Food Service Monthly

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Volume 14, Number 10 n October 2015

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The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

EVERY CHEESE HAS A STORY

Cheesemonger Carolyn Stromberg Shares the Tale of the Delicious Journey

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INSIDE

Volume 14, No. 10 n October 2015

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news and information FSM New..................................................................................................................................... 5 Association News VHTA............................................................................................................ 12 Restaurants, Restaurants, Restaurants................................................................................... 15 Special Report: Soft Stuff, Delivering the Good Stuff.............................................................. 16 Specialty Food Market Grows................................................................................................... 18

Fork in the Road, Carolyn Stromberg.............................................................................. 20 Association News RAM.................................................................................................. 23 L’Academie de Cuisine.................................................................................................. 28 Association News OCHMRA...................................................................................................... 30 Restaurant Activity Report........................................................................................................ 33 Ad Index..................................................................................................................................... 34 Columns

Sauce on the Side Bob Brown Says Working in America Inside a Restaurateur’s World Whining n’ Dining Balti-MORE The Latest Dish Modern Business Solutions

by by by by by by by by

Michael Birchenall.......................................... 4 Bob Brown................................................... 10 Becki L. Young............................................. 11 Michael Sternberg........................................ 13 Randi Rom .................................................. 24 Dara Bunjon................................................. 25 Linda Roth................................................... 26 Henry Pertman............................................. 31

foodservicemonthly foodservicemonthly.com

Volume 14, Number 10 n October 2015

TM

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

EVERY CHEESE HAS A STORY

Cheesemonger Carolyn Stromberg Shares the Tale of the Delicious Journey

On the Cover Carolyn Stromberg, owner and cheesemonger, Righteous Cheese photo: Michael Birchenall

Foodservice Monthly is the only publication to be awarded the RAM Allied Member of the Year award and the RAMW Joan Hisaoka Associate Member of the Year award, the highest honor for a non-restaurant member.

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4 n OCTOber 2015

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SAUCE ON THE SIDE

Is It Next Year Yet?

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is an allergy situation at hen you listen table 22, an employee to professional is throwing up in the football experts bathroom and you’re talk about the already down two people difference between the pro in the kitchen. When I and college games, you was judging the tasting hear them say that it’s in menu competition, the the speed of the action chef judge was getting and the ability of the texts from his kitchen. He quarterback to make quick

by Michael Birchenall was in Gaithersburg and decisions, and yes, good they were in DC. He made a quick ones. It’s not that much different in call, moved some people around restaurants and foodservice. Since and resolved the situation. That’s I left operations in the early 90s so why he is the chef, not because he much has changed. can carry on with the proper reality I can remember all the hotel television persona. meetings … budget, brand identity, When I was doing the Soft Stuff service standards … you name it story, it struck me how the old we had a meeting for it. Now you 5-year strategic plans are useless still have all those components now … it should be two years max. in your operations but you better The elements that control business be mobile. While you’re sitting change in months, not years. Can in the conference room, Yelpers you move that quickly to the are nipping at your heels, there

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changes swirling about?

I’m happy with where the magazine is headed. I get requests every day from national writers who have the key buzzwords for writing a generic column on most topics. Our reality show is what is happening in our operations and how we deal with the speed of the business and make those good decisions. Get help where you can.

Look at the Associations, first on the state level but don’t forget that brings you access to the National Restaurant Association.

Look who we’ve added to our formidable team of contributors … Becki Young with her years of success navigating the legal web of immigration laws has begun her profile series. This is not about walls but about bridges.

Michael Sternberg takes us inside the mind of the restaurateur with his years of experience … from manager to owner to concept creator to local and national board member for restaurant associations.

His column this month is both candid and real. Andrew Kline is writing a legal column for us that adds a new dimension with his years of experience working with restaurateurs through the maze of complex contractual agreement and local regulations. Take a look

at our Fork in the Road column this month by Genevieve LeFranc.

Rather than the straight business questions, she gets deeper into what motivates people in our business.

Carolyn Stromberg is open and the interview is revealing and uplifting … it too is real.

Our lead story this month is about the handwashing competition that Clyde’s has held within the company for 17 years. The story stands on its own, but you have to realize it’s a big deal to run a company-wide competition while the busy restaurants continue to take care of business. Handwashing is serious business but Clyde’s has brought together its chemical company, its insurance company and the health department to assist.

And most of all they make it fun.

My favorite part of the Clyde’s story this year is in the fact that the kitchen staff of Gallery Place won.

It’s usually the servers and front of the house that dominate. When you make the mission of the restaurant inclusive, you are building bridges within your restaurant, not walls.

It’s a great business we are in … we just have to be faster on our feet … and make good decisions. Is it next year yet?

foodservicemonthly The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On Volume 14, No. 10 n October 2015 Michael Birchenall

Editor and Publisher michael@foodservicemonthly.com

Foodservice Monthly is published by Silver Communications, Corp. The FSM mission is to Lisa Silber Sales Manager provide the Mid-Atlantic food lisa@foodservicemonthly.com service professional with news and information in an informed, Electronic Ink Design and Production imaginative and insightful newsContributing Writers Juliet Bodinetz, Bob Brown, Dara Bunjon, magazine. Foodservice Monthly

Andrew Kline, Genevieve LeFranc, assumes no responsibility for material submitted to us. All

Celeste McCall, Henry Pertman, information contained in this

Randi Rom, Linda Roth, Michael publication is believed to be

Sternberg, Jay Treadwell, Becki Young accurate. No part of this publica tion may be reproduced in whole Contact phone: 703-471-7339 or in part or transmitted in any

fax: 866-961-4980 form without prior permission

email: info@foodservicemonthly.com from the publisher of Foodservice

web: www.foodservicemonthly.com Monthly.

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OCTOber 2015 n 5

FSM NEWS

Jeff Owens, Clyde’s CFO, and Gallery Place AGM Katie Boyle flank the winning Gallery Place team at the 2015 Clyde’s Handwashing competition.

Clyde’s Gallery Place Wins 17th Annual Clyde’s Handwashing Competition

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eventeen years … Seventeen great competitions among the staffs of the Clyde’s Restaurant Group as they spend September (National Food Safety month) competing within their own restaurants to win the opportunity to compete in the finals held each year at Clyde’s Mark Center. The winning team for 2015 came from Clyde’s Gallery Place … from a team formed by the kitchen staff and led by executive chef Brian Kosack. Members of the

team included Kosack, Karla Garcia, Daysi Mendoza and Kevin Segovia.

Ecolab stepped forward this year to sponsor the event and each member of the winning team won $300 cash for being the Clyde’s handwashing champions of 2015.

The more than 300 employees who participated had to excel in the three components of the completion — time, knowledge, and effectiveness. The time and knowledge elements provide intensity, but what typically

Kent Kidwell, Bradley Stelzer, Barry Swartz from Ecolab join Clyde’s Claude Andersen (second from left) at the awards ceremony.

counts most in winning is effective cleansing. Each had to pass an oral examination answering random questions about food safety as well as the handwashing exercise that measured the time washed and the “cleaning” results under a black light.

Katherine Boyle, manager at Clyde’s of Gallery Place, produced the event once again for Clyde’s.

Judges came from the Travelers Insurance (who also formed their own team to compete) and the Alexandria Health Department.

Claude Andersen, corporate operations manager for Clyde’s, told the teams and guests present that the knowledge gained and the food safety practices demonstrated in a company wide event makes the Clyde’s customer the “ultimate winner.”

Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that handwashing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection. It is a critical component of safe food handling and keeping customers and employees healthy.

Washing hands prevents the spread of pathogens. Food handlers

must wash their hands correctly and often to avoid hands from becoming a vehicle for cross-contamination.

Correct technique involves water as hot as you can comfortably stand, soap and scrubbing; the process should take about 20 seconds.

“An estimated 80 percent of all infections are transmitted by hands,” said Dr. Ruth Petran, vice president of Food Safety at Ecolab.

6 n OCTOber 2015

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Carey Sales & Service Shakes It Up at 82 Opens New Retail Store for the Foodservice Professional

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Baltimore-based Carey Sales & Services, a leader in the foodservice industry in supplying restaurant equipment, smallwares, 24/7 service and design but even after 82 years, this third generation family-owned business is always going “out of the box” to provide a level of service that is unmatched.

As a provider for many of the area’s top foodservice institutions and restaurants, Carey recently completely remodeled and restructured the retail side of their business. The new store offers a wide selection of cooking tools, cutlery, chef ware and supplies not only for the foodservice professional but the home chef as well. This gives the foodies out there a place to shop where the pros shop. The Carey business model is interactive in that you can use, play and learn with the products in their fully operational demonstration kitchen. They are always having manufacturer reps set up in the test kitchen to showcase and train on the industry’s latest and innovative equipment.

“We felt it was time to not only shake up our approach, but the customer’s experience as well,” said owner/operator Craig Sigismondi.

He added, “We find that our customers still want the mom and pop, face to face feel that we are really good at … and steer away from online shopping. The Internet can’t stand behind what they sell as well as we do. Coming into Carey Sales is a lot more exciting than walking through a warehouse.”

Carey has a dedicated and experienced team of professionals that are very enthusiastic about helping their customers … veteran employee, Sue Lyn greets her longtime customers with a hug and feels as though she is not a salesperson but a resource for them.

Carey Sales is located at 3141 Frederick Ave in Baltimore and is open to the public Mon-Fri 8:00-4:30

with weekend hours coming soon.

In addition to their 8,000 square-ft. of retail space they have a full service custom metal fabrication shop.

Restaurant Performance Index Declined in August As a result of softer same-store sales and customer traffic levels, the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) declined in August. The RPI – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 101.5 in August, down 1.2 percent from July and the lowest level in 11 months. Despite the decline, August represented the 30th consecutive month in which the RPI stood above 100, which signifies expansion in the index of key industry indicators.

“The RPI’s August decline was the result of broad-based declines in the current situation indicators,” said Hudson Riehle, Senior Vice President, Research and Knowledge Group, National Restaurant Association.

“Same-store sales and customer traffic softened from July’s strong levels, while the labor and capital spending indicators also dipped.

“Despite the declines, each of the current situation indicators were in expansion territory above 100, which indicates the restaurant industry remains on a positive growth trajectory,” Riehle added.

The RPI is constructed so that the health of the restaurant industry is measured in relation to a steady-state level of 100. Index values above 100 indicate that key industry indicators are in a period of expansion, while index values below 100 represent a period of contraction for key industry indicators. The Index consists of two components – the Current Situation Index and the Expectations Index.

Current Situation Index The Current Situation Index, which measures current trends in four industry indicators (samestore sales, traffic, labor and capital

FSM NEWS Continued on page 7

Give Us a Taste

Back for an Encore

Rick Ferrante has been involved in the foodservice industry for over 35 years, most recently as national accounts manager with Clemens Food Group, and previously as president of Nick’s Sausage Company. The Ferrante family has had the pleasure of developing many great business relationships over the years that have resulted in longstanding friendships, and are extremely proud and eternally grateful to everyone who has played a role in the family’s success.

Life changes, opportunities may come and they may pass, but one thing that has never wavered is the passion Rick has for the sausage industry. It is his roots, it is where he started, and it is his opportunity to continue what he has crafted over three decades.

As a result, the Ferrantes are extremely proud to present their family-owned Encore Sausage Company. Rick is back for an encore, back to build upon what his family began many years ago.

Rick and his family are excited

for the new opportunity at hand and look forward to once again sharing the high aspirations held for this company. Over the years, the Ferrante family has predicated its business upon producing only the finest quality product, supported with the utmost customer service. The Ferrantes look forward to once again earning an opportunity to let the product do all of the talking.

