// NEWS
FOODSERVICE HEALTH CARE
Union Protests IRS Provision That Cuts Health Care for Over 10,000 Sodexo Food Service Workers Several dozen members of Unite Here, chanting, "Si se puede," "IRS unfair," and "Health care is a human right," held a rally late last month in New York City to protest an Affordable Care Act IRS provision that's cut health care for over 10,000 food service workers at one company.
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he labor union, Unite Here, representing hotel, food service, laundry and casino gaming industries, has been hosting protests across the country to draw attention to the IRS loophole. Under the Affordable Care Act, the multi-national food service company Sodexo, with $25 billion in revenue and 130,000 workers, reclassified full-time jobs and, in doing so, eliminated health care coverage for tens of thousands of workers. "Earlier this year Sodexo reclassified 10,000 of their employees who are still doing the exact same work on the exact same schedule, from full-time to part-time. So by simply changing the way they calculate people's hours they are denying thousands of workers access to affordable health care," said Andrew Dadko, of Unite Here. "Sodexo blames the ACA. Not only did they take away their health care but access to their 401k savings plan, and they took away their sick day rules. So by taking ad-
Unite Here rally in NYC to protest Affordable Care Act IRS loophole that led to 10,000 workers losing healthcare at Sodexo (Photo:Rebecca S. Myles)
vantage of this loophole, Sodexo is denying workers basic rights." Unite Here represents 5,000 Sodexo employees. Sodexo operates food service contracts with college campuses, hospitals, corporate sites,
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government agencies and museums. Under the Affordable Care Act, companies reclassify full-time employees to be eligible for health and welfare benefits as someone who works an average of 30 hours or more
per week over a 52-week period. Prior to the ACA, the definition of a full-time employee required a person to work 30 hours per week for six or more weeks over 18 weeks. That distinction is important because college campus Sodexo employees, for instance, don't work when the campus is closed. The IRS recognizes education workers as full-time because schools and colleges operate on a shorter schedule than other employers. But Sodexo argues the employees are not hired by the universities and schools, and are not mandated to apply the IRS definition. A Sodexo spokesperson noted: "The issue raised in the protest is no longer directly relevant to Sodexo as last month Sodexo announced a refinement of its benefit eligibility criteria that will allow employees who average 30 hours per week when their unit is open to be credited with those hours averaged during the temporary closing of their unit. This is expected to extend benefits to an additional 5,200 employees who will be able to enroll this Fall for benefits that take effect in January 1, 2015." "Sodexo needs to restore the benefits now, not in 6 months, so that workers have access to the benefits, including health insurance and sick days, that they need. And we continue to believe that the Sodexo loophole should be closed by the IRS to prevent other companies from abusing the ACA and so that bad actors like Sodexo cannot deprive workers of benefits they need as a way to pad their bottom lines," added a spokesperson for Unite Here.
// NEWS
RESTAURANTS
$29 Million Dollar Urbo Kitchen Makes Times Square Debut On the bustling corner of 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue in Manhattan’s Theater District is URBO, a one-of-a kind 26,000 square foot culinary destination that is a celebration of NYC in look, feel and food.
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nside URBO, find five distinct yet related restaurant and retail concepts tied together by a philosophy of “artisanally sourced, locally influenced.” URBO is located inside one of the city’s newest towers and spreads out over two stories and a separate mezzanine. The project marks the New York and US debut of Eugene Kadomskiy. The Russian restaurant magnate operates more than 70 places in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia. Having explored the city’s restaurants, he said this location gives him a chance to fill what he regards as a vacuum in the dining scene. “New York is the culinary capital of the world, but there’s very little in the way of good food in the Times Square
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// NEWS
MILESTONES
Chef Kevin Kohler Marks 30 Years at Cafe Panache in Ramsey No matter how much you might relish his signature filet mignon ravioli or his crispy confit duckling, don't call Kevin Kohler a genius. The 57-year-old chef and owner of French bistro Café Panache in Ramsey isn't buying it.
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here are culinary geniuses out there – Jean Georges Vongerichten, David Bouley, Daniel Boulud — but I'm not one of them," he said. However, the refreshingly open and frank Kohler will cop to "survivor." With good reason. This month, the BYOB Café Panache marks its 30th year in what is hardly a work-little, earn-lots business. "There aren't many of us in this area who've made it through 30 years," said the slightly gray-haired Kohler, sitting in the cozy sunlight-filled dining room of his charming 88-seat restaurant. Thirty percent of new restaurants fail in the first year, and 30 percent of those that close in the next two years, according to the National Restaurant Association. And as for making money? According to a 2009 StarChefs. com survey, the average chef/owner, who often works 12-hour days, earns around $86,000. "I always knew I could survive," Kohler said. Asked why, Kohler, wearing khaki shorts and a rumpled Tshirt, was more than happy to answer. The first and most important reason, according to the Mahwah resi-
This month, the BYOB Café Panache, run by Kohler, marks its 30th year in what is hardly a work-little, earn-lots business.
dent, isn't his cooking skills or talent, which others boast about, though he won't. Café Panache received a 4-star review from The Record soon after it opened; 3 stars from The New York Times; and 3-star reviews twice from New Jersey Monthly, which has named it several years in a row as one of the state's Top 25 Restaurants. The No. 1 reason for his survival is, Kohler claimed, his ability to work
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hard. "I was a jock in school," he said — a jock who also happened to be the first boy at Cedar Grove High School to enroll in a cooking class ("Fifteen girls, only boy – fun for me"). "And cooking is very much a sport," he continued. "It's how physically strong you are and how much work you can do that at the end of the day counts." Especially since, like sports, cooking takes a toll on the body, he
said: "You will get damaged – with arthritis, back issues, bad knees, bad posture." Kohler had to give up jogging because, he said, his knees are shot. Being a chef is so physically demanding and the hours so long — before he had his fourth child, Kohler frequently worked 12-hour days — that he'd have local kids who believed they didn't need an education work summers in his kitchen. "Their grades in math and science would go right up after working here," he said. Still, stamina doesn't entirely explain the restaurant's longevity. There's also Kohler's knack for being just ahead of the curve of dining trends, sometimes way ahead. For example, before it became standard for chefs to leave their hot kitchens to chat up diners, Kohler "talked to every customer in the dining room; I was the only chef doing that here." That practice, alas, led to a 2 1/2star review — "the worst review we ever got" — from The Record's then restaurant reviewer, Bill Pitcher, who said Kohler paid too much attention to guests in the dining room and not enough to cooking in the kitchen. Kohler now spends the majority of his time in his kitchen: "That's where my passion is." And long before the concept of farm-to-table eating became de rigueur, Kohler was harvesting produce from nearby Abma's Farm to use for his menu. "I had to get a leg up on my competitors," he said. "Besides, I was always product-driven." Every morning, he goes to pick fruits, herbs and vegetables at the farm. "He's a stickler for quality," said Steve Sclafani, co-owner of Peter's
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// NEWS
NEW PRODUCTS
MAGNUM® Ice Cream Celebrates Its Love of Belgian Chocolate and Fashion with Creation of 'America's Most Fashionable Chocolate Dessert' James Beard award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini and famed fashion designer Christian Siriano come together in a first-of-its-kind collaboration.
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AGNUM® Ice Cream, the brand recognized for its unique fashion partnerships since its U.S. launch in 2011, announced last month a first-of-its-kind collaboration between American fashion designer Christian Siriano and James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Carmellini to create "America's Most Fashionable Chocolate Dessert." Through the collaboration, MAGNUM is bringing together this summer's top fashion trends with premium seasonal culinary ingredients to create a fashion-forward, indulgent dessert featuring a MAGNUM Double Caramel Ice Cream bar, made with the brand's signature Belgian chocolate. "America's Most Fashionable Chocolate Dessert" combines the finest premium ingredients seen on the menus of Chef Carmellini's restaurants this season, and infuses Christian Siriano's style expertise in a decadent dish that includes: MAGNUM® signature dark and milk chocolate drizzled in a lattice effect to mimic trending textures such as modern embroidered lace and tribal textiles Tropical fruits such as coconut, lime, bruleed champagne man-
The one-of-a-kind dessert was unveiled by Chef Carmellini (L) and Christian Siriano (R) at an exclusive banquet hosted by MAGNUM® Ice Cream in New York at Chef Carmellini's restaurant, Lafayette.
go and pickled pineapple artfully displayed to highlight this season's citrus color blocking trend Edible flowers to showcase THE pantone color of the year – Radiant Orchid Like MAGNUM®, Chef Carmellini and Christian Siriano each share a commitment to fine craftsmanship and to using premium ingredients or materials in their creations – from rich MAGNUM® chocolate, to seasonal produce and exquisite fabrics. "Quality, seasonal ingredients are the foundation of my menus, and I enjoy the creative process," said Chef Carmellini. "But I've never crafted a dish using trends from the world of fashion. Creating a dessert with MAG-
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NUM Ice Cream that looks like it could be on the cover of a fashion magazine was a fun challenge." The one-of-a-kind dessert was unveiled by Chef Carmellini and Christian Siriano at an exclusive banquet hosted by MAGNUM® Ice Cream in New York at Chef Carmellini's restaurant, Lafayette. When describing the dessert, Siriano commented, "I'm a bit of a foodie, but have never applied my design input to anything on a culinary front. I loved pulling together my favorite summer trends, such as lace and citrus color blocking, and seeing them translated into such a stylish dessert." "You can wear these colors and fabrics a thousand ways but right now it's all about a clean and modern look – which is just how the dessert is presented," he added. Fashionistas and foodies alike can create their own MAGNUM Ice Cream chocolate dessert, with a recipe created by Chef Andrew Carmellini and inspired by "America's Most Fashionable Chocolate Dessert", by visiting MAGNUM on Facebook (www. Facebook.com/magnum) or Tumblr (http://bit.ly/MAGNUMRecipe). The recipe - called the "MAGNUM® Double Caramel Cool Down" - is made
with a MAGNUM® Double Caramel ice cream bar and the same fashioninspired ingredients as "America's Most Fashionable Chocolate Dessert" – fresh fruits such as mango, pineapple, and raspberries with a rich coconut cream sauce and lime zest. Andrew Carmellini, a two-time James Beard award-winning chef, lives in New York and owns some of the city's hottest restaurants including, Locanda Verde, The Dutch, and Lafayette. Andrew recently opened, Bar Primi, a casual pasta shop on the Bowery at the corner of Joey Ramone Place. His cooking is soulful and flavorful, rustic and refined. It's a style that reflects his American roots, his work in some of the best kitchens, and his travels across the globe. Following his studies in London under Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen, Christian Siriano launched his eponymous collection in 2008. The Christian Siriano collection is now shown each season at New York Fashion Week, and presented in New York and Paris to retailers. Known for whimsical and show-stopping design – from fantasy evening gowns and cocktail dresses, to tailored sportswear, to intricately detailed shoes and accessories – the collection can be found at department stores and specialty boutiques around the globe. In 2012 the first flagship Christian Siriano store opened on Elizabeth Street in New York City, and in 2013 he was inducted as a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). His designs have been worn by some of the world's biggest celebrities who have dubbed him 'the next great American fashion designer' and called his designs 'works of art.'
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// NEWS
CHEFS
The Melting Pot Hires Accomplished New York City Chef to Lead Culinary Development
35 states, Canada and Mexico and more than 25 locations currently in development. Founded in 1975, The Melting Pot has offered a memorable dining experience for nearly 40 years. The Melting Pot is an affiliate of Front Burner Brands, a restaurant management company headquartered in Tampa, Fla.
The Melting Pot® Restaurants, Inc., the world’s premier fondue restaurant franchise and a leading polished casual dining franchise has hired Chef Jason Miller to lead culinary development for its more than 135 restaurants in North America.
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hef Miller’s impressive culinary leadership background, creativity and passion for creating memorable dining experiences make him a perfect choice to guide culinary development for The Melting Pot,” said Mike Lester, president of The Melting Pot Restaurants, Inc. “I’m confident that Chef Miller’s innovative culinary skills and collaborative spirit will help to elevate The Melting Pot’s unique dining experience to a new level.” Miller joins The Melting Pot with more than 22 years of experience in the restaurant industry. Most recently, he served as executive chef and partner at The Capital Grille’s largest restaurant with 450 seats on Wall Street in New York City. He also worked alongside celebrity chef David Burke for more than 10 years collaborating on culinary development and operations for a variety of restaurant concepts with the David Burke Group and Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group. Miller graduated
Miller joins The Melting Pot with more than 22 years of experience in the restaurant industry. Most recently, he served as executive chef and partner at The Capital Grille’s largest restaurant with 450 seats on Wall Street in New York City.
at the top of his class from the French Culinary Institute in New York City.
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As manager of culinary development for The Melting Pot, Miller is responsible for the successful development, testing and implementation of new menu items, products and product improvements for The Melting Pot. This includes planning and organizing unit-level testing for new and enhanced product concepts, new equipment and redesigned restaurant workflow processes. The Melting Pot operates more than 135 restaurants in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and has more than 25 locations in development internationally. The nearly 40-year-old concept is known for offering an assortment of flavorful fondue dishes including a variety of unique entrées served with signature dipping sauces. The menu highlights customizable fondue meal options that invite guests to enjoy one, two, three or more courses as they select any combination of individually-priced cheese fondues, salads, entrées and chocolate fondues. With more than 135 restaurants in North America, existing locations in
Main Office: 282 Railroad Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 Publishers: Leslie & Fred Klashman Advertising Director: Michael Scinto Creative Director: Ross Moody Contributing Writers Warren Bobrow Wyman Philbrook Noelle Ifshin Andrew Catalano Laurie Forster Mitchell Segal Staff Writers Deborah Hirsch Marcy Bruch Intern Alexis Robinson Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com Total Food Service ISSN No. 1060-8966 is published monthly by IDA Publishing, Inc., 282 Railroad Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830. Phone: 203.661.9090. This issue copyright 2014 by IDA Publishing Inc. Contents in full or part may not be reproduced without permission. Not responsible for advertisers claims or statements.Periodicals Postage paid at the post office, Greenwich, CT and additional mailing offices. Additional entry at the post office in Pittsburg, PA. Subscription rate in USA is $36 per year; single copy; $3.00. Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Food Service, P.O. Box 2507, Greenwich, CT 06836
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// NEWS
AWARDS
Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society Names Michael Leven 2014 Hospitality Executive of the Year Michael Leven, president and chief operating officer for Las Vegas Sands Corporation, has been named 2014 Hospitality Executive of the Year by the Penn State Hotel & Restaurant Society (PSHRS).
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even will receive the award during the fifty-third Hospitality Executive of the Year Award Reception, which will take place November 9, 2014 in conjunction with
the annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show in New York. As part of the honor, Leven also will be inducted into the Penn State Hospitality Hall of Fame, located at The Nittany Lion Inn on Penn State's Uni-
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versity Park campus. "The students, faculty and staff of the Penn State School of Hospitality Management are truly honored that a hospitality industry legend like Michael Leven has accepted this
award and will be taking the time to meet and speak with us this year. Nobody in the history of the hospitality industry has done more to provide opportunities for people to advance as managers and owners," said John O'Neill, director of the school. Leven has served on the Las Vegas Sands Corp. Board of Directors since 2004. In 2009, he became the company's president and chief operating officer and assumed responsibility for the overall operations of the company's U.S. and international locations. Leven is a veteran hospitality executive with more than 50 years of experience in the business and a distinguished and well-recognized record
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// NEWS
EVENTS
Local Reps Association MAFSI Set To Host Annual Golf Tourney And Events Dinner In Jersey Metro New York’s most under appreciated asset: the local rep community and its umbrella association MAFSI (Manufacturers Agents Association for the Food Service Industry) has announced plans for its annual Golf tournament and awards gala.
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nce again the event will return to the Rock Springs Country Club in West Orange, New Jersey on September
9, 2014. After a day on the legendary course, the industry will convene at the Garden State club to honor its slate of 2014 award winners. Long Island's Premium Supply will be presented with MAFSI's Dealer of the Year award. Golf committee chair Frank Doyle noted: "Premium was chosen because of their continued growth and ongoing support of MAFSI. Their company has very common goals as our local Chapter and they encourage continued education for not just their team but their customers as well. " MAFSI'S Young Lion Award will be presented to Brett Farrell of Raymond and Raymond. "This was a tough category because of all the competition,” Doyle explained. We have some extremely talented, motivated and aggressive young industry professionals. Brett stood out for very similar reasons as above. He is brimming with new ideas and technology for the foodservice industry. He is not afraid to take a chance or risk on something new that he believes in.
