven Hill. This company is the largest independently-owned spirits producer in the US and was founded by the Shapira family and Joseph Beam in 1935. Eventually, it was taken over fully by the five Shapira brothers and Joseph Beam remained as their Master Distiller. Still family-owned and managed by Max Shapira, the company’s great success is also highly attributed to the five generations of the Beam family members (Joseph, Harry, Earl, Parker and Craig) that managed the distillation for the company up until very recent times.

Some of this company’s whiskey brands include Elijah Craig (multiple expressions), Evan Williams (multiple expressions), Rittenhouse Rye, Henry McKenna Bottled-In-Bond,

16 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I June 2018

Parker’s Heritage (annual limited releases) and Larceny (wheated bourbon) among several others. In December of 2017, in anticipation of Whisky Advocate magazine’s whiskey of the year announcement, Elijah Craig (NAS) barrel proof (Batch 517/124.2 proof) was awarded the distinction. If this wasn’t enough, at this year’s highly coveted San Francisco’s World Spirits Competition, a blind tasting where I am also a judge, Henry McKenna Bottled-In-Bond was awarded a double gold medal and Best Bourbon, overall. Elijah Craig small batch (NAS) was also a finalist and earned itself a double gold medal.

Another heavily family-influenced American whiskey brand is Tyrone, Kentucky-based Wild Turkey (Austin Nichols/Campari America owned). You know the name, but do you really know the brand? The company has roots tracing all the way back to 1869, when Thomas Ripy, son of Irish immigrant grocer James Ripy, purchased the Old Moore distillery and began distilling whiskey. Coincidentally, in 1855, the New York-based Austin Nichols company opened as a grocery. Let’s flash forward to 1935, less than two years after the repeal of Prohibition.

Schenley, now owners of the Ripy Family whiskies, constructs a new distillery which later becomes the Boulevard Distillery and eventually the Wild Turkey Distillery. In 1939, Austin Nichols gives up the grocery business and goes into the whiskey business, where it begins sourcing its whiskey from the Ripy Family/ Boulevard Distillery (as well as several other producers) and eventually purchases it in 1971.

In 1940, Thomas McCarthy, an executive of the Austin Nichols company names his company’s www.lvfnbpro.com

bourbon “Wild Turkey” after he and a group of his buddies went turkey hunting while sipping on whiskey that came straight out of the barrel at 101 proof, so the story goes (name officially taken in 1942). In 1954, a young Kentucky native, Jimmy Russell, begins working at the Ripy family distillery. He becomes Master Distiller, where he still works as Master Distiller Emiritus, going on an astonishing 64 years.

His son, Eddie Russell, also began working at Wild Turkey in 1981 and eventually became Master Distiller alongside his dad. Aside from their famous Wild Turkey 101 (and 81 proof) core brands, I highly recommend looking into their line of Russell’s Reserve whiskeys, first introduced in 2001. I have to say, as delicious as they all are, I am slightly partial towards the Russell’s Reserve 10-year bourbon, which is priced at an amazing value, as well as the single barrel rye. The Rare Breed is such a delicious barrel proof bourbon. If you want to splurge a little for yourself or Dad, consider the Master Keep “Decades” with bourbons ranging in ages between 10-20 years, as well as the brand new Master’s Keep “Revival” finished in Spanish ex-Oloroso sherry casks with bourbons ranging 12-15 years of age. With this much experience, knowledge, passion and love for what they do, how can the Russell’s possibly not make stellar whiskey? I suppose I should also mention that Eddie’s son, Bruce, is also working his way up in the company.

A brand not embedded with a very long and rich history, but remarkable nonetheless, is Jefferson’s Bourbon. In 1997, Louisville native and bourbon historian Chet Zoeller and his son Trey, created this brand in honor of former President and Founding Father Thomas Jefferson. Chet and Trey purchased large quantities of old whiskey stock and developed a knack for quality blending. If you were not aware, in the US from the 1960s through the 1990s, there was a major decline in popularity in the American whiskey industry for several reasons. So, unlike today, where it’s almost impossible to find American whiskeys with age statements over 15 years of age that are not overly expensive and/or allocated, this was not the case 20 years ago, when the first batches of Jefferson’s Bourbon were being bottled at 15 years old. The ultra-rare Jefferson’s Presidential series that followed really became a collector’s dream with the 17 and 18 year expressions bottled about 10 years ago, sourced from the world-renowned and now defunct StitzellWeller distillery (now Bulleit Distillery).

Subsequent Presidential releases included 21, 25 and extremely rare 30 year bottlings of www.lvfnbpro.com

With Father’s Day right around the corner, I would like to make some recommendations for yourself or your dad by companies whose whiskies were started and currently are produced by families. both bourbon and rye. But, what is very unique and resounding about Jefferson’s is how avant garde and experimental this brand has become over the past few years when it comes to the amount of expressions with varying wood finishes. If you’re looking for some great gift ideas, a new Presidential Reserve expression was released at 16 years old with a twin virgin charred American oak cask maturation introduced this year, but inventory won’t last long. The Jefferson’s Reserve wine cask finishes such as the Suduiraut Sauterne cask or the Pritchard Hill (Chappellet wine family) Cabernet Sauvignon cask finish are very unique bourbons with some very good age to them.

The Jefferson’s Reserve rum cask finishes its bourbon for a short period of time in Goslings old family rum casks. Let us not forget the Jefferson’s Ocean series, a limited and numbered yearly release where Jefferson’s barrels are placed onboard a shark expedition vessel for several months traveling to thirty ports of entry and crossing the equator 4-5 times. The sea salt air certainly gives this bourbon a delicious and unique flavor profile. If nothing else, the very tasty and well-aged Jefferson’s Reserve still uses old stocks of bourbon ranging from 9-16 years of age.

