2 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 3
NEWS SCHOOL FOODSERVICE Long Island’s Whitsons Inks Partnership With Chef Peterson
W
hitsons School Nutrition is pleased to announce a new partnership with celebrity chef Emily Peterson. Chef Emily is a food writer, media personality and professor of food studies at NYU. Her work has been featured on Edible, Modern Farmer, Martha Stewart, Robb Report, The New York Times, The Village Voice, Time Out NY, Huffington Post, CBS, NBC, FOX, Food Network and Vegetarian Times. Chef Emily hosts the podcast Sharp & Hot. She also manages a 5-acre farm where she raises
I am very excited to be presenting and serving meals to students at schools,” said Chef Emily. “It is so important to teach students about clean eating and the sources of our foods so that they are empowered to make good eating choices and practice living healthy lifestyles.” honeybees and free-range chickens. Chef Emily will be speaking with students and presenting her meals at select K12 schools where Whit-
4 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
sons provides the foodservices. She will be highlighting recipes that she has created exclusively for Whitsons’ school locations, which in-
clude: Chef Emily’s Quinoa Bowl, Apple Cider, Chicken Sammies, Spinach Basil Pasta, and Egg Tortilla Pie. “I am very excited to be presenting and serving meals to students at schools,” said Chef Emily. “It is so important to teach students about clean eating and the sources of our foods so that they are empowered to make good eating choices and practice living healthy lifestyles.” Chef Emily is set to start her culinary tour at the following school dis-
continued on page 114
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December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 5
NEWS
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS
CT’s Sternlicht Set To Exit Restaurant Industry With BR Guest Sale
N
ew York restaurant empire BR Guest, which owns popular eateries such as Dos Caminos and Strip House, is being sold to Tilman Fertitta, the owner of hospitality giant Landry’s Inc. and the host of CNBC’s reality show “Billion Dollar Buyer.” Fertitta is buying BR Guest from Barry Sternlicht’s Starwood Capital Group, which purchased 50 percent of the restaurant company from Stephen Hanson for $150 million in 2007 — and seven years later bought out Hanson’s share for an undisclosed price. Fertitta, whose net worth was estimated by Forbes at $2.6 billion in 2016, owns 500 restaurants throughout the US through holding company Landry’s, including the Mortons and Mastro’s steakhouse chains, Bubba Gump Shrimp, Rainforest Cafe and Downtown Aquarium, where guests feast on fish while observing 100 species of marine life. The 59-year old Texan also owns the Golden Nugget casino hotels in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Although smaller than it once was, BR
The 59-year old Texan also owns the Golden Nugget casino hotels in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Although smaller than it once was, BR Guest still operates 15 popular, well-located Manhattan eateries with a total of several thousand seats. Guest still operates 15 popular, welllocated Manhattan eateries with a total of several thousand seats. They include three branches each of Dos Caminos and Bill’s Bar & Burger, two of Atlantic Grill, two of Strip House and one Bluewater Grill, as well as several spots in New Jersey and Las Vegas. The firm has slashed its roster of eateries with the closing of Ruby Foo’s and Ocean Grill. Houstonbased Fertitta “has a residence in Soho in Manhattan and is increas-
6 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
ing his presence in New York City,” his general counsel Steve Scheinthal said. “He loves New York and this will give him more time to spend in the city,” added Scheinthal. He said BR Guest will continue to exist as a company. “It has great brands and great locations,” Scheinthal said. “Manhattan is a wonderful place to be in business.” “We plan on keeping all of the restaurants,” Scheinthal added. “We don’t plan on changing anything.”
Main Office 282 Railroad Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 Publishers Leslie & Fred Klashman Advertising Director Michael Scinto Art Director Mark Sahm Contributing Writers Warren Bobrow Faith Hope Consolo Morgan Tucker Fred Sampson Staff Writers Deborah Hirsch Alex Rubin Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com
Cover photo courtesy of Prova Pizzabar 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 2016 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 Pittsburgh, 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
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 7
NEWS
KITCHEN DESIGN
Midtown Museum Eatery The Modern Gets Makeover
T
he last couple of years have been particularly exciting as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Manhattan embarked upon a $400 million expansion plan. That expansion got a major boost courtesy of a $100 million donation from billionaire David Geffen. The museum’s expansion includes the addition of three new galleries at the Jean Nouvel-designed tower at 53 West 53rd Street, the expansion of the main lobby, the conversion of the former Folk Art Museum building into more gallery space, and a revamped gift shop. The redesign is being carried out by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. and included a renovation of the museum’s kitchen and restaurant. When the Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) opened the Modern at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), its goals were simple: to be pioneers in defining what fine dining can be, and have its level and quality of service be on par with the amazing surroundings of a world-famous museum, designing a warm, personalized experience for each guest. The mission remains the same today, as the restaurant celebrates its new kitchen and chef, Abram Bissell. “Since we first opened our doors over a decade ago, the fine dining landscape has drastically changed,” said Simon King, the restaurant’s General Manager. “As the industry evolves, we strive to continuously refine our approach and add to the dialogue. Both Abram and I strongly believe that now, more than ever, each experience should be
tailored individually to each guest. The renovations were a step forward in that direction, allowing us to push ourselves to create a fun and stimulating environment for our guests, one that consistently surprises.” As Executive Chef, USHG felt it was important for Bissell to take steps to make the kitchen his own – to create a kitchen that reflected his style of cooking and leadership. “However, our philosophy is grounded in collaboration -- from Abram’s senior culinary staff, to the Modern management and the USHG senior executive team. Eveveryone’s expertise added value to the result and that is something we all now take great pride in,” King continued. The new kitchen was designed to create a space that would functionally allow Abram and the culinary team to take the food to the next level, and also be the centerpiece of the restaurant, always with the guest in mind. “We needed the right solution to be able to evolve from what had been two separate kitchens,” Bissell explained. “We had one to handle a la carte and one to handle banquets and events.
The Modern’s renovation included a revamp of the kitchen to create flexibility for peak a la carte and special event preparation
8 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
With a move to a single kitchen that could flow and flex to handle all of our needs, Jade gave us that solution. I challenged them to give us the specialty features that I knew our team needed. I wanted a monolithic cooking surface and touches like one piece heavy duty door handles. Jade was able to get me all of that and more. We couldn’t be happier with our new Jade suite and cooking line and our customers are too!” Bissell concluded. “With the Kitchen Table and the new kitchen, there’s more opportunity to experiment with the menu in this setting,” King added. “At the Kitchen Table, menus are curated to each guests’ preferences. For example, the Kitchen Table has only four seats, so we’re able to source specialty ingredients that are otherwise challenging to order in large quantities, like a single fish or very special cut of meat.” The new kitchen also allows Pastry Chef Jiho and his team to bake all the restaurant’s bread in- house. “Jiho has a vast imagination on his own, which is why he and Abram work so well together, challenging one another
A new Jade suite anchors Chef Adam Bissell’s cooking line
creatively,” noted King . “The Kitchen Table also creates more opportunities and pushes the entire culinary team to constantly be creative.” Wine is another important part of the restaurant experience. Michael Engelmann has composed a new wine list with a depth of new world wines and makes a point to introduce guests to new bottles and regions. “For an exclusive dining experience, the Modern is it,” concluded King.
The Modern’s dining room features one of the city’s most distinctive panoramas
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 9
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT:
INTERNATIONAL CULINARY CENTER
Erica Barrett
Founder and CEO of Southern Culture Artisan Foods
E
rica Barrett is the Founder and CEO of Southern Culture Artisan Foods, a breakfast lifestyle brand she started after visiting the grocery store and seeing that there was a lack of quality breakfast products on the shelf. Erica Barrett is most notably known for appearing on the Emmy Award Winning Show “ABC’s Shark Tank” where she went head to head with the Sharks and received two offers; one from Kevin O’Leary and one from Barbara Corcoran and ul-
timately landed a deal with Barbara Corcoran on the show. Erica’s approach to food is to always create the best version of what you love. Southern Culture, Erica’s Breakfast lifestyle brand is a salute to breakfast and her strong Southern roots. Erica built her business from the ground up with an idea, tremendous faith and a will to succeed. Her products can now be purchased in 4,000 retailers across the
U.S. and in three countries internationally. Erica’s passion for food and desire to build a food empire has inspired Erica to launch her own YouTube Channel and Branded Restaurant Concept. A native of Mobile, AL Erica is a
graduate of Clark Atlanta University with a BA in Business Finance but was inspired to follow her dream to cook professionally after becoming the grand prizewinner of a video recipe contest with Foodnetwork. com and Lea and Perrins. She is a graduate of the International Culinary Center® (formerly the French Culinary Institute) Culinary Entrepreneurship program. When was the moment you knew that the food industry was where you wanted to be? In 2010, I entered a recipe contest with Food Network and Lea and Perrins. It was my first formal culinary challenge. I won $10,000 and a Grand Prize Trip to New York. That trip changed my life and was validation that I should be in the food industry versus my career in Corporate America.
continued on page 118 Southern Cuisine’s Breakfast Club Gift Set: Pancake and Chicken Mix
10 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Erica Barrett, Founder and CEO of Southern Culture Artisan Foods
Liz Button (‘07 ICC grad) brought Cúrate, a tapas restaurant, to Asheville, NC, to rave reviews
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 11
INDUSTRY HONORS
PRESENTED BY: Women’s Foodservice Forum www.wff.org
Honoring The Top Women Of Metro New York Foodservice & Hospitality For 2017
FROM THE PUBLISHERS For over a quarter of a century, we have had the opportunity while publishing Total Food Service to follow the restaurant and foodservice industry. It never ceases to amaze us as we watch menu trends come and go that there remains one constant in creating success: saying yes. As we interview professionals from all aspects of the industry, we see that what used to be location-location-location has clearly evolved into peoplepeople-people. People have the ability to SAY YES to fulfill a customer’s needs. So it should come as no surprise that the proverbial glass ceiling continues to crack as the only priority among industry professionals is the ability to consistently create a signature customer dining experience in a Manhattan restaurant, a New Jersey corporate dining facility or a Long Island healthcare facility. So we are convinced that gender bias is being replaced by the abil-
ity of a person in a kitchen, waiting on a customer or helping select the right cut of beef to SAY YES and deliver a world-class customer experience. That’s why once again we have dedicated this issue to profiling the impact that women have had on the Tri-State foodservice scene. They have risen to amazing heights and turned the Greater NYC Marketplace into the epicenter of the world’s restaurant and food service industry. Certainly, it’s easy to point to the growth of culinary programs and food programming on television, which has led to pockets of culinary excellence in Metro NYC and across the country but
12 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
in the Tri-State area, these talents reach far beyond just the back of the house. There are i n c r e d ible women m a k i n g their marks on everything from a Manhattan hospital serving 5,000 plus patient meals every day to an iconic food writer in a major NYC newspaper to a Westchester executive recruiter who wheels and deals on behalf of top investment firms to find CEOs to run some of the world’s largest restaurant chains. We owe special thanks to a number of colleagues that represent many segments of the Tri-State foodservice community. They were gracious with their time to help us build this list of
the “best and the brightest” women in our industry. We selected categories based on that input. Our mission for the criteria of this list was to identify innovators within each of those major disciplines of the foodservice and hospitality industry. Women are having a major impact on the bricks and mortar design of restaurants, and the sales of equipment supplies and service. They also have major impact on what food and beverage is being served on local menus, and the management and marketing of foodservice facilities. Our goal is to share some of their amazing stories and to make all of us realize that any goal is accomplishable with a measure of hard work and some good luck sprinkled in. Leslie Klashman Fred Klashman Publishers , Total Food Service
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 13
Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 12
Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org
Stephanie Abrams
Lori Balter
Nicole Bosco
Marlisa Brown
Rotisserie Georgette New York, NY • Chef
Balter Sales New York, NY • Equipment & Supply
Charmer Sunbelt Brooklyn, NY • Wine & Spirits
Total Wellness Bay Shore, NY • Nutrition
Maja Adiletta
Lisa Banas
Arcobaleno Lancaster, PA • Co-Founder
Mohegan Sun Casino Uncasville, CT • Purchasing
Shannon Allen
Lidia Bastianich
Ritz Carlton, Central Park South New York, NY • Hospitality
B&B Hospitality New York, NY • Chef/Owner
Bullfrog & Baum New York, NY
Joyce Appelman
Shari Bayer
C-CAP New York, NY • Public Relations
Bayer PR, New York, NY Marketing & Advertising
Marika Vida Arnold
Emma Bengtsson
Ritz Carlton Central Park New York, NY • Sommelier
Aquavit New York, NY • Executive Chef
Donatella Arpaia
Gina Bertucci
Prova/Kefi New York, NY • Chef/Owner
Marriott Hotels New York, NY • Hotel
Tracy Arthur
Sara Bigelow
H Careers New York,NY • Careers
The Meat Hook New York, NY • Chef
Nadia Arumugam
Cynthia Billeaud
Women Chefs of New York New York,NY • Author
Dinex Group New York, NY • Chef
Jennifer Baum founded Bullfrog + Baum, the award-winning marketing agency in 2000. Since launching she has played an integral part in the changing landscape of hospitality marketing, successfully evolving to meet the industry’s ever changing demands. Jennifer began her career far from the hospitality world, cutting her teeth amid blue chips and the Fortune 500. Following undergraduate work at Union College, she received her MBA from New York University. Combining her corporate savvy with a knack for making a brand successful, Baum has built an agency that not only launches new concepts, but brings strategy to their continued success. She is known and respected in the industry as a creative, energetic thinker who values honesty and integrity above all else. Baum is a member of WCR, Les Dames d’Escoffier, City Harvest Food Council, IACP, The James Beard Foundation, actively participates in City Meals on Wheels programs. In addition, she is a guest lecturer at The Institute of Culinary Education.
Mary Attea
Diana Bisson
Annisa New York, NY • Chef
Foxwoods Casino Mashantucket, CT • Purchasing
Dawn Aubrey
Leah Blackman
NACUFS New York, NY • Past President
Icrave New York, NY • Design
Alison Awerbuch
April Bloomfield
Abigail Kirsch New York, NY • Caterer
The Spotted Pig New York, NY • Chef/Owner
Joan Axelrod
Barbara Boden
Love & Quiches New York, NY • Food Production
Global Amenity Services New York, NY • B&I
Carrie Bachman
Nicole Bonica
Carrie Bachman Public Relations New York, NY • Public Relations
NYC Schools New York, NY • Schools
14 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Jennifer Baum
Grace Best Imperial Bag & Paper Co., LLC, Jersey City, NJ Grace Best works as Director of Marketing at Imperial Bag & Paper Co but it certainly doesn’t stop there. Grace graduated from Dartmouth with a BA for Psychology. Grace has had a major role of bringing the sustainability movement across Foodservice and Janitorial Sanitation. Grace has also become the Green Associate for Imperial and has brought a variety of green initiatives to the company. Grace has worked to make their brand new state of the art warehouse a LEED Certified facility and is able to provide their food service clients with guidance on their venture into sustainability, whether it is involving levels or recyclability, renewable recourses, or composting, Grace is able to guide their clients with eco-friendly solutions.
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 15
Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 14
Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org
Antoinette Bruno
Andria Coleman
Denise DiMare
Randi Shubin Dresner
Star Chefs Brooklyn, NY • Events
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital New York, NY • Food & Nutrition
Connecticut Schools Hartford, CT • Schools
Island Harvest Food Bank Mineola, NY • Charity
Beth Bunster
Faith Hope Consolo
Gladys DiStefano
Maureen Drum
Whitsons Islandia, NY • Finance
Douglas Elliman Real Estate New York, NY • Real Estate
FBAA New York, NY • Association
Institute Of Culinary Education New York, NY • Education
Angie Buonpane
Chloe Coscarelli
Angela Dimayuga
Ariane Duarte
Union Square Hospitality Group New York, NY • Hospitality
by Chloe New York, NY • Chef
Mission Chinese Food NY New York, NY • Chef
Ariane Kitchen Bar Verona, NJ • Chef/Owner
Lonnie Burt
Dana Cowin
Hartford Schools Hartford, CT • Schools
Chefs Club New York, NY • Marketing
Anne Burrell
Alicia Cannon
Betsy Craig
AJC Design New York, NY • Founder/Principal
MenuTrinfo New York, NY • Author/Owner
Kathleen Cassidy
Jeanne Cretella
Sachem Schools Lake Ronkonkoma, NY • Schools
Landmark Hospitality Jersey City, NJ • Owner
Nicole Castillo
Claire Criscuolo
Wordhampton PR East Hampton, NY • Public Relations
Claire’s New Haven, CT • Chef/Owner
Logan Rich Chabina
Suzanne Cupps
EMM Group New York, NY • Hospitality
Gramercy Tavern New York, NY • Chef
Venus Cheung
Ariane Daguin
Starr Restaurants New York, NY • HR
D’Artagnan Newark, NJ • Distribution
Dawn Cascio
Esther Choi
Dianna Daoheung
Mokbar New York, NY • Chef
Black Seed Bagels New York, NY • Chef
The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ
Alicia Cloonan
Karen DeLamater
Advantage Waypoint Metro New York Yonkers, NY • Equipment & Supplies
Jersey City Public Schools Jersey City, NJ • Schools
Alison Cody
Lauren DeSteno
MAFSI Atlanta, GA • Association
Marea New York, NY • Chef
Jodi Cohen
Christine Devers
NJRE North Bergen, NJ • VP
Reniassance NY Times Square Hotel New York,NY • GM
16 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
TV Personality New York, NY Anne Burrell is as big as it gets when it comes to the culinary world. Spiky haired, Ohio born Anne Burrell attended the Culinary Institute of America and has become a world famous celebrity chef. After working with some of New York’s top restaurants like Gusto and Centro Vinoteca she had to part ways to pursue other career obligations. After a long stretch with Food Network on shows like “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef”, Worst Cooks in America, Chef Wanted and Iron Chef, Anne has returned to the NYC restaurant scene with her partner Phil Casaceli. Phil & Anne’s Good Time Lounge opened in Brooklyn and is described as funky, cool and a homey spot.
Dawn Cascio is a woman who wears many hats. As the Director of Food & Nutrition at The Valley Hospital she has become a crucial member for the food service industry. Dawn began her career as a clinical dietician, after working all over the spectrum she became Assistant Manager to a 250-bed community hospital before taking over at Valley Hospital. Dawn serves on a board of a variety of agencies and administrators. This includes the Greater New Jersey Society for Healthcare Food Administrators, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, The Association for Healthcare Food Service, and The New Jersey Dietetic Association. Needless to say Dawn is here to make the world a healthier place and to help better the lives of her patients.
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December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 17 10/11/16 14:34
Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 16
Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org
Whitney Edwards
Kristine Garlisi
Tara Halper
Marina Halpern
Benchmarc Restaurants New York, NY • Director of Events
Nicotra Group Staten Island, NY • Fast Food
Key PR New York, NY • Public Relations
Padoca Bakery New York, NY • Owner
Dahlia El Gazzar
Stephanie Giraulo
DAHLIA New York,NY • Consultant
St. Charles Hospital Port Jefferson, NY • Dietetics
Laura Endico-Verzullo
Laura Gladish
Ace Endico Brewster, NY • Distribution
Batard Restaurant New York, NY • Maitre D’
Jenny Glasgow
The New York Times New York, NY • Media
Olivier Cheng Catering & Events New York, NY • Chef/Caterer
Georgette Farkas
Rozanne Gold
Rotisserie Georgette New York, NY • Owner
Gold Enterprises New York, NY • Chef
Audrey Farolino
Rebecca Goldberg
Zagat / Google New York, NY • Media
Pierre Hotel New York, NY • Hotel
Shannon Feeney
Stephanie Goto
Roscoe Beer, Co. Roscoe,NY • Marketing
Stephanie Goto Design New York, NY • Design
Nancy Finkelstein
Cheryl Grabowski
Carousel Cakes Nanuet, NY • Food Mfg
Harvest Restaurant Group Morris Plains, NJ • Proprietor
Pearl Fleischman
Nicole Griffin
Kerekes / Bake Deco Brooklyn, NY • Equipment & Supplies
CT Restaurant Association Hartford, CT • Association
Melissa Fleischut
Alex Guarnaschelli
NYSRA Albany, NY • President/CEO
Butter Restaurant/Food Network New York, NY • Celebrity Chef
Susie Fogelson
Yusi Guerrera
Food Network New York, NY • Media
Citarella New York, NY • Owner
Elizabeth Franks
Christine Gurtler
Acfli Holtsville, NY • Association
Jacobs Doland Beer New York, NY • Director of Design
Kelly Friend
Katzie Guy-Hamilton
Whitsons Culinary Group Islandia, NY • COO
Clean Eats Dirty Desserts New York, NY • Chef/Owner
18 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Dirt Candy, New York, NY Photo: Stephen Elledge
Florence Fabricant
Amanda Cohen Dirt Candy may not initially sound like the kind of place you’d want to eat, but one visit sows the seed for many return visits. Canadian born Amanda Cohen is the chef and owner of Dirt Candy, an award-winning vegetable restaurant on New York City’s Lower East Side. The restaurant’s original location only had 18 seats and was open for six years, during which time it became the first vegetarian restaurant in 17 years to receive two stars from the New York Times, was recognized by the Michelin Guide five years in a row, and won awards from Gourmet Magazine, the Village Voice, and many others. Dirt Candy opened a second location in January 2015 and was the first restaurant in the city to eliminate tipping and offer profit sharing to its employees. Amanda was also the first vegetarian chef to compete on Iron Chef America and her comic book cookbook, Dirt Candy: A Cookbook, is the first graphic novel cookbook to be published in North America. Currently in its sixth printing, the cookbook celebrates everything Amanda loves about vegetables.
Karen DiPeri HMG+, New York, NY When your service pro team is literally serving the presidents of every major country in the world, you’ve got to be better than good, you’ve got to be GREAT. That’s what Karen DiPeri, President of HMG+ instills each and every day running New York’s top hospitality staffing company. Karen started out as a dining room waiter at the iconic Milleridge Inn and has held almost all front of the house positions. Now with over 25 years in hospitality, Karen devotes time to helping promote both the hospitality and staffing industry. She currently sits on the Marketing Committee for Society for the Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM), is a member of the American Staffing Association, the NY Staffing Association, Journee, and is an Alumni of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program.
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December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 19
Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 18
Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org
Hattie Hill
Vincenza Kelly
Terry Lewis
Lili Lynton
Women’s Foodservice Forum Dallas, TX • Association
Italian Trade Commission New York, NY • Vendor
Sheraton Times Square New York,NY • GM
Dinex Group New York, NY • Restaurants
Melissa Hom
Sarah Kennedy Ellis
Ellen Lynch
Candice Madan
New York Magazine New York, NY • Photographer
Sabre Hospitality Solutions New York,NY • VP
Food Bank For Westchester Elmsford, NY • Charity
Acme American Jamaica, NY • Service
Jennifer Hsieh
Abigail Kirsch
Marriott International New York,NY • GM
Abigail Kirsch Briarcliff Manor, NY • Caterer
Megan Humpreys
Megan Kleven
Four Seasons New York, NY • Hotel
Restaurant Depot College Point,NY • Marketing
Penny Hutner
Amanda Kludt
Advance Tabco • Edgewood, NY Equipment & Supplies
Eater New York, NY • Media
Ali Hynes
Johanna Kolodny
Milk Bar New York, NY • HR
Baldor Bronx, NY • Distribution
Patti Jackson
Stephanie Kornblum
Delaware And Jackson Brooklyn, NY • Chef/Owner
Culintro New York, NY • Media
Rita Jammet
Jaime Kriss
La Caravelle New York, NY • Chef/Owner
Restaurant Depot College Point, NY • Cash & Carry
Saru Jayaraman
Gloria La Grassa
ROC Berkley, CA • Association
Pluckemin Inn Bedminster,NJ • Chef/Owner
The Elliot Group, Tarrytown, NY
Sonai Jhurani
Kathy Lanza
NYC Hospitality Alliance New York, NY • Hospitality
Harris Restaurant Supply Port Chester, NY • Equip & Supplies
Barbara Kane
Linda Lawry
Ecolab Shrewsbury, NJ • Industry Relations
Les Dames D’ Escoffier New York, NY • Association
Linda Kavanaugh
Leslie Lefkowitz
NECG Stamford, CT • Public Relations
Lefkowitz Media New York,NY • PR
Elizabeth Kellogg
Sarabeth Levine
Kellogg & Caviar New York, NY • Public Relations
Sarabeth’s New York, NY • Chef/Owner
Alice Elliot once said she really does “drink the Kool Aid” of changing people’s careers – or, more specifically, their lives. Pegged in 2014 as one of the 50 most powerful people in the foodservice industry, Elliot is founder and CEO of the Executive Search firm The Elliot Group, which finds, simply, the best talent in the foodservice world. In the constantly evolving foodservice world, that’s the one constant, and specializing in “human capital,” as she likes to put it, she brings her company’s executive search, human resources and leadership abilities to the job of matching phenomenal people with phenomenal jobs in the industry. Throughout her career Alice has been sought out for her insight and advice on trends in the industry and human capital issues. And for more than 25 years, her firm hosted one of the industry’s most sought-after invitation-only events: the Elliot Leadership Conference.