Please contact Encore Sausage Company for samples or any other inquiries at 301-322-2242 or rick@encoresausage.com

8 n OCTOber 2015

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FoodService Monthly

FSM NEWS, cont. expenditures), stood at 101.4 in August – down 2.3 percent from July and the lowest level since November 2014. Despite the decline, the Current Situation Index remained above 100 for the 18th consecutive month, which signifies expansion in the current situation indicators.

About the Restaurant Performance Index The RPI is based on the responses to the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey, which is fielded monthly among restaurant operators nationwide on a variety of indicators including sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures. The full report and video summary are available online at Restaurant.org/RPI. The RPI is released on the last business day of each month, and a more detailed data and analysis can be found on Restaurant TrendMapper, the Association’s subscription-based web site that provides detailed analysis of restaurant industry trends. source: National Restaurant Association

Stover Named by Wine Enthusiast as One of the Top 40 … Under 40 Tastemakers in America One of Washington, DC’s own has been named by the Wine Enthusiast as one of America’s Top 40 Under 40 Tastemakers … Andrew Stover.

Here’s what they had to say about Andrew: Andrew Stover, 37 Founder, Vino 50 Selections, Washington, DC Trailblazing wines from all 50 states “It’s an obsession,” says Stover of his love for wine. He incorporates that love into Vino 50: The Grape American Road Trip, a wine brand and wholesale portfolio that focuses on unsung American winemaking regions. It contracts with small boutique wineries in Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Missouri, Michigan, New York and Texas.

Stover told Foodservice Monthly he has two more event that feature his

latest accolade.

In the coming weeks, I have a few events surrounding the Wine Enthusiast accolade:

Thursday, October 22, 2015 Table Restaurant Family Meal 5-6pm I will be the special guest for Table’s Family Meal event pouring a selection of local wines.

Saturday, October 24, 2015 Planet Wine Shop in Alexandria I am the special guest from 12-4 p.m. pouring a selection of wines from across my collection of 13 different states. Complimentary tastings and October issue magazine autographs.

What is Vino50: The Grape American Road Trip?

In Andrew Stover’s words: It is a portfolio of craft American wines that began as a novel project in 2009 with a local importer/ distributor to offer craft wines on the wholesale market for restaurants and wine shops across Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia. The project grew out of my experience at OYA Restaurant from sourcing wines from hard to get American wine regions like Arizona, Idaho, Michigan and Texas. At the restaurant, we were able to have wineries direct ship wines as long as they were not sold by a wholesaler and as long as we filed paperwork with the DC Alcohol agency to pay wholesale taxes.

In 2008, Emanuele Gaiarin, owner of Siema Wines, a Virginia based importer/distributor, reached out to me about some of the wines I was sourcing for the restaurant as he was looking to grow his presence with American wines. This is how Vino50 was born and began with a very small collection of wines in June of 2009.

The whole premise of Vino50 is to get consumers exposed to craft wines from the “other 47.” We still do work with West Coast producers but when we do, they tend to be from unheard of AVAs within those states (El Dorado, Umpqua Valley/

Rogue Valley, Okanogan region of Washington).

Since then, the project has exploded and now represents wines from 13 states with over 150 wines.

The restaurant environment is especially ripe at this moment with Sommeliers crafting All-American wine programs and seeking out wines from beyond the usual wine producing regions. We have had tremendous success with wines from Arizona, Idaho, Michigan, Texas and of course local wines from Maryland and Virginia.

I have also been dabbling in the wine blending/custom label arena and have created wines with 3 winemakers. I launched a white wine project with Brooklyn Oenology winemaker, Alie Shaper, called Shindig. Shindig is a dry Finger Lakes Vidal Blanc based wine designed for pairing with oysters and sushi. The 2014 vintage will mark our 6th release.

Another project is with Oregon winemaker, Darcy Pendergrass, called Detour which has classic Oregon wines made from Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Columbia Valley Malbec. We also have a skin macerated Pinot Gris Rose called YinYang which is great foil for sushi and Japanese inspired light fare.

Later this fall/winter, I am launching a new red blend called ‘Somm Cuvee’ with Old Westminster Winery in Maryland which I blended in March 2015 using their Maryland grown Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

See How Hispanics are Leading in the Restaurant Industry In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the National Restaurant Association is recognizing the significant contributions Hispanic individuals make to the restaurant industry, the economy and their communities every day.

During Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15), the National Restaurant Association is recognizing Hispanic leaders through a series of videos, profiles

and social media and digital content, all housed on the newly launched AmericaWorksHere.org/ CelebrateHHM site.

Did You Know …

• One-quarter of the restaurant industry workforce is Hispanic, serving in various roles from owners to those getting their start in entry-level positions.

• Hispanic ownership has far outpaced the overall industry.

The restaurant industry provides more opportunity for ownership than virtually any other industry.

Between 1997 and 2007 (the most recent Census Bureau data on record), the number of Hispanicowned restaurant businesses increased 80 percent, as compared to 36 percent for all restaurant businesses.

• Restaurants employ more Hispanic managers than any other industry. In fact, Hispanics are twice as likely to hold a management position in the restaurant industry as they are in the overall economy. Onefifth of restaurant managers and supervisors are Hispanic, and in the back of house, nearly one in four chefs is Hispanic. source: National Restaurant Association

Washington Area Concierge Association Fundraising Gala Set sail with the Washington Area Concierge Association (WACA) for “WACA on the Wild Side” on October 5, the annual fundraising gala hosted by Washington tourism and hospitality professionals to benefit the Homeless Children’s Playtime Project, Les Clefs d’Or Foundation and the John B. Campbell Hospitality Scholarship.

This year, outfit yourself for an elegant adventure on-board the Odyssey Washington, complete with a buffet dinner, exotic signature drinks, live music, raffle prizes and dancing.

Ticket Price: General admission $95; WACA Members $75.

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10 n OCTOber 2015

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FoodService Monthly

B BOB BROWN SAYS ...

One Size Doesn’t Fit All, Quick-to-the-Draw Hospitality

W

hile working with the Grand Cayman Ritz-Carlton I came across a service star, Tyler Irwin, at Bar Jack, the beach bar.

Sure, he was engaging, warm, and knowledgeable.

But, it was his ability to adjust and flow with the ever-changing styles and

needs of his guests that made him exceptional.

Size Things Up

BY BOB BROWN

“Good afternoon, Mr. Brown, I’m Tyler.

I understand you just checked in and need a cool refreshment,” he opened. Replying,

“I’d like something light without alcohol,” Tyler offered a taste of tangy lemonade. “Although it’s not house made, it’s fresh squeezed,” he explained. After I chugged down a glass, he was back in a flash with a glass of iced water.

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After delivering an order of Coconut Shrimp and a Heineken in stealth-like fashion to a guest immersed in his iPad and two smart phones and pouring off a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc to two couples from Jersey, Tyler was back. “Looks

Throughout I was impressed with Tyler’s calm, commanding, and quick-to-the-draw acts of anticipation and vision of all things happening.

Delight with Insights

From Idea to realIty

Entertain and Educate

Next he noticed me eyeing a tray of upmarket tropical drinks he was setting up at the service bar for the beach servers. “Like the way these look,” he asked. “They’re are our special Piña Coladas. We wanted to create a creamier, less watery Piña Colada with flair. So, while avoiding the usual premade mixes, we started with coconut milk, added coconut cream from the Dominican Republic along with pineapple juice, and finished with Meyers Dark Rum. We also kept the mixture as cold as possible while blending to create a smooth velvety texture. Then we added a dark Meyers swirl for dramatic effect,” Tyler explained.

Anticipate Throughout I was impressed with Tyler’s calm, commanding, and quick-to-the-draw acts of anticipation and vision of all things happening. A couple of stools down I saw a patron struggling to open a mini-serve ketchup bottle for his fries. In a single motion, Tyler grabbed the bottle and twisted off the cap with the greatest of ease.

“I feel like I’d need a crow bar to open one of those,” I sighed. “I’ll never tell,” Tyler teased, as he deftly demonstrated by pulling a tiny plastic tab while twisting the cap simultaneously.

like you have an amazing rum selection,” I commented. Instantly, Tyler placed before me a bottle wrapped in twine. “Bob, here is the Ron Zacapa 23. It’s made using first-pressing sugar cane juice, then barrel aged at 7,500 feet at a cool 62 degrees in the mountains of Guatemala. In my view, it’s the best rum in the Caribbean,” Tyler remarked.

Later, when I asked for the check, Tyler had it precalculated and delivered it with a warm smile.

“Mr. Brown, it was a pleasure.” As I walked toward the beach, I looked back and Tyler caught my eye with a nod and then dipped back into the whirlwind of attending to his guests.

It was a thing of beauty to watch.

It’s what Tyler and all great waiters and bartenders do—to daily master the art of a skilled improvised performance.

Bob Brown, president of Bob Brown Service Solutions, www.bobbrownss.com, pioneered Marriott’s Service Excellence Program and has worked with clients such as Disney, Hilton, Morton’s of Chicago, Nordstrom, Olive Garden and Red Lobster and works internationally with the prestigious hotels such as Burj Al Arab in Dubai.

He has appeared on the Food Network is author of bestselling The Little Brown Book of Restaurant Success selling over 100,000 copies worldwide. Contact Bob for local workshops and executive retreats at 571246-2944. ©2014

FoodService Monthly

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OCTOber 2015 n 11

WORKING IN AMERICA

Luigi Diotaiuti: From Native Country to Adopted Homeland, Celebrating His Roots

By Becki L. Young

T

he region of Basilicata in Southern Italy could not ask for a better ambassador than DC chef Luigi Diotaiuti. In August, Diotaiuti created a nonprofit, Basilicata Stile di Vita (“Basilicata Way of Living”) to preserve the region’s traditions including recipes, farming techniques and culinary practices in order to pass them on to the next generation.

The organization has already served a traditional meal for thousands on the piazza of Diotaiuti’s hometown; his vivid description of a long communal table with chefs and grandmas making pasta by hand is reminiscent of a scene from a romantic Italian film.

Speaking of films, Diotaiuti has one to his credit: the 2013 “The Beauty of Basilicata” Dinner at the James Beard Foundation, a documentary about a sold-out dinner that Diotaiuti cooked – on his birthday – at this famed American culinary shrine in New York City. In addition to the scenes in New York, the filmmaker traveled with Diotaiuti to Italy to record the scenic region that inspired the meal.

Diotaiuti’s efforts to promote and preserve the cuisine of Basilicata have been recognized by the Italian government, which awarded him the coveted “Insegna del Ristorante Italiano,” the seal of approval of the President of Italy, in 1998. The award recognizes his contributions as one of the most authentic Italian chefs outside of Italy.

The US State Department invited Diotaiuti to participate in the Culinary Diplomatic Corps, in which chefs from across the country cook for visiting dignitaries, and participate in public diplomacy programs that engage foreign audiences abroad as well as those traveling to the US. As part of this program, Diotaiuti prepared

a Thanksgiving dinner at the US Embassy in Rome, which was served to immigrants.

As an immigrant himself, Diotaiuti has a special appreciation for the symbolism of this meal. He says, “In one way or another we are all immigrants.” In a world where borders are breaking down due to ease of travel and communication, Diotaiuti expounds, the world is getting closer and closer; our modern identity, including our culinary identity, comes from an interchange of cultures and ideas.

His first gig in Washington DC was at Primi Piatti, which had just opened a few years earlier. There was only one other person who spoke Italian, a waiter who helped Diotaiuti through a tough first few months – interpreting with the staff and translating orders and recipes.

Eventually Diotaiuti enrolled in a language class at Lado where he studied English on his days off.

When he decided to open his own restaurant in 1996, the DC dining landscape was bleak, with only a few standout establishments. An eternal optimist, Diotaiuti selected the name “Al Tiramisu” which means “cheer me up” in Italian.