Now, shifting to the single malt whisky consumers… When Japanese whisky was first introduced to the North American market over a decade ago, no one could have predicted the massive demand and popularity of these single malts in such a short span of time. Not even the Japanese themselves. My first encounter with Japanese whisky in the early 2000s is a rather cool story, although it’s also better saved

for another time. Arguably the most soughtafter whisky in the world, the Japanese are experiencing a major shortage in aged stated single malts, or rather all age statements is more like it. Especially to them, there is no rushing the hands of time.

If you are not yet familiar with Kavalan, allow me to introduce you to one of the best kept secrets in the world of single malt whisky.

Kavalan is a family-owned distillery located in Yilan County of Taiwan, approximately 40 miles southeast of Taipei. The name pays homage to the indigenous people that once inhabited the region. The distillery was founded in 2005 and in 2008 released its first whisky.

Taiwan offers a very unique set of subtropical and geographical conditions that makes it very warm and humid throughout most of the year, thus creating an environment which greatly accelerates the maturation of its whiskies and causing a very high rate of angel’s share from within the barrels. Just like the Japanese, Kavalan whisky production methods were very highly influenced by the Scottish, even using Scottish Forsyth-designed stills. Most notably, the late world-renowned whisky consultant, Dr. Jim Swan, was hired by the Lee family to oversee the production of the distillery, as well as the operations. Having first visited the distillery in 2015, I was amazed at how much the design and layout reminded me of some of Japan’s whisky distilleries.

Kavalan best reminds me of beautifully harmonic and layered Highland and Speyside single malt Scotch whiskies. A symphony of flavors, some of the expressions are lighter and more delicate like their Classical and King Car expressions. Then, you get into their vast and diverse line of single wood expressions, most of them single casks bottled at cask strength.

These are robust, beautifully layered and complexed for days. The Vinho Barrique, exSpanish Oloroso Sherry Cask, Pedro Ximenez and Manzanilla are some of my favorites. If you needed any more convincing, Kavalan whiskies have been some of the most highly-awarded in the last five years, including winning World’s Best Single Malt, World Whisky of the Year and World’s Best Single Cask to name a few.

So, now that you have been provided with some stellar whisk(e)y recommendations, go out and try something new that you can share with loved ones or good friends. Drink responsibly and kick back. And, to all the dads out there, Happy Father’s Day! ~ Cheers!

June 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 17

CHARDONNAY SUMMER

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Please enjoy our wines responsibly. ferrari-carano.com

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Recipe for Fun=JottShots

photo by Grant Redmond / Sitez, LLC

By Bob Barnes

Pull, Push, Squeeze, Suck may sound rather suggestive, but it’s actually the directions to the patented shot cup delivery method for one of Las Vegas’ hottest party enhancers known as JottShots.

Gel shots (Jello is highly trademarked and fiercely protected by Kraft, so the name has been changed to gel to protect the guilty) are something most people know about and have experienced at some point, and for years Jottshots Founder/CEO Dorian Levy noticed that the vibe of a party would be elevated when they were added to the mix. He began making his own versions for an epic annual party he would throw for friends. Over the years the number of shots needed gradually grew to 1,500, an amount so large it required taking a day off from work to make copious amounts of gelatin mixed with alcohol. The time-consuming prep involved buying the ingredients, heating the gelatin and adding the alcohol at just the right temperature (if added too soon it kills the alcohol and too late it doesn’t gel), carefully filling containers and then refrigerating and waiting all day for them to set. In the early 2000s, as the popularity of his creation led to his friends repeatedly requesting more and his boss asking to purchase the shots, it dawned on him that at that time there were no pre-packaged versions available. www.lvfnbpro.com

Levy made the decision to leave his Wall Street investment banker job in NYC and head west to Las Vegas to turn his gel shot hobby into a business. As to why he chose Vegas, Levy says, “The scale of Las Vegas is mind numbing with 42 million people (visiting) a year plus, the two million people living here, on a relatively small geographic footprint. This city is the unrivaled mecca of adult fun, so it fits perfectly for a product like this.”

After much trial and error with formulas, flavors and delivery methods, the first JottShots hit the market in July, 2017 and while currently there are a handful of gel shot companies in the US, JottShots is the first and only one based in Las Vegas. Since launching, more than 100,000 units have been sold and Levy expects to surpass 150,000 by the end of this year and believes the industry will explode in the next five years.

The name was chosen by Levy’s aunt, and has no significance other than being catchy, and after market research surveys it was found to be the name most people remembered after hearing it in a list. JottShots do not need refrigeration as they are made with vegan-friendly plant-based gums instead of gelatin (used in homemade versions), and have a minimum shelf life of six months. Not requiring refrigeration simplifies and reduces the cost of shipping and storage.

Currently in flavors of two fruits—Berry and Cherry—and two cocktails—Mojito and Lemon Drop—there is plenty of room to expand, and a flavorless neutral spirit in the mix allows the flavors to shine while providing a bit of a burn. As there is only the equivalent of a few sips of 13% ABV strength alcohol in each shot, it would take downing several to get tipsy, but it’s all about the fun and a unique way to combine imbibing with eating a dessert. Levy adds, “Shots in general are social and bring a different kind of energy…and (JottShots) are a more casual, high energy way to have nonpretentious fun.”

Until now you haven’t been able to purchase gel shots in a retail store, but the ready-to-drink JottShots single serving 4-packs and 10-packs, with an average retail price of $8.99 and $19.99 respectively, are now sold at Lee’s Discount Liquor and Total Wine locations and at Caesars retail outlets. Expect to find the shots at pool bars and day clubs across the Strip, and at nightclubs and bars including Born and Raised, Lagasse’s Stadium, O’Shea’s and Piranha. The aforementioned patented delivery system works quite well and eliminates the need to scoop it out with your fingers, meaning no sticky mess.

