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DON CARANO
Renaissance Man and Nevada Icon
A Life Remembered
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CONTENTS AND COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLISHER MIKE FRYER WELCOME BACK TO THE SOCAL FOOD & BEVERAGE PROFESSIONAL for November, 2017 and a beautiful change of climate enticing food and beverage venues to move outside during a season to be enjoyed. San Diego Bay, Newport and other beaches are just a few of the locations for great outdoor events here in Southern California.
Cover Our November issue cover feature is dedicated to a casino industry icon who over the 8 16 17
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years made not only his mark but great strides in the gaming industry. Don Carano, a Renaissance man and Nevada icon is remembered by his close friend Larry Ruvo and documented by our newest Professional Journalist Pat Evans, who gives us a close look at this exceptional man and his life. Our Broads of Bourbon visit Nobu’s Restaurant and discover a new love for Japanese whisky, which is up-and-coming on the international and domestic markets and is enjoying a rebirth with the clients of good whiskeys. Check it out and see what you may be missing.
Nice to have a popular journalist back with us once again. Victoria Pindrik, who graduated from The University of Nevada Las Vegas with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel Administration, wrote for us prior to returning to California where she currently resides and to our pleasure, once again writes for Food & Beverage Professional. Check it out… Wine Talk by Alice Swift has given us a word of remorse and respect for the recent event in Las Vegas and how the people united in a Las Vegas & Los Angeles Strong attitude and the OHANA spirit. Thank you for the heartfelt words, Alice! We welcome back Chef Allen Asch and his continuing column Chef Talk! This month Chef Allen gives us his presentation on Meyer Lemon and what to do with it.
Cheers! Mike Fryer
Page 4 Hot off the Grill!
Page 5 COOK•EAT: Asia Asia in Japan or Vice Versa
Page 6 Product Review
Page 7 Dining out with the Harrises Crans-Montana, Switzerland’s Chef Franck Reynaud Offers a Michelin Experience to Remember
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Page 8 Broads of Bourbon Nobu Hard Rock: Helping Enthusiasts Move on to Discover New Love with Japanese Whisky
Page 10 Brett’s Vegas View
Page 11 The Bottom Line What Restaurants Can Learn About Big Food Company Turmoil
Page 20 What’s Brewing
Page 22 Product Spotlight Page12 Foodie Biz
Our Picks by Adam Rains
Page 14 COVER FEATURE DON CARANO Renaissance Man and Nevada Icon - A Life Remembered
Page 24 Human Resources Insights Your Leadership Sets the Tone for Treatment
Page 16 Forman’s Whiskey Tavern
Page 25 Chef Talk Wild About Meyer Lemon
Page 17 Wine Talk Reflections as We Approach Thanksgiving:
Page 26 Events Ad Index
Page 18 Made from Scratch Do-It-Yourself Eats: Korean Barbecue
ACF Chefs of SoCal
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7442 Grizzly Giant Street Las Vegas, NV 89139
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HOT OFF THE GRILL!
November 2017 Mike Fryer
Sr. Editor/Publisher
Restaurant Editor Ben Brown attended the Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival, which took place September 29–October 1. The weekend’s highlights included chef-led dinners across Orange County, as well as a pair of spectacular grand tastings complete with celebrity chef cooking demos and an illustrious champagne and caviar tasting. Check out Ben’s column, Foodie Biz, for more on the festival.
Thank you for joining us in this issue of The Las Vegas Food & Beverage Professional. For any questions or comments please email mike@socalfnbpro.com
Juanita Fryer
Bob Barnes
Editorial Director bob@socalfnbpro.com The National Beer Wholesalers Association recently concluded at Caesars Palace Conference Center and LVF&B Pro was fortunate to meet once again with a leader in the beer dispensing technology, Michael Ferguson, Aalberts Dispense Technologies Director of International Marketing. Our meeting included LVF&B Pro’s Editorial Director Bob Barnes and Sr. Editor Mike Fryer.
Ben Brown
Assistant To Sr. Editor ACF Chefs Liasion/Journalist juanita.fryer@socalfnbpro.com
Restaurant Editor ben@socalfnbpro.com
Juanita Aiello
Our beer specialist David Mulvihill attended a tasting of cheese from the Center Street Cheese Shop on Center Street Promenade in Anaheim paired with IPAs from from Artifex Brewing Company, Tustin Brewing Company and Unsung Brewing Company. Pictured here are Chefs Andrea Machuca-Kirkland of The Culinary Underground and Steve Gil of Center Street Cheese Shop. Check out David’s reporting on this fun event in his What’s Brewing column on page 21.
Adam Rains
Creative Director juanita@socalfnbpro.com
Beverage Editor adam.rains@socalfnbpro.com
Advertising sales@socalfnbpro.com
Article Submissions/Suggestions articles@socalfnbpro.com
Calendar Submissions calendar@socalfnbpro.com
Website webmaster@socalfnbpro.com
Press Relase Submissions news@socalfnbpro.com
General Information info@socalfnbpro.com
@socalfnbpro
The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional
CONTRIBUTING STAFF
Legal Editorial Advisor Andrew Matney
Journalist What’s Brewing David Mulvihill
Accounting Manager Michelle San Juan
Journalist Brett’s Vegas View Jackie Brett Journalist
Best of the Best Shelley Stepanek
Journalists Broads of Bourbon Mary Powers & Delilah Tennyson
Journalist Made from Scratch John Rockwell
Journalist Chef Spotlight Leah Schmidt
Journalist Good for Spooning LeAnne Notabartolo
Journalist COOK•EAT: Asia K. Mike Masuyama Ph.D.
Photographer Audrey Dempsey
Journalist Chef Talk Allen Asch
Journalist Linda Duke
Journalist Pat Evans
Journalist Wine Talk Alice Swift
Journalist The Bottom Line Ben Brown
Photographer Bill Bokelmann
Photographer Joe Urcioli
Journalists Twinkle Toast Erin Cooper & Christine Vanover
Journalist Lisa Matney
Journalist HR Insights Linda Bernstein
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By K. Mike Masuyama Ph.D.
COOK•EAT: Asia Asia in Japan or Vice Versa
Politics or religion is often taboo to talk about at a dinner table except at their fundraisers. Cook/Eat is almost always only one common, safe subject to share throughout Asia in connecting countries and people gathered together through globalization or economic progress or tourism. Besides, American and western food cultures make Cook/Eat even more further diverse there today. It may be interesting to see the intermingling of Asian and western food cultures there and here. Let’s see Asia in Japan, and Japan in Asia as a specimen. Okinawa, I think, is a good place to start with. Believe it or not, Okinawa is located further south than Taiwan in latitude and, once in the past, used to belong both to China and Japan for its geo-security reason. Okinawa was the last fierce battleground of WWII between the allied forces and Japan. After the war, Okinawa people appear to enjoy both traditional, southern Pacific Asian and newly acquired American diets. Traditionally, sea-veggies and every part of pork are regularly on the table, and burgers and French fries are occasionally. Interestingly, Okinawa is the place of the longest life expectancy and healthy living in Japan. Okinawa may be a good spot to learn about a blend of Asian-Japanese-American food culture for healthy eating-living. Like throughout our country, Chinatowns are all over Asia and beyond. A recent TV travel show broadcasted dozens of Chinese restaurants and wedding palaces for flocks of Chinese tourists in Santorini, Greece. In Japan, Chinatowns in Nagasaki and Yokohama serve authentic and also a little bit localized chow mein and other dishes. Like our ethnic districts like Little Tokyo, Koreatown, Chinatown, Little Saigon, Little Bangladesh (also non-Asian Little Havana, Little Italy, etc), Asians bring in their food cultures into Japan. Authentic kimchee, you can buy in the middle of Tokyo. Latin American food culture is also present there by the people from Brazil, Peru, etc. where Japan sent numerous immigrants a century ago. Descendants of those immigrants are offered jobs in the manufacturing industries in Japan, bringing their acquired food cultures. Sushi is a good example to see the intermingling of food cultures in Asia. Today sushi restaurants are all over Asia and beyond, such as London, Paris and others where originally Japanese went for business or pleasure like the Chinese in Greece. One, at the Puerto Vallerta port, I spotted from a cruise ship to Mexico. The difference, a big one, between sushi and other Asian cuisines, I have to mention here. Sushi uses raw or uncooked stuff, while many Asian foods are cooked with animal fat or vegetable oil at high heat. From a food safety point of view, well cooked foods are safer than raw or uncooked ones. In order to prepare sushi or sashimi, everything must be free of bad microbes or what could come www.socalfnbpro.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.
from kitchen gadgets and environment. Sanitation-sanitation-sanitation is more than required for sushi making in addition to location-locationlocation for business. You know what to do for that? Wash hands! It is the very first step to enforce food safety or sanitation in kitchens and also food manufacturing facilities. Personally, I will not eat sushi if sold on an open-market from a street vendor, though I dare to venture into unknown, cooked stuff on streets in Asia. In a sense, sushi has brought a concept and practice of more sanitation in food preparation into Asia. In Asia or our Asian market here, Asia has become a daily thing, traditional or infused, boosting our appetite and health. I should say we are fortunate in a mingling society to eat a variety of foods.