"Our goal is to give back to our communities and help those in need," Doyle added. "We also want to keep students and the younger generation interested in our industry and motivated to make this a career. "
He cares about the environment and has an open door policy with MAFSI representatives and the Principals we represent. MAFSI's Lifetime Achievement honors will go to Bob Johnson of Johnson Restaurant Supply. The New Jersey based industry icon is admired by all for his accomplishments. "He started his business selling just used equipment pulling a trailer behind his car,” Frank Doyle’s TD Marketing said. His dedication and loyalty to this industry, his customers and his busi-
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ness cannot be matched. Bob works endless hours and has worked for so many years training and educating his team for today’s most professional and knowledgeable team in our market. Johnson’s has become a one-stop shop for all your Foodservice equipment and smallwares needs. You are always greeted with a smile and a team member that can assist you with anything you need or don’t even know you need. These are not just sales representatives they are designers and engineers that know your ap-
plication and provide solutions. Bob has always supported MAFSI as well as his team. “Our goal is to generate money for industry charities and foodservice / culinary scholarship funds,” Doyle explained. “This event gives our local foodservice industry a chance to network together and take the gloves off for a night. We all compete with each other, but at the end of the day we are a family with common goals. The industry is so fast paced this annual event lets us slow down and honor companies and people for their achievements,” Doyle added. MAFSI has built a tradition of supporting the local industry. For the local equipment and supply dealer community that is the MAFSI rep's role as an educational resource. The group has also raised funds for foodservice charities and foodservice education scholarship funds. Most recently that involved sponsoring a trip for the children of a New Jersey dealer who had just lost his wife to compete in a prestigious martial arts competition. "Our goal is to give back to our communities and help those in need," Doyle added. "We also want to keep students and the younger generation interested in our industry and motivated to make this a career. " The Metro New York MAFSI chapter has also worked diligently to keep the local industry informed about new technology and ways we can save energy to go green. "Saving our environment continues to be an extremely hot topic,” Doyle added. “Our industry has come a long way with green initiatives. It’s up to us to get the message to our local industry.”
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#4254
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// NEWS
FOODSERVICE PROMOTION
How to Promote Your Pizza Business by Marc Cosentino, Co-Owner of The New York Brick Oven Company & Co-Founder of Three Time World Champion Goodfella’s Brick Oven Watching my colleague and Facebook friend Grant Cardone go on and on about getting known and attracting attention, I wanted to share some very hard won knowledge on the subject to help my new pizzeria owners just getting started.
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’d like to first say that it’s much easier today than it has ever been to grab attention for business. What do I mean by this? The internet, cell phones,
home printing, email, blogs, online ordering, press releases, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, SEO and a host of other items that make it so easy to advertise your business, that it may
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seem overwhelming or too easy. No matter how incredible your product is, if nobody knows it exists, you will never sell one item and die broke a complete failure. What you need be-
Marc Cosentino is the Co-Owner of The New York Brick Oven Company & CoFounder of Three Time World Champion Goodfella’s Brick Oven
sides a great product is getting your brand out to the public. I have some
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// NEWS
CHEFS
ICC Challenges Local Chefs To Up Their Game With New Professional Curriculum Where would you go if you're a professional chef who wants to learn a little more about sous vide? Or if you've had it with Wall Street and just want to see if you can make it as a chef?
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ctually, the same place. The International Culinary Center (ICC) in Manhattan. “We offer advanced training courses for the professional chef as well as a number of classes for those wishing to enter the food industry,” says Erik Murnighan, ICC president. Founded in 1983 as The French Culinary Institute, the school slowly evolved over the years to offer a more international selection of courses, according to Robert Seixas, director of education. In 2012 the school became The International Culinary Center. “There's been a revolution in food and dining in New York over the last 30 years,” says Murnighan, “and we've responded to that. We've gone from a very small school in a Bohemian neighborhood to one of the most acclaimed culinary centers in the world. Over the years we've implemented a lot of programs and in 2006 we created the Italian Culinary Experience program. It didn't seem to make sense to have an Italian program at a French Culinary Institute!” Murnighan says the school had a lot of programs that didn't correlate with French cuisine. “So we decided to embody our international roots.” In time, the ICC was offering courses in Spanish, Japanese and other diverse ethnic cuisines. But, Murnighan notes, the school is,
“There's been a revolution in food and dining in New York over the last 30 years,” says Murnighan, “and we've responded to that. We've gone from a very small school in a Bohemian neighborhood to one of the most acclaimed culinary centers in the world.
and has always been, technique-driven. “Not cuisine-focused,” he says. “If you learn fundamental techniques, you can apply them to any cuisine.” Under its Advanced Chef Training section, (or what it calls ICC Grad School), classes will run in August and November on gluten-free, vegan and dairy-free cooking, as one example. “It's not a fad. We really believe professionals in the industry need this information,” says Robert Seixas, director of education and training. “Our gluten-free class will be a technique class. It will be hands-on, and will also cover food science. Glutens can only form in the presence of liq-
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uid. If you take the gluten away, how does that change the product? We teach chefs already working in the field how to deal with that.” What is sous vide? It's low-temperature cooking and it's huge. ICC will
feature this new cooking technique in its “Up Your Game” program, a three-part series that teaches chefs already working in kitchens how to prepare foods using it. “It's an intensive course for a restaurateur or chef running one geared towards those who want to up their game in various techniques,” says Seixas. The first day of the three-part session begins with butchery and charcuterie, where students will learn about sanitation and safety, and then, after butchering a pork shoulder, learn to grind meat properly, prepare fresh and dried sausages, and observe the emulsification technique to make bratwurst. They'll also see a demo on deboning duck, with the skin intact, to use the meat as force meat and the skin as casing. Finally, the duck will be cooked in both traditional and modern methods so that you can compare the results. Second-day courses include the demonstration of immersion circulators, sous-vide vacuum machinery for texture modification and quick pickling, along with , iSi canisters and the uses of foams, smoking guns and liquid nitrogen. Students will use some of the meat from the day before to make pates and sausages. “This session is geared towards professional chefs who know what hydro colloids are but don't know how to use them,” says Seixas. Finally, on the third day of the program, students will perfect techniques such as folding, piping, saucing and single-spoon quenelle scooping, creating various garnishes, learning how to prepare sorbet and ice cream in a batch freezer—using proper sanitation—and creating seasonal desserts. Chef-instructors will cover the components and develop-
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// NEWS
FOODSERVICE EDUCATION
NJ Restaurant Educational Foundation Offers Multilingual Food & Alcohol Safety Classes to Meet Demand & State Mandate The New Jersey Restaurant Educational Foundation (NJREF) is offering multilingual “ServSafe” classes due to high demand and an increasing number of restaurant industry employees who speak a variety of languages, especially Spanish.
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ervSafe certification is required by New Jersey state law and necessitates at least one person per establishment be certified. However, starting in 2015 a new mandate will go into effect that requires all restaurants to have a ServSafe certified employee present on every shift. "New Jersey’s ethnic diversity continues to grow, especially in the restaurant industry. It’s important that we keep this in mind as we serve the on-going needs of our industry. Being able to offer ServSafe classes in different languages helps our members, non-members and their staff achieve better service as well as assure customer satisfaction and safety,“ said Marilou Halvorsen, President of the New Jersey Restaurant Association (NJRA), the organization that oversees the Education Foundation. ServSafe classes teach safe and proper food and alcohol handling. They are held throughout the state and taught in one day. Multicultural products ensure the training and exams are understood by those speaking a variety of languages. The
eating and drinking establishments - the State's largest private sector employers, generating $14.2 billion in annual sales and employing over
food safety certificate is valid for five years, while the alcohol safety credential is only valid for three years. A recent grant awarded to the NJRA from the Department of Labor & Workforce Development allows the organization to offer free ServSafe classes to all members, as well as expand the number of classes available. For more information on ServSafe, a list of available classes or pricing detail for non-members, please log onto www.njra.org or contact Leslie Rempfer at LeslieR@njra.org or call (609) 599-3316. Established in 1942, the New Jersey Restaurant Association (NJRA) represents the Garden State's 25,000
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318,000 people. Support, Education & Advocacy for its members is part of the NJRA’s recipe for success and why it has become an essential ingredient for the hospitality industry. Established in 1977, the purpose of the Foundation is to improve, professionalize and develop the workforce of our industry and improve the standards of the food service industry in the State of New Jersey. Our vision is to be the primary educational resource for food service education in New Jersey by collaborating with educational institutions along with the entire food service chain and by utilizing scholarships, grants, donations, seminars, workshops, promotions and training materials to achieve our educational goals.
// NEWS
FOODSERVICE
Paramount Caviar Offers The Best From Around The World The world of caviar has become more abundant, with a greater number of species to choose from, and it’s all due to the vast amount of countries getting involved in the farming of this rather esoteric product.
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etter yet the farmers of this special commodity are paying close attention to the quality (size, flavor and color) of this special roe. More importantly prices are stabilizing within each species type; and chefs should be noticing this adjustment and passing it on to the final client, says Hossein Aimani. Aimani, the owner of Paramount Caviar is originally from the Caspian Sea region of Iran and he's been tasting caviar since he was a youngster. He's been in the caviar industry since 1984, and established Paramount Caviar in 1991. Paramount services some of the best restaurants, hotels and gourmet stores in New York and nationwide and has a caviar boutique online. When traveling to various farms around the world, “I have the opportunity to taste some of the best caviar, I know how to select caviar for our discerning clients.” Aimani says. This is my pride and joy and my clients rely on my years of expertise to source the best caviar from wherever in the world. Whether that's in Asia, Europe or here domestically we pride ourselves on having a full selection of a variety of species, available at all times. What has Aimani most excited for the up coming holiday season, the
Aimani, the owner of Paramount Caviar is originally from the Caspian Sea region of Iran and he's been tasting caviar since he was a youngster.
new hybrid caviar that sturgeon farmers have been cross breeding for a few years, and is now available to be introduced to the market in commercial quantities. This rather special hybrid sturgeon, is a cross breed between the Acipenser schrenckii (male) and the Huso dauricus (female) sturgeons. As a result, this hybrid sturgeon produces a medium to large firm roe, light in color with
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a lush, buttery taste. Aimani says, it's new to the market, and we are able to offer it at a better price than other farmed sturgeon caviar. Aimani doesn't hesitate about recommending it to his clients, “they have produced this roe for the last two years, production has been great!” he says. “We encourage our chef clients to come to our showroom, to taste the newest hybrid or a variety of caviar choices, prior to making their menu selections, and why not it’s a thrilling experience,” he says. Most of our current chef clients want to use caviar like paint to an artist. They both lend flavor and color to a special dish and increase the value. All of this good news could not come at a better time since recently the Fish and Wild life Services has placed five species of sturgeon on the endangered species list effective July 2, 2014. This final ruling #79 FR 3122 clearly states that the following species can no longer be legally imported to the United States after July 2, 2014 and additionally if a caviar purveyor has any stock left it would prohibit any interstate sale of the five species. Fortunately New York State is one of the largest buyers of fresh caviar and we have remaining stock for the season. For those chefs wanting to be in the know, the following are the five
species; Acipenser naccarii (Adriatic sturgeon) and Acipenser sturio ( European sturgeon) in Western Europe and Acipenser sinensis (Chinese sturgeon) in the Yangtse River Basin, and Acipenser mikadoi (Sakhalin sturgeon) and Huso darricus (Kaluga sturgeon) in the Amur River Basin / Sea of Japan / Sea of Okhosk. Paramount Caviar is located at 3815 24th Street in long Island City, NY and offers delivery Monday - Friday without a delivery minimum or
“We encourage our chef clients to come to our showroom, to taste the newest hybrid or a variety of caviar choices, prior to making their menu selections, and why not it’s a thrilling experience,” Aimani says.
fee. Appointments are available for private tastings or caviar consultations, please call to arrange for a caviar previewing, 718-786-7747 prior to creating your next exciting menu. One never knows where your next inspiration will come from!
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// Q&A
EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEWS
Ahmass Fakahany & Chef Michael White Partners at Altamarea Group
Brick by brick they built the Altamarea Group with a shared vision to create restaurant brands that are distinct in concept but united in delivering unsurpassed quality and outstanding service. Total Food sat down with Ahmass to discuss Altamarea Group's beginning and future.
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here did the name Altamarea come from? Altamarea means high-tide in Italian. We liked very much the name Marea, or “tide” for our flagship restaurant on Central Park South. We were contemplating between either for the restaurant but chose to stick with our first instinct and call the restaurant Marea. Now, five years later, 2 Michelin Stars awarded, James Beard Best New Restaurant 2009, and a Relais & Chateaux classification, we are glad we did. With that said, we decided to call the umbrella group, Altamarea, given the association and the over-arching nature of the word. What brought you both together? And what drives both your passions for this industry? There was a natural chemistry that brought us together. One of us was a Merrill Lynch & Co. President & COO who had business acumen but a passion for food & beverage and the other a Chef who lived and loved the culinary arena but also had a strong business interest. These different yet complementary skills blended nicely
and brought us together. We first met at restaurant Fiamma in Soho, New York where Michael was the chef. I would prepare for client business speeches in the private events space while Michael listened and we began discussing both financial markets and food. We decided we would work together when the time was right.
What makes a restaurant successful in your eyes? The two “Ps” – Passion and Paranoia, simultaneously. Besides the core importance of uncompromising quality of product and service, a restaurant’s success in our minds is tied to two key things. 1. Retention and development
When Ahmass Fakahany and Chef Michael White joined forces, lightning struck. Michael had unique culinary skills and a passion for business, and Ahmass had deep business and leadership acumen and a keen taste for exceptional food, especially Michael’s. The two were a perfect fit.
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of our key talent and 2. An intense client focus. This means knowing your client, listening to the client, anticipating their needs and then exceeding those expectations. You've resisted the opportunity to duplicate concepts in multiple locales. Why is each restaurant a separate concept? We have some concepts that are distinct, separate and one-off. In some cases that is the right stance and keeps a unique element to the idea and concept. But we also have a strong “ neighborhood” restaurant part of our strategy and direction. Those neighborhood restaurants can be replicated in other communities, and we have done that. But we concurrently make sure they are also aligned with the local environment and client needs. Osteria Morni is one such key example. It is a rustic and fun Osteria featuring food from the Emilia Romagna area of Italy, a true neighborhood restaurant. We have one in Soho, New York, one in New Jersey and one in Washington D.C. They are all very similar yet have distinct differences too. Are you in the real estate business or the people business? We are no doubt in the people business. Our entire aspirations sit on the shoulders of our quality talent and the loyalty of our clients and new clients we interact with everyday. This is also a labor intensive business. To succeed you must spend much time on the Human Resources component and ensuring training, proper benefits and other aspects to support the employee is in place. This does not mean we should not be extremely focused on the real estate piece of the deal, as it can hurt you badly. But our engine and our fuel are our talent and our clients.
From the very beginning you've been committed to supporting charities in your communities. Why? All of our transactions are very longterm. We are not in a hurry; we are part of the communities we serve and become part of the overall fabric of the location. From that comes natural and needed philanthropy that is important to our neighbors and clients who regularly visit our restaurants. It is a good feeling and the right thing to do for Altamarea as an organization. What's your approach to building your teams? Front of the house? Back of House? For both the Front and Back of the House, we provide growth opportunities and experiences for all the deserving employees then we also rotate many across our properties so they can have a different experience in different concepts with different price points. This results in cultivating a more developed player with breadth and depth. We take this very seriously and spend a
For both the Front and Back of the House, we provide growth opportunities and experiences for all the deserving employees then we also rotate many across our properties so they can have a different experience in different concepts with different price points.
lot of time on it. Almost all our promotions, as a result, are internally sourced and the retention level of our key talent is fortunately quite high. Low pay and job insecurity has led to an exceedingly high turnover rate,
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compared with other businesses. This is costly for restaurateurs and chefowners, who contend that they cannot afford to offer higher wages or benefit. What’s your take and approach? Employees who feel and have better job security are better performers and
have the greatest chance of developing the needed “owner mentality.” The owner mentality helps develop a culture of excellence and of performing one’s role in a broader fashion …. You care more about the business and the property. We do all we can to pay very competitively and have put in place a very clear performance and reward system. Every employee in a position of influence gets a review and appraisal, and we set goals and objectives and measure them. We have tons of passion and soul in all we do, but we also have to have a process that is fair and rewards deserving superior contribution and performance. How has the marketing of your restaurant evolved with the advent of social media? Is Yelp good or bad for the customer, or the operator? All feedback from different avenues is good for the customer. It also keeps us
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// EVENTS
HAPPENINGS IN THE METRO NYC FOODSERVICE SCENE
Registration Now Open for the 2014 Tri-State Food Expo October trade show for restaurant, retail and foodservice buyers to feature Martha Stewart, Chef Mauro Castano, Mixologist Christopher James, and hundreds of exhibitors with buying specials and new products.
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ri-State Food Expo, produced in partnership with the New Jersey Restaurant Association, serves restaurant, retail and foodservice buyers and professionals across New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and beyond, will take place Monday, October 27 & Tuesday, October 28, 2014 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center at Harmon Meadows in Secaucus, NJ. The trade
event, now in its second year, will host hundreds of exhibiting companies featuring new products, services and innovative ideas for the region’s burgeoning food industry, and is expected to attract nearly 3,000 qualified food industry trade buyers. Alongside the exhibits, the two-day event features a schedule packed with show features to help buyers and busi-
ness owners expand their menus, attract new customers and grow their business. On day one, Monday, October 27th, Martha Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Emmy Award-winning television show host, entrepreneur and bestselling author, will be the feature of the Keynote Session, “A Conversation with Martha Stewart.” In this moderator-led discussion, Ms. Stewart will share lessons from her rise to the top, and offer advice for business owners and industry professionals in the challenges of building a brand and a business in today’s competitive marketplace. Day one will wrap up with a not-tobe missed inaugural Culinary Competition, where local chefs from NY, NJ and CT will battle it out in a mysteryingredient style event, preparing a number of plates for a panel of judges. The winner will take home the distinguished title of Tri-State Food Expo Culinary Champion. Day two, Tuesday, October 28th, will feature a Culinary Demonstration by Chef Mauro Castano, of TLC’s Cake Boss, and an education session, “How to Make the Most Out of Yelp,” where restaurant, bar, grocery, and hotel promoters can learn tips on how to best use the free tools to maximize revenue and visibility. Tuesday will also feature the 2014
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New Jersey Restaurant Association’s Annual Meeting, which will be followed by a Cocktail Reception, a networking event and a Mixology Demonstration by NJRA 2014 Mixologist of the Year, Christopher James. View the full schedule at www.tri-statefoodexpo.com.