20 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Linda DiLisio Casa DiLisio, Mt. Kisco, NY As VP Operations of Casa DiLisio, Linda has been in the industry for over 30 years. During that time she has helped her parents, Lou and Lucy DiLisio market and build Casa DiLiso’s business to where it is today. Linda is a former IBM employee, learned the ins and outs of the industry and is now responsible for the daily operation of their plant and representing the company at the 35 trade shows that Casa DiLisio participates in every year. The company’s brand of sauces fits all of the criteria for Food Service and sells their products to everyone from Cruise Lines to Chain accounts to White Table Cloth establishments and every kind of operation in between.
Alice Elliot
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•
Inspiring innovations
•
Networking and entertainment December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 21
Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 20
Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org
Karen Maier
Kristine Martin
Sam Mittler
Lois Nicotra
Nutri-Serv Burlington, NJ • Schools
Steelite New York, NY • Sales
The Dessertist New York, NY • Chef
Nicotra Group Staten Island, NY • Fast Food
Heather Maloney
Zarela Martinez
Fran Moreira
Jill Nouatt
Definition Design New York, NY • Design
Zarela New York, NY • Chef
Restaurant Depot College Point, NY • Cash & Carry
Food Network New York, NY • Media
Yvonne Mancini
Tara Mastrelli
Sara Moulton
Tracy Obolsky
The Pierre Hotel New York, NY • Hospitality
Studio Tano New York, NY • Design
Food Network New York, NY • Media
North End Grill New York, NY • Chef
Laura Maniec
Kim McKeown
Abby Murtagh
Mandy Oser
Corkbuzz Wine Studio New York, NY • Liquor & Spirits
Lehr-McKeown Marketing, Inc Merrick, NY • VP / Founder
Waldorf Astoria New York, NY • Hotel
Ardesia Wine Bar New York, NY • Wine & Spirits
Eileen Manitsas
Veronica McLymont
Kim Nathanson
Shanna Pacifico
Baldor Bronx, NY • Distribution
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York,NY Healthcare Services
The Niemitz Design Group Old Greenwich, CT • Design
Cozinha Latina Brooklyn NY • Chef/Owner
Alexa Mehraban
Marion Nestle
Cai Pandolfino
NYU New York, NY • Education
Green & Tonic Greenwich, CT • Owner
Liz Neumark
Becca Parrish
Great Performances New York, NY • Caterer
Becca PR New York, NY • Public Relations
The Beatrice Inn New York, NY • Chef
Jennifer Martin New York State Schools Albany, NY • School
Eating NYC New York,NY • Social Media
Irina Mirsky-Zayas Equipex Providence, RI • VP
Amy Greenberg Citibank, New York, NY
Photo: Culinary Institute of America
Angie Mar
Food and finance don’t often go together but for Amy Greenberg, it’s a perfect fit. A Senior Vice President in global corporate services operations at Citi, Amy has served as a leader with over 25 years corporate services experience managing dining operations, fitness, and wellness organizations, all while strategically aligning her services with Citi’s core business. But this is not all she does. She’s a recognized leader who has served as president of the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM) Harvard University Dining Advisory Board, and Culinary Institute of America Society as member of the corporation and on its alumni committee. Amy gives back with her work at New York Cares. “Amy is a dedicated professional who you could always be assured would complete an assignment in a way that would exceed your expectations,” says Leo Farley, CFO at Envision EMI. “Regardless of the assignment, she is willing to give it her all.” 22 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Marilou Halvorsen NJRHA, Trenton, NJ Marilou Halvorsen is the President of the New Jersey Restaurant and Hospitality Association. She leads the organization and represents the Garden State’s 25,000 hospitality establishments, generating $14 billion in annual sales and employing over 311,000 people. Halvorsen took an interesting route to the leadership position of the NJRHA in 2012. She was Executive Director of the New Jersey Amusement Association and Jenkinson’s, which included a full portfolio of recreational activities around a boardwalk, including a hotel, ice cream shop, nightclub and zoo aquarium. “An association is just like a business,” Halvorsen says. “My members are my customers. I have to make sure that their experience with the Restaurant Association is a good one whether it’s for member benefits, networking, or legislative initiatives. You know we need to make sure that they’re maximizing the value of their membership with the New Jersey Restaurant Association. Because without members you’re not an association.”
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 23
Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 22
Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org
Erin Pepper
Jennifer Rachoff
Shannon Rinella
Nicole Ruvo
Le Pain Quotiden New York, NY • Management
Fourth Wall Restaurant New York, NY • Attorney
Interstate Hotels New York, NY • Talent Development
Dom Perignon New York, NY • Wine & Spirits
Cyndi Perez
Ann Redding
Jasmine Rodriguez
Debra Ryan
Peacock Inn Princeton, NJ • Chef/Owner
Uncle Boons New York, NY • Chef
16 Handles New York, NY • Quick Serve
GNJSHFSA New Milford, NJ • President
Kelly Perkins
Leslie Rempfer
Diane Rossi
Amy Sacco
Bold Restaurants New York, NY • HR
NJRHA Trenton, NJ • Association
Pro-Tek Jericho, NY • Service
No. 8 New York, NY • Nightclubs
Mina Pizarro
Meredith Reuben
Carla Ruben
Rosie Saferstein
Juni New York, NY • Chef
EBP Supply Solutions Milford, CT • Distribution
Creative Edge New York, NY • Caterer
New Jersey Monthly Magazine Morristown, NJ • Media
Maricel Presilla
Carolyn Richmond
Nicki Russ
Arlene Sailhac
Cucharamama / Zafra Hoboken, NJ • Chef/Owner
Fox Rothschild New York, NY • Attorney
Russ & Daughters New York, NY • Owner
ICC New York, NY • Education
Sarah Quinlan
Tonya Riggins
Amy Russo
Jordan Salcito
Mastercard New York, NY • Senior VP
Newark Schools Newark, NJ • Schools
Toast Montclair, NJ • Owner/Operator
David Chang Restaurants New York, NY • Wine & Spirits
Anita Lo Annisa, New York, NY Praise, honor and disaster have all visited Anita Lo, chef and owner of Annisa in New York City, but she is back on top today. She earned a degree in French language at Columbia University; she studied at Reid Hall—Columbia’s French language institute in Paris. And it was there she fell in love with the food culture and vowed to return. Lo interned under Guy Savoy and Michel Rostang. Back in New York, Lo worked her way through all the stations at David Waltuck’s Chanterelle, developing her culinary style during her time at Mirezi. In 2000, Lo opened Annisa (whose name means “women’’ in Arabic), an intimate, upscale restaurant in Greenwich Village serving Contemporary American cuisine, an instant hit. But in June 2009 the same year The Village Voice named her “Best New Restaurant Chef”, a fire destroyed the restaurant entirely. But in April 2010, after a complete renovation of the original Barrow Street location, Lo reopened Annisa. In February 2014, critic Pete Wells re-reviewed Annisa in The New York Times, giving the restaurant three stars, calling her food “remarkable” and “impressive.”
24 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Claire Poulos Table To Table, Englewood, NJ Claire Poulos is the founder of Table to Table, which helps 60-hunger relief organizations in New Jersey. She has received the Russ Berrie Award for Making a Difference. It was a “golden handshake” from IBM which propelled Claire Poulos into the desire to make the world a better place. Claire decided to attend culinary school and went to the Culinary Institute of America. Claire admits she hadn’t planned on working as a chef. “I was just always interested in food. I come from a big food family,” Poulos says. “I thought, I’ll just take a year off, go do something that I want to do. And then I’ll figure out what else I’m doing with my career. So, after I got out of cooking school, I did some work with the James Beard House because they were associated with the school.” Here’s where the making the world a better place comes in. Claire established a new service, Table to Table, which helps 60 hunger relief agencies in Northeast New Jersey. What makes it really outstanding is that it gets no government funding and is completely supported by corporate and private donors. Soon she had buy-ins from Whole Foods, Alpine Country Club, Arthur’s Landing in Weehawken. The program exploded, with people wanting to give her food. Last year, Table to Table served fifteen million meals. Looks like she’s definitely made the world a better place.
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 25
Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 24
Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org
Sally Saltzbart Minier
Cara Siegel
Jennifer Tarfuri
Andrea Tencza
Jane Street Capital, New York, NY Head of Office Administration
HUB International New York,NY • VP
Rotisserie Georgette New York, NY • Chef
Urban Expositions Shelton, CT • Marketing
Cornelia Samara
Gail Simmons
Rada Tarnovsky
Meredith Tepper-Leckey
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge Brooklyn,NY • GM
Bravo TV New York, NY • Media
Letter Grade Brooklyn, NY • Food Safety
Starr Catering New York, NY • Caterer
Gia SanAngelo
Amanda Smeltz
Untitled & Studio Café New York, NY • Food & Beverage
Roberta’s And Blanca Brooklyn, NY • Chef
Christine Sanchez
Claudine Smith
Bold Restaurants New York, NY • Culinary
Dinex Group New York, NY • Food & Beverage
Arlene Saunders
Arlene Spiegel
Allied Metal Spinning Bronx, NY • Manufacturer
Arlene Spiegel & Associates New York,NY • Consultant
Elizabeth Schaible
Susan Spikes
NYC College Of Technology Brooklyn, NY • Education
Hill Country New York, NY • Hospitality
Sarah Ashley Schiear
Karen Stabiner
Sarah Ashley New York, NY • Catering
Columbia University New York, NY • Author
Lynne Schultz
Robin Standefer
Tri-State Marketing Ossining, NY • Equipment & Supplies
Roman And Williams New York, NY • Design
Nikita Scott
Jilly Stephens
New York City Hospitality Alliance New York,NY • Communications
City Harvest New York, NY • Charity
Neesha Seeruai
Jody Storch
Apple Metro Harrison, NY • HR
Peter Luger Steakhouse Brooklyn, NY • Owner
Beth Shapiro
Dawn Sweeney
Citymeals-on-Wheels New York, NY • Executive Director
NRA Chicago, IL • Association
Gail Sharry
Darci Tapia
New Haven Schools New Haven, CT • Schools
Barclay Center Brooklyn, NY • Caterer
Mimi Sheraton
Natalie Tapken
Mimi Sheraton Inc New York, NY • Media
B&B Winepub New York, NY • Liquor & Spirits
26 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Julie Rose Sweet Hospitality Group New York, NY Julie Rose is president and founder of Sweet Hospitality Group. Julie originally moved to NYC to write musical theater, her career in hospitality started when she began selling sodas and candy at a theater. Julie began to bake and people were buying them. After some help from some folks at the Restaurant Association, Julie found herself forming a concession business for theaters. It all progressed from that point; Julie began Cocktail on Broadway. When people began stealing our menus, they knew it was a success. From there Sweet Hospitality was born and has now become a staple for Broadway and Lincoln Center theatregoers. Julie embodies the ethos of Broadway with every show-inspired cocktail and gourmet food, feeding the senses in endless imaginative ways.
Daniela Soto-Innes Cosme, New York, NY Daniela Soto-Innes comes from a long line of women who love food and cooking. From her Grandmother teaching her to bake to being inspired in middle school from the only master chef in Texas at the time. At the age of 15 Daniela interned at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott, where she continued working for an additional three years. Daniela is a graduate of Le Cordon Blue College of Culinary Arts. Daniela was offered a full-time position working alongside Chef Enrique Olvera. As an opening Chef de Cuisine at Cosme, she worked alongside Olvera and fellow chef de cuisine, Mariana Villegas. Daniela is a rising star with her refreshing philosophy on food. Daniela believes that the simplest foods can inspire the imagination, most of all; she makes her dishes meaningful by finding the secret life in each ingredient. Daniela is also the winner of the 2016 James Beard Foundation Rising Star of the Year.
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 27
Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 26
Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org
Hong Thaimee
Patrice Vassell,
NGAM New York, NY • Chef/Owner
Telepan Restaurant New York, NY • Pastry Sous Chef
Roxanne Spruance
Gretchen Thomas
Bernadette Ventura
Kingsley, New York, NY
Barcelona Wine Bar New York, NY • Liquor & Spirits
SHFM Louisville, KY • Association
Christina Tosi
Candy Vidozich
Milk Bar New York, NY • Chef/Founder
Pomptonian Foods Fairfield, NJ • Schools
Lana Trevisan
Therese Virserius
Two Roads Hotels New York, NY • VP
Virserius Studio New York, NY • Design
Susan Ungaro
Gina Volaric
James Beard Foundation New York, NY • Education
Unilever Englewood Cliffs, NJ • Ice Cream
Roxanne Spruance is the executive Chef and Co-Owner of Kingsley, the Zagat 2017 Top Newcomer and Best American Restaurant in NYC. Roxanne has been in the kitchen from a young age where she would bake pies and bread with her dad and making and preserving jams with her mom. After deciding the kitchen was where she wanted to be she moved to New York City to work with Wylie Dufresne’s WD-50, when he was Food and Wine’s Best Chef in 2013. After two years she was offered a sous-chef position at Blue Hill. After her time training and working for acclaimed culinary chefs from all over the world Roxanne finally got to open Kinglsey. “Kingsley is my middle name and I’ve always known that I wanted to do my own restaurant. I knew that I needed to just do my own thing right now,” said Spruance. After opening Kingsley it has quickly become recognized as one of the top new restaurants in NYC.
Morgan Tucker Little M Tucker, Paterson, NJ It would seem that Morgan Tucker had no choice. Growing up in a family that built the largest foodservice distribution business on the East Coast, M. Tucker, it’s not likely that law or medicine would have held her interest for long. Instead, she decided to carry the company – founded by her father and grandfather – into the third generation, establishing herself and her imprint, Little M Tucker, which provides specialized equipment and restaurant supplies to a growing hub of high-end restaurants in Manhattan. She’s also an expert on tabletop trends and writes a monthly column for Total Food Service. After graduating with honors from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration in 2007, Morgan worked for New York’s Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group and Steve Hanson’s BR Guest Restaurant Group, before beginning her journey at M. Tucker. After seven years in her family business, Morgan currently oversees a highly successful distribution sales team in the company, passionately serving Manhattan’s hottest operations under the Little M Tucker brand as Director of Business Development. “I grew up in love with hospitality, but I had no intention of doing what my father did, being a CEO of a company and sitting behind a desk from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. I idolized Steve Hanson and that was what I wanted to be when I was a teenager,” Tucker says. The rest, as she says, is history. 28 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Victoria Vega Unidine Corp, Boston, MA In 2013 Unidine Corp. named Victoria Vega, Division Vice President for Business Services, where she now leads the company’s Corporate & Education Culinary Groups. Victoria refined her sales abilities as Director of Business Development at CulinArt. She also spent over a dozen years with Restaurant Associates as the Vice President of Operations for Corporate and Educational Dining with a client list including prominent financial companies, media organizations, key industry leaders and retail giants. Her career began with Aramark business services. An active member of SHFM, Victoria currently serves on the association’s board of directors. She received the Richard Ysmael Distinguished Service Award in 2014 for her service to the workplace hospitality industry. Victoria is also an original member of the Women’s Council Steering Committee and simultaneously served as the Chair of Education and later the Resources & Alliances committees. Victoria has also volunteered for committee roles with SHFM’s annual Critical Issues Conference, chairing the 2013 event and served as an advisor to the 35th Annual National Conference Planning Committee. As a UMass Amherst Alumni she also works with the UMass Steering Committee and is an Executive Leadership mentor for distinguished seniors.
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(327-9423)
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 29
Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 28
Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org
Holly Von Seggern
Laura Williamson
Karena Wu
Pamela Yung
HRV Marketing & Communications Islandia, NY • B&I
Mandarin Oriental New York, NY • Hotel
Active Care Physical Therapists New York, NY • Vendor
Semilla New York, NY • Chef
Louise Vongerichten
Melba Wilson
Food Dreams Foundation New York, NY • Founder
Melba’s New York, NY • Owner
Elizabeth Weiss
Erika Wasserman
Jane Witkin
Explore Cuisine Red Bank, NJ • VP
Verjus Maplewood, NJ • Chef/Owner
Stephanie Webster
Marjorie Wolfson
CT Bites Stamford, CT • Media
Cook For Kids White Plains, NY • Education
Melissa Weller
Kathleen Wood
Sadelle’s New York, NY • Owner/Baker
Kathleen Wood Partners New York, NY • Owner
Fatena Williams
Tren’ness Woods
Herald Square Hotel New York,NY • GM
Sylvia’s New York, NY • Chef/Owner
H. Weiss, Armonk, NY Elizabeth Weiss grew up in the restaurant equipment and design industry. Her father the late Lewis Weiss was an iconic figure in Metro New York foodservice. Liz Weiss and her brother Jim, represent the third generation of the family to work in the family operated enterprise. After attending Michigan State University, Liz joined the Westchester based business. She currently operates the firm’s Elizabeth Contracting Division that specializes in assisting Metro New York restaurants and foodservice professionals with the creation of tabletop strategies. Her monthly column in TFS educates and entertains readers looking to stay on top of the latest trends in tabletop design which has made her a nationally known figure.
The women leaders driving Women’s Foodservice Forum in 2017 would like to congratulate all of the top women in our industry of opportunity.
MARIE PERRY
HATTIE HILL
President & CEO
Women’s Foodservice Forum
CHAIR-ELECT EVP, Chief Administrative & Financial Officer
SUSAN ADZICK
DENNY MARIE POST
McLane Company, Inc.
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers & Brews
VP Sales & Marketing
Jamba Juice, Inc.
®
®
Learn about upcoming events at aldc.wff.org. 30 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
CEO
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December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 31
W
hen it comes to delivery, there are a lot of things to consider. Affordability, heating solutions, temperature requirements, packing specifications are all concerns for the food industry. This includes caterers, senior nutritionist, institutional food service, restaurants, and wholesale food purveyors. Delivery Concepts has been working over the past 25 years to provide the best solutions for every one of their clients. Granted that they are the masters of their craft we asked them to create a top 10. Here is Delivery Concepts top 10 things to consider when designing your temperature controlled catering vehicle. 1. Determine the type of delivery or catering you need a temp controlled vehicle for. i.e.: Home delivery, corporate drop off, and/or full service event catering. Deliveryconcepts.com is a great resource for ideas. 2. Most applications will call for a combination of events, so capacity for hot menu items and the ratio of cold items will need to be determined. 3. Once capacities are determined, the proper platform and size vehicle for conversion can be chosen. Delivery Concepts has relationships
Delivery Concepts develops and produces mobile kitchen trucks and helps franchises grow their franchise business through proprietary designed mobile kitchen trucks, that enhances branding and allows the franchisee an affordable entry into his or her own business. For more information contact Gary Sample via email gary@hotshotdelivers.com or call 800.255.5183
in place with dealerships all over the country – or you may choose to work through your own. 4. Vehicle conversions can range from 6’ to 26’ with cooking equipment options available. Delivery Concepts recommends you take into consideration corporate growth and increased sales when ordering your temperature controlled service vehicle. 5. Consider height restrictions for parking, urban settings and venues, and/or potential
32 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
need for 4 wheel drive when choosing your vehicle platform. 6. Will you need abundant storage space for chafing dishes, set ups, tables, etc.? Your vehicle can be configured to accommodate an entire event. 7. Refrigeration and Convection holding compartments are powered by the vehicles’ engine driven system. 110 volt 20amp electric standby may be a useful option. 8. With proper graphics, your
temperature controlled vehicle is a rolling billboard. Consider your logo and branding and how you would like them to look on your truck. Delivery Concepts offers graphic services that will work with you to design a high impact marketing stage while on the job. 9. Convection holding ovens are available for almost any small vehicle and can be used for local and home delivery as well as small “drop off” caterings. 10. Financing through all major vehicle manufacturers is available for the total up fit vehicle. We can also recommend a Lease Company, should you need one.
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 33
ASK ANDREW
FROM THE NYC HOSPITALITY ALLIANCE
Respect And Admiration For The Industry We Work Hard To Serve And Represent
I
t was an incredible experience for the NYC Hospitality Alliance team to curate nine chef demos and eight panel discussions at this year’s HX: Hotel Experience – From Rooms to Restaurant trade show that took place at the Jacob K. Javits Center on November 13-15th. The show brought together professionals from the hotel, food and beverage world to learn about products and services for their businesses and to share inspiration, information and innovation. This was the first year the NYC Hospitality Alliance was formally involved with the show. We took special care in selecting from our membership, a group of incredible hospitality industry professionals to discuss hot topics, cook up delicious dishes and mix great cocktails. The Alliance team, myself included, learned a lot. We were extremely proud of our members and thrilled to receive so much great feedback from attendees. And we’re still receiving it. After three days at the show we left with an even stronger respect and admiration for the industry we work hard to serve and represent. We had a lot of fun and it was terrific to see so many members and friends old and new, who
Andrew Rigie is the Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, a trade association formed in 2012 to foster the growth and vitality of the industry that has made New York City the Hospitality Capital
swung by our booth and presentation stages. Here are 3 highlights we learned from HX:ONSTAGE-RESTAURANTS & HX:COOKS 1. Talent Paired With Business Sense is the Recipe For Success When we recruited the talent for the HX:COOKS demos we contacted chefs and mixologists whom we know and love for their dishes, drinks, personalities and business sense. We focused on a diverse range of cuisines ranging from good Southern cooking to the spices of India and cocktails infused with tea. Going for the “Wow” factor, we wanted the audience to be dazzled with each splash, pinch, and stir. The dishes and drinks prepared on the HX:COOKS stage were delicious and proved that hard work and dedication is the key to success. The real secrets shared were not only the recipes, but also, how they set up their bar, source and prepare ingredients, and how their experiences influences their cuisine and cocktails. The chefs explained that it’s not enough to just be a passionate and talented cook, but being business minded is a must to find success.
34 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
of the World.
2. The Trends and Issues the Industry Faces are Intertwined The industry experts on the panels shared their insights on an array of topics from sustainability to employment law. Even though each panel had its own specific focus, common themes like employment law and workforce pressures kept coming up during all the panels. There was discussion about how sustainable business practices have an important impact on real estate, design and purchasing Technology, such as the “Instagramability” of dishes and properties is very important. Incorporating health and wellness programs like yoga and spinning classes on a hotel’s rooftop bar is a huge draw for guests. It even ties back to technology because they create images for impactful Instagram postings. A major takeaway for me was how every aspect of a business operation and guest experience are intertwined. And how much time, money and effort is spent making the guest experience memorable, and the business profitable, hopefully.
3. Embrace Change Without Sacrificing Identity The panels illustrated the ever changing landscape that exists in the hospitality industry. Nightlife has given rise to “Daylife” with many night clubgoers wanting to party under the afternoon sun. Traditional PR and marketing strategies are being complimented by digital applications and social media platforms. With so many options and recommendations to choose from, what is an operator to do? Change can be uncomfortable, yet it’s a necessary component of running a successful business. There is not a one size fits all solution when it comes to using the newest techniques and technology. Operators must understand their guests, understand their business model and implement strategies that allow them to enhance what they do best, not distract them from it. They should embrace change but do so in a way that allows them to be authentic and true to their company’s identity and culture.
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 35
SCOOP
INSIDER NEWS FROM METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE SCENE
Carousel Cakes cut the ribbon last month to celebrate the opening of the bakery’s newly expanded facility.
