December 2022 - Total Food Service

MICHIGAN STATE’S MEHLBERG PRESENTED WITH SHFM INAUGURAL CATTANI FELLOWSHIP AWARD

Earlier this year, the foodser vice industry lost a giant: Dick Cattani. He was that rare breed who was loved by everybody and went out of his way for so many. His brilliant career was capped by a long run as the President and CEO of Restaurant Associates. To honor that legacy, The Society for Hospitality & Foodservice Man

agement (SHFM) Foundation, that Dick was such a big part of, wanted to create on-going recognition to such a special life. With that, the “Friend of the Foundation Award” was re-named in honor of industry icon Dick Cat tani: “Dick Cattani Fellowship Award.” Jeanine Cosgrove-Albert, SHFM Foun dation Chair said, “Dick was not only a giant in the industry but also a man

of tremendous kindness and integrity. Additionally, he was a long-time sup porter of the SHFM Foundation and

the first-ever recipient of the “Friend of the Foundation Award.” The SHFM Foundation “Dick Cattani Fellowship Award” honors an SHFM member who has made significant contribu tions to the success of the Foundation and the industry. This year’s recipient, announced at this year’s gala, is Tim Mehlberg with The School of Hospi tality Business, Michigan State Uni versity.

Mehlberg is an experienced Busi ness Instructor with a demonstrated history of working in the higher edu cation industry. He is a highly skilled in Product Marketing, Marketing, Product Development, Business Man agement, and Business. His MSU stu dents have also learned from his ex tensive operational background.

The ‘22 SHFM Award winner has a Master’s Degree focused in Restau rant, Hotel and Institutional Manage ment from Texas Tech University. “I am absolutely humbled to be thought of and to be honored in remembrance of one of our industry’s true icons,” noted Mehlberg.

The award was presented to Mehl berg at The Society for Hospitality & Foodservice Management (SHFM) Foundation hosted the inaugural SHFM Foundation Gala, last month

“I am absolutely humbled to be thought of and to be honored in remembrance of one of our industry’s true icons.” — Tim Mehlberg

Tim Mehlberg, the Dick Cattani Fellowship Award Winner

By Ron Halverson, Ph.D., President, Halverson Group

THE BATTLE FOR MOBILE MINDSHARE: RESTAURANTS FACE OFF IN A MOBILE ECOSYSTEM

COVID-19 changed every thing, including the way we eat… well, the way we decide what to eat and the way we order our food.

In this post-pandemic “new nor mal,” with restaurants facing com petition from third-party ordering and delivery apps, and a continued influx of mobile orders, a highfunctioning mobile app is no longer a nice-to-have but a need-to-have. The benefits are well-documented, with restaurants reporting labor savings, increased loyalty and high er check averages. As you would ex

pect, many restaurant chains have read the writing on the wall and are dedicating resources to brand-wor thy apps that can support a more convenient, seamless ordering experience.

Still, despite the storm of res taurant app development, little is known about how consumers use their suite of mobile apps. Every res

taurant app is part of a mobile eco system, and consumers are rapidly forming habits in this ecosystem — habits that greatly impact how and where they spend their dollars.

At Halverson Group, we’ve suc cessfully piloted the Community Intelligence™ platform that powers our Restaurant Intelligence Dash board. This proprietary platform is

built on a panel of highly engaged, verified US consumers who have opted-in for mobile device and loca tion logging. Our panel is nationally representative in age and ethnicity, including key audiences like Gen Z. We have real-time access to engage consumers based on their recent app and location behaviors. We can measure restaurant app-use share, the app use to physical visit conver sion index, and app satisfaction rat ings, and can record consumer per ceptions of digital app experiences. With the ability to engage this com munity in behaviorally triggered quant and qual interviews and fo cus groups, we dive deeper into the ‘whys’ behind consumer behavior in real-time.

What we’re discovering is sur prising. Consumers today spend one-third of their waking hours on mobile apps. And, while restaurant apps make up only a fraction of all app use (0.4% share), an estimated 52% of Americans had used at least one restaurant app in February 2022, up from 48% the year before. But how and when consumers use restaurant apps can vary drastical ly. For some, mobile ordering and technical functions of the applica tion like payment and loyalty track ing are the main reasons for use. These users decide where they are going to eat first before opening the app and placing an order.

But for others, opening a res taurant app is the first stage in the process. We found that nearly one in five users open multiple restau rant apps in a given day; followup conversations with consumers

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FLITMAN RETURNS TO FOOD SERVICE FRAY WITH US FOODS APPOINTMENT

With an eye towards peace in the board room, US Foods Holding Corp named Dave Flitman as its chief ex ecutive officer late last month. The move comes just months after the food distributor’s top boss stepped down following a settlement with activist investor Sachem Head Capital Management.

Flitman, 58, who will also join the board at US Foods, was most recent ly the CEO at U.S. building products supplier Builders FirstSource Inc. He has also headed Performance Food Group Co’s foodservice divi sion from 2015 to 2018.

Former US Foods CEO Pietro Sa triano exited in May the same day the company settled one of the most high-profile corporate fights this year by appointing three new in dependent directors to its board as agreed with Sachem Head. The ac tivist investor had been pushing for changes at Rosemont, Illinois-based US Foods, which has struggled to boost profit margins amid inflation and supply chain disruptions, say ing the company’s performance was unsatisfactory.

Flitman, who left Performance in 2018 after a three-year run, will assume the top job at US Foods on Jan. 5. He is currently CEO and president of Builders FirstSource, a building-supplies vendor with an nual revenues of about $23 billion, according to US Foods.

Flitman will succeed Andrew Ia cobucci, who has been fulfilling the CEO’s duties at US Foods on an interim basis since May, when the company parted ways with then-chief Pietro Satriano. Satriano was forced out by the board at the

prompting of a discontented share holder, Sachem Head Capital Man agement, which held an 8.7% stake in US Foods. Sachem had criticized Satriano for not sufficiently closing the sales lead that No. 1 distributor Sysco held over US Foods.

US Foods slipped to the No. 3 slot on Technomic’s sales rankings of broadline distributors for 2021, be hind Performance Foodservice par ent Performance Food Group (PFG).

Sachem had demanded that Satri ano be replaced as CEO of US Foods by Bernard Hees, the onetime CEO of Burger King and Kraft Heinz. The board balked at that demand but awarded Sachem two director seats. Flitman will also serve as a director of US Foods.

He came to Builders FirstChoice through its merger with BMC Stock Holdings, of which he was CEO at the time. In announcing its new CEO, US Foods said Flitman hit the growth targets of the merged com panies in half the time the board had targeted. A chemical engineer by training, Flitman served earlier as president of the Water and Pro cess Services operation of Ecolab. He spent more than two decades in various positions for the chemical company DuPont. “I look forward to building on the current momentum

the team has built in executing the company’s long-range plan, driv ing operational excellence, creat ing value for our customers and shareholders and fostering a culture where associates thrive,” Flitman said in a statement. Simultaneous with the CEO change, US Foods Executive Chairman Bob Dut kowsky will become non-executive chairman.

Sachem Head Capital’s Scott Ferguson in his role as manag ing partner and portfolio manager of Sachem drove the Flitman hire. Prior to starting Sachem Head, Fer guson spent nine years at Pershing Square Capital Management, which he joined pre-launch as the firm’s first investment professional. Prior to Pershing Square, Scott earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 2003 and was a vice presi dent at American Industrial Part ners, an operations focused private equity firm, from 1999 to 2001. Scott was also a business analyst at McK insey & Company from 1996 to 1999.

US Foods services about 250,000 restaurants and foodservice opera tions. In addition, it runs about 80 cash-and-carry outlets for small operators.

Main Office

282 Railroad Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830

Publishers Leslie & Fred Klashman

Vice President of Sales and Marketing Michael Scinto

Art & Web Director Mark Sahm

SCOOP News Editor and Senior Contributing Writer

Joyce Appelman

Contributing Writers

Cherry Dumaual Francine Cohen

Editorial Interns Claudia Giunta Jackson Hart Karen Jones Keesha Joseph Zachary Kitay Cristina Mercedes

Phone: 203.661.9090 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com Total

Ron Dragoon photo by Peter SanChirico

“I look forward to building on the current momentum the team has built in executing the company’s long-range plan, driving operational excellence, creating value for our customers and shareholders and fostering a culture where associates thrive,” — Dave Flitman

BUYING A USED ICE MACHINE: THE DOS AND DON’TS

Business owners who need to supply cus tomers or employ ees with ice often resort to buying a used ice machine. The reduced price of a used ice maker over a new one is an obvious ben efit, but the cons may be less clear. Used ice machines can be rife with problems. A busi ness owner can inherit those problems by buying used without knowing what to look for.

Follow this advice to choose the best used ice machine.

Review the Maintenance History

As the ice machine experts, we cannot stress enough the importance of ice machine maintenance. We frequently double the expected life of our ice makers by performing all suggested preven tive maintenance. During mainte nance, a service technician should inspect all vital components and note any small issues. Problems that start small can turn into major, ex pensive repairs when not addressed.

Failing to maintain an ice maker or discover small issues can lead to major mechanical problems and a shortened useful life. Without main tenance records, it’s unclear wheth er the used ice maker has been neglected. That increases the new owner’s liability.

In the records, look for at least two preventive maintenance visits from an experienced service tech nician per year. This is the industry standard minimum. If the unit was installed in a business with high lev els of airborne contaminants (flour, yeast, grease, dust), look for addi

tional maintenance visits (at least one per quarter).

Determine Previous Location

Speaking of where the ice maker was installed, as with real estate, lo cation matters! This applies to both the type of business as well as the immediate environment. Ice mak ers in businesses with the airborne contaminants listed above include breweries, bakeries, carpentry busi nesses, kitchens with fried food menus, and warehouses. These en vironments are tough on ice makers, and filter replacement and mainte nance are absolutely critical.

Airborne contaminants such as flour, dust, dirt, grease, or sawdust can enter through the vents of aircooled ice makers, the most com mon type used in a business set ting. Once inside the ice machine, the foreign substances cling to the condenser and create an insulated cover on it. The condenser struggles

to release heat and can overheat the ice maker. Thus, the whole system must work harder to produce each batch of ice.

Look inside the ice maker to check its condenser. Is it covered in dirt? This means at minimum it needs a professional cleaning. The residue could also signify an owner who didn’t care for the ice machine.

Yeast is another enemy of ice mak ers. In bakeries and breweries, yeast can enter the ice maker through the air where it turns into food for mold or slime. Mold and slime feed off organic material like yeast and sugar. These substances may not be dangerous to most people, but they are gross. Don’t just look for mold or slime in the obvious areas like the ice bin. It can also hide in areas like the drop zone.

Look at or Ask About Environment

Was the ice maker installed in

an ideal space? The immedi ate environment around the ice maker can have a major impact on its performance and lifespan.

Did it have one foot of space on each side and above it or were things stacked against and on top of it? Was it installed in a small cubby or closet? Ice machines need proper ventilation to not stress their components.

Was the room’s ambient temperature around 70 de grees? Was the ice machine installed near another heatproducing piece of equip ment like an oven? If the air was consistently above 90 de grees around the ice maker, that unit’s components had to work extra hard to cool for the ice-making process. A two-year-old ice maker may seem like a good deal, but if it was running in a 100-degree room, it might have the same wear and tear as a five-year-old machine. Any of these factors can reduce the expected lifespan of an ice ma chine and depreciate its value.

Check the Evaporator

Evaporators are one of the most critical components of an ice maker. The ice freezes to the evaporator and then drops off into the bin. Due to the evaporator’s constant exposure to water, it can succumb to scale. Scale is a hard, chalky substance formed by minerals in the water. When scale adheres to the slick surface of the evaporator, ice has a harder time forming. An evaporator rough with scale can also produce malformed ice and has a harder time

Article contributed by John Mahlmeister, COO, Easy Ice

NEW JERSEY ASSEMBLY PROPOSES BILL TO LEGISLATE FOOD & BEVERAGE DELIVERY

Ameasure moving through the NJ State Legislature would streamline the approv al process for mobile dining business es, including Wonder’s food service. The bill, A-4339, which was approved by the state Assembly’s Health Com mittee on Monday, would create a “food and beverage delivery vehicle network company license program,” including an application process.

The proposed law would exempt companies registered under the state program from the licensing require ments of any municipal, regional or county governmental agency, the bill says. Assemblywoman Michele Matsikoudis, R-Union, is a primary sponsor.

“Mobile top-chef food delivery ser vices is a novel concept that has really taken off in North Jersey,” Matsikoudis said in a statement. “These compa nies are meeting a demand from resi dents who want to eat out, but not go out, all while supporting good-paying jobs.”

The legislation, she said, is a “probusiness” measure that makes it easier for companies to expand their services and create more employment opportunities in the state. To move forward, approval of the full Legisla ture and Gov. Phil Murphy would be required.

“Wonder has always worked close ly with local officials to ensure our unique delivery model follows all food, health and safety regulations,” said Stephanie Brown, associate di rector of government affairs at Won der. “We’re excited to see the contin ued progress and legislative support of a bill that will streamline the ap

proval process across government agencies.”

Wonder allows customers to order meals through an app and have the meal delivered and prepared at the consumer’s curb. The company says it has about 1,300 New Jersey employees but is estimating it will need to add another 500 this year, New Jersey As sembly Republicans said in a release.

A companion bill in the state Sen ate, S-2939, was introduced last June and referred to the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee. It is sponsored by Sen. Jo seph Cryan, D-Union.

Wonder, which started serving in Westfield during the pandemic, has since expanded its food service sig nificantly to include other New Jersey municipalities.

In Westfield, the company had lob bied to be exempt from the Westfield Regional Health Department’s licens ing requirements, and in September the local health officer told the West field Board of Health that the trucks would no longer be subject to inspec tion by the town’s health officials, even though they remain subject to regula tion by Cranford’s health department.

Mark Lore, the billionaire ex-

Walmart executive serves as the founder, chairman, and CEO of Won der Group, which includes two sepa rate businesses: Wonder, which op erates mobile kitchens, and Envoy, a more traditional food delivery com pany.

“At Wonder, we envision a future where anyone can easily access the world’s best food — anytime, any where,” Lore said. “And while we’re focused on providing delicious food at affordable prices in the present, we’re equally passionate about creat ing a future where our food is even more nutritious, and our company even more sustainable.”

Wonder is bringing something un usual to the food delivery space with its mobile kitchens. Rather than pre paring the food at a restaurant or at ghost kitchens, Wonder sources its in gredients from a central commissary — the meals are then “fired, finished, and plated in our mobile kitchens just steps away from your door,” Lore wrote on LinkedIn.

Lore said that Wonder will offer ev erything from family-style meals to salads to burgers and steaks, and that it partners with “top chefs” to create proprietary menus. Wonder began operating in stealth mode in West field, New Jersey, earlier this year, and CNBC reports that the company is currently operating 60 mobile kitch ens. Starting next year, the company plans to expand to Westchester Coun ty, New York, as well as parts of Con necticut, New Jersey, and New York City. Lore noted that Wonder hopes to have a fleet of up to 1,300 mobile kitchens next year with plans for a na tional expansion in the future.

“These companies are meeting a demand from residents who want to eat out, but not go out, all while supporting good-paying jobs.” —

Assemblywoman Michele Matsikoudis, R-Union

RING IN A STRESS-FREE TAX SEASON THIS NEW YEAR

After the hustle and fervor of the holiday season dies down, many restaurant owners and managers look ahead to the new year. It’s a natural time to take a breath, assess, and plan. The beginning of the year is an excellent opportunity to look at ways to simplify and improve back-end processes that take up too much of your time and don’t add value to the business.

Sales tax is often one of those pesky, stressful back-end pro cesses that elicits groans from business owners and manag ers. The good news? With rela tive ease, you can eliminate the hassle of sales tax. In fact, you may be able to automate the entire process.

Ring in the new year by planning now to save yourself time and stress. We have three simple ways to get ready for tax season.

3 tips to plan now for tax season

1. Review how your third-party

apps are set-up

Third-party apps, such as Grubhub, Ubereats, and Doordash, are complex to manage because each creates an additional revenue stream. It’s im portant to review how these apps are set-up to not only ensure you have an efficient workflow but also to confirm you’re properly accounting for the revenue and sales tax.

Due to a recent Supreme Court rul ing, states are changing laws around who is responsible for collecting and remitting sales tax for 3rd party app orders. In many cases, sales tax was collected by 3rd party apps and re mitted to restaurants to file and pay to the state. But now, much of that is changing. Review your contract with

each 3rd party app to understand which party is responsible for filing and remitting sales tax. You may be overpaying sales tax if you’re both re porting and paying to the state!

2. Make a plan for deadlines and any missed payments

Make sure you understand your state and locality’s deadlines for sales tax payments throughout the year. Add deadlines to your calendar and make a plan to start the sales tax pro cess before the due date. By planning ahead so that you can file on time and pay in full, you can avoid any penal ties and risk. You may even be re warded! 27 states offer discounts for the amount of sales tax due when it’s filed and paid on-time.

If you’ve fallen behind on sales tax returns or payments, create a plan to catch up. File back sales tax returns – even if you cannot pay right now. Filing the returns shows a good faith effort that may help when negotiating a repayment plan. Having a sales tax system in place also illustrates a good

faith effort to repay any back sales tax owed.

3. Create a system to save your sales tax funds

Having the cash on hand to pay the tax liability is a challenge for many restaurant owners. It’s easy to look at what’s available in the bank account and mistake sales tax collected for available funds. But in fact, it’s mon ey collected and owed to the state. By having a system to set aside your sales tax funds, you’re ensuring you can meet your sales tax liability and avoid missed payments.

Depending on your business vol ume, you should plan to set aside the sales tax funds collected on a daily or weekly basis. Examine your POS reports to look at how much sales tax was collected. Create a separate checking or savings account to put that money aside so you know not to use it for other purposes. Move the sales tax collected over to that ac count on a very frequent basis.

Simplify Your Sales Tax Process: Automate It

While you can create your own manual sales tax process, you must also remember to follow it daily – if not, weekly. We said there was good news, right? There is a very simple way to automate the entire process through an app on your existing POS system. Set-up takes just a few minutes and then the app will take care of everything else – setting aside the funds, filing the return when it’s due and paying the entire amount due.

With an automated process, you’re guaranteed to pay sales tax on time and in full. No more headaches and stress about deadlines and paperwork. The risk of not having the cash on hand to pay the bill is eliminated. Plus, you may qualify for an on-time payment discount!

Sales tax automation apps, like DAVO Sales Tax, can eliminate the entire complicated, manual process and tasks associated with report ing, filing and paying sales tax. The app seamlessly integrates directly with the most popular POS systems. Set-up takes just a few minutes. If you get stuck or have questions, our highly-rated customer success team can walk you through every step of the process. The app is free to try for the first month. Check “sales tax” off your to-do list for 2023 – and be yond! Learn more at https://www. davosalestax.com/first-month-free/

As a former restaurant owner, David Joseph is no stranger to the struggles of restaurant sales tax. A self-proclaimed sales tax evangelist, David co-founded DAVO by Avalara, a sales tax automa tion platform that integrates directly with the point of sale.

By David Joseph, co-founder, DAVO by Avalara

MANAGING COMPLEX RISK EXPOSURES FOR THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY

As hospitality businesses focus on finally operating back in full swing, many don’t realize that now is the perfect time to take a closer look at their insurance coverage. During the pandemic, many insurance com panies dropped out of the market place, and others who non-renewed policies due to the uncertain future of hospitality industry and the potential financial implications for the insur ers. Now, these insurance companies are returning to the marketplace along with new additional key players enter ing the hospitality insurance space. Therefore, it’s vital to show how your hospitality business successfully op erated through this difficult time and mitigated complex risks properly to effectively reevaluate your coverage by work ing with your broker to shop the marketplace competitively.

The following are four steps you can take to reduce com plex risks for your hospitality opera tions:

1. Implement best practices. Hospitality companies face myriad business challenges each day. These may include maintaining the proper ty, protecting employees and guests, safeguarding personal and financial

information, maintaining food and liquor controls, and updating emer gency response protocols. Insurers want to know their policyholders are prepared for the unexpected and ex perienced in effectively managing exposures. Being able to provide doc umentation that explains the organi zation’s risk management approach can show underwriters the organi zation is doing everything within its control to prevent claims. An organi zation that can demonstrate it is best in class will be able to secure the most competitive coverages and program pricing.

2. Create a long-term plan. Restau rants and other businesses in the hos pitality industry that can show their

long-term goals and the strategies for meeting those objectives are more attractive risks. Be able to show pro jected growth, how any capital plans can be managed given current supply chain disruptions and inflation, and what steps the organization will take to mitigate future dips in the economy.

3. Prioritize training. Finding qual ified staff is the number one issue facing the hospitality industry, with the U.S. restaurant industry operat ing with 750,000 fewer workers than before the pandemic.1 This staffing deficiency, resulting in longer wait times and deficient service, has led to increases in assaults on hospital ity workers. Train employees on the organization’s safety protocols, how

Robert Fiorito serves as Vice President with HUB Internation al Northeast, a leading global insur ance brokerage, where he special izes in providing insurance services to the restaurant industry. As a 25+ year veteran and former restaura teur himself, Robert has worked with a wide array of restaurant and food service businesses, ranging from fast-food chains to upscale, “white tablecloth” dining establishments. Robert can be reached at 212-3382324 or by email at robert.fiorito@ hubinternational.com.

to deescalate situations and what to do if an incident occurs. Ensure work ers know how to report altercations or threats, both from fellow workers and customers, and investigate claims promptly to reduce the risk of em ployment practices liability insurance claims.

4. Enlist outside expertise. Hospi tality businesses may need to embrace unique solutions to find adequate coverage, particularly if their proper ties are in high-risk locations. Partner with experts familiar with catastroph ic modeling who can map out the property’s risk and explore non-tra ditional insurance mar kets for coverage, such as captives, excess and surplus lines, or other al ternative risk financing.

Working with an expe rienced insurance advi sor who is a complex risk expert is vital in navigat ing the challenging hos pitality marketplace.

1 CNBC, Restaurants are short-staffed, and that’s taking a big toll on customers and workers alike, July 17, 2022.

BURRATA

Soft and delicate, with a slightly sweet, milky flavor, BelGioioso Burrata is made with hand-crafted Fresh Mozzarella filled with Stracciatella, a mix of soft mozzarella shreds and cream.

Enhance your menu by creating a deluxe Caprese salad with spooned sections of Burrata beside ripe tomatoes and fresh basil, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. Or enrich your pizza or pasta by topping with a garnish of this fresh, creamy cheese just before serving.

Available in 2 oz., 4 oz. and 8 oz. Burrata balls, 4 oz. balls with Black Truffles, and 8 oz. and 1 lb. Stracciatella.

ZERO HOUR HEALTH’S STONE AND JDB’S DOLAND TAKE AIM ON CREATING HEALTHY WORKSPACE

Breakfast Bytes for VBS #27 and 28

Virtual Breakfast Sessions viewers were treated to two hot topic sessions in November. The former dis cussed “Event and Catering Season… Last Minute Tips” and the later “Health and Wellness in the Workplace”.

On November 2nd a panel com prised of Erica Karbelnik- Chef and Owner of Karbs Catering & Private Events, Bob Spiegel – Chef/Owner of pinch Food Design, and David Pellon Director of Catering and Managing Partner of the NY Hospitality Group their tips, techniques and general practices that allows the to both cap ture those extra events and maximize both their and their client’s ROI.

Deep into the session co-host, Larry Sashin pointed out that “We’re in the trust business, we’re selling the concept that we’re the people that can make your special day a great success”. When questioned on how this was attained Mr. Pel lon stressed “With consistency and great systems in place…were as comfortable handling an event for 1,000 as we are in one for 25.”. Mr. Spiegel stressed Imagination and follow through… “There’s nothing better for a bride or ca terer to hear someone say, “This was the best wedding we ever at tended”. Ms. Karbelnik summed it up by stating, “We listen…we make them feel like they’re im portant...we make them feel that

we’d never let them down…and as of today we never have.” In closing a fist pumping, energetic Spiegel ordered the audience to “Party like it’s 2022!” They vowed they would.