Industry professionals can register to attend the event at www.tri-statefoodexpo.com. Pre-registration for the Tri-State Food Expo is $30 on or before October 26, 2014, at-the-door registration is $60. Registration discounts are available to members of the NJRA and regional specialty and other food associations. Qualified multi-unit buyers may qualify for complimentary registration, and exhibiting companies may offer special passes to the show for qualified buyers. Tri-State Food Expo is not open to the general public, but only to qualified industry trade professionals. Companies interested in exhibiting products and services at the 2014 TriState Food Expo should contact Harrison Hines at sales@tri-statefoodexpo. com.
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// MENUS
SEAFOOD SOLUTIONS
Town Dock Brings Consistent Fresh Catch To Metro NYC Tables The beautiful water, active docks, and sand beaches are eye-catching in Point Judith, Rhode Island. The busy port is well known for two things: the Block Island ferry and Town Dock squid.
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hat’s right, deliciously fresh domestic Loligo pealei squid. The Town Dock has a long history at its waterfront location in Point Judith, Rhode Island. The fishery officially opened in 1965 but its owner, Noah Clark, was cutting fish in high school. In 1980 the Town Dock opened its new waterfront facility in Point Judith and in 1984 it purchased its first fleet boat. “What separates us from the competition is owning our own vessels,” says Mark Fratiello, Sales Manager at The Town Dock. “That helps us secure more fish. Squid is wild-caught and wild-hunted. There's no farmraised squid! Our fishermen have to hunt it down. Owning our own vessels makes sure we have a steady supply.” In fact, the Town Dock's vessel on one recent morning unloaded 40,000 pounds, and the night before, 35,000 pounds. “We're averaging about 70,000 pounds a day of squid. We've processed just under a half-million pounds so far this month,” he adds. “Not many participate in the fishery like we do.” In 1988, the Town Dock built one of the largest ice plants in Rhode Island, according to Fratiello, to sup-
We view our relationships with customers as true partnerships. We are here to support foodservice operators in any way we can – from providing information on all of our products, to cutting demonstrations in restaurants to show the Town Dock difference, to even providing recipe suggestions. We are here to help the operators we work with succeed.
ply its fleet with ice and ensure topquality catch is maintained from the ocean to the dock. In 1990, the fishery began shipping its seafood internationally, and in 1993, it built additional production and freezer space to accommodate demand. Seven years later the Town Dock purchased more boats and another dock was added to maximize its unloading capacity. “Industry expertise and scale also
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help the fishery stand out from the rest,” Fratiello notes. “We're the largest producer of loligo pealei squid (the Latin name for the East Coast variety), and we have over 200 years of combined seafood experience. In addition, we have a Town Dock employee staffed full-time overseas who manages all operations abroad.” The company also owns six boats and unloads 20-30 independent vessels at its docks. “And we have a com-
mitment to 100% net weight in all frozen product lines,” says Fratiello. The Town Dock sees its calamari through every step of the production and shipping process – unloading the product at its docks, then overseeing the cleaning, packing and shipping it out, sometimes on its own trucks, directly to customers. Along with squid, the fishery also sells butterfish, scup, fluke, seabass, bluefish, monkfish, Jon Dory, skate, tautog, and scallops year-round. Town Dock is also very concerned with the sustainability of its fish. “Squid reproduce very fast, so we're not jeopardizing the supply. Some people say squid can lay 100,000 eggs. That doesn't mean you'll get 100,000 squid out of that. But we're on an actively managed quota system,” says Fratiello. “If we get too many squid, we shut off. We like to think it's sustainable, not overfished. All our landings are reported on a daily basis. The government watches what's going on. And we adhere very closely to the quota.” Relationships with foodservice operators and distributors are very important to the Town Dock. “We don't see them as mere transactions,” says Fratiello. “We view our relationships with customers as true partnerships. We are here to support foodservice operators in any way we can – from providing information on all of our products, to cutting demonstrations in restaurants to show the Town Dock difference, to even providing recipe suggestions. We are here to help the operators we work with succeed.”
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// SCOOP Martha Stewart to Keynote at 2014 Tri-State Food Expo Annual trade show for restaurant, foodservice, and retailer professionals to take place October 27 - 28 in
Secaucus, NJ. Scoop notes that the Tri-State Food Expo recently announced that Martha Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. and Emmy Award-winning television show host, entrepreneur, and bestselling author, will be the feature of the Keynote Session at the second edition of the regional restaurant, foodservice, and retail trade event on October 28, 2014 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center at Harmon Meadows in Secaucus, NJ. In this moderator-led discussion, Ms.
INSIDER NEWS FROM METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE SCENE
Stewart will share lessons from her rise to the top, and offer advice for business owners and industry professionals in the challenges of building a brand and a business in today’s competitive marketplace. Ms. Stewart will also discuss the latest cookbook from the editors of Martha Stewart Living, ONE POT: 120+ Easy Meals from Your Skillet, Slow Cooker, Stockpot, and More, a collection of comforting weeknight favorites featuring recipes that call for just one dish. Tri-State Food Expo is the regional tradeshow for restaurant, retail, and foodservice professionals. The event serves qualified buyers and industry professionals in the NY, NJ & CT area. The trade show is produced by Diversified Communications, and is in partnership with the New Jersey Restaurant Association (NJRA), an association representing more than 23,000 eating and drinking establishments in the Garden State of New Jersey. Exhibitors include food, beverage, and equipment manufacturers, manufacturing agents and suppliers, food and beverage and equipment distributors, dealers, brokers, and traders. Regis-
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tration opened in early-July. Martha Stewart’s keynote session is included in registration to the trade show.
Bobby Flay Named Honoree of the James Beard Foundation’s 2014 Chefs & Champagne® Scoop notes that this summer, the James Beard Foundation (JBF) honored James Beard Award–winning chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and celebrity TV personality Bobby Flay at Chefs & Champagne® New
“Bobby Flay received the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year Award at the start of his career back in 1993, and was inducted into the Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America in 2007."
In addition to penning 12 cookbooks, since debuting on Food Network in 1994 Flay has continuously hosted programs that educate a national audience on American regional fare.
York, which was held at the Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, New York. The Foundation’s annual elegant tasting party and fundraiser took place on Saturday, July 26, 2014, and featured flowing Champagne, the wines of Wölffer Estate Vineyard, Stella Artois® Belgian lager, and culinary offerings from a select group of more than 35 fine chefs, many from JBF Award–winning restaurants. “Bobby
Flay received the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year Award at the start of his career back in 1993, and was inducted into the Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America in 2007. We were delighted to be able to recognize him and his ever-growing roster of achievements as our guest of honor at Chefs & Champagne this year,” said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. “Not only has he starred in over a dozen hit national cooking shows, co-hosted the James Beard Awards, and taught President Obama how to grill on the White House lawn, but the native New Yorker manages to maintain the integrity of each and every one of his projects along the way. Bobby truly is one of the finest chefs of our time, and the Foundation enjoyed celebrating him and his many accomplishments in the Hamptons.” From a culinary career that began as a 17-year-old cook at Joe Allen’s to the opening of his sixth fine dining restaurant, Gato, in New York City’s NoHo district this year, Flay’s exhaustive list of accomplishments is inspirational. In addition to penning 12 cookbooks, since debuting on Food Network in 1994 Flay has continuously hosted programs that educate a national audience on American regional fare. Beginning with the 1996
premiere of his first show, Grillin’ & Chillin’, Flay’s two decades of TV experience include a plethora of Food Network and Cooking Channel programs such as Iron Chef America and his new show, Beat Bobby Flay. For over a decade, Flay was the resident chef and lifestyle correspondent for The Early Show on CBS and CBS Sunday Morning. In addition to New York City, his fine dining empire stretches across the country to Caesars Palace, Las Vegas; Mohegan Sun, Connecticut; Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas; and Atlantic City, New Jersey. “As I’m in the throes of expanding my presence as a chef in Manhattan with the opening of Gato, I can’t imagine a better time to be recognized by the James Beard Foundation,” said Bobby Flay. “I’m thrilled to join the ranks of such gastronomic greats as Julia Child, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Wolfgang Puck, and Emeril Lagasse as this year’s Chefs & Champagne honoree.” Chefs & Champagne® New York is considered the East End’s premiere culinary event. Funds raised at the event help support the James Beard Foundation’s wide variety of initiatives, including culinary student scholarships and the organization's annual food conference on sustainability, public health, and nutrition. A
CONNECTICUT NEW YORK
NEW JERSEY
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• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
181 Marsh Hill Road 91 Brainard Road 566 Hamilton Avenue 22 Warehouse Row 100 Oakpoint Ave 100 Corporate Drive Ste 101 15-06 132nd Street 1966 Broadhollow Road 720 Stewart Avenue 43-40 57th Avenue 1335 Lakeland Avenue 650 S. Columbus Avenue 305 S. Regent St. 777 Secaucus Road 45 East Wesley Street 140 South Avenue 1135 Springfield Road Route 66 21 US Highway 46
silent auction consisting of fine dining experiences, wines and spirits, cookware, and culinary travel packages will also raise funds for the organization. With a long tradition of supporting culinary education, the James Beard Foundation will also announce the recipient of the Christian Wölffer Scholarship at the event. Established in 2006, the scholarship fund supports students in their study of food and wine. As of 2013, the James Beard Foundation has awarded more than $4.6 million in financial aid to 1,570 recipients throughout the country.
Brooklyn Supper Club Goes Kosher Scoop says hire-a-chef network seeks new market among observant Jews. Duck a l'orange, anyone? In a candlelit penthouse in Brooklyn, thirty guests mill about with basil cocktails in hand. Handcrafted canapés are brought around on delicate china trays, and the crowd samples tartare of mackerel and mushrooms stuffed with a white wine and herb mixture. “Hors d'oeuvres for the refined palate,” comments one guest, as he dabs his mouth and reaches for another. The occasion: a supper club kickoff to
Chef Yuda Schlass dubbed the "Hasid-Hipster Chef" has reinvented private kosher dining in Brooklyn.
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Orange, CT 06477 Hartford, CT 06114 Brooklyn, NY 11232 Colonie, NY 12205 Bronx, NY 10474 Blauvelt, NY 10913 College Point, NY 11356 Farmingdale, NY 11735 Garden City, NY 11530 Maspeth, NY 11378 Bohemia, NY 11716 Mt. Vernon, NY 10550 Port Chester, NY 10573 Secaucus, NJ 07094 S. Hackensack, NJ 07606 S. Plainfield, NJ 07080 Union, NJ 07083 Neptune, NJ 07753 Pinebrook, NJ 07058
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203-795-9900 860-549-4000 718-768-0555 518-458-1630 718-665-3910 845-358-0410 718-762-1000 631-752-3900 516-794-9200 718-707-9330 631-218-1818 914-665-6868 914-935-0220 201-601-4755 201-996-1991 908-791-2740 908-964-5544 732-643-9393 732-643-9393
celebrate the greater Kitchen surfing kosher launch. It's the newest initiative of kitchensurfing.com, a company founded in 2012 by techie/foodie Chris Muscarella. Kosher food is the next frontier. The company's homepage now features a small orange tab that reads, “Looking for Kosher?” In order to market the idea to New York Jews, Muscarella teamed up with “Hasid+Hipster,” Yuda Schlass. “I’m the kosher tsar,” said Schlass, entrusted with the logistics for the kosher part of the site. Himself a chef, Schlass ran a “sandwich lab” in his Crown Heights loft for over two years. “I’m a natural man for the job — for me, the artisanal kosher food world is home,” said Schlass. Schlass grew up Lubavitch; the crowd at his event was ranged from Modern Orthodox to haredi. The Brooklyn foodie scene is quickly developing a kosher-foodie sub-scene. In recent years, several kosher boutiques, including Mason & Mug and Kava Shteeble, have sprouted. “The world of artisanal Jewish food is speaking more and more to my generation,” said Gabriel Boxer, one of the guests. Boxer, in his thirties and from Woodmere, thinks hiring a personal chef will catch on in his community. “This food is something different. It’s something funky — it’s not just another deli sandwich or steak from Le Marais. My generation is looking to be adventurous with food — we want food to be an experience.” The seven-course dinner, assembled by kitchensurfing.com chefs Eric Bolyard and Ygael Tresser, included ocean trout with charred white asparagus, pistatio and salmon roe (kosher anchovies) duck a’ l’orange and lamb chops with fennel and rhubarb agrodolce. The lamb chops, cooked to tender perfection, were a crowd favorite. “When you can’t pronounce the things on the menu, you know it’s going to be good,” said one guest, licking her fingers. “Is there any way you can pack that to go?”
Hartford Firm Sets Plans For Three Stooges Brand Restaurant Concept Scoop sees that C3 Entertainment, Inc., owner of The Three Stooges brand, and licensee Legendary Burgers, Inc. have teamed up to create an exciting fast casual burger chain that will blend the charm of nostalgic The Three Stooges cinema with today’s most sophisticated technologies, giv-
SSP Opens Four New Restaurants At New York JFK Airport Terminal 4 The Three Stooges Burger House will include a menu filled with classic American favorites and surprising, chef inspired signature items – all made to order with the highest quality ingredients.
ing customers a truly unique dining experience. The Three Stooges Burger House will include a menu filled with classic American favorites and surprising, chef inspired signature items – all made to order with the highest quality ingredients. Focusing on speed and ease, customers will have the ability to place an order in person at the counter, at their table via touch screen tablets, online, or via a phone app using an integrated system engineered specifically for the brand. Also of note will be a revolutionary drive through a pick up window, making the process of receiving remotely ordered food even faster than traditional drive through windows. Ani Khachoian, C3’s Executive Vice President of Licensing & Consumer Products said, “The Three Stooges Burger House represents a significant global brand extension. The restaurants will be offered as franchises by our licensee and there is already significant interest throughout the United States and in several other countries from potential franchise holders.” Stepping into the restaurant will transport customers back to the glory days of Hollywood, but merged with every modern entertainment convenience, from tabletop touch screen tablets and digital menus, to oversized monitors playing the very
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best of The Three Stooges video collection. Finally, a life-sized digital image screen complete with a mini stage for customer photo opportunities with their favorite Stooge will delight fans of every age. Rose Rivera, Vice President of Legendary Burgers Inc. said “The unique combination of the iconic The Three Stooges brand, delicious American cuisine, and an incredibly efficient, tech driven, innovative customer service experience will ensure our aggressive entry into the fast casual burger market is not only successful, but trendsetting within this industry.”
Scoop notes that JFKIAT, the management company that operates Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, has announced the opening of four new or expanded restaurants as part of its concessions programme. The units are operated by SSP America, the exclusive food & beverage concessionaire at T4. Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack opened its second location in the terminal last month. The company is known for its burgers, flat-top hotdogs, frozen custard and shakes. McDonald’s, already one of the busiest restaurants at Terminal 4 according to JFKIAT, has opened a new, expanded location. Having increased in size from 1,200sq ft to 4,000sq ft, it now includes a new dining room and self-serving beverage station. It is located in the Retail Hall at the entrance to the A concourse. Originally opened in 2009, The Palm Bar & Grille’s Terminal 4 location has recently expanded, adding an 800sq ft dining room plus a full breakfast menu. Camden Food, a new concept for Terminal 4, offers local flavours from regional farms and food artisans, as well as organic, fairtrade and healthy options. “We are
SSP has brought a second Shake Shack to JFK
ecstatic about the array of premium restaurants available to Terminal 4 travelers,” said JFKIAT President and CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff. “Today’s airline passengers are looking for more and more out of their travel experience and we are happy to offer the best restaurants and culinary experiences at JFK’s Terminal 4.”