Rockland Expands
County
Baker
Scoop notes that Tri-State restaurant and food service operators and their dining patrons will soon have access to an expanded inventory of sweet menu offerings. Nanuet, NY’s Carousel Cakes cut the ribbon last month to celebrate the opening of the bakery’s newly expanded facility. In addition to being able to provide increased capacity for its restaurant and foodservice customers, the bakery now features more space, better displays and a window
allowing customers to see cakes being prepared. “We are very excited about this expansion,” noted Co-owner Nancy Finkelstein. The upgrade marks the first addition in some 31 years. Martin Lefkowitz opened the bakery in 1965, and the recipes for the bakery’s made-from-scratch goodies have stayed in the family. The Nanuet location opened in 1980, and the new expansion brings the shop a fresh new lobby and display cases. A glass window allows visitors to see the kitchen at work.
36 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
Oprah put Carousel Cakes’ Red Velvet cake on her Favorite Things list in 2009. The bakery then created two other flavors for Oprah. With 50 different cakes and 40 cupcakes, Carousel Cakes serves as one of the Tri-State foodservice industry’s leading dessert resources.
Gabriel Kreuther
Chocolatier Opens In Midtown Space Scoop hears that Gabriel Kreuther knew that his longtime pastry chef, Marc Aumont, fantasized about running his own chocolate shop. So when there was an empty space next to Mr. Kreuther’s eponymous Midtown restaurant, he seized the opportunity. Last month, Kreuther Handcrafted Chocolate opened in the 15-seat space, which has a glassenclosed kitchen so customers can see the chocolatiers at work. “Mr. Aumont and his team are preparing as many as 30 flavors,” Kreuther said, including unusual combina-
tions like pistachio with rosemary, and mango, Aleppo pepper and passion fruit. “I pushed him to use a lot of spices and herbs in the chocolates,” Kreuther said. “I think that was the beginning of a really nice collaboration. There will also be a line of macaroons that take inspiration from the New York cheesecake,” Kreuther said. “While Mr. Kreuther is involved, Mr. Aumont, a colleague for 12 years, is really the driver of it,” Aumont said. “We complement each other very well.”
It’s ‘Chow’ Time At Brooklyn Food Museum Scoop notes as part of Brooklyn’s
Chow: Making the Chinese American Restaurant celebrates the birth and evolution of Chinese American cuisine, tracing its 170-year history and sparking conversation about food culture, immigration, and what it means to be American.
Museum of Food and Drink’s exhibit “Chow: Making the Chinese American Restaurant,” which opened last month at its MOFAD Lab location, organizers put together an installation featuring 7,250 takeout containers. Each one represents seven of the roughly 50,000 Chinese restaurants in the U.S. “It’s a striking visual feature,” said Peter J. Kim, the Brooklyn-based museum’s executive director. The exhibit includes a display of dozens of Chinese restaurant menus, some going as far back as the early 20th century, as well as
live demonstrations of a machine that can crank out 650 fortune cookies an hour.
Great American Brokerage Sells Grand Central Oyster Bar’s Brooklyn Unit Scoop notes that Paul Fetscher CCIM, SCLS, president of Great American Brokerage has closed the sale of the Grand Central Oyster Bar located in Park Slope section of Brooklyn, NY. The space consists of 5,400 SF of Ground Floor plus full basement, on Fifth Avenue. The
Grand Central Oyster Bar in Park Slope, Brooklyn
buyer is The Best Restaurant Group, owner and operator of other Manhattan and Brooklyn restaurants. The space will undergo substantial renovation to combine the three town house spaces and establish a better customer flow and experience in this restaurant space. Look for an early 2017 opening of Cooks & Captains, a chef driven restaurant featuring a stone hearth oven and artisanal ingredients. The Grand Central Oyster Bar flagship restaurant continues to operate in Manhattan’s Grand central station with
a franchised operation in Tokyo Japan.
Flix & Food In Style At South Street Seaport Scoop notes that New Yorkers who get their first look at and taste of the city’s first iPic cinema complex at the South Street Seaport last month might be awed if they’ve never been to one of iPic entertainment’s 14 other destinations around the US. At landmark Fulton Market Build-
continued on page 38
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 37
Scoop, from page 37
ing boasts eight screens and 501 seats. Plush, reclining seats similar to those in a first-class airline cabin and food prepared by an awardwinning chef that’s served as you watch a film, are far more upscale than even the fanciest of other cinemas in New York. Via iPic.com and a dedicated app, customers can easily book showings not only the movie and time but also exactly which seats. There are two seating options, Premium and Premium Plus. The former includes regular or chaise lounge seats; customers can bring food from an iPic Express counter to the seats. Premium Plus means reclining leather seats built into pods with pillows, blankets and “unlimited free popcorn.” They’re arrayed in pairs separated by aisles, so customers can have pre-ordered meals and cocktails delivered to seats by
Large Japanese Restaurant Sets Sights On Manhattan Scoop sees on the heels of recently launched Ichiran and TsurutonTan, comes Naoki, to open at 311 W. 17th Street. Naoki is owned by Create Restaurant Holdings, which has nearly 800 eateries worldwide. It appears to be named for company managing director Naoki Takahashi, who, according to a liquor license application, “will be moving to New York City in fall 2016.” The location has 2,400 square feet on two levels. The asking rent was $210,000 a year.
Japanese restaurant chain Naoki is opening its first location in NYC.
“ninja” serves who can’t block anyone’s view of the screen. Brooklyn, -born Sherry Yard, the chief operating officer for iPic’s restaurant division, was Wolfgang Puck’s executive
pastry chef for 20 years. She’s a Food Network star, the author of several books and a three-time James Beard Foundation award winner.
continued on page 40
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145 Rockland Rd., Roscoe NY | 607.290.5002 | RoscoeBeerCompany.com 38 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 39
Scoop, from page 38
The Empire State Building Is Adding More Mexican Food to Its Diet Scoop sees that Tacombi will open its fifth NYC taqueria and bar on the West 33rd Street side of the tower. In keeping with the Art Deco era, the 5,532 square foot Salon Imperio will be newly constructed to resemble that simpler period. The eatery started out of a Volkswagen taco truck and features sustainable ingredients.Tacombi is a hospitality company focused on sharing its love of Mexican taco culture through neighboorhood taquerias. The concept was born on the balmy beaches of the Yucatan in 2005 serving tacos out of a VW bus. The goal was to bring the concept to New York and deliver old-world “Mexican hospitality.” The opening of the initial Manhattan unit Tacombi Flatiron. brought a traditional Mex-
ico City-style cafe and dining room offering coffee from Veracruz, fresh pastries, made-to-order Mexican juices and Tacombi’s signature tacos. Tacombi has built its growth in NYC by continuing to make everything from scratch with sustainably sourced ingredients, including the corn and flour tortillas that roll out all day long from an on-site tortilleria.
NYC’s Jeffrey Beers Designs Floating Jewel Scoop notes from a new partnership with a renowned French chef to its longest-ever World Cruise, Princess Cruises has announced a lineup of new initiatives. The line has inked a partnership with three-Michelin star Chef Emmanuel Renaut to develop the cruise line’s next specialty restaurant concept. “La Mer – A French Bistro by Emmanuel Renaut”
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will debut aboard Majestic Princess in April 2017. The cruise line’s newest ship tailored for the China market is being designed by New York designer Jeffrey Beers. Followed by the partnership announcement with another Michelin star Chef Richard Chen, serving his interpretation of classic Cantonese dishes at Harmony, Majestic Princess will be the only cruise ship that offers two specialty dinner menus designed by Michelin star chefs at sea in China, Princess said. Emmanuel Renaut is the Executive Chef of three Michelin star restaurant “Flocons de Sel,” located in the French Alps village of Megève. Flocons de Sel was awarded its third Michelin star in 2012, having earned its first Michelin star in 2004 and a second in 2006. Before establishing the restaurant in 1998, Chef Renaut cooked in some of the finest kitchens in Paris
and London, including Hotel de Crillon, Claridge’s and three-Michelin star Auberge de l’Eridan as sous chef to the celebrated Marc Veyrat. Billed as an authentic yet updated Parisian bistro experience, La Mer will serve a fine dining dinner menu created by Chef Renaut, including both favorites from his Flocons Bistrot menu, as well as new concepts developed for La Mer. This specialty dinner experience will include a to-be-determined cover charge. In addition, La Mer will offer complimentary lunch and breakfast options created by the Princess culinary teams. Departing April 4, 2017, the Majestic Princess will sail on its inaugural voyage, a five-day Adriatic Sea cruise round trip from Rome with stops in Kotor and Corfu.
continued on page 42
BOOTH #608
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 41
Scoop, from page 40
Zakarian To Host Sotheby’s NYC Food Festival Scoop says Our Town’s Art of Food is back for its second year. More than 20 top chefs will create dishes inspired by art curated by Sotheby’s for the event, which will be held Feb. 4 at Sotheby’s New York. The night will be hosted by Food Network’s Chef Geoffrey Zakarian (“Chopped,” “The Kitchen” and “Cooks vs. Cons”), the owner of The
Lambs Club, The National in NYC, The National in Greenwich, and Atlantic City’s The Water Club at Borgata, and his wife, Margaret, president of Zakarian Hospitality. Participating chefs include Vaucluse’s Michael White, Atlantic Grill’s Joyce Rivera, Bohemian Spirit Restaurant’s Lukas Pohl, Cafe D’Alsace’s Philippe Roussel, East Pole and Eastfields’ Joseph Capozzi and Magnolia Bakery’s Bobbie Lloyd. VIP/early access tickets are $185. General admission tickets are $105.
New App Serves Up Cheap Late-Night Meals
Geoffrey Zakarian
Scoop says there’s a new app in development that might actually make you want to wait until late at night to make dinner plans. The reward will be a gourmet meal at a discount price that kind of helps the environment, too. Food for All would let you
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buy food restaurants have left over just before they close for the night. Just to clarify, you are not buying someone else’s leftovers, but rather food that didn’t sell, which restaurants would otherwise be throwing away. The app allows you to enter your location and choose from restaurants near you, where you can schedule a pickup. The restaurants will not provide menus, but with prices of 50 to 80% off, you might be happy to get whatever they’re serving. “My family back in Mexico comes from the hospitality business,” founder David Rodriguez said of why he began developing the app while finishing his MBA at Hult International Business School, in Cambridge, MA. “I saw how much food was wasted in hotels, restaurants and venues...I wanted to do something about it.” According to the app’s Kickstarter page, restau-
rants, caterers, and other vendors in the U.S. throw away about 43 billion pounds of food every year. This waste has a significant environmental impact — from the natural resources spent producing this food for no reason to the transport and disposal of unused food in landfills. One solution to this problem is the ongoing effort of organizations such as New York’s City Harvest, which picks up leftover food from restaurants, bakeries, and supermarkets and delivers it to food banks. Still, there’s more to be done. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Sustainable Technologies and Health Program has collaborated with Rodriguez on the app, which is in beta testing at restaurants in Cambridge. The Kickstarter campaign hopes to finish the product in time to launch in Boston and New York by July 2017.
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 43
LITTLE M. TUCKER
WITH MORGAN TUCKER
A ‘Journee’ Toward Lifestyle Changes for 2017
O
ne of the things that makes our youthful sales team so successful is our approach to continuous development. We are addicted to endless schooling in all ways and this is why we are still obsessed with Journee. My good friend, Sam Appel, oversees community outreach and programming at Journee. Created to foster growth in the hospitality ecosystem by providing industry professionals with unique courses, they provide a diversity of platforms for ongoing industry education. Not only have we featured Journee in this publication on a few occasions, we have also had many Journee’s educators and speakers on the cover of our very own TFS. On a constant mission to participate in and support the evolution of change in our dynamic industry, I decided to take lunch with our NYC district sales manager (Katie McNamara) and business development manager (Tess Rex) to attend Journee’s signature speaker series entitled ‘At the Pass.’ Once a month, Sam invites six
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” - Winston Churchill industry tastemakers to present a personal perspective on an important topic. This speaker series earned its name from the pivotal axis where the kitchen and the dining room meet. Her panels of FOH and BOH influencers are artfully curated to offer a balance of humor and honesty. Authentic interpretations of Love vs. Must and the personal struggle to balance these combative ideals was the subject of each 15-minute presentation last month. Up next month is a discussion of what we have inherited and what we hope to leave behind. It was collectively obvious that each speaker and audience member is driven by their love for lifting others and their obsession to participate in life’s greatest celebratory moments.
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Please consider joining the Journee community as you prepare for 2017. For $1 a day, you an access their classes, events, and a digital library of inspirational presentations. If you are motivated to succeed by doing what others are unwilling to do, this is the crowd for you. yourjournee.com. Looking to pay it forward in another way? The AIWF NYC Scholarship Program sends one deserving individual on a culinary sabbatical and is about to award its 2016 recipient. Join me in supporting culinary exploration by becoming a member of aiwfnyc.org. This year, make a resolution that will enrich your life or the lives of others. Another organization that recently pulled at my heart strings and got me to stretch well outside of my financial comfort zone was the Autism Speaks Gala. I had the privilege of attending as a guest of Matfer Bourgeat to witness a great personal friend and supporter of The Singer Equipment Companies, Franklin Becker, honored for his work with Pop Earth. If you have the ability and the means to make a donation to his special organization, please consider doing so. Visit popearth.org to learn more, or just ask me!
Morgan Tucker is Director of Business Development at M. Tucker, a division of Singer Equipment Company. Ms. Tucker works with a wide diversity of acclaimed restaurateurs, celebrated chefs, and industry leaders across the U.S. Her website littlemtucker.com is an exceptional resource for equipment and supplies solutions. Morgan is based in NYC and can be reached at mptucker@mtucker.com.
mptucker@mtucker.com. And if you feel particularly generous this giving season, please also consider supporting my Chef’s Cycle Campaign for No Kid Hungry. Over Thanksgiving we kicked off our 2017 crusade to end childhood hunger in America. Chefscycle.org. I’m not waiting until January to make a resolution, will you? Instead, make a lifestyle change with me today. You’ll love what you changed for, if you changed for the right reasons.
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 45
HUB ON INSURANCE
BY ROBERT FIORITO & DENNIS FISZER
ACA Changes Ahead But Staying Course Remains Prudent
T
he election of Donald Trump as President of the United States generates new ambiguity in the already complex world of health care reform. This article shares observations about the road ahead based on the new political landscape and the concepts most likely driving the new vision of health reform. Although President-Elect Donald Trump and Vice-President-elect Michael Pence have not yet released a detailed proposal, each has spoken numerous times about health reform during the campaign. Those speeches and the recent appointment of Andrew Bremberg to lead the Health & Human Services transition team give us a window into policy views that President-elect Trump is likely to support. An overview of such possible health reform initiatives is outlined below. Executive Summary President-elect Trump actively campaigned on ACA “repeal and replace,” and the Republican majorities in Congress suggest a greater likelihood for wholesale changes... but change is not necessarily guaranteed. Nor is it guaranteed that the new wave of reform, if passed, will make individuals or employers entirely happy. There were several key areas that Mr. Trump addressed in his campaign: • Allow individuals to fully deduct the cost of health insurance • Allow insurance to be sold across state lines
This article shares observations about the road ahead based on the new political landscape and the concepts most likely driving the new vision of health reform. • Expand Medicaid grants to states • Remove barriers to free markets for drug products • Expanded use of Health Savings Accounts (HSA) Even with the House and Senate majority, the Republicans do not have enough votes to force a complete ACA repeal. (In fact, they lack enough control to overcome a filibuster.) On the other hand, the GOP will hold broad power to direct ACArelated spending and to change tax provisions embedded in the law. Health Insurance Deduction Individuals would be allowed to fully deduct their health insurance premiums. Although limited deduction for health expenses (not premiums) is currently allowed when expenses exceed a specific IRS threshold, as a general matter only people with very significant expenses see any meaningful tax relief. Expanded deduction for premiums may help spur coverage, but the deduction would also reduce federal revenue and require more tax revenue elsewhere. Buying Health Insurance across State Lines Republicans have championed
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this idea for decades. In its simplest form, the concept would enable employers based in one state to access coverage written in another state. (For example, a New York-based employer stuck with an unwanted “small group” designation seeks to buy coverage from another state with a more desirable insurance market.) On its face, this change would appear positive, but such a rule could quickly erode the viability of local markets. Network issues may also create a practical or operational barrier. There are also financial concerns about policy pricing changes based on coverage obtained in a less expensive state being used to deliver coverage in a more expensive location. (For example, Missouri versus California.) Expand Medicaid In addressing problematic aspects of the ACA, President-elect Trump has proposed expanding Medicaid grants to the states and enabling the states to cover more of the local population. How would he fund this expansion? Anticipated offsets from approximately $11 billion now being funded by the federal government to pay for undocumented individuals
Robert Fiorito serves as Vice President, HUB International Northeast., where he specializes in providing insurance brokerage services to the restaurant industry. As a 20-year veteran and former restaurateur himself, Bob has worked with a wide array of restaurant and food service businesses, ranging from fast-food chains to upscale, “white tablecloth” dining establishments. For more information, please visit www.hubfiorito.com.
Dennis Fiszer currently serves as First Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer for HUB International – East Region. He provides compliance and consulting services regarding health plans and other employee benefits. Dennis can be reached by phone at 212-338-2823 or at dennis.fiszer@ hubinternational.com.
who utilize federal and state governments for benefits for which they are not eligible. Although different
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December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 47
NEWS
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
It’s Your Restaurant. Run It Like You Mean It.
I
n the 21st century, technology is everywhere and the restaurant and foodservice industry is one of the largest in our modern world. So, why don’t technology and restaurants mix? There are 14 million Americans who show up to work at a restaurant every day, which is 10% of the American workforce working in an industry that is hesitant to grow alongside its technology counterpart. Upserve is a user-first, smart restaurant management assistant designed to create a smoother, streamlined, restaurant experience. Paul Goetz, Upserve’s CRO, sat down to speak with us about the status of the restaurant industry and what Upserve can do for your restaurant. Goetz recognizes that the restaurateur journey isn’t always easy, “We’re passionate about making some of the hardships they face easier so they can focus on bringing their restaurant vision to life,” said Goetz. Let’s face the facts, the restaurant industry is brutal and risky, it has razor thin margins and essentially gets no help from technology. “Our vision is to really help restaurateurs focus on the delivery of their artistic vision by making technology extremely easy to use and available to them wherever they happen to be,” Goetz states. When you’re working on creating technology for an industry it is essential that you’ve experienced what it’s like to work within its walls to know what you need to succeed. Upserve staff consists of what they like to re-
Products like Upserve can benefit your restaurant in both front and back of house.
fer to as “restaurant survivors,” in other words, those who have worked in the restaurant industry. This allows Upserve to truly understand the intricacies of a full service restaurant so they can continue to develop their product to make it easier for operators to succeed. Upserve is able to take the competitiveness out and instead, create cooperation so that they can build the best possible experience for their users. According to the US economic census, 98% of restaurants are between one and three locations. These are local businesses, built by local people, who are trying to create a vision and pursue their passion. In a world full of giant corporations, innovative technology is hard to find for such small, local businesses. And in the restaurant industry, Micros, a point-of-sale system used in hotels and restaurants, used to be one of the only options. Goetz remarks, “Micros was bought by Oracle, who is pivoting away from
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serving small and medium businesses. They started to focus more on larger hotel chains. We view that differently and we are excited about helping restaurateurs fulfill their vision with technology that’s incredibly powerful, easy to use, and very mobile.” In an age where size is everything, Upserve offers a tablet-based userfriendly interface via SaaS cloud delivery. The future’s looking bright as the full-service restaurant industry is bouncing back from the recession and it’s growing rapidly. “Essentially there’s a bounce-back from almost $182 billion in sales to almost $260 billion in sales. So percentage-wise, we’re seeing a very nice rebound there and it goes with a big secular trend. For the first time ever, Americans are spending more eating out than on food prepared at home,” Goetz stated. It’s the restaurateurs time to take advantage of this opportunity by optimizing the guest experience, streamlining their front-of-house and back-of-house
operations, and growing their bottom line. With all that said, the industry has witnessed improvements in how technology enhances how businesses are run, increases profitability, and improves efficiency. But, how do you divide and grow the pie? “That’s our focus, it’s helping restaurateurs grow the pie by having the right menu that clients want and understanding the performance of the items in that menu,” said Goetz. Upserve provides its users with a wide variety of restaurant management features. For Upserve, this splits into two categories: the smart management assistant and the point-ofsale solution. “This is a way in which we essentially give a restaurant General Manager a virtual assistant that does a lot of work for them and gets them key information at the right time,” said Goetz. The tablet-based POS also provides restaurant operators with a system that takes orders, relays the orders, and cashes them out with Upserve’s payment services. Upserve delivers their service from the cloud, which allows them to keep it constantly up to date while providing 24/7 support for their customers. Upserve is designed for the user with the sole focus of allowing you, the restaurateur, to pursue your restaurant vision while running a smooth restaurant operation that exceeds guest expectations. To learn more about Upserve call 855-664-3887 or visit them online at upserve.com
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December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 49
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
WITH FRED SAMPSON
Some Afterthoughts On Tipping
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t appears that the much discussed issue of either instituting mandatory tipping, adjusting menu prices to abolish tipping, or continuing to have voluntary tipping has, for the most part, been settled. Most operators are staying with allowing guests to decide the tip amount. One group, Waiterpay.com, conducted a survey to get the servers’ point of view. They sampled a group of about 200 restaurant workers, the majority from the tri-state area, and
asked how they thought “no tipping” would affect their work performance and livelihood. Please note that the following reflects the survey exactly. According to the survey, 78% of participants believed there was a direct correlation between tips and service, agreeing that the “quality of service greatly affects tips.” When asked, “How will a no-tipping policy affect the quality of service you provide to customers?”: 38% of survey takers said they believe the no-tipping
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policy will significantly reduce the quality of service they provide to customers; 30% of survey takers said they believe the no-tipping policy will not affect the quality of service they provide to customers; 32% of survey takers said they believe the no-tipping policy would slightly reduce the quality of service they provide to customers. When asked, “Do you believe earning a higher hourly wage and eliminat-
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Fred G. Sampson is the retired President Emeritus of the New York State Restaurant Association. He began working with NYSRA in 1961. Within the next four years the NYSRA more than tripled its membership and expanded from one regional chapter to eight. Sampson played roles in representing restaurants on issues including paid sick leave, minimum wage, liquor laws, a statewide alcohol training program and insurance plans. Comments may be sent to fredgsampson@juno.com
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 51
NEWS
EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY SERVICE
New NYC-Based App Takes Guesswork Out Of Finding And Hiring Dependable Commercial Restaurant Repair Services
W
hat if getting someone great to fix your restaurant’s equipment problems – or even patch the hole in your ceiling – was as easy as hailing a ride? “The best way to describe SendaGuy Now is to think of this as the ‘Uber’ of restaurant repairs and maintenance,” said Steve Keltz, Chief Marketing Guy. “SendaGuy Now is a mobile app that provides New York City chefs, managers and kitchen staff at a variety of different types of restaurants with what we call ‘Restaurant Repairs On Demand.’” How does it work? Let’s say you’re a chef or a pizza maker, and your Hoshizaki icemaker or your Baker’s Pride pizza oven is down, and you can’t operate your kitchen. “With SendaGuy Now, you go into the app, enter your location, enter what’s specifically broken, and indicate when you need someone to come - even if it’s within the next few hours. The app automatically matches the details of the restaurant’s service request, with the credentials and skills of a qualified repairman who’s already working nearby,” Keltz explained. “We’re not just sending any guy with a hammer. Our technology matches specifically credentialed contractors in a variety of trades who can service a specific piece of equipment when you need them.” The company is currently focusing on independently owned and -managed restaurants in Manhattan. “That’s anyone from the corner restaurant, to a Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee, all the way up to a hospitality group that operates many restaurants, all under different
names and managers,” he noted. The app essentially helps foodservice operators get things fixed when they don’t necessarily have quality relationships in place or when their regular guy isn’t available. “Our mission ultimately is to educate restaurant owners about the importance of maintaining and repairing their equipment properly,” Keltz noted. SendaGuy Now’s parent company is ServiceChannel, the leading SaaS service automation platform for facilities managers and contractors, which was originally founded on the idea of helping contractors report service data to their large retail and restaurant customers. “Helping contractors is in our DNA,” he reported. For more than 15 years, ServiceChannel has been providing enterprise software to retail and restaurant chains to manage their contractor networks worldwide. “We have years of data about restaurant equipment repairs and maintenance which puts us in a great position to educate the independent restaurant owner.” SendaGuy Now is a solution for independently owned restaurants, franchisees and hospitality groups that don’t have relationships with quality service providers but need help fast when they need repairs and maintenance. SendaGuy Now maintains that it’s a two-sided equation. “On one side is the restaurant owner
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or foodservice professional and on the other is the service professional. “If you look around the streets of New York City, there are hundreds of service vans parked all day long doing work for contract clients. We know that they’re not always busy. They have excess capacity. So we can basically identify and use that capacity to work for smaller restaurants that they’re not currently in contract with. It’s a win-win.” Currently, the three most common service requests SendaGuy Now gets are commercial cooking equipment, handyman services, and refrigeration work. “We also cover plumbing, electrical, fire safety, even junk removal. Handyman services are an interesting thing because we found more and more restaurants are looking for this,” he asserted. “They may not have equipment that’s broken today, but they could use some handyman services. So we started to beef up our handyman resources because we saw a real need. It could be anything from fixing tiles to a hole in the ceiling that needs to be patched or doors that need to be hung correctly, etc. It could be anything.” SendaGuy Now will also send someone to a restaurant site to do a complimentary equipment survey. “A lot of times restaurants have inherited used equipment that they don’t really know the condition of,” Keltz said. “So it’s
a good idea to have somebody come in to check things out, especially right before the holidays, it’s a must. We’ll go in and look at everything they have and give them a report that says, here’s what we see, here’s what we suggest,” he continued. “There’s no charge for the report. We’re offering essentially a no-obligation analysis to show you what the restaurant staff can perform and what you will need a contractor for. This way you’re not paying for services you don’t get or need.” SendaGuy Now is also working on an asset-tagging program. “We survey all your equipment for you and tag each item. Down the road contractors will basically just tap their phone to the tag on each piece of equipment. Our system will then pull up the service history of that piece of equipment. Saving the technician time and the restaurant money,” he added. Contractors servicing Manhattan restaurants are embracing the SendaGuy Now model. “We are a lead generator for a service contractor,” Keltz added “We guarantee that a contractor’s diagnostic fee will be paid once he accepts the job and shows up at the location. That takes a lot of risk out of it for the contractor,” Keltz noted. “The goal of a mobile app like ours, similar to what people experience on Uber, is that it becomes second nature. It naturally just works without you actually having to speak to anybody. You don’t even have to be at the location receiving service. The idea is that, wherever you are, you can manage re-
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Introducing Restaurant Repairs ON-DEMAND Sendaguy Now is the "UBER" of Restaurant repairs
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SendaGuy Now is the new mobile app that’s changing the way NYC restaurants order and receive quality equipment repair services
“It’s about time!