For more info and an illustration of the JottShot method, visit www.jottshots.com.

June 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 19

By Shelley Stepanek

Best of the Best

Shelley Stepanek is President of DSA, the oldest non-profit tourist association in the state, along with being on the board of ticket brokers. Shelley has previously owned three restaurants.

The RIBOLI FAMILY OF SAN ANTONIO WINERY held a special event on May 1 at the well-known restaurant Nove Italiano at the Palms Hotel. (Nove is now closed and will be replaced with a new concept by the end of the summer.) Guests were greeted with three lovely ladies in full Venetian dress.

Riboli hand-picked eight bartenders from around the country and flew them in to create their own unique cocktail with the brand-new Aperitif Rosa 22. The panel judged and awarded Jared Sowinski, Director of Beverage from The Phoenician resort in Scottsdale as the winner. Riboli is the home of San Antonio wineries throughout California. Its Aperitif Rosa 22’s beautiful new red bottle is something for them to be proud of. The opening act for dinner was a perfectly-made 6-inch ball on each plate which was tapped with a knife. Inside was the Rosa 22 which was used in all the cocktails that we tried. Riboli features San Simeon Chardonnay, San Simeon Cabernet Sauvignon and San Simeon Stormwatch, along with 17 other wine brands. San Antonio Winery in Los Angeles has been in the same location in Los Angeles for 101 years, and is considered a historic landmark.

There is a restaurant and tasting room, at the wine producing facility. There is another location in Paso Robles, where most of the vineyards are located, and Monterrey and one in Napa Valley round out the locations. The president, Santo Riboli, with his son Anthony, who is a 4th generation winemaker, spoke at the dinner.

The first course consisted of Caesar Salad and Lobster Bisque, followed by entrees of Veal Scaloppini, Salmon, Tortiglioni, Truffle Chicken or Risotto. Sides were Grilled Asparagus, Sautéed Mushroom and Death by Potatoes. Dessert was Cheesecake and Lampone Fiore, made with white chocolate and mascarpone mousse sitting next to a huge chocolate strawberry tree. Everyone should try the new Rosa 22, which Lee’s Liquors will be featuring.

San Antonio Winery

TOPGOLF HAS A NEW BRUNCH SQUAD. On Sundays Topgolf Las Vegas launches its Mimosa Summer Sundays. This brunch is focused on ladies and has plenty of early bird items, an all-female DJ lineup, complimentary golf lessons and plenty of $5 mimosas and bloody Marys. It’s first-come, first-served for cabanas and daybeds. The Mimosa Summer Sundays are from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. thru the end of summer. There is a swim-up pool bar and a chance for a free lesson with a professional golf instructor. The brunch menu will have Sticky Bun Skillet, made with cinnamon rolls, orange zest, cream cheese frosting and powdered sugar; the Pork Belly Chilaquiles with smoked pork belly, green chili and cheddar cheese; and the Breakfast Sandwich with bacon, ham, egg, pepper jack cheese, tator tots and Texas toast. topgolf.com/us/las-vegas 20 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I June 2018

Flower Child

photos by Shelley Stepanek

FLOWER CHILD is a fantastic new all-organic, local produce and gluten-lite place to dine. Sam Fox has over 50 restaurants in 16 states with 14 different concepts in dining, including Flower Child, which is located in eight cities, with many more coming soon. There is nowhere in Las Vegas that features food such as this. The restaurant is huge and airy, located in Rampart Commons across the street from Boca Park and next to North Italia. Starters include Crushed Avocado Toast with soft egg, Avocado Hummus with sweet corn and pumpkin seeds, Organic Kale and Vietnamese Crunch Salads, along with a Skinny Cobb Salad to pick from. My favorite was the Mediterranean Quinoa with tabbouleh, cauliflower, cucumber, tomato, sweet pepper, pistachio, feta and harissa yogurt vinaigrette. They then offer plates, one for $4, two for $7 or three to sample for $9. Take your pick from grilled asparagus, Sichuan green beans, smashed organic potato, sautéed spinach, Japanese eggplant, Indian-spiced cauliflower, sweet corn and quinoa or gluten-free mac & cheese.

All perfectly done and allow you to add chicken, salmon or steak. They serve up big bowls of Thai Cashew Quinoa, Vegas Poke with marinated beet, avocado, pickled mushrooms, cucumber and brown rice, and a Mother Earth Bowl, with all the ancient grains, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, broccoli pesto and hemp seed, or Forbidden Rice with black pearl, red japonica, snap peas, and bok choy. Again, you can add proteins. Four wraps, featuring Flying Avocado with smoked turkey, Gouda, romaine, tomatoes and hummus; Thai Dye with spicy tofu; The Rebel with grass-fed steak, charred onion and horseradish yogurt; and Bird Is the Word with grilled chicken, broccoli and cheeses. On tap are cold brews, wine, and Kombucha tea, along with lemonade and hot and cold teas.

Don’t forget all the vegan gluten-free desserts. There are kid’s choices for $6.50. You can also do a “pick a protein & 2 sides.” The prices are right, the seating is both indoor and patio dining. Come out and support. Daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m. 702-507-2545 at 1007 S. Rampart Blvd. Iamaflowerchild.com

www.lvfnbpro.com

By K. Mike Masuyama Ph.D.