NY's Sea Grill Gets New Chef and a Sushi and Sake Program Scoop says in fall and winter there is no lovelier place to have dinner in New York than behind the glass wall of The Sea Grill at the Rockefeller Center Skating Rink, which after Thanksgiving takes on its Christmas finery and a huge lighted evergreen; come spring and summer there is no lovelier place to be than at that same spot, when the rink becomes a sea of umbrellas shading the tables of people eating there, all under the gaze of a gilded Prometheus. Not unlike the newly restored Tavern on the Green, The Sea Grill has been enchanting New Yorkers and visitors for decades; in the latter's case since 1974. At the time of its opening the restaurant served a style of modern American
The Sea Grill only got better, headed for a long tenure by Chef Ed Brown, who gave the menu several signature dishes that other chefs copied, like his Thai red chili mussels, his nonpareil crab cake, and the fabulous chowder.
seafood that challenged all the outworn fish restaurants around town to re-think their way of buying, cooking and preparing fish. As the years wore on and now under the Patina Group, The Sea Grill only got better, headed for a long tenure by Chef Ed Brown, who gave the menu several signature dishes that other chefs copied, like his Thai red chili mussels, his nonpareil crab cake, and the fabulous chowder. A new executive chef has come aboard, Japanese-born and Hawaiiraised Yuhi Fujinaga who has in-
The Sea Grill has been enchanting New Yorkers and visitors for decades; in the latter's case since 1974. At the time of its opening the restaurant served a style of modern American seafood that challenged all the outworn fish restaurants around town to rethink their way of buying, cooking and preparing fish. 39 • August 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
troduced a new Sushi and Sashimi Lounge Menu showcasing a variety of rolls, sashimi, and raw bar options like spicy ahi tuna pressed sushi, Long Island fluke ceviche with passion fruit and mango, and marinated and flashseared Imperial Wagyu nigiri beef rolls with crispy sushi rice and a Korean barbeque glaze. Fujinaga has also had a hand in choosing the appropriate sakes to go with his food. The Sea Grill's admirable wine list has always tilted towards global whites, with bottlings in every price category. Seafood is brought in daily from Montauk, Long Island, for which Fujinaga has created a special Montauk Seashore Menu. For years I took my family to The Sea Grill and ice skating at Christmas time. Pastry chef Michael Gabriel crafts his desserts along traditional lines but packs them full of more flavors and complexities than might be expected in an item like his frozen strawberry parfait, cream gelato, and a delightfully tangy rhu-
barb consommé. His milk chocolate caramel mousse absorbed the scent of cardamom-poached apricots, with a delicate puff of orange blossom meringue; sumptuous and refined were the caramelized figs, hazelnut cream, and raspberry-red wine sorbet. And so, as blue sky evening turned into a New York night and the lights came on in the tall buildings around us and the loud sounds of the city began to fade, Scoop sat looking out the those huge windows at Prometheus and the elegant shafts of limestone, and realized that wherever we’ve dined in the world there have been restaurants that imbue and partake of a city's spirit--OXO Tower in London, Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Hassler Hotel overlooking the Spanish Steps in Rome. In New York, The Sea Grill imbues the city with as much vitality as the city itself returns.
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// FOODSERVICE LANDMARKS
MICALIZZI’S ITALIAN ICE
Jay Piccirillo, Owner of Micalizzi’s Italian Ice A landmark in Fairfield County’s Bridgeport, CT, Micalizzi’s Italian Ice continues to deliver the sensational flavors that have caught the hearts and taste buds of thousands each summer for nearly 50 years.
M
icalizzi’s Handmade Italian Ice & Ice Cream has been a household name in the city of Bridgeport, CT for over fifty years. Opening in the early 1950’s, original owner Sal Micalizzi opened his first shop in Success Park. His distinctive, gourmet Italian Ice and Ice Cream grabbed the attention of many locals who became loyal customers. More and more flavors as well as customers built the business to a household name. A long time customer, Andy Piccirillo, was so intrigued by the unique taste and original concept of Sal's gourmet, that he purchased the landmark establishment after Sal Micalizzi’s retirement in 1983. Andy Piccirillo not only increased the popularity of the Micallizi’s Italian Ice brand to new levels, but also started ''wholesaling'' to other foodservice establishments. As the business started climbing, tragedy struck. Andy was diagnosed with cancer and passed away at the early age of 38. Andy's wife Lucille, now left with an unthinkable task to accomplish, became sole proprietor
day. We then wrap orders and return phone calls, texts, and e-mails. After this, the production starts and at noon we open retail shop. This continues all day into night and ends around 10-10:30, but wholesale can go much later. Italian ice is not shaved ice that is flavored; it’s made by the same process by which ice cream is made. The recipe calls for our Ice to be
Italian ice is not shaved ice that is flavored; it’s made by the same process by which ice cream is made. The recipe calls for our Ice to be made with same machines as Ice Cream. Our recipes are private and kept only within the family. Jason Piccirillo manages the retail and wholesale end of the business and also makes many of the popular flavored ices. We sat down with Jason to discuss the iconic Connecticut landmark
and operator of Micalizzi's, along with being a full time mother of 2. Through Lucille's dedication and daily commitment, the business began to grow to another dimension with increased menu expansion with more and more flavors of both Italian Ice and Ice Cream. Her son Jason Piccirillo manages the retail and wholesale end of the business and also makes many of the popular
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flavored ices. We sat down with Jason to discuss the iconic Connecticut landmark. Walk us through your daily operations at Micalizzi’s. Basically, we start out checking our orders going out, inventory, and stock. We then run errands and wash down store [inside and out] and get freezers and machines ready for the
made with same machines as Ice Cream. Our recipes are private and kept only within the family. Like the American classic burger to a slice of pizza, what make’s Italian Ice such a classic treat generations have been enjoying for years? It’s very refreshing especially on a hot summer day and puts huge
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Q&A, from page 31 on our toes, which is also good for the customer. Yes, there is certainly periodic newspaper and magazine reviews, but we are also now reviewed every day and hour from all angles, and globally too, from social media. There is nowhere to hide, and we like those odds. It forces a better product and service experience with all these feedback mechanisms and helps you consistently raise your standards. Naturally, as a result and in symmetry, we have also built our social media capabilities extensively to engage with our client and prospective client. It is fun and very interactive. What's your approach to the design of your restaurants? A. "Go-to" architect/designed or variety It varies. We together set the design and the concept, and have very strong views on all the details. We work with different architects and designers depending on the circumstance. We also do some of the design work ourselves.
B. "Go-to" kitchen consultant and equipment supply dealer As the kitchen requirements have become more complex. We work with a premier kitchen consultant on most of our key projects. We vary the equipment supplier depending on who is best in class at the point in time. What's your approach to purchasing food & beverage? A. Do you go to bid daily/weekly? It is a combination. For the level of fresh produce we require, we have daily deliveries from multiple vendors. For hard goods we can focus on more reliable sources weekly or monthly. For fish, for example, we have multiple vendors as not one has all we need at any given time and availability fluctuates. Given the variety we need and locations we source from globally, we also need extensive range and flexibility. We believe the client can really taste and hopefully appreciate the difference in quality.
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B. Do you look to build long term relations by paying a little more in return for quality & value? Certainly, now that we have the 15 restaurants in the Altamarea Group, we can build deeper relationships because of our scale to assure quality. We have strong relationships with large organizations as well as several local farms and purveyors close to our restaurants. It is a win-win for everyone. What are the differences in creating successful properties in "Jersey/the suburbs" VS. Manhattan? Out in the suburbs, we feel we have to be even more aware of the local community and what drives its pulse and its highs and lows – and being part of the location. ‘What is our customer thinking about lately? What would our customer prefer? What is happening in the township, etc.?’ These are the questions we ask ourselves. At times we have less density and more of a “repeat” customer
so we also have to pay close attention to keeping the menu fresh and interesting. Constant awareness to quality is imperative regardless of being out of the fast paced environment of NYC. Crystal ball- what will the Altamarea Group look like 5 years from now? 10 years? Hopefully, we still feel and act small but we ALWYAYS have and always will think big. It will be an organization driven by excellence, creativity, and new levels of client service. We will have a diverse and empowered team from all walks of life that represent our clients and our geographic reach – we will be multicultural. We will be more global in presence and hopefully have best in class practices. We will be still smiling, having fun and always remember that food and wine soothes the soul.
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METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
Shake Shack’s Randy Garutti Took Breakfast Guests Behind The Scenes Of Legendary Global Success At Manhattan Event Metro New York's food service publication, TFS-TOTAL FOOD SERVICE, along with TouchBistro and PayPal launched a unique event on the Tri-State food service calendar. Photo Coverage by Max Zagor
T
he first NYC RESTAURANT SUCCESS EVENT took center stage on Thursday June 26th at 7:30 am at the NYIT Auditorium in Man-
hattan. "Our goal was to bring our readership up close and personal with some of the Metro New York areas’ most influential food service success stories," noted TFS co-publisher Fred Klashman. "With that criteria in mind, Shake Shack and Randy Garutti was at the very top of that list," the veteran publishing executive continued. Garutti, the CEO of Shake Shack, discussed his utilizing of POS services to
help make Shake Shack a leading Global Brand. The Cornell University grad outlined how the burger-and-shake chain has grown from its New York City roots to an international brand with 34 locations around the world. A key focus in Garutti's presentation was the role that technology has played in the enhancement of the customer experience at Shake Shack. Keeping with that theme, TFS-Total Food Service partnered with technology leaders TouchBistro and PayPal at the inaugural event. TouchBistro’s entry into the Metro New York marketplace has been embraced as a result of its industry leading
easy to use iPad based POS solution. From taking orders to processing payments, the tasks are seamlessly integrated into one application on a restaurateur’s iPad. "Our goal is for your restaurants' staff to get things done faster and more efficiently,” noted Toan Dinh of TouchBistro. "With a complete POS solution that’s packed with easy to use features and putting smart technology in the hands of staff, restaurant owners are naturally adding great value to the experience of their customers." With its millions of customers, PayPal, an online payments leader, is expanding its offering to Mobile In-Store Solu-
TouchBistro’s Vanessa Vite energized the gathering with her overview of the firm’s innovative suite of IPad driven restaurant management and marketing solutions
(L to R) Leading restaurateurs Liam Burke and Michael Davis of Corner Table Restaurants were among a large gathering seeking insight into the latest in mobile technology innovation
Conference Manager Fred Klashman of Total Food Service and Russo by the Bay’s Frank Russo
tions. PayPal customers will be able to check-in with the mobile app, pay from their table at a restaurant, and even order ahead to help avoid waiting in lines. PayPal is committed to meet the changing needs of customers and merchants everywhere and to provide a safer, more secure payment experience. "At PayPal we want to help our existing 152 million customers, foodies and people in general to pay how they want and when the want, simply and safely. By collaborating with POS partners like TouchBistro, we are able to provide a better experience that helps with efficiency for the business and consumers. They can use their app to check-in and pay at the counter, get offers in their digital wallet, use the app to pay at table to expedite their bill or order more items and if they are in a rush, the app allows for people to order and pay before they arrive at the restaurant to skip the line and pick up their item. We’re always looking to provide value to businesses and to help consumers save time and money.” Chris Morse, Head of Merchant Communications
Shake Shack’s Randy Garutti brought TouchBistro and Pay Pal’s guests inside the firm’s ten years of success
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Pay Pal’s Gerard Haitz and Randy Garutti of Shake Shack engaged in a lively discussion of the role of mobile payments in building a successful restaurant brand
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METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
Top NYC And National Restaurant Figures Gather In Manhattan For Inaugural Welcome Conference In late June, some of the country's most hospitable people got together in New York for the first ever Welcome Conference. Eleven Madison Park co-owner, Will Guidara, and Anthony Rudolf, who has worked for Thomas Keller and Jean-Georges Vongerichten, created a daylong celebration of front-of-house service.
W
ill Guidara, the co-owner/operator of The Nomad and Eleven Madison Park, and Anthony Rudolf, formerly of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group, planned the event. "The Welcome Conference was created to be a forum to share ideas, inspire each other, and connect through conversation about hospitality," noted Guidara.
Nic Jammet, co-founder of Sweetgreen, introducing his mother, Rita Jammet
"It’s interesting that there are a number of chef oriented conferences, but clearly the work and the issues that are required in the front of a restaurant have been overlooked,” noted Shake Shack's Randy Garutti. The New York based exec joined an all-star lineup of restaurant executives to explore those issues at the first ever event held at Manhattan's Frederick P. Rose Auditorium at Cooper Square.
The lineup of speakers included New York heavy-hitters Gabe Stuman, Paul Grieco, Jeffrey Katz, Charles Masson, and Garutti. Most interesting was the addition of many prominent national restaurateurs including Mark and Brian Canlis of Seattle's Canlis restaurant, and Nick Kokonas of Next and Alinea in Chicago. Former Times critic Frank Bruni was also one of the speakers, as well as La Caravelle restaurateur Rita
Group photo of all the presenters from the 2014 Welcome Conference, also featuring Alex Wolf, Chef Daniel Humm, Sarah Rosenberg, and Aaron Ginsberg
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Jammet. The group delved into topics including the humility of service, creating heart and soul inside a neighborhood restaurant, and using technology without losing sight of human interaction. Hearth's Grieco talked about how to learn how to say “no” the right way by seeking to create a feeling of "tension and confrontation" in his restaurants. "You should not be a goddamn corkpuller — anyone can do that," Grieco said. "You should be a storyteller." The point is there's a right way to speak up for yourself, even in an atmosphere where the customer is trained to think he or she is always right. Brian and Mark Canlis, of Seattle's famed restaurant, declared, "Bad service is like prostitution." In other words, it becomes clear to customers when they're only getting what they want because they're paying. But that model isn't sustainable in the long term, and the best service happens when a staff actually cares about diners' experiences. Eleven Madison Park is famous for Googling its customers, but it's hardly the only restaurant that uses digital info to create better service. Kokonas uses the database of his online ticketing system to store information from Facebook and Twitter, allowing him to anticipate the needs of each guest. "We're not stalking people," Kokonas says. "We're trying to create a more magical experience." A little research will go a long way. Veteran observer Alice Elliot of the Elliot Group noted: "This conference was long overdue. It’s not often that you are able to put many of the Industry’s true visionaries in the same room. I hope it becomes an annual event. " The Westchester based executive search company has a unique perspective in that she has handled management placement for many of the industry's top firms.
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// NEWS
INNOVATIONS
Northeast Schools and Colleges Find Key Ingredient to Green and Sustainable Strategies With Styrosmart’s StyroGenie and Newly Introduced FoodGenie – Dual Technology Solutions What if you could do something that saves money, and the environment, at the same time?
J
ason Womack had that idea five years ago, and with the StyroGenie, is adding money back to the budgets of school systems across the country as the disposable lunch trays they've always used can now be melted down economically and environmentally, and recycled into other products, all without the previous step of having to wash the trays first. “I've been in the custom food application industry for 22 years, and there's been a shift by operators from washing dishes towards disposable polystyrene trays,” says the president and owner of StyroSmart, a business that recycles Styrofoam into usable objects, reducing waste volume by 95 percent. “It's mainly because of the rising cost of dishwashers, a labor challenge they face every day, having someone wash dishes and trays every lunch period. But along with that, the whole country has moved toward green solutions for everything.” Womack saw the need to save labor for schools, and cut down on costs, but he took it a step further. “It's obvious to me we couldn't keep sending the disposable lunch trays to landfills, where they stay for hundreds and hundreds of years. I'd seen industrial machines that provide large-scale recycling of polystyrene, sorting all the trash at a waste facility, so I thought, we need a solution that reduces the polystyrene volume at an operator's site – rather than wasting
StyroGenie “magically transforms” Styrofoam waste volumes up to 95% through environmentally friendly thermal densification that simply reverses the manufacturing process by removing the air and returning it into a liquid resin.
money and energy hauling large volumes of what is essentially air.” So he went to work on this, and five years later created a small, low-energy ergonomic machine, the StyroGenie. Introduced a little over a year ago, the StyroGenie first appeared at the School and Nutrition Association convention. Womack notes that it's been some time since schools started using polystyrene trays instead of hard trays and
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that a way to reduce the waste of these trays more economically- and environmentally-sound has existed right alongside it. “There are machines that compress polystyrene and melt it but nothing that features the innovations we've brought to the marketplace,” says Womack. “The StyroGenie is specifically designed for food service and it eliminates the need to wash trays in order to recycle them – which defeats the whole purpose. Wash it to throw it away? The real innovation is in not having to wash it in order to realize the recycle opportunity.” The way it works is very simple. Students tap any remaining food off their trays, stack the trays into StyroSmart's Tap & Stack Smart Cart and once all the trays are collected, the cart is wheeled out to a machine located on a school's back dock or near its dumpsters. There, up to 1200 trays are loaded into the machine and at the end of the day, it's started. The machine runs overnight. “It works like an oven,” says Womack. “It heats the trays, and the heat breaks down any remaining food, removes the air in the polystyrene, expanding it, and melts it down to two small blocks. The next day the custodians empty the machine, and there are two blocks of plastic that can be collected, then recycled into any number of items.” In most cases, Womack says, the
company's distributors will collect it and bring it to a recycling center. But in larger school districts, the polystyrene is collected in one place and then the schools make money off it. “It's a profit center for the schools. Large schools can actually make money from recycling the blocks,” says Womack. It's also an opportunity for distributors to educate end users. Some schools spend 12 to 15 cents on disposable trays but the StyroGenie can cut that down to 3 cents. “The last four or five years most school districts have seen budget constraints and labor challenges, so having a product that allows distributors to meet one of the challenges schools face, to do right for the environment and save money, benefits them, too. We're giving them products that save the schools money and the schools can take that money and use it to advance education,” says Womack. What's next? FoodGenie, a dehydrator that takes the food waste thrown into garbage pails and turns it into nutrientrich mulch. “It's not just economic good sense, it's also good for the community. “You can pay for the machine – and you don't even have to look at the recycling benefit – in less than two years, by reducing waste volume. Then there's the whole we're-doing-what's-right-for-the-environment aspect. You can recycle this stuff and turn it into picture frames or new trays, whatever you want. Tie the two together and create a zero-waste environment for any kitchen, any restaurant,” says Womack. “It's taking a product that's been perceived as environmentally-irresponsible (and banned in some parts of the country) and making it green,” he says.