This is cool, this is where we should be in terms of technology and the restaurant repair industry.”
DOWNLOAD THE APP OR CALL 800 •214 •5410 FOR SERVICE
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www.sendaguy.com RESTAURANT REPAIRS ON DEMAND
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 53
F
or almost 30 years, Premium Blend has been helping restaurant owners across America attract new customers, provide their customers with greater beverage choices, and substantially increase beverage profits. Premium Blend’s specially formulated and federally and state approved wine based liquor substitutes, cordials and cream specialty products have allowed restaurant owners to compete with their full liquor (distilled spirits) counterparts. No individual wanting to open a restaurant should forge ahead without consulting with the local, state, and federal authorities, to make sure that they have all of the required licensing necessary to operate a successful venture. I would recommend to anyone wanting to open or operate a restaurant to check out all of the available resources, beginning with national and state restaurant and industry associations. Restaurant associations are a great resource and can provide valuable assistance to anyone thinking of opening or operating a restaurant.
The focus of this article will be on liquor licensing solutions. In this article, I will discuss how restaurant owners can effectively compete with their full liquor (distilled spirits) counterparts and will try to dispel any myths related to alcohol or establishing a “cocktail beverage program” using Premium Blend wine based or low proof liquor substitutes, cordials and cream specialty products. What Premium Blend does – see video at https://youtu.be/ RSQK3HKcHbA What do restaurant owners everywhere need to know about opening or operating a restaurant and taking advantage of Premium Blend’s liquor license solutions in order to have a successful and profitable beverage program? I’d like to share ten things ALL restaurant owners need to know before opening or operating a restau-
Reydel “Sonny” Santos is currently Vice President of Operations for Premium Blend and oversees all Distributor Sales and Customer Service. Premium Blend is a family owned and operated business and has the largest selection of wine based liquor substitutes, cordials, and cream specialty products of any supplier or brand owner that serves on-premise and off-premise venues with limited alcoholic beverage licenses (beer/wine or wine licensed only). For information on becoming a Premium Blend distributor or buying Premium Blend products, contact Sonny Santos at sonny@premiumblend.com.
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rant in New York or New Jersey, and available liquor license solutions.
continued on page 112
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 55
MEET THE NEWSMAKER
Paul Weintraub
American Trading Company A Q&A On Choosing Outdoor Hospitality Furniture For Your Restaurant Or Club
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urniture may not be the most prominent thing on your mind when opening a restaurant or club even though it should be. A Restaurant’s furniture is one of the first things your customer will see, before the menu, sometimes even before they see the name of your establishment. If they are driving by and see comfortable outdoor seating it provides a certain level of intrigue and excitement for your customer. We sat down with Paul Weintraub of American Trading Company to learn some more on the importance of outdoor hospitality furniture. What are some important factors to consider in purchasing outdoor furniture? There are many, but it is critical to remember that we ask outdoor furniture to do much more than indoor furniture. Such as? They have to be durable of course, and comfortable, but also lightweight since they often must be stacked and moved inside or chained up, and they have to resist the weather, exhaust fumes, bird droppings, freezing temperatures and broiling sun. I hadn’t really thought about that. What about using patio furni-
have it look good for many seasons of use. Cheap furniture is made of lighter weight materials that will break or corrode. It often won’t be as comfortable, and it won’t reflect well on you.
ture from Sam’s, or Lowes, or a patio store? They are good for outside, aren’t they? Not really the same thing. For home use, you might actually use the furniture a couple of times a week. But in your restaurant, you will have someone sitting in a chair several times a day, every day. Also, the size and scale of home furniture is usually much too large for a restaurant. And don’t forget the warranty ...it won’t be valid for commercial use if you buy residential furniture. Good points, I hadn’t thought about that either. But what is the best material to use? I want it to look nice for a long time. The location has a role to play. If you are near salt water, even anodized aluminum and stainless steel
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will need to be rinsed frequently in fresh water. Cast aluminum is a good choice, and reinforced resin or woven polyethylenes are good choices. Stainless steel works well, but all need to be maintained. What about Teak? Teak won’t corrode of course but it will need to be oiled or varnished to protect it. It is good for seating, but not so good for tables as alcohol, sugar, salad dressings, will stain it and make it sticky. Better use for seating or trim. I am in a seasonal location so I don’t want to spend a lot of money. What do you suggest? There are good values available, but you get what you pay for. Remember, you want to be able to store the furniture in the “off” season and
So how do I judge the quality? Sit in it. Buy from a reputable dealer. Ask for references. Use good judgment...think about the life cost, not just the first cost. Be sure it will stack well without damage. Remember, in pictures you can’t see how thick the metal is, or really judge how comfortable it is. Get samples, go to trade shows. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Get at least a two-year warranty. What about umbrellas? What you are really buying is shade. Don’t get caught up in details. Again, look for good quality in the basics. You want reinforced pockets for the ribs, not screws. You want awning weight acrylic fabric, not upholstery weight. You need a good base. I nearly forgot about tables. Tables are key. Mesh tables let drinks spill on the patrons...not good. Granite and marble can chip and are heavy. Solid surfaces can fade and are expensive. Molded laminate like Werzalit is a good choice and a good value.
BOOTH #4227
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 57
SEDERHOLT ON RESTAURANT FINANCE
Financial Crystal Ball for 2017
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n my last article I told readers that regardless of who became president that little would change for small business owners in the trenches. Well, I’m sticking to that prediction, even in light of the upset by the self-proclaimed “probusiness” candidate. Sorry guys – but big changes aren’t going to happen for small businesses. For foodservice operations and the vendors that provide them with their supplies the question is very simple. Will there be more customers who can spend more money in my business and will my costs go down so I can be profitable? Let’s look into the crystal ball and see which important issues will be affected and what that means for you. Since our industry is a “leading indicator” for the overall economy, this is an important exercise for us to explore. • Taxes – The new administration said they are going to slash taxes, which means more money to spend and the economy will boom – right?? Tax cuts are always a good thing for businesses, but who will actually benefit and what are the ramifications? The sound bites are very convincing, but….. • The reality of cutting corporate taxes to 15% is that it will only benefit larger corporations – not the average small business owner. Despite claims to the contrary, the new tax plan is not friendly to small businesses, which
David Sederholt is the Chief Operating Officer of Strategic Funding, a leader in small business financing since 2006. Before this, David spent 30 years in the restaurant business and has owned and operated more
Will there be more customers who can spend more money in my business and will my costs go down so I can be profitable?
than a dozen restaurants. As a direct lender, the company offers a variety of financing options and has provided over $1.25 Billion to approximately 20,000 businesses across the United States and Australia.
typically have pass-through tax structures like LLCs, partnerships and sole proprietorships. The taxes are paid by the owner as personal income not as corporate taxes. Ironically, these middle class business owners will have a personal tax rate that is far higher than the corporate rate and, in many cases it is going up - therefore taxes will actually cost them far more. Bigger companies like suppliers and wholesalers however will enjoy the tax break, but don’t expect them to pass through the benefits by reducing their prices. So unless you have a fairly large, profitable company, a lower corporate tax rate means little or nothing to you. • What about the promised personal income tax cuts? Won’t cuts stimulate the economy by giving people more money to spend? Once again, I’m sorry to say that the proposed tax cut will only benefit high income earners. Most average working people will actually pay more. One example of a single parent with 2 kids earning $75,000 shows them paying $2,440 MORE in taxes, not less. For other upper middle-class families (earning well over $100,000) the tax cut will only be about 2%, but the richest top tier of Americans will get an average
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windfall of 13.5%. Some sources argue that the elimination of the Alternative Minimum Tax provisions will cost many average income earners even more in taxes. Not exactly a stimulus helping working class people to eat out more. • Hourly Wages – Many of the restaurateurs and suppliers I have spoken to look at this as one of the biggest issues they are facing, but it is not one being driven by the feds. Most of the push on this issue is coming from state governments, so we shouldn’t expect this issue to slow down. Companies like McDonalds have said they would fully automate their operations if they face a $15 per hour minimum wage. Now there is an economy killer for you! If the under employed can’t get a job in McD’s what is left for them, a job at DMV? • Bringing Jobs Back to the US – The dream is a good one and the logic is that if the American working guy has money in his pocket, he can spend it in your business. Makes perfect sense. You also know that one of the biggest expenses for a business is labor and benefits. Ask yourself - if
you could operate your business with 1/3 the labor cost you currently have – would you? Dumb question right? So why would a sophisticated corporate management team choose to dramatically increase their labor costs by replacing cheap offshore labor with high priced American workers? Don’t expect the new administration to tell business owners to “do as I say, not as I do” and force other American companies to stop using cheaper off shore labor. It goes against everything they built their organization on. • Immigration – OK guys – let’s get real honest here. Build a wall and your labor costs will go up. The restaurant and foodservice industry is one of the sectors that is most guilty for hiring and supporting legal or illegal immigrant labor. The fact is that they take the jobs that most Americans won’t touch and accept lower pay, often being paid under the table. American business owners and customers both benefit from this labor pool in the form of lower costs and lower prices to the customer. Believe me,
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December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 59
NEWS MENU SOLUTIONS From Their Tomato Fields To Your Kitchen, Mutti Parma Is Bringing The Best Out Of Every Tomato
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hey only believe in using tomatoes when they are in season. They monitor the growing season and harvest almost every second. So you’re never going to get tiny, flavorless tomatoes your diners will know came from a can. If you’re looking for the freshest tomato paste and tomato products out there, Mutti is the one for you. Established in Northern Italy, in the middle of the Food Valley of Italy, near the city of Parma (where Parmigiano Reggiano and prosciutto come from), the third-generation company was founded in 1899 and launched its products in the U.S. in 2012. “The excellence of Italian food products comes from that region,” said Steve Malin, foodservice director for business development. “In the early ‘50s, Mutti created a product that is now very wellknown, tomato paste in the squeezable tube. And then later on, in the ‘70s, or early ‘80s, the family thought about expanding, which led to a wide range of products that includes everything from whole peeled tomatoes, to crushed, to our passata, which is tomato puree. We also have the pulp, our polpa, which is finely chopped tomatoes with the very fresh-
est of tomato taste.” President of Monini North America, Marco Petrini is quick to point out that no other company can make these products, with their quality and taste profile. “That’s a process which is exclusive to us. We basically skin and crush the tomatoes without applying any excessive heat or additional stress to the product, therefore avoiding change in the taste profile or the color of the product. The tomatoes basically stay as fresh as possible, and are canned as fresh as possible on an industrial scale.” Though Mutti’s products originally started out as retail, they’ve moved into foodservice. “It’s different here than in Italy. Obviously, here, there’s a much higher degree of people eating out at restaurants, or taking out finished product at restaurants,” Malin asserted. “That’s another major difference between the US and Italy. In Italy, we only buy fresh tomatoes in whatever market we go to, whether it’s a small local market or supermarket, or a big cash and carry. We only find tomatoes in the summertime. We don’t buy fresh tomatoes in Italy during the year except when they are in season,”
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he explained. And the company has been doing something right. It holds a 50% market share in tomato paste and is the brand market leader in Italian tomatoes. “Consumers will look for high-quality canned tomatoes for everyday cooking when they cannot obviously find fresh tomatoes in the store,” Malin noted. Mutti came to the U.S. because there are not a lot of quality Italian imported brands out there. “Of course, you have California. But not many Italian brands really made it in this market, actually even tried to enter this market. So Mutti saw a big opportunity there,” added Malin. “The chef has to be able to understand the flavor profile is the message, and he must be able to go to the distributors for high end quality Mutti tomatoes to make his own custom sauce, which is their own signature identity dish.” “The taste buds of Americans seem to be getting more sophisticated,” Malin said. “That plays to us. The
issue is how to address this need by the American consumer because it’s clearly out there. There’s not a lot of innovation in this market. They’ve been using the same products for years so a new approach, a new option that will allow them to do more with the real quality Italian tomato, is going to be very enticing.” Mutti was one of the first to be nonGMO with its tomato seeds. “And we monitor the freshness of the fruit with the farmer every minute,” stated Malin. “They actually pick the fruit a little closer to the ripeness of the tomato. It gives us a very small window to process it so we have to be on it every second. Then there’s a test for when it’s time to pick the tomatoes. And then when it’s picked, and brought to the plant, another separate test is made for the company by certified agents to verify that it meets the highest standards. Then it comes into the plant.” “You don’t get any more fresh than that,” concluded Malin. To order and for more information visit www.muttiparma.us or call (203) 513-2763.
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 61
MIXOLOGY
WITH WARREN BOBROW
Cocktail Trends for 2017
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s a tastemaker, I’m often called upon to read the tea leaves of the future and I’ve found a few items that I’d like to share to make your life and your thirst more interesting. • Sherry in Cocktails. I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy a teaspoon of Dry Fino Sherry added to the top of my Gin and Tonic. Perhaps this is because the Spanish have raised the bar with regard to the humble Gin and Tonic. How do they do this? Pretty simply, by adding a teaspoon of sherry over the top of the drink. Problem solved. • Barrell Bourbon Whiskey… If you should see a bottle of Barrell whiskey, buy it. It’s ultra rare stuffnever chill filtered, or caramel colored. This is bottled at the barrel strength, usually north of 110 Proof. This is, without adieux, the good stuff. • Gin: Darn it I love gin. From Barr Hill, crafted from raw honey and grain to Boodles- made from all grain, to some of the variants from other countries (like Spain!), gin is hot, hot, hot. Barrel aging gin means sweeter flavors across the tongue.
The coloration you see is usually from the whiskey cask speaking another language, leaching the natural color of the dark, sticky bourbon whiskey right straight into the gin. This is not just color but the rich flavors from the whiskey itself. • Schnapps: Hmmmm. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? If so, you’re wrong. I’m absolutely not calling for you to drink that stuff that says peppermint or cinnamon on the label. Far, far from. What I am asking for you to try is a true eau de vie. One that is made on family farms all over Germany. One particular brand that I love is named Schladerer. Distilled in the Black Forest region of Germany, it deeply warms your heart. Win-Win! • Wine: Of course I’m a wine guy from day one. And as anyone who knows wine realizes there are far more funky varieties every day on the market. I call for drinking wine made with indigenous grapes. There are quite a few wines that are made with grapes other than Cabernet or Merlot or Chardonnay. You don’t have to go overboard on price either. It’s perfectly within reason to
assume that just because the price is low, it’s bad wine. Far from bad are inexpensive wines. They have few, if any advertising dollars or what I call the pretty label syndrome where the label art costs more than what is actually inside the bottle. To me this says, bad wine- stay away! • Syrups: My work as a mixologist is hard enough- creating cocktails that are delicious takes much time. I try to get it all done, but there are some ingredients that are tough to source. That is where the burgeoning field of syrups come into play. I’ve been working with quite a few and my favorites are: Fruitations, for their evocative tangerine, cranberry and ruby red grapefruit flavors, (now available in the NYC area!), Royal Rose Syrups- I’m very fond of their handcrafted-cardamom and clove syrup when mixed into Mezan XO Jamaican Rum. I discovered recently a product named The American Juice Company and they take juices to a higher level of the freshness and quality quotient, plus their names are truly creative with Lady Lychee and Johnny Pumpkinseed standing out in my memory. Cocktail Crate
Warren Bobrow is the creator of the popular blog The Cocktail Whisperer and the author of nearly half a dozen books, including Apothecary Cocktails, Whiskey Cocktails, Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails, and his most recent book Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, & Tonics.
is hand-making some memorable flavors including a Spiced Old Fashioned which is just lovely with Barrell Bourbon Whiskey. Try using cocktail syrups with plain seltzer water for a tasty daytime treat! • Coffee Liqueurs – I’ve tasted so many of these recently. Seattle Distilling is doing amazing things with their far West Coast coffee. Across the globe, Bepi Tosilini from Italy is a perfect example of why we need to drink more high end coffee, corrected of course with their own grappa. I tasted a coffee liqueur from Koval that I really liked along with one from St. Georges. Each different, each unique, capturing the aromatics of the bean perfectly. • Tea in cocktails. I’m happy to say that tea is making its way back into craft cocktails. From the most humble Japanese Macha tea mixed with
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December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 63
Q&A
EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEW
Donatella Arpaia Celebrity Chef and Restaurateur, Prova Pizzabar
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ong Island native Donatella Arpaia grew up in the restaurant industry. Following a brief career as a corporate attorney, Arpaia opened her first restaurant, Bellini in 1998. Zagat named Arpaia, “The Hostess with the Mostest.” Through the years, her portfolio of restaurants have been nominated for virtually every major industry award including a James Beard Award nomination. She has also emerged as a staple on television as a judge on The Food Network’s Iron Chef America and The Next Iron Chef. Arpaia has now set her sites on reinventing the pizza industry with her new Prova concept that has debuted at NYC’s Grand Central Station. Tell us a little bit about your introduction into the restaurant and the food service industry. How did it all come about? You know how people say they grew up in the restaurant business? I literally grew up in the restaurant business because my parents are both immigrants from Italy. By the time he was 30, my dad opened his first restaurant in Long Island called La Tavernetta. My backyard was the restaurant kitchen. My mother would host and they couldn’t afford a babysitter, so my crib was next to the dishwashing station because it would lull me to sleep. I literally grew up in the business. Did your family want you to go into the business? No. I’m the youngest of three, and
my father did not want me in the business. My brother was groomed for it. My dad didn’t want me to be in the business, not because he didn’t think I could do it, but it was a whole different world back then. He thought that the toll on restaurant workers was terrible and he wanted me to be a lawyer or a doctor, so I went the lawyer route. He said lawyers can do anything they want. Did the training to be a lawyer help you when you finally came back to the food business? Well, I became a lawyer and four months later I told them, you said if I become a lawyer, I could be whatever I want. And I’m quitting and I’m going into the restaurant business. I was living above my brother’s restaurant in a studio apartment at the time. And I would come home evDonatella Arpaia, Celebrity Chef and Restaurateur ery night and eat at his place. And one night he got stuck and I started a bank loan but then, of course, my helping him and I had my “ah-ha modad’s like, “No, I’ll give you the monment.” So a few months later I found ey.” And I opened on a very slim buda location. I had some money from a get, but within the first year I paid him very small trust fund but not enough back. And that was the start of my resto open the restaurant. So I secured taurant career.
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Where did you go from there? It was hard in the beginning. The first year, I had no customers. I had no name in the business. I had no celebrity chef. I had nothing. I did have an incredible sense of hospitality and service, and literally everyone who came in I made feel special. I wrote hand-written notes to everyone. Really, back then, I based my reputation on my personality. So it was good news and bad news. Three years later I was the owner of a very successful restaurant but I can’t leave it because people won’t come in unless I’m here. Is that where your desire to provide only the best service originated? I was very obsessed with technology, and tracking people in terms of how to give good service. So, I was always looking to replicate that sense of service. Then I met David Burke, and a few years later I opened up davidburke & donatella, and that really put me on the map. Then I started doing TV and media to get people interested in the restaurant. Was it ever hard for you to be out in front like that on TV? It’s kind of funny because I had terrible stage fright and it was very difficult for me in the beginning but now
I give a lot of talks to young women and people about how to overcome your fears. What helped was forcing myself to constantly face my fears and be in an uncomfortable position until one day I finally forgot that the camera was there. For two years I was very nauseated before going on air but the good news is, when the producer for the Food Network approached me to judge Iron Chef, I was at that point where I was more prepared and I did well, and that’s when they asked me back and things continued. How did things end with davidburke & donatella? I’d sold my interest at davidburke & donatella, right before the market crash. I was very lucky. But we made peace, to be quite frank, and we’re very good friends now. He wanted to open up just more David Burke’s, so I said, it’s fine. We’ll part ways. It was extremely successful and he continued on at David Burke’s. He called it Townhouse for many more years to go. And that was it. And then I started to find other projects to work on. What did you take away from your experience with David? I was quite unprepared and overwhelmed. I came from a largely mom and pop type of restaurant where we knew every customer. I truly wasn’t prepared for the success. Unlike my
beginnings, it was a very corporate environment but I learned a lot from him in terms of systems and structures. What went into your decision to go to culinary school? I always had a great food knowledge, growing up in a food family, and I would spend every summer in Italy. My mother had a farm (she was one of 10!), and they were all great cooks. But I kind of felt that I was always beholden to, or at the discretion of my chef. And I wanted to have a firmer knowledge of every aspect of a restaurant. I also felt that it would give me more power. I’m definitely a student at heart. I love books, I like to constantly improve and learn about and master everything and this is so appropriate. When I was starting out, I had no intention of going behind the line and seeing what went on there. It’s not what I wanted, but I wanted to be able to get my hands around everything it takes to build a successful restaurant. So I went to the Institute of Culinary Education, back then called French Culinary. So what happened then? I was still running my restaurants while I was in culinary school. I had these kids next to me saying; didn’t I see you on Iron Chef last night? What the hell are you doing here? I was film-
ing a lot. And then I opened up a Greek family style restaurant, Kefi, which is still open today, very successful. And then, about five years ago, right around the time I met my husband, I was planning to open a Neapolitan pizza restaurant, based on my love of pizza from my childhood. So I opened Donatella in Chelsea. But the timing of it didn’t work out for me. At the same time I opened my restaurant, I also got married and pregnant – all within four months. I had a difficult pregnancy so personally; I was kind of removed from the restaurant. And by the time I came back, I decided it was best to just sell. As you can imagine, my life had changed at that point. But I wasn’t done! For a while I had seriously been thinking about moving into upscale fast casual and that moved me into this project, Prova Pizzabar, that I opened in Grand Central a month ago. What was that like? You don’t just open up in Grand Central. You have the bidding process, selection. But I really, really wanted to, and what I think I learned – through all my good partnerships, bad partnerships, cycles of the economy, staying in New York -- I took all my lessons and said, this is what I wanted to do. Number one, location is so important. Location, location, location. Number
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A sampling of Prova Pizzabar’s cuisine.