COOK•EAT: Asia Asian Food Business

Asian foods came with migrant workers, immigrants, students or business people over the Pacific Ocean to the west coast. First Chinese came for the trans-continental railway construction and gold rush, followed by Philippine-Japanese for mining-agriculture developments, and then Thai-Laos-Vietnamese after the Indochina conflicts. Once confined among ethnic communities, they gradually spread to ethnically close people. Later some appear more often to our eyes and tongues, for exotic, appealing and tasty natures to our eating or cooking. Let’s see its progress in business.

Retail: Ethnic people started living together for convenience and security.

Chinatown, Japan-town or Little Tokyo, Korea-town, Little Saigon, Bangladesh-town as almost all immigrants grouped together. Their imported foods or daily necessities were sold in the beginning and later locally available ones were added. There were also mom-pop grocery stores in big cities or college towns as Asian students or business people came. Recently some of them have grown into large stores or even chain supermarkets for growing populations of ethnic descendants and new arrivals. There almost all items could sustain them to live like they did in their native countries. Furthermore, the mainstream supermarkets or gourmet stores have started carrying some in the Asian food alley. Frozen dumplings, wonton soup, yakisoba (a Japanese version of chow mein), or shrimp tempura sit next to chimichangas or burritos at Costco stores in CA. Occasionally a guy is spotted shopping for sushi materials today.

Importer/Distributor: Many foods are exported from Asia through a handful of importers. The Asian food items are from respective countries or manufactured by contract manufactures often in China or Taiwan or Indochina countries, just like apparels or other made-in-Asia merchandises. Our FDA and USDA keep watching their food safety and compliance to our regulations. After imported, distributors sell the merchandise to retailers or restaurants. An import label in English tells you the origin of product, ingredients or nutrition info. Of alcohol beverages like sake, the federal and state governments impose different regulations, and importers, distributors, retailers or restaurants must carefully follow them with appropriate licenses and tax-fees.

Restaurants: Asian tastes have now settled down as a part of our eating thru localization or Americanization by adjusting taste or presentation to ours.

Sushi, soup noodles, or other Asian foods, you can eat at airports, resorts, cruise ships, food courts, in casinos or shopping malls. Some of them may have gone beyond the original food culture boundary, though. Those who prefer the traditional taste have a choice at authentic eating places, often at higher prices. The polarization of Asian restaurants appears to go into these two directions. Another interesting matter is a blending of Asian foods at an eating place like buffet, Kaiten (carrousel) sushi, or so-called Asian restaurants. There we would be able to eat Americanized www.lvfnbpro.com

Mike Masuyama is a bi-cultural science-technologybusiness consultant. He earned a Ph.D. in Food Science at Cornell University, is involved in teaching, research and business in major-beer, micro-beer, soft drinks, sake, sea salt, rice, white soy sauce and other areas both in Japan and the US., and has published several books and dozens of articles.

“West Eats East” was his last series in this journal.

Asian foods all together at one place. Fried sushi and Kimchee fried rice were my recent experiences. Not so bad! More Asian restaurant chains would come and flourish in a rice bowl, soup noodle, fast Asian-Chinese food or bento business.

Food Manufactures: Today soy sauce, tofu, instant and fresh noodles, dumplings and other Asian foods are manufactured here by major Asian food companies or local ones. Among them, the made-in-USA soy sauce is the most noticeable with red or green caps. Sake, brewed-in-CA, is not bad with respect to taste and price, particularly if warmed. Locally grown Asian vegetables are good to eat fresh or cooked. For cutting shipping and import costs, more local manufacturing would come for ready-to-eat consumer products as well as ready-to-use restaurant products. Some may be able to export to Asia. There must be a good business chance for Asian foods if one is innovative.

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The Bottom Line When to Go into the Delivery Business

The delivery business is booming. GrubHub, UberEats, DoorDash and countless others that venture beyond compound words have taken a dining segment ruled by pizza and expanded it to every cuisine under the sun. On the surface, delivery is an excellent opportunity that allows restaurants to sell to guests who may not have visited them in person.

Add in the fact that drivers are on-demand contractors and require no additional head count and you’ve got a pretty good deal.

Delivery still isn’t for everyone, however. A number of factors exist that restaurant owners should consider before going into the delivery business.

Brand Alignment While delivery has undoubtedly gotten trendier, it still carries a stigma that can drag down the overall image of a restaurant. While delivery aligns perfectly with most any casual restaurant, the area gets grayer as the average check rises. Steakhouse patrons may question the quality of the food at their table if they see that the restaurant also delivers. While this example is a bit extreme, it’s up to you to assess where your restaurant sits on the premium spectrum and whether delivery is a fit.

On the other end, if you have a high-volume restaurant known for a line out the door, and that line is actually part of ‘the experience,’ delivery may hurt that element, not to mention burden your staff with additional orders and slow the line to a dangerous extent.

Food Quality Food quality is always at risk in a delivery setting. The longer the delivery, the longer the food sits. Temperatures cool, sheen fades and your food can go from beautiful to unappetizing before the guest can even get a chance to look at it. In most cases, presentation can never match what you’d prepare onsite, especially when you’re at the mercy of speed bumps, sharp turns and other elements that will shake around whatever’s in the back seat.

If you’re comfortable with leaving your food on the counter for a while before a server can pick it up, delivery could be a viable option. If you tolerate nothing less than dishes going out the moment they’re ready, you may not want your food sitting in the back of a car for however long it takes to get to your guests. www.lvfnbpro.com

By Ben Brown Benjamin Brown, MBA is Restaurant Editor of The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional. A seasoned

writer and consultant, Ben works with Fortune 500

companies and mom & pop shops alike in Marketing, Analytics, Consumer Insights, PR and Business

Development. Contact Ben at Ben@lvfnb.com or follow him @Foodie_Biz.