On November 16th we changed gears and discussed “Health and Well ness in the Workplace”. In a time when business is stressed, and labor is both scarce and high cost going “a man down” due to sickness or injury can be devastating. This session’s panel came ready to inform: Roslyn Stone, MPH/CEO of Zero Hour Health, Bob Doland, FSI and Principal of Jacobs, Doland, Beer, Dr. Jonathan Donath, Chiropractic Physician & author, Marc Schein, CIC CLCS-Risk Management Consultant and Richard Hartman,

Benefits and Risk Management Con sultant; Food and Beverage/Hospitali ty Industry, both of Marsh McLennan.

Ms. Stone opened the conversa tion stating that “Today is the 3rd an niversary of the 1st reported case of Covid-19 in the USA… and we’re still in a Tridemic of Covid, flu and RSV… Managers should never let a single person work sick!”. Dr. Donath added that what he mostly sees in his prac tice is injury caused by “Repetitive motion like chopping vegetables… lifting this the wrong way like lifting with your back and carrying things away from your body… ergonomics is very important.”

An early point made was that safety can be designed into a kitchen, “You

never want to see a person carrying a 60 lb sack of flour past hot ovens!” stated kitchen designer Doland. “Er gonomics is important, the average worktable is 36” when the optimum height is 40”.”

Mr. Schein pointed out that a pro longed absence due to sickness and injury are not a one and done thing. A prolonged absence can, “Reflect on Workman’s Comp premiums for 5 years” and questioned, “Do you have a plan?” His coworker Mr. Hartman stressed, “A lot of training…keep them (employees) in the game…repetitive education.”. Any owner or manager that’s not following what the panel suggested should read the previous sentence over and over until it sinks in.

The bi-monthly VBS-Virtual Breakfast Sessions are a produc tion of L.Sashin and TFS. The programming is entering its sec ond year with a goal of creating unique perspectives and solu tions for the restaurant and food service professional.

Info on upcoming ses sions that are held on Wednesdays can be found at: https://bit.ly/3xWUc0V

All past VBS’s can be seen on YouTube or at https://totalfood. com/vbs/

A WORKPLACE OF BELONGING

Imperial Dade joined over 300 com panies in participating in the 2022 Women in the Workplace survey, the largest study on the state of women in corporate America. The re search findings by McKinsey & Com pany and LeanIn.org demonstrate the increasingly complex challenges facing women, and why focusing on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are critical to every organization’s success.

Imperial Dade is committed to fos tering an inclusive workplace for wom en as part of the company’s A Workplace of Belonging ESG pillar. Women make up a large percentage of the company’s leadership team across various depart ments and locations. Some have been with the organization for decades and others have recently joined the com pany, in part because of the opportuni ties for women to advance and enjoy rewarding careers. Many are members of women’s organizations including the Women’s Foodservice Forum, the ISSA Hygieia Network, Women in Network, among others.

I had the opportunity to interview a handful of these outstanding leaders who shared their experiences, insights, and advice.

Irene Ayzenberg-Lyman SVP, General Counsel North Bergen, NJ

Years with Imperial Dade: 1.5

Did you have a mentor early on in your career?

If yes, how was that impactful in your career development?

A key men tor once said to me, relatively early in my career: “This role requires that you provide practical legal advice on a broad range of issues in a very

fast-paced, always changing environ ment. You are in this role because we trust that you have good judgment and a broad range of experience to be successful and to help the business be successful. That said, we all make mistakes and if (or when) you make a mistake, I want you to know that I have your back.”

That was one of the most impactful things that a senior leader / mentor has ever said to me, and it allowed me to be brave, volunteer to take stretch oppor tunities early and often in my career, and thus eventually take my career to another level.

Have you ever been “the only” in a business situation? How did that feel?

When I graduated law school, my graduating class was majority women. The more senior I became, the less women stuck around—that is espe cially true in the leadership ranks of the legal profession. So, I found myself to be the only woman in the room more often than not. I am grateful, however, that Imperial Dade promotes diversity and inclusion, and I am surrounded by other strong female and diverse leaders across the organization.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced professionally and what did you learn from that experience?

When I first became an in-house at torney, I came from a litigation back ground and therefore never really ne gotiated or drafted a contract in my life… and yet, I came into a role where, among other things, I was responsible for all commercial contract negotia

tions for two regions within a business unit at my former company. I learned that, first of all, “I can do hard things.” But also, and most importantly, that it is in moments when you feel most un comfortable that you learn the most and take the biggest leaps to advance your career.

What advice do you have for women who want to take the next step in their career advancement?

Be comfortable being uncomfort able. If you are not at least a little bit uncomfortable in your current role, it means that you are not learning. And if you are not learning, you are not grow ing. Take risks—the stretch opportuni ties. Be brave. You can do hard things. What more can leaders do to sup port the women in their organization?

Recognize people in the presence of other leaders in your organization— do not just rely on performance re views. If you have a rockstar employee, talk about her accomplishments in a very specific way, and in the pres ence of other leaders at the company, so that others begin viewing that em ployee as a critical contributor to the organization.

Carmen Casabielle Corporate Director of Sales Miami, FL Years with Imperial Dade: 40

Did you have a mentor early on in your career?

If yes, how was that impactful in your career development?

My mentor was the founder of Dade Paper, which became Imperial Dade in 2017. He would always encourage me to learn about all areas of the organiza tion and made sure that I gained ex

Laura Craven is the Vice President, Marketing & Com munications at Imperial Dade.

Laura oversees marketing and corporate communications for Imperial Dade, a national distribution company head quartered in Jersey City, NJ.

Her responsibilities include marketing communications, brand and reputation manage ment, internal and external communications, experiential marketing events, and me dia relations. Laura has been with the company for over 18 years and has contributed to the organization’s growth and brand awareness. A LEED AP, Laura consults on sustainabil ity initiatives and as a GBAC Trained Technician she assists customers develop cleaning programs.

perience within all departments. This turned out to be extremely helpful in my career.

Have you ever been “the only” in a business situation? How did that feel?

Yes, I was the only Director of Sales, and the only female on the senior lead ership team for many years early on in my career. Our company was smaller then, and eventually I was able to add additional levels of management, which included women, to my team to help me run our fast-growing sales department.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced professionally and what did you learn from that experience?

There have been various challenges that have come my way like September 11 and the Pandemic, but I remember Hurricane Andrew vividly. I saw my self personally in a position where my home was severely damaged and had to relocate with three little children.

My professional life was extremely challenging as well as most of my cus tomers had severe damage to their business and had to rebuild. It became a very humbling experience and one that built relationships that are still go continued on page 20

ing strong today. I learned that if you work together on challenges that you are faced with (September 11, Pan demic, Hurricanes., etc.) you can con quer anything that comes your way. I am proud to say that I still have a very strong relationship with all those cus tomers due to the bond that we built during those challenging times.

What advice do you have for women who want to take the next step in their career advancement?

Be loyal and devoted to the organiza tion you work for. Demonstrate your capabilities through your hard work and dedication to the organization. Learn as much as you can so that you can increase your value. Do not fear anything as you can do anything you set yourself to do. Always believe in yourself.

What more can leaders do to sup port the women in their organization?

Leaders should always view women as equals, just like Imperial Dade has always done. Provide equal opportuni ties for advancement and success.

Tracy Daniel Branch Manager Jacksonville, FL

Have you ever been “the only” in a business situation? How did that feel?

For most of my career, I have been “the only” female and/or female of color. More often, it was a situation of being “the only” black female. Initially, it was intimidating and often there were feelings of subtly being discred ited and undertones of questioning an idea or decision before it was agreed to have merit. Gender bias was a con tinuous element that played a big part in how I had to conduct and adjust my managerial styles. As I attained higher levels of advancement, these obstacles intensified. I quickly learned that as a female leader, I had to master balanc ing my level of assertiveness. I felt, as a black female leader, I had to amass an arsenal of “extra” tools just to the level the male dominated playing field. For example, I must justify and account for every aspect of my decision(s) mak ing process whereas my counterpart’s knowledge and expertise is automati cally assumed. As a black female, re spect has to be earned, but respect for a white male in the same position is freely given. At times, it became over whelming because unequal treatment was a common occurrence requiring me, at any given moment, to pivot on a dime.

who want to take the next step in their career advancement?

Be your strongest advocate and learn how to market your professional skills and strengths. Try to operate in innovative spaces and recognize your power of being an agent of change. Take advantage of being empowered without fear of taking risks. Of course, weigh options when you take risks, but sometimes you must make your op portunities. Most importantly, invest in yourself and stand confidently in what you know. Seek counsel/mentorship as early as you can in your career. Be come part of professional networking groups lead by women and foster an environment of growth. That is a risk you MUST take!

What more can leaders do to sup port the women in their organization?

Ironically, the three mentors that re ally helped me outside of the business were men. One was a hired strategic planning consultant who also helped me with my executive leadership skills. The other two are industry icons who have been at this game a lot longer than me. They allowed me to ask dumb questions, stress test ideas, complain, and visit their best-in-class facilities so I could come away with better ideas about how to improve what we do. They both work for competitors now, but I still adore them.

Have you ever been “the only” in a business situation? How did that feel?

Did you have a mentor early on in your career? If yes, how was that impactful in your career development? My leader ship career com menced 35 years ago. At that time, female leaders, for me, were role models more so than mentors. Within the last 15 years, I have had three male and one female mentor. Each of them contributed to different aspects my leadership de velopment. Their impact elevated my financial acumen, enabled me to navigate effectively in male dominat ed spaces and enhanced my ability to identify micro/macro aggression and biases. Their mentorship also continu ally challenged my ability to operate past my own perceived potential and to hone my emotional intelligence.

What was the biggest challenge you have faced professionally and what did you learn from that experience?

There were many challenges over the years. I think my biggest challenge was taking calculated business risks, while mitigating negative impacts. Having the ability to say “this is hard” or “I am not sure” for a black woman in leader ship does not afford me the grace or second chances as someone who is not black. If difficulty was expressed, it would be seen as “she can’t handle the pressure” With risk, there is failure or success, both of which I have expe rienced. With failure, I learned to di agnose gaps to avoid future repetition. With success, I learned to examine and highlight the successful elements to re peat those behaviors. Ultimately, it is the impact of both scenarios that has shaped the trajectory of my success. It has fostered my ability to maintain an extremely resilient spirit.

What advice do you have for women

Leaders can support the women in their organization by fostering and promoting female leadership mentor circles designed to create a safe space to address concerns, obstacles, suc cesses, and other topics. Make women in leadership programs accessible for those to take advantage of and ensure that there is a diversity, equity and in clusion entity that is promoting aware ness and involvement. Finally, speak with women in your organization and ask them directly if they feel heard, supported and are given opportuni ties for personal development. The best organizations support and value professional development from the bottom up.

Karen Doochin Vingelen Regional Senior Vice President Nashville, TN

Years with Imperial Dade: 25

Did you have a mentor early on in your career?

If yes, how was that impactful in your career development?

I had several mentors inside the walls of Ameri can Paper & Twine, now part of Im perial Dade, who taught me a lot of what I know today about our industry.

This happens all the time in the pro fessional world. I have been “the only” on many occasions - the only nonMBA, the only woman, the only nonCPA, the only person who grew up in the business, etc. It feels challenging but also presents an opportunity to learn. I am thankful for my path and for what makes me different. I am not embarrassed or ashamed of what I don’t have and am proud of what I do have. We all bring something valuable to the table and should celebrate that there is a seat for us at all.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced professionally and what did you learn from that experience?

Many businesses faced massive chal lenges during the pandemic, but I am going through my own “coming of age” transition right now. Recently acquired by Imperial Dade, AP&T has been on a completely new trajectory over the last two years. Learning to merge the different divisions, assimilate different systems, and maintain the same brand reputation we’ve held for 95 years is something I’m learning to navigate as I go.

What advice do you have for women who want to take the next step in their career advancement?

As someone with a background in social work, I cannot stress this enough: GO TO THERAPY. Most, if not all, of us, have baggage that can prevent us from being the most productive version of ourselves. We cannot get to where we want to be if we haven’t done the work to unpack the heavy things, we carry

Years with Imperial Dade: 2 months

TREND REPORTS FOR 2023

Alternative seafood, nu anced heat, and natu rally occurring sweeten ers, private dining clubs, Yaupon-infused beverages, produce packed pastas, repurposed pulp and climate-conscious are the callouts that are among the food trends ex pected to rise in popularity in the next year. Here are the 2023 predic tions unveiled by Baum +Whiteman Consultants, Specialty Food Asso ciation and Whole Foods Market.

Baum+Whiteman Consultants Predict 12 Hottest Food and Bever age Trends In Restaurants and Ho tels In 2023:

Rise of ultra-expensive private dining clubs… Pickup is the new delivery… The wilting of plantbased food… Mustard seeds are the new caviar… Yes, you should dryage fish…Mortadella makes a come back… Cabbage is the new kale…

Artificial intelligence will kill Mc Jobs.

SFA Trendspotters Name 2023

Specialty Food Trends

Alternative seafood, nuanced heat, and naturally occurring sweeteners are among next year’s specialty food trends, according to the Specialty Food Association’s Trendspotter Panel.

“Specialty food consumers are looking to make their meal prep easy but exciting and that is driving many of this year’s trends regarding convenience, packaging improve ments, and global flavors,” said De nise Purcell, SFA’s vice president, resource development. “At the same time, they continue to care about how their food is grown and the health benefits it offers, giving rise to evolving sustainability, plantbased, and better-for-you trends.”

Professionals from diverse seg

ments of the culinary world com prise the SFA’s Trendspotter Panel. They are Patsy Ramirez-Arroyo, food and sustainability consultant; Melanie Zanoza Bartelme, Mintel; Osei Blackett, Picky Eaters Restau rant, Ariapita and Chef Picky Events + Catering; Mikel Cirkus, Firmenich; Jenn de la Vega, Put A Egg On It; Jon athan Deutsch, Drexel University; Victoria Ho, SherpaCPG; Lindsay Leopold, food stylist; Stan Sagner, We Work for Food, LLC; Kantha Shelke, Corvus Blue LLC; V. Sheree Williams, The Global Food & Drink Initiative, Cuisine Noir.

The trends include: Convenience is King

After honing their skills dur ing stay-at-home mandates, many consumers have ambitions of con tinuing to cook, but collectively are tired. And people still want restau rant-quality food but without the

is the SCOOP News Editor and Senior Con tributing Writer for Total Food Service and previously the Na tional Communications Direc tor for C-CAP, Careers through Culinary Arts Program. An industry leader supporting education and scholarships, she has been instrumental in opening career opportunities for many young people in the foodservice industry. Email her at joyceappelman@gmail.com

price tag and the uncertainty asso ciated with supply chain disruption and labor shortage.

“Brands will focus on helping consumers go simple in their prepa ration and cooking routines, and assure would-be cooks that taking shortcuts is nothing to be ashamed of,” said Bartelme.

“The coming year will pave the way for curated meal kits with spe cialty foods that one can make and serve at home without sacrific

on page 24

Joyce Appelman

ing authenticity, convenience, and taste,” said Shelke.

Similarly, specialty food compa nies are making it easier for those who want to cook from scratch by cross promoting with the appropri ate cooking tools and recipes.

“Authors and media personalities are filling the education gap be tween ready-to-cook food kits and ready-to-eat. They’re helping create artisanal products plus video tutori als, and cookbooks to go along with it,” said de la Vega.

Environmentally Friendly Foods

If convenience is top, sustainabil ity and environmental concerns is a close runner up.

“With growing unrest over cli mate issues and their impact on the future food supply, products that feature some aspect of sustainable ingredients, upcycled ingredients, or environment-friendly packaging, are leading the way,” said Deutsch.

Bold brand names, engaging visu als, and purpose-driven messaging are differentiating these products in several categories. Plant-based foods’ continuing growth plays a role here. Ingredients like mush rooms, seaweed, and jackfruit have been developed into different prod ucts and pasta’s pandemic-fueled comeback made room for more innovation with black rice, pump kin, red lentils, lupini, and purple carrots. Expect to see more from visionary entrepreneurs engaging in regenerative agriculture who are creating seed-to-shelf future supply chains, funneling resources into the research and restoration of more lo calized, biodynamic food systems, carbon farming and indigenous farming practices, soil fertility, and seed diversity.

Alt Seafood

“The awareness of the meatless category is driving consumers to look for alternatives in seafood, too. Key to acceptance is aligning nutritional values, texture, and fla vor to those of traditional fish,” said Ramirez-Arroyo.

New patents and technologies are populating the space, marine farming is rising as an option to tra ditional agriculture, and some spe cialty food brands are getting peo ple to rethink seaweed and algae. As consumers are lured by more sus tainable options, they are catching on to seafood alternatives.

Health in Balance

Consumers will seek more bal ance between their desire for health and sheer indulgence. Functional foods won’t suffer as a result: with interest in immunity, gut health, memory, and so many other health components, manufacturers are introducing functional ingredients into products anywhere they can. And “better-for-you snacks like dehydrated vegetables or mush room chips continue to dominate,” said Leopold. Following stringent healthful routines can also be stress ful and the past several years have jump started the need for joy. Look for overall well-being to take center stage, which includes making room for the desire to reward yourself for being so good.

Pantry Without Borders

A fresh crop of globally in spired condiments, sauces, oils, and seasonings will champion ap proachable everyday adventure. Increasingly clean-label and inher ently convenient, these versatile meal starters and finishing touches invite consumers to experience re gional comfort foods as new kitchen staples.

“Shared through the memory, influence, and multi-generational heritage of immigrants, this wave of texture and flavor offers complex, nuanced blends of herbs, spice, specialty chiles, fruit, rich nuts and seeds, and punches of umami,” said Ho. Think Sichuan fried chile crisp, West African shito sauce, Mexican salsa macha, Spanish romesco, In dian achaar, and Filipino adobo.

“From main dishes to condi ments, in 2023 we will see a lot more international flavors,” said Blackett.

Nuanced Heat

For 2023, the desire for boldness and intensity in flavor experiences will increase as people continue to kickstart their lives or pursue new paths.

“What began in the hot sauce category is exploding into honey, spreads, confections, beverages, and snacks, snagging new markets like younger consumers, especially, and inspiring specialty food com panies to introduce heat and spice into existing product lines,” said Cirkus.

The flavors are more nuanced, far from the days of hot or not, with food companies using specific chiles to add flavor and heat across a wide spectrum of products, from cheese to chocolate to chips.

“Brands are testing new flavors and combinations, increasingly in the form of flakes or ‘blends’ and not just sauces, which brings a new application into the mix to be able to use a little or a lot,” said Williams.

Naturally Occurring Sweeteners

Real food ingredients that fulfill sweet cravings are pushing back against the health halo of natural sugar alternatives that undergo sig nificant processing. Expect more dates in every shape and form, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, fruit juices, and honey.

“Used across categories rang ing from sparkling tonics to pasta sauce, to artisanal chocolate to clas

sic bakery treats, natural sweeten ers give brands a platform for differ entiation as well as the appeal of a clean label,” said Ho.

International Fruits

Amid the tightening pressures of a global recession and a slowing economy, consumers want to elicit feelings of escapism without travel or exorbitant cost.

“Enter international fruits—al ternative citrus, melons, and stone fruits wildly colorful and in ex traordinary shapes and flavors—to invoke a sense of faraway destina tions, new flavors, textures, colors, and possibilities,” said Cirkus.

Expect to see more as ingredients in beverages, sweets, snacks, and on their own.

Packaging for New Forms and Functions

Trendspotters at the Summer Fancy Food Show in June highlight ed innovative packaging meant to provide increased portability and decreased mess. Look for that trend to continue with “a heightened em phasis on packaging design to com municate sustainability, introduce creative ways to consume and de cant well-established consumer products, and telegraph aspira tional consumer values and price point,” said Sagner.

Convenience is king: Taco Bell’s New High-Tech Drive-Thru Has Tiny Food Elevators

COOL IDEAS IN SPECIALTY COFFEE

On most restaurant menus, you would ex pect to find hot, brewed coffee. But what about specialty coffees, not just hot coffee made with premium beans, but the assortment of dressed-up, delecta ble cold or iced beverages that com bine coffee or espresso with other enticing ingredients and toppings?

If specialty coffee drinks are not already on your menu, then perhaps they should be. The specialty coffee segment is ripe with opportunity, growing at a clip of about 20% a year, according to a recent Forbes article. Beverages in this category can be served any time of day, not just in the morning or after dinner. In most cases, they are high-margin – and not so difficult to make.

Once limited to a narrow class of beverages characterized by the

origin and quality of their beans, specialty coffee is now an open and growing category that includes iced, cold brew, and nitro coffees; espresso and espresso-based drinks (such as lattes, macchiatos, and cappuccinos); and blended frozen options like coffee frappes made with brewed coffee, espresso, or in stant coffee powder, and flavored with add-ins like caramel sauce or mocha syrup.

Among these options, cold coffee drinks hold particular appeal, es pecially with younger generations, who are driving much of the sec tor’s growth. In fact, coffee shops say that cold coffee drinks now ac count for more than half the bever ages they sell. The drinks are so in demand that they remain popular even during the winter months and at any time of day – not just during the morning hours.

It’s pretty easy to see why cold coffee drinks have developed the following they have: They’re very easy to customize for flavor and strength, easy to drink on the go, and, when done correctly, make for picture-perfect social posts.

With their premium price tag and anytime appeal, restaurants may find this offering to be a prof itable venture because the barriers to entry aren’t all that high. Estab lishments can prepare many of the most popular cold coffee options with equipment they likely already have.

For example, kitchens equipped with a high-performance commer cial beverage blender, such as The Quiet One® by Vitamix® Com mercial, are already set up to make many of the essential components

of today’s cold coffee drinks, if not entire beverages.

Although you may need a com mercial espresso machine to pre pare some options, others are far less complicated.

• Iced Coffee: Simply chill and store strongly brewed coffee and serve over ice.

• Cold Brewed Coffee: Grind the roasted coffee beans coarsely and combine with water, allowing it to steep for at least 24 hours, and up to three days, before straining. A one-to-four ratio between ground beans and water is a good place to start. Additionally, longer steeping times between 48 to 72 hours can produce excellent results when it comes to flavor extraction and caf feine strength. Cold brews are often smoother, less acidic, and less bit terness than both hot brewed and iced coffee.

• Milk-Based Espresso Drinks: Start with one or two shots of espresso and mix or shake with ice and the customer’s choice of plant or dairy milks and flavored syrups, such as mocha, vanilla, or choco late.

Brewing specialty coffee is just the beginning. For many customers, flavoring and garnishing these bev erages is where the real excitement lies. That’s because the drinks are highly versatile and can harmonize with the customer’s choice of milk, flavorings, and toppings, which is part of their appeal.

Flavoring the drinks can be as simple as portioning out the cold

By Stephen Hosey, blending application manager, Vitamix ®

TCMT Frappé by Shawn Lickliter of République

We Feed People

The documentary directed by Ron Howard and produced by National Geographic highlights the legacy of Chef and Activist, José Andrés, and shines a spotlight on him and his food relief organization, World Central Kitchen (WCK). The film focuses on the evolution of WCK, from its incep tion in 2010 following a devastating earthquake in Haiti to its current relief efforts. The nonprofit provides meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.

Sorry We’re Closed

Deeply concerned for the hard-hit restaurant industry by the pandemic, Falkner is hosting and co-producing with Pete Ferriero a feature documen tary. In the summer of 2020, when restaurants are doubly hit hard by Covid-19 and the aftermath of George

Floyd’s murder, Chef Elizabeth Falkner sets out across the country to check in with her renowned chef and restaurateur colleagues, sharing an insider’s perspective of how the chefs and restaurant industry deals and evolves in crisis.

Matt Sartwell, Managing Part ner, Kitchen Arts & Letters Bookstore in New York City shares his book reviews...

Via Carota: A Celebration of Sea sonal Cooking from the Beloved Greenwich Village Restaurant

By Jody Williams and Rita Sodi with Anna Kovel

How is it that a book, and the res taurant which it represents, can make tradition and simplicity seem so com pellingly distinctive? This book from the renowned Greenwich Village res

taurant achieves that magic.