The bar area at Prova Pizzabar.
WWW.WEBSTAURANTSTORE.COM December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 65
Q&A Donatella Arpaia, from page 65 two is who you select as your partners. That’s really important. You have to be on the same page. And everyone should have his or her different, defined roles. Nothing should be nebulous. Number three, be appropriately funded. So all those things were in place for this concept. How did you put the menu together? People love the old-school red sauce classics like eggplant Parmesan, lasagna. But you don’t find them in highend restaurants. You find them in the local pizza joints. And they’re really not executed well. So the challenge is to execute at a high level with good ingredients in a way where your cost of goods are in line and you can mass produce. That’s why this pizza is not Neapolitan, but it is inspired by Neapolitan pizza in the flour that we use. But we take more of a hybrid approach between Neapolitan and Roman style pizza, Romana which means cut by the slice. The dough is also very special. It’s matured over three days, which means it takes up a lot of space, it’s very artisanal in that way. But the process of fermentation occurs outside the body, not inside the body, so you have a very light, digestible healthy pizza with a focus on premium toppings.
full bar. So it’s a hybrid concept where we have booths. I wanted the power of making more dough if we run out, in my hands, as opposed to it being in New York and dealing with that other element of commissary. But we’re actually already looking to put a bid in on a second space, a high-traffic location in New York City that is close to Grand Central and has a lower space that could already be a commissary. When I spoke with my partners, we knew that I had
When you’re dealing with something like Grand Central, you’re paying a lot of money for space. So do you have a commissary elsewhere? How do you make this work? No, right now, we don’t, because it’s the first location. But the goal was by our third location to have a commissary. And honestly, space is the biggest issue. We’ve known that and we looked at two different models. It was very tight but we made it work. What was the hardest part? Here I am, opening up my first fast food offering. I’m dealing with the front counter. But I’m also dealing with the 45-seat dining program and a 66 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
to create a highly replicable product but it was the first space in the stage. It would’ve been cost-prohibitive to have a commissary for just one location. What does your restaurant look like? I would say it’s the industrial look. It’s a definite natural feel. We have hardwood from the Amish who make the floors, we have these one-of-akind light fixtures that came from a bar on a ship from the 1950’s. But I had
to remember, too, that this is Grand Central; it is high-traffic so you have to keep that in mind when you’re designing it. You wouldn’t know unless you touched them that the floors are made of ceramic. They look like distressed wood. You’re in a marketplace now with people like Blaze and those sorts of concepts that are into a quick pie. Is this a quick pie? Well, for one thing, our ovens are
from Italy, Moretti Forni. The ability to control the temperature is so important for the chef and the stone. But pizza-making all starts with the oven and the hand of the person making it. We won’t require a dedicated pizza-maker. My chef, Giuseppe Manco is a Master Pizzaiolo and has won a number of awards. The challenge is going to be to create a system and a commissary that can prep this dough to support multiple restaurants. Keep in mind we are talking about a 3-day proofing process and a two-stage leavening process.
What’s the price point? By the slice, it goes anywhere from $4.50 to my truffle pizza, which goes up to $9. We’re actually experimenting now with personal pies because we just got the pans. So the personal pies will start at around $10. The price point is a little higher in Grand Central because the rent is so expensive there. Are your pizzas so great because of the dough? The dough itself is Poiselli flour. We did a lot of tests. And the technique
is a very hard technique to learn and very laborious, but it’s great because you’re dealing with a very hydrated dough. Your regular New York sliced pizza, probably the hydration point is about less than 40 to 50%, Neapolitan is about 60-65%. This dough is about 80%, so you’re dealing with a very wet dough that’s very difficult to deal with, but that’s also what makes it so digestible and healthier and lighter. Our flour is non-GMO. It’s better than a lot of the whole wheat flour out there. What about in terms of beverages?
I have a full bar, and liquor license. Drinking is a big part of Grand Central. I have a tremendous amount of regulars coming by Monday through Friday, either for lunch or that quick slice and a drink right before they leave. So it’s great to see that in the fast food environment, I have this feel of locals and regulars. As you look 15 years later, what’s different or what’s the same in terms of being successful in this business today? The whole food landscape changed largely because of the Food Network. Back when I was a kid it’s funny but the restaurateurs were more the stars than the chefs. People don’t realize that, but TV has changed and made us into celebrities, but I think at the core, restaurants are still about good food, good service. Technology has changed; everyone’s a critic now. In certain ways that’s good, because it takes the power away from some select few sometimes, but in certain ways it’s hard. The competition is fiercer than ever. You are dealing with an audience that has a more educated palette, through TV and travel. People who own or run restaurants aren’t just looking for who’s going to make the most money. They’re looking to create an experience. Most of the people are looking for experiences when they dine out. They want a story. They want to know, how are you packaging, what the ingredients are. I’m glad they care more about the food they’re eating. What about opportunities for women in the industry today. Is there still a glass ceiling or is the sky the limit? When I opened my first restaurant, I didn’t have a female working for me. Back then, in high-end restaurants, you only ever saw male servers. That’s how much it’s changed. I definitely think there has been a massive change in the past 15 years. The fact that you are even asking me is the point! I tell women, just be better than anyone at what you do. Love your craft and it will take care of itself.
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TRADE SHOW NEWS
Top NYC Chefs And Industry Experts Make HX 2016 Event A Big Hit November 13-15, 2016 / Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
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he second edition of the HX The Hotel Experience – Rooms to Restaurants, took center stage at the Javits Center last month. Under the guidance and direction of long time show manager Phil Robinson, the show has rediscovered its “mojo” by tackling many of the issues that face the Metro New York restaurant and foodservice professional. From farm to table on local menus, to the new tax laws impacting how chefs can be compensated, show-goers had access to takea-ways that they could put to work immediately. Once again, the show fed off of its running concurrently with Boutique Design New York (BDNY). The design’s show’s energy serves as a bridge of sorts as many of the City’s top eateries are now opening in hotels. HX is North America’s largest hospitality trade show for those within the hospitality industry. Restaurant and hotel owners, executives, directors, chefs and GMs from across a wide spectrum, as well as manufacturers and marketers of products and services, were in attendance. HX welcomed over 12,000 attendees to a show floor saturated with 400+
exhibitors. The show’s foodservice equipment and supply component continues to be driven by the commitment of MAFSI’s local chapter. These Tri-State equipment and supply firms represent many of the nation’s leading manufacturers of equipment
and supplies. This unique and diverse collection of manufacturers and suppliers from the hospitality, food-and-beverage and technology industries featured “everything hospitality.” Exhibition items included cleaning and main-
tenance materials, fixtures, kitchen design elements, lighting, bedding and more back and front-of-house enhancements. The expansive show setting gave attendees an array of business-building opportunities as they connected with leaders behind pres-
(L to R) Noted consultants Molly Berger and Arlene Spiegel
Pecinka Ferri’s Janet Kreiness and E&A’s Al Green
Comstock Castle’s Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Spake
(L to R) Wolfepack Marketing’s Andrew Wolfe and Matt Sher of Day and Nite
TFS publisher Fred Klashman (c) presents a donation check benefiting City Harvest to the HX Jeopardy winners Andrew Rigie of The New York City Hospitality Alliance (L) and Brian Hicks of Hicks Design Group
SUNY Plattsburgh was among Northeast Hospitality colleges and universities that sent large contingents of students to the annul event. (L to R) Alexis Vagianelis, Melissa Consaga and Taryn Carozza toured the show
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ent and future hospitality solutions. Among the more creative new booths on the show floor were The Portable Bar Co. which offered portable, customizable bars that assist with crowd control and give the appearance of a permanent bar. Naskonix presented foodservice equipment for restaurants, supermarkets and hospitality businesses, including refrigerated display cases, hot/cold service lines, and gyro machines. Technological advancements, in the form of robotics, expand the boundaries of the hospitality industry. Savioke’s sophisticated robots, presently used in the service industry at California hotels, were available for demonstrations. The influential thought-leaders behind some of the hospitality industry’s top hotel brands and marquee restaurants shared their views on the state of each industry, consumer trends impacting business decisions, market forecasts
and guest-experience strategies. HX: The Hotel Experience, now in its second year of a multimillion dollar rebrand, and the New York City Hospitality Alliance have formed a partnership, through which the Alliance produced restaurant and foodservice content for the Show. “We’re thrilled to partner with HX to discuss today’s hottest trends and topics in the hospitality industry. We brought together some of the most influential names in the industry to dish on topics ranging from tipping to mobile technology,” commented Andrew Rigie, Executive Director of NYC Hospitality Alliance. The Rigie led NYCHA team was able to attract some of the City’s top culinary talent to the show. Headlining a star studded cast was Cosme’s Daniela Soto Innes, Melba Wilson of Melba’s in Harlem,
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(L to R) Singer/M. Tucker’s Marc Fuchs and Fred Singer welcomed visionary restaurateur Stephen Hanson who launched BR Guest Restaurants
(L to R) Monobloc’s Bill Dolan and Michael Poulos
(L to R) Tom Clements and Mike Stella of Clements Stella Marketing
(L to R) Ed Yuter of Tri-State Marketing and M&J Frank’s Lou Fink
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STAY CONNECTED: #HX2017
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 69
HX, from page 69 all”onda’s Chris Jaeckle, Ryan Hardy of Charlie Bird, and ICE’s Michael Laskonis. “HX’s show-floor format dramatically increased guest and speaker interactions, especially the launch of HX: COOKS with live chef demonstrations,” explained Robinson. “Our thought leaders come from every facet of the hospitality industry. This personable interaction produced open dialogue among presenters, exhibitors and attendees and, in turn, help to inspire and even to facilitate profitable business relationships.” TFS publisher Fred Klashman had the opportunity to go one on one with Yale professor Paul Freedman. His new Top 10 Restaurants That Changed America has been featured on CBS TV and in the New York Times. Rather amazing at how many of those restaurants were in New York City. From the original Delmonico’s in the 1830’s to the recently shuttered
The show always uncovers the next generation of leadership. Look for big things from Tim Gjonbalic of Butler Hospitality and his new room service commissary concept
(L to R) Noted consultant Jimmy Yui and Jade’s Lex Poulos
Four Seasons, Freedman’s talk outlined a fascinating timeline. HX offered a stimulating collection of distinct, on-floor presentations for its 12,000 guests. Each session or demonstration featured in specific areas throughout the floor. Featured areas included: HX: ONSTAGE–RESTAURANT; HX: ONSTAGE–HOTEL; HX: COOKS; and HX: TECH. These intimate sessions on the trade-show floor, invited attendees to join in conversations with industry experts and thought leaders. Headlining HX: ONSTAGE–RESTAURANT, was Paul Seres, President, Helios Hospitality Group. The “NYC Hospitality Alliance - From Rooms to Restaurants” session which shared an insider’s look into how food and beverage are enhancing the hotel experience, with a keen examination of chefdriven restaurants and rooftop bars. In “Foodservice Consultants Society International--Kitchen Makeover 101,” a panel of foodservice industry
experts shared their experience-based knowledge to help guests understand what questions to ask, what works and what pitfalls to avoid when updating existing commercial kitchens. Leading the presentation was Joe Carbonara, Editorial Director/Foodservice Equipment & Supplies and restaurant development + design. Sarah Quinlan, Senior Vice President, Market Insights, MasterCard, showcased “Trends in Consumer Spending and How You Can Profitably Respond.” As part of HX: HOTEL, Ms. Quinlan’s discussion touched on the overall spending health of global consumers and their current spending trends in the hospitality industry. The Robinson led management team has kept its commitment to create a more interactive experience for attendees. The show’s seminars brought some of the best and the brightest to look into their crystal balls. Hall PR’s Stephen Hall, Arlene Spiegel, ICE’s Ste-
phen Zagor, Liz Weiss of H. Weiss, Morgan Tucker of M. Tucker, 1-800 Bartend’s Gregg Lewis, Johanna Kolodny of Baldor, Star Chef’s Will Blunt, Sean Fontaine of the Long Island Aquarium, noted author Karen Stabiner and Chef Nick Mercogliano of Pecinka Ferri shared their vision for 2017. “HX: TECH, featured trend-breaking experts who are at the forefront of creating better guest experiences,” said Dahlia El Gazzar, Tech Evangelist of DAHLIA+ AGENCY and the HX: TECH lead. “Topics were handpicked with headline-grabbing instigators and head-scratching challenges in mind.” Topics included: Challenges & Solutions in Hospitality Cybersecurity; The Future of Mobile Payments in the Hospitality industry; 10 Ways Virtual Reality Will Change Your Guest Experience; A Glimpse of Robotics in the Hospitality Industry; A winning concept, “ReFresh-Eatery and Market”, provided a fresh, healthy, made-to-order alter-
The CLVMarketing father and son duo of Tom and John O’Halloran
(L to R) Maywood Furniture’s Joe Drake, Crystal Wysocki and Ken Persson
The New York City Hospitality Alliance’s Andrew Rigie brought some of the City’s most noted culinary stars including Melba Wilson to HX16
(L to R) Matt Hardoon and Noam Wolf of MarketMan debuted their new inventory management system at the show
BSE Marketing’s Jeff Hessel and Melanie Marken of Sun Coffee
(L to R) Cleanse-Tec’s Bob Clark and BSE’s Ron Rivellese
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native to fast-food options typically found in a food court or public space, and uses the latest technology through cooking, iPad and mobile-app ordering. The concept provides a retail component for take-home, along with a made-to-order quick service for customers who want to dine at the location. “The Foodservice Pioneering competition supports innovation, which is a key ingredient to staying relevant in our industry,” said Robinson. “ReFresh is a concept that brings three ingredients to the design table: sustainability, technology and flexibility, said Kris Morphis, Senior VP, FOODESIGN. “This concept provides a merger of retail and food service to provide an exciting experience for any foodie! It’s like going to the market and shopping for a meal, but you don’t have to try and figure it out. We were honored to be chosen this year by this fantastic group of judges and very excited about showing our concept at the HX in New York City!” Morphis added. Kudos to industry veteran Marsha Diamond who has been a guiding force behind the annual Pioneering event. “It’s not just the millennials that this concept reaches - it’s the business traveler and the corporate professional that frequent this foodservice space in high-traffic, under-utilized spaces. Technology is a critical part of their daily routine, and the ReFresh concept we created meets them where they are already engaging - on their mobile devices,” adds Erik Haviland, VP/Group Creative Director. The FOODESIGN concept presented a foodservice outlet that appealed to a broad base of customers. The diverse seating choices afforded many different options to suit the comfort level and enhance customer experiences. Distinguished industry judges for the 2016 Foodservice Pioneering Concept included Zia Ahmed - Senior Director-Dining Services, The Ohio State University, Michael Atanasio - Director, Food & Nutrition Services, Overlook Hospital.
Maura Doran, RDN- Director, Food & Nutrition Services, New York Methodist Hospital, David M. Heymann, General Manager, Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center, Tom Prykanowski, Director of Brand Strategy and F & B Innovation, Choice Hotels Michael Roddey, CECPresident and Principal, Gastronomic Services and Consulting, and Kirk Rodriguez, Director, Hospitality Services, Texas Tech University. Second Place in the 2016 competition was awarded to Nightingale designed by A.J. Barker, Principal, Concept Kitchen + Bar, Lynnwood, WA, and third place was awarded to Make Station designed by Peter Christensen, Principal, Christensen Consultants, San Jose, CA. The renderings and concept overviews of these second and third place winners were displayed at the Foodservice Pioneering Concept exhibit booth. The show’s annual All Industry Networking Party was a big hit with lots of new faces. “People love the Naples 45 at Grand Central location,” noted the event’s longtime chair Marc Fuchs of Singer/M.Tucker. “Can’t say enough about the job that Restaurant Associates does to make sure our guest have a really fun evening,” noted Fuchs. Once again a highlight of the annual industry Jeopardy challenge took center stage. It gave equipment reps and dealers the opportunity to show off their industry knowledge while battling for their favorite charities. Defending champion Larry Cantamessa of PBAC teamed with new partner Liz Weiss of H. Weiss to keep their crown and graciously bestow their winnings to the Partridge Scholarship Foundation. The second game was won by New York City Hospitality Alliance executive director Andrew Rigie and his partner Brian Hicks with their winnings being presented to City Harvest. The 4th Annual Tabletop Challenge winner was Tina Delia from the Phila-
continued on page 72
Pat Fava (L) led his Air Comfort team to the annual networking event
(L to R) Minners Designs’ Maureen Cole and Jill Ostaszewski of the Princeton Club
(L to R) Culinary Depot’s Meir Weinreb, Joe Sr. and Joe Jr. Ferri of Pecinka Ferri and CD’s Eli Goldring
Just Bagels’s Cliff Nordquist (R) and his team brought authentic NY bagel taste to the Javits event
Studio E’s Raquel Weiss Fusco and Jonathan Amaya
(L to R) Jordan Van Horn of Sea to Table and Morgan Stanley’s Justin Williams
Eastern Tabletop’s Sol Basch (R) anchored his team’s booth
AFLAC’s Simone Hirsch and Larry Rosenthal of Restaurant Depot
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 71
HX, from page 71 delphia, PA design firm of Tina Delia Designs. With her table titled “Tea for 2”, Delia bested three other teams in a vote of HX attendees. “The Tabletop Challenge event is beyond fun. I love competing because as a designer it challenges you, and you have to put yourself out there! In addition, there’s huge energy in the convention hall. It’s really a great event,” said Delia. The Tabletop Challenge was co-presented by the HX and TabletopJournal.com and was hosted by its publisher, Dave Turner. The show held it annual Editor’s Choice award competition as it continues to deliver solutions for its Javits attendees. The FOOD & BEVERAGE winner was Juicero. The San Francisco product is the first ever professionalquality, countertop cold-press juicer. It presses plant-based organic Produce Packs that are delivered 100% fresh in minutes, at the touch of a button, eliminating all the typical prep and cleanup.
(L to R) Verterra’s Michael Dwork and Peter Fernandez of Fresh and Tasty
(L to R) The M. Tucker trio of Eugene Beniaminson, Fred Bonaccorso and Eric Santiagato
Elkay Foodservice won top FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT honors for its Elkay’s Blubar Countertop. The Ohio firm’s entry dispenses hygienically safe chilled sparkling, chilled still and ambient temperature water at an economical price point. Its UV Purification System acts as a strong sterilizer preventing bacterial growth and cross contamination on the dispenser. HX is North America’s largest trade event for hotel and foodservice owners, executives, directors, and GMs from across the hospitality spectrum, and manufacturers and marketers of all things hospitality. It is held annually in November in NYC. HX is sponsored by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC), and New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSH&TA) and is managed by Hospitality Media Group (HMG). Save the dates for HX 2017 November 12-14, at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York.
(L to R) The EMI trio of Chris Rapciewics, Don Golden and Adam Ramirez
Baldor’s Director of IT Tom McQuillan brought his insight regarding changes in distribution strategies
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(L to R) Marty Kohn of Pro-Tek and Jacobs-Doland-Beers’ Bob Doland
(L to R) Sam Tell’s Jerry Hoffman, Jeff Hendler of Arctic Glacier and Spaceman’s CEO Jeff Resnick
(L to R) Paul Ryan, Pecinka Ferri’s Joe Louis Ferri and Ed Hull of JacobsDoland-Beers
(L to R) Tri-State Marketing’s Elizabeth Hannon and Jason Russo of Cini Little
(L to R) Restaurantdata.com’s Joe Dunbar and Keith Gellman
Fox Rothschild’s Carolyn Richmond who is in herself worth the price of admission with her ability to interpret the latest legislation and NYCHA’s Andrew Rigie
Cosme chef Daniela Soto-Innes and TDMarketing’s Emilio Garcia
(L to R) Jack Jaffa whose firm guides NYC restaurateurs through the licensing and Health Department Grading visited with Marc Goldfarb
(L to R) Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Veronica McLymont and Mahon Ledgister
(L to R) Blodgett’s Tim Thaler, Gary Mick who incredibly manages Middleby business units in California, Vermont and Denmark greeted Singer’s Bob Alban
MJ Wang of Just Chairs and Lehr McKeown’s Rob McKeown
(L to R) Sean Verney, General Manager The Westin New York at Times Square and CLVMarketing’s Jim Voorhees
Mom & Pop Owners, Jill and Joe Tobias of Joe & Misses Doe
Georgia-Pacific’s Nick Ransone, Jim O’Hora, and Brenda Richelt.
Hoshizaki America’s Marketing Manager Sally Ray with Automatic Ice Maker Co’s Jordan Singer and Lisa Arocho
Equipex’s Casey Parks and Irina Mirsky-Zayas
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HX, from page 73
American Trading Co’s Paul Weintraub.
Bib & Tucker’s Founders Matthew Wilson and Kevin Schiesz brought a collection of performance hospitality wear to this year’s show
Aquarius Brands’ Christian Molina, Daniel Colon, Paisley Papineau, and Howard Ullman debuted the innovative luxury appliance, The AquaBoy® Pro II
The New York City Hospitality Alliance’s Nikita Scott, Sonali Jhurani, and Samantha Putri
B Labs Ventures and Blueliner NY Founder, Arman Rousta with Soribel Fernandez and Stephen Foster
Winners of the 2016 Foodservice Pioneering Concept at HX, Carts of Colorado’s Daniel Gallery with Erik Havilland and Kris Morphis of FOODESIGN Associates
Marguerite McDonald and Tim Gjonbalic of Butler Hospitality
Ulysses Vidal of Employee Only demonstrated and discussed cocktail trends and recipes
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NEWS
PAPER AND PACKAGING
PA Firm Nittany Paper Offers Made In America Green Paper Solutions
P
aper costs can be a big expense for a foodservice operation. But if you’re looking for anything from highly absorbent paper towels that allow you to reduce your consumption, and are good for the environment, to dispensers that allow your customers to pull paper towels off the roll without touching anything, Nittany Paper may have what you’re looking for. “Our products are produced from 100% recycled materials, and are certified ‘green,’” says owner Don Chapman. Chapman started out in distribution in the New York City metropolitan area, buying paper from the large mills, then had a large customer suggest he start making his own. “I met an engineer who said hey, you know what, you’re buying so much paper, why don’t you try to make it yourself. And he said I’ll help and so I said okay.” Chapman bought a machine and started making paper products with three people. “Now, we’ve got 120 employees,” Chapman said proudly. He was able to tap into some very talented young people in Central Pennsylvania who were hungry for jobs, and the rest is history. “They jumped in their cars and drove across the United States knocking on doors saying, we’re the new kid on the block and give us a shot. And a lot of people gave us a shot. As an example, one of the largest privately owned companies in America said, ‘Sure, come on up. Glad to see
What makes it all work so well, noted Chapman, is that the company is flexible and nimble. “We’re small enough to be able to, when a customer asks for something, turn it around on a dime, with the ability to ship to Los Angeles or Baton Rouge, or Quebec or wherever it’s got to go.” a new face.’ And now they’re buying from us. I’m just shocked. It gives me goosebumps,” Chapman affirmed. What makes it all work so well, noted Chapman, is that the company is flexible and nimble. “We’re small enough to be able to, when a customer asks for something, turn it around on a dime, with the ability to ship to Los Angeles or Baton Rouge, or Quebec or wherever it’s got to go.” The company has grown from three or four items to well over 100, including folded towels, center pull towels, roll towels, napkins, thousand-foot rolls of toilet paper to dispensers, a total turnkey solution. “When you’re selling to someone who’s providing paper to skyscrapers, and you’ve got 90 floors, you don’t want to employ someone to run up and down all 90 floors, all day, just replenishing the product. So, we have high capacity, but also paper that reduces consumption. It actually absorbs so much, you can use less of it.”