At the time relatively unknown, the coffee-flavored treat has since become the most well known dessert in the world, and Diotaiuti’s star has risen in tandem.

After all these years, Diotaiuti maintains strong ties to his native Italy. Diotaiuti’s brother still lives in the Basilicata region, where he raises the rare and prized Podolico cattle. The hearty Podolico cow has adapted well to the mountains of the Basilicata region of Italy. This elevated terrain, created by thousands of years of earthquakes and volcanoes, is a rocky, harsh environment, hot in summer and dry and cold in winter. These mountains, with their wild herbs and grasses, are a perfect location for farmers who practice transhumance, the movement of

grazing animals from the lowlands in winter to the mountains in summer (culturecheesemag.com/farm-animal/ podolico-cows).

Each year Diotaiuti travels to Basilicata to help his brother migrate the herd, and then returns to Washington, where Al Tiramisu’s menu features a ravioli stuffed with the “straw-gold, cantaloupe melonsize” caciocavallo podolico cheese made from the milk of the Podolico cow. This annual pilgrimage is a fitting journey for a man firmly rooted on two continents, determined to bring the best of his native country to his adopted homeland, while continuing to celebrate and honor his roots.

Becki L. Young, co-founder of Hammond Young Immigration, is a business immigration attorney with 20 years of experience in the field. She has represented more

than 100 of the world’s most prominent hotels and restaurants, and facilitated the sponsorship of foreign professionals, trainees, interns and individuals of “extraordinary ability.” Ms. Young is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

She can be reached at 301-917-6900 or byoung@hyimmigration.com.

12 n OCTOber 2015

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FoodService Monthly

ASSOCIATION NEWS VHTA

VHTA Adopts No Kid Hungry As Charity of Choice

O

honor of having First Lady n September 1 of the Commonwealth VHTA hosted our Dorothy McAuliffe open first Commonwealth the meeting with exciting Hospitality updates about state of Forum. The event was a Virginia Tourism and more partnership between VHTA about her efforts to fight and two other amazing childhood hunger. organizations—the Greater During her opening Williamsburg Chamber remarks, McAuliffe shared & Tourism Alliance and by eric d. terry some alarming statistics HSMAI Virginia Chapter. president about childhood hunger in Months of planning and virginia hospitality Virginia: coordination culminated & travel in a half-day educational • 1 in 6 children association conference for nearly 100 will face hunger this year; of Virginia’s hospitality • Only 51 percent professionals. of children who qualify for free The afternoon featured eight school breakfast receive one; and speakers, including our general • Only 13 percent of children who session speakers Mark D’Amico receive a free or reduced price from Dana Communications and lunch also have access to summer Darnell Halloway from Yelp. Perhaps meals. most exciting, however, was the Eric Terry, VHTA President, and Debbie Donehey, VHTA Chairwoman of the Board, with First Lady of Virginia Dorothy McAuliffe at the 2015 Commonwealth Hospitality Forum.

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The last of these three is, possibly, the most alarming. During the summer months, when students are more likely to be left alone due to a parent or parents working, only 13 percent of qualifying children receive a lunch from an established program.

So What Are We Doing to Help?

Earlier in the day, at VHTA’s quarterly meeting, the membership voted to adopt No Kid Hungry as our official charity of choice.

Meaning that, whenever possible, VHTA will do our best to incorporate a fundraising component for the organization.

For example, following the Commonwealth Hospitality Forum, at a post event reception, we hosted a silent auction to benefit No Kid Hungry. With some incredible prizes from all across the state, we were able to donate more than $2,500 to the organization to help fight childhood hunger.

More than that, we are strongly encouraging our members to get involved and to find ways to help.

There are currently around 200 restaurants in Virginia participating in this month’s Dine Out For No Kid Hungry. If you are dining out in September, please consider finding a participating restaurant on the Dine Out For No Kid Hungry website.

VHTA will also be exploring the relationship of Restaurant Weeks throughout the state and No Kid Hungry. While we do not manage these events directly, we are strong contributors to several of these events. Our role is often to provide support and direction.

No Kid Hungry will be part of that direction. To see this in action, look for Northern Virginia Restaurant Week in March 2016.

If you would like to see pictures or presentations from the 2015 Commonwealth Hospitality Forum, visit VHTA.org.

FoodService Monthly

OCTOber 2015 n 13

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

INSIDE A RESTAURATEUR’S WORLD

Skin in the Game position in someone else’s business for a chance to work 16 hours a day, seven days a week at half the income you were making, all for the opportunity to strike out on your own.

Whether you are a first-time restaurateur

BY MICHAEL STERNBERG or Wolfgang Puck, there are only three assets that every restaurateur can put into their he first question you’re asked business. They are: is, “Do you have skin in the • Skills and experience: Working game?”

16-hour days and 80-hour weeks That’s every investor’s for years and years, you must informational demand to the pitch have learned something. for a new restaurant. Whether it’s • Reputation and recognition: the first or the 20th restaurant, it’s Known in a small, local circle or always the same question. possessing national recognition, a Skin in the game is an expression reputation as a skilled, thoughtful widely credited to famed investor, operator is a restaurateur’s greatest Warren Buffet, as a way of asset. expressing a financial commitment • Financial resources: Cash or to an investment opportunity. Mr. personal guarantees of leases or loans.

Buffet refutes the attribution, a It takes skills, experience, denial that is supported by The knowledge and effort to open a New York Times’ William Safire. Mr. restaurant profitably.

Those are the Safire creates a pretty convincing assets that you are contributing to etymology for the term that tracks the project.

Any fool with money can back to 1819. His research suggests open a restaurant (and often they do!) the term relates to animal skins but only someone with restaurant as a commodity and a card game experience and great skills can called “Skins” (which led to the golf game of the same name). (NY Times enhance the opportunity for success.

I’ve opened more than twoMagazine, September 17, 2006). dozen restaurants in my career, When asked the question, the some for other people but mostly budding restaurateur wants to for myself and I’ve had investors in answer in the affirmative and show each one.

My investors have been dedication to the project looking the fantastic.

They’ve been my mentors, investors directly in the eye and say, my friends and big fans of the “ I am committed!” And so they put restaurants.

And the restaurant I let their life’s savings into the project, them down the most on was the one going months without pay while the in which I had the largest personal restaurant gets developed. That’s a investment.

Here’ s why: whole lot of commitment.

When revenues weren’t meeting Think about it. You’ve spent expectation, I stopped taking a a decade or two working in paycheck.

This caused pressures at restaurants building a career. You’ve home and made my ever-supportive crafted a reputation for being a wife very nervous which made me skilled chef or restaurateur (or both) push hard for a solution. and you’re now ready to risk the Because I had banked so much on nice, steady paycheck and secure the success of the restaurant, I didn’t This is the first in a series of articles about restaurant entrepreneurship.

It is meant to provide the prospective first time restaurant proprietor with practical knowledge on what to expect as they make their journey to restaurant ownership. This first article focuses on investors and the money raising process.

T

have the financial cushion to make it easy to forgo a paycheck so I looked for short-term solutions that would create instant financial results.

I stopped building for gradual improvements and long-term success.

Instead I began making emotional decisions hoping for a quick turnaround, as I needed a fast solution.

After that experience, I began developing the three-asset theory based on the same advice you would receive from any good investment advisor … Diversify.

The rule I follow now and advise my clients to follow is that they can put any two of those three assets into a restaurant venture. Sure, there are lots of cases of people who have invested all three assets – their skills, reputation and cash into a restaurant and have succeeded just as there are plenty of stories of those who lost everything including their reputation. Commonly, a restaurateur is putting the considerable assets of skills and

reputation into the business. Of course money is important. You can’t open a restaurant without it. But the source of money is not significant, whereas the skills and reputation that you provide will ultimately be the cause for success By keeping your financial assets secure, you enable yourself to make smart, unemotional decisions that are in the best interest of the business. Investment of your skills and reputation is substantial skin-inthe-game. And like Meat Loaf sang, “Two out of three ain’t bad.”

Michael Sternberg is an awardwinning sr. executive with expertise in a wide scope of foodservice venues including restaurants, hotels, stadiums, arenas and airports ranging from full-service to grab & go operations. As CEO of Sternberg Hospitality, a full-service restaurant and hospitality consultancy, he recently completed assignments for the U.S. Navy, the University of Georgia, and Hilton Meadowlands. Michael can be reached at michael@sternberghospitality. com or 703-298-2706.

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14 n OCTOber 2015

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

performance foodservice Martin’s West, Baltimore

Ed Orlando and Juliet Bodinetz (Food Smarts columnist)

Martin Saylor and the Class Produce team

J.J. McDonnell’s Rosie Gonzalez and Steve Vilnit

Tom Dymond, Bakery de France

Nazzareno Ciconte, Bindi North America

FoodService Monthly

FoodService Monthly

OCTOber 2015 n 15

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

Restaurants, Restaurants, Restaurants

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t one of the recent food shows I was talking to a manufacturer’s representative for kitchen equipment and he was marveling at the Restaurant Activity Report that we run a small part of each month … openings, expansions, remodels. “Where are they all coming from?” he asked.

Everywhere I said. From Western Canada to San Francisco to our backyard, they are coming to our Mid-Atlantic market.

Here’s a few of the openings, or those soon to open, that I have gotten in the last couple of weeks … straight from their PR gurus with some of the hyperbole softened or deleted.

American Classic with a Creative New Twist — Silver Is Opening in Bethesda Robert Giaimo and Chef Ype Von Hengst have been recognized for their successful contributions to the Washington, D.C. region’s food portfolio. Having founded the award-winning American Café Restaurants and helping launch the “American Cuisine” movement; Giaimo and Von Hengst went on to found the largest chain of diners in America—Silver Diner. They have continued to refine the Silver Diner experience by sourcing from more than a dozen regional farms and adding vegetarian, vegan, glutenfree and healthier menu items to traditional diner classics.

Now the two are opening a brand new restaurant concept in Bethesda, Md.— Silver (7150 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, Md. 20814). This is a new take on an American classic and a concept that has never been done before. It is diner meets brasserie—fresh and creative. Silver opens on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 4 p.m. for dinner and late night; and opening at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 29 for breakfast and lunch.

It is inspired by the elegant dining Pullman train cars and art deco brasseries of the 1920s. “It’s the

heart of a diner with the style of a brasserie” explained Giaimo. “With Silver we’ve created an upscale elegant atmosphere while retaining the warmth and accessibility inspired by diners.”

The restaurant is anticipated to become a trans-generational gathering place that appeals as much to professionals as families.

Earls Kitchen + Bar Opens Mid-October Earls Kitchen + Bar, an innovative upscale-casual eatery, opens on the newly constructed plaza level of Tysons Corner Center in midOctober. Earls offers a friendly, sophisticated setting to gather after work or shopping or for a spirited night out as you enjoy globally inspired, delicious food, inventive drinks and excellent service.

The Tysons restaurant will be Earls’ sixth in the United States.

Earls, one of North America’s most successful family-owned and operated restaurant groups, is named for the founder, Montana native Leroy Earl (Bus) Fuller and his son, CEO Stan Earl Fuller.

(Hence, the name is Earls. Plural, not possessive.) The first Earls opened in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1982.

Earls Tysons Executive Chef Ryan Spicknell will oversee a full staff that will prepare fresh, madefrom-scratch dishes inspired by international cuisines and locally sourced ingredients with a nod to regional tastes. Along with Earls’ popular pastas, steaks and handsmashed burgers, you will find an inventive take on Korean bipimbap as well as Earls’ version of cumininfused jeera chicken curry. Also, created especially for Earls Tysons, are coriander crusted albacore tuna with black jasmine rice, vegetable caponata and artichoke-basil puree and a watermelon and fried chicken appetizer, among other dishes. You will even see favorites with a tasty local twist on the brunch menu such

as Sweet Virginia Benny with sweet Virginia ham on grilled sourdough napped with hollandaise.