TRADITIONAL YET NEW Perfect Soy Sauce Flavor without the Color! A golden color white soy sauce No burnt dark soy sauce flavor No darkening color in cooking Remarkable for sea foods, veggies, pasta, fusion and natural foods
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Product Review By Bob Barnes
Notorious Pink Rosé Once regarded as an unsophisticated drink for those just wanting to drink something sweet, in recent years Rosé has enjoyed a surge in popularity. According to a report by Nielsen, in the past year Rosé sales in the U.S. climbed 53% by volume to $258 million. While Americans may have once viewed Rosé as a summer drink, in countries like France it is enjoyed year-round, and that may be becoming the case in the U.S. Coming to the forefront is the Frenchmade Notorious Pink, which breaks the rules of Rosé and turns a traditionally dry, summer wine into a tasteful, everyday pour. Made from 100% Grenache from the South of France, grapes from the oldest vines are bled using the saignée method, while those from younger vines are pressed. Pale pink in color, it exudes floral orange blossom aromas and on the palate exudes flavors of melons, raspberries, sweet cherry and finishes with a hint of spice and stewed apples. Notorious Pink has won Double Gold Medal Top Fifty Rosé 2015, five Gold Medals and two “Judges favorite,” in addition to a myriad of silver and bronze medals in regional competitions, as well as in Paris. notoriouspink.com
Dharma Bar In 2016, the sale of nutrition bars alone accounted for an estimated $2.2 billion in the U.S. and recent studies show that 9 out of 10 millennials (ages 18-35) are choosing to eat a healthy snack in place of a meal at least once a week. While some provide health benefits at the cost of taste, some others emphasize taste, but are little more than a candy bar in disguise. Enter James Ricciuti, a restauranteur, endurance athlete and chef of 35 years, who was passionate about creating nutritional energy bars with good flavor and great texture that are easily digested and do far more than just satisfy hunger, and founded the organic, vegan, kosher and gluten free Dharma Bars. I’m happy to report the ingredients are all healthful real food items with no unrecognizable words or unpronounceable chemicals in the list. In fact, the only ingredients used in the bars are organic almonds, dates, cocoa, coconut, cherries, rice protein, hemp protein, vanilla bean and cinnamon. The Bars come in three flavors—Vanilla Coconut Almond, Chocolate Almond Date and Cocoa Hemp Cherry—and after sampling them I can attest that they are indeed very tasteful, appetite satisfying and healthy nutrition bars that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating. www.dharmabars.com
Fireman’s Brew Who doesn’t love a fireman, and who doesn’t love beer? How about beer made by firemen? The brewery was created by two Los Angeles-based firefighters who in December, 2000 after extinguishing a brushfire sought to create premium ales and lagers that would quench their thirsts after an exhausting day on the firelines. The motto is “Extinguish Your Thirst,” and after sampling them I can verify they are quite easy drinking thirst quenchers. The Blonde Beer is a 5% ABV pilsner lager with just enough hops to balance; Redhead a 5.5% ABV red amber ale with a toasty malt base and caramel notes; the brand new IPA, a 6.5% ABV 53 IBU West-coast IPA with a blend of Cascade, Columbus, Chinook and Galena hops; and for a more potent drink, the Brunette weighing in at 8% ABV is a traditional-style German doublebock, which although bringing bold flavors, is still easy-drinking. The company is committed to giving back to the firefighter community and a percentage of proceeds from every product sold is donated to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. www.firemansbrew.com
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By Elaine & Scott Harris
Dining out with the Harrises
Sommeliers and Editor-In-Chief of Nationally Recognized Cuisineist.com and Vino Las Vegas LLC. They are the Las Vegas City Editors for TheDailyMeal in New York City. Cuisinist@Gmail.com • www.Cuisineist.com www.VinoLasVegas.Blogspot.com www.LasVegasDiningTours.com Facebook:ElaineScottHarris Twitter:TheCuisineist.com Twitter: VinoLasVegas • Instagram : Cuisineist
photos by Scott Harris
Crans-Montana, Switzerland’s Chef Franck Reynaud Offers a Michelin Experience to Remember
Considered to be one of the finest places to dine in the Crans-Montana region of Switzerland, Chef Franck Reynaud has been showcasing his culinary passion for over 20 years. His Michelin star shines brightly at Le Restaurant Gastronomique L’Ours within the Hostellerie du Pas de l’Ours. Astute, articulate and always striving for perfection, Chef Reynaud stays true to the Crans-Montana region with his creative, locally sourced and ever changing menu. We met with Chef Reynaud in Switzerland and asked him to share his reflections and insights on his culinary journey. Being raised in a culinary family, was there ever any time that your father tried to steer you away from being in the restaurant industry, being that it is so difficult a profession? I was born in the south of France in a third generation of culinary professionals. They did not say you need to work in the kitchen or do the culinary profession. They gave us the education. Whether we chose the culinary or education profession was our choosing. They showed us how to receive people and give pleasure to the people. When I am in the kitchen I want to give pleasure to the people. My work is my passion. If I was a school teacher I think it would be the same mentality. www.socalfnbpro.com
You try to source your ingredients from the area, correct? 50% of the menu is to have fresh ingredients. It is very difficult in the mountain region especially in the winter season. I try to get the maximum local products. We try to do lake fish, and there are good vegetables 4-5 months maximum, and spices too such as the saffron, aromatic herbs, and for the meat, we have the best beef. The skiing season is coming. What do you do to creatively prepare your dishes during the winter season? We often change the menu every day. We use venison, lamb and fish. It is a pleasure for me to change when I want. The people trust me after 20 years since we opened. What tool, with the exception of the knife, is one of your favorite kitchen utensils? First we need to cook. We work with the oven, a really great oven. My new toy now comes from the United States called the Green Egg. It can both cook and smoke at the same time. People are really interested in BBQ right now. What advice would you give to a young culinary student? Don’t go! (Laughs) You must like to give pleasure in the kitchen but it will be impossible
if you don’t. You need sensibility and must work in service. It is hard work but good work and you need to find where you want work; in pastry, with bread, you need to understand how to give a story, how to be a leader, not a follower. In the kitchen it has to be about the passion. I tell my son to make his own way, not to follow. Are there any trends that are no longer viable? We need to be aware of the new things around, but I don’t want to be persuaded by that. I keep it artisanal and true to what I believe. What do you see as the most important aspect of your profession as a chef? Really it is the ingredients. Have the best ingredients you can. If you make a sauce with bad wine you have a bad sauce. When the plate arrives in front of a guest it must be really superb. It is really simple; it is about creating maximum taste and texture. I was very fortunate to go to many kitchens with my parents to learn from the best in the world. It is about the kitchen, a certain kitchen in New York may not work here. When you work all day, you go to a restaurant to have a good time.
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BOURBON Nobu Hard Rock: Helping Enthusiasts Move on to Discover New Love with Japanese Whisky
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
photo by Ashley Flaig
Broads of
By Mary Powers & Delilah Tennyson
First flight: Hibiki Harmony: Blended. Orange, honey, herbaceous, light oak (a mix of whisky from 3 different distilleries: Yamasaki, Hakushi and Chita). Hibiki 17-yr: Blended. A long finish with notes of vanilla, black cherry and oak. Hibiki 21-yr: Blended. Deemed dangerously drinkable, we tasted a touch of blackberry, honeycomb, apricot and oak.
Second flight: Akashi: Blended. Has a spilled beer smell, but is slightly nostalgic. Fruity with a note of honey. Mars Iwai Traditional: Blended. Red berries, pepper, vanilla, with the taste you would expect from being finished in a pinot noir cask. Nikka Yoichi: Single malt. Peaty meats fruity style with a long silky finish.
photos by Mary Powers
Nikka Taketsuru: Pure malt. Espresso beans, chocolate, tobacco and lingering sherried fruit. There’s definitely some smoke in this one, but it’s merely complementary and evolves over the course of the sip.
The verdict:
Japan is known for a lot of exceptional worldly contributions. Our collective top five would be general anesthesia, Capcom’s Street Fighter video game, instant noodles, haikus and whisky. We know that the Japanese didn’t invent whisky, but they definitely found a way to make it superior. In recent years, the price and demand for Japanese whisky has increased significantly, especially since a little dram named Yamazaki Single Malt Cherry Cask 2013 scored near perfect in Jim Murray’s 2015 Definitive Whisky Bible. Before that Bill Murray made Suntory famous in Lost In Translation. These Murrays were important to the cause, but so was another man named Taketsuru who can pretty much be credited with evolving Japanese whisky into what it is today. He basically went to Scotland for a couple of years, made lots of secret notes about Scotch while lurking in the distillery shadows, found a wife, moved back to Japan and made delicious history (in that order). Naturally we were curious about this particular type of whisky. We decided the best way to learn more was to visit Nobu at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, which is home to one of the largest Japanese whisky collections in the state of Nevada, 36 to be exact. They also carry one of the only bottles of Yamazaki 25 in the state. Since you’re curious, a taste of this 25-year can run upwards of $450 a pour. Joshua Monsivais is the lead bartender and whisky connoisseur responsible for growing the collection, perfecting cocktails and creating the whisky flights that guests can order while dining. He makes whisky his business and loves the opportunity to steer those that are curious but a bit reluctant in to trying something new. We were definitely curious, so he curated a couple of flights for our taste buds to dissect. When drinking Japanese whisky, Josh recommends that whisky drinkers should use the cheaper brands for cocktails, and enjoy the more exceptional tastes neat or with an ice sphere. Speaking from personal experience, adding anything to the spirit would be a bad idea. You mess with the flavor profiles, and you will definitely be doing the whisky an injustice, just like those who order their steaks well done. Shame. 8 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I November 2017
Mary’s favorite was the Nikka Taketsuru, Delilah went with the Hibiki Harmony, and Josh stays true to Hibiki 17-yr (21-yr if someone else is buying). We definitely feel that Japanese whisky is a must for whisk(e) y enthusiasts to dabble in, especially those that are apprehensive of the peaty and smoky style. Don’t let a little tryst with Old Crofter and Monarch of the Glen deter your taste buds from moving on and trying something else within the realm of whisky. Learning to let go of negative whisky experiences is the first step to moving on, and learning to love something new. We like to call this whisky vulnerability. Josh is great with helping those with a fear of change move on to bigger and better tasting profiles. So, when you’re ready to broaden your horizons with a little or a lot of Japanese whisky, Josh will be there to guide you, especially at Whisky Wednesday starting in November.