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Not only that, the paper the company sells is Green-Seal-certified. Green Seal is a non-profit environmental standard development and certification organization. “We’re one of the only paper companies that has it,” Chapman stated. “In addition, we are the only company in America that has USDA-certified paper made from bamboo and sugar cane. And if it’s volume you need, Nittany Paper has thousand foot rolls of paper towels. “We have thousand- foot bath tissue. Not sheets, thousandfoot bath tissue. We try to accommodate every industry. We just use an awful lot of common sense by listening to our customer’s needs,” Chapman pointed out. When it comes to toilet paper and paper towels, it’s tough to “romance” it, as Chapman puts it. “But here’s the romance. We’re talking about bath tissue with no core, which saves on paper and waste. The bamboo sugar cane product is right up there. We also
have new paper-making technologies called TAD, or Through Air Drying.” TAD is a popular method to produce retail tissue and towel. Today, the majority of high-end retail bath tissue and towel is manufactured on a TAD machine. Chapman explained it this way. “When I was a kid, you bought a can of soda out of a machine, putting 15 cents into a Coke machine and getting a tin can. I could hear it falling out of the machine. And now, what is the can made out of? Typically, it’s aluminum and it’s much lighter, but it still holds the same amount of fluid. That’s what TAD is. The focus of what’s happening now is using less natural resources, better technology to get the job done. We’re talking air, fluffing things up for absorbency. Touch-free dispensing. Nobody wants to touch anything anymore, nor should they, in the restroom.” Nittany sells its products through foodservice and janitorial distribution. In terms of the future, the company is looking towards the end user, according to Chapman. “It can’t be where my distributor walks in and says, look, I have this, this and this. Well, who is Nittany Paper? They’ve got to at least say, yes, I saw that,” Chapman maintained. As for selling online, Chapman is not going for it. “I still believe in my goal, which is to sell directly to family- run companies,” Chapman concluded.
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 77
EYE
METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
The 13th Annual Victory Foodservice Trade Show
M
etro New York’s foodservice community was treatd to a magnificent day of sunshine and creative new menu ideas at last month’s Victory Foodservice Show. The independent broad liner food distributor’s 13th annual show featured a vast array of menu solutions for the food service professional. “Everybody marks their calendar for our show because in a busy world of cellphones and technology, it give us the opportunity to say thanks in person,” noted Victory’s Sunder Luthra. “We know that the key to our success has been to build a team from our network of drivers, warehouse personnel, sales and customer service representatives.” Among the industry’s top vendors at this year’s event were: Angelo D’Ambrosio of Milano’s, Kontos’ Nikos Zavolas, Mayab Happy Tacoes, Eddie Perez, Golden Krust’s Orlean LunanDowe and Oasis Food’s Rafael Castillo. Victory’s show at the newly remodeled Royal Regency Hotel in Yonkers brought some of the marketplaces most creative restaurant entrepre-
It’s always a proud day for the Victory management team led by Show Manager Sundar Luthra (3rd-R)
neurs under one roof. Victory’s showgoers had a wonderful time. The show had a real feel of family and many attendees, vendors and the Victory team welcomed each other warmly. It’s one of the industry’s few events where baby carriages are welcome. The breadth of Victory’s success in many ways is a reflection of the number of languages that were heard at the show. Victory’s ability to create a sales team and support team that speaks so many dialects has endeared them to all segments of the Metro New York City foodservice community. Victory’s roots date back to 1983 when two brothers Mike and Kostas
started the firm, which has evolved over time to where today the business and fleet of trucks operate out of a modern multi temperature distribution facility in the Bronx. Victory Foodservice is one of Metro New York’s premiere independent broad line food distributors, offering over 5,000 food and food related products to restaurants, institutions, caterers, markets, hotels, and delis. The offerings include; fresh and frozen meats, seafood, vegetables and desserts; produce; dry and canned groceries; disposables and detergents; small wares and small equipment. Victory’s tradition of a family operated and ori-
(L to R) SKE’s Bill Gerbino and Charlie Landis brought packaging solutions to the show floor
Lisa Pirraglin and Jonathan Quinlan of Seafood City shopped the show for new menu ideas
Simoniz’s Sam Levine (L) welcomed many show guests
Yvette Martin of Admiration was on hand with the New Jersey firm’s portfolio of oil and condiment solutions
(L to R) The Core Group trio of Craig Martin, Tom Czerpinski and Chris Enright
A large contingent of Tri-State chefs came to the annual Victory food fest to find new menu concepts
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ented business is based on service, variety, and reliability by providing all products with assured quality, and a prompt delivery.
(L to R) The Kontos duo of Nikos Zavolas and Chef Demetrios Haralambatos
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 79
EYE
METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
Kosherfest 2016
T
he 28th edition of Kosherfest in Secaucus, NJ was marked by a great deal of innovation and change at the show. Last month’s annual two-day celebration, showcased the best and newest in Kosher foods. Kosherfest ‘16 welcomed 90 new exhibitors to the impressive product mix already on display at the Meadowlands Exposition Center. The 2016 show brought many new pavilions and booths from overseas, including Spain, Japan, Israel, Canada, the Czech Republic, Korea, South Africa, Bulgaria, Chile, Turkey, the UK, and Mexico. The show’s New Product Competition saw some 300 new items vie for best in show honors.
The annual Garden State event opened with a Keynote address by Menachem Lubinsky on “Kosher’s Transition to the Digital Age.” The founder of the show continues to be the “go-to” barometer for the latest trends in the Kosher marketplace. Much of the show’s growth has come from products that are “innovative” because “they sell to everyone,” from retailers to consumers, and not just to those of the Jewish faith. More than 12 million American consumers choose Kosher food products for reasons related to health, food safety, taste, vegetarianism, lactose intolerance or dietary restrictions, according to the Orthodox Union Kosher, one of the world’s largest Kosher certification agencies. The industry
(L to R) Pinnacle Dietary’s Moishe Ackerman and Henry Klein of M. Tucker
Culinary Depot’s Michael Lichter (L) and his team welcomed a number of guests
(L to R) Anthony and Son’s Nicholas Sorresse and John Minardi visited with Heshy Surkis of Staten Island based Celebrity Events
(L to R) Dependable Foods’s Ari Wolner and Samuel Fakowitz of Yossies’s Pizza
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alone generates more than $12 billion in annual sales, and food industry experts say it will continue to grow. To Demetrios Haralambatos, the corporate executive chef for Kontos Foods Inc., being Kosher-certified is a way to offer customers peace of mind. “It helps satisfy people’s lifestyles,” he said. “I don’t look at it as a religion, I look at it as a lifestyle.” The chef said schools known for their culinary reputation such as Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., and the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., have begun to offer students classes on how to prepare kosher products to address the broadening market.
(L to R) Sea Breeze’s Mariann McDonnell and Pat Godfrey
(L to R) Zahaya and Eli Tiegman of Eli’s Cuisine in Brooklyn
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 81
EYE
METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
PBAC Consultants 2016 Dinner
W
hen you think of the ultimate New York City experience, the sounds of Broadway always top the wish list of both native New Yorkers and out of towners. So the lure of the Great White Way lead to a return visit by local equipment and supply rep firm PBAC and Associates to Feinstein’s/54 Below nightclub in the heart of the theatre district. Once again, the PBAC team and its 100 plus guests representing most of the best and the brightest of Metro New York’s kitchen design consulting community were treated to some of the brightest young stars on Broadway. The Eastchester, NY based equipment and supply rep firm hosted its annual evening of celebration. Each year the bar is raised as Posternak and his team comb the ‘City to find the perfect venue to provide a uniquely New York celebration. The amazing chef duo of Executive Lynn Bound and pastry chef Sandra Bowers served a memorable “Taste of NY” feast for PBAC and guests. “Our goal is to create a uniquely New York experience for our consultant customers and the factories that we so proudly represent,” noted Posternak. The Feinstein stage was rocking as a bevy of Broadways’ new stars brought their interpretations of today’s hottest sounds to the 54 Street stage as PBAC treated their guests to a truly memorable Manhattan evening. Among the Broadway stars that
graced the PBAC stage at FeinCini Little, Clevenger Frable LaValstein’s were Jennifer Damiano who lee, Romano Gatland and Jacobs made her Broadway debut in Spring Doland Beer at the Midtown ManAwakening at age 15, Hamilton star hattan event. Adriana Debose, Evan Harrington Leading movers and shakers from who is currently touring with the manufacturing side of the inInto the Woods, and Natalie Weiss dustry including Hobart’s Mr. and whose voice will soon be heard in Mrs. Gary Simpson, the retired Tom The Greatest Showman on the big Szfranski, Vulcan’s Mr and Mrs Joe screen. Once again, the evening on Maresca and newcomer Joe Carcistage was orchestrated by musical one of Nemco. director Ben Rauhala. Look for another big year from The annual gathering celebrates PBAC in ‘17 as they are set to team the creation of the firm. In 1988 Michael Posternak and Steve Bauer left successful careers at Traulsen to launch what has become one of the nation’s preeminent equipment rep firms. Many of the areas top consultants in Metro New York including large contingents from Mr. and Mrs. Joe Maresca of Vulcan
Chicagoan Joe Carbone of Food Equipment and Supplies Magazine enjoyed the festivities
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Barbara Posternak and Romano Gatland’s Chris Brady
with many of the Tri-State regions’ leading dealers and consultants on a number of signature projects.
Michael Posternak welcomed guests
Jacobs Doland Beer’s Bob Doland led a large contingent from his firm
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 83
C-CAP TRADE TALK
WITH JOYCE APPELMAN
Jetro/Restaurant Depot Helps C-CAP Teachers Stay Connected To The Industry
A
s a part of the recipe for success, C-CAP provides professional development workshops. The handson and lecture-based workshops for teachers have covered knife skills, cooking and pastry techniques, butchering and other kitchen-based training. With the help of Total Food Service, Anna Borgman, C-CAP National Culinary & Alumni Program Manager, worked with Jetro Restaurant Depot in the Bronx to show the teachers how to shop like a chef. Anna worked with Publisher Fred Klashman and Creative and Advertising Director Michael Scinto to create a truly invaluable day that broadened the teachers’ knowledge of the industry and brought them together as a community. On November 8, when schools were
Joyce Appelman, is the National Communications Director for CCAP, Careers through Culinary Arts Program in New York, NY. She has
closed for Election Day, Jetro Restaurant Depot hosted sixteen culinary teachers from around the city. Megan Klevman, Director of Marketing & Sales, designed a tour so the teachers could explore the 250,000 square foot wholesale food distribution warehouse from front-to-back – receiving a behind the scenes tour of each of their departments, meeting with team members of all levels to hear about their responsibilities and career path, and learning the ins-and-outs of how the company and warehouse runs: including how they receive over $1.2 million a day in product, manage inventory and still pass on a 20% savings to the customer. In addition to putting the teachers in the shoes of the employees, from reception to check out, she also made sure that the teachers had an opportu-
nity to listen to each other about the school year to date, share their ideas, best classroom practices, and leave inspired to make a difference for their students outside their classrooms. The day made quite the impression on the teachers, as Chef Mayra Valdes of East River Academy said, “The way in which I will use my experience today is through using the information to make the learning experience as real world for my students as possible. I will use the invoice or order
been instrumental in opening career opportunities for many young people in the foodservice industry. Email her at joyceappelman@gmail.com
guide for product identification and inventory control, apply culinary math, and discuss career and industry opportunities in the culinary arts that are not limited to work in restaurants.” According to Anna, “C-CAP’s teacher
continued on page 124
Touring the massive seafood section that includes fresh and frozen options
C-CAP Teachers with Megan Kleven the Director of Marketing and Sales for Jetro/ Restaurant Depot, Michael Scinto the Advertising Director for TFS, Anna Borgman the C-CAP National Culinary and Alumni Program Manager, and Joyce Appelman the C-CAP National Communications Director.
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The teachers received a behind the scenes tour of the 250,000 square foot wholesale food distribution warehouse from front-to-back
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 85
FAITHFUL FOOD WITH FAITH HOPE CONSOLO The Stars of the NYC Dining Scene
S
tar chefs abound in New York City. Indeed, there are more celebrity chefs here than anywhere else. Television has transformed the kitchen, while bringing the culinary achievements of the chef to a global audience. For diners, all this adds up to glorious spaces, creative menus and serious wait lists. Meanwhile, the best keep getting better, as 77 restaurants here now boast Michelin stars. Few of the TV-famous chefs still work the line in their own restaurants, but their creativity is on display for all who manage to get a reservation. For a taste of what being the best is all about, a table at any of these decadent dining destinations would be worth the wait. abcV 38 East 19th street From the abc kitchen crew, this will be Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s first meatless restaurant; gourmet vegetarians rejoice! This restaurant was co-created by ABC Carpet & Home CEO Paulette Cole and will open this spring with a menu from chef de cuisine Neal Harden. The 75-seat restaurant will serve both vegan and vegetarian dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Aureole 1 Bryant Park Owner Charlie Palmer opened Aureole in 1988, quickly establishing it as one of the finest restaurants in the United States. Aureole serves inventive American cuisine and has gained a worldwide reputation for its talented celebrity chef, elegant atmosphere and delicious cuisine.
Now in its 25th year, Aureole is contemporary urban elegance. Benoit 60 W. 55th Street Alain Ducasse’s famed French bistro has brand-new interiors and a new wine bar. Lovers of his Adour Alain Ducasse, formerly in the St. Regis Hotel, will have to make do with “the younger brother of the legendary Parisian bistro” that is developing a personality of its own. Blue Smoke 116 East 27th Street Danny Meyer followed up his successes—Union Square Care, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park—with a more casual restaurant that evoked the cuisine of the American South, but with fine-dining finesse. Brasserie Les Halles 15 John St. Celebrity chef and author Anthony Bourdain had his big break after cooking at Brasserie Les Halles, the classic destination for informal French cuisine, is in the style of old Parisian market district brasseries. Cut The Four Seasons Hotel 99 Church Street Wolfgang Puck’s newest venture is the prime spot for steak. Expect breakfast, lunch and dinner at the sixth location of the eatery. Find an extensive selection of American and Japanese Wagyu beef. DBGB Kitchen and Bar 299 Bowery Indulge in a refined menu of car-
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nivorous delicacies, served alongside a wide selection of craft beer and sommelier selected wine at New York’s coolest industrial bistro. A fresh take on the classic French brasserie, DBGB is one of the city’s hottest downtown spots and a can’t be missed for an after work outing. Helmed by the incomparable Chef Daniel Boulud, this restaurant and bar features a Lyonnais-inspired menu of bistro cuisine in a warm and rustic setting. Guests can enjoy the chef’s creations in a private dining room within Boulud’s kitchen for a truly exceptional private dining experience. Del Posto 85 Tenth Avenue All-star trio Mario Batali, Joseph Bastianich and Lidia Bastianich – the chef’s behind Eataly – have created this outpost for lovers of experimental Italian cuisine and those in search of a destination with serious romantic ambiance. Fowler & Wells The Beekman 123 Nassau Street Star Chef Tom Colicchio brings a menu filled with throwback New York classics, such as Lobster Thermidor and Beef Wellington. Fun fact; this is Tom Colicchio’s first New York City opening since 2010. Nestled in Lower Manhattan’s Beekman Hotel, it’s inspired by the fine dining of the past. The team will also operate the bar in the hotel’s nine-story atrium. So far, The Bar Room and Fowler & Wells are currently open for Breakfast and Dinner, with Lunch coming soon.
Faith Hope Consolo is the Chairman of Douglas Elliman’s Retail Group. Ms. Consolo is responsible for the most successful commercial division of New York City’s largest residential real estate brokerage firm. Email her at fconsolo@elliman.com
Jean Georges 1 Central Park West The eponymous crown jewel in Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s culinary empire, Jean-Georges also one of the city’s greatest restaurants, with accolades from the James Beard Foundation and nearly everyone else, including four stars from The New York Times and three Michelin stars. L’atelier De Joël Robuchon 85 10th Avenue Here we are, four years later, and Michelin-starred Parisian prodigy Joël Robuchon will be gracing our dining scene with not one but two divine destinations. L’atelier De Joël Robuchon will open next year in the Meatpacking District and will seat about 60 guests. Planning a late 2017 or early 2018 opening, his Midtown dual level space at 100 E. 53rd Street will be called Joël Robuchon
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NEWS
RENOVATION
Long Island’s Lessing’s Inks Pact To Renovate And Operate Queens Corporate Center Cafe
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he Blumenfeld Development Group (BDG) announced that the Lessing’s Food Service Management has been selected to operate the 10:10 Café which serves as the restaurant and catering facility for the Bulova Corporate Center and surrounding neighborhood in East Elmhurst, NY. “We are thrilled to provide our tenants and the local community with a first class dining experience led by the Lessing’s Food Service Management,” said Brad Blumenfeld, Vice President, Blumenfeld Development Group. It was only natural to have an industry leader in the food service/restaurant business who can offer the most up to date food choices to operate the café. There has been an extremely positive reception within the community to Lessing’s performance and food offerings.” “We are excited at the chance to work with a first class organization like BDG,” said Kevin Lessing, Executive Director, Lessing’s Food Service Management. “Having the chance to bring a state-of-the-art facility and the most updated menu of food offerings to such a distinguished group of tenants and com-
We are excited at the chance to work with a first class organization like BDG,” said Kevin Lessing, Executive Director, Lessing’s Food Service Management. munity at a historic building is a wonderful opportunity.” The historic Art Deco building built in 1953 as the world headquarters and manufacturing facility for the Bulova Watch Company, was acquired and repositioned by BDG in 1985, turning it into an ultra-modern, Class A office center which now hosts three stories totaling 480,000 square feet on 17 acres near LaGuardia Airport and adjacent to the Grand Central Parkway and Brooklyn Queens Expressway. During its redesign BDG introduced architectural elements that include the creation of a soaring atrium and public spaces that offer waterfalls, artwork, and seating areas that provide a quiet setting to view rotating exhibits provided by the Queens Museum of Art. The building’s classic yet modern design
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has been showcased in several feature films including Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street. Lessing’s, a sixth generation, family owned-and-operated business for 125 years, operates facilities at more than 80 locations in the Northeast plus 8 restaurants, 15 catering halls and 5 Blaze Pizza Franchises. Lessing’s locations can be found at various colleges and universities, corporate offices, and country clubs. Blumenfeld Development Group is a full service real estate development firm with a diverse portfolio in the New York metropolitan region. BDG develops all asset types and currently controls over five million square feet of real estate. BDG services include leasing, acquisitions, property management, construction, land use, architecture,
engineering and design. BDG not only supports a host of charitable based initiatives, but regularly invests in the local communities in which it develops. With a primary focus on the New York City region, it redevelops obsolete, abandoned properties into viable projects that create job growth, investment, and new opportunities for residents in historically disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Lessing’s Nadia Vanzan
New AD TK
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 89
NEWS
APPRECIATION
Industry Mourns Passing Of Iconic Kaplan With Irinox USA Focused On Fulfilling His Vision
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etro New York and the nation’s foodservice industry came together last month to honor the passing of the beloved Ira Kaplan. Kaplan held a variety of leadership positions in the foodservice equipment industry. Most recently, he served as president of Irinox USA, a firm that he teamed to launch in 2005, the Miami, FL based manufacturer of blast chillers. He stepped aside last year with the knowledge that his vision was in the capable hands of a new management team led by new president Ronald Von Bakergem and on the culinary side by Corporate Executive Chef Tim Murray. The Miami based company has dedicated itself to accomplishing the vision initiated by Kaplan. Irinox USA’s dedication to accomplishing Kaplan’s vision for the firm is seen in its magnificent new training facility to share with the industry. Ira Kaplan’s career included 36 years at Serv-O-Lift Eastern Corporation, where he started on the shop floor before becoming an estimator, vice president of sales and marketing and eventually president. In 2002 he formed Aalex Corporation, a consulting firm working with a variety of foodservice equipment manufacturers, where he served as president and director of thought.
“He touched the lives of so many,” noted Joe Ferri of Pecinka Ferri. “Ira had this incredible ability to connect so many people in our industry,” the New Jersey based rep added. “His desire to make connections and facilitate ‘everything’ is legendary. His mind was always searching, questioning, planning, strategizing and looking for the hidden solutions that no one else could even conceive of,” said his daughter Shari Kaplan. She followed her father’s footsteps into the foodservice equipment industry and now works for Eagle Group. “He delighted in catching people unaware, to make them think creatively. Everyone he encountered benefitted from Professor Ira’s assignments and expectations. He pushed all of us, especially me, to be the best version of ourselves, whether in a personal realm or in a business environment.” In addition, Kaplan was a longtime member of the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers. He served on the association’s board of directors from 1982-85 before being elevated to officer roles including secretary (1986), vice president (1988) and president (1989). In ad-
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Ira Kaplan dedicated his career to constantly connecting industry professionals
dition, Kaplan served as chair of The NAFEM Show in 1991. In 1997 Kaplan received the William W. Carpenter Award, NAFEM’s highest honor, and the association’s Doctorate of Foodservice Award. He was also very active in countless industry associations, including the FCSI; FEDA; SHFM, which recognized him with awards for ethics and leadership and MAFSI, which honored him with its Market Mover Award. He also received an honorary doctorate from Johnson and Wales University and the UPS Distinguished Service Award from the Food Chain Hunger Relief Organization.
Kaplan held plenty of educational sessions for the foodservice industry and was considered an educator, trainer and mentor to many in the foodservice industry. He also sat on numerous boards of directors including the hunger relief organizations America’s Second Harvest and the Taste of the NFL, as well as the New England Sinai Hospital and Rehabilitation Center. Kaplan was also a longtime member of the Boston Epicurean Club. He was very much at home in New York City. “From his day making sales calls on the Bowery , to his role as an active board member of the BCA to his involvement with the annual Dessert Professional Awards at the Institute of Culinary Education, Ira considered New York very much a second home,” added Lynne Schultz of Tri-State Marketing. Kaplan earned a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and master’s degrees from Johnson & Wales University and Anna Maria College. He is survived by his wife Barbara and daughters Shari and Stephanie, granddaughters Ava and Alexandra and numerous other family and friends.
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The Central Islip School district teamed with The Sam Tell Companies and LTI to execute their vision for a series of themed stations to anchor a fresh new approach to the school’s 1 22 food service initiative 23 24
Central Islip High School
Jerry Hoffman, Equipment and Supply Dealer, The Sam Tell Companies, Farmingdale, NY and New York, NY
Central Islip, NY
Paul Carlozzo, School Lunch Director, Central Islip School District
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hen School Lunch Director, Paul Carlozzo arrived at Central Islip School District on Long Island in 2010, one of the first things he noted was the tired and antiquated High School Cafeteria. The lack of serving line and the need for a total renovation at the High School was evident. Carlozzo had a vision and wanted to bring his extensive Food Service background to the students and staff at the Central Islip School district. Initially the focus was on repairing a School Lunch Program that was finan-
cially challenged and in need of attention. New menus and staff training in all schools came first, but the goal to renovate the High School serving area was still a much-needed challenge. Eventually Carlozzo presented a proposal to the Board of Education and with the guidance and expertise of Business Administrator, Kevin Miller and buy in from the community, the project was approved. Central Islip Facility Director, Matthew Providente spearheaded the construction, which included the removal of walls, new floors, and installation of new elec-
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tric, plumbing and HVAC System, as well as the addition of an atrium and new outside eating areas. The Project offers a newly designed cafeteria and seating area including new Food Court Style Serving lines. A new Faculty serving line was also incorporated into the design. The Students and Staff at Central Islip are thrilled and the response as well as the participation is way up. Students can choose 2from a variety of stations and food offerings as well as a separate snack area for a la carte purchases.