Each restaurant fosters local supplier and farmer relationships to find the finest, freshest in-season ingredients possible. Earls restaurants offer premium seafood including Marine Stewardship Certified albacore tuna, cod, shrimp and salmon and top cuts of beef that are aged for 28 days. The pastry cooks arrive to make the desserts as the bread ovens are fired up at 6:00 a.m. each morning.

Even Earls’ art work is integral to its concept and reflects the company’s history of supporting the visual arts. It begins with the sleek architectural design that includes a prominent art installation inspired by the surrounding landscapes.

Vancouver, Canada artist Ricky

Alvarez will unveil his molded pewter wall at the Tysons Earls that depicts the D.C., region’s road system. Each restaurant also commissions separate works from local artists.

7902 Tysons One Place, McLean VA 22012.

Blue Moon Is Coming to Federal Hill Klein Enterprises announced that Blue Moon Cafe, the restaurant’s second location in Baltimore, is ready to open.

“We’re proud to bring this longawaited restaurant to the Federal Hill community,” said Daniel Klein, President of Klein Enterprises. “The Fells Point location is immensely successful and we’re thrilled for this new location to introduce even

RESTAURANTS, RESTAURANTS, RESTAURANTS Continued on page 22

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16 n OCTOber 2015

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

FoodService Monthly

Soft Stuff, Delivering the Good Stuff

V

isiting Lois and Bob Gamerman at their Soft Stuff office and warehouse in Jessup is always a good thing. As a writer covering the Mid-Atlantic foodservice market, the demand from our readers (the buyers) and the consumer is coming together … they all want innovation and new products. That’s what I find at Soft Stuff.

We’ve told the story of Soft Stuff many times over the years … how Lois and Bob who were already well known and respected in the foodservice arena in the “soft serve” market. They came together to sell product and equipment to the area’s dessert market. Lois Gamerman had been a leading seller of Taylor equipment to the frozen soft serve market and Bob Gamerman brought with him his retail expertise in ice cream and frozen yogurt. They united, turning their fledgling company into immediately a formidable wholesaler. They vowed to lead the market in service and to sell quality at a fair price. Soft Stuff still maintains low minimums and they break cases on most items.

I asked Lois what defines their company today. “We offer continuity,” she said without hesitation. “We stock 3400 line items in our warehouse. We can give you what you want when you need it.”

How do you cultivate a new customer was my next question.

“When you call, we immediately set up an appointment,” replied Lois. We send out one of our sales representatives with samples and we get the dialogue moving.” She went through the steps of reviewing menus and cost points. With the low minimums, Soft Stuff is nimble

enough to give the new customer an opportunity to try the Soft Stuff way of taking care of its customers. Lois always says, “We call our customers.

We build our customer loyalty everyday.” Listening goes a long way.

The Gamermans follow a plan of strategic growth to create their bread/dessert niche in the MidAtlantic foodservice marketplace.

Since they had based their reputation and business credo on service and excellence, a potential new product had to be sold by a manufacturer they could depend on to deliver as needed a quality product.

“No other company loves you as much as we do!” says Lois.

They have a “never out” policy.

If something happens they will have it sent in overnight at no extra cost to the customer. Their relationship with the manufacturers accommodates the Soft Stuff credo … taking care of the customer is good for everyone.

At the same time they watch the trends and analyze the market. Gluten Free is already starting to decline but they watch it closely. No sugar added still gets the press but the customer enjoys a great dessert knowing that moderation is part of the mix.

They have seen the growth of the hors d’oeuvre with their high quality Kabobs line up. Always looking for ways to be better, Soft Stuff has a new pre-proofed pastry line … it’s an upgrade and cost less.

You might not think of Soft Stuff for fresh soups but their customers do. With Hale and Hearty they have a rotating menu of fresh items. Soft Stuff places their order on Friday and pick up the freshly made soups on Monday … then

it’s in the kitchens of customers on Wednesday or Thursday. Then the fresh cycle starts all over again.

Lois Gamerman has told me many times, “We won’t disappoint.

We are about alliance building.”

Bob Gamerman talked about strategic planning for the next two years. It used to be large companies would do 5-year plans but the market changes too fast … in months not years. Going forward in the next two years, you will find Soft Stuff growing south into the Richmond metro.

For the season, the sales team is out in the market selling Yule logs, Santa Claus cakes, holiday cookies and eggnog cheesecake. I looked at what must be the largest variety of pumpkin flavored cakes, cookies … you name it. Making it easier

to please all during the holidays, rather than selling Santa Claus or candy cane cookies, they have a line that features cookies that pull the holidays from the colors of the season red and green … that works for everyone.

The logo has been updated and the website is next. The national awards keep coming in as their corporate customers recognize the Soft Stuff way of doing business.

They have most recently been honored by Sodexo as their 2015 Strategic Diverse Partner and Partner of the Year at the Sodexo Vendor Partner meeting held in June. The awards recognize the developing strategies for program growth that support Sodexo Six Dimensions of Quality of Life.

Big or small. Corporate, chain or independent. Soft Stuff is delivering the good stuff.

18 n OCTOber 2015

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

FoodService Monthly

Consumers Spending More on Specialty Food an EXTENSION of your kitchen

[Editor note: Our friends at the Specialty Food Association just released this report on the specialty food market. While it concentrated on the consumer buying for home use, I think it sounds a lot like your customer. What do you think? That’s why the foodservice segment of specialty food keeps growing. MB]

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pecialty food is drawing a new crowd this year. Men are stepping up purchases, less affluent shoppers are buying a wide variety of products like artisanal cheese and single-origin chocolate, and millennials are showing their age at the store.

Hors d’oeuvres Entrees Gourmet Sides Components Vegetarian Gluten-Free KABOBS.COM 800.732.9484

These are some of the findings of new consumer research from the Specialty Food Association in conjunction with Mintel International. Specialty food consumers report spending one in three food dollars on specialty food, up from one in four in 2014.

This comes as specialty food sales topped $100 billion for the first time in 2014 and continue to grow, according to the research.

While food shopping used to be seen as a woman’s work, for the first time since this research began in 2005, men have surpassed women slightly as most likely to purchase specialty food. The prized millennial consumer is starting to get older, and those pushing 40 are spending more on meal ingredients than the snacks and treats favored by the younger set.

Consumers with annual incomes of $75,000 are twice as likely as those earning less than $50,000 to be specialty food buyers, yet the less affluent are buying the same wide range of specialty foods.

“As the market grows, the specialty food consumer is evolving,” says Denise Purcell, head of content for the Specialty Food Association. “There are opportunities for food makers and

retailers to grow their businesses by appealing to new audiences and changing needs.”

Treats are trending. Consumers rank perennial specialty food favorites cheese and chocolate among their top five picks, plus ice cream and frozen desserts; coffee, and cookies, brownies, cakes and pies. Foods seen as healthy, such as tea, yogurt and kefir, and nuts, seeds, and dried fruit and vegetables, are rising in popularity.

These findings are based on an online survey conducted in July 2015 of 1,683 adults aged 18+. The results are published in the fall issue of Specialty Food Magazine.

Research Highlights • Core specialty food consumers are ages 25 – 44 with household income of $75,000+ and live on the East or West Coast • Specialty food consumers spend $113 per week on food they prepare at home, up from $92 per week in 2014 • 52 percent of specialty food consumers say they purchase specialty food online. Nearly one third said they are looking for an online delivery service • Millennials favor convenience: they shop in the broadest range of retail outlets and spend the most on takeout and ready-to-eat meals • About one in three specialty food dollars are spent on products with an all-natural or organic claim • 43 percent of those surveyed said they try new specialty foods to eat foods that avoid artificial ingredients and preservatives • 71 percent of specialty food buyers use their phones for grocery and restaurant activities

20 n OCTOber 2015

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

FoodService Monthly

FORK IN THE ROAD

Every Cheese (monger) Has a Story

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ay cheese!

Funnily enough, Carolyn Stromberg of DC’s Righteous Cheese has been doing just that since the beginning. Really. Cheese was the artisanal cheesemonger and business owner’s first word as a child.

But it was more than two decades later that she would fall head over heels into cheese, by way of the restaurant world. From delicately caring for cheese in a cave and imagining cheese wheel wedding cakes for clients, to teaching cheese and wine classes to summer associates at law firms, it’s safe to say Carolyn Stromberg is the Big Cheese around the Mid-Atlantic food scene.

Where did you grow up? Just outside Buffalo, NY.

What did your parents do? My parents were both business owners as well. My dad was a dentist, who founded his own practice, and my mom was a librarian when I was little, then went to law school (as a mother of three at the time) and came to run her own law practice.

What are your favorite restaurants in the DMV area? Sushi Taro, Two Amy’s, Etto, Bad Saint, Maketto, Osteria Morini.

How did you choose this career?

I worked in restaurants through college, and happened to work with amazing chefs and restaurant people. I developed a love of food through this work, and even though I tried other jobs I always came back to restaurants and food.

Meeting Sue Conley from Cowgirl Creamery introduced me to cheese and I never looked back.

Explain your job. At Righteous Cheese, I wear all hats! I oversee all marketing, bookkeeping, business development, event planning, e-commerce, staff hiring and training, cheese selection and maintenance, product research, customer relations, collaborations, and so on. I have a fantastic staff that runs the day-to-day operations of the shop, and I do most everything else.

What is a normal day for you? I have no normal days! Every day is truly different. On weekdays, I’m often on my computer for several hours — planning for upcoming events and activities, writing our monthly newsletter or blog, or answering customer emails. Then perhaps I’ll have a meeting with a couple that’s planning a wedding and wants to have a cheese wheel wedding cake.

Then I’ll meet with a law firm that wants me to teach a cheese and wine class for their summer associates. Then the shop manager and I will taste new cheeses to see if they’re a good fit for the counter.

On weekends, I work behind the counter, helping customers connect with great cheeses; or at an event for the shop (teaching cheese classes, etc). There is one

constant – at the end of chef friends by bringing the day, my husband and I cheeses to them to taste. I almost always have dinner found out that many chefs together. didn’t get to learn about Which product in your cheese at culinary school, store are you most excited and I wanted to help about currently? The bring delicious cheeses Farm at Doe Run (Pa.) to restaurants. I was has been creating special, introduced to Jill Erber, limited-run batches of who was game to let me

BY GENEVIEVE Lefranc cheese — we’ll only get a start and run a wholesale few pounds of each. Right restaurant program now we have Creamery Collection through Cheesetique, her Alexandria Batch #9, an aged, semi-firm goat’s cheese shop. milk cheese. It’s super nutty and has When the Gaylord National Hotel notes of honey on the finish. opened up, they tapped me to be If you were on death row, what their Maitre d’Fromage, and run would be your last meal? The pasta the cheese program at Old Hickory my husband makes, with an uniSteakhouse. I had a cheese cave habañero-butter emulsion. where I would care for the cheese, If you weren’t a cheese artisan/ and a cart from which I served shop owner, what would you be? tableside. That’s where I started Growing up, I spent a lot of time teaching wine & cheese pairing acting. I was planning to be an actor classes, and developed my interest until I got to college, and was then (and skills) in teaching about cheese. derailed. I don’t want to be famous, In the fall of 2010, I struck out on but I’d love to act professionally. my own with The Cheese Course, Can you describe your path a through which I offered cheese & bit? How did you come to be where wine/cheese & beer pairing classes, you are? I started out in the early private events, and consulting for 2000s waiting tables, bartending restaurants and cheese shops. I and managing at incredible partnered with Seasonal Pantry to restaurants – Palena, Asia Nora, and offer classes, and that’s how Edens Komi. I first developed my passion found me and brought me in to for cheese at Palena, which would discuss opening a cheese shop at get weekly FedEx deliveries from Union Market.