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METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
Tri-State Chefs Shop Fancy Food Show In Search Of Adaptable Gourmet Trends So it’s July and summer and one would figure that trade show exhibitors and attendees would be enjoying summer holidays, which might limit the potential attendance at a trade show. Photo Coverage by Max Zagor
N
othing could be further from the truth as the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York last month accommodated some 28K plus attendees as they toured the event. This year’s Summer Fancy Food Show event was the largest since the tradeonly event made its debut in 1955. The exhibit halls were filled with the latest chocolates, cheeses, charcuterie and snack foods from 2,730 specialty food
companies representing 49 countries. Many of those 49 countries had entrants in the World Cup Soccer competition. So a number of booths were fitted with large screen TV's and fans/ exhibitors either sporting their country's game shirts or having their face painted with their team's colors. The show's role in food service continues to grow. Companies exhibiting at the Fancy Food showed products that striked a chord with chefs and retailers, including Musashi Foods, which
launched its Japanese Spicy Mayo and Midori Green Sriracha two months ago and already has a presence in about 600 stores in the Midwest, a few local New York restaurants and a deal with U.S. Foods that puts the products in college dining halls. All because founder Gideon Sarraf got frustrated that the Mayo, a common condiment at sushi restaurants, wasn’t readily available at retail. Among this year's hot trends at the show were a number of COOKIE de-
Leading local food distributors led by (L to R) Vinnie DiCarlo Jr., and Vincent DiCarlo shopped the show
(L to R) The daughter and father duo of Peggy and Christopher Pappas of Connecticut based Chefs Warehouse
(L o R) The IHMRS show’s Phil Robinson and Tony Orlando toured the annual event
buts. These included Dave's Gourmet's Oatmeal Cookie Butter, Gooey on the Inside's Fluffernana Cookie Butter and Amoretti 's Graham Cracker Natural Cookie Spread. SMOKED products were hot with Quin’s Smoked Cola Gum Drops Rick's Picks' Smokra and Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery's Smoked Chocolate Chips. BOURBON boosted flavors abounded with Batch's Brown Sugar Bourbon & Pecan Ice Cream, Spicy Maple Bourbon Pickle from Brooklyn Brine Co. and Bourbon Barrel Food's Bourbon Smoked Sugar. JERKY was a big buzzword on the show floor with SlantShack Jerky's Bronx Brewery Pale Ale Jerky, Wild Salmon Jerky from Ocean Beauty Seafoods and Field Trip Jerky’s Crushed Chilies No. 19 Turkey Jerky.
(L to R) Among local manufacturers displaying their latest wares were Kontos’ Foods of New Jersey’s Donna Appy and Warren Stoll
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Jamil Bouchareb of Restauurantware brought his firm's line of creative bamboo disposables to the show floor
For the second consecutive year, TEA continues to brew with The Republic of Tea's Matchia, Organic Matcha from Teapigs and Ito En's Matcha Love ready-to-drink tea. Tea Like Joia, Ito En has been a Fancy Food Show stalwart for some time, and as expected, the Japanese tea company had a new and innovative offering to showcase. Timed with the start of the event, Ito En announced the U.S. launch of its bottled Shincha Green Tea, which it markets as part of the company’s Oi Ocha brand. FIERY followers loved Huy Fong Foods’ Sriracha. Chefs can now offer their patrons hot chile sauce in dessert or snack form: Amella’s Sriracha Caramels and Sugar Plum’s Sriracha 72 percent Dark Chocolate Bar. Sriracha was the “it” hot condiment of the past couple of years, showing up on menus in everything from sub sandwiches to barbecued ribs. There were plenty more sriracha line extensions at the show, including sun-dried
tomato ketchup, sea salt, tortilla chips, cheese straws, meat rubs, horseradish mustard and popcorn, all incorporating the fiery red sauce. Shape shifting way beyond its traditional shredded or toasted usage, COCONUT reappeared as a dairy-free caramel alternative, paleo-friendly macaroon, and ashen chocolate bar ingredient: Dang Foods’ Dang Toasted Coconut Chips; Simple Squares’ Organic Snack Bars – Coconut the snack food Hail Merry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Macaroons, JJ’s Sweets Cocomels’ Sea Salt Cocomels Vosges Haut Chocolat’s Coconut Ash & Banana Super Dark Bar; and Scharffen Berger’s 33 percent Milk Chocolate with Toasted Coconut & Macadamia. Compared to recent editions, there was certainly an uptick in the number of beverage companies exhibiting at Javits. And while the show attracted retail buyers and distributors from all parts of the world, it was placement with
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both local and large retailers where many beverage companies had set their sights. In speaking with most of the more than 80 beverage exhibitors, it was clear that most were aiming to maintain, and in some cases, surpass current momentum in sales and distribution. "The Specialty Food Association seeks to be ahead of the trends," says Ann Daw, president of the Association, the Summer Fancy Food Show's owner and producer. "Our show celebrates what's next in specialty food." The show has also become a key crossover venue for top Metro New York restaurants looking to leverage their restaurants' success into the creation of retail brands. The Blue Hill Yogurt booth was another busy one, with attendees clamoring for tastes of the four savory vegetable-based yogurts created by Chef Dan Barber for his two restaurants in Westchester, N.Y. and New York City’s West Village. “As
more guests asked about buying some to take home, Barber decided to create a version of the yogurt for retail,” said staffer Katie Estes. The yogurt is made with milk from grass-fed cows, with no added sugar, in flavors like beet, carrot and butternut squash. “Any sweetness comes from the inherent sweetness in the vegetables,” Estes said. “The Specialty Food Association works each year to strike a good balance of international and domestic companies at the Summer Fancy Food Show, and this year was no different. Of the lineup of 2,700 presenters spread across the 350,000-square-foot trade show, slightly more than half are U.S. companies and the rest come from 49 countries around the globe,” said spokeswoman Louise Kramer. For the complete article, please visit www.totalfood.com
// NEWS
GREEN PACKAGING
Planglow Offers Northeast Food Service Operators Comprehensive Portfolio Of Green Packaging Solutions
Another significant feature of the packaging is that it is pleasing to the eye, he says, noting that it also connotes
We don't think much about labels. But they're very important because they tell how much a product costs, sometimes where it's from, and can be lifesaving, when it comes to food allergies.
the purchase of a product, which is sustainable. “Many 'Grab & Go' containers are 100% plastic, which, if composted, require
L
abelLogic is Planglow's software for overprinting labels, menus and ticketing, a simple but effective program that enables customers to label products quickly, professionally, and efficiently while, at the same time, complying with food-labeling requirements. The company supplies users with a copy of LabelLogic free on-loan, plus full software training and on-going technical support, with a first-time order of labels. Originally founded in the UK, Planglow USA was licensed in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2012. “Our products are an ever-expanding suite of offerings for the 'Grab & Go' segment of prepared foods,” says Rick Nelson, director of product development. “Currently, our packaging is geared for food contained in the refrigerated category, such as sandwiches, wraps, salads. Our hot cups and soup containers also both fit with take-away offerings. And we are currently investigating the expansion of the offerings to include
expensive industrial process like that used for soda bottles,” he says.
LabelLogic allows customers to design labels to brand products without having to invest in large quantities of custom-printed packaging, according to Nelson.
packaging for pizza, panini's and other warmed breakfast items.” LabelLogic allows customers to design labels to brand products without having to invest in large quantities of custom-printed packaging, according to Nelson. “A customized label is not only as robust as the client desires but can be altered at any time to reflect different ingre-
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dients and/or pricing.” Customers can choose from natural kraft effect labels, to colorful labels, to wholesome looking labels and even custom designed labels, in a variety of shapes and sizes. The company is particularly proud of its eco-friendly packaging. “Our packaging is 'home compostable,' which is completely unique in the
US and means that products can be disposed of in a home composter. The board is converted from virgin timber and the plastic liner/window material is produced from plants, not corn. Planglow USA products are 'Earth Friendly,'” Nelson points out. Another significant feature of the packaging is that it is pleasing to the eye, he says, noting that it also connotes the purchase of a product, which is sustainable. “Many 'Grab & Go' containers are 100% plastic, which, if composted, require expensive industrial process like that used for soda bottles,” he says. “The ability of the client to brand their products with our labels also places their image in their customers' minds, leading to return business.”
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METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
Dan's Taste of Two Forks Last month more than 2500 Hamptonites gathered for Dan's Taste of Summer, the foodie weekends to end all weekends.
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n Friday night Food Network icon Robert Irvine flexed his culinary muscles as the host of GrillHampton, an epic battle of 8 NYC chefs and 8 Hamptons chefs which tipped the balance in favor of Team NYC. Not only did the Big Apple grilling pros take the title as favored team but contender Gabe Thompson of the Epicurean Group also took Judges Choice for his grilled lamb sausage. Team Hamptons did not leave empty handed as David Hersh of Rumba Rum Bar retained his title for the second year as People's Choice for his epic Dominican Ribs.
On the judging panel was Dan Rattiner of Dan's Papers, the producer of the festival, meat master Pat LaFrieda, celebrity chefs Marc Murphy and Alex Guarnaschelli and attorney Bruce Bronster. The panel along with Irvine savored all 16 samples, in between cocktails of course, before crowing the victors. Meanwhile as the sun set on Saturday evening, hoards of hungry Hamptonites descended upon the fourth annual Taste of Two Forks. Food Network's "The Kitchen" cohosts Katie Lee and Geoffrey Zakarian presided over the evening which features bites from 40 North and South Fork restaurants, sips
from more than a dozen local wineries and more. Celebrities in attendance included the gorgeous Molly Sims who referred back to her college years while doing a "shot ski" of Jagermeister at the event, "Real Housewives of NYC" stars Kristen Taekman (with husband Josh) and LuAnn de Lesseps who were palling around all night; Kardashian chum Jonathan Cheban seen pulling up in his white Fisker; Live with Kelly and Michael EVP Michael Gelman on a date night with his wife Laurie; and actor/entrepreneur/former Sophia Vergara fiancé Nick Loeb hanging solo. The weekend benefited All for the East End, raising $10,000 for the charity, and was another smash success for the East End's culinary scene!
Jebediah Hawkins Inn's Craig Attwood
Scott Kampf, the head chef at Southampton Social Club poses with his team
The Riverhead Project's Ariele Ferrara
Mark Militello (2nd L) posing with his team at 75 Main
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Doppio Restaurant's Louis Barresi (R)
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METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
NYSRA's 2nd Annual Golf Outing A pair of pre-eminent trade associations teamed in late June to enjoy a great day on the golf course, network and most importantly raise funds for the next generation of food service professionals.
T
he NYS Restaurant Association and the NYC Hospitality Group hosted its 2nd Annual Golf Outing at the Paramount Country Club in Rockland County with a portion of the proceeds donated to the NYS Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The NYS Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NYSRAEF) was developed to support the National Restaurant Association’s Education efforts at the state level. The Foundation’s primary focus is to strengthen the res-
taurant industry in New York State by developing a stronger workforce and building the next generation of industry leaders. The Foundation’s educational initiatives provide culinary, management, food safety and employability skill training to build a pipeline of talent for the growing industry. The Foundation’s cornerstone program - ProStart- is a two-year, nationwide program that develops the best and brightest talent into tomorrow’s restaurant and foodservice leaders. Additionally, the NYSRAEF manages other educational services such as the
ServSafe curriculum, which educates students and restaurant employees on food safety, alcohol and allergens. The NYSRAEF awards scholarships are given to students and educators to provide continued industry education. Contributions to the NYSRAEF ensure the continued growth of our industry by directly supporting future chefs, managers, operators and suppliers. Whether it's through your support of the ProStart® Program, NYSRAEF scholarships, special events, or your philanthropic gifts, your donations are essential to our success. Each member has been sought out based on their proven leadership skills among their trade and because of the
reputation they have earned within their profession. This tight collection of individuals has come together to help the restaurateur, the owner, the investor, the consumer, or anyone else involved in this challenging community. As a united team NYCHG has become proactive for our current clients and future prospects by staying up to date in this constantly evolving and complex industry.
Contest host and hole sponsor Dixon Golf
NYS Restaurant Association and NYC Hospitality Group members enjoy after-golf cocktails poolside at the Paramount Country Club, New City NY
NYS Restaurant Association staff Liz Mazzei, President and CEO, Melissa Fleischut, Danielle Koonce and Dominique Gonzalez 68 • August 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Aaron Smyle of Smyle and Associates, New York NY and member of the NYC Hospitality Group (on right) with other NYCHG golfers
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// TECHNOLOGY
WITH SCOTT SPITZBERG
RIP: Windows XP 2001 – 2014 The Windows XP Operating system is still the second most popular OS controlling computers today according to Netmarketshare.com, despite the introduction of Windows 7 in 2009.
A
lthough, Windows XP has been steadily relinquishing market share to Windows 7, down to 27% today from 73% in 2009, Microsoft decided to deliver Windows XP its final death blow; in
Scott Spitzberg, Owner of Restaurant Software Solutions, LLC in West Orange, NJ scott@efficientrestaurant.com
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April 2014, they ceased releasing updates and security patches for the popular operating system. The International Telecommunications Union estimates that 78.3% of the developed world is connected to the Internet. We use it as a high-
way for many things which boil down to a few broad categories: commerce, communication and to disseminate information. However, for all its value and ability to reach so many people, it isn’t by nature a secure medium. Computer viruses and malware are on the rise, according to Kapersky Labs, 28.4 million cyber attacks in 2013 involved malware designed to steal financial data, an increase of 27.6% from the previous year, 30% of those attacks were targeted at users in the US. Of all cyber attacks, just over 58% were targeted through social media and e-mail. Given the large number of
users of the Internet who participate in social media, send and receive email and provide or keep financial data on their computers, it’s easy to understand why we are targets; like Sonny, Al Pacino’s character in the 1977 movie Dog Day Afternoon said, “I’m robbing a bank because they got money here, that’s why I’m robbing it.” Whether your upgrade path is to buy a new computer or to retrofit your existing one, upgrading Windows versions can be a pain, your software may not work on the new Windows, the look and feel are unfamiliar, data transfers to a new
become a weapon against you. Any information on the system, such as passwords, is vulnerable to digital hackers who will not hesitate to drain your bank account, steal your identity or your credit card information and head off on a digital shopping spree. It is important to safeguard your data by maintaining a properly updated, current operating system and a quality anti-virus program.
For commercial users, anyone with customer data or running credit cards, it’s vital to your business as well as good advertising that your systems are up to date and that your concern for the safety of your customer's transactions and credit card information are as important to you as it is to them.
computer can be difficult and many computers may require a hardware upgrade before they are compatible with a new OS. However, you cannot simply stay complacent with what you have. Even with security updates or patches, your computer can still 71 • August 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
For commercial users, anyone with customer data or running credit cards, it’s vital to your business as well as good advertising that your systems are up to date and that your concern for the safety of your customers' transactions and credit card information are as important to you as it is to them. Understandably, it’s troublesome to budget IT upgrades into the yearly forecast, many users
feel that the computer works fine as it is and upgrades make changes that take time to learn. Let’s face it, change is difficult, but the world is not always a friendly place, do your customers, and all your stakeholders a big favor, and keep moving forward with the bar, don’t fall behind because replacing a customer is much more expensive than keeping one.
// NEWS
EVENTS
Together With Robert Rippe & Associates Named Winners Of 2014 Foodservice Pioneering Concept The Nyman Group of Scottsdale, AZ & Las Vegas, NV and Robert Rippe & Associates of Minnetonka, MN, have been selected as the winners of the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show’s 2014 Foodservice Pioneering Concept.
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he foodservice consulting groups’ “BOWLS—Food That’s Good For You!” concept will be built to a scaled working model on the exhibit floor during the IHMRS,
November 9-11, and will host demonstrations throughout the Show. “IHMRS attendees are not only looking for innovative products and equipment, but also for edgy concepts
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and engaging ideas to wow customers,” said Phil Robinson, IHMRS Show Director. “In the eyes of the judges, BOWLS best achieved the competition objective of developing a retail food-
service concept that can succeed in an under-used, non-traditional location not specifically outfitted to foodservice.” BOWLS is a 500-square-foot, quick service style, healthy and natural foods concept offering hormone- and nitrate-free ingredients with no additives. Included are bowl bases such as gluten-free noodles, brown rice, quinoa or warm lavosh to which are added proteins, seasonal vegetables and other ingredients to order. According to Robert J. Nyman, President, The Nyman Group Ltd., “BOWLS is a personalized experience, allowing guests to create their meal based upon flavors, emotions, personal preferences, allergies and time of day. The service line is non-linear, and chefs guide the guests through the various
ingredients, offering tastes and explanations about where food is from and its nutritional value, while preparing each personalized BOWL.” The competition judges also complimented BOWLS’ commitment to technology — a 100% wireless, Wi-Fi based operation — and to sustainability. The concept includes plant-based disposable serviceware, flatware and beverage cups. If designed for actual operation, the concept also would include a full recycling program encompassing waste water, trash and food waste for composting. BOWLS has a living wall of fresh herbs, hydroponically grown with recycled water, which chefs access as they prepare food. Freestanding locations would use a bank of solar panels on the roof, designed to capture energy and further minimize BOWLS’ environmental impact. BOWLS elicited many comments from judges, including: “The concept addresses the need for a healthy, affordable and convenient dining experience with a unique approach. Concept is very interactive with personal attention to customer needs. It addresses a wide array of sustainability issues and incorporates a number of technologies.” “Good menu selection, environmentally sound, and socially responsible. A strong 21st century concept.” “BOWLS is very cutting-edge in terms of concept and menu. Designers made thoughtful use of materials and were spot-on for allergen-free selections on the menu.” Judges for the 2014 Foodservice Pioneering Concept were Michael Atanasio - Overlook Hospital; Melanie Corey-Ferrini - DYNAMIK Space (The 2013 Foodservice Pioneering Concept winner); James Dale - Grand Hyatt New York; Robert Doland - Jacobs, Doland & Beer; Maura Doran - New York Methodist Hospital; Mark LoParco - University of Montana, Geoffrey Mills - Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan; and Tracy Nieporent - The Myriad Restaurant Group.