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The new Central Islip High School Food Court is made up of five food stations where students can purchase entrees which are considered a “Lunch”. The food court caters to the majority of students by offering a variety of popular food items. “Some of our students may prefer to eat the same type of foods each day, while others prefer to move from station to station depending on what is offered that day,” Carlozzo explained. Throughout the year, we evaluate
continued on page 94
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 93
Central Islip HS Blueprint, from page 92
menus and make changes based on student demand and suggestions. Our goal is for our students and faculty to enjoy! The Carlozzo led Central Islip High School turned to noted equipment and supply professional: Jerry Hoffman of The Sam Tell Companies to accomplish their goals for the new facility. “It’s easy to feed off the passion and enthusiasm that Paul and his team had to get this right,” noted Hoffman. “We knew that creating these stations and making each one exciting for the students was crucial to creating a facility that would be special.” So Hoffman needed to find a manufacturer that could execute his vision for the project. With LTI and its energetic leader Mike Purcell, the Central Islip team was able to find a factory with a comprehensive understanding of the needs of an educational facility. Pur-
cell has long been known as a go-to source by school food service directors throughout New York State. He has worked on a countless number of school district projects throughout his career. Purcell brought in LTI’s Education Sales Specialist, Willis Smith to assist Hoffman with all the details. Smith’s team presented Hoffman and Carlozzo with design options for the dining room décor and seating plans. After many months of discussion, Central Islip decided to use LTI to supply all of the furniture and interior décor elements to bring the entire renovation together. The Central Islip design includes the Gridiron Grill. “Hamburgers and Cheeseburgers, Chicken Nuggets, Spicy Chicken Sandwiches, and Chicken Tenders are some of the foods featured at this station,” Carlozzo explained. LTI crafted the custom fabrication and refrigeration to anchor: World’s
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Fare. “This station features Classic flavors from around the world,” Carlozzo said. Students will find Greek, Tex-Mex, and Asian, Spanish, Thai, specialties. “Our students and faculty in many cases want the Sandwich of their choice. So at the Musketeer Deli those sandwiches are expertly prepared or they can feast on one of our Daily Specialty Paninis,” noted Carlozzo. Hoffman and LTI teamed to design Cuccina de Italia. The station enables Carlozzo’s culinary team to offer a variety of Pizza, Pasta, Calzone, Meatball Heroes, each week. Three different fresh baked pizzas are made daily by Central Islip’s talented cooks. The two most popular are Cheese and Pepperoni, which are served daily. “We also offer a featured pizza with non-traditional flavors such as Mushroom Pizza and Buffalo Chicken Pizza and more,”
Carlozzo added. With an eye towards healthier fare, Carlozzo created The Green House. “Our goal was for our students and faculty to have salads expertly prepared to their specification with an assortment of “Salad Fixins” and Crunchy toppings and a favorite dressing,” Carlozzo noted. “As we built the plan for this, we could see just how busy our community can be,” said Carlozzo. Once again with the assistance of Hoffmann and LTI a Grab ‘n Go Express station was created. Grab ‘n Go Express features Ready to Go salads and sandwiches, yogurt parfaits and specialties prepackaged and Ready to Go. “All of the hard work and planning and the commitment of SamTell and LTI to get this right has paid off,” Carlozzo concluded. “There isn’t a meal that goes by that we don’t get the thumbs up from our students.”
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LIZ ON TABLETOP
TABLETOP SOLUTIONS
Comfort Food’s New Appearance On Fine Dinnerware
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ho doesn’t love comfort food? It’s warm and delicious and usually cheesy. But as the world changes, so does our culture, and our definition of comfort food. The culinary world is changing and one of the most important aspects your customers are looking for now is comfort. When was the last time you went out to
Liz Weiss is the President and coowner of Armonk, NY based H. Weiss
dinner and had to really dress up? I mean really dress up. The whole feeling of being able to put on a cashmere sweater and pair of jeans and still get a four star meal. This level of comfort really begins with the tabletop design. When you sit down and there is a flip-top water bottle, it’s comfortable and it’s literally comfortable in your hands. It provides a very earthy and relatable
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kind of feel. This is sweeping all over the culinary world and people love it. It doesn’t just stop there either, this is a huge trend and it is transforming culinary experiences for thousands. First things first, the menus are changing; you are going to see menu items that can be categorized as comfort food. The thing is that comfort food is also changing
Co. She is known nationally as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on tabletop design. The Michigan State graduate is also actively involved with WPO-Women’s Presidents Organization. Comments may be sent to eweiss@hweiss.net.
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Weiss, from page 96 and luckily for us for the healthier. For example I went to Village Social and wanted to order the vegetarian option and it was a pasta dish. The pasta was made with zucchini and grain; it provided me with the comfort of pasta but with a healthy twist. The pasta was served in a bowl and even if you served it in a white bowl it is more substantial than using a finer bowl. Everything here is about the feeling of comfort. The next thing to consider for comfortable table wear is do you want the expensive tablecloth. If you are starting new having a nice wooden table would provide that earthy comfortable feel you are looking for. If you are an existing restaurant and you already have cheap Formica tabletop you are just going to have to work with it. You
may sit there and say, “I am going to put a paper topper over the top that gives the appearance of something a bit more rustic. You always have to remember that your goal here is to shoot for comfort. After you have figured out your perfect table you move on to your tabletop presentation. Brands like Steelite and Cardinal are embracing these new trends of comfort with their new lines Craft and Geode. These two companies understand the demands of the industry and have created these beautiful plates designed for presenting comfort food. Arc Cardinal’s new line Geode is clean and simple with handmade touches. The new product line was designed by Jono Pandolfi and is inspired by the Greek Geode definition “shape
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of the earth”. The Geode collection provides chefs with a blank canvas on its perfectly imperfect smooth glazed plates. The plates boast the comfort and aesthetics of the artisanal look with industrial strength. Steelite’s new Craft series holds a similar vibe but is completely different in aesthetic. In one word the new Craft series can be personified as rustic. It’s subtle and perfectly imperfect with its charming rustic vibe. Inspired by hand-crafted, simple country wares made by generations of potters over hundreds of years. Steelite’s Craft series embodies the range of rich, lustrous glazed applied by hand, and celebrates the different reaction which occur in the kiln. The glazes give off an almost gem like effect that are married to simple
forms and shapes that produce a unique and beautiful appearance. White is not the new white this year; the new trends that are coming have this homemade urban vibe to them with reactive glazes. It’s a look of comfort that makes you feel at home. These new trends in tabletop ware and the new trends in comfort food are a perfect match.
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NEWS MENU SOLUTIONS 18th Sirha Hospitality & Foodservice World Event Back In France For 2017
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very two years, over five days, Sirha becomes the meeting point for all professionals in the catering, food and hospitality industries. With 189,000 visitors in 2015, the 2017 edition holds the promise of thousands of opportunities to find new partners and conquer new markets. With 3,045 international exhibitors and brands, 11 sections dedicated to food products, equipment and services for Food Service professionals, Sirha embodies the world market for catering, hotel and food services. It is the only trade exhibition to feature such an exhaustive offering that satisfies the needs of all types of catering: fast food, gastronomic, and mass catering for hospitals, schools, and hotels. Sirha is a real drive for research and innovation, a source of ideas, a unique solution to answer the big question for today and tomorrow: what does food service mean for a better life? We spoke with Sirha’s Managing Director, Marie-Odile Fondeur, to discuss this year’s show, which will take place January 21-25th at the EUREXPO in Lyon, France. For our readers who may not be aware of Sirha, could you give a little history about the show? Sirha will be held for the 18th time in 2017 and will be more than ever a magical event. It has a unique atmosphere that you don’t find anywhere else. Created in 1985 in Lyon by Paul Bocuse and food trade artisans, Sirha
has become a not-to-be-missed event for all professionals and sectors in the catering and hospitality industry. It has been growing ever since to become a leading event at the crossroad of world food service.
this means that each visitor will find more than what he was looking for.
As we hope business improves for our restaurateurs in a sluggish economy, how does that impact the role that a visit to the show plays? Sirha is an incredible sourcing tool for products and services, for today and tomorrow. Sirha gives ideas of new recipes or new concepts for a restaurateur to stand out. It allows new encounters and discoveries of new suppliers, helping to cook and serve better and faster. Visiting the show is a powerful springboard for any food business.
The Internet has certainly grown as a resource for chefs and restaurateurs around the world to shop. What does a show like Sirha bring that you simply can’t get find online? Many people speak of Sirha as being an unforgettable experience, because you instantly become immersed in the fantastic atmosphere of the event: festive, friendly, and boasting a vibrant intensity that is found at no other professional trade shows and not on the web either! Thanks to more than 1,600 demonstrations each day, visitors come to taste, smell, and test ‘live’ the food products, and also software applications, innovative kitchen equipment, etc.
Restaurant owners are facing difficult market conditions as well as an increasing demand from clients. And the main objective of Sirha is to enable professionals to boost their sales, enhance efficiency and surpass their objectives. How does the show accomplish that? Sirha is a unique place to meet colleagues and suppliers and exchange about new trends. It features unique laboratories of experimentation that showcase concept food or restaurants. It spotlights and explains hundreds of new products and innovations. The show also welcomes dozens of conferences and roundtables that give advice about key industry issues. All of
The show has always been known for prodding the foodservice operator to think outside of the box. What’s on the agenda for this year’s show? This year as always, innovation plays an important role at the show… In 2015, the exhibitors introduced 725 new products and services, including 326 world premières! Each edition also presents new creations or stages with different inspirations. In 2017, for the first time Sirha will host a “Startup” village where a dozen “foodtech” companies will introduce visitors to the most innovative products and services. This village is close to the Food Studio, the food design exhibition and
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Sirha’s Managing Director, Marie-Odile Fondeur
the innovation and new products area. The Sirha Innovation Awards will crown the best innovations in products, equipment, and services. The Sixième Sens live restaurants will also showcase 5 exclusive custommade concepts. Tell us about Sirha’s partnership with LOEB Innovation and how it helps with the generational challenges in today’s foodservice landscape. For this 2017 edition, together with Loeb innovation, we have chosen to review the generational challenges in order to better understand how restaurant clients today, with their changing values, give birth to a new food service landscape. We focused on the aspirations of the different generations, identifying in particular 4 typologies of clients Generation W, X, Y and Z. Each of them has their values and their expectations of what a restaurant should look like. These insights can help professionals design new concepts of restaurants. This analysis is available in the Sirha
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21>25
JANUARY 2017 EUREXPO
RCS LYON 380 552 976 - Document non contractuel © Photos : Gilles Defaix - Montage : Studio des Fleurs / Touche Particulière - Robe : Nicolas Fafiotte -
LYON FRANCE
3,045
exhibitors & brands
725
launches
189,028
professionals, 138 countries
11
activity sectors on 130,000 m2 (Source: Sirha 2015)
SIRHA APP.
Reserved for trade visitors only #Sirha
Y O U R F R E E B A D G E W I T H T H E I N V I TAT I O N C O D E PPT FS O N W W W. S I R H A . C O M December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 101
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28/07/2016 18:27
FOOD SAFETY
WITH AUSTIN PUBLICOVER
How To Avoid Cooling Violations At Your Next Restaurant Inspection
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he enemy in your kitchen, I guarantee, is proper cooling. Maybe some of your team understands, but most don’t. Of more than seven hundred inspections I’ve done in the past three years, I’ve found cooling violations in more than 70% of kitchens. First, why proper cooling is important: Bacteria loves the same tempera-
Austin Publicover , CP-FS, established Bulletproof! Food Safety in 2013 with an emphasis on excellent customer service, HACCP, SOPs, foodworker trainings, food safety
tures that you & I do, and, with a little time, they multiply with gusto when they’re in the temperature Danger Zone. The Danger Zone is the range of temperatures between 140°F and 41°F. Let’s look at some common foodborne pathogens and at what temperatures they multiply at when in the Danger Zone, as shown in the chart below. These are not all of the foodborne pathogens that we need to be con-
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cerned about, but these do represent some widespread pathogenic bacteria that can grow easily in foods. Each of these bacteria can cause a nasty foodborne illness, leaving the consumer with diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, fever, and might even put that consumer in the hospital. Each year, one in six Americans will fall ill from food poisoning. To do your part in preventing foodborne illness, proper cooling should always be used along with proper cooking and, of course, proper cleaning & sanitizing. Second, how to cool rapidly & properly: Proper & rapid cooling will prevent pathogens from multiplying in your food and making consumers sick. The Health Code gives us a total of 6 hours to cool any potentially hazardous product, such as cooked proteins, cooked rice or pasta, cooked vegetables, etc. And we get 4 hours to cool room-temperature produce (such as tomatoes or melons) which have been cut up or processed, to 41°F or colder. Here are the time and tools needed: • Ice bath (you can fill a sink with ice and add water, but the ice level must be at or above the height of the product that you’re cooling) • Ice wands or Ice paddles (these are made of food-grade plastic, and you fill them with water, then freeze them… that keeps the ice on the inside and allows you to insert the wand into the product without ice melt or mess… great for rapidly cooling soups
management systems, small plant manufacturing, and regulatory compliance for restaurants and food producers.
and stocks) • Refrigerator or freezer (product must be in shallow pans, and the product itself can’t be any deeper than 4 inches deep… that allows maximum heat transfer) • Heat travels best through metal, so although you can cool in plastic pans or buckets, I recommend using stainless steel pans, which are proven better for heat transfer I bet you’re wondering about “How?” and “Why?” Wonder no more! I’ve captured it in a handy list for you: 1. How: Product has finished cooking and has reached the minimum required temperature as outlined in Article 81.09(a) of the Health Code; allow to cool at outside refrigeration until product is 140°F, then you can transfer into active cooling Why: Product at or above 140°F does not support bacterial growth. 2. How: Once the product has reached 140°F, it must be cooled rapidly, while uncovered, either inside refrigeration or in an ice bath Why: The Health Code calls for rapid cooling from 140°F to 41°F within 6 hours. Covering the product fully
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EYE
METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
2016 Annual Awards Gala Honors New Jersey’s Restaurant & Hospitality Industries’ Best
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oaring white feather cenWith the New York City skyline who received the evening’s most terpieces, a floating ribbon serving as the backdrop, three prestigious award, Restaurateur of dancer, and end-of-theaward recipients gave humorous the Year. evening fireworks were a and heartwarming speeches about Each year, award winners are chofew of the elegant surprises at this their start and rise in the industry sen from dozens of applicants for year’s New Jersey Restaurant & Hosand the people who supported them their contributions to their commupitality Association’s (NJRHA) Analong the way. Well-known celebrity nities, as well as their influences on nual Awards Gala held on Monday, chef, David Burke provided a comithe industry. November 28th at the Liberty House cal introduction for Tim McLoone The members of the New Jersey in Jersey City. Approximately 300 guests attended the “Gatsby-themed” evening to honor Tim McLoone of McLoone’s Restaurants as Restaurateur of the Year, and Gold Plate winners: the Kunisch family, fourth-generation owners of Mahwah Bar & Grill and Allendale Bar & Grill, as well as, Paul Dillon, Associate Dean of Business, Culinary Arts, & Hospitality Management at Hudson County Community College. “The evening was spectacular and the award recipients were well-deserving,” said Marilou Halvorsen, president of the NJRHA, “The Gala is our industry’s premier annual event where we get the opportunity to dress up, have fun, and honor a few of our special members who’ve made an impressive impact on their communities throughout their Left to Right: Back Row: Chris Kunisch, Craig Kunisch, Tim McLoone, Paul Dillion careers.” Front Row: Marilou Halvorsen (NJRHA), Katie Ohnegian
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Restaurant & Hospitality Association celebrate the heritage of some of America’s most legendary restaurants and neighborhood eateries. Under constant threat of shifting economic winds and super storm weather emergencies, the people who own, operate and serve New Jersey’s celebrated eating and drinking destinations generate nearly $12 billion in annual economic activity. For over seven decades, the NJRHA has been their essential ingredient. As the voice of the state’s largest private sector employer, the NJRHA makes available the highest quality education and training resources for New Jersey’s 300,000 restaurant professionals. It is also a direct link to the elected officials and policy leaders whose decisions impact every restaurant owner’s opportunity for success. NJRHA’s full-time experts track all the action in the State Capitol so our members know exactly how and when to act to keep their restaurant viable and open for business! In addition to restaurants, NJRHA’s membership includes food service vendors, non-profit organizations, schools, and students.
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NEWS
HOTEL DINING
Celebrity Chef Symon Set To Roll Dice In Atlantic City
C
leveland chef Michael Symon a restaurateur, TV personality, cookbook author, James Beard Award winner, and staunch defender of meat recently announced that he’ll open an Italian restaurant late next year at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. “This is the food I grew up eating - my Sicilian grandmother would be proud,” Symon said. “Authentic Italian is what I cooked in my early career and still what I like to make at home.”
Planned for fall 2016, the unnamed restaurant will join an extensive line-up of eateries from highprofile figures including Symon’s fellow Iron Chefs Bobby Flay and Geoffrey Zakarian, Wolfgang Puck, Michael Schulson, and Greg and Marc Sherry. Becky Schultz, Vice President of Food & Beverage for the hotel casino, said, “We are thrilled to bring Michael Symon to Borgata with the debut of his first Italian restaurant.” Symon recently opened a counter
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service-only burger spot in an Urban Outfitters in Austin, and he’s hoping to launch Mabel’s BBQ in Cleveland next month after severe delays set it back over a year. His lofty goal at Mabel’s is to invent a new regional barbecue style centered around Cleveland’s Eastern European influences think kielbasa and sauerkraut with a brown mustard-based sauce. Borgata has been the scene of a few misunderstandings in the past 18 months. Last year, a server at the hotel casino’s Bobby Flay Steak alleg-
edly misinformed a diner about the price of a $3,750 bottle of wine, describing its cost with the ambiguous term “thirty-seven fifty.” And early this year, the casino defended itself against accusations of racism after its Metropolitan restaurant served a soul food-themed meal in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Menu items included fried chicken and collard greens, which the restaurant explained “were among King’s favorite foods, as documented in numerous historical sources.”
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HOW GREEN ARE YOUR WAYS?
WITH PETER KAPLAN
Benefits of Energy Deregulation
F
or those who don’t know UEC stands for United Energy Consultants. Since 2007 UEC has been providing the METRO NYC area with viable utility solutions. Through partnerships with other qualified channels, it provides a local business with a menu of utility services and product that will help your business. What sets UEC apart is their added value of professional energy savings. This
Peter Kaplan has served as Chief Operating Officer and President of
is an aspect that restaurateurs don’t really think about or even know there are companies like UEC that can really help make a serious dent in your electricity bill. In today’s day and age every business and homeowner is lucky enough to have an option on your energy provider. Plain and simple energy deregulation is what makes that wide open market possible. Without energy deregulation all your consumer
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and business owners would find yourselves in an energy monopoly. With deregulation there is an open market, which allows your organization to shop around. It gives you the power to switch to electricity or natural gas and it will directly affect how much you pay for your energy. It is a motivator for suppliers to differentiate their product and offers comparable rates and pricing so they can remain competitive in the
United Energy Consultants since 2005. Behind his leadership and 20+ years of de-regulated energy and risk management experience, United Energy Consultants has developed several proprietary procurement and software systems that are a benchmark in the industry. Email him at peter@uecnow.com
continued on page 114
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Sampson, from page 50 ing tips will reduce your incentive to upsell?”: 33% will not have a reduced incentive to upsell; 77% will have a reduced incentive to upsell. When asked, “How do you think eliminating tipping and earning a straight hourly wage will affect the amount you earn?”: 94% believed they would be earning less; 3% thought they would earn more; 3% thought they would earn the same. When asked, “Do you think front of the house workers should make a higher hourly wage than back of the house workers?”: 35% said back of the house workers should be making more than front of the house workers; 46% thought they should be making the same; 19% said front of the house workers should be making more than the back of the house workers. When asked, “If tips were eliminated at your restaurant, what do you think is a reasonable hourly wage for serv-
ers?” The survey average was $25/hr. When asked, “Do you believe that restaurants should adopt a no-tipping policy?”: 94% of survey takers said NO; 2% of survey takers said YES. Have you ever stopped to think how many service situations have a tip associated with them? To mention a few: delivery services, hairdressers, tip jars on quick-service counters, airline passenger luggage handlers, apartment and hotel doormen, cab drivers, hotel maids, garage attendants, various casino staff, and bartenders; and yet when most people hear the word “tip,” invariably their first thought is a server in a food establishment. Why is that? Because the chances are most of us have been in a food establishment in the last six to ten days and left a tip. You should also know that tip income of all kinds was never policed by the IRS until the early 1990s. Their first stop was Las Vegas and their next
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group was the restaurant servers in all of the major cities. The reason they, the IRS, was able to calculate how much servers were earning was due to the greater use of credit cards, which created a paper trail, and they then established a base of cash tips at a lower percentage of the servers’ non–credit card sales. The downside of this procedure was to hold the employer responsible for the accuracy of employees’ tip earnings. That includes the employer’s Social Security share on the tip earnings of the employees, monies designated by the guests. I think it is fair to say that today’s consumer is a somewhat more liberal tipper than previous generations. A server who is serious about their job can earn an average of 18 to 25 percent of the check’s total, plus $7.50 an hour in wages. You can now readily understand why 94 percent of servers are opposed
to doing away with tipping. I’m sure that, as an industry person, you knew that without my telling you. What you may not have given any thought to is the following. In many ways, servers can almost be considered subcontractors. Management makes a major investment to offer its guests pleasant surroundings, it retains a qualified kitchen staff, purchases quality products, and, in most cases, pays top dollar in rent. The servers now find themselves in a position that, if they do their job well and receive an 18 to 25 percent gratuity, they in fact have made more on a party of four than the house, and without a financial investment, except their commute. Obviously, no one is suggesting that should or could be changed, but you must admit it is an interesting thought. P.S. Don’t try it. Some have, and were fined.
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Premium Blends, from page 54 1. Is it LEGAL – Can I Sell Cocktails Legally with ONLY a Wine or Beer/Wine License? The number one question that Premium Blend is asked over and over, is whether it is LEGAL for restaurants with a limited alcoholic beverage license, such as a beer/wine or wine license can serve cocktails LEGALLY? The simple answer is YES. That is why, after almost thirty years, Premium Blend’s slogan is “Serve Cocktails LEGALLY with your Beer and Wine License”. All Premium Blend products can be sold LEGALLY in all states, although the alcohol by volume (ABV) will vary from state to state since each state has the right to regulate the alcohol content of all alcoholic beverages within its borders. All Premium Blend products are registered and licensed by the federal government and all state authorities where Premium Blend products are sold. 2. Full Liquor License vs. Wine or Beer/Wine License. Potential restaurant owners or operators need to know that a full liquor license (a license to sell distilled spirits) can be very difficult and expensive to obtain. In some states, full liquor licenses can cost over one million dollars. Restaurant owners can serve an unlimited combination of “Happy Hour Cocktails” using Premium Blend products, and all with just a beer/wine or wine license, which in most cases can be obtained for just a few hundred dollars a year. 3. Fermented, Not Distilled. What is the difference between distilled and fermented alcohol? For all practical purposes, the answer is NONE. Many consumers have a misunderstanding between the distilled and fermented alcohol? Alcohol is basically the same, it just varies in concentration, from product to product. All alcohol based products, whether distilled spirits, wine, cider, or beer, start out as a fermented product. The only practical difference between the alcohols of
the different products is the alcohol content and whether the product has been distilled after the initial fermentation process. For example, the initial process used to make Tequila, is exactly the same process that is used to make Premium Blend’s El Guitarron, Tequesta Gold, El Jinete Blanco, or Fortuna de Don Pepe agave wines. More on this later. 4. Premium Blend Cocktail vs. Distilled Spirits Cocktail. Restaurant owners need to understand why a Premium Blend cocktail, when prepared according to our recommended recipe, is comparable, or better than one made with distilled spirits made at a full liquor licensed establishment. Premium Blend liquor substitutes are used in the exact same manner as their distilled spirit counterparts. Premium Blend recipes call for “DOUBLING UP” on the amount of liquor substitute that one would normally use to make a distilled spirits cocktail. For example, a typical screwdriver recipe calls for using one ounce of Vodka (40% ABV). In this case, one would DOUBLE UP or use two ounces of Premium Blend KLIR RED (24% ABV). The resulting Premium Blend cocktail will actually be a little stronger than one made with distilled spirits (vodka). Of course, although Premium Blend supports responsible drinking, a restaurant owner is free to use more (but never less) of its liquor substitutes than the recommended amounts called for in a cocktail recipe. In addition to recipe books, Premium Blend also has many cocktail recipes that can be found on their website at http://www.premiumblend.com/index.php/recipes 5. Premium Blend = Substantially Higher Beverage Profits. With Premium Blend products restaurant owners, can enjoy substantially higher profits than if they sold just beer and wine alone. For example, a typical cocktail using Premium Blend products and mixers costs about $1.15 to make and sells typi-
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cally for $6 to $12, depending on location. A good rule of thumb to use when pricing Premium Blend cocktails is to price it at about $1-$2 more than the price of a premium imported beer. 6. Premium Blend = Greater Beverage Choices. It’s no secret that restaurant owners and operators make significantly higher profit margins on beverages than food. For those restaurant owners that only have a beer/wine or wine license, beverage sales can oftentimes mean the difference between success or failure. A restaurant owner should not limit the beverage choices it offers its customers. The greater beverage choices, the greater the profit margins for the restaurant. Premium Blend allows a restaurant owner to increase its profits by increasing beverage sales by increasing beverage options to customers who would otherwise not order beer or wine, if these were the only choices available. 7. Premium Blend = Increased Customer Counts and First Time Customer Visits. By offering Premium Blend Happy Hour Cocktail Specials during a restaurants slowest days and times, restaurant owners have a way to attract new potential long term customers. It is very important that restaurant owners and operators use every tool available to them to increase customer counts, even if only for an occasional 2 for 1 Happy Hour Special. The customer who comes in for a cocktail special may be tomorrow’s customer who brings in his whole family for dinner. 8. Premium Blend is Easy – No Bartender Needed. Making a Premium Blend cocktail is easy and inexpensive to do. There is no special or expensive equipment to buy or complicated employee training required when using Premium Blend products. Most Premium Blend products have cocktail recipes printed on the label. Premium Blend recipe books available for most popular cocktails.