NYC’s Artisanal Cheese. They didn’t In September of 2012, I opened have any cheese shops in DC at the Righteous Cheese! time, so this was my small window Why did you decide to open into the world of cheese. After Righteous Cheese? The developer immediately tasting each cheese, I’d of Union Market approached me pore over the description sheets that about opening at cheese shop at the they sent. new market, before it was finished At that same restaurant, I being built. I thought Union Market serendipitously served a cheese had the potential to be an incredible plate I’d made to Sue Conley of food hall and community space in Cowgirl Creamery. We discussed DC, and I had the opportunity to be the shop that Sue planned to involved. I wanted to open DC’s best open in DC, and I told her that cheese shop – where I could get all whenever, wherever – I wanted of the cheeses I wasn’t able to find. to work in that shop. We kept in What is your guilty food touch for a few years, and in 2006, pleasure? Tater tots with my shop’s when Cowgirl opened and I went to spicy blue cheese dip. In Buffalo, we work there, my whole cheese world eat blue cheese dip with everything. opened up.

What is your favorite family I went to work at Cowgirl recipe? My mom makes the best Creamery behind the counter, and challah in the world. Truly. kept in touch with many of my

FoodService Monthly Why DC? What do you love about this city? I love the community in DC. People always talk about how transient our city’s population is, but there are people in the industry that I worked with 15 years ago that I still see/run into all the time.

It is inspiring to see the peers that I’ve known for so long opening up new restaurants and stores, writing books, and doing wonderful things in general for our food scene.

What’s new, trending, and innovative about your industry right now? It’s funny to think about cheese as trendy, since it’s such an old, classic product. One thing that’s new is its status as an industry at all — ­ when I started working in cheese, it was super odd for most people. Now, it’s “cool.”

Do you incorporate organic products in your inventory? How so? We do when possible. Because of rules regarding antibiotic use in livestock as well as rules about free grazing, “organic” in dairy farming and cheesemaking doesn’t always equal “humane,” which I think is equally important.

How did you come up with the name of your business? It was a fluke. I thought a friend suggested it, but he hadn’t. Neither of us has any idea what he actually said. I loved the way it sounded to the ear, plus I love how it uses outdated slang, and kind of pokes fun at the self-righteous nature of us foodies.

What is your criteria for the cheese you sell? It must be artisanal (small batch, handmade) and delicious. No mass-produced cheeses.

What are your suggestions for some really interesting cheese and beverage pairings? Tea and cheese is getting really popular, and I’m really into pairing shrubs — drinking vinegars — with cheese.

What ingredients would comprise your dream grilled cheese sandwich? I like to keep it simple — simple bread, just cheese, or maybe a bit of fresh herbs or a savory spread (artichoke spread, olive spread, caramelized onion).

Simplicity allows the true flavor of the cheese to shine through.

What are some other types of animal cheese beyond cow or goat?

OCTOber 2015 n 21

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On The most classic are cow, sheep and goat, but there are many water buffalo milk cheeses too. I’ve even seen yak’s milk cheese — though it’s not very tasty.

Can you explain the aging process? Each recipe for cheese calls for a different aging process, but the one constant is this: aging cheese is a process of moisture loss.

What gives cheese its color?

Its smell? Its flavor? There are a multitude of factors, from breed of animal, to animal diet to molds and cultures added to the aging environment. That’s why it’s hard to replicate.

Can you describe the artisanal cheese scene? What states or regions are producing exciting varieties of cheeses? One thing that’s very exciting in the world of artisanal cheese is the wide variety of cheeses being made in the US. In Europe, they make the classics.

Cheeses are name-protected and each region has a long history of its type of cheese. In the U.S., we are much more open to creating new recipes and styles of cheese; we are more open to experimentation.

As with any experimentation, sometimes the result is great and sometimes not-so-great. But it is exciting to see so much creativity and to explore new frontiers.

How does one go about creating a good dessert cheese plate? Whether creating a dessert cheese plate or a first course cheese plate or just a picnic, there are several guidelines to always consider: Pick 3-5 cheeses: too few and it will be boring; too many and it will be overwhelming.

And don’t forget to let them come to room temp before eating! Balance the flavors: you don’t want all buttery cheeses, or all salty cheeses, etc. Pick cheeses that have flavors to balance each other – one buttery cheese, one salty cheese, one nutty cheese, one tangy cheese. A good way to accomplish this is to have several different milk types on the plate (goat, sheep, cow). Balance the textures: your palate will tire of too similar textures the same way it will of too similar flavors. Pick a balance of creamy cheese, semi-soft, semifirm and firm. Accompaniments: Pick 2-3 palate cleansers as well

as crackers or bread. I prefer fruit and nut crackers as well as very plain crisps. For accompaniments, fresh fruit is perfect, but steer clear of citrus or very tannic fruits.

Dried fruits work well too, as well as pickled fruits or veggies.

Savory accompaniments (olives, cornichons, etc) can be great but pair less broadly than fruit. Always eat mild to strong. If you start with the strong cheeses, it will blow out your palate, and the mellower cheeses will taste like nothing. If you want to go back to a mellower cheese after a stronger one, use a palate cleanser in between.

What do you consider a key to your success? Patience, optimism and resiliency. I am always working on all three, as I could always use more of each.

What are your secrets for running a successful business and staying true to your passion? You can’t do it for the money, you have to do it because you love it. I’m sure it’s different if you’re starting another type of business, but no one will ever get rich from opening a cheese shop. If you love the product and the people, you will continue to enjoy it even through the difficult times.

Where do you go to stay up to date on products, goods and trends? Culture magazine is a great resource, as well as its website. The most educational time of year for me is the annual American Cheese Society conference in August. I can’t always afford to go (both money and time) but the educational panels are fantastic; I meet so many other cheese professionals and cheesemakers; and I get to taste thousands of new cheeses and products over the course of three or four days.

What is your approach to entertaining with friends or family at home? I think creating a comfortable, yet exciting atmosphere is key. I try to create a welcoming and convivial environment through lighting, decor and music, and serve dishes family-style to create community around the table.

Entertaining family and friends is all about connecting; the atmosphere you create and the food you cook should serve that purpose and allow

for a greater level of connection.

What do you cook at home? We try to use the best ingredients possible, and cook them simply to allow their natural flavor to shine through. We often sauté fish (from District Fishwife of course) with veggies and labneh; or steak (from Red Apron Butchery) with a simple salad; or chicken thighs (from Harvey’s) with sautéed mushrooms.

Of course, a standard weekly meal when we get home late from work is our “indoor picnic” — cheese; charcuterie; boquerones, bread and butter; olives …

What is something you know now that you wish you knew when you were starting out? I didn’t realize how all-consuming owning and running a business is — it’s a 24-7 job. I would still do it, of course!

But it has truly been eye-opening. I rarely disengage 100 percent from the shop, even when on vacation or taking a day off.

SMALL BITES HOME & LIFESTYLE Where do you live? Mount Pleasant neighborhood, DC Favorite neighborhood restaurant: Room 11 Favorite drink: I’m really into shrubs right now Favorite dessert: delicious ripe berries and homemade whipped cream — I like simple things Top three DVR shows: Game of Thrones, Veep, You’re the Worst Music: Kendrick Lamar, Haim, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Stevie Wonder INSPIRATIONS Necessary extravagance: fancy hotel rooms Favorite place in the world: my family’s log cabin on Rushford Lake (Western New York) Favorite charity: Share Our Strength/No Kid Hungry Favorite movies: Godfather I & Godfather II, Big Lebowski, Dazed & Confused Favorite smell/scent: basil or cilantro FOOD Necessary indulgence/extravagance: Sushi Taro (monthly indulgence) and Komi (yearly indulgence) Everything goes better with: chili flakes or hot sauce Fantasy location for a restaurant: in the middle of Rock Creek Park, an urban retreat!

Comfort food: mac & cheese Favorite cocktail: Hemingway daquiri Favorite snack: cheese & charcuterie

22 n OCTOber 2015

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

RESTAURANTS, RESTAURANTS, RESTAURANTS cont. from page 15

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Recipes are at their best when the ingredients are the best!

"The key to making any recipe be its best is using only the best ingredients, like the products from Kreider Farms," says Bess Simmons, Isaac's Soup Recipe Chef. "Our famous Pepperjack Tomato Soup, seasonal Fresh-Cut Corn Chowder and all our cream soups would not be as delicious as they are without the creamy smooth taste of Kreider Farms' half & half and milk!"

Isaac's Famous Grilled Sandwiches, a small regional restaurant chain in South Central Pennsylvania, has been pleasing customers with delicious, freshly-made sandwiches since 1983. Isaac’s chefs know that to have the best food you need to use the best ingredients. That's why Isaac's only uses quality products like Kreider Farms when making their made-from-scratch soups daily. Bess Simmons

Soup Recipe Chef Isaac’s Test Kitchen

more Baltimore residents and visitors to the famed food of Blue Moon Cafe.”

The restaurant fills a void in the Federal Hill breakfast, brunch and late night dining scene. The new location will feature the same renowned menu as the Fells Point location, which is known for two and a half hour wait lines full of eager patrons. Fan favorites will continue to be the Captain Crunch French Toast, French toast coated in crushed Cap’n Crunch cereal; and the Sweet Baby Jesus, layers of hash brown and crab meat, topped with eggs and hollandaise sauce. Guests will also enjoy a selection of Buttermilk and Specialty Pancakes, Benedicts and Heavenly Omelets. The larger Federal Hill location enables the addition of a full espresso and smoothie bar, featuring classic and signature coffees and smoothie drinks.

With a focus on healthy options, fresh fruit and produce will be served daily.

In the upcoming months, owner Sarah Simington has plans to keep the restaurant open 24 hours a day during the weekends.

“I’m excited to offer a respite for bartenders and waiters when they get off work,” said Simington, whose dishes have been featured on the Food Network.

“Now, nothing is open for them to grab a bite to eat when the bars shut down.

Being open 24 hours a day allows me the opportunity to serve them.”

Victor Albisu Will Expand Taco Bamba in 2016 Award-winning chef Victor Albisu announces a double expansion of Taco Bamba, his takeout taqueria located in Falls Church, Va. Taco Bamba’s second and third iterations will be located in Northern Virginia’s Springfield and Vienna neighborhoods.

“When I opened Taco Bamba I never expected it to be as successful as it has been,” says Albisu. “But the Falls Church community really responded to it, and now we’re regularly doing four times the volume I originally planned. I think people want quick options for carryout, but they also appreciate our chef-driven menu. At lunch we regularly have a line of guests from the surrounding offices who don’t mind waiting 15 to 20 minutes for fresh tacos. I think this concept can work almost anywhere, and I have my eye on spots in Arlington, Alexandria and D.C. as well.”

FoodService Monthly While each new location will ultimately have its own menu, they will all be anchored by favorites from the original.

Tacos, sopes and tortas will remain the primary menu highlights, while daily specials will rotate tamales, soups and classic Mexican dishes through the offerings.

Each location will also offer platos fuertes, larger entrée-sized Mexican meals. The new stores will also feature a menu of quesadillas stuffed with unusual fillings like squash blossoms, chilies and other traditional and non-traditional ingredients.

Cava Grill Announces 15th Location to Open in Washington, DC’s Dupont Circle, Spring 2016 Continuing its largest expansion to date, Cava Grill is thrilled to announce the opening of a new location in the center of Washington, DC’s bustling Dupont Circle neighborhood. One of their most requested and anticipated opening locations, Cava Grill’s Dupont shop will sit at 1220 Connecticut Avenue NW, on the south side of the circle on Connecticut Ave, situated between downtown DC, 14th Street and Georgetown neighborhoods. The restaurant will be its 15th location and is expected to open in Spring 2016.