Second Place in the 2014 competition was awarded to “Al Dente” by A’La Carte Foodservice Consulting Group, Houston, TX, and Third Place went to Cafebellas (formerly named, Healthy Foods Coffee & Tea Co) by Steven Cote, Winnetka, IL. Graphic illustrations for both projects also will be on display at IHMRS 2014. Foodservice Equipment Reports magazine is the official media partner of IHMRS 2014 Foodservice Pioneering Concept competition.
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The 99th annual International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show will run Saturday, November 8, through Tuesday, November 11, 2014, at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Following a full day of conference and networking activities on Saturday, November 8, the IHMRS will feature three full days of exhibits from Sunday, November 9, through Tuesday, November 11. The market will present 650 exhibitors and attract more than 16,000 industry professionals.
IHMRS is sponsored by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. (HANYC), and the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSH&TA), and is managed by Hospitality Media Group (HMG). Additional IHMRS 2014 information is available online, at www. ihmrs.com.
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// EYE
METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
10 Annual Food & Wine Experience th
For over 20 years BCA Global has promoted diversity and culture in the culinary, food service, and hospitality industries.
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On a spectacular late June evening, BCA Global hosted its 10th annual Food & Wine Experience. "Unlike any other food and wine event, we incorporate culinary and hospitality students in the experience," noted BCA's co-chair Alex Askew. Foodies gathered at the spectacular L'Espace on Manhattan's West Side to indulge in tastings of foods prepared by top chefs and sample wines and spirits from all over the globe. The beauty of the BCA's events is the "hands-on" participation of its students. More than 50 culinary students
sustain the event's unique feature by working closely with some of New York's premier industry professionals as they prepare to unveil the latest trends and flavors. Attendees enjoyed culinary samples paired with wines from select restaurants, winemakers, distributors and outlets from around the world. This year, the event honored Edmon Braithwaite. Mr. Braithwaite is a graduate of Queens College (Guyana). He has over 35 years of experience in retail and wine and spirits management. In the late 1990’s, Edmon launched his entrepreneurial career by building an auto-
motive export company and investing in the Wine & Spirits business. In 2007 he played a key role in the process to revitalize the Bedford Stuyvesant Business community with the eventual formation of the Bedford Stuyvesant Gateway Business Improvement District in 2009. With support from all of the major Wine & Spirits supplies, Edmon launched a Toast to Bedford Stuyvesant a charitable event to support local business development and underprivileged children in the Bedford Stuyvesant community. BCA’s visionary and board member
South Africa comes to New York by way of Madiba Restaurant chefs with a Bobotie; Cape May organic meat loaf with yellow rice & chutney
Edomn Braithwaite – Awardee and Allison Skeete – writer
Gifted Hands catering showcased a heavenly taste of BBQ Buffalo Shrimp and a watermelon mesclun greens salad
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Chef Charmain Sithappah brought A Taste of South Africa to the event. Born and raised in South Africa's KwaZulu province, Chef Sithappah is a true chef of culture. Through Sithappah's world travels she has studied the culinary culture of many places while sticking true to her South African and Indian roots. At BCA Global's event, Chef Sithappah offered samples of South African Durban Savory Rice, Cape Malay Chicken Curry made with Apricot and Almonds. Two times Food Network Chopped Champion, Chef Marc Bynum, is a believer in culinary passion and a testament to the power of cooking. His passion was on display as he featured Food & Wine Experience’s Chef Marc's Duck Breast, Raw Vegetable Salad and Duck Jus. EYE marveled at the culinary talents of participating chefs and restaurants including New Jersey's Chef Jesse Jones, Long Island's Chef Nilka Hendricks, Fonda Restaurant in Manhattan, Brooklyn's The Seasoned Pot, Tonnie’s Minis Bakery, Madiba’s Restaurant, Ms. Dahlia’s Café of Bedstuy and Priceless Treasures Events. Can never say enough about the community support shown by the Dick Cattani led Restaurant Associates. His Wright Restaurant at the Gugenheim and Morgan Library culinary teams were out in full force to treat BCA attendees. The BCA is a national non-profit organization providing culinary, foodservice, hospitality and networking skills to people of color within the industry. "Our mission is to consistently build a broader platform for diversity within the culinary and hospitality industries. Our mission is to endow our participants with awareness, exposure and educational opportunities. The true value of our work is the investment we make in young people who aspire to become professionals in the fields of their choice,” Askew concluded.
ICC, from page 24 ment of modern plated desserts with a focus on textures, temperatures and flavor pairing. Other courses for the advanced chef are Winning Wine Lists (where students learn how to understand the wine list, and create one that increases profits and decreases expenses), Culinary Entrepreneurship (solid tools to help chefs and restaurateurs achieve their goals, while allowing them to consider potential pitfalls that could cost them money, time and frustration), and Sugar Paste Flowers with Food Network's Ron Ben-Israel. ICC also offers Food Styling for the Media classes in its Advanced Chef Training courses. “We've had a number of chefs try to understand how to create beautiful-looking plates. Basic culinary concepts come before being a food stylist,” says Seixas.
But don't feel left out if you're just entering the foodservice world. For food enthusiasts, ICC offers a farmto-table class where a select group of students get to spend a week at Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, NY, a working farm. Students will learn about soil composition, the role of soil in producing great vegetables, why producing great vegetables is good for animals, and harvesting, and spend time in the kitchen of the famous restaurant located there, under the tutelage of the vice president of Blue Hill Stone Farms, Dan Barber, a well-known chef in the farm-to-table movement. Students just entering the field can also take some courses offered to advanced chefs like sugar-paste flowers. ICC also offers custom training for groups. “This is for companies or
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restaurants who want to enhance certain areas of techniques or styles of cooking they're not familiar with,” says Seixas. “If a group wants to come in and spend a day understanding all the different things you can do with shellfish or royal icing, we can finetune a lesson, because we have the expertise in-house. Whether it's a wine or culinary or pastry topic, we can create a custom class for professional development.” What sets the institute apart from others, says Murnighan, is that it has a curriculum “we can pull from so we don't have to start from scratch. We have the training, the skills, to deliver what students want – from professionals to people just starting out. We don't have to wait till the book comes out. We already have it, in-house.”
// C-CAP TRADE TALK
WITH JOYCE APPELMAN
Food and Finance High School Student Wins Scholarship in AICR/CCAP National Healthy Recipe Contest Sofia Mendoza was one of three high-school students across the nation awarded scholarships by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) in the 2014 AICR/C-CAP Small Plates Super Foods Recipe Contest, a national competition sponsored by the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) and AICR to inspire budding chefs to create delicious dishes that are also cancer-protective.
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endoza’s 3rd place recipe for Roasted Acorn Squash with a Kale and Quinoa, along with the other winning recipes, can be found at www.aicr.org/ccap. She was awarded a $2,000 scholarship to attend culinary school. The contest winners all successfully developed appetizers or small plates that met AICR’s evidence-based guidelines on eating for lower cancer risk—highlighting fruits, vegetables, and other cancer-protective plant foods. “AICR is proud to play a part in helping tomorrow’s chefs learn the skills they’ll need to create dishes that highlight the variety of tastes, textures—and health benefits—of plant foods,” said AICR’s Senior Vice-President for Programs Deirdre McGinley-Gieser. “These students were challenged to create delicious dishes that let their ingredients’ natural flavors shine through. We’re delighted with the results.” Bryn Timmis of Canyon Del Oro High School in Tucson, AZ won first place and a $5,000 scholarship for his Seared Scallops with Beet Puree and Arugula Salad. Taylor Sterling won second-
Joyce Appelman, New York, NY j oyc e a p p e l m a n @ g m a i l .c o m
“AICR is proud to play a part in helping tomorrow’s chefs learn the skills they’ll need to create dishes that highlight the variety of tastes, textures—and health benefits—of plant foods,” said AICR’s Senior VicePresident for Programs Deirdre McGinley-Gieser.
place and a $3000 scholarship for her Greek Veggie Sliders. In this year’s contest, culinary arts teachers at 165 C-CAP schools across the country challenged students to
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create nutritious and delicious small plates or appetizers featuring a variety of fruits, whole grains, seeds, nuts, spices and other plant foods. AICR research has shown that diets high in
these plant foods can help lower cancer risk. This is the second year AICR has awarded scholarships as part of the AICR/C-CAP Super Foods Recipe Contest. Last year, the challenge focused on desserts. C-CAP provides scholarships, education, and career opportunities in the culinary arts for underserved youth. “Many young people today suffer from illnesses resulting from poor nutrition and being unaware about healthy eating,” said Susan Robbins, C-CAP President. “Part of our mission is to educate our C-CAP students on these issues, and provide them with the tools and opportunities to encourage healthy lifestyles and be the ambassadors of this message in their communities. We are proud to partner with AICR in this effort.” A panel of judges chose the winners based on originality, flavor, healthfulness, ease of preparation, and recipe writing. Judges for the 2014 AICR/CCAP Small Plates Super Foods Recipe Contest were: • Matt Hoyle, Executive Chef, Nobu 57 • Dana Jacobi, Cookbook Author and nationally syndicated Food Columnist • Scott Uehlein, Corporate Chef, Canyon Ranch AICR funds cutting-edge research that finds links between everyday lifestyle choices and the prevention and survival of cancer. AICR also empowers individuals to make healthier choices to reduce the risk of cancer through outreach and partnerships, such as this one. Product sponsors for the contest included Mary’s Gone Crackers and Bob’s Red Mill.
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// THE WINE COACH
WITH LAURIE FORSTER
A Perfect Brew for Summer - Belgian Beer If you were looking for a place where beer is a centerpiece of culture then Belgium would be that place. Belgium is roughly about the size of the state of Maryland and is home to over 125 breweries that comprise an industry that dates back to the Middle Ages.
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er capita consumption of beer is estimated at about 200 pints per person every year. If that doesn’t convince you then consider that beer experts regard Belgium home to some of the best beers in the world. As history goes flocks of monks fled France during the French Revolution and after settling they eventually began producing beer for their own consumption. Thankfully for us the monks began selling their malt beverages sometime in the 1860s. To this day there are still 6 remaining monasteries that produce beer and can be considered Trappist beer. To qualify as a Trappist beer production must take place on or near a monastery with the monks overseeing the process. In addition the proceeds need to help support the monastery or other non-profit charity. Other breweries that make beer that meet some but not all of these criteria are considered Abbey beers. Abbey beers are made by defunct monasteries as well as larger more commercial brewers. Both Trappist and Abbey beers from Belgium come in a variety of styles ranging from lighter Pilsners, White beers and Lambic Fruit beers to Tripel and dark Stout beers. If you multiply
than what we stereotypically think of beer and given all the styles you can pair one of these Belgian beers with just about any food. So as you and your guests enjoy the last days of summer, I invite you to take a trip to Belgium by glass and discover these amazing brews with your next meal. Here are some great Belgian beers to try along with some food pairing advice. Add one as a featured beverage on your drink list or just enjoy a glass on your day off!
Reviews Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach, is a certified sommelier, award-winning author and media personality. Forster is the host of her radio show The Sipping Point and her mobile application “The Wine Coach” was listed as one of the Top 8 Wine Apps in Wine Enthusiast. To find out more visit: www.TheWineCoachSpeaks.com | @thewinecoach | facebook.com/winecoach
the variety of styles by all the breweries in Belgium you have over 7000 different beers being produced or what beer lovers might call beer heaven! With their complex aromas, flavors and elegance these beers remind me more of wine
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Abbaye de Leffe Blonde Ale (Style: Pale Ale, 6.6% abv) Originally made by monks, Leffe was first brewed in 1240 and is still brewed in much the same way today. This abbey style blonde ale from Leffe is full bodied, dry, and creamy with great fruit flavors and a hint of spice. It has a delicate malty aroma with a subtle, sweet finish. Try this blonde ale with barbequed chicken and an ear of buttered corn. Delerium Tremens (Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale, 8.5% abv) Named after the withdrawal symptoms you can get for overindulgence this Belgian Ale is made by the Brouwerij
Huyghe brewery which was founded in 1654. This Strong Pale Ale has 8.5% alcohol with a light golden color. This medium bodied ale has both fruity and peppery flavors that would pair well with hor d’oeurves, cheeses and just great company. Delirium Tremens is easier to drink than you would expect for such a strong ale and the label is adorned with those mythical pink elephants you are sure to see if you have one too many! Hoegaarden “Witbier” (Style: White Beer, 4.9%abv ) As in many brewing towns, the art of beer-making in the village of Hoegaarden was developed by monks in medieval times. Hoegaarden’s white beer uses 50-60% wheat with barley to create this white style beer. The beer is unfiltered making the appearance cloudy from the suspended yeast. White beers are lighter and more acidic then typical ales which on the palate translate to a crisp, more refreshing brew. Hoegaarden uses spices like orange peel and coriander with some hops to accent the flavor. White beers should be paired with lighter cuisine like fish, salads and poultry. Chimay White (Style: Tripel, 8%abv) Chimay is probably the best known of the 6 Trappist breweries in Belgium and for good reason—They make amazing beer. This Trappist Tripel style is given this name because the brewer uses three times the amount of malt than with a simple ale. The Chimay White has a higher alcohol of 8% with a cloudy golden color that is accented by dried fruit, floral and spice aromas. The body is full and rich with a pleasant bitterness on the finish from the aromatic hops they use. Pair the Chimay White with strong cheeses and white meats like port of poultry.
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// INSURANCE
FIORITO ON INSURANCE
Are Voluntary Benefits Becoming Necessary Benefits for Restaurants? Restaurants and food service businesses have traditionally been known for hiring high school and college students.
Vice President of Business Development at Hub International
But how do you comply with health care reform, control costs, and still maintain a competitive benefits package that employees will appreciate?
Robert.Fiorito@ hubinternational.com
Why It's Necessary For Employees
Bob Fiorito,
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oday, there is a shift in this demographic and restaurants are frequently staffed by adults who join the industry in their late twenties, early thirties, and beyond. This impacts the importance of health care and other benefits, when restaurant candidates are choosing an employer. Workers need options because they can no longer rely on their parents’ health insurance, and restaurants can only benefit from skilled veteran employees. Employers have long recognized the value of a solid benefits package in attracting and retaining employees. A well-thought out employee benefits program has a positive correlation to job satisfaction and company loyalty. In fact, according to the 2014 Aflac WorkForces Report, 80 percent of employees agree that a well-communicated benefits package would make them less likely to leave their jobs. The report studies the impact health care reform is having in the workplace, the growing importance of voluntary benefits to workers, as well as the correlation between good benefits and business success.
Support Consumerism For decades, employees led a pretty charmed life in the benefits arena. Shielded from much of the cost, employees failed to connect low out-ofpocket costs with great benefits. Escalating rates and health care reform forced a reality check on the true cost. Voluntary benefits help take the sting out of higher deductibles and other out-of-pocket expenses. As employees become better health care consumers, they will learn what core and voluntary benefits best suit their lifestyle. Voluntary benefits promote customization, which provides employees choice - and employees -- like all consumers -- value choice. Bolster Financial Health A recent Kaiser Family Foundation study reports one in three Americans have trouble paying their medical bills. Three-quarters of us live paycheck-topaycheck with little or no savings. The good news is employees with access to voluntary benefits enjoy more financial stability than those without access. Plans offering voluntary benefits engage employees in their benefits, and encourage them to consider costs and financial protection. With ongoing education and communication, your
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employees better understand plan coverage and out-of-pocket costs and how voluntary benefits help fill the gaps. Improve Employee Satisfaction We are accustomed to having a choice in products and services. Most employees view limited plan choices unfavorably, particularly if they had more options in the past. Voluntary benefits restore choice and provide value to employees who personalize benefits to satisfy their wants and needs. Being able to choose and customize benefits often translates into greater company loyalty.
Why It's Necessary For Employers Employers are coping with the complexities of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and many feel that the ACA makes it even more difficult to control the cost of health benefits. Voluntary benefits help employers take back control and combat some of the unintended consequences of the health care reform. Take Back Control ACA seems to have put us back on the train to managed care. Integrating voluntary benefits with your core benefits gives back some of that lost control by providing more flexibility in design. The following are a few examples: Offering a full flex platform option with benefit credits, with or without an option of a private exchange package. The portability of voluntary benefits complements insurance exchange offerings to help transition exiting employees
or employees seeking early retirement. Combat Unintended Consequences The Cadillac Tax is an example of an ACA provision causing unintended consequences. Although not effective until 2018, the significant 40 percent excise tax on "too-rich" benefits plans requires thoughtful planning. Because employer and employee contributions count toward the threshold that triggers the tax, employers may cut back on or eliminate health flexible spending accounts (125 plan accounts), health savings accounts (HSAs) or health reimbursement accounts (HRAs) to avoid paying the tax. Voluntary benefits may help counteract this potential move by helping employees cover health expenses. Bogardus noted, "Voluntary medical-type benefits do not count toward the Cadillac tax if your employees pay for them on an after-tax basis." Enhance Service Value New technology and additional services remove much of the administrative hassle of the past. Integrated enrollment Employers may have the option for integrating core and voluntary benefits at little or no cost. Benefits booklets Benefits booklets are often available at little or no cost, which could help employers satisfy PPACA's Summary of Benefits requirement. Benefits statements A third-party endorsement of total compensation communicates the true value of salary and benefits package for employees. Benefits communication - Typically, employers have access to an extensive selection of employee education material. Speak with your insurance broker to learn how voluntary benefits can buffer the uncertainty of health care reform's impact on your restaurant and integrate with your long-term strategic benefits planning process.