In addition, Premium Blend’s website provides product information, additional recipes and even videos that show how easy it is to make a Premium Blend cocktail. www.premiumblend.com 9. Premium Blend Provides Great Customer Service & Support. Premium Blend provides customer service and support to all restaurants who use Premium Blend products, including posters, recipe books, tasting cards, table tents, and other point of sale materials, all FREE OF CHARGE to all Premium Blend customers. Product information brochures can also be found on Premium Blend’s website at http://www.premiumblend.com/index.php/products 10. Premium Blend Products Distributed by OPICI WINE in New York State. Premium Blend products are distributed in over 40 states, including New York. OPICI FAMILY DISTRIBUTING is one of Premium Blend’s oldest distributors. Restaurant owners and operators who wish to sample Premium Blend products can contact Opici Family Distributing at Opici Wine Company of New York, 3 Manhattanville Road, Purchase, NY, 10577; Phone: (800) 648-WINE; Email: infoNYNJ@opici.com; or at OPICI FAMILY DISTRIBUTING c/o Opici Wine Company of New York, 6970 Schuyler Road, East Syracuse, NY 13057; Phone: (800) 648-WINE; Email: infoNYNJ@opici.com. Author’s Note: Although Premium Blend does not currently have a distributor in New Jersey, I invite all distributors in New York or New Jersey who would be interested in becoming an EXCLUSIVE Premium Blend distributor in New Jersey, to contact me at sonny@premiumblend.com. We also would like to hear from any restaurant or other off-premise venue that is interested in selling or currently using Premium Blend products to contact me and let me know how I can help you succeed with Premium Blend.
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December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 113
Sirha, from page 100 Trends Book (more information on the website www.sirha.com) Talk about the types of competition that will be at this year’s show? What can a food service professional take away from that experience? In 2017, Sirha will host 19 exceptional contests including 4 new ones: Maître d’Hôtel Trophy, Global Young Chefs Challenge, International competition for Young Bakers and Trophée Masse Battles. These contests transform Sirha into a stage of passionate culinary jousts. In each discipline the best tradesmen and women pit their skills against one another. They bring emotion and showcase new techniques that contribute to the progress of the trades. The two major contests - Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie and Bocuse d’Or – are world references in pastry and gastronomy and witnessing these extraordinary shows is an
Whitsons, from page 4 unforgettable experience. Any advice for an exhibitor to rethink how they get the most out of their show? Know what you want and make yourself visible! • Make sure you identify your objectives before designing your stand or organizing your sales team’s action plan. Do you want to get your brand known by new customers or media? Or launch a new product and make as many sales at the show as possible? Then plan your stand accordingly. • Tell everyone you are here. Invite your customers or prospects, advertise with your stand number, and let the media know what your new products are. Sirha also has all sorts of communication tools to help you stand out. • The show is what you make of it!
tricts: Hampton Bays Middle School, Hampton Bays, NY; South Country Bellport High School, Brookhaven, NY; Mount Sinai High School, Mount Sinai, NY; Commack High School, Commack, NY; Hauppauge High School, Hauppauge, NY; East Hampton High School, East Hampton, NY; Manhasset High School, Manhasset, NY and Mineola High School, Garden City Park, NY. Whitsons supports organic, local, and sustainable agriculture and encourages students to live healthier lifestyles and contribute to a cleaner environment. “We are pleased to be partnering with Chef Emily,” said Kelly Friend, Chief Operating Officer-Contract Management at Whitsons. “She is a passionate culinarian and farmer
Kaplan, from page 108 marketplace. All of this is good news to you! Right from the consultants themselves, UEC gives us their top benefits to energy deregulation: • You can save money on your monthly power and gas bills. This is the biggest benefit to energy deregulation. When providers compete for your business, you end up paying less for service. • The free and open market gives you the power to choose from several options for your natural gas and electricity supply.
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who will be able to share her knowledge of food with the students that we serve.” Whitsons Culinary Group provides a wide range of highly customized dining services to public schools, corporations and institutions, with a strong focus on nutritious, high quality menus made from fresh, wholesome ingredients. Whitsons has a long and proud history of excellence and growth since 1979 and currently ranks the 19th largest dining company in the United States (Food Management magazine, March 2015). Whitsons’ scope of expertise and services extends to: emergency dining, residential and healthcare dining, prepared meals, and school dining and services.
• Your service won’t be interrupted if you switch. Deregulation doesn’t have to deal with shutting off their power and trying to time things right for a switch. • Lower prices for commercial businesses, especially small businesses. • Benefit the environment by empowering electricity consumers to be smarter and more demanding shoppers. • Enjoy better customer service. In a deregulated market, if you find a company with lousy customer care, you can drop them for someone better. • Take advantage of promotions and loyalty programs. Companies will often find creative ways to capture customers’ attention. Shop around, since many alternative suppliers offer valuable promotions. • If being green is important to you, you have a much better chance of finding a green energy plan in a deregulated market.
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Sederholt, from page 58 few of the people screaming about taking American jobs back are running to build a career as a dishwasher or busboy! The nasty truth is that a more aggressive deportation program will blow a gaping hole in the side of many restaurants and it will need to be filled with higher paid legal labor. Your costs and your prices will go up. Customer counts will go down and I predict many more businesses will suffer and more business closings will result. Be careful what you wish for! • Affordable Care Act / “Obamacare” – This very controversial legislation is over 1,000 pages long and most small business owners have strong opinions yet possess limited or no understanding of what it actually helps or hurts. There are many pros and cons, and you need to determine if you are benefitting or not, but one thing is certain – if the Affordable
Care Act is repealed as promised, there will be millions of Americans, many of them in our industry, who were willing to pay for coverage, losing insurance that they cannot otherwise afford. You the taxpayer will pay for the uninsured indirectly, like it or not. It has always confused me as to why so many people hate the program since small businesses with under 50 employees were not required to offer health insurance benefits anyway – so again, the crystal ball shows no benefit to the average business owner from killing ACA. One way or the other you will still pay. • Less Regulation on Banks and Financial Services – Over regulation is bad. No regulation is worse. Remember the financial crash of 2008? The argument is that regulation is preventing banks from lending to Main Street small businesses. Like
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I said in earlier articles, I started my first restaurant in 1973 and I can tell you that banks have NEVER been interested in lending to us. They have always been risk averse and it is simply not profitable for them to originate loans of less than $250,000. Even if all the regulators are exiled to third world countries do not expect many differences in bank lending. They will continue to avoid sub-prime borrowers and still require collateral and personal guarantees. Alternative lenders will continue to grow as they have lighter regulatory burdens. • Interest Rates, Inflation, Deficit and Recession – Fed Chairman Janet Yellin has made it clear that interest rates are going up because the economy appears to have recovered. Unemployment is less than pre-recession levels; the stock market is at an all time high; GDP is up and the
budget deficit is down even though most average Americans aren’t feeling so great about the “recovery”. The big consideration will be the $6 Trillion in tax cuts plus the proposed $1 Trillion in infrastructure projects that will add to the deficit and national debt. Industry analysts are still predicting a restaurant recession in 2017 right into 2018. Be prepared. So the overview – even though it seems like major changes are afoot in Washington, we should not expect any real benefits in foodservice or restaurants. Will there be more customers spending more money? It doesn’t look like it. Will we have lower costs and lower taxes? Not unless you are rich or run a larger corporation. What do we do now? What we always do – go back to work and keep pushing forward. It’s what restaurant people do. Questions for Dave? Write to dsederholt@sfscapital.com
BOOTH #203
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Erica Barrett, from page 10 What brought you to the Culinary Entrepreneurship (CE) Program at the International Culinary Center®? I wanted to go to Culinary School and wanted to get my education at the best school in the U.S. I did lots of research online and another trip to New York brought me to ICC®. After touring with my husband, I knew it was the place for me.
What was the most critical piece of information you learned while at ICC®? The most critical piece of information that I learned at ICC® is that success in the food industry requires preparation, systems, resources and great connections. I received all four things in the Culinary Entrepreneurship Program. What has the response been like for
Southern Culture Foods? a. Pre-ICC CE to Post ICC CE? The response for Southern Culture has been great since early beginnings. I have been blessed to have great press and great retailers that are excited about carrying my line of products. Since I left the ICC® CE Program, my business has really amplified. I get calls from editors every week wanting to feature
my product and buyers wanting to purchase it. I am humbled. b. Post Shark Tank? My business absolutely exploded after Shark Tank, we went from $150,000 in sales to $500,000 in sales in 12 months. Shark Tank opened up so many doors for me and I now call it the gift that keeps on giving. It’s a wonderful show. Could you tell our readers a little bit about what you got out of the ICC® CE program? I truly gained confidence that I can start any food business and be highly successful with all of my concepts. I now have valuable resources to grow my current and new food business ventures. At what point were you able to get SCF into major retailers like Amazon and Target? I sold to Amazon immediately and Target took 2 years of selling to land the deal. Did it surprise you when you discovered that not only would you need to sell to restaurateurs but distributors as well? I worked with a consultant prior to opening my business. I was prepared for distributors picking up my products, but when chefs say I want to use your products versus making their own from scratch, it makes you excited. So what does the future look for Southern Culture Foods and for you? Southern Culture has been a great launching pad for me. I am working on a restaurant concept in Harlem. I launched a catering business in Atlanta and will be rolling out Southern Culture Catering New York in October. I am super excited about catering and offering amazing food to people on a daily basis.
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HUB, from page 46 sources measure that amount differently, immigration changes represent perhaps the most controversial and highly sensitive issues currently before Congress and real legislative change could be difficult. Prescription Drugs President-elect Trump has also spoken in favor of directing the FDA to immediately enact safety standards to enable prescription drug importation. (Buying drugs abroad is disallowed by the FDA, but often practiced via the Internet.) Such a change would presumably force the markets to globally adjust prescription drug pricing. Supporters of this change contend that Americans are effectively subsidizing world prescription drug costs by forcing inflated domestic prices for medication. Health Savings Accounts The President-elect has consistently spoken about promoting HSAusage and even made reference to the accounts in his victory speech. Andrew Bremberg, leading the HHS transition, would likely propose significantly higher contribution limits and federal “seed” contributions via tax credits (similar to the proposals he shaped for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in his failed presidential bid). Republicans also advocate new rules that would permit limited
access to prescription drug coverage without compromising a taxpayer’s ability to fund the HSA. Employer Mandate? Although he has emphasized ACA “repeal and replace,” Mr. Trump has not specifically discussed elimination of the employer mandate. Since he has discussed repeal of the individual mandate, not referring to the employer mandate seems conspicuously absent to some. In fact some experts speculate that if ACA is repealed, that an element of the employer mandate might survive in the “replace” version. (For example, perhaps with a higher attachment threshold, such as 100 full-time employees instead of 50; or with more gentle aggregation rules to quantify the size of ALE.) Therefore, at least for now, we believe employers should prudently stay the course as relates to ACA mandate compliance, certainly so long as tax penalties remain in effect. Cadillac Tax Some employers in the midst of cost containment decision-making have expressed uncertainty about the election. If the law is repealed, would the Cadillac tax automatically be eliminated? It may be, but a Trump proposal to eliminate the Cadillac tax could be tied to a cap
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on the employer deduction of health coverage premium. Again, this possibility reflects an aspect of the proposal Andrew Bremberg floated for Scott Walker (which may resurface as Bremberg is now attached to the Trump public policy team). Proposals similar to this cap have periodically appeared in Republican health reform proposals dating back to President Reagan’s time, so there is still hope that the idea may end up tabled again. State Law Wildcard? If the Trump administration and Republicans successfully join to repeal the ACA, but then propose a “replace” version that fails to meaningfully satisfy Democratic concerns, we might see a resurgence of health reform initiatives at the state level. For example, Massachusetts drafted its own version of health care reform prior to the ACA. So if a
successful ACA repeal were ever enacted, employers might actually find themselves in a tougher compliance situation as we could begin seeing a proliferation of Massachusetts-style reform initiatives around the country. Of course, employers could cogently argue that states generally lack the power to legislate in the employee benefit zone (under the ERISA preemption doctrine), but until such concerns were fully resolved by the judiciary, employers could find themselves stuck with mushrooming compliance burdens depending on where they operate. Stay tuned! Disclaimer: Information current as of November 16, 2016. HUB International is closely monitoring the transition of Executive power, as well as legislative leadership adjustments that may occur.
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Bobrow, from page 62
an earthy Rye Whiskey, to the most exotic ‘white’ tea with a Japanese malted whisky, this traditionally after dinner slurp is suddenly hot! Don’t think about plunking a bag of Lipton into a bottle of bourbon, that’s just wrong, don’t do it! I’ve been creating cocktails with Earl Grey tea syrup and botanical gin- served iced and still others based on exotic spiced teas, mixed with fruit liqueurs for added depth and character. Tea can be served hot or cold of course, adding new dimension- bringing just the usual to the highly unusual and therefore memorable. Even the hyper-variety named Bubble Tea is of great interest to me. Those juicy tapioca pearls offer constant amusement. Add a couple ounces of Rhum Agricole (fresh sugar cane rum from Martinique) the formerly ‘kids’ drink is taken rapidly to a very adult place.
• Ice. If your ice smells like garlic pasta, you’ve failed. If your expensive bourbon whiskey tastes and smells like blue cheese, yup- you’ve failed yourself. Here is a hint. Buy new ice trays made out of silicone. Never use soap on them only some warm water. Always double boil your water or use filtered water for your ice. Put two gallon sized freezer bags over the ice cube tray and freeze as usual. I don’t get too upset about the ice being perfectly clear. Your ice must not smell like what is in your refrigerator, otherwise the point of using ice is moot. • Adding water to your whisky (e). I do it. Others do it too. It’s ok to add a bit of water to your high proof spirits. The addition of water (by the drop) may actually make your spirits easier to drink, and what is wrong with adding a bit of water? If you en-
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joy it, do it! No one is scoring you. Holiday Punch (for at least 50 if they have two drinks) It’s quite potent: please, make sure you use all freshly squeezed juices, no excuse to use frozen or bottled juice, ever! • • • • • •
1 bottle (750ml) Mezan XO Jamaican Rum ½ bottle (250ml) over proof rum of your choice ¼ bottle (250ml) brandy of your choice ¼ bottle Fruitations Tangerine Soda and Cocktail Syrup 1 quart freshly squeezed orange 1 quart freshly squeezed roasted grapefruit juice (split grapefruits, sprinkle with Angostura Bitters and ‘Sugar in
•
•
the Raw’, roast for 45 minutes at 400 degrees, cool and juiceyou’ll need at least ten of them for this punch 16 oz. Ginger Beer- please use cane sugar type only- no corn syrup soda ever! 1 bottle good quality sparkling wine, like a Cava from Spain
1. Combine all the ingredients except for the ginger beer and the sparkling wine in a large punch bowl. Chill well with an ice insert to keep from diluting. 2. Add the well iced Ginger Beer and the sparkling wine just before serving.. Serve in antique teacups with an added cube of ice, if desired.
Publicover, from page 102 slows down the release of heat, so best to leave uncovered or partially covered 3. How: Cooling must be continuous but the effectiveness of cooling is judged in two steps: First, you must reduce the temperature to 70°F within 2 hours of the product reaching 140°F. Product must be loosely covered or uncovered while it cools. Why: Most bacteria multiply rapidly at temperatures above 70°F, so the first 2 hours of rapid cooling are extremely important. Never “nest” or stack too many products that are cooling, as this slows the heat transfer. 4. How: And the second step in the continuous cooling process is to go from 70°F to 41°F or below within an additional 4 hours, still loosely covered or uncovered. Why: The last four hours of rapid cooling ensure that we are slowing down any bacterial outgrowth. It is important to monitor the temperature of the product with a metal stem thermometer. 5. How: Take the temperature of the product; if it is 41°F or colder, then it’s safe to cover for storage Why: Covering the product preserves the integrity of the product while it’s being stored & also protects it from potential contamination. And here’s one more representation of our 6 hours of total cooling time: • From cook-to temperature to 140°F (passive cooling, on a speed rack or prep table) • From 140°F to 70°F within 2 hours (actively cooling in ice or refrigeration) • 70°F to 41°F or below within 4 additional hours (continues to actively cool in ice or refrigeration) • At 41°F or below, product can be covered with a lid and stored in refrigeration or the freezer Now let’s go chill! Keep it cool out there, team! And thanks for reading. December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 123
CCAP, from page 84 professional development day at Jetro Restaurant Depot served as an invaluable connection to the industry for our high school culinary teachers. It provided them with an in-depth look at the intricacies of a wholesale food distributor from both the customer and the business side, as well as gathered them together as a community to
share their common experiences and best practices in the classroom.” At a time when the labor market has never been so competitive or uncertain, it is very important for C-CAP to partner with the industry to provide professional development programs that give teachers access to resources that help them to continue to be con-
Admiring the Chef Works display ad featuring C-CAP Alum Pastry Chef Thiago Silva
nected to the foodservice and hospitality industry as they nurture and accommodate millennial-era talent. Each school year, teachers have the opportunity to participate in at least three workshops with the aim of deep-
Megan Kleven conducts the tour of Jetro/Restaurant Depot
ening teachers’ knowledge to better prepare students to meet the standards identified by post-secondary and industry as essential for their successes in college and the workplace. The professional development workshops are designed specifically to enhance teachers’ knowledge of essential skills, techniques and current information so they can pass on the skills and information to their students. To ensure the workshops are relevant and effective, C-CAP relies on teachers’ feedback, employers’ feedback of students in C-CAP Summer Internships Program, classroom observations, and information from the Department of Education and the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Advisory Council. If you would like to host a professional development workshop for the teachers, please contact: Joyceappelman@gmail.com
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SendaGuy, from page 52 pairs for your restaurant. What the app does really well is communicate to the user. It lets you know that we’re searching for a perfect match. When we find that match, the app lets you know and presents the contractor’s rate– which we monitor to ensure that it’s fair and commensurate with the task,” he stated. “And then, if you accept that contractor, it tells you when the repair technician is on the way and when he shows up.” But the app isn’t done once this happens. Keltz said that the company actually watches the transaction in the background to make sure everything is connecting. “We make sure that if a customer is presented with an estimate, the customer doesn’t miss the deadline for responding to that estimate. Or, if a contractor is accepting a job, and says he’ll be there within two hours, he actually shows up within two hours. That’s why our customers love this.”
SendaGuy Now also has a mobile parts warehouse. “We have a van stocked with the most commonly requested equipment parts - it’s basically like the ice cream truck that drives around the neighborhood, with the idea being that, if a contractor is at your location and needs a part, we want to increase his first time fix rate,” he said. “And if we’ve got the part he needs on our van, we’ll bring it to the location that day.” Down the road the company will be adding more analytics which will be viewed from a web-based dashboard. “You will be able to log into a website and see reports and dive deeper into the repair data of your equipment inventory,” Keltz concluded. The SendaGuy Now app is free and can be downloaded at the Apple app store or the Google Play store. Interested restaurant operators and potential repair service partners can also go to SendaGuy.com.
December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 125
Faith Hope Consolo, from page 86 Restaurant with a gourmet marketplace. Another hush hush venture will also be multiple locations for a La Boutique de Joël Robuchon. We await more scrumptious details.... Le Bernardin 787 7th Ave Born in Paris in 1972 by sibling duo Maguy and Gilbert Le Coze, Le Bernardin only served fish: Fresh, simple and prepared with respect. After receiving its first Michelin star in 1976, and two more in 1980, the Le Coze’s set to open Le Bernardin in New York in 1986. After the unexpected passing of Gilbert in 1994, Maguy Le Coze began working closely with Chef Eric Ripert, a disciple and close friend of Gilbert, who took over the kitchen to continue preparing the freshest seafood with the simple philosophy that the fish is the star of the plate. Le Bernardin earned four stars from The New York Times three months after its opening, never having dropped a star throughout five reviews, and is the only restaurant to maintain this rating for that length of time. The restaurant has held three stars from the Michelin Guide since its 2005 New York launch and currently ranks 24 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The New York Zagat Guide has recognized Le Bernardin as top rated in the category of “Best Food” for the last nine consecutive years, and in 2015 was rated by the guide as New York City’s top restaurant for food and service. Le Bernardin has earned seven James Beard Awards since 1998 including “Outstanding Restaurant of the Year,” “Top Chef in New York City,” “Outstanding Service,” “Outstanding Chef in the United States,” “Outstanding Pastry Chef,” “Outstanding Wine Service,” and “Best Restaurant Design” in 2012. Maialino Bernardin
2 Lexington Avenue Created by Danny Meyer, the foodie star behind Union Square Hospitality, including Shake Shack, Blue Smoke and The Modern, Maialino is a Roman-style trattoria in the Gramercy Park Hotel. Executive chef Nick Anderer’s menu draws from classic Roman dishes with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Marimoto 88 Tenth Avenue Hiroshima native and renowned Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto brings his eponymous brand to the Chelsea Market, creating a superb restaurant. per se 10 Columbus Circle, 4th Floor After per se opened in 2004 it quickly established itself as one of New York City’s top restaurants. With per se, Thomas Keller brings his distinctive hands-on approach from Napa Valley’s French Laundry to New York City. The restaurant reflects his intense focus on detail that extends to cuisine, presentation, mood and surroundings. Red Rooster 310 Lenox Ave Named in honor of a legendary Harlem speakeasy, Red Rooster is renowned TV chef Marcus Samuelsson’s exploration of the roots of American cuisine and the diverse traditions of Harlem, the neighborhood he calls home. Samuelsson serves comfort food that celebrates the roots of American cuisine and has elevated the culinary game in the neighborhood by bounds. Restaurant Daniel 60 E 65th St Award-winning chef Daniel Boulud’s presents seasonal French cuisine inspired by the market in the sumptuous Venetian Renaissance
126 • December 2016 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
style dining room or in the Bellecour Room. Daniel Boulud has created a kitchen brigade trained in the French tradition respecting the techniques, hierarchy and discipline of their trade. Together they combine the talent of 40 cooks representing the world, working together in 4,000 square feet of state of the art kitchen designed by Boulud himself.
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WWW.PREMIUMBLEND.COM The Michelin Star Rankings for 2017 have been released, and New York fared as well as ever. Included in the 77 restaurants awarded a star, New York has six, three-star venues; Le Bernardin, Masa, JeanGeorges, Eleven Madison Park, The Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare and per se. Food boundaries are always in flux; watch for my next edition of Faithful Food! Happy Dining!
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