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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 SCENE
Adam Sandler will be the first exclusive resident comedic performer at The Chelsea in The Cosmopolitan Nov. 10, Nov. 17 and Jan. 27 with future dates TBA. Sandler is in production on the Netflix comedy, The Week Of, with costar Chris Rock premiering in 2018. Jeff Dunham will bring his new “Passively Aggressive” tour to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Wednesday, Dec. 6. Dunham just released his Netflix stand-up special, Jeff Dunham: Relative Disaster, featuring his illbehaved characters. Styx and Don Felder will appear Jan. 26-27, 31 and Feb. 2-3 at The Venetian Theatre with their “Renegades In The Fast Lane.” Celebrating eight years headlining at The LINQ, Frank Marino and his “Divas Las Vegas” cast of female impersonators have signed a multiyear extension, introduced a souvenir cup and are filming a reality show, Last Laugh in Vegas, which will air next spring on ITV. The new “PJ Masks Live! Time to Be a Hero” family musical based on the animated TV series will visit Orleans Arena Saturday, Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. At Bugsy’s Cabaret in the Flamingo, mime artist Tape Face, another America’s Got Talent sensation, is back for a sophomore residency and limited-engagement in November. For the third year, Piff the Magic Dragon will present his holiday show “Piffmas Pifftacular” Dec. 4-30. The international circus-style production “WOW–World of Wonder” made its North American debut at the Rio after transforming the showroom into a world of water with a custombuilt stage and pool. The raucous cast of “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace has a new act, Gertie, The Gimp in a Blimp exhibiting her flexibility in strips of black PVC.
ABOUT TOWN HAPPENINGS
The Howard Hughes Corporation will be building a 10,000-fan-capacity Las Vegas Ballpark baseball stadium in Downtown Summerlin, which will be pro-team Las Vegas 51s’ future home.
The Samsung Galaxy Studio featuring the newest Samsung products will block the Caesars Palace landmark fountains through the end of January 2018. JW Marriott has unveiled two new modern green meeting spaces–Palms Executive Conference Center and Cascade with indoor/ outdoor areas. VooDoo Steak & Rooftop Nightclub at the Rio celebrated its 20th anniversary. REO Speedwagon unveiled its first dedicated memorabilia case at Hard Rock Hotel. The LINQ Promenade is opening Canter’s Deli, Kappa Toys second store and Nectar Bath Treats sixth location this fall. The Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s multi-year snack deal makes California-based Gnarly Jerky its official beef jerky for all major events. Also, The Strip at LVMS will widen and debut four-wide drag racing in the western United States for the NHRA DENSO Nationals April 4-6, 2018.
Las Vegas’ first mermaid school, Aquamermaid, opened and teaches swimming with a mermaid tail. The Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens’ autumn display running through Nov. 25 showcases enchanting landscapes and two flower-encrusted 19-foot peacocks. Caesars Palace honored legendary French performer and activist Line Renaud with a namesake street sign near the resort’s Augustus Tower. The Mob Museum is No. 20 on TripAdvisor’s Top 25 U.S. Museums list in the 2017 Traveler’s Choice Awards. The Plaza debuted a renovated third floor bingo hall with 200 fixed base electronic bingo units. Rio headliners Penn & Teller premiered their first slot game from Everi at the resort. MGM Resorts International launched its firstever corporate brand campaign “Welcome to the Show” spotlighting the corporation’s array of entertainment experiences at its 27 resort destinations. Coinciding with the 18th anniversary “FANTASY” at the Luxor released the show’s 2018 calendar, “Black & White and Nude All Over.”
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Opportunity Village’s 13th annual Las Vegas Great Santa Run fundraiser Downtown returns Saturday, Dec. 2. The 33rd second division professional soccer team joining the United Soccer League (USL) is Las Vegas Lights Football Club beginning its inaugural season with matches at Cashman Field next March. Zak Bagans, Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures series host investigating the paranormal, opened his Haunted Museum in a 30-room mansion built in 1938 in the historic downtown district.
DINING HOT LINE
Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer with its signature Crazy Shakes will open its first expansion beyond its four New York locations this winter at The Venetian with patio dining.
Three-year-old Carson Kitchen unveiled a fresh, newly expanded and renovated space downtown maintaining the original industrialinspired décor. In a sudden move, McCormick & Schmick’s at Hughes Center after 19-plus years closed and one week later reopened as the Claim Jumper, which closed its location in Town Square at the same time. In addition, Landry’s closed across from Palace Station. All three restaurants are part of the Landry’s Inc. chain. Jerry’s Nugget in North Las Vegas revamped and replaced the closed Uncle Angelo’s Pizza Joint with Contento Pizzeria and Bar specializing in gourmet pizzas and pastas. Beer Park at Paris is hosting “Hat Trick Hockey Nights” for all Vegas Golden Nights home and away games. Tanked reality television star Brett Raymer opened his doughnut and ice cream experience Donut Mania in Henderson. Counter-culture quick-serve restaurant Chēba Hut opened its 20th location and first in Nevada at 2550 S. Rainbow Blvd. International gourmet mini-burger franchise Burgerim operating 200-plus locations in 16 countries opened its first Las Vegas location at 9635 Bermuda Road. La Flor de Michoacán opened at Texas Station next to Panda Express. www.socalfnbpro.com
The Bottom Line What Restaurants Can Learn About Big Food Company Turmoil
Big food companies across the country have been hit hard by what can only be described as a serious loss of trust by their consumer base. Coca Cola, Kraft, Nestle and Mondelez [parent company of Nabisco] are just a few food giants that have seen their CEOs resign. Granted, these companies are alive and well and likely to perform just fine moving forward, but their ageold model of mass-scale, low-cost production is not resonating like it did decades ago, back in the day when all you needed at a baseball stadium were hot dogs and nachos. So what does this mean for restaurants? Big things, all revolving around modernization. All consumer trends right now point to the little guy, the mom-and-pop-ish, locally sourced, small-scale production center where business is made up of guests who know and trust the product. To many, ‘big food’ is synonymous with chemicals, additives, fillers and other elements that consumers are sick of putting into their bodies. A growing clientele is ready and willing to pay a premium for ingredients they trust. This means going to restaurants that embody these same qualities. Each of these big food companies has extended great effort in building their product portfolios to include more ‘trusted’ brands. Kellogg, for example, recently purchased RX Bar, the ‘No BS’ protein bar maker, for a whopping $600 million. Why? In all likelihood, to help modernize the Kellogg brand with a product that has clearly resonated with a newer-age www.socalfnbpro.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.
clientele. For restaurants, this means you may want to take a look at your menu mix and assess whether your approach truly appeals to your guests today. Does this mean that as a restaurant you should drop everything, revamp your menu and change out your suppliers all at once? Of course not. Coca Cola will never relinquish its soda business because that’s the core of the brand—they’ve simply built onto that brand by acquiring names such as Odwalla and Zico. As a restaurant owner, this means taking a step back, assessing what’s truly at the core of your business, and finding simple ways to modernize so that you can retain your identity while coming across as new and revamped. This may not always be a food-related change. I recently visited what many would call a local dive in Santa Monica. The place was sitting on prime real estate, just steps from the ocean, and served a modest-yet-comprehensive menu of quality food at low prices. A true gem amidst its over-hyped and over-modernized neighbors, but the atmosphere here was akin to a run-down Irish pub. What an outdoor patio and natural light would do to this place! Yes, this would entail a significant remodel, but at the end of the tunnel would emerge a new, improved version of this restaurant that nobody would consider a dive. A transformation like this leads to higher demand, and a resulting lift in the bottom line. This restaurant is the exact kind of seasoned mom-and-pop establishment that stands to
benefit the most from an internal assessment and immediate action steps to bridge the gap between product offering and consumer needs. Moving the focus back to the menu, if you see that an item, or even an entire category, isn’t selling like it used to, then it’s time to revise the ingredient mix or even just your guests’ overall perception. If you hand-grind your burger meat and roll the patties daily, then promote the heck out of that process by detailing it on your menu and table collateral. If you source locally, make sure your guests know. If you notice that more and more guests are subbing out American cheese for gouda, then you’ve found a good replacement or upsell opportunity. The list goes on. If big food companies relied on classic soda flavors, ready-made mac ‘n’ cheese and processed snacks now like they did ages ago, they’d be going the way Sears and K-Mart have gone by not innovating with the rise of online retail. To put it bluntly, it’s just a matter of getting with the times, but thankfully it can be done quite handily. It’s all a matter of observation and small steps to follow what your guests are looking for. Next time you’re at the grocery store, browse through some of the healthier brands you’ve become familiar with and look to see if you can find a name like Mondelez or Kellogg nestled on the package. Another example of small steps and necessary modernization.
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| Foodie Biz |
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@socalfnbpro.com or follow him @Foodie_Biz.
Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival Wows with Spectacular Sips and Savors
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photos by Ben Brown
Butternut squash soup with bacon marshmallows. Lobster rolls piled high with fresh seafood. Endless choices of high-end wines coupled with cooking demonstrations from some of the most acclaimed chefs in the country. The Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival saw a successful year indeed. Hosted over the final week of September, the festival welcomed fall in gourmet style with a festive party in tow. Two days of grand tastings at the Newport Beach Civic Center highlighted the weekend, whereby a collection of acclaimed chefs showcased their restaurants’ creative approaches to modern dining. Live music energized a fun-loving crowd that sipped to their hearts’ content [albeit maybe beyond their livers’], with perfect weather rounding out an OC-foodie’s dreamland. Award-winning Chefs Hubert Keller, Richard Blais, Lorena Garcia, Melissa King and Brooke Williamson were among the many big names to showcase their skills live on stage. Highlighting the cooking demos, however, was the duo of Amar Santana and Katsuji Tanabe, two Top Chef alums whose humor and banter were almost as fantastic as their kitchen skills. On the wine side, four master sommeliers led tastings and wine education lessons. Given that there are less than 150 master sommeliers in the entire US, the Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival recruited one heck of a lineup. Dozens of eateries came to play, and a few certainly stole the show. Nobu was an unsurprising standout with a steamed cod that melted in your mouth. Selanne Steak Tavern’s braised short rib with white polenta and bleu cheese foam was a huge crowd favorite, as was their butternut squash soup noted above. Broadway’s lamb confit and Driftwood Kitchen’s prime, farro and roasted corn griddle cakes continued the momentum, as did The Winery’s pork belly over risotto and Puesto’s tacos. Wineries included Ancient Peaks Winery, Barlow Vineyards, Mondavi Family Wines, AIX, Duckhorn, Dearly Beloved, Navarro Vineyards and Roadhouse Winery among many others. Stella poured from three separate stations, ensuring everyone got their beer fix. Duke’s and Johnny Walker brought an interesting presence to the festival, as well as Blue Marble’s ‘ultra premium’ pre-mixed canned cocktails. Dessert was surprisingly missing on day one, but made a beautiful appearance day two thanks to Mozza’s butterscotch gelato and Aven Table + Bar’s honey syrup doughnuts with pork belly. It was joined with plenty of sweet drinks, such as Bass Note Sangria and Tatratea, a Slovakian tea-based herbal liqueur that packs a punch like you wouldn’t believe. Numerous VIP events surrounded the grand tastings, such as a champagne and caviar tasting by Moet Hennesey and Petrossian. A panel of four master sommeliers, caviar expert Christopher Klapp and Chef Alan Greeley led guests through five pairings of labels such as Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot and Moet Chandon with some of Petrossian’s top caviars. Petrossian, for those who don’t know, is the Moet Hennesey of caviar. More VIP events, private dinners and late-night parties allowed the Newport Beach Wine and Food Festival to effectively take over Orange County’s restaurant scene for the weekend, adding a great spark to celebrate the region’s sprawling foodie presence. Guests may spend the next year visiting the restaurants they sampled over the weekend, but before you know it the 2018 festival will be fast-approaching. For more information, visit NewportWineAndFood.com. www.socalfnbpro.com
Gargantua: Gourmet Pop-Up in East Santa Monica You’d never guess that the OP Café, a quaint and quiet little breakfast nook on Ocean Park Blvd, would house food with a level of sophistication rivaling that of many Michelin-starred establishments. Enter Gargantua, a high-end pop-up that takes the helm at OP Café on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. The nostalgic beach décor and bed-and-breakfast feel remain, but the menu and the chef behind it bring about an entirely different experience. Chef Nick Barainca, a veteran chef of Four Seasons and various L.A. eateries, serves up a 5-course menu that takes the palate through intricate levels of savory, salty, sweet and all-around fascination. Barainca shows off spectacular attention to detail and culinary intuition, making every ingredient in every course a talking point. This is Barainca’s first solo show, and he’s definitely taken off out of the gates. You don’t start out with just bread; you start with black garlic bread basted with mushroom and air-dried beef, served with salted butter churned that day. What is listed as pozole is not as much a soup as it is individually seasoned tender potatoes and sheep’s cheese with out-of-this-world texture that sit in a harmonious sauce accented with sliced tomatillo. The beef belly is simply superb, holding rich flavor with a bold crust that most steakhouses couldn’t come to grips with. The list goes on and is ever-changing. Gargantua’s menu shifts quite frequently, so guests will get an entirely different experience with almost every visit. Patrons should also come prepared in two ways. First, the experience is BYOB. Second, portion sizes stray about as far from the gargantuan name as you can imagine, so don’t come hungry or expect to leave full. Think of this as more of an interactive culinary art exhibit, where equivalent meals would be at least 5x the $47/person that you pay at Gargantua. Interested guests should hurry. You don’t know how much longer this pop-up will be around. For more information, call (310) 452-5720 or visit gargantuan online at Gargantua.la.
Surfside: Stylish and Savory on the Venice Beach Boardwalk While establishments have popped up across Venice to showcase new-age, sophisticated cuisine, few have dared to border the iconic boardwalk. Surfside is that brave soul, challenging the typical grabn-go shacks that define the area’s otherwise lowbrow dining scene. This loud, high-energy restaurant rises above the riffraff, but does so with a smile on its face, letting the food speak for itself with just the right touch of Venice pizzazz. Surfside’s menu is inventive, worldly and delicious. An American comfort food base layered with Korean and Mexican influence produces works such as their top-selling Korean fries, covered in bulgogi steak, melted cheese, sriracha mayo and kimchi. The L.A. street corn is something truly special, genius in its simple approach to crushing cotija cheese into the corn to get the most decadent bite, every bite. The mac ‘n’ cheese is something else here. Surfside nails it with the exact kind of indulgent creaminess you’d hope for. Burgers are a staple, as are bowls and salads for a healthier approach. The Mexicali bowl is an absolute favorite, made all the more special with rich chipotle crème. Surfside is a seasonal restaurant, so the menu will change frequently, but expect the execution of Head Chef Jesse Gutierrez to remain excellent. Portion size lands in the guest’s favor here, a rare find for food this good in a prime location. Just be sure to navigate the menu the right way. As great as it is, Surfside can’t afford to stay in business by giving away expensive ingredients…another way of saying that if something has lobster in it, it may not fill you up as much as would a burger or bowl. A fun cocktail list rounds out the culinary experience, but a visit to Surfside is capped off with some spectacular people-watching. The price point is in a sweet spot—high enough to keep out most of the ‘I don’t shower’ crowd, yet reasonable enough to attract some very interesting personalities. Sports may be playing across the restaurant and bar, but all eyes tend to focus on some of the characters that walk through Surfside’s doors. For more information call 424-256-7894 or visit Surfside online at SurfsideVenice.com. www.socalfnbpro.com
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DON CARANO Renaissance Man and Nevada Icon
A Life Remembered
Cover and feature photos courtesy Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery
By Pat Evans
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.
A night in a suite at the Eldorado Hotel more than a decade ago helps demonstrate the life values of the Nevada-born renaissance man Don Carano, who died October 3 at the age of 85. The night in the suite at Eldorado included Carano, President George H.W. Bush, Steve Wynn and Larry Ruvo, senior managing director of Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits of Nevada. Ruvo had been the finance chair of President George W. Bush’s Nevada campaign and was hosting the former president for a speaking engagement in Reno the night of President George W. Bush’s State of the Union. The elder former president wanted to dine but also watch his son’s speech so Carano offered a suite. “We were in that suite for two to three hours before, during and after the State of the Union, having drinks, a wonderful dinner,” said Ruvo, who called Carano a close friend for more than 40 years. “I never heard once the president talk about himself or Don talk about himself. They were two peas in a pod and both family men. Whatever was asked about Don, he deflected the discussion to his family, his children and his business partners.” 14 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I November 2017
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Dan Carano’s Path to Becoming a Nevada Luminary Ruvo said the funeral on October 11 was a celebration of Carano’s life. “As emotional as I was last Wednesday, walking in to say goodbye to a man who was like a brother, I walked out and it was truly a celebration of his life,” Ruvo said. Carano was a pioneer in multiple industries in Nevada and built his portfolio of businesses from a humble upbringing in Reno as a secondgeneration Italian-American. Born on October 17, 1931 to Louis Carano and Millie Lewis, Carano went through school in Reno before graduating from University of San Francisco and a two-year stint in the U.S. Army. Following his time in the Army, he went to University of San Francisco Law School and moved back to Reno to found the McDonald, Carano & Wilson law firm. He eventually left the firm as a practicing attorney, but remained of counsel until his death. He used the experiences he learned in his legal career to help build the other portions of his business life. In 1967, he partnered in the Boomtown Casino and in 1972 bought into the Pioneer Inn before opening the Eldorado Hotel Casino in 1973. According to the Eldorado website, Carano was advised by many not to move forward with the hotel on the north side of the railroad tracks in Reno. Instead, Carano built the hotel and the 282-room hotel with 10,000-squarefeet of gaming became a success. It now has more than 800 rooms, eight restaurants and 80,000 square feet of gaming. In addition, the Eldorado Resorts company now has 19 locations in 10 states, including Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The Eldorado separated itself from other casinos with a strong focus on employees, beverages and dining, Ruvo related. The Eldorado opened the La Strada in the 1980s, as well as the Eldorado Coffee Company and a microbrewery called The Brew Brothers, making it the first casino to operate a small brewery. The culinary focus of the Caranos and the Eldorado are crediting with helping to shape the way Reno eats, according to the Reno GazetteJournal. “The Eldorado was definitely setting the benchmarks for our culinary fabric to move forward in Reno—no doubt about that,” Reno restaurateur Joel Giandalia told the RGJ.
Winemaking Venture and Business Expansions The love of beverage led to a hobby in winemaking, which eventually led to another business venture. In 1981, Don and his wife, Rhonda, launched a Sonoma County winery, Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery. “After they bought the present site, my wife and I and www.socalfnbpro.com
Don and Rhonda sat under a tree and toasted with cheese and wine,” Ruvo recalled. “They did everything they said they would do and more on that property and did it in such a stylish, elegant and loving way.” His casino ventures expanded in 1992 when he partnered with Circus Circus and Mandalay Resorts/MGM to build Reno’s first mega resort, the Silver Legacy Resort Casino. “He was a proud veteran, respected lawyer, champion of law enforcement, successful winery owner and founder of one of Reno’s most iconic downtown establishments, the Eldorado Hotel and Casino,” Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said in a statement. “He will be truly missed, but his contributions to The Biggest Little City will live on. Don will forever be known as a pillar and philanthropist in northern Nevada and the surrounding community.” In 2000 the Caranos expanded their winery business with two additional vineyards, the Vintners Inn and the John Ash & Co. restaurant. In 2008, the Caranos bought Lazy Creek Vineyards in Anderson Valley, famed for its pinot noirs. Today, Ferrari-Carano has 24 estates with more than 1,900 vineyard acres. Many of the winery’s wines are widely lauded, from its fume blanc to its chardonnays and cabernet sauvignons. “After we bought the initial parcel, the wine bug bit us, so over the years we continued to acquire different properties,” Carano reported on the winery’s website. “I’m proud to say that the Ferrari-Carano name represents quality and consistency without compromise, a commitment that is reflected in every bottle of wine we make.” The original Dry Creek Valley Estate Winery is focused on creating the company’s renowned white wines. The grapes are harvested at night to keep the grapes crisp and intense with fruit flavors, according to the company. The facility has five barrel cellars to ferment and age the chardonnays for “lush, rich wines with complex nuances.” Ferrari-Carano’s red wines are made at the Mountain Winery on the RockRise Mountain on the east side of Alexander Valley.