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// FOOD SAFETY
WITH WYMAN PHILBROOK
Safety Standards for Suppliers Know what are the requirements and the added food safety standards for your vendors.
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n last month’s column we spoke about conducting due diligence on your current or perspective vendors. One of the top 5 risk factors according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is purchasing food from approved sources. There are basic requirements and there are now additional voluntary food & quality standards that suppliers can meet. We will break these down into each individual regulatory and voluntary requirement and discuss some changes coming in these areas. Let’s review the main categories Regulatory The FDA & USDA are the two inspectional agencies that are charged with insuring that our suppliers are providing safe food. They divide food categories between themselves - the USDA is responsible for meat & poultry and certain egg products while the FDA is responsible for other products not under the USDA, including seafood (fish & shellfish), remaining egg products and interstate transportation of food. Some facilities may have dual-jurisdiction since they have food categories that are governed by both agencies. State agencies have liaisons, work closely with and also perform inspections for the FDA and USDA. A wholesale food manufacturer / proces-
Wyman Philbrook
Owner of Philbrook Food & Beverage Consulting And Training philbrook_fandb@comcast.net
sor would initially file an application, be inspected and based on the results would either be issued a permit or have their application denied until the facility & operation met the requirements. Key minimum requirements for these inspections are Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and Sanitary Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs). There are some overlapping areas between the two but the primary concerns are: • Safety of water (including ice) • General sanitary conditions for food contact surfaces • Prevention of contamination or adulteration • Maintenance of handwashing & toilet facilities • Protection of food, packaging materials and food contact surfaces from chemical, physical and biological contaminants • Proper labeling, storage & use of toxic compounds • Control of employee health
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conditions Exclusion of pests from the facility • Sanitary conditions of the facility and equipment Certain foods processing / manufacturing by law require a HACCP plan such as meat, poultry, and seafood and juice production. A plan would be submitted with the application to be reviewed to insure it addresses all potential hazards in the operation. •
Voluntary Agricultural products have had the voluntary guidelines known as Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) that address the safety of water, management of soil & chemical treatments, employee hygiene and other standards. Many suppliers are now either voluntarily or due to customer requirements pursuing audit certificates from certifying bodies to show their higher level of commitment to food safety. The Global
Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) was developed & organized by industry to become the accrediting body for internationally accepted standards. A certifying body would submit their audit scheme to GFSI and if it is accepted it becomes a recognized standard to conduct audits against. Some internationally recognized schemes are Safe Quality Food (SQF) and British Retail Consortium (BRC). A supplier can request to be audited against the standard and if they successfully pass will receive a certificate to use as proof of their audit results. These are annual certificates and require annual audits. Depending on the recognized audit scheme and level, they will address basic food safety requirements, basic requirements plus a HACCP system or an additional quality standard. Except as required by a regulatory law or a certified audit requirement, many suppliers do not need a HACCP plan, but this generally accepted risk-based system is becoming more common in the industry as a way to improve food safety with the added marketing benefits. Coming Changes The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) signed into law in January 2011, established areas of the food safety laws and requirement that needed to be reviewed and updated. Areas such as FDA authority, food imports, Good Manufacturing Practices and what is covered in GMPs are some of the areas of concern being addressed. The
continued on page 97
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// FOODSERVICE REAL ESTATE
WITH COLBY SWARTZ
Location Considerations Being a hospitality/franchise advisor and commercial real estate associate broker in New York City, you tend to see the same mistakes and/or questions that arise for any new operators looking to open their first retail place of business.
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or many new operators, they have great concepts/ideas, however executing that into a business can sometimes be more difficult than expected. Every day I am constantly speaking with new operators in New York City looking to isolate their new location for the business they want to run. Generally speaking, most new operators in the hospitality business have very little experience actually running their own business and/or they have very little experience in the world of hospitality. This tends to create a huge learning curve and you learn real fast what the reality of New York retail real estate and hospitality entails. First and foremost, as a new operator, you have no proven track record, which can be a very difficult hurdle to overcome. When looking at locations, particularly in high foot traffic areas of the city with extremely high rents, the majority of landlords will not take a chance on you as a tenant. You have nothing to show that you have been successful in the past when operating a business such as this. Now knowing this and knowing that this hurdle can be overcome, there are several other items that need to be addressed once you determine a space you like and could potentially work for you as
Colby Swartz Director of Suzuki Capital Development, Financing, and Hospitality Brokerage cswartz@suzukicapital.com
a hospitality business operator. What is your concept/idea? Does it fit in the neighborhood and with the type of business that you want to run? Are you looking for a business lunch and/or dinner crowd? How early and/or late are you going to be open? All too often when I am advising new operators on possible locations in the city, these are little things not taken into consideration, especially when the majority of the time they are focused on getting a “deal” for rent or wanting to be in a “trendy” area. Yes, I understand location, location, location, but that doesn’t always translate to a successful bar or restaurant. Moving forward with the concept, I tend to also see a clash of a bar or restaurants identify. Yes, there are some very creative and unique concept/identities that are very successful, however it is very important to know the crowd you are catering
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to and what will draw them into your establishment. Now knowing your concept and crowd is also important because what it is you will actually be providing? Will you need venting for gas cooking? Can you save yourself upfront money in the build out of the space and get away with electric cooking? Now, with food prices going up and knowing you will make much more money on beer, wine or liquor sales, will you be selling any of those products? If so, this is a huge consideration to account for. When looking to sell these types of products, it is not as easy as just picking a random retail space available and saying I want to operate my full service bar in that location. The location, the local community board, your concept and so many other aspects go into applying for a license to sell alcohol, let alone being
able to drink it on premise. For most bars, this is their “bread and butter” in regards to revenue so this is extremely important to make sure you are fully prepared and informed on what it takes to get approved for this. Lastly, another crucial consideration is New York City’s Department of Health. I think we all understand why they are important in our city and to the quality of product we receive as consumers, but they are very strict when it comes to administering the law. I have read that last year the city made nearly $100 million dollars, if not more, fining establishments who did not comply with what is required of them as operators of a food service business. I have seen operators get fines and letter grades that destroy their business and some of the time, it really has nothing to do with the preparation/serving of the food itself. This is something extremely important to learn more about if you are looking to open your first location. The way dishes are cleaned, the way food storage is labeled or even how a “non food contact surface” is constructed. The list goes on and on for what you should know and consider as an operator when you isolate a location for your first place of business in New York City. You will learn a tremendous amount when you open your first hospitality establishment and I am sure you will be much more prepared once you are successful and get that second location open. Best wishes and do not forget what the origin of the word hospitality truly is, that can take you a long way in this business.
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// CHEFCETERA
UP CLOSE WITH METRO NEW YORK'S CHEFS
Chef Jeok Mun, Korean Temple Food It’s a cuisine revered around the globe, but few outside of Korea have gotten the chance to taste Korean Temple Food.
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hat is until the most famous monk Chef in the world, the Venerable Jeok Mun, flew from South Korea to New York City to cook this “enlightening” food for a select group of journalists, celebrity Chefs and culinary school students. The Chef also did cooking demos at the Fancy Food Show. Chef Mun grew to love Temple Food as a child. He later spent three years visiting the temples across Korea to collect data on the 1700 year-old history of Temple Food. Mun then opened the “Korea Institute of traditional temple food culture’ in Seoul (in 1992). From 1993 until the present, over 10,000 students graduated from this institute. Chef Mun has also starred in a number of cooking shows on TV and became the first monk to become an author of a traditional Temple Food cookbook. We wanted to hear more from this fascinating food personality. Tell us a little about your culinary background and how you were first introduced to Korean Temple cuisine. What initially led you to promote Korean Temple Food? I became a Buddhist monk during my teens; it has been over 40 years but I still live a devout life. Shortly after, I met an older monk at the ShinHeung-Sa on the southern island of Wan-Do. Though we were strangers
Chef Mun has starred in a number of cooking shows on TV and became the first monk to become an author of a traditional Temple Food cookbook.
with an incredible age gap, he always had meals with me. Whenever we ate, he taught me about the meaning of food, dining etiquette, and the spirit of Korean Temple Food. These lessons had a profound impact on me and set a firm foundation for the rest of my life. My interest in Korean Temple Food grew after meeting this older monk. In my early adulthood, I attended Jungang Sangha University in Seoul and created a group dedicated to learning about Korean Temple Food: its tradition, cooking techniques, and culture. My research has continued even after my graduation from Jun-
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gang Sangha University. I first came to New York to teach about Korean Temple Food in 2010. I was accompanied by three experts from The Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The Order believes that there is a contradictory disconnect between material wealth and people’s humility and happiness. As one consumes more and richer foods, one’s health steadily deteriorates. Therefore, obesity and other illnesses are common side effects. The Order thus determined that the best way to address these health concerns was to teach people about Korean Temple Food with the hopes that many more people would even-
tually find happiness. The first principle of Korean Temple Food is to reflect on the meal and be thankful for the hard work, from both the cook who prepared it and nature that provided the ingredients, that went into it. The second is to consume the bare minimum amount in order to maintain one’s health because the more one consumes, the less there is out there in the world. Furthermore, one must try not to be obsessed with taste and instead learn to be content. Third, consumption of meat is not suggested. The goal of Korean Temple Food is to make up for the adverse effects of modern civilization. Thus New York was chosen as the location to teach people about it because New York represents a diverse area with multiple cultures, including cuisine, interacting with one another. How did the idea come about to open the “Korea Institute of Traditional Temple Food Culture” and what are the core values that is taught? The culture of Korean Temple Food is disappearing as modernization continues. It is therefore extremely important to preserve the culture and tradition of Korean Temple Food in order to pass it onto future generations. In order to do this systematically, we established the Korean Institute of Traditional Temple Food. The Institute does two things. First, it researches Korean Temple Food. Second, it teaches people about Korean Temple Food through a series of classes open to monks and the general public alike. You’re the only monk who studies and preserves the traditions of
Temple Food. Why do you feel more monks do not practice this culinary tradition? When you first become a monk at a Korean Buddhist temple, you learn to cook for those who come to the temple to meditate. Whether you are male or female, upon entering the temple you undergo the same process. Thus every monk in Korea can prepare Temple Food. Yet there are very few monks who have a deep interest in Korean Temple Food like me. Male monks are especially less interested. This is not to say that no one is able to prepare this food. Simply put, there are not many
monks who are interested as much as I am. Like I said before, the culture of Korean Temple Food is slowly disappearing. This is why I hope that everyone, monk or not, male or female, will take an interest in Korean Temple Food. You prepare your meals as a form of practice and nothing is ever wasted. How would these techniques and practices translate into a restaurant looking to add Korean Temple Food to their menu? Korean Temple Food is not wasteful. When preparing meals, leftover shells and roots are somehow incorporated into future dishes. Unusable parts are
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used as compost and recycled into the ecosystem. The same principle applies when eating Korean Temple Food. First, you take small amounts of food that you can finish without having leftovers. Then, you pour water into your bowl and drink what remains. Thus if a Korean Temple Food restaurant was to open, then it must keep in mind these two principles. The kitchen must strive to limit waste and whatever waste does accumulate must be disposed of in an eco-friendly manner. The restaurant must also create a program to educate their servers on the meaning of food and proper din-
ing etiquette. It must also strive to teach its customers how to be thankful when consuming food as well as exercise self-control. They must also learn the meaning of sharing. The restaurant should have a system of ordering according to one’s portion size. There would be benefits for those who do not leave any leftovers while penalties would be exacted on those who are wasteful. A food bank system would help to create a common attitude of working for the good of the public. For the full interview, visit www.totalfood.com
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Urbo, from page 3 area,” Mr. Kadomskiy, 39, said. “It’s a paradox.” The project, done in a rough-hewed industrial style, is costing his company, Makers Lab, $29 million. To execute his vision, he has hired as chef Brian Young, who started as a cook at the Quilted Giraffe and worked at Le Bernardin. With two years’ experience as executive chef at Tavern on the Green, Mr. Young is not likely to be daunted by Urbo’s sprawl. Mr. Kadomskiy said Mr. Young’s food will feature local ingredients, and the menu will list the purveyors. URBO hosted a huge pre-opening party late last month. More than 1,000 people were in attendance, including journalists, industry leaders, friends and family of the URBO team, Broadway actors and celebrities like Mario Cantone, Chef/Restaurateur Todd English and Questlove of The Roots, who was the DJ for the night and had the upstairs dance floor going wild. There were a slew of
other performers throughout the night as well, including a snake charmer, plate spinners, drag queens, a tap dancer, a contortionist and more. Iconic New York movies were broadcast throughout the restaurant, as URBO celebrates all the diversity that NY has to offer. The design marks a collaboration between Russian based architect Savelii Archipenko and Maryland based Next Step Design. URBO, which includes five distinct restaurant and retail concepts, is nearly 26,000 square feet spread out over two stories and a separate mezzanine. URBO reflects the character of New York City’s architecture and attitude. Designed to evoke the spirit of New York City’s streets, URBO’s first floor features reclaimed wood, cement wall coverings, and a large spiral staircase with an iron black bannister. Accessible by the spiral staircase and cylindrical glass elevator, the second floor is reminiscent of a New York City roof-
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top. There is a pergola crafted from reclaimed wood; festoon lighting; an open kitchen; glass-enclosed greenhouses; elevated black iron catwalk; and mango and teak wood tables. All of URBO’s food is overseen by Culinary Director Brian Young, a veteran of New York City’s culinary scene. The first floor (5,952 square feet) features a restaurant, a coffee house and a retail shop. The first floor restaurant, URBO Kitchens, is aptly named for its three separate open kitchens, all of which feature Calacatta marble countertop seating. The dishes from each of the kitchens, Fire (complete with a Beech Oven grill), Water (serving poached and steamed dishes), and Earth (featuring dishes starring market fresh fruits and vegetables) will change based on seasonality and availability. In URBO Kitchens the recipe is simple: take the best possible ingredients and prepare them using the method that fits each one best.
The first floor also houses URBO Grind, a coffee house serving Blue Bottle Coffee (brewed with the state-ofthe-art Alpha Dominche Steampunk), breads and pastries as well as grab-andgo sandwiches. There is also a retail shop with artisan food products and culinary-themed items called URBO Supply. Quick service gourmet foods, hot or cold, can also be purchased from any of URBO Supply’s three wooden carts. The second floor is home to Bar URBO, a lounge area that will offer a sophisticated cocktail program created by Dutch Kills’ head bartender Jan Warren, craft beer on draft and an eclectic bar menu focused on quick bites- no utensils required. In addition, the second floor features two greenhouses and offers space for private events. The second floor is 20,042 square feet in total.
// MIXOLOGY
WITH WARREN BOBROW
Summertime & Drinking Should Be Easy… The first way that I seek this balance of flavor is by using simple syrups that are infused with flavor. The reason is quite simple, these passionate, liquid driven chefs who make simple syrups have taken the heavy lifting of devising formulas and mixing the ingredients together already.
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his makes your job so much easier. And isn’t that what it’s supposed to be about? It’s very hot outside, and you want ease, timing, skill and flavorwith aromatics built right in. During the summer months the last thing I want to be doing is roasting fruits in the oven for infusing that might take hours of slow cooking. I let these talented manufacturers do all the really hard work for me. Bitters are another way to inject flavor deeply into a craft cocktail. Bitters are concentrates (if you will) of herbs, spices, citrus and edible roots. Bitters are meant to offer balance and a finishing touch (or burst) of flavor into a mixed drink. Just like a chef uses herbs and spices in the kitchen, the bartender may use bitters to balance a cocktail. You may have had a Manhattan cocktail at some point of your drinking history and wondered what that sweet and tangy finishing liquid was that the bartender dripped, drop by precious drop into your cocktail after it was prepared. That would be the bitters. And bitters make my job much easier with all sorts of outlandish and creative flavors on the market. It isn’t just for Angostura or Peychaud’s any longer with hundreds of new flavor driven products crowding bar shelves and the
and infused syrups represent the forefront craft cocktails and we embrace flavor in the same way, with an open mind and an open mouth! How lucky we are to be able to taste the classics of cocktails, woven with these magnificent syrups and bitters. It’s not just about opening a bottle of concentrated fruit juice and mixing it with liquor any longer. What these passionate ingredients represent to me is creativity. With that said, the summer months are for drinking lighter, not necessarily with less flavor, but certainly with less of the hard stuff that gets you intoxicated! This first cocktail is from my forthcoming 2nd book named Whiskey Cocktails. I think it works really well by cooling you, not necessarily intoxicating you.