Cava Grill’s new location will feature a dedicated space for online order pick-ups, so customers can order ahead and pick up their meals with ease. The Dupont shop will also feature an expanded open-kitchen layout; local beer and wine on tap; new menu items including seasonal vegetables roasted in Cava’s new stone-fired ovens, and rotating seasonal soups, juices, and teas made in-house daily; deeper relationships with local partners like Whisked!, Gordy’s Pickle Jar, and RunningByrd Tea; and additional community initiatives representative of Cava’s commitment to innovation, evolution, and attentiveness within fast-casual dining.

Keeping with Cava Grill’s opening traditions, the public will be invited to celebrate the new location with a Community Day, where lunch and dinner (grain bowls, salads, pitas) are free, with an encouraged donation to their local non-profit partner, City Blossoms, which champions healthy eating in the DC community. That date will be announced closer to the opening.

Cava Grill’s new Dupont Circle outpost will be located at 1218 Connecticut Avenue NW in Washington, DC 20036.

For more information, visit cavagrill.com.

FoodService Monthly

OCTOber 2015 n 23

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

ASSOCIATION NEWS RAM

RAM Expo Kick-Off Will Reveal Exhibitor Options

I

n case you haven’t Eggspectation. Limited heard, the Restaurant seating is available. Those Association of Maryland interested in attending (RAM) is bringing back can RSVP to Hilary Yeh, the Mid-Atlantic Food, Director of Expo, at Beverage & Lodging Expo 410-290-6800 or hyeh@ on September 27-28, marylandrestaurants.com.

2016 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Top 5 Reasons to Timonium. The Expo is by hilary yeh Exhibit at Expo an opportunity to connect director of expo with more than 12,000 Restaurant Association 1. Attendance hospitality professionals of Maryland Over 12,000 people from all over the Midworking in the hospitality Atlantic region. There will be competitions, speakers, seminars, industry will attend. entertainment, and of course food and drink to bring the hospitality 2. Affordability industry in the door.

Holding the Expo at the Maryland To celebrate the return of the State Fairgrounds significantly Expo, potential exhibitors and reduces the cost for exhibitors interested companies are invited to compared to a large convention join RAM at our office in Columbia, center. This allows for a greater Md. on October 13 at 9:00 a.m. The return on your investment, with kick-off event will offer companies easy justification for the time and a first chance to see the Expo floor expense of being at a two-day show. plan, reserve a booth space, receive the RAM Member discount and 3. Quality Speakers, Education and be included in the 2016 printed Programming buyers’ guide.

The products and services that Breakfast will be provided by

TIMEOUT

Remembering Marcia Harris

I

t was eight years ago September 28 that we lost industry icon and friend Marcia Harris, president and CEO of the Restaurant Association of Maryland. The grief still lingers, but I know I always find myself reflecting on many of the good times with Marcia. I can feel her boundless enthusiasm.

And I can only smile as I also remember her enjoying a couple of Jack Daniels cocktails at the NRA Public Affairs Conference at one of the great Louisiana receptions.

She could always light up a room.

The woman, who worked side by side and eyeball to eyeball with politicians, restaurateurs, chefs and

the working people of hospitality, could have a good time while getting the job done. When sitting in on one of her Expo meetings, I remember her saying once, “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.”

As I have said before, she loved the quote, “Life may not be the party we hoped for ... but while we are here we might as well dance!”

On the anniversary of her passing this year, Marshall Weston sent a simple email with a picture of Marcia. Written in the subject line was, “I still miss her.” We all miss her.

Michael Birchenall

industry people are asking for will be there. This ensures you will see quality attendees who are interested in learning more about running a better business – the ideal customer you are looking for!

4. Relationship Building Exhibiting at EXPO means that you will see many of your current customers. There’s no easier way to

reinforce your relationships with current customers than seeing them in person.

5. Convenience Being close to Baltimore with easy travel, load in, load out and opportunities for networking makes it an easy decision to include EXPO in your 2016 business and marketing plan.

It’s National Pizza Month.

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24 n OCTOber 2015

FoodService Monthly

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

WHINING ’N DINING

Look for Extra Meaty Ribs at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Baltimore What’s Happening

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que opened a 10th location at 1401 Fleet St in Fells Point – in the old Acme Box Company. The restaurant seats 220 and offers lots and lots ‘o Q, 20 beers on tap, fried green “maters” and plenty of sauces and rubs. DinosaurBarbque.com

by RANDI ROM

It’s ba-aacckk! Celebrate the return of prime Chesapeake Bay Oystering season for the ninth year in a row with the annual fall food street festival Oysterfest on October 10-11 in historic Federal Hill. Oysterfest, hosted by Ryleigh’s Oyster features

Relocated, Refreshed & Revamped Visit our fully stocked 60,000-sq. ft. warehouse and showroom chock-full of container load specials and inventory!

Wed., N 10 am - ov 11 4 pm

fall pRoduc shoWc t ase N house fall opeNov,14 sat., pm 9 am - 3 fetime” li

fa “deals oplus: acks nks & sn Beef, dri .7 “the Bay” it p e re f io 100 live Radartisan Vendors local ples with samvities ti Kids’ ac

DePalo & SoINnCs.

FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT, PAPER AND CHEMICALS DePalo & Sons Logo.indd 1

3/19/2015 1:09:32 PM

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dozens of tasting tents (and dozens of oysters at a buck-per-shuck), raw bars, the Baltimore Oyster Shucking Championship and live entertainment. General Admission is free and open to the public. A portion of all Oysterfest proceeds benefits the missions of Oyster Recovery Partnership and Living Classrooms Foundation, Shipboard Department. Ryleighs.com On November 1, Axios Wine is releasing a limited edition “2131” Cabernet to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Cal Ripken’s recordbreaking 2131 games played which broke Lou Gehrig’s previous streak.

And – only 2,131 bottles of the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon are available. The bottles are numbered and will be sold in wood-and-glass cases, retailing for $300 each. There will also be 100 bottles sold for $500 each and will include a Hall of Fame baseball signed by Cal Ripken Jr. AxiosWine.com Explorers Restaurant at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court, which recently underwent a $10 million facelift, launched a new menu concept with an afternoon high tea, which will be offered 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Offerings include the “Royal Tea” ($40) which includes Kir Royal and strawberries drizzled with Chambord or Grand Marnier and topped with fresh whipped cream and the Traditional Tea ($34) with scones, sandwiches and an array of tasty teas.

Reservations are required a day in advance. Sonesta.com/baltimore John Shields, the host of the PBS series Coastal Cooking and Chesapeake Bay Cookbook, owner/proprietor of Gertrude’s at the Baltimore Museum of Art and author of three major books on Chesapeake Bay cooking has a new book that just came out. ChesapeakeBay Cooking 25th Anniversary Edition is a melding of the recipes of The Chesapeake Bay Cookbook, The Chesapeake

Bay Crab ookbook and Chesapeake Bay Cooking. This updated and expanded book includes 100+ new recipes and a section on libations. In 1990, Chesapeake Bay Cooking with John Shields was nominated for a James Beard Award, not only for its recipes, but also for looking at the local and seasonal ingredients used by the fishermen as well as chronicling the unique character of the Chesapeake region. To date, the book has sold over 50,000 copies.

The Maryland Wineries Association announced the winners of the 27th Annual Maryland Governor’s Cup Competition.

The judging for the prestigious awards took place on Sunday, August 23 in Timonium with over 20 wine experts from the region that tasted over 150 different wines, including sparkling, whites, rosés and reds. The Maryland Wineries Association is a non-profit trade organization representing Maryland’s 65+ wineries. Founded in 1984, the MWA’s mission is to develop and expand the grape and wine industry in Maryland through events, education and promotion. From the Eastern Shore to mountains of Western Maryland, and south to St. Mary’s County, wine is growing throughout Maryland. MarylandWines.com

Best in Show Big Cork Vineyards, Petit Verdot 2013, Washington Co.

Best in Class • White: Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard, Chardonnay Reserve 2014, Montgomery Co. • White Blend: Old Westminster Winery, Greenstone 2014, Carroll Co. • Rosé: Linganore Winecellars, Pinky’s Rosé 2014, Frederick Co. • Red: Big Cork Vineyards, Petit Verdot 2013, Washington Co. • Red Blend: Black Ankle Vineyards, Feldspar NV, Frederick Co.

WHINING Continued on page 25

FoodService Monthly

Balti-MORE

OCTOber 2015 n 25

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

FIREHOUSE SUBS GARRISON FOREST SHOPPING CENTER 10359 REISTERSTOWN RD OWINGS MILLS TIMONIUM CROSSING 2080 YORK RD • TIMONIUM FIREHOUSESUBS.COM TWITTER/INSTAGRAM: @FIREHOUSESUBS

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Stephanie and Ayaz Moledina

New to Baltimore County: Firehouse Subs

F

by Dara Bunjon

ast casual Firehouse Subs, the 1992 brainchild of two former firefighters (Chris and Robin Sorensen) in Jacksonville, Fla. has grown exponentially with a slow and steady franchise program throughout the United States and Canada. Ayaz Moledina, a former financial consultant and his wife Stephanie, went all in … opening the first two Firehouse Subs in the Baltimore area this year in Owings Mills and Timonium. With limited area consumer knowledge

WHINING cont. from page 24 • Off-Dry: Turkey Point Vineyard, Vidal Blanc 2014, Cecil Co. • Cider: Great Shoals Winery, Hard Cherry 2015, Montgomery Co. • Fruit: Port of Leonardtown Winery, McIntosh Run NV, St. Mary’s Co.

of Firehouse Subs, Moledina used “sweat equity,” knocking on business doors and dropping off samples, letting his sandwiches do the talking for him.

Dara Bunjon: Dara Does It – Creative Solutions for the Food Industry offers a myriad of services: public relations, social media training and administration, freelance writing, marketing and more. Contact Dara Bunjon at 410-486-0339, info@dara-doesit.com or visit www.dara-does-it.com, Twitter and Instagram: @daracooks Listen to her Dining Dish radio program on Baltimore Internet Radio.

• Dessert: Turkey Point Vineyard, Late Harvest Vidal 2014, Cecil Co. Randi Rom is a Baltimore special events planner, marketing and public relations maven, freelance writer and head of R.J. Rom & Associates. Have a hot scoop? Contact Randi via email at randirom@comcast.net or phone at 443-691-9671.

26 n OCTOber 2015

FoodService Monthly

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

THE LATEST DISH

Dave & Buster’s Still Playing Games, Two More to Open

D

Miami Beach. PassionFish allas-based Dave Bethesda will serve lunch, & Buster’s weekend brunch and Entertainment dinner. plans to open two more restaurants in the DC metro area in the Openings Update next year. An opening is Tadich Grill is slated planned in Springfield to open its doors to the Town Center by the end public on October 7 … of this year, and at Ritchie

by Linda Roth Earls Kitchen + Bar Station Marketplace in opens on October 14 …

Capitol Heights, at the end of 2Q 2016.

Passion Food Hospitality opened Quick Hits PassionFish in Bethesda at corner Potbelly Sandwich Shop will of Woodmont & Bethesda Avenues. open in Rosslyn’s International Place It seats 180 (including 29 outdoor building at 1735 N. Lynn St. where seats). The first PassionFish is in FroZenYo used to be … Green Bee Reston. The Bethesda location adds Café will open in downtown DC at the “M” to DMV. Chefs Jeff Tunks 1129 20th St. NW where Newton’s and Chris Clime are working with Noodles used to be … Duffy’s Irish Jonathan Goh on its sushi rolls.