From the introduction in which one chef describes beginning to court the other with perfectly ripe strawberries from the Union Square Greenmarket, it’s clear that Via Carota is a book about finding the best in ingredients and let ting them speak for themselves. You can find recipes which contain more than ten ingredients, but you have to search the book for them.

Via Carota is arranged seasonally, with a few diversions into more time less categories such as apertivi or pantry staples. The seasonal sections are further divided to highlight main ingredients, particularly produce. The recipes are written in a conversational tone that trusts you have been in the kitchen before and encourages you to trust your instincts: “Roast until the juices have mostly reduced, about 2½ to 3 hours. Add a splash of water to the

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO:

pot if it seems dry.”

The above instructions come from a recipe for braised lamb shoulder with lemon zest. Along the other pleasures you will find in Via Carota are:

• cannellini beans with sage, to mato, and sausage

• butternut squash marinated with onions and currants

• smoked ricotta tortelli with red onions

• green cabbage and toasted farro with speck

• savory chard tart

• grilled pork ribs with black plums

• strawberry-rhubarb spritz

• roasted peaches in Amaretto Entrancing and approachable.

Homage: Recipes and Sto ries from an Amish Soul Food Kitchen

By Chris Scott

Chris Scott’s great-grandfather was himself the grandson of enslaved peo ple. He left Virginia, where his family had lived for generations, and settled in southeastern Pennsylvania. There his descendants, Chris Scott among them, grew up eating not only the food they had brought north with them, but the chicken corn soup, potato dump lings, pot pies, and other Amish spe cialties of their neighbors who had thickly settled the area.

The Amish soul food in Homage is very much the results of Scott’s own creative insight. Though it is inspired by and draws on his immediate fami ly’s own cooking, it is also informed by his own long career as a culinary pro

fessional. And whatever you might think you know about either cuisine separately, in Scott’s hands something new emerges.

Take for example his rhu barb chow-chow, or his green tomato confit. His “city mouse” scrapple is thickened with buckwheat instead of corn meal, and he makes a boiled peanut hummus enriched with ham hocks. His neck bone dumplings speak to a resourcefulness in both tradi tions, and red velvet cornmeal madeleines demonstrate that the wider world is also a source for inspiration.

Insightful and inspiring for anyone interested in the mani fold ways American culinary history continues to evolved.

Editor’s Note About PodcastsListen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, including on Apple Podcasts, iHeart, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Audible & more.

Toasted Sister

Toasted Sister covers Native American food because it came a long way. Traditional indigenous foodways were lost, found, rede fined and modernized in the last few hundred years. And here it is today, in the hands of Native chefs and foodies who work to keep their traditional flavors and ingre dients alive. Andi Murphy speaks candidly with Native American and Indigenous chefs, business owners, and artists across the Americas and beyond.

Wine 101

An educational podcast by VinePair’s tastings director Keith Beavers breaks down the world of wine, from how it’s made to the histories of the world’s wine re gions. Wine 101 is a wine podcast for the everyday wine lover.

ANTUNES CONTINUES TO SET PACE FOR INDUSTRY WITH ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITMENT AGENDA

Fresh on the heels of the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference bet ter known as COP27 and as nations grapple about who should bear responsibility for the polluted state of the climate presently, there is one foodservice manufacturing company who has the protection of the environment at the forefront of their agenda.

The Illinois-based equipment manufacturer, Antunes – a third generation family-owned company is quite possibly the first company that actually has a corporate man ager of environmental health and safety. “We recognized that safety is very important to us and as the company grew we needed someone to only focus on the safety and the environmental sustainability within the factory,” explained Sarah Bull ock, Antunes’ Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Ex ecutive Assistant.

Since 1955, Antunes has built a reputation as one of the industry’s highest quality manufacturers. The company’s portfolio includes state of industry countertop cooking so lutions. Its toasters, steamers, grills and water filtration have been sta ples for many of the nation’s most prestigious restaurant chain brands for decades.

The third-generation company was launched by Augie Antunes as an equipment rep organization. In

his quest to help his customers find a solution, he designed and patent ed a pressure switch. That has led to decades of designing and manufac turing solutions for the restaurant industry and foodservice profes sionals. That history has led to a fo cus on creating innovative commer cial kitchen automation solutions. Antunes’ latest automation solution includes automated drive-thru con veyor, automated bun toasting and automated chicken breading.

“Keep in mind our mission for automation, is to give you the flex ibility to reallocate your team not to replace them. Instead Antunes Automation is designed to move repetitive tasks from team mem bers to equipment which allows

them to work on other restaurant needs,” Bullock noted. “It has been great working with customers to in crease throughput while maintain ing quality.”

Bullock’s comments came on the heels of Antunes being presented recently with a prestigious commu nity honor. Antunes has received the Earth and Water Flag from SCARCE, a local, environmental education non-profit, for efforts in conserving resources, creating a healthy envi ronment and commitment to clean water. The award was bestowed upon the completion of a SCARCE provided assessment, passing a validation audit and accomplishing the training of more than 75% of the Antunes’ team members.

“I was especially proud to help Antunes work toward completing the credentials to be recognized with the SCARCE flags,” said Juan Ortiz, Antunes’ Corporate Manager of Environmental Health and Safe ty. “The flags showcase the positive impact that Antunes has on our

community and our world.”

For over 30 years SCARCE (https://www.scarce.org/) has been implementing change to foster a more sustainable future. The awardwinning environmental education non-profit is dedicated to creating sustainable communities. They ac complish this through innovative and hands-on education programs for schools and organizations, dem onstrating care for people and their natural resources through our Re use Center, and engaging the broad er public through community-wide events and programs.

Corporate Social Responsibility at Antunes is rooted in the desire to positively impact the world and build an enduring great company. Some of Antunes sustainable mea sures include using 936 solar panels to power their Carol Stream loca tion, diverting waste to landfill by composting and recycling initia tives, sustainable packaging ini tiatives including on demand box making for all products and pur chasing 50% Green Energy.

The impact of Antunes’ green and sustainable agenda can also be seen in equipment & supply dealer showrooms across the country. “We had a team member that suggested how we could minimize our foot print by customizing the boxes we were using for our products. With that we actually purchased a piece of equipment that creates boxes to eliminate packaging waste. This year, we actually took it one step further with a commitment that was suggested by another Antunes team member to eliminate another 5% of

“The SCARCE flags showcase the positive impact that Antunes has on our community and our world.” — Juan Ortiz

The Antunes staff pictured with the Earth and Water Flag from SCARCE

WHO SHOULD TRAIN NEW RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES

Training your restaurant team members and man agement is critical to your success. But in a busy res taurant environment, who can you spare to do the actual training? I’ll give you a hint: it’s probably not your best employee and it shouldn’t be you.

For many restaurant owners and managers, they quickly jump into having their best employee in each position become the trainers. But I’m going to tell you right now, 99% of those great employees, your best employees in each position, often become your worst trainers. They’re usually good at their job because it comes natural to them. They’re fol lowing some kind of instinct; they just have a personality that is per fectly suited to the job and it comes naturally to them. This instinct

in a busy restaurant environment, who can you spare to do the actual training? I’ll give you a hint: it’s probably not your best employee and it shouldn’t be you.

makes them impatient with others who don’t have it, such as in train ing a new employee who has a dif ferent personality.

When you start to think about who’s going to be doing the train ing, the logical person is you, the restaurant owner. It’s an opportu nity to build a special relationship with each new team member and it allows you to establish a strong leadership presence in your place, but the truth is you need to delegate training.

While you care the most and know the most about your restaurant, your job is working on budgets, marketing, developing your manag ers, leading the team, holding them accountable, thinking strategically, moving your business forward. It is not to get in the trenches and teach somebody how to dice an onion or bus a table.

Before you can delegate the train ing, though, you must have systems in place. The systems are your pro cess, your way of doing everything in your restaurant. You can’t have five differ ent ways to train some body on how to create a burger. They need to follow the recipe. There’s only one way to count out a bar drawer and serving a table: your way. You have to establish all of those systems first before you can train someone to start training. You need to get all that informa tion out of your head and into your system, your process, your way.

Once you get some kind of training system in place – and it can be a training system with out having everything

take control of their businesses and finally realize their full potential. His first book, Restaurant Prosper ity Formula: What Successful Restaurateurs Do, teaches the systems and traits to develop to run a profitable restaurant. Thousands of restaurants have worked with Peters to trans form their businesses. Get his three principles to restaurant success at https://dsp.coach/ three-key-principles.

else systematized – you need to then train the trainer.

You can’t just throw someone on the floor, point to someone on the shift and say follow that person –although that is common. So many restaurant owners point the new employees toward the most senior person on the shift or the person who’s been there the longest and tell them to just do what they do. That’s not a trainer and that’s not a train ing system.

You also need to make sure you compensate the trainer both in both the front of house and back of house. All too often in restaurants, they’ll compensate the front-ofhouse person, but not in the back of house. Training someone is an extremely important responsibility and whoever is doing it should be compensated. You want your train ers to feel appreciated and like they get paid for their knowledge, effort and patience.

Find the employee on your team who does it your way, who will fol low your lead and ensure people who are coming in and doing it your way. That’s the most important part. Then make sure they are trained on your training system, and you’ll be on your path having great new employees.

David Scott Peters is an author, restaurant coach and speaker who teaches restaurant op erators how to

RON DRAGOON

Founder, Ben’s Kosher Deli

For the thirty plus years that Total Food Service has covered the Metro New York restaurant scene, there hasn’t been a trade show where we haven’t seen the deli maven Ron Dragoon walk ing the aisles and holding court. It’s that very same energy that has made Ben’s Kosher Deli an iconic Long Island and Manhat tan landmark.

Through Hurricanes and Pan demics, the Deli Maven has per severed. With that, Ben’s Kosher is celebrating its 50th birthday this year. As with many opera tors, 2022 has been all about supply chain problems, leading to kosher meats, at times, dou bling their price. Plus, there has been a severe backlog getting bologna, salami and knockwurst from distributors.

From carnivores and their hot pastrami to the addition of a plant based “corned beef” sandwich, Dragoon continues to listen and respond to the needs of his legions of customers. The 73-year-old Dragoon has long been known as a master pro moter. This year he is saying thank you to patrons with spe cial deals throughout the year, such as a $19.72 meal for one, or a $50 family package.

From 100 plus hour work weeks to an understanding that “every gen eration removed from the immigrant experience is less loyal to the kosher deli,” Ron Dragoon gets it. Total Food Service wanted to hear his reflections

on half a century of serving the Metro New York community and his vision for the future.

For those who don’t know Ben’s, can you share a background of how it all began?

I had graduated from Brooklyn Col

lege where, by the way, the price was right. Then I had a tour with VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). It was an anti-poverty program de signed to provide needed resources to nonprofit organizations and public agencies to increase their capacity to lift communities out of poverty. Then

I came back to New York and started working with my dad.

What led to an interest in the restaurant industry? What was the opportunity that you saw?

Well, through college I worked in my dad’s small store on West 72nd Street in Manhattan. And I literally and figuratively cut my fingers in the business that time. This is 1971-72, I found that I re ally liked the business; I was pas sionate about it. And the over riding piece of all this was that I wanted to be successful, no matter what I did. And because as a kid, I lived in eight differ ent places by the time I was 14, I didn’t have a high opinion of my self, there’s a lot of insecurities surrounding that. I didn’t think I could be a good lawyer and I fig ured, let me do something that I feel comfortable in. And that’s what I did. My dad and I opened the store in 1972, right after the Jewish holidays. Within a year, I bought my father out. I got a quitclaim deed, because it was going to go nowhere. Through the years, I said, my father could sell the Brooklyn Bridge to the same person twice but run ning a business simply wasn’t his thing. I made a deal with the landlord to forego an immediate rent increase, and because he saw how hard I worked, he agreed to it. Within 6 months with all of the bills paid up, I went to my landlord, and told him to

Ron Dragoon, Founder, Ben’s Kosher Deli (Photo by Peter SanChirico)

start charging me the higher rent. He was rewarded for being a really good judge of character.

What were folks eating in 1972?

I actually think corned beef exceed ed the volume of the pastrami, and brisket as well. There was less turkey in those days, but now it’s the premier sandwich at Ben’s: fresh roasted tur key.

We’re going to get into that in a sec ond. I’m assuming that there was a significant amount of competition in those days?

Yes, on Long Island there was prob ably a kosher deli in every town and every village. In New York City, there used to be three in the same street. We began in Baldwin and we won our first battle with a deli in North Baldwin in ‘73 when they closed. Oceanside, Mer rick, Belmar, every South Shore town had a kosher deli.

What did you have to do to be differ

ent? Or was there just enough busi ness for everybody anyway?

I went into this business having a totally different take on the business. And I knew then that I’d have to be in the restaurant business, not the deli catessen business. I saw the handwrit ing on the wall.

What’s the difference?

First of all, there are higher margins in the dining room than there are over the counter. And the other thing is, customers were accustomed to ko sher delis having Formica tables and walls. That made for a rather uninvit ing dining room. I hired professionals because I believe in professionals. In 1976, I expanded and the question, I asked was if I got to a point where if I do no more business, and have to pay additional rent for an expanded space, will it still survive? And I said, Yes, one because I wasn’t a big spender, and I was working seven days a week, so there was very little time to spend any money anyway. I put my head down

and I just kept working. I believe I had an engaging personality. I was a workhorse and there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for customers; I’d jump hoops for customers. We’ve stuck to that and it has stayed with us although it can be difficult at times.

Talk a little bit about the decision to hire professionals to make your vi sion a reality.

I hired a dining room, menu profes sional company called Design Unlim ited, they were located on Long Island, he was a very talented individual. Then I hired a design architect. I didn’t do this for the cheapest, I did it be cause after interviewing people I knew what I wanted. And that’s what I did, I hired a menu company, I hired a pro fessional architectural and engineer ing firm, in 1976, I expanded Baldwin. And again, I took the position, if I do no more business, and have the addi tional rent, will I survive? And I said, yes. Truth be told, when I opened the expanded location, I doubled the

business.

How did you do it?

I don’t know. I think people knew I was hard working. I think they knew that whenever I had any spare money, I would upgrade the stores. I paid at tention to the details like artwork on the walls. And I think they saw that, they saw how passionate I was about the business, how hard I worked, and they knew that I would do anything for customers.

What’s an example of doing anything for a customer?

A customer called me up one time, there was a bagel store right next to my first store in Baldwin. He called me up and said, Ronnie I’m not going to make it onto Long Island, I’m in the city, could you buy a dozen bagels for me next door in the bagel store? I’ll get home about 9 o’clock the bagel store will be closed at 8 o’clock. I said of course I’d do that, I went to the ba gel store, got assorted bagels a dozen, put them in a bag, stapled it together so it wouldn’t be part of Ben’s. And when the gentleman came in, I think at 9 o’clock, I was closing, I handed the bag I got paid for it and he said thank you. One time a customer was also working in the city, and he had a small child at home, he said, Ronnie my wife needs milk. At that time the supermarkets were closing at 9 o’clock at night. There was no such thing as a 24-hour supermarket as far as I know. I went to the Waldbaum’s that was next to me in that same shopping center, I bought a quart of milk, or a gallon of milk, I forgot what he asked for, I put it again in a bag I stapled it not to be used at Ben’s, put it under the coun ter, when the gentleman came in, he came in about 20 after 9 and I was still in the restaurant reconciling the day’s business. I gave him his milk, he paid for it. I engendered loyalty because my attitude was, let me go out of my way for customers because there’s going to be a time where Ben’s makes a mis take and I don’t want them to crucify me. And they won’t crucify me if they

Ben’s Kosher Deli founder Ron Dragoon (C) celebrates the company’s 50th anniversary with Ben’s COO Todd Silverstein (L) and Ben’s VP Gilah Salzano

know that in the past, I did everything I could to satisfy them.

Is it tough working for somebody like you that is so passionate and has set the bar so high?

I think it was a good thing. In fact, when I did exit interviews with some of the people who retired, because depending on length of time served in the restaurant, they would get any where from 2 weeks to 4 weeks vaca tion. And I was proud of the fact that many, many people at Ben’s were get ting and are still getting 4 weeks vaca tion, which means they’re longtime employees. I had one employee who retired, and I sat down with him for lunch in the restaurant in Baldwin and I said, “What kind of a boss was I?” He said, you were demanding but you were always fair. And I took that as a positive. I did raise the bar, and I was demand ing, but I was more demanding of myself than I was of anyone else. And it was no job that I wouldn’t do that I ever asked anyone to do. I don’t care if it was cleaning the bathrooms.

As you see labor costs spiral to the point that we have $17/hour dish washers, does that annoy you?

I think the old paradigm has to be thrown away. It’s no longer the labor cost that we were accustomed to, now it’s very clear that labor costs fall in 35 to 38%. What you have to do is you have to raise pricing to a point where you can make that up with a $17 an hour dishwasher. I don’t begrudge that. I think it’s a good thing. The only thing I said when this was happening, I said, you realize at some point that the customers are going to have to pay the freight, and that’s going to impact the people who make $17 an hour, it’s not really $17 an hour anymore. And I always knew that, I said, it’s a mis nomer, it’s not really what they think it’s going to be. When Bernie Sanders talked about 15 bucks an hour, I had no objection to that. What I have an objection to is, as long as we’re all on the same playing field, I don’t have an

issue. Because if I’m paying $17, that restaurant down the block is paying $17. We’re all in the same boat, we have to find a way to make it all work. And I’m not saying it’s easy, because trust me the pandemic has changed the business entirely.

Talk about what life in March 2020 looked like and the experiences of the Pandemic.

It was very difficult. If it wasn’t for the PPP loan money, I don’t think I would have survived this. Because I wanted to keep people on the payroll, I don’t take terminating people or lay ing people off as a way that I want to go. That’s not the way to handle this business. I wanted to try to make it work for the customers, for the em ployees, and lastly, for me. And that’s the attitude I took. In Manhat tan, I actually closed the store for five months. I made a deal with the landlord to give him X amount of dollars while it was closed, because I felt it was worth the investment to keep it open for the five months and see how everything panned out. The truth of the matter is, I’m doing about 62% of the business in Manhat tan that it was doing pre-pandemic. And so, I’m actually supporting that operation from the other stores.

How did the Pandemic impact your takeout and delivery business?

We had a big advantage because it has always been a significant piece of our business. That’s the advantage I had over other restaurants. We had the packaging available. We had ev erything in place to make a relatively easy transition. Because a deli’s coun ter business is all about the same ef ficient prep and packaging needed in Takeout & Delivery.

Catering took a hit, of course, but what I did do is I bought lunchboxes 4000 at a time that are heavy card board, corrugated cardboard. And what we did, the hospitals loved it,

MICRO CILANTRO ON SESAME GARLIC NOODLES CREATED BY CHRISTINA ROSE

the first responders loved it, because we had people sponsor meals to hos pitals, to the firefighters, and we put every 1 in an individual box, which was a great thing. We went through 4000 meal boxes, and they cost about $1.25 each now, when I first started, they were about 75 cents. It’s a beau tiful box, you could stack 20 high, be cause it’s such a gauge on the corru gated cardboard. It could take a stack way high. And that’s what we delivered to all the hospitals, to the emergency rooms, to nursing homes, and people loved it and they sponsored it. And it was also a discounted price, we didn’t get our full price, it was a mitzvah for everyone, and we ingratiated our selves in the thoughts of everyone. And they remember that, not that it’s post pandemic, but maybe it’s pre post pandemic. And they’re patronizing the restaurants I think as a result of some of the good deeds that we did during the pandemic.

Everybody in the industry complains about the cost of Grubhub and Uber Eats, what are your thoughts?

I was always a believer in control ling my own destiny. Call it manifest destiny if you will. I really didn’t like ei

ther of them from the start but I knew we had to use them. I did it in Man hattan first, and I did it in Bayside sec ondarily, and I never liked it because they were charging these ridiculous numbers. I would look at the Grub hub/DoorDash statements and ask my CFO, if the 15% was for real. A res taurant can’t survive paying someone 15% of the bottom line, it just doesn’t work. In my best years, I had a 3.9% net, you don’t have that much room to be paying someone 15%.

As a result of that, have you built your own app and created your own tech?

We always had drivers because we always delivered. Each store had at least one and possibly two deliveries. And if one of the Ben’s locations had one delivery person, we would train someone to be a secondary driver. In the stores that have two drivers, we added a third, there was a designa tion, if there’s multiple deliveries at the same time in different areas, we go to the third who works as a counter man and then can jump in and take a catering order.

How have websites and technol ogy become an important part

delivery services. We’re using Grub hub, in many cases, through their app for people to order and pick up and sometimes they deliver it. Now that they are charging 5%, I can tolerate it. If enough restaurants got together and applied enough pressure to people like DoorDash who charge 15% or even 10% in some cases, change will come. But restaurants have to band together and fight that because they’re not go ing to survive. I’ve noticed that many of those virtual restaurants that have done these third-party deliveries, or takeout, they don’t last. I’ve seen them go out of business.

How does Ben’s stay relevant with what is now a third generation of customers?

Because I’ve been in business now 50 years, I’ve taken care of probably three generations. I always said that every generation removed from the immigrant experience changes the loyalty and patronage of our base of customers. And when I was a kid grow ing up, I wouldn’t eat Mexican food, not that I don’t like Mexican food, it’s just that it was never an option. Now there are so many options that people

ers. It served as a community center after the synagogue. And they used to meet at Ben’s to have conversations. It was like a meeting hall.

What do you do to stay relevant? Do you change the menus and add things like plant based items to the menu?

We’ve been doing this for the last 8 to 10 years. We’re reconfiguring the menu and I’m not finished with it. For example, we have avocado toast with grilled pastrami on it as an appetizer.

I don’t think any kosher deli has it, I don’t think any deli has it. We have a plant-based menu and what we’ve done is we’ve had different iterations of the plant-based menu to see what sells and what doesn’t sell. We also have vegan corned beef from Mrs. Goldfarb’s that many of our customers are enjoying. She was on Shark Tank, and Mark Cuban invested in it. And once I heard that Mark Cuban invest ed in it, I said I’ve got to try this stuff. She sent a sample and I can’t believe how much we’re selling.

It’s admirable that you still have an

Ben’s famous Reuben sandwich: corned beef, sauerkraut, Russian dressing on pressed seeded Rye bread.

A bowl of Grandma’s Soup: Ben’s famous chicken soup filled with boneless chicken, soft carrots, and noodles with one matzo ball

open mind and you’re still listening to your customers and you move in the direction that they want.

I even keep gluten free bread in the freezer after a woman brought in her own moldy loaf. Beside the vegan corned beef we’ve added a veg gie burger. I’m even toying right now with eggs that are plant based. It’s all about having an open mind. I learned that lesson early on when a guy came to work for us, and I saw him slicing the meat all wrong. Turned out, he had been cutting meat “with the grain” for 40 years. I learned then that you need to keep listening.

What are your thoughts on the chang es in how a restaurant markets its brand?

When I started in the business, there was no such thing as the internet or a website, everything was print media. Today it’s all about social media. In fact, I enlisted my daughter, who was a schoolteacher in New York City until she got married and had kids, and is now a stay-at-home mom. She’s doing social media and Instagram for me. And we have a marketing coordina tor in our corporate office. I’ve always listened to people. The first time I in terviewed a PR advertising firm was in 1975. Having been in business only 3 years, but I saw what I needed. And I call this person who was recommend ed by someone who worked for Cue Magazine at the time. Funny she came to interview me and she didn’t want to take my account but after a half an hour of conversation I convinced her otherwise. And actually, she was with me for about 25 years.

So is brand building all about the food, the ambiance, being part of the community, the packaging, etc.?

All of the above. I believe that a suc cessful bottom line will come from building the brand properly. If it costs me more money to build the brand, I would rather do that than have that money in my pocket. It was a different animal in the early days.

There was actually a Deli Dealers Association and I was the youngest member. In fact, the deli business was

so big that there were two different or ganizations. One was from the Bronx, and one was from Brooklyn. I’d go to the meeting and they looked at me as if I was a bit strange. In 1976 I believe I was the first restaurant in Long Island to have computers installed. Because even though I’m a technological neo phyte, I knew the value of it and inter estingly enough, when I put the com puters in, there was no more shouting, just efficiency.