Warren Bobrow Warren Bobrow is the cocktail writer for Williams-Sonoma, Foodista, Voda Magazine and the 501c3 not for profit Wild River Review/Wild Table, where he also serves as an editor. www.cocktailwhisperer.com
buying power of their customers. When I do my mixology road shows, I bring over 75 unique varieties of bitters with me. The history of healing with bitters is the most profound. Back in the day before industrialized medicine, bitters were “prescribed” by folk medicine healers for a multitude of ills and sufferings. These highly aromatic and concentrated drops would literally “heal what ails ye.” Fast forward to the modern era of craft cocktails with bitters and syrups seeking the attention of your palate. Bitters
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Another Thor Cocktail You might not think that Scotch is a match for Tiki-style drinks, with their fresh citrus juices and coconutty sweetness—but now is the time to think again. The saline, smoky finish
of, say, an Islay Scotch whisky makes it just as desirable in tropical cocktails as hearty, barrel-aged rum. Named for the Norse god of thunder, Another Thor mixes good Islay Scotch with orange, pineapple, lemon, and lime juices, as well as a little orgeat syrup (orgeat is a sweet, almond-flavored syrup that’s used in lots of cocktails, such as the Mai Tai). A dash of curried bitters and a splash of palate-lifting club soda make for a surprising finish to this sultry summery cocktail. It’s just the thing for sipping poolside—or, if you’re on vacation, at brunch. Ingredients • 1.5 ounces (60 ml) Islay-style Scotch whisky • 1 ounce (30 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice • 1 ounce (30 ml) freshly squeezed pineapple juice • ¼ ounce (7 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice • ¼ ounce (7 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice • 1 ounce (30 ml) sweetened coconut cream • ½ ounce (15 ml) orgeat (almond syrup) • Splash of club soda • 3 drops Bitter End Curry bitters Preparation 1. Fill a Boston shaker three-quarters full with ice 2. Add all the ingredients except the club soda and the bitters 3. Shake for about 15 seconds 4. Strain the mixture over a single hand-cut ice cube in a rocks glass 5. Add the splash of club soda and drip the curried bitters over the top of the drink
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Leven, from page 10 of success. He was formerly president and chief executive officer of US Franchise Systems, Inc., the company he founded in 1995, which developed and franchised the Microtel Inns & Suites and Hawthorn Suites hotel brands. He was previously president and COO of Holiday Inn Worldwide, president of Days Inn of America, and president of Americana Hotels. He has also served on the board of directors of Starwood Hotels and Resorts and is currently a trustee of the Marcus Foundation. In addition to being a hotel indus-
will be our award recipient this year and be inducted into our hospitality Hall of Fame," said Lea Ann Kish president of PSHRS and chief operating officer of Milestone Hospitality Management. "Mr. Leven's career accomplishments from leading major industry players, creating his own hotel company, co-founding AAHOA, and serving on countless boards are unparalleled. He is an icon, one of the
Leven is a recipient of the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers Lifetime Achievement Award and was previously named to HSMAI's Hot List of 25 Most Extraordinary Sales & Marketing Minds in Hospitality & Travel
try icon and one of franchising's most innovative leaders, Leven has served many industry organizations throughout his career. He co-founded the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), which started with 12 members in 1989 and now has more than 9,300 members, who combined more than 22,000 hotels representing approximately $60 billion in property value. He is also the former international president of the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and a former chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association's Government Affairs Committee. "The members of PSHRS are exceptionally proud that Michael Leven 94 • August 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
most notable of our era, and a preeminent representation of the myriad of opportunities available to our past and present hospitality students." Leven is a recipient of the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers Lifetime Achievement Award and was previously named to HSMAI's Hot List of 25 Most Extraordinary Sales & Marketing Minds in Hospitality & Travel. Las Vegas Sands is the
world's leading developer and operator of Integrated Resorts. Our collection of Integrated Resorts in Asia and the United States feature stateof-the-art convention and exhibition facilities, premium accommodations, world-class gaming and entertainment, destination retail and dining including celebrity chef restaurants, and many other amenities.
Pizza Business, from page 22 experience in this having generated hundreds of newspaper articles, TV news stories, hundreds upon hundreds of pages on Google, and thousands of hits on YouTube videos to promote my brand. We’ve attracted notables, such as twenty years of New York City Mayors visiting my original store. So how did I do it or more importantly, how do you do it? If you incorporate some of the practices below, I guarantee you’ll succeed in getting your brand recognized. With good management and a consistent product you should also consider expanding.
2. Signs announce your product. Let’s take pizza since it is why we’re here. You need to tell people you are coming and get your name on everyone’s tongue. Signs on your place, signs on your car, signs on your clothes, business cards, and other promotion items. Promote your new business everywhere you go, whether its a shopping mall, barber shop, car wash, doctor’s office, school, or even
1. List out all the people you know and every group, organization and social club you belong to. Note: A passion to work and a burning desire to succeed are a necessity, so no excuses! Believe it or not but the people most likely to promote your brand are the ones you already know, so start contacting them and letting them know what you are doing and don’t be afraid to ask for help getting the word out because most-not allpeople are good. Email, call, visit, write letters, make post cards, put up signs and contact each and everyone of them. Invite them to your grand opening and tell them to bring their friends. Yes, I said it and if you thought for one second “Oh my God, how would I ever handle that many people” you need to rethink your promotional philosophy, because a true promoter never stops and never considers delivery, just getting the people in-period. I don’t care how you do it and you don’t care about handling them, that’s another part of the job called production or delivery. Your only concern when you wear the promotional hat is promoting. What is promoting? It’s making things known and well thought of. It’s getting the word out and creating interest. 95 • August 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
your kids little league games. Talk it up and introduce yourself and give out cards or better yet coupons for everyone. 3. When you first open your operation, hit the streets and hand out samples to people in your area. Don’t worry about the costs because it will have a return on investment way over what any paid advertising will do. Word of mouth is always your
best promotion and will always bring greater results. 4. Get familiar with social media platforms and start utilizing them to promote your business online. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram are all great tools to help you and they’re free to use. Use them to engage in conversation, promote offers, to posting videos and pictures that relate to your customers.
// NEWS
INNOVATIONS
SCA Tork Reinvents Table Cleaning Strategy With Wet Wipes Debut How many times have you been in a restaurant and watched the staff clean a table? Usually it's with a bucket and rag, but who knows how many times (and tables) that rag's been used on, and just how clean is the water in that bucket?
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ut what if your server took a fresh wiper out of their apron to clean each table? Tork SCA Wet Wipes have been developed to meet that need. “We really do a lot of research to understand the market and foodservice operator and before a product launches, we see what issues we can help address, to make the overall hygiene solution better than what's currently out there,” says Suzanne Cohen, marketing director for Tork SCA, the company that makes professional hygiene products for restaurants to healthcare organizations in 100 countries. “We make products that help business owners and patrons stay cleaner.” “Restaurants are used to the spray bottle and rag, for keeping an operation clean,” says Jackie Fultano, Tork SCA Wet Wipes product manager. “We came up with a system that's more ef-
fective, more efficient, and delivers a better image for the restaurant.” The wipes are small packets that fit in an apron or pocket, or can be kept at hostess stands. “It's a lot more seamless,” says Cohen. “Less mixing of chemicals, which is a time-consuming factor, and done in the back of the restaurant. Let's face it, restaurant staff are pulled pretty thin. Their main concern is getting to their customers and making sure their dinner experience is as expected. No one wants to take extra time to walk back and forth to where the supplies are, or mixing the chemicals to clean the tables.” “We designed our wipes to be hidden, conveniently carried on servers, and it cuts down on the time they have to spend going out of their way, allowing them instead to spend more time with patrons. It takes the guesswork out of mixing chemicals, and with that
Call Vic Rose: 732-864-2220 96 • August 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
product always on hand, it keeps the front of the house fresh and hygienic consistently, while meeting patrons' needs,” adds Fultano. She notes that SCA Tork's product stands out in that it doesn't stand out. “It's behind the scenes, very low-odor, with discreet packaging.” But the biggest benefit is for the customer. “When you're going out to a restaurant, you're going for the food, the atmosphere, the environment,” she says. “You're trusting that this place where you're dining will have your best interests in mind, not just in terms of its image and cleanliness, but in terms of hygiene, too." Back to that rag and bucket. “Staff hates it, customers hate it. It's challenging to keep the solution clean and sanitary when you put a dirty rag in that bucket. A lot of times you even see staff going from table to table without
rinsing so you're dreading what's on one table and the next,” says Cohen. Another reason? People don't want to be consuming their food next to a table being sprayed. Distributors love the wipes because they can solve a problem. "At restaurants, the focus isn't always on cleanliness. It's who's got the better ingredients, the best menu. But all that is reliant on a restaurant being clean and welcoming. So when distributors can say, I can improve your process so you have better customer retention and better reviews, they're excited to talk about it," said Cohen. The company says the wipes aren't just for restaurants – they're for hospital and university cafeterias, offices, just about anywhere you want good hygiene, as well. And it offers free trials for all Tork SCA products. “We know it's a stretch when you ask someone to try something new so the best way is to bring it in, try it for free, then see how we can help their facility,” says Fultano. One more advantage to the wipes is as an antidote to the massive turnover in the restaurant industry. You need products you don't have to train on – how to handle chemicals, how to test them. We can help eliminate that repetitive step of training, training, training. This is a nice alternative to constant training,” Cohen concluded.
Wyman, from page 84 FDA’s authority and food imports have been reviewed & updated so that there are now laws in effect. The changes to GMPs have been submitted to the public for comment and will become effective either in the fall of 2014 or in 2015. One of the biggest changes is that all processors/manufacturers that previously were not required to have a HACCP plan will now need to develop a risk-based food safety system that is based on the HACCP model. What had been voluntary regarding GAPs up to now is now being reviewed and the perspective is either all or some of them may become required by law. These changes as they are currently being discussed also address exemptions based on size, sales volume or product produced at the operation.
So you can see that between current regulatory & voluntary requirements and standards where the supply chain is as of today and where future changes will take us regarding food safety. Next month we will address the requirements for imported foods and exporters to the USA. Philbrook Food & Beverage Consulting & Training specializes in preparing food service establishments to address all food safety issues by assisting with the development of programs, staff & facilities. We offer customized on-site and public training in HACCP & Food Safety issues. Check out our class schedules and contact info at philbrookconsulting. com for more information.
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Micalizzi’s, from page 44 smiles on everyone’s faces letting them indulge on a delicious cold treat! How many different flavors are offered and are there any new flavors or new menu items in development? We have over 26 Italian Ice and over 15 hard Ice cream flavors. We do rotate them and have a flavor of the week. We’ve also added sundaes, milk shakes, and something completely different, organic weight protein powder, which is available at the shop as well as online. "It's all natural, made with Stevia," Piccirillo said. It's bottled in North Haven, CT under the name Pro Med Nutrition.
The Northeast’s winters can be long and cold. Does the winter season hurt your business? Our retail end of the business is seasonal usually running from April through October. However, we do wholesale all year long, but there does come a time in the winter months when business slows down drastically. Does keeping your goals simple and not complicating operations help maximize product? Basically, we like that ‘’mom and pop feel’’ that a lot of businesses have lost over the years. Sometimes, if you go above and beyond your
"We maintain a great personal relationship with a majority of our customers and we keep our recipes the same as years ago not short cutting or changing anything. Like the old saying goes ‘’If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”."
means, you lose the whole concept and quality is what got us here in the first place. You have a loyal following. What is the key to your success that keeps customers coming back for more? We maintain a great personal relationship with a majority of our customers and we keep our recipes the same as years ago not short cutting or changing anything. Like the old saying goes ‘’If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. How has the use Social Media made a difference for the brand? Social Media has been great to us especially for flavors of the week and events and places where our product is sold and advertised. With more consumer demands for 98 • August 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
quick-service snacks, has competition increased? Yes, it has, but I feel we have a very original unique product that has been around for decades and we have a very loyal customer base. Does Micalizzi’s offer a ice cream truck or kiosk to branch the flavored ices to areas other than Bridgeport? No, but we wholesale to all those who have carts,trailers,kiosks,etc. For a foodservice operator or distributor looking to add Micalizzi’s to their frozen dessert offerings, how do they get in contact? Please call us at 203-366-2353 or email at JayIce712@aol.com
Kohler, from page 4 Fish Market in Midland Park, where Kohler gets his fish daily. "A lot of chefs say, 'What's cheap?' He wants what's best." Also, long before Asian spices made their way into local high-end kitchens, Kohler was sprinkling lemongrass and tamarind leaves into his soups and salads. "In the early '90s, I was the first one in North Jersey to use Asian overtones in dishes," he said. Hans Egg, who sold the venerated Saddle River Inn after 31 years as its founding chef and owner, has his own reason why Kohler has lasted so long: He refuses to give up. "He is a professional who always took care of the business," Egg said. Still, over the years, Kohler admitted, he made some mistakes, a couple of doozies. One: turning down 4-star chef Vongerichten, who after dining at Café Panache in 1991 offered to give Kohler 25 percent of his fledgling business if he joined him. "I wasn't willing to do that," Kohler said. "A big business mistake." Another: In 2008 he sold for $90,000 a liquor license he bought three years earlier because he feared it would change the style and appeal of his restaurant too much. "I chickened out. But I didn't take into consideration how trendy liquor became." He attributes the current $15-plus martini, in part, to the lousy economy: "As the dining scene became bleak, bars became the thing." It is still bleak, he says: "I can see what Wall Street is doing by sitting in my restaurant on a Thursday night." The days of the phone ringing off the hook for reservations are over, Kohler said. "I have to lower my expectations," he confessed. The days of long, leisurely lunches also are over. "The chain restaurants moved in," he said. "It's eat and run." And the days of people traveling long
distances to dine there are over, too. "People used to come from Connecticut, Sparta, Montclair," he said. "Now it's just the surrounding towns." So is Kohler ready to pack up and close the door? "I've stoked the fire
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here for 30 years. I have to wonder, am I running out of logs? When TGIF is giving away all you can eat for $10, what are restaurants like mine supposed to do? I have no more tricks up my sleeve. No trump card. All I can do is continue to work hard and
keep the product as good as ever." That formula has worked for three decades. No reason it can't for at least another decade, when, Kohler noted, his lease will be up. Besides, he said, "I love cooking."
// INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
WITH FRED SAMPSON
Anonymous Reviews Posted on Yelp May Be Banned “Virginia Courts Tell Yelp ‘No More Anonymous Reviews’ ” and “Health Departments Turn to Yelp for Help”: These two stories didn’t surprise me, but what did, is the lack of comment from various industry sources.
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Here is why. First, the Yelp issue. Restaurant Hospitality reported earlier this year that a Virginia appeals court ruled Yelp is now required to reveal the identities of those who post anonymous reviews on its website. Operators, whose very existence is threatened when unknown persons unfairly attack their reputations online, would like to see the ruling become the law of the land. Yelp hopes it doesn’t. Here is what Aaron Schur, the company’s senior director of litigation, wrote on the corporate blog: “The case highlights the need for stronger online free speech protection across the country, and is a reminder of why Yelp is fighting to expand the protection of consumer free speech and privacy in the courts and legislative bodies across the country.” Yelp, a publicly traded company with a market capitalization of more than $5 billion, paints itself as taking the side of the little guy in this dispute, even though “little-guy” businesses like restaurants bear the brunt of the damage. While it may be Yelp’s intention to
Fred G. Sampson,
President of Sampson Consulting, Inc. fredgsampson@juno.com
want a stronger “freedom of speech climate,” there is also a provision stating that “every accused has the right to meet its accuser.” If you’re going to accuse someone of getting sick due to a restaurant meal, then you must also identify yourself. Why does Yelp think they can aid and abet someone who is writing a damaging review of a tax-paying, job-making, risk-taking business and do it with impunity by not identifying them? I wonder what Yelp would do if someone wrote a damaging article about their $5 billion dollar company and signed it “Anonymous.” The other problem for the average restaurant operator with Yelp reviews has been compounded, according to an article written by Maria Newman of The New York Times,
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and I quote: “After a particularly bad restaurant meal, you may be moved to post a review on the website Yelp, warning other diners. But now someone else is listening in: New York City health officials, who may track you down if you complain that the meal made you sick.” She also wrote that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report saying that the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene had completed a pilot project that used Yelp reviews to help find unreported outbreaks of food-borne illness. While one is hesitant about discussing food-borne illness, it does happen. Traditionally, health officials hear about potential poisonings from doctors’ reports and phone calls from people who say they got
sick. In New York, about 3,000 people complain to the city’s 311 service hotline. Of those calls, only about 1 percent pan out and lead to a cluster of illnesses, according to a story by Mike Stobbe of the Associated Press. The health department got the idea for using Yelp after seeing chatter that helped with a month-long restaurant investigation in 2011. “Officials reached out to Yelp, and the website agreed to help with a pilot project,” said the department’s Dr. Sharon Balter. Investigators focused on illnesses that occurred between 12 and 36 hours after a meal—the time frame for most symptoms of food poisoning to surface. These next comments by Dr. Balter are significant. “Most people assume they got sick from the last place they ate, but that’s not always the case,” she said. Most of the eating-out public are not aware of this. I for one do not see any problem with this arrangement. What I do see as a problem is that Yelp is furnishing such information without identifying the writer. Anonymously, it could be written by a competitor, a disgruntled employee, or an angry guest. There is no doubt in my mind that more and more of the various health departments throughout the country will take advantage of this service in enforcing their local codes. They should be careful that such complaints are valid. A mistake by any department could be very damaging to the food service operation and its reputation.
101 • August 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
102 • August 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
103 • August 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com