Commission Food delivery services can be very expensive, with commissions as high as 30–40% in some cases. This, no doubt, eats significantly into your bottom line. It’s critical to assess whether food delivery will actually be profitable to the point where it’s worth your time.

Determine the minimum amount needed to justify your costs, factoring in any holdups that take place for your dine-in patrons since your kitchen staff will be taking on more orders. If these thresholds are met, then any delivery orders that take place will deliver positive returns.

Cannibalization If you decide to go the delivery route, keep tabs on your revenues and average checks of dine-in vs. delivery business. If you see dine-in revenue slip dramatically, it could be that your dine-in guests simply switched over to delivery. Taking commission into account, this move is not beneficial for your business.

To remedy this situation, experiment with different minimum check requirements for delivery as well as dine-in promotions and events in order to distinguish your restaurant experience while retaining delivery as an additional revenue stream rather than a substitute revenue stream.

Time Commitment Most delivery services have streamlined processes that allow owners and staff to manage deliveries swiftly and efficiently. Even so, take note of the time it actually takes you to manage your deliveries and whether that’s affecting you or your staff’s ability to manage in-store operations.

Pressure on cooking staff is an ever-present factor, as is management needing to handle incoming delivery requests alongside pressing guest issues and handling the inevitable broken dish on the dining room floor.

This assessment will likely be less analytical, but take time to consider whether your delivery business is truly manageable or more burdensome than it seems.

If you decide to go into delivery, monitor these factors on a regular basis.

By taking a holistic look at how delivery is affecting you financially and operationally, you will be able to make beneficial, proactive decisions as needed to manage this revenue stream.

June 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 23

photo courtesy NvRA

Our Next Generation of Culinary Stars

There are currently 207,200 restaurant and food service jobs in Nevada.

Within 10 years the total can be expected to grow by 16.4 percent, approximately 34,000 jobs. About three in ten restaurant operators have job openings that are difficult to fill, reports the National Restaurant Association 2017 State of the Industry report. Educating our workforce will help close the gap for these operators.

The ProStart program, administered by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and state restaurant associations, is a two-year curriculum designed to teach high school students the skills needed for a career in the restaurant and food-service industry.

This program was created by education and industry and workforce development is the cornerstone. When students meet academic standards, complete a checklist of competencies, and participate in at least 400 hours of a mentored work experience, they will receive the ProStart National Certificate of Achievement that signifies they are well qualified to enter the industry workforce.

“ProStart students belong to a very special group that we affectionately called ‘ProStart Nation,’” said Rob Gifford, Executive Vice President of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. “Since we launched ProStart 17 years ago, we have graduated more than halfa-million students. We’re thrilled to see where this year’s competitors’ careers will take them as they set out and commit to the restaurant industry.”

ProStart students can provide a solution for the labor shortage many restaurateurs are experiencing in Nevada. “ProStart is critical to meet the growing needs of the restaurant industry. In Nevada we run 40 high school programs with more than 3,000 students enrolled,” states Katherine Jacobi, President & CEO of the NvRA. Through the ProStart program, high school students learn about the culinary arts: flavor profiles, presentation, storage practices, nutrition, business math and the importance of workplace and food safety.

24 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I June 2018

“Hospitality courses made me want to pursue a career in the restaurant industry, and my mentor made costing fun!” exclaimed AACT student, Griffin C. Gustafson. Griffin began his journey as a food expeditor at BJS Nevada BBQ Company and quickly moved up to prep cook. Not only is Griffin the manager of the school restaurant at The Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology, he is also on the ProStart Management Team and his team won the management part of our Nevada ProStart Competition earlier this year.

Aspiring student chefs and restaurateurs from Coronado High School, Las Vegas and AACT, Reno traveled to the National ProStart Invitational in Providence, Rhode Island to slice, dice and plan their dream restaurants April 27-29, 2018. These two schools were the state winners of the Nevada ProStart Invitational, where they competed against more than 100 students from 13 high schools across the state.

Ruth Gomez, representing the management team AACT, Reno had this advice for her fellow peers: “Work as a team. Communication is key. Be confident. Take advantage of the opportunities of meeting new people, especially those within the industry. And overall, enjoy and appreciate every single moment!”

Coronado High School created an ambitious menu, Gourmet Mushroom Tortellini, followed by Pan Seared Duck Breast, accompanied by brown sugar-glazed sweet potato, rainbow carrots, blackberry sauce and fresh basil oil, and a Dark Chocolate Mousse Bombe complemented by a raspberry gelee, walnut crumble, chocolate tuile and served with whipped cream and mint. The restaurant management from AACT, Reno presented “Cherry Bomb Café and Bakery,” focused on providing affordable and delicious food in a simple and casual welcoming atmosphere. The teams’ creative menu choices and jingle were pleasing to the judges. Both teams appreciated the opportunity to compete at the National ProStart Invitational and experienced immense growth not only as culinarians, but as professionals and look forward to future competitions. www.lvfnbpro.com

By Linda Westcott-Bernstein

Human Resources Insights

Linda Westcott-Bernstein has provided sound human resources advice and guidance to Fortune 500 companies and others for over 25 years. Linda has recently re-published her self-help book entitled It All Comes Down to WE! This book offers guidelines for building a solid and enduring personal work ethic. You can find her book on Amazon or Google Books.

Phone: 702-326-4040 Email: Vegaslinda89129@yahoo.com

The Power of Positive Thinking

I consider myself an optimist because I believe that you can influence the course of your future and your life with a positive outlook. I can promise you, there are days when this spirit does not come easy or my strength stays as strong.

But when those days come to pass, I recognize that this is a time when I must dig down deepest in my soul to find the promise of a new day and renew my faith as well as my thinking.