And another $500 of weekly profit. It took only one year to payback, before too long that expanded onto a scanner that enabled us to easily slice, weigh and label our deli meats.

You grew your business during a pe riod when relationship not price was king, or at least a part of the equation.

There were guys like John King at J. Kings who we worked with for 25 years. I’m a very loyal customer for those companies that treat me right. And the ones who treated me right were the smarter companies. Because I paid my bills promptly and that gave me leverage. The issue now is that many of the guys like King have sold to SYSCO, or like Hebrew National to ConAgra and Borax to Imperial. All great companies but the relationships change.

What were the keys to expanding from a single unit to 10 stores?

The most difficult part of my jour ney was going from one operation to a second location. I was an engaging personality and people knew there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do, but you can only be in one place at a time.

Going from one store to a second store, I had issues. And I said I can’t do this to myself. It’s bad enough I was working seven days a week for seven years without a day off except for the Jewish holidays when we’re closed. But I couldn’t take the pressure of people calling me from Baldwin, taking cater ing orders while I was trying to build a catering business up on the North Shore of Long Island, where I built my second store. And that was so difficult.

How did you do it? How did you repli cate yourself?

I started by teaching my wife this business early on. One of our count ermen couldn’t work on a certain day and I was the only counterman, you can’t work takeout orders and the din ing room with one person. I taught my wife first to take customers, then I taught her how to slice meat, and then I taught her how to make cater ing trays. And honestly, she’s better than anyone that I’ve ever had and faster than anyone I’ve ever had. And I taught a whole cadre of young kids how to make platters. These were when kids wanted jobs, talking about 30 to 40 years ago. We simply figured it out.

Passion and enthu siasm can only go so far. Who runs the show from restaurant to res taurant?

I hire talented gener al managers. The funny line was, when we used to have Deli Dealers Association meet ings, they once asked a rhetorical question, ‘Where were all the Jewish countermen?’ and the reply was, they’re all working for Ronnie at Ben’s. I had all these old timers, it was that family kind of an atmosphere. Now, of course, that’s gone, they’ve all retired or passed away. Many of the newer countermen are Hispanic. In fact, many of the counter men when I first was in business spoke Yid dish, and now that has been replaced by Span ish.

How do you teach that hospitality to a very different generation today?

What they don’t

make up in personality, because of dif ferent backgrounds, they make up in work ethic, and they work hard. That works also. And of course, again, the generation is removed from the immi grant experience, very few customers at this point speak Yiddish, and very few customers care about the back and forth. They simply want great food and service They’re used to a dif ferent world.

You were way ahead of your time with tip sharing.

I had this notion that it would work. But you need to understand is that greed drives many people. My great social experiment with tips simply

didn’t work. We went back to a capital ist system, and everyone was in it for themselves, which did improve the service by the way, much to my cha grin, and much to my consternation, because I always felt that people work together, they can pool their tips, I was sadly mistaken. That’s why to this day, I call myself a pragmatic progressive.

Do you see a growing Jewish popula tion that will support these restau rants going forward?

Yes, that’s why we have 18 rabbis on staff covering all the stores. I actually commissioned a study with a survey company in Connecticut, about 15 years ago, about the importance of kosher. They told me that 25% of repeat cus tomers come to Ben’s because we’re kosher. There’s a subset that says, ‘Well, we feel more comfortable’. And honestly, I think it was about 65% that didn’t care. Now going home was different. If we did catering, that percentage grew be cause they felt more comfortable with ko sher food in their home. I think we have positioned ourselves properly for the future.

How has the growth of the Orthodox Jewish population impacted your business?

The modern Ortho dox will come in on occasion. I watch what they eat, usually chick en or salmon. Overall, the growth of the or thodox population has hurt us because they opened up a number Glatt kosher stores. But based on the num ber that have closed, they misread the chal lenges of operating a restaurant. Because the cost of goods is so

high. I found out from someone what a Glatt kosher brisket cost, my bris ket cost $5 a pound, theirs is $10-11 a pound? Well, what are you going to do, charge a customer $50 a pound for corned beef?

Why is it so important that you know margins for this is 38%, and that’s 3 1/2%?

Because you have to plan. If you don’t plan up to 6 months to a year down the road, you’re never going to make it.

As you look in your crystal ball, what do you see?

There is no joy in watching so many legendary kosher delis like the Stage and Carnegie close their doors. It bodes well for Ben’s because there’s not as many options for kosher delica tessen restaurants, even for Jewish deli restaurants anymore. The business model of paying excessive rent simply doesn’t work. We all know what is go ing on with the cost of labor and what inflation has done to food costs.

The only way you can keep up with the product costs is to raise pricing. I’ve always disliked that and I was al ways last to raise prices. In fact, some one came in the other day. And they said, we just ate at Pastrami Queen in Manhattan and paid $24 for a corned beef sandwich. I was downstairs in the restaurant, I looked at my board and it said $13.99. I try to keep the prices in line even though the public is always moaning that the prices are too high. But when you compare me to other operations of the same build, I’m not that high.

Takeout & delivery are great but what we need to do is to fill the dining rooms again. We are committed to dif ferent menus including plant based. Again, the key to our long term growth is creativity. We’ve actually built a new niche with meal kits through a number of synagogues across the East Coast. Our Ben’s in Boca Raton, FL actually services congregation members from as far away as Jacksonville. In Manhat tan, we are focused on our outreach to 250 plus tour groups that want a true New York kosher experience.

The distinctive exterior of Ben’s Kosher Deli location in Manhattan, features their iconic slogan of “We Cure Own Our Corned Beef... Our Chicken Soup Cures Everything Else.”

FLORIDA FIRM CREATES NEW LEVEL OF EFFICIENCY FOR NATION’S HARDEST WORKING KITCHENS

Success in sports are often built by creating a winning solution. So, it comes as no surprise that a former professional athlete has changed arenas and is accomplishing exactly that. Amin Hassanien built a career as a professional volleyballer in his native Eqypt before coming to the US. He has bought that same driv ing and competitive spirit to the kitchen equipment manufacturing industry.

Hassanien teamed with Connie Baugher to launch and lead One Fat Frog to a position of prominence in the food truck manufacturing industry. His focus included the specification and design of equip ment in the company’s State of the Art mobile food trucks. That has more recently led to the creation of a new operating unit: AIC Tech nologies. With a mission of design ing, building, and maintaining not just food trucks but the country’s hardest-work ing kitchens, Hassanien has now set his sights on

an expanded marketplace. Armed with years of experience working in management and constructing food trucks, Hassanien’s new kitchen manufacturing company promises high-quality equipment that is ef ficient, innovative, and easy to use.

Prior to his success at One Fat Frog and now AIC Technologies, Hassanien worked as a retail man ager for Hard Rock. Baughner then recruited him for the management team at One Fat Frog, where he oversaw the repairing and reselling of used commercial equipment to newly established restaurants. He helped expand the company in the midst of the Great Recession of ‘08, and used the dwindling economy as a catalyst to sell used equipment to restaurants at cheaper prices. . What began as a 30-40 truck per year operation seven years ago has grown into a massive 900 truck a year operation today.

Interestingly, Hassanien credits his strong work ethic and drive for success to his time as a professional volleyball player in his home coun try of Egypt: “I played volleyball professionally for 14 years – work ing with the team and being under stress taught me how to handle tough situations and develop my work ethic,” he added.

Hassanien’s strong work ethic and track record of success positions him perfectly as the Founder and CEO of AIC Technologies., which was founded shortly after the outset of the COVD-19 pandemic in 2020. Working with used equipment, he

explained, taught him a lot about the equipment industry as a whole – repairing and cleaning so many different brands of equipment helped him to learn their ins and outs and, more importantly, how he may be able to build on their flaws. Having always envisioned himself manufacturing the very equipment he resold, he used the pandemic as the catalyst to follow his dream, and thus AIC Technologies was born.

His foray into the world of mo bile kitchens began seven years ago during the surge in popularity of the

“We now have an oven that can cook a pizza in five minutes and thirty-six seconds and can do what the other ovens on the market do in eight minutes,” — Amin Hassanien

Amin Hassanien, AIC Technologies

The featured products of AIC Technologies include pizza ovens and steam tables.

By Asiyih Linz, Marketing Manager, Second Sight Design

THREADS OF WISDOM: A GUIDE TO STANDOUT UNIFORM CHOICES

Uniforms can be one of the trickiest pieces of brand ing to work on. The stylish threads should flow seam lessly (pun intended) with the brand story esthetic of the restaurant while also considering budgets and of fering comfort and functionality to your employees. Though it’s almost impossible to meet all the criteria, through trial and error, Second Sight Design has prioritized these four touchstones in their uniform selec tion process.

Avoid the Ninja Look

When the topic of uniforms comes up, the natural leaning of a restau rant is usually towards all black. The look is cohesive, easy to source in a range of styles, available in various pricing and sizes, disguises stains –what’s not to like? Chromatics would make the argument that black is considered an appetite suppressant according to the food color wheel. As designers, we believe that guest fac ing employees play as much of a role in your brand as your restaurant’s interior design. Rather than having servers fade into the background of your concept with the usual stealthy, ninja look, choose inviting colors that will instead complement your restaurant’s story and enhance the experience of each charmed table they greet.

Function Over Fashion

Let’s face it, food stains, sweat marks and everyday wear and tear are inevitable circumstances within the fast-paced, high impact environ ment of a restaurant, but they all can be mitigated. Put your best foot for ward by ordering samples then test wash every piece. Even if employees

have two or three sets, they will be washing them multiple times a week and you want to ensure it’s a wellmade garment that will hold up to the elements. Try not to fall into the trap of picking the less expensive option; you might be paying less up front, but you’ll be replacing uniform sets more often. Avoid mid-range tones, like grey, on shirts to minimize the appearance of sweating and steer clear of black (are you noticing a theme?) for employees working out doors in warmer climates. Choose an apron with a stain guard available in various styles from Chef Works or add your own to combat the messy food spillage bound to occur.

Flex With Retail

It’s no secret that ordering in bulk yields the best savings, but the 4872 per unit price break range can be quite overwhelming for a small res taurant. This is where retail enters the chat. By designing a fun t-shirt with mass appeal, you have the po tential to sell half to customers at a 100% mark up and pay for the cost of your uniforms with the retail pro gram alone. Furthermore, your guest

becomes a walking advertisement for your brand well be yond their dining experience. Second Sight designed three unique t-shirts for The Naughty Fox on Catalina Island to split between their employees and re tail program. Using cheeky brand related taglines like “Feeling Foxy” “Fox Yeah” and “Make Pour Decisions” on their server and bar tender shirts, they’ve successfully pivoted functional uniform wear into money-making guest fashion. Even if retail isn’t feasible, keeping extra uniforms in storage becomes handy for new hires and quick re placements due to damage.

Bet on Extra Flare

Time to accessorize. This is your chance to be memorable and help further emphasize your story. While including your logo on employee shirts can help with brand reinforce ment, avoid logo slapping on every

single piece of the uniform set and instead opt for unique flare oppor tunities to achieve a cohesive, brand forward look. Try thinking outside the box by replacing the standard apron with a trendy fanny pack at a playful, rooftop space or adding enamel pins adorned with catch phrases like “California Dreaming”, like Second Sight client, JRDN Res taurant. Sometimes flare comes in the form of personal expression. At Rambler Coffee, a 70s inspired, roadside café, Second Sight provided denim jackets with custom patches and asked employees to choose their favorite band tee of the era to wear underneath.

A CONVERSATION WITH EMERGING PRIVATE CLUB WINE CRITIC FERNANDO SILVA

The interest in fine wines in the private club world is nothing new. Traditionally, this exclusive world is al ways populated with wine enthusi asts, connoisseurs, and aficionados that are usually part of the mem ber’s board. In some clubs, that po sition is filled by either the General Manager or the Food and Beverage Manager. I sat down with the indus try’s wine critic, who happens to be a sommelier, wine director, and talented artist, and asked him a few

questions about the changes that have arisen since 2020.

How has the pandemic altered the wine experience in the Private Golf and Country Club industry?

What is new, and we might have to thank the “Covid times,” is the fresh change in members’ taste for fine dining experiences outside of the big city scene. The times we spent in isolation were critical for the res taurant business, numerous places closed, and some others adopted

a stringent policy directed by the CDC. It was common to see curb side pickups or separate structures out on the street. The power lunches were replaced with Zoom meetings.

How did the club industry adapt to the influx of New Yorkers mov ing from the heart of Manhattan to the more suburban areas such as Westchester County?

Clubs adapted quickly, yes; the private club industry evolved. Pres sure came from the same members,

is the President of Golf Kitchen Magazine. She has traveled to 48 countries searching for the finest culi nary teams in the Private Golf and Country Club Industry. The Golf Kitchen portfolio includes a 568-page coffee table book, a bi-annual magazine, the Golf Kitchen Culinary Excel lence Awards and Invitational at GlenArbor Golf Club, and the new Certification of Culi nary Excellence. She resides in Stamford, Connecticut.

who could not enjoy a fine wine and food experience as they used to in the city and turned to the club to look for a similar dining experience.

Private Clubs started to pay more attention to the rising figure of the Sommeliers and Wine Directors who team up with Chefs to cater to the most demanding palates.

This was a significant shift in con sumers’ opinions and choices; It seems a perfectly calculated circle formed a few years back. Moving from figures like Robert Parker Jr. to Wine Gurus like Michel Rolland and many wine enthusiasts and Con noisseurs to Sommeliers, the stigma of the wine snob started to disap pear, and we now have the reinven tion of the Wine Critic for private clubs.

Let’s put things into perspective Covid, and Zoom tastings and meet ings brought us effortless access to wine courses and a noticeable change in study patterns for wine aficionados, sommeliers, and wine lovers.

Sommeliers and Beverage Direc tors in private clubs found new cre ative ways of keeping their members entertained while satisfying their thirst for knowledge and refined cu linary experiences. In my personal experience, the Covid times brought continued

(Right to Left) Fernando Silva, Wine Critic, Sommelier, and Artist with Winemaker and International Wine consultant Michel Rolland at Silva’s annual Traditions in Wine Excellence dinner at Glen Arbor Golf Club.

When you get to be the age that you are when you start reading vital trade publications like totalfood.com your send-a-letter-to-Santa-askingfor-toys days are far behind you. But that doesn’t mean that the holiday can’t be filled with joy and wonder and excitement! Oh no. It just means that what excites you, and how you obtain it, might be a little different. By this age you know that jolly red suited guy isn’t going to bring what you want in his sleigh… you’re on your own here.

Which is why we’re so thankful for the annual special editions sale from Kitchen Arts & Letters! (Okay, let’s be honest, we’re so thankful

for the existence of Kitchen Arts & Letters which opened in New York City in 1983 as an independent bookstore specializing in food and drink. Their selection ranges from cookbooks to books on food history and scholarship and general food writing.)

Holidays 2022 kicked off with a collection of very special out of print cocktail books. The store has just one copy of each which makes it the perfect gift for someone who wants a special volume with which to explore drinks history.

From a practical standpoint, any business using these as inspira tion will create a menu that sets their bar apart from the run of the mill cocktail menus of competitors.

Plus, there’s the thrill of the hunt; picking up books from the likes of Harry Craddock, Jerry Thomas, Lu cius Beebe, David A. Embury, and “Trader Vic” Bergeron is as exciting as finding Taylor Swift concert tick ets for those who love her music. Fortunately, these cocktail books are a bit more accessible.

And isn’t access what bartending is all about? Access to a great night out, access to great spirits and ac cess to great stories that bring com munities together are the trifecta that make up the heart of hospitali ty. Drawing from some of these clas sics will make that heart beat stron ger; and make all the difference in your bar program.

Managing Partner Matt Sartwell

Francine Cohen is an awardwinning journalist covering the business of the f&b/hospital ity industry, and a proud native Washingtonian (DC). In addi tion to her work as a journalist she keeps busy fundraising for Citymeals on Wheels, Les Dames d’Escoffier, NY Women’s Culinary Alliance, and the USBG Founda tion and serves as chief storytell er and brand steward for clients in the food and beverage sector by providing them with strategic marketing and business growth guidance. She has never met a cheese or beverage she does not like, and lives with her husband in New York; leaving him behind to visit New Orleans every summer. (Except 2020-21. Darn pandem ic.) You can reach her at francine cohen@mindspring.com

comments on the store’s 2022 holi day offerings, “The out-of-print de partment eagerly looks forward to the holiday season. We get to share the most exciting things we have acquired over the last year: special

FRANCINE COHEN

treats we acquire and squirrel away for the time when collectors and their loved ones begin dreaming up gift ideas.

The first of several newsletters with festivity and generosity in mind, this collection is carefully chosen for cocktail historians and fanatics. You will find highly sought titles in the genre, as well as a few you may not have heard of before but that we think carry enough charm and personality to be worthy inclusions in their own right. As al ways, we only have one copy of each to offer.”

He continues, “These books sort of have the power of a double whammy; they were important in their day and resonate today. One reason they’re so expensive is that they’ve been discovered by a young er generation of bartenders who are interested in looking through the fog of history to cocktails that were once state of the art. Sometimes they involve spirits no longer avail

able, or combinations that have fall en off top of people’s minds. We see a lot of interest from people paying attention to history of bartending. Not every drink is a treasure, and some are just great cocktail books as a physical item as well as for its content.”

These are the books that will transport you and your guests to bars gone by, to discover new recipes and to reimagine the bar experience.

Here are just a few gems that await you, or can be sought out on your behalf:

SLOPPY JOE’S BAR: SEASON 1934

by Jose Abeal Y Otero

This small (3” x 2”) staple-bound booklet was produced through out the 1930s as a souvenir for the original Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Havana, founded by Spanish immigrant Jose Abeal Y Otero. The bar was a fre quent haunt of well-to-do Ameri

cans—looking for a reprieve during Prohibition—and Europeans, both enjoying the festive nightlife the Ca ribbean island offered.

Sloppy Joe’s became the place to go and, along with its single-piece 60-foot mahogany bar, it was known for its celebrity draw. Notable clien tele over the decades included the Duke of Windsor, Frank Sinatra, Er nest Hemmingway, Graham Greene, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, and John Wayne. The bar’s popularity en dured throughout the war years. Later, the Cuban Revolution and US embargo led to decreased interest and accessibility, and the bar closed in 1965. After a long restoration pro cess, it reopened in 2013.

We are pleased to offer one of these uncommon souvenirs from the 1934 season. It includes a brief history of the bar and its owner, which is then followed by cocktail recipes and a list of sandwiches available for purchase. For an item produced with cheap materials as a

“freebie,” they are not often found in such Fine condition as this copy. Also included in this offer are two original postcards from the bar. One, featuring a black and white photograph of the bar and patrons, is blank on the back. The other, featuring a color illustration of the packed bar, has a previous owner’s name written on the back where it is missing some of the glossy paper, likely from being taped up. A great gift and an unusual find. $210

SAVOY COCKTAIL BOOK by Harry Craddock

Here is a book that requires very little explanation and only a few ec static adjectives. Published in 1930, it was the creation of the great cock tailer Harry Craddock (1876–1930), at London’s Savoy Hotel. An Eng lishman by birth, Craddock relocat ed to New York in 1897 but, with the arrival of prohibition in America,

on page 118

ENERGY EFFICIENCY INCENTIVES FROM UI AND SCG HELP CIRCLE DINER IMPROVE DINING EXPERIENCE

The Circle Diner on Post Road in Fairfield, CT completed energy efficiency updates that have brightened up the dining experience for its customers and provided cost savings for owners of the family restaurant.

After being approached by Energy Solutions with opportunities to sup port improvements through the Small Business Energy Advantage program, Circle Diner co-owners Maria Lal vay and Gus Tsilfides were willing to hear more.

The Small Business Energy Advan tage program provides businesses free energy assessments and recom mendations for efficiency upgrades to save energy and money and im prove operations. With additional COVID financial relief incentives, almost $18,000 total was provided by

United Illuminating (UI) and South ern Connecticut Gas (SCG), subsid iaries of AVANGRID, Inc., to help the Diner make nearly $24,000 in im provements to interior and exterior lighting, refrigeration and dishwash ing systems as well as aerators in the kitchen and bathroom areas.

“I didn’t have the time or motiva tion to make these improvements myself, but once the program was presented to me everything made sense,” said Gus Tsilfides, co-owner Circle Diner. “The lighting inside is brighter but softer, and I don’t have to change bulbs frequently like in the past. The refrigerators and dishwash er are definitely more efficient.”

Upgrades, Incentives; Seamless Service

The family restaurant has been

serving breakfast, lunch and din ner for more than 10 years and has worked hard to recover from im pacts of the pandemic. When pre sented with energy-efficient up grades that could be done without disturbing customers, and financial incentives to reduce out-of-pocket costs, Tsilfides was enthusiastic to move forward.

“I approached them with informa tion about the increased small busi ness incentives due to the pandemic and laid out the ways that they could benefit,” said Robert Auer, Presi dent of Energy Solutions. “Lighting was their biggest energy savings opportunity. We worked with what existed in the restaurant and sug gested modifications to save on their operations costs.”

Interior lighting was replaced with

ENERGY STAR®LED fixtures and ex terior lighting fixtures were updated with LED light bulbs, giving the res taurant a more vibrant feel at night, according to Auer. New aerators in the kitchen and bathroom and the new spray valves for the dishwash ing system use less water, in turn saving the restaurant on water and electricity use.

“This project exemplifies the tre mendous positive impact energy ef ficiency improvements can have on small businesses,” said Colleen Mor rison, Small Business Program Man ager, United Illuminating. “It is im portant for business owners to know that UI and SCG can provide assis tance and financial support through Energize Connecticut programs like Small Business Energy Advantage.”

Customers looking to benefit can either call the 1-877WISE USE line (877-9473873) or sign up through BusinessEnergyCT.com

Energize Connecticut helps you save money and use clean energy. It is an initiative of the State of Connecticut, the Con necticut Green Bank, Ever source, UI, SCG and CNG, with funding from a charge on customer energy bills. In formation on energy-saving programs can be found at EnergizeCT.com or by calling 877.WISE.USE.

Family-owned Circle Diner in Fairfield, CT

Circle Diner Co-owner Gus Tsilfides

WHAT’S COOKING IN HEALTHCARE AND HOSPITAL FOOD SERVICE?

MORE PLANT-BASED MEALS

benefits

NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest public healthcare system in the country, recently announced they will offer a Meatless Monday “chef’s choice” option to inpatients at all 11 acute-care hospitals. This is big news. Hospital dieti tians will counsel patients on the benefits of a plantbased diet as they’re mak ing their meal choices for the day.

Sharon Palmer, a regis tered dietitian and author of The Plant Powered Diet, spoke about the benefits of a plant-based diet for hospital inpatients and the growing interest in plant-based foods. Palm er has focused on plantbased eating for much of her career. She is an active representative of Oldways, a food and nutrition non profit dedicated to inspir ing individuals and orga nizations to embrace the “old ways” of eating. Sha ron led the development of their Plant-Forward Plates Healthcare Toolkit, which includes 40 plantbased recipes that are de signed to be scaled up for a food service setting.

Oldways is a member of the Co alition for Plant-Based Food in Hospitals. Other members are the Physicians Committee for Respon sible Medicine, the Humane Society of the United States, and Meatless

Monday. The Coalition provides support, resources, and hands-on trainings to hospital culinary teams to help them provide more plantbased meals.

I interviewed Sharon to learn more about why hospitals are pro moting plant-based options and how this trend will unfold in the years to come.

What’s sparking the interest of hos pitals in joining the plant-based movement?

The evidence supporting a plantbased diet to help prevent, treat, and manage some of the most prevalent diseases in the nation is growing.

So, it’s only natural that healthcare facilities of all types would be inter ested in adding plant-based offer ings to their menus. Some states are even mandating that these options be made available.

Could you elaborate on the key rea sons for putting plants on health care menus?