Pub plans to re-open on Vermont Goh previously worked at Nobu in Ave NW with a little help from a

crowd funding campaign, according to owner-turned-general-manager, Andy Duffy … Takoda Restaurant & Beer Garden at 715 Florida Ave NW is building a roof top garden at its location in the old Federal Live Building. Should be open before the weather turns cold.

Portner Brewhouse which is being resurrected by two of Robert Portner’s great-great granddaughters, will open in Alexandria’s Modera Tempo development at South Van Dorn and South Pickett streets.

They plan a summer 2016 opening.

Metropolitan Hospitality Group plans to open another Circa restaurant in the Capital Riverfront BID area at 99 M St. NE (near First St) near Nats Park. Circa currently has stores in Clarendon, Dupont Circle and Foggy Bottom. It would open in late 2017 or early 2018.

New York City-based Corner Table Restaurants, owner of The Smith, plans to open at 901 F St. NW where McCormick & Schmick’s used to be. Corner Table owns several locations of The Smith and one other restaurant, Jane, in New York City.

The Smith serves Breakfast, lunch and dinner. A spring 2016 opening is planned.

Celebrate Congratulations to Caroline Ross, owner of River Bend Bistro on celebrating its 2nd anniversary in Alexandria.

Cava Grill plans to open in Dupont Circle at 1220 Connecticut Ave. NW where Bertucci’s used

to be. This will be the 15th store to open. A 2Q 2016 opening is targeted. Cava founders Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos and Dimitri Moshovitis first opened Cava Mezza, a fullservice Greek and Mediterranean restaurant, in Rockville. Now they are expanding their fast casual Cava Grill concept. They have 11 locations in DC metro area, and plan to open another nine, including Silver Spring and Dupont Circle as well as three in the Los Angeles metro area.

Cork Market & Tasting Room has a new executive chef: Jason Schreuder, who was sous chef to Cork’s first chef, Ron Tanaka and has previously worked at Ripple as well. He takes over from Kristin Hutter, who will continue to work with Cork as a consultant on special projects.

District Winery is slated to open near Yards Park and the Lumber Shed at Water and Fourth Streets SE. It is brought to you by the folks who own and operate Brooklyn Winery in NY’s Brooklyn borough.

It’s DC’s first urban winery, which includes a restaurant and wine tasting area, a private events space, curated with wines, crafted and aged onsite. Other nearby restaurants in that ‘hood include: Osteria Morini, Agua 301, Due South. A Fall 2017 opening is targeted.

Linda Roth is president of Linda Roth Associates, Inc. specializing in marketing, promotions and publicity in the hospitality industry. Contact Linda at 703-417-2700 or linda@lindarothpr.com or visit her website at www.lindarothpr.com

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Visit our website for more information.

The Maryland Wholesale Produce & Seafood Markets in Jessup, MD Produce: 410-799-3880 | Seafood: 410-799-0141

28 n OCTOber 2015

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

FoodService Monthly

L’Academie de Cuisine: Team A versus Team B

by Michael Birchenall

I

got the call. Janice Talley, the Director of Career Services for L’Academie de Cuisine, asked me to be a judge for their Tasting Menu competition between the graduating students, divided in half as Team A and Team B. This was going to be my second time serving

as a judge.

The three judges are a local chef (this time Serge Devesa, executive chef for the Willard Intercontinental in Washington), a media representative (this time myself) and of course L’Academie de Cuisine’s Founder Francois Dionot. We had to be there by 12:15 and the first course of eight would be served

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promptly at 12:30 … it was! I have known Francois for many years and I did know that 12:30 meant 12:30 and I was there early as was Chef Divesa.

Instructor Chef Patrice Olivon oversees the class and advises the students where necessary, but essentially the students are on their own. Highlights were from Team A the truffle soup Paul Bocuse with its beautiful pastry dome on top, The roasted veal tenderloin and exquisitely executed pommes soufflés, a rhubarb ice cream and for a mignardises, the BonBon a l’Orange. Team B stood out with its Gougeres stuffed with Gruyere cream, a kitchen smoked salmon with dill cream cheese on a baguette crisp and for their mignardises, the miniature chocolate layer cake was a delicate and creamy chocolate bite.

After the last course, we all moved into the classroom for the critique … from Chef Devesa, myself and Francois Dionot. We found the good points but were honest about the areas that needed to be uplifted. The

conversation was upbeat, constructive and hopefully with a learning/teaching end result.

At the end of the day it was a matter of serving hot food hot that separated the two teams. Each team had almost 2,000 points and there was a difference of under thirty points between them. But the seared veal tenderloin for Team B appeared to have been seared only and was barely up to temperature. That gave the points advantage to Team A and they were the victors.

L’Academie de Cuisine with its strong European approach is renowned as one of America’s top professional schools in the Culinary and Pastry Arts and has many successful graduates since its 1976 opening by Dionot.

Just to fill out the day I peeked into the pastry kitchen and found a display of baked items that had been prepared by the class.

They can call me anytime. I am ready with my fork and camera.

FoodService Monthly

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

OCTOber 2015 n 29

FoodPRO employees with 10–53 years of service

FoodPRO Is 80 and Growing

F

oodPRO is a broadline food distributor located in Frederick, Md. Recently guests, employees, vendors, friends and family gathered at the distribution center.

The company began as Frederick Produce and grew into a broadliner servicing and partnering with customers throughout Maryland, DC, Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The company

employs more than 100 residents of Frederick County and the surrounding area.

This year the company celebrates its 80th anniversary and held on the same afternoon the groundbreaking of its 17,000 sq. ft. warehouse expansion to include refrigerated docks, a state-of-the-art test kitchen and training facility as well as additional office space.

Michael Kurtanyk, Chamber of Commerce; Russell Harvey, CFO; Kevin McAteer, VP Sales; Carolyn Hetzer, MIS; Jack Brunk, Chairman of the Board; Scott Brunk, President; Constance Saylor, Human Resources Manager; Kevin Putnam, Director of Operations; Chris Wilson, ARCO Project Manager; Rocky Rinehart, VP Purchasing

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30 n OCTOber 2015

FoodService Monthly

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

ASSOCIATION NEWS OCHMRA

by Susan Jones, OCHMRA Executive Director

MD Travel & Tourism Summit Tourism representatives from around the state will gather at Turf Valley in Ellicott City for the annual Summit, October 28-30.

Nominations are now open for the many coveted awards given out at this annual conference. This event provides a great way to network with colleagues from around the state. If you would like to donate a door prize, please contact us ASAP. For complete information, visit www.mdtourism.org/w/tourismtravel-summit/

Mark Your Calendars With Fall’s arrival, please take a moment to add our dinner meetings to your calendars. It’s always a wonderful time to reconnect with our industry. At our first dinner, the new Md. state tourism director, Liz Fitzsimmons, will share the state

of Maryland tourism. Dinner dates: Nov. 19 and Dec. 17, 2015 ; Jan. 21, Feb. 18, and April 14, 2016.

OCVisitor.com Gets a New Look We are excited to announce the launch of our revamped site, www. ocvisitor.com. A huge thank you to the team at D3Corp for their expertise in creating the visual masterpiece.

Our goal was for the website to be both user-friendly and visually appealing and we have certainly accomplished that. Visitors will get a genuine feel for what Ocean City looks like, as there are no stock photos. Links for Stay, Play and Dine are the predominant focus of the site as we continue to push visitors to our members’ sites.

Board Member Spotlight One could say that past president John Lynch has been around for a while, but knowing his family’s Worcester County roots go back to 1785, is certainly “a while!” Earlier this summer, John retired from the

family business, the Commander Hotel, and left it in the capable hands of son Will Lynch and childhood friend Todd Burbage under Real Hospitality Group management.

Through the years, John has served the community in many ways. In addition to his work with the OCHMRA, John was a founding member and the first president of the OC-Berlin Optimist Club and is a member of the OC Paramedic Foundation. Each year, the Tres Lynch Bank of Ocean City scholarship is given to a hospitality student in memory of his son Tres who passed tragically at the age of 37. (Tres was also an OCHMRA board of director). John has been married to Linda for 48 years. His passion is hunting and fishing, which he is proudly teaching his grandsons Jack and John.

Member News and Highlights Condolences to the family and friends of George Hurley, past Ocean City council president and past

42nd annual

Over 400 Exhibit Booths Call to reserve your booth today

March 6-7, 2016 Sunday: 11 am - 5 pm Monday: 11 am - 4 pm

OC Convention Center Ocean City, MD exclusively for the trade no one under 21 admitted 800-626-2326 x 2 www.oceancitytradeexpo.com

Worcester County commissioner.

To Dean Langrall, Jolly Rogers, on the passing of his father, Hubert. To Kathy Davis, on the passing of her Husband, James Davis. There will be a celebration of life for James on October 4 at 2 p.m. at Stevenson United Methodist Church in Berlin. Our beloved former county commissioner Louise Gulyas lost her daughter Mimi Puesner. The chef at Longboard Cafe, James “Duffy” Taylor passed away … thoughts and prayers to his friends and family.

Congratulations to Helen Ball, Mercantile Processing, on the arrival of baby Elle, at 9 lbs. 3 oz. Congrats to Amy Rohrer, the new president and CEO of the Maryland Hotel & Lodging Association. Thank you to Macky and Pam Stansell. Macky donated $100,000 towards the $1 million goal of the newly formed Worcester County Education Foundation (WCEF). Congrats to Shawn McMahon, who just accepted the general manager position at the future Residence Inn by Marriott.

Where hospitality Buyers & sellers meet

FoodService Monthly

OCTOber 2015 n 31

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

MODERN BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

Is Your Restaurant Profitable?

Allow me to share with you the some of the top solutions I share with my clients.

The most imperative advice I can share is to stay on top of the numbers.

How can you know e’ve all heard there’s a problem with the a story about amount of money your

by HENRY PERTMAN restaurant is bringing in, “that restaurant.”

That restaurant if you don’t even know where customers would wait an your numbers? Keep track of food hour every single weekend to taste costs, controllable labor, total labor the delicious food. Friends and including management, inventories, neighbors would rave about the and shrink. When controlled place and recommend it to everyone properly, every single one of these they knew. The head chef was even will contribute to the success of the a staple in the community, having business. Conversely, every single his skills regularly featured on the one of these that is allowed to local news. Then, one day “that control itself will contribute to the restaurant” announces that they failure of the business, or at the very are serving their last dinner this least, the lack of revenue creation

Providing excellent food, service, and ambiance are all very important elements in the operation of a successful restaurant. But if you’re not making money, none of that matters.

W

based on what you feel, see, and hear. Substantiation is key!

Great food — very important.

Great service — you know it.

Wonderful place to be — you always made sure of that. Staying profitable — most important. It is your business. It is your money.

Keep your eye on the ball and take action when needed. If you need a coach, let me know.

Henry Pertman is Director, Hospitality Consulting at CohnReznick.

Located in the firm’s Baltimore, Md. office, Henry specializes in front- and back-of the-house management and training, business analytics, point-of-sale maximization, hospitality marketing, food and beverage controls, inventory management, customer service training, and kitchen flow. 410-7834900, henry.pertman@cohnreznick.com

Great food, very important. Great service, you know it.

Wonderful place to be, you always made sure of that.

Staying profitable, most important.

RESTAURANTS ■ MULTI-FAMILY ■ REMODELS ■ INTERIORS ■ TENANT weekend. The food was great, the service was friendly, and the location was perfect. So what went wrong?

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, but behind the scenes the restaurant wasn’t making any money.

Now not only are there upset customers missing the food, there are 33 unemployed ex-employees and an ex-owner looking for a big paying restaurant manager job. It is basic knowledge that all businesses must make money in order to stay alive. As I’m sure you also know as basic knowledge, this can be a particularly challenging task in the hospitality industry.