On days when it is gloomy, dreary and windy outside, it can seem as though life is reflecting the same pattern as the weather. At times that I am not feeling as chipper as I usually do, it can seem as though tomorrow may be as melancholy as my mood and will never arrive. And when I experience a challenge, set back, or defeat, it can feel as though the world has ended and that all could be lost. But that’s where my power of positive thinking comes in. I start my resurgence by searching back in my memories and the recesses of my mind, and I find that a tiny light of promise still flickers. Like the blessing of a solitary candle in an endless sea of darkness–it can renew, rekindle and refresh me.

So how do I do it? Well, here are some of the thoughts that keep that candle lit–at least they work for me…

• I choose to look on the bright side of things and because I do, good things will happen.

• I have strong and enduring faith in my God and know that I am his disciple.

• I believe that good intentions beget good outcomes, which result in happiness of the heart and soul.

• I have faith in the value and purpose of heartfelt prayer and giving thanks for life, blessings and family.

• I believe that my field of work is my calling, that I am here to help people and influence change.

How can we keep a positive outlook on life, work and family, when it can feel like all is crumbling around us? We can start by choosing to look at the good and not focus on the bad. We can refrain from judging others and instead show compassion and have understanding. We can be realists and understanding that we can’t change everyone and everything, but strive to make

little contributions all along the way. We can remember that life can be as challenging as it is rewarding, and choose to focus on the successes we’ve achieved instead of what we have not.

Now, I know that I make this “positivity” appear easier said than done. But the reward with positive thinking is in the way it makes you feel!

Doesn’t it feel much better to your heart when you help someone in need instead of ignoring them?

Don’t you feel a great deal better when giving a helping hand in your community, neighborhood or workplace by sharing in shaping someone’s future, welfare or growth? The answer should be a resounding YES! Remember, the real power of positive thinking is realized when we dig deepest into our hearts, find the strength of our faith and take the mental steps toward realization that we are all put here to help others. All of this occurs while always retaining the important foundation of family including blessing of thankfulness, humbleness and faith!

HR Question of the month:

Please send your HR questions and concerns, or share your thoughts on your human resources challenges via email to the following address. Send input to vegaslinda89129@yahoo.com. Your comments, questions or concerns will help determine the direction for my next month’s column and earn you a copy of my book. Include your mailing address when sending your responses.

www.lvfnbpro.com

June 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 25

By Chef Allen Asch Feel free to contact Chef Allen with ideas for comments or future articles at allena@unlv.nevada.edu

Chef Talk The Good Thing in a Small Package: the Sesame Seed

I was in Mexico recently and had the opportunity to tour a sesame seed farm. I never thought much about this little seed, except how many it must take to fill a 6 ounce bottle of oil. I was shocked to learn as much as I did about sesamum indicum, more commonly known as the sesame seed.

The plant grows well in tropical zones, including Africa, India and Southern Mexico. Worldwide the harvest is over 6.75 million tons of the seed with Tanzania, India and Sudan being the most prolific producers.

Japan is the largest importer of the product, followed by China. The sesame seed is one of the oldest oilseed crops, having been domesticated over 3,000 years ago. The farmed plant originated in India and is now widely planted in many tropical locations. There are some wild versions originating in Africa, but the cultivated type is the most common.

Sesame is called a survivor crop due to its ability to withstand excessive

Chef Allen Asch M. Ed., CCE is a culinary arts instructor that has earned degrees from Culinary Institute of America, Johnson and Wales University and Northern Arizona University. He is currently teaching at UNLV. He earned his Certified Culinary Educator Endorsement from the American Culinary Federation in 2003.

heat, drought and the ability to retain water when it monsoons and requires little farming support. The plant is an annual plant, meaning it has to be planted every year. The seeds that grow in the pods are also called buns and look like okra. They come in a variety of colors, the most common being off-white than the black variety. They also come in tan, gold, brown, gray and buff (yellowish-gray). The color of the hull and seed are the same.

Sesame seeds are often overlooked for their health benefits, but they are numerous. They lower blood pressure, both systolic and metabolic; they also fight many types of cancer. Additionally they can help prevent diabetes, bone development, improve digestion, blood circulation, deal with stress and depression, reduce inflammation and help your teeth. To learn more about the health benefits watch this short YouTube video. www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A1kkB1zBDc

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Sesame has one of the highest oil contents of any seed and is highly resistant to turning rancid.

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You should soak black sesame seeds in water overnight to make them digest easily.

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“Open sesame” reflects the distinguishing feature of the sesame seed pod, which bursts open when it reaches maturity.

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Sesame seeds contain a high number of calories, approximately 50 calories in 1 tablespoon. This is due to the concentrated nature of these seeds, which are overflowing with minerals, vitamins and organic compounds that the body needs.

About 75% of Mexico’s sesame crop is purchased by McDonald’s for their sesame seed buns used worldwide.

26 The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional I June 2018

www.lvfnbpro.com

UNLV

By Justin Leung

photos by Hanna Min

Epicurean Society

Justin Leung, a Hospitality Management student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, represents the Epicurean Society, a collective of food and restaurant enthusiastic students. As the journalist on their leadership team, Justin desires to share the club’s experiences with the public. He is from Georgia and decided to pursue his passion for hospitality in Las Vegas.

A restaurant concept then, and a dining attraction now. It all began with Chef James Trees, a chef who loves pasta: a passion driven by the nostalgia of eating lasagna at his childhood best friend’s house. Chef Trees was once a culinary high school student at Las Vegas High School. His lack of self-pride and his unwavering diligence earned him respect from the chefs that took him under their wing.