Philanthropic Endeavors and Accolades His philanthropic endeavors were also great throughout the years in both Reno and his Alexander Valley home community in California. He was integral to a variety of downtown Reno developments and helped launch the city’s youth football league. Over the years, Carano was recognized by a variety of organizations, including the International Gaming and Wagering Business Hall of Fame, Nevada Food and Beverage Directors Association, the American Lung Association Distinguished Community Service Award, Hotelier of the Year Award and the
International Restaurant and Hospitality Rating Bureau. The University of San Francisco Law School named him Alumnus of the Year in 1999. He was also named a “Knight in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic” by the Consul General of Italy in 1997, the highest honor for an Italian living outside of Italy. Earlier this year, the University of Nevada named him a Distinguished Nevadan. In a Reno Gazette-Journal article following his passing, former Reno Mayor Bob Cashell called Carano one of the city’s most influential people. “Don Carano was a great leader, he was a great businessman and he was a very generous man who helped a lot of people,” Cashell said in the story. “He was just a great friend and a great partner. He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever known in my life, and I’ll miss him sorely. I bet Reno would look a lot different without Don. It was his leadership that helped create and redevelop downtown. He kept drawing things to that area. Without his leadership, a lot of things wouldn’t have happened.” Ruvo said Rhonda Carano was able to describe him the best and read an email comment she sent. “Don would want people to remember him for the characteristics of the man he was,” she wrote. “Kind and caring to all, no matter who they were. His unassuming personality defines his magnetism as a person. That was his greatness, not the hotels he built, his brilliant legal mind or the wines he made. It’s his love for all of us.” The love was spread to many, Ruvo said. Ruvo said the term family is often overused in business, but for the Caranos, it was true. “It was indelible; it wasn’t just said, it was meant,” Ruvo said of the term family. “Whether it’s the Ferrari-Carano Winery or the Eldorado hotel team, there was a true love between them and their employees, but more importantly, their employees and them. Carano is survived by Rhonda, his five children—Gary, Gene, Glenn, Gregg and Cindy—as well as 11 grandchildren, six greatgrandchildren and the Eldorado Resorts family, all of whom Carano always put ahead of himself. “The renaissance man he was, the brilliant mind he had, born in Reno and came from nothing, he became the most revered, respected and loved attorney in the state, then the most successful hotelier in northern Nevada, then goes on to make one of the most iconic wine brands in the world,” Ruvo said. “All this time, he was the revered and loved head of a family, a big family. He still always had time for those kids, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, whether he was cooking, which he loved to do, or just spending time with them or time with me on the boat, which we both loved. “Always… it was never about him. We lost a great Nevadan.”
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By Victoria Pindrik
Forman’s Whiskey Tavern
Victoria Pindrik is a native Californian who graduated from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas with a Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration. She currently works as an office manager at Slalom in Irvine, CA. Although in the corporate world, Victoria is passionate about hospitality and anything to do with food & beverage.
photos by Victoria Pindrik
When you walk around Studio City, there are several bars in the area that have a different vibe. No doubt that from the moment you step into Forman’s Whiskey Tavern, you don’t feel like you’re in a typical Los Angeles atmosphere anymore. Forman’s Tavern, named after the man who founded Toluca Lake, has all the elements of a bar you’d expect, except it’s made to look like the inside of a huntsmen lodge, with various animal heads on the wall, all sorts of mugs hanging from the ceiling and everything from the bar, tables and stools made from wood. You get the outdoorsy ambiance from the moment you step in. I had the chance to attend Forman’s Whiskey Tavern’s 2nd Anniversary and had the opportunity to meet with some of the staff that works there and try some of their bestselling food items and of course… the whiskey! One of their must-try items on the menu is the Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which was not only suggested by the staff but by the regulars who are always there. The sandwich is made with spicy honey mustard slaw and pickled green tomato, and this combination of the flavors made it probably one of the best chicken sandwiches I’ve had and can see why people recommend it. With the sandwich I tried one of their signature whiskey cocktails, the “Ye Olde Rustic,” since I’m not the biggest whiskey drinker, but love trying a variety of cocktails. This was AMAZING! The combination of Woodford Reserve Bourbon, strawberries, ginger, honey, lemon rhubarb bitters and soda make it out to be one refreshing drink! Their most popular drink, on their New Fashioned Old Fashioneds list, is the Forman’s Old Fashioned: Old Forester Bourbon, Averna and Dom Benedictine topped off with spiced cherry bitters, which makes all the difference! Forman’s Whiskey Tavern is a great place for a happy hour or to catch up with friends! Great drinks, delicious food and a cozy atmosphere. Check them out on Wednesdays when they have different whiskey flights all the time! Forman’s Whiskey Tavern 10149 Riverside Dr, Toluca Lake, CA 818-760-6900 formansla.com Hours: Sunday to Wednesday noon-midnight, Thursday to Saturday noon-2 a.m.
Allan Karl’s best-selling book FORKS: A Quest for Culture, Cuisine, and Connection has been a #1 best-seller in three Amazon categories.
FORKS brings the world to your table: An around-the-world adventure story. A colorful photo book with more than 700 color photographs. A global cookbook with 40 signature recipes. Why would someone sell nearly everything he owns, pull roots, and travel for three years--alone--on a motorcycle? One day Allan Karl woke up to discover that he was unemployed and his marriage had ended in divorce. Allan looked at these forks in the road of his life as an opportunity to both follow a life-long dream and pursue his passions. He hopped on his motorcycle and traveled around the world--alone. After three years and 62,000 miles of riding, through 35 countries on 5 continents, he returned home only to set out on another journey--to share the truths he’d uncovered and the lessons learned during his adventure around the world. Between these pages, Allan shares the discoveries, cultures, and connections he made on this global adventure. Through stories, color photos, and the flavors of real local food, FORKS brings his adventure to life and the world to your table: the kindness of strangers, the beauty of humanity, the colors of culture, and the powerful gift of human connection. Every photograph, story, and recipe in this book presents readers with an opportunity to witness new cultures, taste exotic flavors, or journey into dangerous and unknown territories. Every experience is an opportunity to connect with others.
The second edition of FORKS is widely available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Indie Bookstores everywhere. Autographed and personalized signed copies are available on the FORKS website www.forksthebook.com. 16 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I November 2017
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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.
Reflections as We Approach Thanksgiving: Staying #CaliforniaStrong and #VegasStrong as an ʻOhana (Family)
#CALIFORNIASTRONG The past few months have been quite rough for people across the United States, with Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma devastating Texas and Florida, respectively. Unfortunately, the tragic events did not end there. As I sit here writing up this November issue of Wine Talk, it has been about two weeks since the Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting. I remember turning on the television after dinner in Hawaiʻi and seeing the events unfold on every major news station as I sat in shock and horror. Having lived in Las Vegas for 5 years up until 2016, and spending 3 of those years working for MGM Resorts International, the news hit me quite hard. I had friends, colleagues and former co-workers who were directly impacted by the events, some whose lives have been changed forever. A little over a week later, in California, wildfires began to ignite throughout the state, doing damage across multiple counties in Northern California (Napa, Sonoma, Yuba, Butte, Lake, Mendocina, Nevada and Orange). Over 200,000 acres were burned, 5,000+ structures destroyed and dozens of wineries and vineyards ruined. NorCal has a special place in my heart, having been born and raised in California, and gone to school in San Luis Obispo. So, why do I choose to relive these traumatic events? Because I would like to focus on the amazing power of the people whom I have seen come together during tragedies like this. Being that I am across the ocean and nowhere near Las Vegas or California, there was very little I felt I could do to help. I checked in with all of my friends and former co-workers to make sure everyone was okay, and donated what I could to the donation funds. I followed the news reports and saw the community come together with each passing hour and day. The California wildfires this year have already proven to be amongst the worst yet. However, the state continues to stay #CaliforniaStrong. Many of the residents and other support has rolled in from all over to provide resources and shelter. While the smaller towns and counties in Northern California have the family-oriented feel, where the communities are known to pull together in times of need, Las Vegas isn’t as well known for that. Las Vegas is one of the entertainment capitals of the world, wellknown for its gaming and “What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” Sin City reputation, and there are those who are of the mindset that there isn’t really a “community” in Las Vegas... that it is just full of gambling and tourists. Well I personally attest that that is not the case at all. www.socalfnbpro.com
Even in the midst of writing this article, I am deeply moved at how quickly the community of Las Vegas pulled together to support each other. Las Vegas residents offered up their homes to those in need. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas set up an Emergency Operation Center, providing shelter, security, counseling, food and water to those seeking help. MGM Resorts continued to be a company I am proud to have worked for, as I heard of multiple MGM Resorts properties providing support services to the victims as well as to the property employees. Many Las Vegas-based organizations (MGM Resorts, Station Casinos, Caesars Entertainment, Las Vegas Sands Corp., Boyd Gaming, Zappos, UFC, etc.) also pledged/ donated large sums of money to aid the victims and their families. Many of my former co-workers, UNLV colleagues and friends donated and helped out where they could, giving blood, donating time and resources and countless other selfless acts. In less than two weeks, I saw the GoFundMe page set up by the Clark County Commission rocket to almost $11 million dollars. It was during these times that the hashtag #VegasStrong began trending, and truly lives up to its name. In the Hawaiian language, the word ʻohana means family. This extends beyond direct relatives, as it can mean extended family. Las Vegas will always be my ʻohana, as will California. In the midst of this tragedy, please take the time to be thankful as the holidays draw near. Be thankful for those heroes who were selfless in saving others’ lives, for those servicemen and women who provided support to those in times of need, and continue to do so. Be thankful for those near and dear to your heart. Resilient. Community. Survivors. ʻOhana. Together we will continue to be #VegasStrong and #CaliforniaStrong. If you would like to donate, please go to https://www.gofundme.com/ dr2ks2-las-vegas-victims-fund and https://www.gofundme.com/napasonoma-fires and use the direct donation options (to avoid fee charges), or donate to your local Red Cross, United Way and other volunteer organizations. Until next month, Cheers~ Alice November 2017 I The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional 17
Made from
By John Rockwell
SCRATCH
photos by John Rockwell
Do-It-Yourself Eats: Korean Barbecue
If Americans in general love buffets, and Southern Californians in general love trends, then it follows that the people of SoCal would love trendy buffets. Although I see large numbers of people at buffets like Hometown, Golden Corral or Soup Plantation, trendy SoCal foodies would never admit to actually liking such places. I mean, the only reason I go to Soup Plantation on a regular basis is because my parents, both in their 70s, love to eat there. Wink wink. See what I mean? But the Asian-themed buffet-all-you-can-eat, or in Yelp parlance, “AYCE,” is alive and well in SoCal. In the 90s, AYCE sushi became all the rage, which was a twist on the buffet concept: Charge patrons a little more for higher-quality, hand-made food. Of course people still love AYCE sushi, and sushi shops are everywhere now. After surveying our local SoCal landscape, I’m ready to declare a new trend: AYCE Korean barbecue. It’s a great option for those who want to go out to eat, but still want to cook their own meal. Sure, the type of Korean barbecue where you cook your own food on a hot grill built into your table is not exactly new. These places have been around. But in SoCal, new AYCE Korean places are popping up everywhere in suburban towns. And they run the gamut from the glitzy “high-end” experience of the GenKorean or Wang Cho franchises to the ‘mom-and-pop’ places that seem to run on a much thinner margin. According to my daughter, who studies at Cal State Long Beach, her college friends consistently find decent AYCE Korean barbecue for around $10. I know of a place in Rancho Cucamonga that offers it for $13, and of course there are places that charge up to (and over) $30 per person. That’s quite a range of prices
John Rockwell is a native Southern Californian and career English teacher working in the Riverside area. In his spare time, he rides his bicycle to breweries, restaurants, and cheese shops, and is always looking for culinary delights within riding distance of the vast network of SoCal bicycle trails. He is an ardent fan of the waiver theater culture in Los Angeles. He is new to cheesemaking, but has been a homebrewer for over twenty years.