In the United States, cardiovas cular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of hospitalization and is the cause of 1 in 3 deaths. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and high cholesterol also contrib ute to a significant amount of hos pital stays and are leading causes of mortality in the country. One com

Cherry Dumaual is the Partnerships Director, The Monday Campaigns / Meat less Monday. She oversees PR and partnership develop ment for the initiatives of The Monday Campaigns (TMC), in cluding Meatless Monday. She has forged partnerships with leading organizations, such as C-CAP (Careers for Culinary Arts Program), the American Institute of Cancer Research, and New Jersey Healthy Kids Initiative, Prior to joining TMC, Cherry served as svp for lead ing PR agencies and worked with major food and healthcare clients. Passionate about learn ing and cooking international cuisines, Cherry has traveled to more than 50 countries where she and her husband explored local food markets and restau rants. She earned her commu nications degree cum laude at Hunter College, CUNY.

monality among these illnesses is that they all have modifiable risk factors, which include diet. Many studies have shown that following a plant-based diet is associated with lower risks of heart disease, obesity, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Yet many hospitals have offered unhealth ful food choices that contradict the healing environment that health care providers work so hard to fos ter. Fortunately, this concept is changing, as more hospitals desire to become leaders of change in the community, both for health and en vironmental footprint.

You mentioned that some states are even mandating that plant-based

Sharon Palmer, RD, one of the pioneers of plantbased nutrition and author of three books on plant-power, developed the Oldways Plant Forward Plates Healthcare Toolkit.

Sharon Palmer, the Plant-Powered Dietitian explains

ESSENTIAL LESSONS

IN HOSPITALITY

for every business and finding magic in the hard work we do, from the former co-owner of legendary restaurant Eleven Madison Park.

AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD

“Will Guidara is one of the very best in the hospitality business . . . his insights on how to be a great entrepreneur cut through the noise.”

—DAVID CHANG , founder of Momofuku and host of Ugly Delicious

“An exceptional book for anyone or any organization aiming to excel at human connection.”

DANNY MEYER

, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group and author of Setting the Table

options be made avail able. Can you elaborate?

Yes, legislation is catch ing up with the times. In 2018, California passed Senate Bill 1138, requiring hospitals to make plantbased meals that don’t in clude any animal products available to all patients. New York passed a similar bill in February 2019, man dating that hospitals of fer plant-based meals and snacks to patients upon re quest at no additional cost. More states may follow in New York and California’s footsteps, making plantbased foods a required op tion for patients across the nation.

How can hospital food ser vice operators get started incorporating plant-based options on their menus for patients?

Food service staff in hos pitals and healthcare fa cilities can take advantage of the many free resources that are becoming more available to help them offer more plant-based meal op tions. There are even free trainings, notably the one offered by the Humane So ciety of the United States.

The Physicians Commit tee for Responsible Medi cine also provides free and low-cost continuing edu cation at NutritionCME. org, a Nutrition Guide for Clinicians, designed for healthcare professionals, as well as a 21-day Vegan Kickstart meal plan ning app and a Vegan Starter Kit for anyone who’s looking to begin a plant-based lifestyle in other walks of life.

Meatless Monday is another nonprofit that offers a complete implementation guide that ex plains the benefits of introducing a plant-based program and provides

specific strategies for success.

How can hospitals train foodser vice culinarians?

One effective solution comes from the Humane Society of the United States’ (HSUS) Food and Nutrition team, which works with hospi tals and other institutions to make plant-based options more readily available. It has developed a com prehensive program called Forward

Food Culinary Nutrition Training.

According to Karla Dumas, RDN, LDN, director of food and nutri tion at HSUS, the free virtual culi nary nutrition workshop for nutri tion and health professionals and culinary teams examines the latest research on chronic disease preven tion through plant-based diets. At the training, an RD, along with the HSUS chef, will work with foodser vice and health professionals, re

viewing the latest science behind plant-based dietary patterns and their role in disease prevention. The training also identifies strategies that empower clients to put more plants on their plate. Participants have the opportunity to prepare a variety of quick and delicious plantbased meals and receive continu ing education credits. For more in formation about the training, visit https://www.forwardfood.org/

Sharon, looking ahead to 2023, what role will plant-based foods have in healthcare settings?

I am optimistic that hospitals across the country will make inspir ing strides towards a more plantbased future next year and beyond. By offering patients nourishing plant-focused meals, the health care industry will decrease costs to institutions, pave the way to a more sustainable planet, and encourage healing.

Links to Hospital and Healthcare Resources:

• Oldways Plant Forward Plates Healthcare Toolkit -- https://oldway spt.org/programs/plant-forwardplates

• HSUS Forward Food Culinary Nutrition Training -- https://www. forwardfood.org/

• NutritionCME.org -- https:// www.nutritioncme.org/

• Nutrition Guide for Clinicians -- https://nutritionguide.pcrm.org/ nutritionguide

• 21-day Vegan Kickstart -- https:// www.pcrm.org/vegankickstart

• Vegan Starter Kit -- https://www. pcrm.org/veganstarterkit

• Meatless Monday for Hospitals and Healthcare -- https://www.mon daycampaigns.org/meatless-mon day/hospitals-and-healthcare

For a free toolkit to introduce a Meatless Monday program to your restaurant operation, download the Meatless Monday Restaurant Pro gram Guide: https://www.monday campaigns.org/meatless-monday/ package/restaurant-program-guide

The Oldways Healthcare Toolkit includes the information food service professionals need to provide delicious, therapeutic plant-based meal options in hospital and healthcare food service settings. https://oldwayspt.org/programs/plant-forward-plates

GOOD HEALTH FOR A GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON

Chef Maria Loi is an Entrepre neur, Greek Food Ambassador and Healthy Lifestyle Guru. The author of more than 36 cook books, she is also the host of The Life of Loi, with its broad cast premiere on PBS nation ally in December 2022, which aims to build an inspirational and educational movement around the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle. Her Loi Food Products, a specialty brand built on traditional ingredients from Greece, includes pastas, beans, botanical herbs, refrig erated dips, honey, holiday cookies, and olive oil sold on QVC, at Whole Foods Markets and in other stores. The name sake of Loi Estiatorio in the heart of Manhattan, she also has the Loi Specialty Shop at The Plaza Hotel. Connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on Instagram and Facebook, and learn more about her food phi losophy at loiestiatorio.com/ chef-loi/.

It’s the holiday season, time to celebrate – and what’s more cel ebratory than food? We all have our own touchstone food memo ries from when we were young that we often try to share during festive gatherings with our loved ones. In fact, since ancient times, festivals and celebrations were directly connected to the different equinoxes (spring and autumnal) and solstices (winter and summer). During these events, people would prepare and feast upon the bounty the earth provided – local, seasonal, fresh ingredients.

As this is the winter season where we need to keep up our immune sys tems to stay strong and healthy during the holidays, it’s time to stop equating the words ‘delicious’ and ‘festive’ with rich, highly indulgent foods, and in stead look to the seasonal ingredients and dishes that will keep us healthy and round out our holiday tables!

The Pomegranate – a Ruby-hued Treasure

With their sultry, scarlet coloring and gorgeous, crimson seeds, pome granates have been a symbol of pas sion and fertility since ancient times. They are often associated with Hera, goddess of marriage and childbirth, and Aphrodite, goddess of love and fertility, who planted a pomegranate tree in her sacred garden in Cyprus.

In more recent times, pomegran ates have come to symbolize pros perity and good fortune. On Christ mas Day in Greece, the tradition is to hang a whole pomegranate above the door outside to draw in good fortune. On New Year’s Day, the head of the household smashes the same pome granate while walking into the home with their right foot first to release all of its positive energy and share the blessings with their family for the year to come.

As a child, one of my favorite fruits

was pomegranate. This large red fruit seemed like nature’s candy to me, each seed bursting with a bright, tart ly flavored juice. I never craved sweets when pomegranates were in season, because I would pick one off the tree, crack it open, and eat these seeds like candy. My yiayia (grandmother in Greek) encouraged this by telling my siblings and I that pomegranates had many health benefits, even medicinal purposes.

Yiayia was right about many things, but especially about this: pomegran ates are full of antioxidants – in fact, they contain approximately three times the amount found in red wine or green tea! Because they are so high in antioxidants, they’re also excellent for reducing inflammation, and help ing to lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

What makes beautiful, symmetric pomegranates even more amazing is their flavor – bright, tart, and slightly

exotic – yet somehow familiar – with an undercurrent of sweetness that leaves you wanting more. This ma jestic fruit is incredibly versatile: the seeds (known as arils) can brighten up a salad, punctuate a warm grain dish with their crunch, garnish a soup or dessert, or be enjoyed just as they are – like nature’s candy!

Avgolemono (Egg-Lemon) Soup –The Ultimate {Holiday} Comfort Food

In Greece, you can find avgolemo no (egg-lemon) used in countless ways – as a sauce, as a condiment, as a binder and thickening agent – so much so, that people often just refer to certain dishes, most specifically kotosoupa avgolemono (chicken soup with egg-lemon emulsion) sim ply as avgolemono!

While this dish has been around since ancient times, it has come to be a holiday season staple thanks to its

Pomegranates are incredibly versatile: the seeds (known as arils) can brighten up a salad, punctuate a warm grain dish with their crunch, garnish a soup or dessert, or be enjoyed just as they are – like nature’s candy!

silken, creamy texture and bright-yethomey flavor. A simple, light, nour ishing soup full of protein and vita mins, it should come as no surprise that avgolemono is a cornerstone of Greek cuisine.

My yiayia and papou (grandfather in Greek) would make avgolemono for our whole family as soon as the weather turned cold to ensure we stayed strong and healthy. This recipe was inherited from generations past, combining my Sephardic Jewish ori gins, Sardinian roots, and Greek heri tage. They added orzo instead of rice so we would better absorb the iron in the chicken stock. They would often disagree on how much lemon to add; Papou liked A LOT of lemon in the avgolemono, while Yiayia had a more sensitive palate and didn’t need as much to taste its tartness. Their com promise was to add lemon zest, which perks up the dish with even brighter notes without it becoming sour.

Papou was right again – the citrus kick from the lemons not only provid ed the acid balance needed, but gave a great boost of vitamin C as well, perfect for fighting off cold-weather germs. The richness of the eggs gave an extra dose of protein, vitamins, and minerals to the dish, since eggs

are technically the most complete food source on the planet for humans!

We all know the magic of chicken soup on a cold day or a day where we feel under the weather (and sadly, sometimes both). Chicken soup is full of essential fatty acids and pro tein, as well as vitamins and minerals necessary to boost immunity from the onions, carrots, and celery with which it’s made – there’s a reason they call chicken soup ‘Jewish Penicillin’.

When you combine all these ele ments, you have a true superfood dish that is both elegant for a festive gathering, and extremely nutritious to keep immunity boosted through out the season.

Brussels Sprouts – Delicious and Nutritious

When you look at a stalk of brus sels sprouts, they sort of remind you of the holidays, almost like little orna ments on a tree, and in recent years, they have become superstars across holiday tables. Thankfully, these little mini cabbages are worthy of such celebrity, since they are incred ible sources of vitamins K, A, B, and C, as well as antioxidants, includ ing polyphenols, like those present in olive oil!

Whether you shave them to make a delicious salad or slaw, roast them with some olive oil and your favorite herbs, or pickle them to cut the rich ness of your preferred holiday pro tein, brussels sprouts are an excellent seasonal choice to keep immunity up and stomachs happy!

Chestnuts – a Symbol of Winter

Chestnuts are a quintessential holi day ingredient found in countries around the world during the fall and winter, especially in Greece – and spring and summer in the southern hemisphere.

For me, chestnuts remind me of my childhood – my papou would gather chestnuts from the woods just out side our farm, that my yiayia would prepare by poking with a knife and either boiling or roasting over the fire. Once they were cooked and lightly cooled, peeling chestnuts was a full family affair – tedious work, but well worth the effort!

I would always sneak a handful of the soft chestnuts and savor their flavor – I preferred them roasted, because I liked the light smokey fla vor imparted by the fire. My sisters and brother preferred boiled chest nuts, because they found the flavor

to be purer.

Yiayia would make traditional sweet preserves or spoon desserts (glyka koutaliou) with chestnuts to save for Christmas Eve. She also used chestnuts in our holiday stuffing, in corporating them into many savory and sweet dishes throughout the win ter, including our New Year’s cake, vasilopita.

Given that chestnuts are low in fat, high in fiber, and full of antioxi dants, including polyphenols, as well as an excellent source of potassium, they are an amazing ingredient to in clude on your holiday table, or snack on during the season to keep you healthy!

This Holiday Season…

While I know I talk about my papou and yiayia a lot this article, it was the two of them that were pivotal in creat ing many of my food memories as a child. So, this holiday season, remem ber to spend time with your loved ones and memory makers, and re member that festive foods don’t need to pack on the pounds. They can sup port your immunity and well-being and help you appreciate the spirit of the holidays by keeping you healthy all winter long! Happy Holidays!

Avgolemono - Egg-Lemon Chicken Soup

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Chestnut Spoon Desserts - Glyka Koutaliou

PECINKA FERRI SET TO CELEBRATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF SERVING THE METRO NEW YORK FOODSERVICE COMMUNITY

Metro New York’s restaurant and foodservice profes sionals and the equip ment dealers and kitchen consultant that support them know that the key to staying ahead of the competition is finding resources that can provide solutions and strategies. For the past three decades of the com pany’s 50-year existence, Ed Pecinka and Joe Ferri and their team have ral lied around that commitment to build Pecinka Ferri and Associates.

Founded in 1972, Pecinka Ferri As sociates is one of Metro New York’s leading manufacturers’ agents to the foodservice industry. Pecinka Ferri Associates represents inter nationally recognized brands by providing end-user knowl edge and solutions, support ing dealers and consultants, and innovating marketing ser vices in the greater New York Metro area.

The company was able to grow to the next level when Joe Ferri and Ed Pecinka teamed up over 25 years ago. “We changed the name 25 years ago when I bought out one of the heirs of a founder,” Ferri reflected. “Starting at that time from a basement of a house in Mineola, we grew the business by selectively and strategically partnering with synergistic manufacturers for the ensuing 25 years.”

The partners were faced with a once in a lifetime decision for their business in 2017. As they

do now, Pecinka Ferri had a portfolio of companies that they represented from a wide range of manufacturers.

Among the offerings were several from Middleby Corp. Its visionary leader at the time, Selim Bassoul, saw consolidation to one local area rep for Middleby’s many lines as a must to grow market share. In a gut-wrench ing decision based on the deep rela

tionships that the Pecinka Ferri family had with many of its manufacturers, the company made the commitment to Middleby, and was still able to keep all but one of their independent factories as well!

“It is part of a process that is evi dent in all areas of modern life, conglomerating at opposite ends of the spectrum, while weakening

the middle,” Ferri explained. “We knew that we’d need to scale along with Middleby to increase the odds for passing a successful business to future generations.”

Beyond their competitive exper tise in the sales and marketing of foodservice equipment, the duo has built an educational programming track that is simply unmatched in the Metro New York foodservice in dustry. Pecinka Ferri’s goal for their programming has been to help the foodservice pro fessional utilize technology to get the most out of their labor force. “Even with the growth of e-commerce, the basics have not changed, noted Joe Ferri. We need to ask and understand what somebody needs and then help them get it. Technology is not going to replace people. Human touch is still going to be vital. We need to figure out a way to get hospitality back into

When the company moved to its current headquarters in 2015, Pecinka and Ferri saw the opportunity to build a facility that could house and cultivate

the hospitality industry.”

“[Pecinka Ferri] continuously tell the stories of their brands to the dealers, consultants, and end users by way of demonstration and education all the while never forgetting the little things about each segment’s uniqueness.” — Stephanie Martin

Joe Ferri (L) and Ed Pecinka (R) address the industry professionals at a recent kitchen equipment forum

the commitment to education. With that the company hosts an annual sale of events that spans from Pizza Prep to the latest in Cocktail and Bev erage menu strategies and a captivat ing look at the growth of Ventless and electric cooking.

“Pecinka Ferri & Associates puts education, relationship, and hospital ity first”, noted Blodgett’s Stephanie Martin. “They continuously tell the stories of their brands to the dealers, consultants, and end users by way of demonstration and education all the while never forgetting the little things about each segment’s uniqueness.”

Among the keys to the value the Pecinka Ferri special event series is the ability of the company to continue to stay on top of the latest trends. “We have accomplished that by bringing along our next generation of leader ship and adding top notch talent to both our outside sales team and our support staff,” added Joe Ferri. With an eye towards the future, Ferri and part ner Ed Pecinka are molding Joe Ferri Jr

and corporate chef Nick Mercogliano to take over the reins.

“Chef Nick, for example, attended and helped sell the ventless product portfolio at the Sta dium & Arena con ference in NYC in July,” noted Scott Heim President of EVO. His involve ment helped ensure the decision makers of this growing selling segment understood how to create “pockets of revenue,” even in dead concourse spaces. Clearly, the Pecinka Ferri team is eager to learn and rein force their overall product knowledge. The operators see them as a consult ing resource to approach BEFORE any culinary program or concept gets to the final planning stage.”

The depth of their portfolio has en abled Pecinka Ferri to grow its team

to support the needs of the customer base. “Our staff additions have been strategic, creating positions that never before existed (in rep organizations) in order to serve an ever-evolving customer base, Pecinka said. We’ve built a team that reflect our raison d’etre – the sales function is there to discover what people need and help them to get it. Through teaching we also become more adept at the subject matter ourselves.”

In order for the company to move for ward, Ferri has care fully looked at how the role of the rep has evolved. “What we embarked upon in 2015 was really all about content cura tion and creation and event management. As a result of the in dustry shifting from analog to digital, we have added key mar keting functions to that daily focus on outside sales. The days of updating our factories three ring binders has been replaced by creative digital marketing.”

“Whether it be cooking equipment, hot and cold holding, or beverage solutions, Pecinka Ferri has created programs to bring our customers to gether and work hands-on with the

The Pecinka Ferri test kitchen offers clients the chance to try before they buy

Congratulations Pecinka Ferri on - 50 YEARS -

innovative Middleby technology that can drive their businesses to future success,” explained Mike Taglia ferri Director of Sales - Foodservice, Healthcare & International of Follett Products LLC

The foodservice kitchen and supply industry has like most segments seen big change as a result of the injection of technology. “E-Commerce has been a huge driver in the changes we’ve seen. Pecinka added Content curation and event management are key initia tives for us. Our staff has grown three fold in the past three decades, a trend that is likely to accelerate!”

Understanding how to take tech trends and turn them into teach ing points has become a pillar of the Pecinka Ferri strategy. In 2022, Mid dleby rolled out a new controller plat form that enables remote control of a combi or a convection oven or a fryer. “Every product category will work off the same platform. Bottom line is that this will simplify the training process with simple IOS and SAAS technolo

gies, Pecinka noted.”

The educational program has proven to be of great value to the Pecinka Ferri’s represented lines. “The open house events are a catalyst for bringing the Middleby brand teams to the Tri-State area, added Heim. We are able to share new concepts and highlight new products with top FCSI designers, kitchen equipment suppliers and even high-profile operators too. In particular, they do an outstanding job featuring the ventless equipment innova tions and demonstrate the new cooking solutions with skilled culinary personnel.”

With an eye towards the future, the senior PF partners are molding Joe Ferri Jr (L) and corporate chef Nick Merco gliano (R) to take over the reins.

“The rep role has really evolved in the last decade, as the reps have real ly stepped up their game and become the experts in their marketplace, ex plained Jade’s VP of Sales & Marketing Phil Eaton. Consultants, dealers, and end users no longer have to visit fac

tories for education, the factory is in essence coming to them as reps have built test kitchens, education facili ties in their territories. The relation ships the reps build are very strong and they are viewed as the experts in the territories.”

The accomplishment of Pecinka Ferri’s 50th anniversary truly cele

brates its ability to continue to help its industry and commu nity look towards the future. That has been accomplished by carefully responding to change. Ferri sees several key changes in the industry as a result of two years of Pan demic life. “Sanitation will continue to be a priority as we move forward, Ferri noted. Features like touchless and virtual are here to stay. Much of that has to do with how we now produce food through new concepts including ghost kitchens. It’s all about the foodservice operator having agility to pivot based their dining customer needs.”

With that passion to listen to those needs and guide with education, Pecinka Ferri certainly has positioned itself for the next 50 years.

For more information, please visit https://pecinkaferri.com/

Pecinka Ferri Associates

WHEN FEES BECOME TOO MUCH TO HANDLE, RESTAURANTS AND CONSUMERS CONSIDER TURNING BACK TO DIRECT DELIVERY ORDERS

As we move into chilly win ter nights, restaurants may find that they are receiving more and more delivery orders, as people are reluctant to face the elements. Thankfully, gone are the days of being limited to the few take out menus in your kitchen drawer. De livery, once dominated by staples like pizza and Chinese food, has expanded to include anything and everything, from fast casual to fine dining, and from dim sum to pho to Korean BBQ, facilitated, in part, by third-party de livery apps such as Doordash, Uber Eats, Grubhub and Seamless. As these third-party delivery apps have in

creased in popularity, however, so has a new frustration by restaurants and customers alike: exorbitant fees.

Anyone who has used a third-party delivery app is no stranger to these fees. In addition to tax, and optional gratuity, it’s not uncommon to see “de livery charges,” “service charges” and all manner of “administrative fees.”

As this practice becomes more preva lent,1 public scrutiny and frustration by restaurants and consumers grows. A TikTok user recently went viral after sharing his order receipt for one milk tea, showing how an order for a single $6.50 item quickly became an order totaling $22.93, in large part because

of such fees.2 While Doordash has is sued a statement indicating that this is not the typical user’s experience, and while it’s easy to say that this is the price for convenience at your finger tips, restaurants are hearing their cus tomers’ frustration and considering other options, especially since many of these fees don’t actually go to the restaurants or the delivery workers. Customers may be surprised to hear that their favorite restaurants aren’t even benefitting from these steep markups. In fact, some third party de livery apps can take up to a 30% cut from each order.

Is there a solution? An emphasis on returning to direct or dering between the cus tomer and the restaurant may be an option. While many chains already have their own apps, more and more restau rants are offering the ability to order directly from their websites, in addition to calling in an order the old-fashioned way. These restaurants could avoid being as sessed the cut taken by third-party apps, and their customers get the benefit of avoiding costly additional fees. Many of these restaurants contin ue to utilize third party apps, but also offer a way for customers to order

Jen Calamia is an associate in Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP’s Labor & Employment Practice Group. Ms. Calamia represents employers in arbitrations, admin istrative proceedings and state and federal litigation in all manner of employment disputes includ ing wage and hour claims, allega tions of discrimination, retaliation, hostile work environment and sexual harassment. Ms. Calamia also regularly advises employers on multi-state employment poli cies, industry-specific regulations and compliance with all federal, state and local employment laws. In addition to her practice, Ms. Ca lamia serves as an adjunct profes sor at Hofstra University School of Law where she teaches a course on advanced appellate advocacy skills. Ms. Calamia can be reached at (212) 370-1300 or jcalamia@eg sllp.com

directly from them, often offering in centives such as coupons, special dis counts or extras, and loyalty programs which can only be utilized through direct-order apps and websites.

While this seems like a simple so lution, for restaurants that were not previously offering delivery, directly fulfilling these orders can pose its own challenge: directly employing delivery workers. In 2022, the City of New York enacted new legislation regulating on line third-party food delivery service and providing legal protections for de livery workers, however, these protec tions apply specifically to individuals making deliveries for third-party apps, not for in-house employees of the res taurant who are only delivering for that one single establishment.

So what should a restaurant keep in mind when transitioning to direct ordering with in-house delivery workers (assuming it can find them during the current la bor shortage)?

In addition to their usual onboard ing documents and practices, res

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UKRAINIAN MANUFACTURER REEDS BRINGS PASSION TO NEW STRAW SOLUTION

There simply is not a more admired populace across the globe than the Ukrainian people. Their fortitude while under attack in 2022, has brought the eyes of the world to the battle they have waged over the past 12 months.

Many in the foodservice industry know that the Ukraine serves as the breadbasket to their part of the world. So, although Ukrainian wheat is a well known commodity, it turns out that there are a number of innovative companies that serve a variety or seg ments of the restaurant/foodservice and hospitality industry throughout the world.