His experience roots as far back as interning at The Mirage as a high school student and ultimately attending The Culinary Institute of America in New York.

Before graduating from the culinary program, the aspiring chef worked under many wellknown chefs such as Michael Mina, Alex Stratta, Jacques Van Statten, Eric Ripert and Gordon Ramsay. Just after he completed his studies, Chef Trees had an extensive career, achieving promotions and recognition all around. He had trained hundreds of young, aspiring culinary experts while he simultaneously opened five restaurants for Chef Mina.

His journey led him to become the Chef de Cuisine at FIG in Santa Monica. He then shifted gears to lead the crop production company, Hutchinsons, and a restaurant group, Superba Food + Bread. Following which, the chef’s eyes landed on his hometown, Las Vegas, where he desired to begin his own restaurant business. He currently stands as the executive chef of his own eatery, Esther’s Kitchen.

Enriched and founded upon the vast culinary experience of Chef Trees, Esther’s Kitchen is now attracting many eyes and taste buds of southern Nevada. Located on 1130 South Casino Center Blvd, Las Vegas NV 89104, just near the heart of the Arts District, Esther’s www.lvfnbpro.com

Kitchen provides Italian cuisine in a modernstyle establishment with vibrant décor and warm hospitality. The Italian restaurant has a unique origin–named after the chef’s great-aunt Esther and inspired by the pasta dishes the chef ate while he was growing up.

However, the new Italian eatery has adopted a twist to their pasta experience: A Roman Trattoria approach.

This was not left unnoticed by Epicurean Society members. For their last social dinner of the semester, our team found a new restaurant for comfort food: a new place to experience Italian food in Las Vegas. “It’s cozy and eclectic,” a club member said.

Our team started off with two appetizers, or ‘Antipasti’ as the menu refers to it. Our first appetizer was the house-made Sourdough Levain Bread. There were two choices of spread we ordered with the bread: butter and burrata alla panna, and basil oil and anchovy garlic butter. The second choice of antipasti we ordered was the Fried Cauliflower with anchovy, chili, garlic, and caper. A very light dish in terms of taste and the perfect introduction to our pasta journey.

Epicurean Society members decided on a dish from the vegetables, also known as the ‘Verduras’ section of the menu. We found ourselves a very rich, savory and creamy vegetarian choice: ground polenta with mushrooms, truffle butter and sherry. Polenta essentially is paste or dough made from cornmeal, which can be served as porridge. In order to create authenticity in the Italian dish, Chef Trees infused truffle butter to make the polenta creamier and smoother. Adding sherry to the dish augments the flavor of the ground polenta as the sweetness of the wine

complements the savory taste. Combined with the chewy and crunchy texture of the mushrooms, the dish transforms from plain porridge into a creamy and flavorful vegetarian cuisine.

From the ‘Pasta Mercato’ section, we made our nexhant two choices: The Ricotta Gnudi with McGrath farm beets and pistachio pesto, and the Cavatelli Pasta with crispy sausage, smoked tomato, and rabe.

Epicurean Society members had curiosity for the pizza. We had to try the Margherita Pizza which includes tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella. Our second pizza was topped with bacon, fontina, caramelized onion, egg and saba.

To finish the night, club members ordered the Dark Chocolate Tart and the Butterscotch Budino, the latter being an Italian sweet dish closely resembling custard or pudding. Both options were exquisite and cleaned our taste palates. The Dark Chocolate Tart is certainly enjoyable for those who like dark chocolate filling and a nice crust. As for the Budino, Epicurean Society was expecting the dish to be on the sweeter side. However, we were shocked to taste a balance in creaminess and sweetness levels.

Epicurean Society members were able to enjoy one last dinner social in the heart of the Arts District. Filled with Italian influence of Chef Trees’ dishes and the sociable atmosphere of the business, members of the club were pleased with their last meeting of the semester. Our family of members carried the fond journeys of spring semester behind them knowing that a new set of experiences await in the coming months.

June 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 27

WSWA 75th Annual Convention & Exposition Brings Interesting and Delicious Products

By Bob Barnes | Photos by Joe Urcioli

The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) 75th annual convention convened last month at Caesars Palace, bringing together more than 2,700 suppliers, distributors, influencers and a record number of attendees for three days of networking and deal making. The WSWA hosted competitions including the Wine and Spirits Tasting Competitions and the Call for Cocktails Mixology Competition, and the tradeshow filled two exhibit halls and numerous hospitality suites, featuring some of the most innovative products available. The following is a rundown of interesting products that caught my eye and entertained my palate.

I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a theme, but I discovered several cream liqueurs, all of which I found to be quite enjoyable. My favorites included the five-times distilled DeMarco Cream Liqueur, made with Wisconsin cream and Caribbean rum in flavors of Hazelnut Caramel and Premium Vanilla with a one-year shelf life; Jackson Morgan Southern Cream, made with Tennessee whiskey with a plethora of options including Brown Sugar & Cinnamon, Banana Pudding, Peppermint Mocha, Salted Caramel, Peaches & Cream and Whipped Orange Cream; and Bom Bom, made with Caribbean rum in flavors of Coco Mochanut—gluten-free blend of chocolate, coffee and coconut—and Nilli Vanilli—gluten- and dairy-free blend of almond milk and natural cookie flavors.

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Some very enjoyable flavors were to be found in the infused liqueurs of Cold Hammer Stills, with unique versions of Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Cappuccino, Gas Light Cinnamon and Almond Enjoy (yes, it does taste like the iconic similar-named candy bar).