(and maybe quality), but there’s one thing that’s certain: If you’re not a vegetarian, you would probably love these protein-packing restaurants. I was surprised when I recently took a colleague to Korean BBQ and he had not yet tried a place like this. He fell in love, and since then, it is his “go to” for dates with his wife. These places thrive on a “family style” sharing approach. Because of the additional mouths to feed in larger groups, you can try a greater variety of menu items, and I also suspect that people eat a little more conservatively with family members around. In fact, some restaurants will not take single customers, so check the rules ahead of time before your visit. The only other rules are borrowed from AYCE sushi places—you may get a time limit (usually around 1.5-2 hrs), and if you order something you can’t eat and leave it, it may be charged as an a-la-carte item. I’ve been to shady sushi places that serve extremely large rolls in order to get customers to overeat and pay the overage. Buyer beware. If the tank is getting close to full, and you must order more, always ask your server to cut the portion. Wang Cho Korean BBQ Chain While some AYCE Korean barbecue restaurants have buffets where you serve your own portions of meat, the better places use servers. GenKorean servers carry iPad devices that place the order so quickly that the meat often arrives before the server walks away. Recently, Riverside opened a Wang Cho restaurant, similar in many ways to GenKorean. I dined there and found the experience delightful—it is a clean, well-lit large industrial-style space, intelligently laid out with marble tabletops down the center of the main dining area and large booths surrounding
that. The service staff consisted of a waiter and a busser, both of whom you will communicate with. (The busser will often offer to exchange your grill for a clean one, and could be the one bringing you your meats and other sidedish refills.) What follows is a sort of primer on what to expect and how I like to approach AYCE Korean. The Basics and Non-negotiables Wang Cho Korean BBQ, like most AYCE barbecues with servers, has tiered menu options. The “Prince” option ($20.99 per person) offers 34 menu items, 26 of which are meat. The “King” option ($26.99) offers some extras that in my opinion are must-haves, and the “Emperor” option ($32.99) offers some better cuts of beef and jumbo scallops. There are some non-negotiables for me at every Korean place that have nothing to do with meat. Korean-style dining means Korean-style side dishes (called Banchan), and without an endless supply of Kimchi—fermented Bok Choi with chili (think sauerkraut with a little heat and without the extreme sourness)—the experience is not the same. I have never been to a Korean BBQ that did not have it, but I have been to one or two that didn’t keep an endless and generous supply coming out. Wang Cho was very generous with this side dish, and my server kept it coming throughout the meal. Other sides you should see are ginger-seasoned soy or bean sprouts (Kongnamul Muchim and Sukju Namul), cucumber slices with chili (Oiji Muchim), julienne-sliced daikon radish in chili sauce (Mu Saengchae), glass noodles (Japchae), daikon radish slices, square rice wrappers, fish cakes and for some reason some good old-fashioned potato salad or mayo-based macaroni salad. Because it’s meant to be eaten family style, sides are often
The serving areas at Wang Cho Korean BBQ are spacious and designed for multiple diners.
The side-dishes: macaroni salad, fish cake, Kimchi, glass noodles, cucumber salad and ginger-marinated bean sprouts.
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served in bowls that can be shared, and should be dished onto your serving plate (as opposed to eating straight from the dish). If you need refills, servers should be very happy to keep those sides coming out since they are considerably less costly than the protein. Other non-negotiables for me are the dips and sauces that should absolutely come with the meal. If you don’t see these already at your table, ask for them. These are the essential ones: (1) Brisket dipping sauce (Cho Ganjang) is a light salty sauce usually made with soy sauce, vinegar and sometimes fresh peppers or onions that enhances the barbecued brisket and other non-marinated meats. (2) Garlic chili paste or Bibimap sauce (which is a mixture of garlic chili paste and vinegar) can give any meats a little chili kick with some wonderful garlic enhancement. Chili paste is not super hot; I feel its flavor-enhancing strength comes mainly from the garlic in it. (3) Sea salt mixed with powdered green tea can be used alone, or it can be mixed with sesame seed oil for a deliciously savory dressing for the meats. Some restaurants will have variations of teriyaki sauce and Sriracha, but despite the love for Sriracha in SoCal, these are not essential for Korean dining. The beauty of these dipping sauces is that in different combinations, they bring some savory variety to the dining experience. The Meats There are three meats that are a must-have for any Korean BBQ tasting. Beef brisket, ultra-thin slices of brisket sometimes frozen into rolls, are a great start for any meal. They will be done quickly, and after they melt, they don’t take up that much space on the grill. I usually throw them all on the grill so I can snack on these morsels of delight while other items are still cooking. Some people
will tell you the only reason to go to Korean BBQ is so you can enjoy the LA marinated short ribs (galbi). These ribs are cut into long strips through multiple rib bones so each piece of meat almost resembles a piece of bacon with bone. Usually tables are given some tongs and some scissors because chopsticks are not good at cutting meats. I prefer to cut the meat after it is cooked because it gives me fewer items to turn on the grill, and I can avoid cross-contamination. Some people cut the meat before it goes on the grill—either way works—but just be sure everyone’s consistent on that point. The third must-have item for any Korean BBQ is anything labeled “bulgogi.” This is a thinly sliced marinated beef, pork, or chicken (beef could be chuck or bottom-round, and pork is probably shoulder) that is sweet, savory and heavenly. The cuts may not be impressive, but the marinade of soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, sesame oil and pepper make up for it. This item, though it takes a bit longer to cook because of the liquid content, is amazing once it has some char on it. Other items worth mentioning are the larger cuts of meat—like slices of sirloin steak, larger pieces of chicken, pork belly (thick cut “bacon” minus the smoke and cure) or jumbo shrimp—are all exactly what you’d expect. I rarely order chicken because for AYCE I might as well get the more expensive cuts of meat, and I don’t like the waittime that chicken takes. But to each his or her own. That’s the nice thing about a diverse menu. The “Weird” Stuff First, there is no “weird” stuff. Compared to the American mainstream ‘meat and potatoes’, I find that other cultures are often a little more inventive with their range of eats. That’s one reason why sushi and Korean barbecue have become so
popular in SoCal, and why we lead the nation in taco consumption. I know that part of the SoCal ethos is our open-mindedness, and with that in mind, Wang Cho has quite a list, including squid (some places substitute baby octopus), beef tripe (stomach lining), large intestine (make sure you barbecue these to a crisp) and beef tongue. This time around I had the beef tongue, which is an iron-rich counterpoint to the other meats I tried. I also enjoy the baby octopus and squid at various times. Wang Cho offers versions both plain and marinated. The Wang Cho chain is a nice addition to the new array of Korean BBQ restaurants in SoCal. Along with the outstanding experience and flavorful food, they offer wine, beer, sake and Korean wines. As for the bar, don’t expect local craft beer. The selection is serviceable and predictable (Sapporo, Blue Moon, Samuel Adams, Dos Equis), but if you’re here for the food the beverages are most likely secondary. There is one requirement for dining here: make sure you’re hungry, because you won’t be when you leave!
Wang Cho Korean BBQ 3639 Riverside Plaza Dr. Riverside, CA 92506 (951) 788-8889 3911 Grand Ave. Chino, CA 91710 (909) 627-5555
The must-haves: brisket (top) cooks up quickly while the LA Short Ribs Galbi (bottom) take a little extra time.
The spacious grills allow for multiple meats to be cooked at once. Your server will help control the cooking temp.
After some time on the grill, the short ribs get a nice char and the thicker steak still has a nice pink color inside.
Clockwise (starting left) beef tongue, beef bulgogi (a must have), and beef rib fingers.