At the top of the list of emerging companies is REEDS. The Kyiv firm is setting a new standard for the de sign and production of the highest quality drinking straws. REEDS was founded in 2019 as the strong initia tive with a goal of finding a sustain able and cost-effective replacement

for the plastic straw.

“Our goal was to launch a prod uct that combines the positive effect on lakes, rivers and flora and gives our customers a reliable solution,” noted Olena Masientsova, Director of REEDS LLC. “We have invested into harvesting, manufacturing, distribu tion and now have the distribution hubs in New York (United States) and Amsterdam (Netherlands).”

The original REEDS straw came to the marketplace in 2020. “In the middle of the pandemic, sales of our straws grew every month but we re

mained committed in our mission to support our native planet Earth,” Ma sientsova continued. “We could see form the start that our mission of con verting a niche product for the ecosociety into the mass product for the HoReCa was resonating with the food service and hospitality professional.”

REEDS knew that they needed something special to garner market share in such a crowded field. “Our straws are very beautiful and func tional. The marketplace while battling through COVID became focused on finding a replacement for PLA/plas

tic and the elimination of its negative effects on the planet,” Masientsova added. “Clearly the marketplace with so much additional volume of take out and delivery came to recognize that paper straws simply did not have the durability to soak in a drink even for 20-40 minutes. Our straws are natural and do not soak. We’ve also noted with our customers that have moved to the REEDS straw that they are making a statement to their customers and staff regarding a true commitment to being ecofriendly. We are finding that there is a society of people with sustain able consumption and responsibil ity agendas to respect our Native Planet. We are part of a people of a new generation.”

The growth of the REEDS line has also come from both the simi larities and differences found be tween bamboo and cane (utilized by REEDS competitors) and the reed that the Ukrainian company

“Clearly the marketplace with so much additional volume of takeout and delivery came to recognize that paper straws simply did not have the durability to soak in a drink for 20-40 minutes. Our straws are natural and do not soak.” — Olena Masientsova, Director

Olena Masientsova

PBAC CELEBRATES INDUSTRY’S KITCHEN CONSULTANTS WITH BROADWAY EXTRAVAGANZA

Michael Posternak and Larry Cantamessa know how to throw a party.

Many Metro New York kitchen design consultants have the second Sunday in November circled on their calendar every year. Coming down the stairs of the musical lair known as Feinstein’s 54 below has become a November tradition for many of the industry’s most vision ary designers.

With life after the pandemic, the restaurant and foodservice in dustry’s fervor to party has been reignited.

With the world finding its new normal, an overflow crowd were wel comed by the PBAC team and creat ed to a night of cutting-edge Broad

way inspired entertainment.

The PBAC event has taken its con sultant guests to a number of New York city landmarks including the Cafe Carlyle and Jazz at Lincoln Center before finding its current home eight years ago at Feinstein’s 54 Below. “We wanted to create a uniquely New York event for the foodservice consultant commu nity and our manufacturers,” noted PBAC’s Chairman emeritus Michael Posternak.

The PBAC event began as a show case for up-and-coming Broadway talent.

Will van Dyke, Tamika Lawrence, Justin Mather Sargent, Joey Taranto and Natalie Weiss were accompa nied by a spectacular band. For

many performers, the PBAC Event has become a springboard to the top with former performer Ariana DeBose winning an Oscar for her performance in West Side Story.

The event also attracted an allstar cast of some of the top names in kitchen design. Leiff Billings of Next Step Design, Spiegel and As sociates’ Arlene Spiegel, and the Jacobs|Doland|Beer duo of Christine Gurtler and Ed Hull were all on hand.

continued on page 82

(L to R) PBAC’s David Aitkenhead welcomed Hobart legend Dick Hynes

Hobart’s Shayne Varnum (L) was presented with PBAC’s Good Apple of the Year award

Mr. and Mrs. Chris Brady of Romano Gatland enjoyed the festivities

(L to R) Mr. and Mrs. Bob Doland of Jacobs|Doland|Beer with Amerikooler’s Rio Giardinieri

The Feinstein’s 54 Below stage shook with the passionate performances of some of Broadway’s brightest young stars

(L to R) Parts Town’s Tom Szfranski and Jimi Yui of Yui Design

(L to R) Davella and Associates’ Mr. and Mrs. James Davella flank Steve Bauer of PBAC

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They were joined by equipment and supply nota bles including Mr. and Mr.s Joe Maresca of Vulcan, Hobart’s Mr. and Mrs. Gary Simpson, Metro’s Mr. and Mrs. Mike Ward as well as Duke’s Jon Teders.

Once again, the Westchester County based rep company PBAC has created an event that showcas es the very best that Metro New York has to offer. “Broadway and its music truly represent the pulse of what makes New York and our industry so spe cial,” Posternak concluded.

Learn more about PBAC and Associates by visit ing their website at https://pbacrep.com/

(L to R) Marleen St Marie and Khaled Halabi of CiniLittle with Jason Russo of Next Step Design

(L to R) Vulcan’s Roxanne Holt and Keven Hass of Gaylord

(L to R) Mr. and Mrs. Emre Evren of Jacobs | Doland | Beer with PBAC co-host Michael Posternak (C)

(L to R) Charles Pantelakos of IBEX and Spiegel and Associates’ Arlene Spiegel

(L to R) PBAC co-hosts Mr. and Mrs. Larry Cantamessa and Mr. and Mrs. Joe McCauliffe of HATCO

FOODSERVICE KITCHEN DESIGN COMMUNITY TOASTS

UCLA HEALTH’S OPERATION MEND AT NYC EVENT

Among the most respect ed foodservice consul tants in New York and across the nation is the Jacobs | Doland | Beers duo of Gary Jacobs and Bob Doland. That re spect comes from both the dazzling design they execute in high profile kitchen across the globe and for the things they do behind the scenes that often go unrecognized.

Almost a decade ago, Jacobs caught wind of a very special proj ect that was underway at the UCLA Medical Center to benefit veterans.

Founded in 2007, UCLA Health Operation Mend heals the nation’s post-9/11 military, veterans, and family members by providing ad vanced surgical and medical treat ment, comprehensive psychologi

cal evaluation and support, and intensive treatment programs for symptoms related to post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. The program, including all travel and accommodations, is available

at absolutely no cost to veterans or service members and to eligible warriors injured during military operations or training. Operation Mend is the only program in the na tion that includes caregivers as full participants in an intensive treat ment program, and is proud to be able to provide access to world class care for this community at UCLA Health, which is ranked among the top five in the nation and top 10 in the world.

“The annual Operation Mend visit to New York is such an amazing opportunity for our warriors to experience a level of healing that can only come from being on that ground. “ — Aaron Mankin

Jacobs and Doland have since reached out to Metro New York’s equipment reps and dealers to sup port the work of Operation Mend. Leading BSE Marketing, Pecinka Ferri, TD Marketing, PBAC and TriState Marketing have all stepped forward to support the cause. Those reps have then gone on to recruit

the manufacturers they represent and even the service companies the handle daily warranty work to make a collective industry statement about how important Operation Mend’s mission is.

The foodservice supporters who are now known as the “Brothers Helping Brothers” came together

last month at Current at Pier 59 at Chelsea Piers to raise funds and say thanks. The Veterans Day weekend event coincides with the Operation Mend team’s participation in New York City’s annual parade.

“The annual Operation Mend visit to the New York is such an amaz ing opportunity for our warriors to

experience a level of healing that can only come from being on that ground. There is nowhere else in the nation that can provide our heroes and their families with what they take away from their time in that space,” said Marine Corps Veteran and Operation Mend Board Member Aaron P. Mankin.

(L to R) Lynne Schultz and Bart Gobioff of Tri-State Marketing with Marra Forni’s Todd Griffith

Mr and Mrs Jeff Hessel of BSE Marketing and Marine Corps Veteran and Operation Mend Board Member Aaron Mankin

K-Vent’s Rich Hayes shared his thoughts on the work being done by Operation Mend

8376

The always affable Lex Poulos of Jade

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Klatman of TD Marketing

Mr and Mrs Rick Sher of Day & Nite

Iconic healthcare administrator Mimi Wang and hus band Ken with PBAC’s Michael Posternak

(L to R) Middleby’s Becky Smith and VA Hospital’s Stephen Chow

(L to R) Mr and Mrs Bob Doland of Jacobs|Doland|Beer and Singer/M. Tucker’s Marc Fuchs

FINDING HIDDEN FEES OF CREDIT CARD PROCESSING CAN INCREASE PROFITABILITY

Ihave worked with over 20,000 business owners with the goal of them understanding a cru cial element of their business: Credit Card processing. Total Food Service has asked us to analyze the data from our look at those payment processing programs with a goal of understanding and bringing some additional savings to your operation in 2023.

We’ve found that the pace of life for today’s restaurateur, CEOs and entrepreneurs find them engulfed in putting out the fires of daily oper ations. Consequently, the attention to credit card transactions and the corresponding costs are not being properly addressed.

It’s obvious that credit card ac ceptance with the explosive growth of takeout & delivery continues to rise as a form of payment. However, it is important to avoid the pitfalls associated with taking a credit card for payment and understand dif ferent issues that will affect your profitability.

The approach, I want you to take is to look at this exercise as the up date of a program or system, not just an attempt to find the best price for yet another line item on your restaurant’s P&L. Yes, the word “program” is critical as there are different programs and solutions depending upon the needs of your restaurant. What is your rate is the most common question asked? Yet the “base rate “is only part of the equation. The credit card industry has numerous “hidden costs” which

can, and will, inflate credit card costs. When analyzing your credit card statement, there are over 500+ Interchange fees, gateway fees, PCI fees, annual fees, regulatory fees, transaction fees, cross border fees, (and many others) that comprise your “effective rate”.

As more technology and SAAS based solutions enter the restaurant space (i.e. Toast, Lightspeed, Revel, Clover, UpServe, TouchBistro, just to name a few), it is becoming more confusing to analyze credit card fees as many of these above solutions bundle a flat and/or blended rate into their monthly SAAS fee.

It’s easy to jump to the conclu sion that all Interchange fees are the same. Yes & No! You can visit www.visa.com and www.master card.com and see many published Interchange fees. Yes – these rates are all disclosed in black and white; however, it is important to “opti mize interchange” which, in lay man’s terms, means ensuring that all transactions are “optimized” and hit the lowest interchange fee. For example, if a consumer pays their restaurant bill on a corporate card vs. a rewards cards vs. a personal credit card will create different fee

classes and corresponding costs for the merchant. For instance, are the majority of your transactions swiped (card present) or manu ally entered, or transacted through a mobile app and/or the internet). Think about your restaurant and determine the percentage of swiped transactions, take-out orders and mobile transactions throughout the month; depending on this blend will determine the most advanta geous way to set up your merchant services’ program.

Visa and MasterCard maintain different rate structures for different types of cards and how a transaction is processed. Reading a merchant services’ statement to many is like reading a foreign language to many. After 20+ years of analyzing state ments, I still get confused; without sounding presumptuous, if I con fused sometimes reading a state ment accurately, I am confident that the majority of financial executives will also have a difficult time prop erly analyzing their fees.

Hidden fees continue to enter the payment industry. Not having a transaction fee does not necessar ily ensure the best rate structure. Processing and POS companies will

Jeffrey Shavitz has spent 20+ years in the payment process ing industry and has helped over 20,000+ merchants in a variety of industries ranging from Fortune 100 companies to independent business owners. Jeff ‘s first com pany, Charge Card Systems Inc. grew to over 500 salespeople be fore being sold to First Data. Cur rently Jeff is President of Merchant Advocate Ventures, an expense auditing firm that analyzes credit card processing fees without the need to change processors and/ or POS systems. To date, MAV has saved its clients over $250MM in processing fees. Jeff has written 6 business books and “Size Doesn’t Matter – Why Small Business is BIG Business” hit #1 on amazon. Jeff is offering TFS readers a free analysis of their current credit card system and fees. Contact information is jshavitz@merchantadvocate.com / 201-245-4545 and personal web site is www.jeffshavitz.com.

“bundle” their rate, combining the discount rate and the transaction fee to give businesses the appear ance of a better structure. Many credit card companies will offer a low introductory rate, which to a layperson will seem too good to pass up. However, as a restaurateur buyer beware because those “down grades” or penalties for a restaurant can be steep.

When it comes to your credit card program, access to cash is king! You need to find out and we would be happy to help you confirm just how long it is taking for the money from your credit cards: 12, 24, 48 or 72 hours to get into your account. Why should you have to wait three days to get your money, doesn’t 12 hours sound better? Next day funding is critical to help with cash flow issues. The second issue with timing is when is your discount fee taken,

Yes – these rates are all disclosed in black and white; however, it is important to “optimize interchange” which, in layman’s terms, means ensuring that all transactions are “optimized” and hit the lowest interchange fee.

AJC FOODSERVICE DIVISION CELEBRATES

61ST BY FETING INDUSTRY TRIO

There must be something magical about the number “61” in the Bronx. Earlier this Fall, New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge broke one of sports most cherished records: the “61” homers slammed by Roger Maris in you guessed it 1961. Well this American Jewish Committee (AJC) Dinner had its eye on a little Bronx magic of its own.

The 61st annual AJC-Foodser vice Division dinner took center stage last month at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx.

Some 250 plus guests packed the ballroom to honor a distinguished trio of foodservice industry stars while raising money to battle antiSemitism across the globe. Bunzl’s Fred Rasmussen, Morgan Tucker of Singer/M. Tucker and New York City Hospitality Alliance’s Andrew Rigie were honored by the AJC.

Rasmussen who has built a repu tation as a leader in redistribution was introduced by Rick Maier of Bunzl R3 Metro. Tucker was pre sented her honor by Singer chief Fred Singer. Morgan became the

AJC-Foodservice Division’s first ever third generation honoree. Her tribute to her parents was truly memora ble. The honoring of Andrew Rigie once again represents how the AJC is evolving to understand the importance of the restaurant operating community. His visionary leadership through the Pan demic was integral in the very survival of the New York City

continued on page 114

(L to R) Lynne Schultz of Tri-State Marketing and the AJC’s Gary Spruch were instrumental in making the annual event a success

(L to R) Welbilt’s Ed Nierstedt and Paul Pedrow of the International Restaurant Shows

(L to R) The 2022 AJC Award

winners: Andrew Rigie of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, Fred Rassmussen of Bunzl and Singer/M Tucker’s Morgan Tucker

(L to R) P3 Reps Kim Lehr and Jeff Castor of RAK Porcelain welcomed guests

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PROPOSAL WOULD CHANGE THE WAY NYC’S RESTAURANTS MANAGE TRASH

Our membership has al ways been committed to working with the City of New York to improve the quality of life. Once again there is an issue that we need to understand and rally around.

The NYC Hospitality Alliance sup ports DSNY’s efforts to mitigate the city’s rat population and improve quality of life for all by reducing the time garbage bags sit on our streets before pickup. Although we sup port various efforts to achieve these goals, the City should focus on the most effective means of achieving them - citywide street containeriza tion of garbage. That would keep our streets cleaner for pedestrians, residents, businesses, and those din ing alfresco at restaurants, without presenting the challenges to certain businesses that we describe below.

Last month, the Alliance submit ted testimony at a Department of Sanitation (DSNY) hearing on their proposed rule that if implemented will require businesses to place their trash on the curb no earlier than 8:00 pm, so long as collection occurs later the same day or the day immediate ly following; or place materials in a receptacle with a tight-fitting lid no earlier than one hour before closing, so long as the scheduled collection occurs before the establishment next opens for business.

Because most of The Alliance’s members operate their businesses during the evening, they already place their trash on the curb after

While the proposed rule would allow these businesses to leave garbage in a tight-fitting receptacle an hour before closing, it would create unnecessary hardship when considering storage of the receptables when not in use. These businesses have extremely limited indoor storage space, and most of them do not have access to a back or side alleyway.

8:00 pm and should not be affected by the proposed rule. However, there are many foodservice establish ments that do not provide dinner service or operate past 8:00 pm, in cluding limited-service restaurants, bagel shops, coffee shops, other lunch-focused businesses, and bak eries. While the proposed rule would allow these businesses to leave gar bage in a tight-fitting receptacle an hour before closing, it would create unnecessary hardship when con sidering storage of the receptables when not in use. These businesses have extremely limited indoor stor age space, and most of them do not have access to a back or side alley way. Storing hard rigid containers inside until an hour before closing can be impossible and/or create op erational challenges for staff having to carry large containers through small corridors, up cellar doors, and the like.

The solution to this problem is to

allow businesses that use these re ceptacles to keep them curbside at all times. Alternatively, these busi nesses should be given the option to place their garbage on the sidewalk an hour before their posted clos ing time, without a container. These morning and afternoon businesses make some of the most iconic and quintessentially “New York City” meals. They should not be saddled with a requirement that is impos sible to achieve.

DSNY must also provide flex ibility to businesses generally on where these outdoor containers may be located based on the location of the business and design of the streetscape. For example, a restau rant with a narrow storefront located midblock with a bus stop out front may need to place receptacles else where in the area where their carter would be required to pick them up from.

Some commercial carters do not

always pick up garbage on time or provide everyday service. This must not result in restaurants and simi lar businesses being fined for noncompliance. Relatedly, consistent with the stated priorities of Mayor Adams, it is essential that any firsttime violation provides for a $0 fine with a warning and/or a cure period to correct the violation.

We also ask that DSNY clarify whether they will be providing any receptacles as our community is con cerned about the additional cost that containerization and replacement due to theft or damage will have on their businesses. We ask that DSNY share more information on the com mercial availability of such recep tacles, given the recent supply chain issues caused by the pandemic, and likely exacerbated by thousands of businesses being required to obtain receptacles all at the same time.

Finally, we suggest incorporating/ delaying the effective date of these rules until the Zone Carting system takes effect, as it may be easier to co ordinate containerization of trash for multiple commercial businesses in close proximity once there is a single responsible carter, which should be considered as part of this proposed Rule. For example, perhaps a single container may be shared by multiple businesses in close proximity.

The Alliance supports the intent of cleaning up our city streets but wants to ensure and new require ment do not unfairly harm restau rants and nightlife establishments.

Andrew Rigie is the Execu tive 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 of the World. Learn more at https:// www.thenycalliance.org/

By

NEW XPRESSNAP INNOVATION FROM TORK DELIVERS EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABILITY

As Americans return to on-premises dining post-pandemic, restau rateurs and foodservice operators are looking for ways in which they can provide a hygienic, sustainable, and cost-efficient ex perience to their guests. The Tork Xpressnap® napkin dispensing system provides the solutions they seek. With an easy-to-use one-touch solution, broad napkin refill assort ment, and guarantees of waste re duction, the innovation delivers on every one of its enticing promises.

Now a name synonymous with high-quality napkins and napkin dispensers, the humble origins of the Tork® brand trace back to ‘60s Sweden with the creation of the AllTork disposable wipe, whose name is derived from the Swedish “tor ka,” or to wipe and dry. The brand, soon thereafter acquired by the SCA Group and eventually spun off into Essity, a global hygiene and heath

conglomerate, continued to inno vate in the professional hygiene market which culminated in the creation of the revolutionary Tork Xpressnap in 2003. Designed as a more efficient and hygienic napkin dispenser, Tork Xpressnap is the brainchild of the brand’s efforts to innovate and respond to customers’ desires to improve working condi tions and guest satisfaction.

Nevertheless, like most others in the food services industry, Tork has felt the brunt of the COVID-19 pan demic and the inflation crisis. “Din ing is forever changed – it will never truly be the same,” observed Dotti Haynes, Marketing Director at Es

sity, the parent company of Tork. As a result, the company has looked to ways in which it can adapt to a shift in dining patterns: “Research from the National Restaurant Association shows that 70% of American adults are now more likely to order takeout than before the pandemic,” Haynes pointed out.

Reflecting on how increased offpremise dining poses new chal lenges for operators, Tork looked for ways to extend the same high-qual ity dining experience into peoples’ homes and into drive-thru win dows. Their newly redesigned Tork Xpressnap Drive-Thru Dispenser attests to the brand’s focus on meet

ing customers’ needs in a hygienefocused post-pandemic world by extending their efficient and hy gienic technology into the back of the house, which, as research sug gests, is ever-important as patrons increasingly dine off-premises.

The latest drive-thru solution from Tork joins a versatile product line that promotes increased work place efficiency, better hygiene, and more sustainable practices. The Tork Xpressnap dispenser assort ment offers a broad variety of mod els, each design tailored for use in a certain restaurant location. Most important is their commonality: each of their Tork Xpressnap dis pensers uses the same unique inter folded napkin technology, allowing for better operations streamlining and reducing inventory headaches by simplifying the napkin articles a restaurant has to carry.

The combination of the Tork Xpressnap interfolded napkin technology and the Tork Xpress nap dispensers is what makes the Tork Xpressnap system a hygienic and efficient choice when select ing a napkin solution for a restau rant. With the broadest selection of interfolded napkins in the market and custom print possibilities, the innovation from Tork allows the guest to pick each napkin one-ata-time, and without touching any other napkins in the process while controlling consumption: “You’re only touching what you’re going to take – you don’t get a wad of nap kins anymore!” Haynes quipped. The one-touch nature of the inter

“Research from the National Restaurant Association shows that 70% of American adults are now more likely to order take-out than before the pandemic.” — Dotti Haynes

PITTSBURGH’S PROGAR BRINGS PASTRY CREATIVITY TO ELEVEN CONTEMPORARY KITCHEN

Over the past decade, Se lina Progar has estab lished herself among the country’s top pastry chefs. Before successful runs as ex ecutive pastry chef at Altius, a AAA Four-Diamond Award-winning res taurant, and head pastry chef at the French bakery La Gourmandine, Progar spent several years in FourDiamond restaurants in Utah and Massachusetts. But Progar, a Pitts burgh, PA native and graduate of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., decided she wanted a new challenge.

With that focus program has joined the Eleven Contemporary Kitchen team in an elegantly rehabilitated warehouse tucked alongside old Pennsylvania rail lines. The restau rant offers a seasonal menu and out standing wine list. Located in Pitts burgh’s Strip District, Eleven pays homage to the city’s history with its industrial backbone and polished interior. Chef Eli Wahl and his team craft their ever-changing menu from

the most vibrant seasonal products. Eleven’s offerings can be experienced a la carte, through nightly tasting dinners or more casually at the bar with the Tavern menu. Every dish at Eleven lets the ingredients take cen ter stage, echoing the kitchen’s posi tion in the heart of the building.

“For the past 7 years I have been curating my own menus at two res taurants in Pittsburgh and leading my team to win multiple best dessert awards in the city,” Progar explained. “When I was a child my father and I baked together every chance we got. I loved seeing people gather around food and even when they were full there was always room for dessert.”

Progar who grew up in a Slovenian and Polish family, has been baking since she was a little girl. She start ed out making potica, apple strudel and krof before experimenting with cakes, breads and chocolates in high school. “Then when I was 16, I made my first birthday cake for a friend. Seeing their face light up hit differ ently. It lighted a fire that turned a fun hobby into a skill I kept wanting to grow. I studied what I could from books, and after the internet took off it made studying so much easier. Continuously expanding on my edu cation. I love testing new techniques, new flavor pairing, and pushing my

self to continuously learn methods of baking and pastry,” she said.

Prior to joining the team at the Steel City’s Eleven Contemporary Kitchen, she became one of the na tion’s top gluten free chefs. And she found it, in the gluten-free kitchen of Gluten Free Goat Bakery in Pitts burgh. Everything that Progar baked – pastries, cakes, breads – was glu ten-free. “I think it’s important that you’re constantly learning, explor

ing and growing, and I felt that, over the past eight years in fine dining, I learned about as much as I could,” said Progar. “I really wanted to dive deeper into another form of baking. I thought this would be a great oppor tunity to continue to gain knowledge and learn about another form of bak ing pastries.”

Her work at Gluten Free Goat Bak ery enabled her to accomplish a mis sion of creating delicious, healthy baked goods for people with Celiac disease and gluten allergies while winning over customers who are not gluten restricted. She has been able to pivot once again with her return to fine dining at Eleven Contemporary Kitchen.