The state of Nevada was well-represented by Frey Ranch Estate Distillery, which was spotlighted in The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional October, 2016 cover feature. The family-owned and -run farm, in operation since 1854, grows all of the grains used in the making of its spirits—corn, rye, wheat and barley—producing award-winning vodka (2016 Tastings Spirits Review gold medal) and gin (2016 San Francisco World Spirits Competition double gold); and available starting in 2019 will bring the same dedication to quality to a host of bourbon and rye whiskies.

Some very fine wine was to be had at the Bellissima suite. Bellissima is Italian for most beautiful, which is how I would describe Christie Brinkley, who introduced the sparkling wines to us two years ago at the WSWA and returned this year with a new offering: Bella Sprizz, a delicious infusion of elderflowers and lemon peels. Also introduced was Bellissima Bambini, a smaller 375ml packaging of Bellissima Sparkling Rosé, Bellissima Zero Sugar and Bellissima Brut Prosecco. www.lvfnbpro.com

Another highlight was the delectable Ginja 9, a sour-cherry liqueur from Obidos, Portugal that earned a silver medal in the 2018 WSWA Wine and Spirits Tasting Competitions. Ginja is Portuguese for sour cherry and the tradition of this drink dates back to the Portuguese monks of the 17th century who infused sour cherries in alcohol distilled from rice and cereal.

This modern day hand-crafted representation balances sweet and tart and is 100% natural with no added artificial coloring or preservatives.

We’re used to aged whiskey, but not so much aged rum, but it is every bit as interesting, and while we usually expect it to come from the Caribbean, Don Papa Rum hails from the Philippines, where the higher temperature and humidity accelerates the interaction of the liquid with the barrel during aging. It is created in the foothills of Mt. Kanlaon, where the finest sugarcane is milled to produce sweet, rich molasses, which is reflected in the sweet rum.

Another interesting non-Caribbean representation of the spirit was Antelope Island Rum, with flavors of roasted nuts and banana leaf finish. Made by the Salt Lake City, Utah-based Dented Brick Distillery, it uses organic and non-GMO raw materials and snowmelt water from the Wasatch Front. The distillery is situated on the same land and artesian well www.lvfnbpro.com

on record where Utah’s first distillery was located (Hugh Moon & L.W. Hardy dating back to 1857).

Further proof that whiskey is not just for men is the women-owned Crooked Fox Bourbon Whiskey, which is a well-rounded blend of Kentucky and Tennessee bourbons crafted in small batches and comes to us from the founder of BuzzBallz.

Ever thought of mixing spirits? The Red Eye Louie’s company did and merged tequila with rum and vodka with its Rumquila and Vodquila, both of which have won numerous competition awards including San Francisco World Spirits and WSWA Tasting Competitions.

I found Fabrizia’s Italian Margarita—made in New Hampshire from sweet Sicilian lemons, limoncello and tequila—to be a very refreshing ready-to-drink cocktail that is conveniently packaged in 12oz cans.

The WSWA convenes yearly, stopping in Las Vegas on even-numbered years. The 76th Annual Convention & Exposition is set for March 31-April 3, 2019 and will be held at Grande Lakes Orlando.

To keep updated, visit www.wswaconvention.org.

June 2018 I The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional 29

EVENTS

AD INDEX

There are several major food & beverage events coming up in the next few months. Here is a sampling of some of the events we highly recommend, so if planning to attend you can start booking now.

Al Dentes’ Provisions sales@aldentes.com 702-642-1100

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Big Dog’s Brewing Company www.bigdogsbrews.com 702-368-3715

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Designated Drivers www.designateddriversinc.com 877-456-7433

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Ferrari-Carano Vinyards & Winery ferrari-carano.com

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Jay’s Sharpening Service www.jayssharpening.com 702-645-0049

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June 7 the Chefs Food Fest sponsored by the Laughlin Chamber of Commerce and held at the Aquarius Casino Resort, has the participation of all of Laughlin’s finest chefs, who will be on hand to prepare their best appetizers, entrees, desserts and drinks. laughlinchamber.com/cff June 12-14 the World Tea Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center will bring everything from the world of tea, with previews of new products and newly launched innovations. www.worldteaexpo.com June 18-29 the Las Vegas Restaurant Week will return for its 12th installment. As in the past, more than 100 of the city’s finest restaurants will offer prix fixe menus, with a portion of each meal donated to Three Square, Southern Nevada’s only food bank. helpoutdineoutlv.org June 23 the 2nd annual Hopped Taco Throwdown featuring dozens of all-you-can-eat tacos from top local restaurants and all-you-can-drink craft beer with a selection of more than 40 beers, will be held at Backyard at Zappos in Downtown Las Vegas. hoppedtaco.com/tickets July 21 Big Dog’s Brewing’s Summer Beer Fest & Reggae Party, held in the outdoor area of the Draft House at Craig Rd. and Rancho Dr., will offer live bands playing reggae, BBQ platters and more than 45 local, regional and international beers. bigdogsummerfest.com.

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Keep Memory Alive Event Center kmaeventcenterlasvegas.com 702-263-9797

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Riedel riedel.com

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Silver State Culinary Awards www.silverstateawards.com

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White Soy Sauce www.whitesoysaucefood.com

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World Tea Expo www.worldteaexpo.com

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www.lvfnbpro.com

Pre-Conference June 10-11, 2018

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Conference & Expo June 12-14, 2018

Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall

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worldteaexpo.com

Advancing the Business of Tea

World Tea Expo 2018 is Almost Here!

Enter the code TEDUC6 for $150 off the Full Conference Pass.

Register today at worldteaexpo.com/register!

World Tea Expo is the largest tradeshow and conference in North America focused entirely on the tea industry including specialty teas, tea ware and tea accessories. Join us to blend fresh ideas, discover the latest trends and new distribution channels throughout three days of focused buying, selling and education.