Bulgogi (rear) takes a little longer to cook because it is marinated. Different sizes keep the meat coming.
The finished meat is simple, and goes well with the sides and the dipping sauces above. Sesame seed oil and sea salt (top dish, right) are a must!
Once your grill develops some color, a server or busser will exchange it for a clean grill. This helps minimize the grill smoke.
Large ceiling hoods in this modern industrial space look space-age and attractive. The clean and open space in Wang Cho makes for a comfortable setting.
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November 2017 I The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional 19
what’s
By David Mulvihill
photos by David Mulvihill
BREWING
David Mulvihill strives to experience and write about the ever-evolving face of SoCal craft beer. He also covers Orange County for Celebrator Beer News as well as Southern California for Southwest Brewing News. Contact him at dbrewhill@gmail.com.
Second Chance Beer Co (front l-r): Assistant Brewer Ben Webb, Co-founder Virginia Morrison, Head Brewer Craig Gregovics, Co-founder Brewmaster Marty Mendiola, Co-founder Curtis Hawes. Eric Swanson is just behind Craig and Marty, lending a hand to the Mobile West canning staff.
GABF 2017 From San Diego to San Luis Obispo, Southern California breweries returned home with a total of 37 medals from this year’s Great American Beer Festival in Denver. A complete list of winners can be found at www.greatamericanbeerfestival. com/the-competition/winners. We’ll highlight some of the gold medal winners here. Beginning north, San Luis Obispo’s Central Coast Brewing Co. scored gold for a beer that has been recognized at the past three GABF competitions. Its Monterey Street Pale Ale also received a gold medal in 2015, followed by silver in 2016. This bright pale with satisfying hop profile is definitely worth seeking out when you are in the area. In addition to tap houses in the region, it can be found at the source, the brewery tasting room on Monterey Street. Central Coast is in the process of building a new second facility across town at 6 Higuera Street, which will expand brewery production and have food. Working our way south, SoCal gold was also
received by Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach. Hoppa Emeritus, a black IPA, won in the American Black Ale category. Beachwood’s nearby Blendery was awarded a bronze medal for its entry in the Chili Beer category. Orange County’s only gold went to Placentia’s Stereo Brewing Company, which celebrated its one-year anniversary in October. Owner and Brewer Rick Smets has a dedication to brewing that began professionally at San Clemente’s Left Coast Brewing Company when it opened to produce beers for Oggi’s Pizza & Brewing and its Left Coast signature line. On a sidenote, Oggi’s garnered a 2017 GABF silver medal for its McGarvey’s Scottish Ale. Rick’s brewing education began under the tutelage of Tom Nickel (currently of O’Brien’s Pub, and Nickel Beer Co.). He assumed the role of head brewer when Nickel exited Left Coast. Smets later moved to Firestone Walker in Paso Robles before returning to Orange County to plan the opening of his own brewery. This first medal confirms his commitment to quality and taste.
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Refuge Brewery (Temecula) earned a gold for its Blood Orange Wit (Belgian-style fruit beer). Over 200lbs of fresh local blood oranges go into every batch. San Diego took home the remaining five Southern California gold medals. Karl Straus Carlsbad topped the honey beer category with its Orange Blossom Common. Brewed in the California Common Ale tradition (utilizing lager yeast and fermenting at ale temperatures), the beer incorporates toasted malts, citrusy hops and honey. Last year Karl’s San Diego production brewery was awarded Mid-Size Brewing Company and Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year. Pizza Port Ocean Beach came through with the best session beer, Guillaume, a Belgian-style blonde. Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens (Liberty Station) did the same in the Other Belgian-Style Ale category for its Witty Moron. This beer deviates dramatically, at least in color, from a traditional Belgian wit beer. Instead of a light www.socalfnbpro.com
Stereo Brewing Co’s Amanda Pearce-Smets and Rick Smets.
appearance, Witty Moron utilizes dark malts that result in its dark color, while still maintaining citrus and spice qualities reminiscent of a traditional witbier. The Imperial India Pale Ale category was bested by Ballast Point Brewing Company’s Manta Ray. The brewery, purchased by Constellation Brands in 2015 for $1 billion, has maintained a cult following for many years for its Sculpin IPA. Carmel Mountain’s Second Chance Beer Company received its second gold in as many years for Tabula Rasa Toasted Porter. Second Chance also scored silver for Legally Red, its red IPA (American-Style Amber/Red Ale category). It was the only single-location brewery in San Diego to win two medals this year. Co-owner/ Brewmaster Marty Mendiola is no stranger to the GABF and World Beer Cup honors stages. Although Second Chance has only been open for two years, the three medals from these past two years bring Marty’s GABF medal total to 13. Prior to opening Second Chance, Mendiola spent many years seasoning his craft at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in La Jolla where he earned 10 GABF and six World Beer Cup awards. He is ably assisted these days by Head Brewer Craig Gregovics and Assistant Brewer Ben Webb. About their entries Mendiola shared, “We had some good hopes this year. We were going in thinking everything was tasting really good. But, we didn’t want to get too hyped up.” The team was milling in to brew a new batch of Tabula Rasa when I went by to congratulate them on their achievement. Much is currently in the works at Second Chance. New 90-barrel fermenters have recently come on line, the new grain silo is up and running and easing the milling process and a canning line has also been purchased and is expected to be set up in the coming months. And, a Second Chance Beer Company second tasting room is in the works for San Diego’s North Park Community which will be located on 30th Street, across from Toronado in what has become known as the 30th Street Beer Corridor. www.socalfnbpro.com
Chefs Steve Gil and Andrea Machuca-Kirkland, Center Street Cheese Shop/The Culinary Underground.
Cheddar & IPA Center Street Cheese Shop on Center Street Promenade in Anaheim recently joined Chefs Andrea Machuca-Kirkland of The Culinary Underground & Steve Gil of Center Street Cheese Shop for a night featuring farmhouse cheddars and special IPAs from Artifex Brewing Company, Tustin Brewing Company and Unsung Brewing Company. In the first course, apples-three-ways (apple whiskey butter, dried Granny Smiths, and pickled apples) were served with Old Quebec Cheddar and paired with Anthia IPA from Unsung Brewing Company. Unsung’s core IPA was contrasted by the apple butter and dried apple, while the pickled apples enhanced and heightened the hop experience. A spicy Big John Cajun Rubbed Cheddar with pickled veggies, hop salted Marcona almonds and IPA beer mustard came with a collaborative XPA brewed by Artifex & TBC for TBCs 21st Anniversary. The quenching crisp and
hoppy beer stood up well to the spices that accompanied the dish. Next came a cave-aged Chandoka Cheddar, apple-pear mostarda and spiced nuts with TBCs newest rendition of Jackson’s Double IPA. Refreshing and flavor-packed, a reciprocal complementing of flavors ensued. Sofa King Good, an 8% ABV IPA brewed by Artifex and exuding the dry-hopped Mosaic and Mandarina Bavaria aromas and flavors, accompanied a dessert of Braeburn apple galette with goat caramel, shaved Old Quebec Cheddar, Vermont Creamery whipped creme fraiche, apple chips, Thai micro mint and granola crumble. Delicious on their own, the combination of ingredients served to elevate each component. Let’s close with these flavor-filled words from Chef Andrea, “Wine is fine, but beer + cheddar is better—especially with local beer from @ artifexbrewingcompany, @tustinbrewery, and @unsungbrewing!”
Center Street Cheese Shop’s Cheddar & Craft IPA tasting.
November 2017 I The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional 21
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT | Stay on track with the latest trends in carrier and filling: “With the boom of Mexican fusion in 2016, wraps in their many forms, both hot and cold, are now more popular than ever and have earned their rightful place alongside sandwiches and paninis on daily menus. There is a distinct call for more adventurous flavors. From Piri Piri-infused Short Rib Tacos to Moroccan Chicken Burritos and Vegetarian/Flextarian options, Fra Diavolo Roasted Halloumi Wraps and Tandoori Potato Chapatti, caterers should look to incorporate the latest flavor trends and serve them with confidence alongside staples such as ham and cheese. Just simply mix into mayo; it’s simply amazing,” says Fergus Martin, Major Development Chef. “Major Mari Bases are used in a multitude of different ways to enhance condiments and fillings for your cold and hot sandwiches and wraps offerings, but is gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan, thus a perfect product to use across the board. Alongside our Moroccan Mari Base, this is set to be one of our top sellers in the year to come.” “Smoky flavors are a bang on trend for 2017 and are being incorporated into a whole variety of different dishes from dairy products, right through to snacks and desserts,” says Bob McDonald, Major’s Consultant Development Chef. “By using a readymade products such as Major’s, caterers can wrap up the lingering flavor of Major’s Hickory Applewood and Smoke simply by stirring this liquid seasoning through condiments and fillings.” “Customization is becoming an increasingly more important deciding buying factor for customers. Not only do they know what they want but know exactly how they want to eat it. Using Major’s readymade Stock Bases and Mari Bases can help busy caterers factor this into menus with minimal effort for maximum gain. Simply stir a marinade into your condiment or filling of choice, use to pimp up your pickles and chutneys or to infuse the dressing on your salad. Quick, versatile, delicious and cost effective,” says Fergus Martin, Major’s Development Chef. www.majorproducts.com
Our Picks by Adam Rains
photo courtesy OM
OM Spirits Bartenders are always searching for new ways to transmit flavor in a unique and honest way. OM Spirits were developed by mixology consultant Natalie Bovis to do just that. With flavor, integrity and a socially conscious ethos, these liqueurs differ from the rest by not being overly sweet or viscous. They give the bartender more ways to enhance their drink without overpowering them. OM Spirits are all 30 proof and are USDA certified organic. They are available in Coconut & Lychee, Meyer Lemon & Ginger, Cranberry & Blood Orange and Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt. For every bottle sold a tree is planted through Trees for the Future. OM Spirits have won multiple tasting medals including The International Craft Spirits Competition and WSWA Tasting Competition. Available at Total Wine, Mon Ami Gabi, Social House and CarneVino Italian Steakhouse www.omspirits.com
photo by Adam Rains
Hofstetten Granitbock An atypical Austrian and German style, the Granitbock is a unique and tasty way to explore the world of beer. It is brewed according to the historic style “Stone Beer” (Stein Bier) which dates back to the Middle Ages. The Granitbock is made in large granite open troughs with hot granite stones added to the wort. The sugars in the malt actually caramelize around the granite which gives a toasty minerality. The unique flavors add complexity to complement the flavor-scape of deep, rich toasty malt. This beer is unfiltered, unpasteurized and bottle conditioned and is available for special order by Bevi Beverage in Las Vegas. Prost! www.hofstetten-brewery.com
photo courtesy Taylor Strategy
Crown Royal XR 40% ABV Oh Canada! Canadian Whisky is a category that may be overlooked by some American whisky connoisseurs. It is a style that is marked with elegance and balance but almost always has the baking spice component of harvested northern rye. Crown Royal XR may be one of the finest expressions of what Canadian whisky can be. It showcases the vast amounts of barrel types, use of different stills, grain-selection, age statements, and maybe even more importantly, the blending prowess of their master blenders Mark Balkenede and Joanna Scandella. The Crown Royal XR is handcrafted and one-of-a-kind and even includes the final batch of whiskies from the fabled and former LaSalle distillery. On the palate it has a brown sugar sweetness highlighted with the cinnamon and clove of the spicy rye. It has warmth and a wintergreen finish but is still light bodied enough to be approachable. This “Xtra Rare” whisky is a tribute to Crown Royal’s history & legacy. Please do yourself a favor and try it right away! Available at Total Wine. www.crownroyal.com
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Human Resources Insights
By Linda Westcott-Bernstein 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
Your Leadership Sets the Tone for Treatment
It’s really important that human resources (HR) be the source and example for the type of leadership that your organization should strive for and provide. Many of those in leadership positions do not come into their jobs with the background, experience or understanding of the importance of proper and respectful treatment of employees in order to get the desired results. It is my opinion that HR is the source of this knowledge and sets the tone. HR should not only support consistent treatment of your employees but reinforce the importance of fairness, compassion, and respect in all of the advice, counseling, and recommendations that they make.