Today’s top chefs rely more than ever on being able to source in gredients to execute their vision ary menus. “I was introduced to the

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Pastry Chef Selina Progar

Creme Brûlée by Selina Progar

“It’s new and fun and exciting, and there are a lot of talented chefs, and I’m happy to be a part of it. We are a new business that is trying to elevate every aspect of the community. We want to collaborate with local chefs and restaurants to provide a one-of-a-kind culinary experience aimed at meeting our customers’ expectations.” — Selina Progar

BELGIOIOSO ANNOUNCES RECEIVING KOSHER CERTIFICATION BY THE

ORTHODOX UNION (OU)

SCOOP learned that BelGioioso Cheese received the Kosher certification by OU, the world’s largest and most widely recognized Kosher Certification agency.

Two production facilities in Wisconsin, the Freedom plant in Appleton and the New Denmark plant in Denmark, worked with the rabbinic agen cy to verify that the production facilities, all ingre dients, tools and equipment adhere to all Kosher law requirements. The two plants join two other certified facilities located in New York State where BelGioioso manufactures fresh cheeses under both, the BelGioioso and Polly-O brands.

“With a total of 4 Kosher certified plants, Bel Gioioso is now positioned to provide a wide of fering of Kosher certified cheeses to all those consumers who choose them for personal pref erence”, said Gaetano Auricchio, Executive VP of BelGioioso Cheese.

certified.

“We are happy to extend our quality offering to a new consumer segment,” Mr. Auricchio adds. “While the certification assures consumers that the Kosher requirements are met, BelGioioso’s high production and quality standards are con sistent across manufacturing facilities and all cheese varieties”.

Consumers can expect to start finding the OU Kosher symbol on certified products over time as the new packaging rolls out.

NEW YORK-BASED TAO GROUP HOSPITALITY TO

OPEN FIRST HOTEL

SCOOP learned that the hospitality group will be opening a new hotel and resort, called Tao Ho tel, in Orlando’s forthcoming mixed-use develop ment site, O-Town West. The first-of-its-kind ven ture for Tao Group is expected to open in 2025. Created in partnership with Unicorp National Developments, TAO Hotel will serve as the anchor for O-Town West - a $1 billion, 350-acre mixeduse community development located in stunning Southwest Orange County.

For more than 20 years, Tao Group Hospitality has been a leader and innovator in the entertain ment and culinary industry operating more than 70 branded locations in over 20 markets world wide. Tao Group Hospitality has experienced rap id growth in recent years, expecting to open nine branded locations in 2022 with at least ten more planned in 2023.

EVAN PRIESEL JOINS KROWNE AS EASTERN REGIONAL SALES MANAGER

Current Kosher certified offerings include sta ple core cheeses such as fresh mozzarella, bur rata and ricotta, for which BelGioioso is widely well-known. Some snacking cheeses, including the iconic Polly-O string cheese, are also Kosher

FOODSERVICE

-

SCOOP heard that Krowne Metal Corporation, a leading manufacturer in the foodservice and plumbing equipment supply industry, recently

announced the addi tion of Evan Priesel to their growing team. Evan will be assuming the role of eastern re gional sales manager for the foodservice division of Krowne. He will be working remotely out of Sa lem, New Hampshire. He was most recently Director of Sales and Marketing at Univex, a quality foodservice brand whom Evan was with for almost six years. Evan holds both a bachelor’s degree and a MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. Evan joined the Krowne team on November 14, 2022.

Krowne is a 3rd generation, family-owned com pany manufacturing in the U.S.A. Through rapid expansion and innovation, Krowne is now the fastest growing company with experience rang ing from custom underbar equipment and refrig eration to high quality faucets and pre-rinses. For more information please visit: https://krowne. com/

Evan Priesel

SCOOP learned that as part of an ongoing ef fort to build awareness among home cooks and restaurant diners, the Trusted Veal from Europe team showcased veal at the New York City Wine & Food Festival. Dutch Chefs Ben van Beurten and Bastiaan Doesburg showcased dishes like vitello tonnato and braised veal neck to a line of visitors that often stretched beyond the booth. The Dutch chefs served veal to more than 10,000 guests.

THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA ANNOUNCES NEW TRUSTEES

SCOOP learned that The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) named two new trustees—both of whom are CIA alumni—to its board during its Oc tober annual meeting.

Maneet Chauhan is a celebrated award-win ning chef, author, television personality, and a founding partner and the president of Morph Hospital ity Group in Nash ville, TN. Originally born in Punjab, In dia, Chauhan, after working in some of India’s finest hotels, relocated to U.S. to study at the CIA and has since been an active supporter of the CIA. She has been lauded for her work as an ex ecutive chef in New York, Chicago, and Nashville where she is currently based. She is also co-founder of Hop Springs, the largest craft brew ery in Tennessee. Among her many accolades, she received the 2012 James Beard Foundation Broadcast Media Award for her work as a judge on Food Network’s “Chopped.” She has also been repeatedly honored for her role as a leader within the Nashville community and has been named one of the Nashville Business Journal’s “40 under 40,” and as one of Nashville Lifestyles’ “Women in Business.” Chauhan is dedicated to supporting others in the restaurant industry founding Hospi tality Strong in March of 2020 to support hospi tality workers struggling through COVID-19 and is an advisory board member for Nashville’s CO VID-19 Response Fund. Also a gifted competitor in the kitchen, Chauhan won Guy Fieri’s “Tourna

ment of Champions II,” and was given the oppor tunity to donate the $40,000 winnings to aid dif ferent restaurants that needed support during the pandemic. Most recently, Chauhan was honored at the CIA’s 2022 Leadership Awards as one of the “Champions of Global Cuisine.”

Bridget McCall is a culinary innovator and strat egist and a founding member and the CEO of The Seasoned Carte, a direct to consumer food busi ness and subsid iary of Mitsui USA. She has spent her career fostering growth and inno vation within the culinary industry from a variety of positions as an ex ecutive, director of sales and market ing, and business development man ager. McCall deliv ered the school’s 2019 commence ment address, ad vising the gradu ates to “Believe in yourselves,” because, “This is an industry where you can do anything you want to do. But it comes (from) inside, and it comes from you.” McCall also serves on the college’s Advancement Committee, which helps enrich the college community. McCall also earned a BS in Business and Communications from St. John’s University and attended continuing education classes at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. She previously served as a Board Member of Women Chefs and Restauranteurs and on the Executive Board of the American Culinary Federation Long Island Chap ter. Her recognitions include the ACF Northeast Presidential Medallion, The President’s Award from Lackmann Culinary Services, and Top Sales Achiever at Reichenbach & Associates.

“It is an honor to welcome back two such distin guished alumni to our Board of Trustees,” said CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan. “Maneet’s and Bridget’s work since graduating the CIA represents the best of us. Both not only have been personally success ful but also have sought to share their gifts with the culinary community, including our students. Joining the board will be an extension of that work and will help steer the college into the future.”

The CIA’s Board of Trustees consists of 22 highly respected leaders in the foodservice industry and business world. They provide expert governance and guidance for the not-for-profit college and are not compensated for their services.

NEW YORK

HISTORICAL

MUSEUM EXHIBIT “I’LL HAVE WHAT SHE IS HAVING”

SCOOP learned that a new museum exhibit or ganized by the Skirball Cultural Center, “I’ll Have What She’s Having”: The Jewish Deli examines how Jewish immigrants, mostly from Central and Eastern Europe, imported and adapted traditions to create a uniquely American restaurant and re veals how Jewish delicatessens became a corner stone of American food culture.

The exhibition explores the food of immigra tion, the heyday of the deli in the interwar period, delis and Broadway, stories of Holocaust survi vors and war refugees who worked in delis, the shifting and shrinking landscapes of delis across the country, and delis in popular culture. On dis play are neon signs, menus, advertisements, deli workers’ uniforms, and video documentaries. The local presentation is enriched with artwork, arti facts, and photography from New York Historical’s collection along with restaurant signs, menus and fixtures from local establishments, mouthwater ing interactives. Ben’s Deli is featured in a docu mentary while 2nd Avenue Deli, Katz’s and other Jewish delis are included in the exhibit.

LOWER EAST SIDE RUSSIAN DINING DESTINATION, TZAREVNA, RELAUNCHES AS YO+SHOKU

SCOOP heard that Tzarevna, one of Manhattan’s institutions for authentic Russian and Eastern Eu

Maneet Chauhan

Bridget McCall

ropean cuisine, is rebranding and relaunching as Yo+Shoku, a brand-new dining experience that combines traditional Yoshoku cuisine with famil iar Asian and Eastern European flavors from the owners’ childhoods.

Ricky and Mariia Dolinsky, the owners, chefs, and mixologists behind the Lower East Side’s beloved Tzarevna, have transformed their res taurant into an entirely new concept following a significant loss of customers during the ongoing war overseas. Ricky, who is Ukrainian and Tai wanese, and Mariia, who is Russian, rebranded as Yo+Shoku and will showcase elevated Yoshoku fare that’s influenced by Ricky’s memories of tra ditional Asian cuisines and his and Mariia’s love for traditional Eastern European flavors. Custom ers can expect a first-of-its-kind fusion food menu of Duck Confit and Smoked Trout Dip Onigiri, Wagyu Katsu Sando and Salmon Skin Salad Zen sai (Small Plates), and main dishes of Borscht Curry Udon, Omurice with Mole Negro, Karaage Chicken & Mochi Waffles, Okonomiyaki “B.E.C.” (bacon, egg, and cheese), and more.

“I am Ukrainian and my wife, Mariia, is Rus sian,” said Ricky Dolinsky. “Our love for both countries runs deep, but it has come to a point where we are unable to do what we love most, which is connect with our customers over meals that we grew up eating. Despite our best efforts to remain as neutral as possible, customers chose to support politics over supporting a small business. Our new concept, Yo+Shoku, gives us the oppor tunity to shift the focus back to the food and re connect with our customers over our take on an incredible and underrepresented cuisine in New York City while still paying homage to our roots.”

In addition to Yo+Shoku, the restaurant boasts Paper Planes, an inviting speakeasy located in the back of Yo+Shoku, which can be found by walking along a hallway adorned with handmade paper planes. Paper Planes opened in June of 2022 and features a rotating cocktail menu of playful takes on classics, signature creations, and seasonal offerings.

ONE OF YOUTUBE’S MOST POPULAR CONTENT CREATORS

OPENS DOUGHBRIK’S PIZZA ON SUNSET BOULEVARD

SCOOP heard that there is a newcomer on Sun set Boulevard, Doughbrik’s Pizza. It’s the first res taurant from one of YouTube’s most popular con tent creators, David Dobrik, who has more than

19 million subscribers and 7.1 billion views on the platform, as well as 11 million followers on Instagram. Dobrik partnered with the founders of fast-casual, Los Angeles-based chain Lemonade to bring the pizzeria to life.

With 26 years in business that started with the acclaimed Serafina Fabulous Pizza on the Upper East Side of New York City, Serafina has quickly expanded to 46 locations across New York and in eight different countries; specializing in contem porary Italian cuisine crafted with the best im ported quality ingredients fused with an energet ic, yet welcoming aesthetic. The Serafina family of restaurants includes the flagship Serafina brand, Café Serafina, Brasserie Cognac, Farinella Bakery, Bar Vitti, and most recently, their newest business model, Serafina Express.

THE LODGE AT BLUE SKY, AUBERGE RESORTS COLLECTION WELCOMES JASON FRANEY AS EXECUTIVE

CHEF

SCOOP heard that The Lodge at Blue Sky, Au berge Resorts Collection has a new executive chef at the nature-immersive retreat outside of Park City, Utah. Executive Chef Jason Franey comes to the resort with an incredibly decorated back ground that will help him to usher in a new era

SERAFINA

EXPRESS DEBUTS IN NEW YORK

SCOOP learned that as designed for conve nience in a casual and smaller footprint, Serafina Express is helping drive the notion of family dy namics in a city not always known for it, allow ing easier, more affordable, and quicker access to high-quality Serafina favorite meals, transported to your dining room table. With an express mod el, customers can order for takeout or delivery in store, over the phone, or by app from any of the eight locations across the metropolitan area.

at its beloved signature restaurant, Yuta, as well as create new immersive culinary experiences across its 3,500 private acres.

Chef Franey became Executive Sous Chef of Eleven Madison Park at the age of 25; was named “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine while at the helm of Canlis in Seattle, WA; received three and a half stars from Michael Bauer as executive chef of Restaurant 1833 in Monterey, CA.; and, he has three James Beard Award nominations under his belt. His foray into the Utah culinary scene is sure

Doughbrik’s Pizza

Chef Jason Franey

to be a game-changer.

With a strong respect for what comes from the land, Chef Franey will collaborate closely with Lynsey Gammon, the property’s Director of Farm ing who employs regenerative methods at the onsite Gracie’s Farm. The two will work handin-hand on menu conception and inspiration to showcase the farm’s abundant harvest of greens, garlic, tomatoes, root vegetables, honey, herbs, and much more.

COCO MIAMI WELCOMES JOSE DIAZ AS EXECUTIVE CHEF

Jardinier, training under Seth Blumenthal and serving as an instrumental part of the team when Le Jardinier was awarded their first Michelin star.

SAM MASON IS NOW BAKING AT EARLY EDITION ESPRESSO BAR IN THE MARTINIQUE NEW YORK

SCOOP learned that Sam Mason, the former pastry chef at WD-50, has begun rolling out his first pastry program since beginning his ice cream brand Oddfellows. Mason has joined the team at Chef Franklin Becker, Stephen Loffredo and Tora Matsuoka’s Hospitality Department restaurant group in the Martinique New York on Broadway, where he is baking breakfast treats.

There in the hotel’s lobby, tucked into an as suming little corner you will find Early Edition Espresso Bar where Sam and his co-pastry chef Romina Peixoto are serving the most delicious bacon egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches on homemade English muffins, and a collection of just fantastic baked goods.

road to becoming the nation’s favorite lifestyle hospitality company.”

Founded in 1984, Sage Hospitality Group is a Denver-based hospitality management, invest ment and development company with an impres sive portfolio of more than 110 hotels, restaurants, bars, coffee shops and entertainment venues in 14 states.

THE ALLISON INN & SPA APPOINTS JACK STRONG AS EXECUTIVE CHEF

SCOOP learned that Global Chef Jose Diaz brings his Michelin-Star restaurant experience to COCO, Miami Design District’s newest soirée destination. COCO’s menu focuses on classic Eu ropean cuisine designed for an indulgent gastro nomical affair. Bringing his worldly experience to the table, Diaz has constructed a Mediterranean menu of crudos, pastas, meats and shareables centered around locally sourced vegetables, the highest-quality meats and sustainably caught seafood.

Venezuelan-born Diaz has worked in London, San Sebastián, New York. In New York, Diaz led the outpost of popular London Restaurant, Bluebird, eventually moving to open another D&D London restaurant, Queensyard at Hudson Yard under the training of Bogdan Danila, the first Romanian Mi chelin-starred chef. In 2021, he moved to Miami, where he held the senior sous chef position at Le

SAGE

HOSPITALITY

GROUP PROMOTES AND APPOINTS KEY LEADERS

SCOOP learned that The Denver-based Sage Hospitality Group announced a series of organi zational changes including the promotion of Dan iel del Olmo to president, hotels and restaurants for Sage Hospitality Group; the appointment of Mark Augarten as chief operating officer for Sage Restaurant Concepts; and the streamlining of the company’s commercial teams to create a center of excellence that will support all hotels, restau rants and entertainment venues. These changes position Sage for continued growth and success by leveraging all relevant synergies amongst Sage Hospitality’s four complementary companies: Sage Hotel Management, Sage Restaurant Con cepts, Sage Investments and Sage Studio. “As we continue to strengthen the foundations on which Sage was built, we are evolving our organization behind the scenes to ensure that we are best posi tioned for future growth and success,” said Walter Isenberg, co-founder and chief executive officer of Sage Hospitality Group. “These changes reflect our desire to reaffirm our position as a best-inclass organization as we move forward on the

SCOOP learned that Oregon Wine Country’s award-winning, The Allison Inn & Spa, welcomed Jack Strong as Executive Chef. In this new role, Chef Strong will lead all culinary programs at the 85-room award-winning boutique resort, includ ing the resort’s signature restaurant JORY. Ore gon-born Chef Strong comes to The Allison Inn & Spa with over 30 years of culinary experience under his belt and most recently held the position as Executive Chef at the 453-room JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort & Spa.

Chef Jose Diaz

Chef Jack Strong

Family Entertainment Centers are filled with endless fun for both kids and adults. From arcade games and sport sim ulators to indoor trampolines and go karts, there is something for everyone. With the added benefit that people tend to get hungry when they’re hav ing fun, the only thing that could pos sibly make the experience better is the addition of delicious food. When FEC’s also serve a range of offerings it can easily become a lunch or dinner destination.

The idea of adding a foodservice program can leave FEC owners and operators with many questions. What kind of food will we serve? What kind of equipment will we use? How will I keep my overhead costs low while keeping safety high? Motion Technol ogy, Inc. understands the hesitation that comes from adding food to your lineup, but we also have a solution for

any size operation.

Let’s start with the food. Tasty menu options are a great way to attract cus tomers and ensure they spend more time at your establishment. Deepfried food never disappoints! Crispy appetizers like mozzarella sticks and mac and cheese bites, or full meals like a buffalo chicken sandwich and fries, are always crowd pleasers.

But let’s not stop there. Pizzas, que sadillas, and paninis are also super simple and scrumptious menu items that are sure to keep your guests hap py and full. You can even put a twist on classic offerings like nachos. Swap out your chips for tater tots and top with chicken, BBQ sauce and cheese. Make sure you have mop on hand for all the drool when this dish makes its way out of the kitchen!

Now, let’s consider kitchen equip ment. To create a versatile menu like the one listed above it is important to

have reliable equipment that is also affordable and the AutoFry and Multi Chef are just the ones for the job.

Our ventless fryers and ovens oper ate without the need of costly hood or vent installations saving thousands of dollars. Not to mention, both the Au toFry and MultiChef are so easy to use they can be operated by any employ ee, allowing businesses to run with a limited staff.

When it comes to quality our equip ment truly delivers. AutoFry uses Simplifry Technology, a heat/time compensation intelligence that auto matically adjusts cooking time based on the quantity of product being pre

pared per fry cycle. This ensures that product is cooked to perfection every time.

Our MultiChef ovens come pre programmed with recipes personally tested by our staff and can easily be programmed for anything you want to bake, steam, melt, toast or roast! These ovens also come with USB ports so owners and operators can easily swap out recipes for seasonal menus.

Adding a foodservice program to your Family Entertainment Center doesn’t have to be stressful. Let Mo tion Technology, Inc. show you how, with AutoFry and MultiChef. Head to www.mtiproducts.com to learn more!

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR FOOD DELIVERY (AND DELIGHT YOUR CUSTOMERS)

It doesn’t matter what food trends are popular or what kind of startup you’re running be cause a great customer expe rience is always in style. Even so, many startups seem to drop the ball when it comes to customer satisfac tion, but that choice isn’t ideal in such a competitive industry.

Any food delivery startup (or res taurant that has a delivery option) should give special attention to their customer’s preferences. It’s the only surefire way to improve your delivery service.

How to Provide an Unforget table Food Delivery Experience

On the restaurant side, it makes

sense to purchase the best food ser vice equipment available to bring out the flavors in your food. On the delivery end, you’ll want to improve the following.

1. Personal Delivery by the Team or Founder

It’s tempting to hire a third-party delivery company to handle deliv ery logistics. After all, your team has more than enough on their plate. But if you stay organized, you’ll be able to handle everything from tak ing inventory to taking orders with out overwhelming your restaurant staff.

There’s nothing wrong with hiring a third-party company, especially if

you don’t have the staff, but it can get expensive. Try to hire your own dedicated delivery force as soon as possible.

While it may sound unconven tional, receiving a delivery from a founder or promoter can make the experience really memorable. If the founder can’t do it every day, try to set time aside once a week. Think how special your customers will feel after they receive their food from the owner!

2. Make Good-Quality Food Fresh to Order

Maintaining the quality of your food is the most important aspect of food delivery. Food quality starts at

the restaurant or cooking location and is supported by the delivery person. You should use fresh ingre dients and make everything fresh to order if you want to impress your customers.

When you have an in-house and delivery section, preparation is key. Cut and pre-portion ingredients for your most popular dishes ahead of time so you aren’t losing precious seconds.

Once the delivery person takes the meal, instruct them to handle the parcel with care. For example, they need to keep the food upright and inside the bag at all times. Add

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Show guests you care about their health. Protection you can count on, from the brand you trust. For each case purchased, Elara donates a meal for a person struggling with hunger in America

AMERICA’S HUNGRY SET TO BENEFIT AS HOBART NAMES 125TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WINNERS

With a goal of find ing charitable orga nizations that have unique commitments to local philanthropy and commu nity outreach Hobart created a unique way to celebrate its 125th Anniversa ry. The Troy, OH based company has announced the winners of its 125th Celebration Contest—a giveaway of equipment prize packages, plus in stallation and up to one year of pre ventive maintenance.

Tore Trupiano, owner of Mangia e Bevi in Oceanside, Calif., was the in dependent restaurant winner. Nicho las Angelakis, owner of Colonial Farms Gourmet Food and Market in Wash ington Crossing, Pa., won in the inde pendent food retail store category.

“We are honored to be able to sup port both of these owners and their establishments as they give back to their neighbors and communities,” said Todd Blair, director of marketing at Hobart. “The work they do to feed those in need is nothing short of hero

ic. We look forward to seeing how our equipment will further enable their philanthropic efforts and outreach.”

After shutting down at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Trupiano and his staff dedicated their time to feeding seniors in the community through a partnership with a local or ganization, Great Plates Deliver. Early on they were making and packaging 300 to 400 meals daily, seven days a week, and eventually were provid ing closer to 1,000 meals daily. They continued these efforts even after the mandated restaurant closures were lifted.

“Our kitchen is small, but we want to continue to give to the com munity. They’ve supported us since my parents opened the business in 1971,” said Trupiano. “This new Hobart equipment will allow us to expand our kitchen space to make Mangia what it should be and give us the chance to continue providing meals to those in need.”

Angelakis and his family-owned market were known to give to the local community and charities, even before the pandemic. During the onset of COVID-19, they wanted to create an outreach program for those in need. As part of that, they packaged dinners on Thanksgiving 2020 to distribute on the streets of North Philadelphia. That winter and into the new year, staff and vol unteers packaged meals for food pantries, shelters, rescue missions and schools where foster children attend. In total, from Thanksgiving 2020 to the end of February 2021, Colonial Farms provided approxi mately 2,300 meals to local orga nizations. Also in February 2021, Angelakis coordinated the Colonial

Farms Souper Bowl. With the help of community co-sponsors, they pro vided soup to 1400 people in need at shelters and pantries.

“Winning the Hobart equipment package is going to help us do so much more for our community,” said Angelakis. “We can make more cakes,

pies and meals for the charities we support: soup kitchens, homeless shelters and more in Philadelphia and the surrounding areas. It will intro duce efficiencies that we don’t have with our current equipment.”

The Hobart equipment prize pack ages include a choice of dishwashing and food prep equipment for both Trupiano and Angelakis, with the addition of weighing equipment for Angelakis’s market. Both will make their selection of equipment based on a set retail value established by Hobart.

At Hobart, an ITW Food Equip ment Group brand, people and food are its passion. The company believes great food brings people together, and the relationships it shares feed our inspiration to be the best we can be for one another. As a food equip ment manufacturer and service pro vider, Hobart has been dedicated for more than a century to supporting those who are not only passionate about creating great food but are in spired by the people they serve and come to know on a daily basis. Like wise, it is the company’s mission to provide premium food equipment that foodservice and food retail pro fessionals can trust to work hard and deliver quality, consistent results day in and day out, empowering them to focus on what they love most—creat ing great food for great people.