I see it all the time — restaurant owners come to me and explain that they are doing a lot of business, but they aren’t seeing it on the bottom line. My job is to walk them through solutions to make it possible for them to make money and keep their business healthy.

for its owner and investors. Make it a priority to review your numbers every day, at least briefly. That way, you remain aware and in control of the direction your business is heading.

Another way to contribute to the financial growth of your restaurant is to utilize cloud-based reporting from your POS system. This provides you with the alerts you must have for comps, discounts, and re-opened checks, which controls shrink. Use systems to monitor sales mix so that food costs stay in control, and labor costs so that you are not paying for something you are not getting.

These are sensible best practices that simply require paying close attention. Make sure your employees take note that you are paying closer attention. Let them see that you are monitoring the business closely and that you are willing to make changes as they need to be made,

BUILD IT, SERVICE IT

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32 n OCTOber 2015

FoodService Monthly

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

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FoodService Monthly

RAR RESTAURANT ACTIVITY REPORT Editor’s note: The Restaurant Activity Report (RAR) is a lead summary. The information is supplied to readers of Foodservice Monthly by the Restaurant Activity Report and RAR is solely responsible for its content and accuracy.

The list is edited for space.

CURRENT REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS, LEASES SIGNED, OWNERSHIP CHANGES AND BUSINESS BROKERAGE ACTIVITY Haters Bar & Grille 757-324-6623 www.hatersbarandgrille.com 1934 Coliseum Dr Hampton VA 23666 Haters Bar and Grille is coming to Hampton. While the pub’s menu has yet to be disclosed, we do know that it will feature full ABC and will be open daily from 11am2am. In addition, it is slated to open by October 1st.

Contact number is 757-838-1390.

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On Amannisahan 202-550-8866 320 23rd St S Arlington VA 22202 A new restaurant called Amannisahan is coming to Arlington. The restaurant will feature a menu of Uyghur cuisine, which is a blend of Middle Eastern, Central Asian and Chinese cuisines, serving dishes like kebabs and noodle soups. The restaurant is expected to open by end of 2015.

Contact number for the restaurant is 202-550-8866.

Requin Jennifer Carroll, Mike Isabella 202-234-5000 SW Waterfront Washington DC 20024 A new eatery called Requin will be opening at The Wharf in Washington. The 4,000 sqft, glass-enclosed dining room will be located on the Wharf’s main boardwalk.

During mild weather the restaurant’s glass walls will raise and open onto a large outdoor seating area. The menu will serve upscale French-Mediterranean cuisine with ABC. Contact name and number is for owner/chef Mike Isabella, at another location 2201 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, phone 202-234-5000.

Ruth’s Chris Steak House Steve de Castro 704-631-2200 www.ruths-chris.com 1415 Duckens St Odenton MD 21113 A new Ruth’s Chris Steak House will be opening at the Village at Odenton Station in Odenton, Md. The menu will consist of quality cuts of steaks, live Maine lobster, daily Nasime fresh seafood selections, appetizers, desserts and an Yuh Shimomura extensive wine list.

1211 King St Alexandria VA 22314 A new high-end Japanese restaurant is coming to Restaurant Alexandria. The 1,000 sqft. restaurant, which is currently in Josh Carlton the planning stages, is awaiting renovation. When the ren804-716-1196 ovation is over, the restaurant will offer seating for eight www.themillrva.com customers at a bar, as well as seating for 24 more people.

418 N 25th St Richmond VA 23223 In addition, the menu of Japanese cuisine will change on A new yet to be named restaurant will be coming to 418 a monthly basis. We will update as contact information for N 25th St in Richmond. The restaurant will feature 3,500 the restaurant becomes available. sqft of space and is expected to open in January. In addiHorn & Shell Raw Bar and Canteen Kevin Houck 410-213-2555 www.hornandshelloc.com 12611 Ocean Gateway Ocean City MD 21842 A new eatery called Horn & Shell Raw Bar and Canteen will be opening in October 2015 at 12611 Ocean Gateway in Ocean City, Maryland 21842. The full service restaurant will serve globally inspired small plates, raw bar, soups, sandwiches, salads and desserts. Contact number listed 410-213-2555 is for Kevin Houck, the owner at the office of Bull on the Beach.

Green Bee Café Teri Van Goethem 202-466-2676 teri@breadandbrew.com 1129 20th St NW Washington DC 20036 Teri Van Goethem, the owner of Bread & Brew, announced plans to open a new eatery called Green Bee Café in Washington. The 2,919 sqft eatery will move into the space that once housed Newton’s Noodles. Contact number listed 202-466-2676 is for the owner’s business line. The best way to reach Teri is via email at teri@ breadandbrew.com.

tion, the restaurant’s menu will serve classic dishes such as pasta, hamburgers, seafood and vegetarian dishes.

Contact number 804-716-1196 is for the Mill Restaurant also located in Richmond, which shares the same owners.

Talley’s Meat & Three Josh Bufford 804-525-4525 7021 Three Chopt Road Richmond VA 23226 Talley’s Meat & Three is slated to open at 7021 Three Chopt Road in Richmond. As the name suggests, the restaurant will focus on a concept where diners choose a protein and three home-style sides. Proteins served will include rotisserie meat chicken, smoked brisket, slowroasted pork, scrambled eggs and occasional specials like country-fried steak. Contact number 804-525-4525 is for Toast, also in Richmond which is also owned by Josh Bufford and his wife.

Just Chocolate Palace Peter Weerasinghe 301-740-3142 4918 St Elmo Ave Bethesda MD 20814 Signage is up for a new bakery called Just Chocolate Palace in Bethesda. The bakery will fill a 1,200 sqft space and plans to open in October 2015. Contact number listed 301-740-3142 is for Just Chocolate Palace that BeClaws recently closed at the Montgomery Village shopping center www.beclaws.com in Gaithersburg.

2404 University Blvd Silver Spring MD 20902 Numerous sources report and signage is up for a new Baco Juice and Taco Bar eatery called BeClaws in Silver Spring. The menu will serve Kim O’Donnell steamed shrimp, crawfish, Cajun fries and fish-n-chips. No 610-436-4177 opening date is listed, but the restaurant has posted picwww.bacojuiceandtaco.com tures of the space on its Facebook page: www.facebook.

1614 Wisconsin Ave Washington DC 20007 com/beclawscuisine/info?tab=overview An employee at Baco Juice & Taco Bar confirmed the owners would be opening a second location in Washington.

The eatery is a new fast-casual style juice, smoothie,

breakfast and Mexican bar. Contact number listed 610436-4177 is for the original location in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Cafe Rio Dave Gagnon 801-441-5000 www.caferio.com 12090 Jefferson Ave Newport News VA 23606 A new location for Cafe Rio Mexican Grill will be opening in Newport News. Like its other locations, the Newport News location will focus on appetizers, burritos, enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, salads, soups, specials and desserts with no ABC available. Contact number 801-441-5000 is for the corporate office in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Santini’s New York Style Deli Robert Lesando 703-766-6666 info@mysantinis.com 12300 Price Club Plaza Fairfax VA 22030 A sixth location of Santini’s New York Style Deli is coming to 12300 Price Club Plaza, Suite C in Fairfax, Virginia 22030. The deli serves pizza, sandwiches, subs, salads and calzones. In addition, the new location is expected to open by end of 2015. Contact number 703-766-6666 is for original Oakton location.

Chops Crafthouse Wen 703-992-7057 9959 Main St Fairfax VA 22031 A new restaurant called Chops Crafthouse is slated to open in Fairfax. While the restaurant’s menu has yet to be disclosed, we do know that it will have an American crafthouse concept and that it is slated to open by early 2016. Restaurant owner, Wen could not be reached at 703-992-7057.

Hoa Tuc Suzy Duong info@hoatuc.com • www.hoatuc.com 715 Florida Avenue NW Washington DC 20001 A new eatery called Hoa Tuc will be opening in Washington. The restaurant will seat 74 people and include a full bar that serves local beers, wine and cocktails. The menu will serve traditional Vietnamese cuisine. The new eatery will be co-owned and managed

by Van Pham and Jon D_Souza, and is an extension of a pre-existing Vietnamese restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.

Contact information is for the owners via email at info@ hoatuc.com.

Little Beet Andy Duddleston 212-459-2338 1212 18th St NW Washington DC 20036 An employee at Little Beet confirmed the owner would be opening its first DC location. The menu will serve healthy, gluten-free fare. Menu items are locally fared and include veggie-based sandwiches, soups, salads and cold pressed juices. Contact number listed 212-459-2338 is for the original location.

Bar Louie Erika Buesing 216-325-1120 www.barlouieamerica.com 9501 Liberia Ave Manassas VA 20110 Bar Louie will be opening a new location by end of 2015 in Manassas. Specializing in oversized sandwiches and signature cocktails, Bar Louie also offers an extensive selection of appetizers, pastas, entrees and a wide assortment of beers, microbrews and wines by the glass or bottle. Contact phone number listed 216-325-1120 is for location in Lyndhurst, Ohio.

OCTOber 2015 n 33 Deep Run Roadhouse Paul Hubbard 804-740-6301 www.deeprunroadhouse.vpweb.com 309 N Laurel St Richmond VA 23220 A second location of Deep Run Roadhouse is coming to 309 N. Laurel Street in Richmond, Virginia 23220. The restaurant serves barbeque platters as well as TexMex comfort food including burritos, quesadillas, burgers and sandwiches. In addition, the restaurant is slated to open Fall of 2015. Contact number 804-740-6301 is for existing location.

Pretzel & Pizza Creations Catie Serio 301-694-9299 www.pretzelandpizzacreations.com 12620 W Washington St Hagerstown MD 21740 An employee at Pretzel & Pizza Creations confirmed the owners would be opening a new location in Hagerstown.

The new space will have 74 seats plus an additional eight to 10 seats at the food counter. The menu serves gourmet pretzels and calzones. The new location will also have a full bar. Contact number listed 301-694-9299 is for the original location.

Sweet Fix Bakery Amanda Robinson 804-404-2349 www.sweetfixrva.com 9 W 10th St Richmond VA 23224 A new bakery called Sweet Fix is coming to Richmond.

The bakery will begin regular business hours from Wednesday to Saturday. In addition, the bakery will sell southern inspired desserts, made fresh daily as well as made-to-order cakes. Contact number for the bakery is 804-404-2349.

The Drop Bart Vandaele 202-544-0100 1342 14th St NW Washington DC 20005 An employee at Belga Cafe’s confirmed the owner would be opening a new eatery called The Drop in Washington.

The Drop will have a bar and lounge area, bare tables and a casual atmosphere. The menu will serve American oldfashioned gourmet fare. Contact number listed 202-5440100 is for Bart Vandaele, the owner at Belga Cafe’s.

Madrid Ben 202-328-6228 www.odeoncafedc.com 1714 Connecticut Ave, NW Washington DC 20009 An employee at Odeon Cafe in Washington confirmed the owner would be closing the eatery in a few weeks to reopen with a new name and concept. Madrid will feature upscale Spanish cuisine. The new eatery is expected to open in early October 2015. Contact number listed 202328-6228 is for this location.

Chicken Rico

703-464-1766 www.chickenricousa.com 506 E Market St Leesburg VA 20176 Chicken Rico will be opening a second location in Leesburg. The restaurant specializes in Peruvian rotisserie chicken, as well as a variety of other Peruvian dishes.

Original location is open daily for lunch and dinner. In addition, the new location is expected to open by late fall.

Contact number 703-464-1766 is for original Herndon location.

No reproduction without express written permission under penalty of law. Published by Restaurant Activity Report, PO Box 201, Willow Springs NC 27592; Office: 919-3460444; Toll Free: 888-246-0551; Fax:919-882-8199; www. restaurantactivityreport.com

34 n OCTOber 2015

FoodService Monthly

The Newsmagazine Foodservice Professionals Rely On

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