In human resources we try to get our leaders to understand the importance of looking at all aspects of the individual’s employment and their situation.
If your leadership is harsh, condemning and disrespectful in the treatment of others, this will result in employees who share the same behaviors and who become, over time, angry, resentful and fed up. It comes down to cause and effect—whatever behaviors you exhibit are those results you will realize. Too often leadership only knows that they have to have a heavy hand and know how to control, limit and condemn. They try to run the shift by barking orders and instilling fear in everyone—most times out of fear of losing control.
5. Do they have a personal issue impacting an otherwise solid job performance?
Strong and confident leadership comes with experience and understanding. Some of the best qualities that an effective leader can exhibit include… 1. knowledge of the work 2. confidence in your abilities (but not arrogance) 3. understanding of what motivates and drives others 4. ability to embrace the importance of treating others with respect
1. Are they a new employee just learning the ropes? What is their job/ position? 2. Did they get an orientation or training for their job? 3. What is their longevity with the Company? 4. Do they have prior discipline or other counseling on their record?
The most effective leaders should understand that they once were in the position (not literally, of course) of the person they are counseling. Before passing judgment, they should listen to the perspective and feedback of the employee, evaluate all of the facts, and come to a decision which is fair and just for both parties. We should always remember that a “win/win” result is the ultimate goal and that constantly replacing employees is not only costly and time consuming, but impacts your organization’s reputation and long term success. I think that good leadership takes a lot of time and effort, and is always evolving and changing with the times. When or if we remain in the ways of the past or perpetuate a poor leadership style because it’s all that we know, we are then doomed to repeat those mistakes and to never set a leadership tone that is right for your people and in tune with the times.
5. the principles and importance of fair, consistent and compassionate treatment
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.
24 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I November 2017
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By Chef Allen Asch
Chef Talk
Feel free to contact Chef Allen with ideas for comments or future articles at allena@unlv.nevada.edu
Wild About Meyer Lemon
This has been a tough year for my fruit plants with the early June heat. I have two pomegranate trees, an apple tree, a fig tree, a peach tree, two oranges and a mandarin orange, and two Meyer Lemon trees. The trees are all healthy with a lot of green leaves, but the fruit did not survive well. The two most proficient trees are the peach and one of the Meyer Lemon trees. I give a lot of those fruits away and everyone that gets some is very appreciative to the taste and versatility of the lemons. The Meyer Lemon, named for Frank Meyer, was discovered in China in 1909 by Meyer. Originally it was used as a house plant, noted for its decorative leaves. The fruit it bore was an afterthought. In parts of the world where it is too cold to grow outdoors it is still grown inside containers indoors. It is believed that its origin is from a natural hybrid rather than a man-made cross of two species. Common myth is that it is a hybrid of a lemon and a mandarin orange, but research has been done showing it to be a cross between a lemon and a regular orange. Some of the characteristics of the Meyer Lemon are that it is sweeter than a typical lemon, a species called Citrus Limon Osbeck. Another
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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.
characteristic is that the skins are very thin and can be eaten easily when cooked, as they do not contain the tart elements of a typical lemon. The thin skin is the reason that it took a long time for the fruit to become widespread in America. When they were first imported they became most popular in the warm parts of the country, states like Florida, Texas and California. They were not a commercial success because they did not travel well due to their thin skins. This all changed in the late 1990s when Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame started using them in her California cuisine cooking style. Soon after that Martha Stewart started promoting them as well. The fruit has a short season of availability, only from December to March. Meyer Lemons grow on trees that can reach 10 feet tall, but are usually pruned to make them smaller to around 6 to 8 feet. The fruit is more round than a typical lemon, Eureka or Lisbon varieties found year round in most supermarkets, and each fruit can produce up to 10 seeds. The skin is very fragrant and has a tinge of orange color to it. In the mid-1940s a citrus virus spread around the world killing millions of citrus trees and rendering many more unable to produce fruit. At this point most Meyer Lemon trees were destroyed to save the other more commercially viable citrus trees. It wasn’t until the 1950s that a virus-free variety was found, but it was not commonly available until 1975 when the University of California released it as the “Improved Meyer Lemon Tree.” Grafted trees produce fruit in about two years while trees grown from seeds produce fruit in 4 to 7 years. Trees should be fertilized three times a year, in February, May and September and the amount per year is one pound per age of the tree, split in thirds. A one-year-old tree would get 1 pound the first year, 2 pounds the second year and an additional pound each year until it reaches 8 years (8 pounds) old. You should spread the fertilizer from 2 inches away from the trunk to twice the width of the tree’s canopy. A good fertilizer for lemon trees is one that is at least two parts nitrogen, one part phosphorous and one part potassium. Besides fertilizer, pruning is another way to increase productivity. Branches that grow straight up generally do not produce fruit so they should be pruned. When pruning the branch you should cut it at a 45 degree angle with the cut side facing up to promote growth. You should also prune branches that block air circulation and sun to the trunk. Additionally, you should remove some of the fruit when they are pea sized if they are growing in a cluster. Trees need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day so they should be either outside or by a window. If they are in a house they should be rotated so all parts of the plant receive direct sunlight. The trees can survive in temperatures as low as 20 degrees but if they are in containers you can bring them in the house in wintertime. When the season ends and I am left with extra fruit I squeeze it and then freeze it in ice cube trays to enjoy the juice year round. November 2017 I The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional 25
EVENTS
AD INDEX
We have several major food & beverage events coming up in the next few months. Here is a sampling of some of the happenings we highly recommend, and if planning to attend you should start booking now.
Deep Eddy Vodka www.deepeddyvodka.com
November 3-4 The 15th Annual San Diego Brewers Guild Festival at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego is a two-day event that is the official kickoff of San Diego Beer Week. Enjoy samples from more than 50 San Diego County breweries! The event raises funds for Surfrider Foundation, Fight ALD and the San Diego Brewers Guild. https://tickets.sdbeer.com/e/sdbgfestival2017 November 3-12 The Mushroom, Wine & Beer Festival in Mendocino County is home to more than 3,000 mushroom varieties—including the rare candy cap mushroom, with its intense maple-syrup flavor and sweet fragrance—that grows only along the northern coast of California. The pinnacle of mushroom season is Mendocino County’s annual Mushroom Festival. www.visitmendocino.com/mushroom-wine-beer-festival/ November 12-19 The Annual San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival is an international showcase of the world’s premier wine and spirits producers, chefs and culinary personalities and gourmet foods. The Festival is a week of epicurean experiences, featuring wine-tasting seminars, cooking classes led by awardwinning chefs, wine and food tastings and more! More than 10,000 food aficionados from across the nation indulge in Southern California’s largest food and wine celebration. The Festival benefits culinary arts and oenology scholarships awarded by Fast Forward Futures, the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and Women’s Wine Alliance. www.sandiegowineclassic.com
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FORKS: A Quest for Culture, Cuisine, and Connection www.forksthebook.com
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Jay’s Sharpening Service www.jayssharpening.com 702-645-0049
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Keep Memory Alive Event Center 702-263-9797 kmaeventcenterlasvegas.com
TheSoCal
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Major Foods www.majorproducts.com 702-838-4698
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Rodney Strong Estate Vinyards www.rodneystrong.com
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San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival www.sandiegowineclassic.com
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White Soy Sauce www.whitesoysaucefood.com
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The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional is proud to be associated with these fine organizations: ACF-American Culinary Federation Chef de Cuisine Association of California Chapter Culinarians of San Diego Chapter Chefs de Cuisine Association of San Diego Chapter 26 The SoCal Food & Beverage Professional I November 2017
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Ocean-to-Table Luncheon at the San Diego Bay Wine + Food Festival Photo Credit: Steve Grosch
Tickets + Schedule: sandiegowineclassic.com NOVEMBER 12-19, 2017
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