“The work they do to feed those in need is nothing short of heroic. We look forward to seeing how our equipment will further enable their philanthropic efforts and outreach.” — Todd Blair

Todd Blair, Hobart’s Director of Marketing

RETIGO USA SETS SIGHTS ON RESETTING THE STANDARD FOR COMBI COOKING & KEEPING IT SIMPLE

For many USA restaurant operators, there have been a number of significant, never before seen or ex perienced challenges in 2021 and 2022. At the top of that list has been the necessity to reconfigure kitchen operations to support the signifi cant growth in takeout and delivery resulting from the pandemic and at the same time the demands of the ‘i-restaurant’ dining patron. Flex ibility is the key. The Retigo combioven becomes the perfect solution to create that flexibility for any owner/operator.

The addition of new technolo gies has enabled restaurant and foodservice operators to meet that challenge with the least upheaval to their operations. Highlighting those new tech drive tech solutions that can positively impact a kitchen’s productivity is the combi-oven. Therefore, with that in mind, Re tigo, one of the most sought-after, employed combi-ovens in Europe an kitchens and around the world in over 77 countries, established a beach head in the USA recentlyRegional sales representation with culinary support, service agencies, stocked ovens and parts.

Behind this all is an evolution of a combi-oven that combines ev ery imaginable feature that could be needed, but with the simplic ity of a piece of cooking equipment that most kitchens dream of. That is the RETIGO “Vision™” A combi oven set apart from the competi tion. Simplicity – like an intuitive, like-no-other, user-friendly control panel that in only 30 minutes brand new to the oven, you are cooking. Along with their Retigo robotic, au tomated manufacturing, with the newest of technologies including

lasers, and new worldclass manufacturing hall, producing top quality, us ing 304/316 stainless steel exclusively, and many oth er features attaining Ener gy Star rating.

“Our first Vision combi oven has very humble be ginnings. It was a combi manufactured from scratch in the garage of one of the company’s five owners,” noted Retigo, USA Presi dent Michael Bartek. “In May of 1993 when this first combi-oven was brought to the largest trade show in the Czech Republic, it was then sold at the trade show to a special school for young chefs, and the proceeds were used to buy parts to create more “Vi sion™” combi ovens.”

“Fast forward 30 years later and you now have the modernized “Vision™” combi oven. The whole concept behind a combioven is that it can perform multiple applications,” explained Retigo manag ing partner Norbert Pelc. “It uses hot air to not only steam and boil food, but you can switch to extremely hot air which can also fry food without the use of added fats. This allows for healthi er cooking, minimum shrinkage of proteins, and minimum drying out of proteins compared to any tradi tional convection oven due to the combi’s combination of hot air and moisture.”

Headlines throughout 2022 have focused on the challenges of re cruiting and training a restaurant’s

staff. Or any kitchen for that mat ter such as schools, healthcare, institutions. The labor shortage is Foodservice industry wide. The Retigo“Vision™” To help with this, another added value is that the Re tigo combi oven’s multifunctional capabilities allow the food service facility to downsize the amount of traditional cooking equipment in the kitchen, such as convection steamers, ranges, and convection ovens, utilizing a kitchen produc tion space more efficiently. “In a

post Covid world where there is a shortage of kitchen staff in every kitchen, the Vision combi oven would be a great addition with its wide range of capabilities being able to operate with smaller staff and more cross-training to account more labor turnover and the like. With the ability to start a cooking program with the push of a single but ton, and achieving very highquality results, the Retigo Vi sion combi-oven opens up all kinds of new possibilities,” Bartek continued.

The decision by Retigo to come to North America is just the next step in the contin ued growth of the company. Retigo is the fastest growing comb-oven in the world to day. As the company grew, they established branches throughout Europe in Britain, France, and Germany. They then established a branch in Taiwan to handle the Asian market. “We know that Amer ica is a huge potential market that can really appreciate the quality of our equipment. We have grown the company to a size where we feel strong enough to invest money into this market to develop it”, added Pelc.

“We’ve found as we have come into the US, that there are ovens that are 20 plus years old that are still being used, as well as a num ber of operators that haven’t yet discovered the efficiency of combi cooking. There is no attitude in volved in owning or using a combioven, There should be no employee

restaurant industry. The gathering was also addressed by Tony Meyer, Associate Chair of AJC’s Board of Trustees. He very effectively shared with the guests the nature of AJC and its urgent mission.

Once again, the AJC’s Foodservice Division has done its part to protect against the ignorance of anti-semi tism. The dinner raised an astound ing $330K. That included “over the top” contributions by Imperial Dade and former dinner chair Clark Pager to support the AJC’s global advocacy. Kudos to the dinner com mittee led by PBAC’s Michael Pos ternak and Lynne Schultz of TriState Marketing, the Key Impact trio of Cortney Davis, Eddie Toby and Rob Munroe Imperial Dade’s Jeff Burdick and Fred Klashman of TFS. The AJC’s Gary Spruch and his team did a masterful job of overseeing the event as well.

The American Jewish Commit tee (AJC) is the leading global Jew ish advocacy organization. From city halls to Capitol Hill, at the UN and in world capitals, AJC works to impact policy and opinion on some of the most important issues facing the Jewish people. The group is also doing a brilliant job of passing the torch to the next generation. Poster nak and Schultz have created a role for outstanding young leaders on the first ever AJC Leadership Coun cil. Leadership Council members include Eugene Beniaminson of Singer Equipment Company; Cort ney Davis of Key Impact Sales and Systems; Samantha Saltzman of the Sam Tell Companies; Rick Sher of Day & Nite/All Service; and Aaron Weiss of elite studio e are set to cre ate a vision for the foodservice fu ture of the AJC in Metro New York.

(L to R) 1820’s Bryan O’Rourke and Michael Posternak of PBAC who chaired the dinner

The AJC Foodservice Division’s first ever third generation honoree Morgan Tucker celebrated with parents Steven and Ellen

The award winning Mr and Mrs Andrew Rigie of the New York City Hospitality Alliance

(L to R) Singer/M Tucker’s Eric Santagato and Jeff Hessel of BSE Marketing

at Inside Park in New York City. The event featured Chef John Doherty of Blackbarn Restaurant and the former executive chef of the Waldorf Astoria. With John’s help, this year’s gala sup ported the SHFM Foundation and his Heavenly Harvest Foundation whose mission is to bring dignity health and hope to those in need. The attend ees were delighted with John’s World Leader menu, where they enjoyed

IMPROVING FOOD DELIVERY

samples with the order (ensur ing these samples don’t aggravate known allergies) as a complimen tary service.

3. Deliver Your Food Within a Short Window

Your customers want tasty food, and the only way to do that is with on-time delivery. Most food doesn’t keep long; it gets soggy, cold, or dry. It won’t matter how high-quality your food is if it comes to the cus tomer’s door in a poor state. Your customers are hungry, but not that hungry!

There’s also the matter of food safety. Some food items will spoil if they’re left out too long. If you’re working with raw fish, it’s incredibly important that you deliver these meals right away.

To ensure your food is delivered hot and fresh, use software that op timizes routes, like Circuit. You can pair its tracking feature with a deliv ery app that gives customers an es timated delivery time and your realtime location. This ensures they’re prepared to accept their food order.

4. Offer Cash-Back, Rewards, and Discounts

Everyone loves rewards and dis counts, so you’ll get a lot of mileage out of offering these benefits to cus tomers. Or you can offer cash-back on purchases, similar to a credit card. For example, there’s a credit card you can get with SoFi to earn 3% rewards for a year up to $250. If you want to be a part of a cash-

dishes and stories from some of the special dinners Chef John has served global dignitaries and U.S. presidents in his time at the Waldorf.

It is fitting that the inaugural award be presented to an educator like Mehlberg. Because Cattani spent his lifetime committed to the education of the industry’s next generation. He was a Fellow of The Culinary Institute of America and was honored with a

Conti Distinguished Professor Chair at Penn State University. Cattani was also a Distinguished Visiting Profes sor at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, RI and a Wise Profes sor at the University of Delaware. He also was the commencement speaker at Paul Smith’s College (twice) and the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.

“Unfortunately, I never had the

from page 108

Any food delivery startup (or restaurant that has a delivery option) should give special attention to their customer’s preferences. It’s the only surefire way to improve your delivery service.

back program but don’t want to make one yourself, ask a credit card company to sponsor you. Affiliate programs can help generate addi tional profit.

Consider creating a loyalty pro gram that helps customers earn their way up to a free order. These incentives keep customers loyal for life. Giving customers a surprise discount when they receive their food is another great idea as long as you do the same for in-restaurant patrons.

5. Treat Every Customer as a Unique Customer

Sure, it’s easier to make gener alizations, but that won’t separate your brand from competitors. In stead, you can streamline the cus tomer experience using artificial intelligence or other types of au tomation software to recommend menu items based on a person’s previous orders.

Not only will these programs en courage long-term customers to try the rest of your menu, but they’ll also make them feel like you care about their preferences, food aller gies, and satisfaction.

Plus, personalization is known to increase ROI and improve customer relationships with brands. Accord ing to Slideshare, 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from a com pany that provides a tailored expe rience, while 90% see the appeal of personalization when shopping.

6. Call to Clarify Cooking or Item Instructions

Our delivery customers aren’t standing right in front of us, which makes it difficult to understand a person’s preferences. If someone requests no tomatoes in a salad, it could either mean they don’t like to matoes, or they’re allergic to them. One has more implications than the other.

Instead of guessing, it’s better to call and ask if they have an allergy or a dislike for tomatoes. Explain that you’re doing this because you take their allergy seriously and want to make sure.

However, if you’re fairly busy and you take most of your orders through an app, add a section where customers can state if the re quest is due to medical reasons. You could also do the same with menu

opportunity to meet Dick Catanni,” Mehlberg said. “But I heard so many wonderful things about how he served others in the industry. He was an awe some listener that always gave 100% of his attention to who he was speak ing with. He was also sensitive, posi tive, empowering, empathetic and kind. These traits I have heard over and over by people in his network.

add-ons. For example, have a but ton with “no spice” or “extra spice” in some foods.

7. Give a Thank You Note or Take a Picture

A nicely written and personalized thank you note from the founder will really knock the delivery expe rience out of the park. The note can be simple and just include “Thank you, name,” or you could write a detailed message that expresses your gratitude. Top the note with a breath mint.

Your loyal customers always ap preciate being seen, respected, and cared for. A thank you note does all three. But only give a note the first time they order, or your thanks won’t count for much.

If your customers are comfort able with the idea, take a picture of them accepting their food. Ask them if you can use it for marketing purposes. If you can’t, ask if they’d like to receive the photo the next time they order with a discount at tached. More often than not, they’ll love this gesture.

In Conclusion…

Creating an unforgivable deliv ery experience for your customers doesn’t just stop at on-time deliv ery. You need to make a conscious effort to delight your customers at every step. Only then will you stand out from your competition and con tinue to impress your loyal patrons.

returned to London, where, at the Savoy, he gained a considerable fol lowing and a reputation as a master bartender.

Craddock’s book contains some 750 recipes, including all of the classic fizzes, flips, slings, and oth ers, as well as a number of his own inventions, a long-time favorite of which is the Corpse Reviver #2. In addition he provides his own witty commentaries and a goodly amount of cocktail history—some of it quite possibly true.

Beyond its contents The Savoy Cocktail Book is famous as an ex quisite piece of bookmaking. Its elegant art deco design is museumworthy (and the volume is, in fact, displayed at the Cooper-Hewitt branch of the Smithsonian Institu tion in New York City). Notable are its striking black, green, and gold cover, festive endpapers, stylish page design, and witty drawings, re produced in an array of colors.

Craddock’s great book has been re-issued in innumerable editions by many publishers. However, there is only one true first printing, which we offer here. This is identifiable by a recipe on page 25 called the Ba cardi Special Cocktail—which ap pears in all subsequent editions as Bacardi Cocktail—and an errata for said cocktail tipped in.

Because the gold leaf on the case is subject to scratching and chipping, nearly every example we have ever seen on offer is rubbed or flawed in one way or another. The copy we are offering is no major exception. The front and rear boards show some

scuffing, and the fore corners are rubbed enough to expose the boards underneath; the bottom edge of the case, both front and rear, shows a small divot, perhaps from shelving on an uneven surface. Light foxing has begun to show on the edges. The interior is clean and unmarked and the binding secure. Issued without dust jacket. We have made a custom slipcase covered in black cloth to protect the book from further wear. $1800.

THE OLD WALDORF-ASTORIA BAR BOOK

by Albert S. Crockett

We proudly present here the very scarce 1934 first printing (Dodd Mead, New York) of newspaperman Albert Crockett’s The Old WaldorfAstoria Bar Book. Crockett was the press agent for and a champion of the bar for many years and spent more hours “gathering material” than he might care to confess. In 1931, during Prohibition and after the hotel’s move further uptown, Crockett published Old Waldorf Bar Days, a history of the brass rail and its renowned cocktails.

This second book, published after the repeal of the 18th Amendment, is a bit of a rehashing of the origi nal but focuses more on the cocktail recipes, as they were (officially) use ful once again. He presents many of the same recipes, some with minor tweaking, as those in Old Waldorf Bar Days but with less commentary on the origins and histories of each.

Crockett’s musings provide thoughtful context to the drink

from page 96

Chefs’ Warehouse 7 years ago as a specialty food distributor,” Progar added. “I was excited to flip through the catalog and see all the items that weren’t attainable through other lo cal companies in my area. My rep has always been Harry Lorusso, he has gone above and beyond to con nect me to items that make my menus pop with uniqueness. The

Chefs’ Warehouse (CW) carry’s such a wide array of products. My signa ture dessert at Eleven is the Creme Brûlée. Raspberry Creme brûlée, apricot curd, honey tuile and laven der Chantilly. CW has provided the raspberry and apricot purées, the spring honey, dried lavender flowers, cocoa butter, white chocolate, heavy cream, and eggs. Chefs’ Warehouse is

ing habits of post-WWI Europe and America and distinguishes those drinks that originated before the Great War and those before Prohibi tion.

Among the “amendments” to the original book, we find notable in ternational influence. Between the war exposing soldiers to new locales and thirsty Americans escaping off to Cuba to satiate their thirst for li quor, new tastes emerged. Brandybased drinks like the Sidecar appear along with a large influx of tropical ly-inclined cocktails from the Carib bean islands.

Our copy was recased in gray cloth by a previous owner with the original cloth covers laid on and recolored by some crafty hand that, perhaps, was trying to remedy the fading or rubbing off of the original ink. The quality of ink used for the task was certainly not intended for this purpose, and it has begun to smear. The interior is very clean and crisp, printed on high-quality stock, though there are two handwritten recipes on a blank page at the rear. The jacket is absent. Perhaps not peak collectors’ condition, but cer tainly a respectable example of this not-often-seen title. $1350

BARTENDER’S GUIDE by “Trader Vic” Bergeron

Victor Bergeron (1902–1984), bet ter known as Trader Vic, is widely credited, along with Donn Beach, for giving legs to the tiki cocktail craze that began in the 1930s and lasted for decades in the US. Bergeron was one of the foremost practitioners

of the kitschy aesthetics associated with tiki culture, and his influence was given national prominence by a partnership with Conrad Hilton that spread Trader Vic’s restaurants across the country.

Bartender’s Guide (1947) is a man ual intended for professionals. It in cludes a chapter on how to deal with check dodgers and drunks and two other chapters titled “People that Bartenders Have Learned Not to Like” and “Bartenders that Custom ers Don’t Like.” Of course there are cocktails too, many of them. Natu rally, the book favors tiki drinks and other classics that have a tropical flare, but you will also find martinis, Manhattans, and other standards.

San Francisco illustrator Ray Sulli van’s snappy drawings are peppered throughout, as well as exhibited in a double-page spread guide to the various cups and glasses employed in Bergeron’s recipes.

Humorous, irreverent, brash, and decidedly “modern”—a counter point to the worship of pre-Prohi bition classics and bartenders in suspenders—the book also takes se riously its job of creating enjoyable cocktails and decent, knowledge able bartenders.

This is the 1948 Garden City re print, a more attractive—by our estimation—printing than the later revised edition. Very Good plus with light foxing to the page edges and some discoloration to the endpa pers. The unclipped jacket, also Very Good, shows moderate chipping and light dampstaining, most no ticeably on the back. Good fun. $225

my go-to resource when developing my menus!”

Since returning to Southwestern Pennsylvania seven years ago, Progar has enjoyed watching the Pittsburgh food scene explode. “It’s new and fun and exciting, and there are a lot of talented chefs, and I’m happy to be a part of it. We are a new business that is trying to elevate every aspect of the

community. We want to collaborate with local chefs and restaurants to provide a one-of-a-kind culinary ex perience aimed at meeting our cus tomers’ expectations,” said Progar. “We’re trying to create a healthy envi ronment, not just by making healthy baked goods, but by spreading joy for our employees, our customers and people in the community.”

CHEFS’ HIGHLIGHT

DRINKS

coffee into a cup and adding a few pumps of the customer’s desired creamers and flavored syrup(s), plus ice. The flavor options are lim ited only by the ready-to-use syrups you’ve prepared or decided to keep on hand, and you can switch these offerings throughout the year. Dur ing the winter months and holidays, for example, hazelnut-, mocha-, and peppermint-flavored syrups will likely be a hit with customers.

Finally, cap off beverages with a freshly made cold foam topping. A delightful counterpoint to bold coffee, cold foam adds richness, sweetness, and flavor and is visually appealing as a decadent-looking garnish that gently seeps into the coffee. It’s easy to prepare in under a minute using The Quiet One fitted with the Aerating Container. Simply aerate a small amount of cold skim or 2% milk in the container using the machine’s built-in, optimized program designed for this purpose. The container’s flat, circular blade will quickly incorporate air into the milk, expanding the volume by up to three times.

You can flavor your cold foam before or after blending with a few pumps of the desired flavored syr up, such as vanilla, cinnamon, or brown sugar. Customers love to cus tomize their cold foams, which will make them loyal to your restaurant.

Your commercial blending equip ment also makes frozen coffee bev erages, such as frappés. Simply load the standard blender container with cold coffee, cold brew, instant cof fee, or powdered espresso, along with ice, a few pumps of flavored syrup, and the desired cream or milk. Then, blend using one of the blender’s optimized settings de signed especially for frozen coffee beverages. The Quiet One comes with five factory-installed programs created with frozen coffee in mind, as well as additional blend pro grams that may also yield great re sults with frozen coffee drinks. For an added treat, you can optionally top frozen beverages with a flavored whipped cream, made in the Aerat

ing Container.

Explorations in Specialty Coffee

There’s no shortage of pioneering professionals who continue to push beyond these options. A prime ex ample is Shawn Lickliter, director of bar operations for République based in Los Angeles, California, and a 2022 Vitamix Commercial StarChefs partner.

One of Shawn’s recent creations is the TCMT Frappé, an Asian-in spired frozen blend that’s a twist on the classic Hong Kong Yuanyang coffee milk tea, a popular Southeast Asian beverage with black coffee, black tea, milk, and sugar.

Shawn swaps in a coconut cream for the milk and Thai tea instead

of black tea, blending it all in The Quiet One. He calls this a “coffee co lada.” The coconut flavor goes well with the coffee, as does the Thai tea, with its hints of vanilla, he explains. The coconut cream also serves to sweeten the drink and ties the ele ments together.

Cultural inspirations like these regularly show up on République’s menu, Shawn says, and custom ers order their cold coffee drinks all day long. He suggests that res taurants experiment with the Hong Kong coffee-milk-tea combination by swapping in other types of teas, such as Sakura blossom tea or a green tea.

Cold coffee options are also pres ent at the bar, Shawn says. He re cently created a frozen tropical

coffee cocktail inspired by a house staple at the legendary Bali Hai Res taurant in San Diego, California.

The recipe is rum plus coffee and coffee liqueur blended with ice, sugar, pineapple, and lime.

As yet another flavor option, Shawn has been experimenting with the use of fresh fruit juices in cold brew coffee. His recommenda tion: Try adding a splash or two of fresh pineapple or grapefruit juice to sweeten the coffee instead of sugar or simple syrup.

For more information, email the Vitamix Commercial team at let stalkcommercial@vitamix.com.

TCMT Frappé

By Shawn Lickliter Yield: 1 frappé

Ingredients

• Coconut cream (a combina tion of ¾ cup cream of coco nut and ¼ cup coconut milk)

• 2 ounces cold brew coffee

• 2 ounces brewed Thai tea

• Whipped cream

• Grated nutmeg to garnish

Method

1. Make the coconut cream: In a bowl, stir to combine the cream of coconut and coconut milk. Transfer to a nonreactive container and refrigerate.

2. When it’s time to serve the beverage, combine 2 ounces of coconut cream, coffee, tea, and 1 cup of small ice cubes. Then, blend in The Quiet One until smooth.

3. Pour into a Collins glass. Top with whipped cream and nut meg to garnish.

Stephen Hosey is blending appli cation manager and culinary team member at Vitamix, where he assists commercial customers with kitchen and bar efficiency, recipe creation and menu development. Contact him at letstalkcommercial@vitamix. com.

Still Trending

Foods from Africa. The diversity and complexity of the cuisines of Africa are becoming more acces sible to the U.S. consumer, who are becoming fluent in fonio, gari, ber bere, shito, and harissa.

Cocktail culture. Ready-to-drink beverages like naturally flavored seltzers, and elevated, unique cock tail mixers are a continuing strong market for specialty food products.

Cleaner, broader plant-based. Plant-based options continue to ex pand into all corners of the refriger ated and frozen dairy and protein sections.

Whole Foods Market’s Top 10 Food Trend Predictions For 2023: New Brew: Yaupon

Yaupon is a holly bush found in the southeastern United States and happens to be North America’s only known native caffeinated plant.

Pulp with Purpose

Upcycling by-products like oat, soy and almond pulp, brands are creating new products for the mod ern baker like alternative flours, baking mixes and ready-to-eat sweets.

Produce Meets Pasta

Now there’s a new crop of plantbased pasta alternatives to help us all up our veggie and fruit intake, with ingredients like spaghetti squash, hearts of palm and even green bananas.

The Great Date Dates the dehydrated fruit of

ten referred to as “nature’s candy” is having a major renaissance as a sweetener in the form of pastes and syrups, and hidden in everything from ketchup to overnight oats.

A Poultry Revolution

Prioritizing welfare when shop ping for both poultry and eggs. Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.) is implementing a new initiative, The Better Chicken Project, to help improve the birds’ lives as well as the quality of the chicken we eat.

Help From Kelp

Kelp-inspired foods are gaining popularity, we’re seeing it in noo dles, chips, fish-free “fish” sauce and beyond.

Climate-Conscious Callouts

Climate consciousness is more

relevant than ever, and as a result, brands are working to improve the impact of food and beverage pro duction focusing on sustainability.

Retro Remix

Retro products like Mac and cheese, pizza bites, classic oldschool cereals are being reinvented with consideration for the wellnessconscious customer, creating the ultimate mash-up of throwback in dulgences with better ingredients and special diets in mind.

Avocado Oil Craze

Avocado oil is finally going main stream in packaged products across the board. Taking the place of other oils like canola and safflower oil in snacks, mayonnaise, ready-to-eat meals and more, avocado oil is sure to stick around.

from page 32 ANTUNES

what we were ultimately sending to landfills.”

“I’m convinced that one of the things that has driven our success has been to continue to stay fo cused on what we do best,” Bullock said. “Our sweet spot is QSR chains with 100 plus locations.”

Jane Bullock who serves as An tunes’ Chief Purpose Officer noted: “That’s really what Antunes is all about. We are so much more than

just a catalogue of products. Today’s restaurants, foodservice profes sionals and the dealers and consul tants that support them are looking for a manufacturing partner that can create a customized solution for their kitchen. We get that the chain of our industry is driven by the rep and dealer relationship with the operator. But in our case, we all work as a team to get to that unique solution.”

“We see the challenges that our customers are going through of finding staff as we come out of the Pandemic,” Bullock continued. “They are really stressed over hav ing to do the grunt work that was being handled by employees previ ously as well as the time and money necessary to retrain. We understand just how important the people are to operate a successful restaurant. That’s why we value many of the

families that work for Antunes. We have a number of folks that have worked with us for 40 years and we actually just celebrated a 50th anniversary.”

For more information on Antunes, email info@antunes.com or find the company online at https://antunes. com/. Antunes’ latest solutions will be on display at the upcoming NA FEM Show slated for February 1-3, 2023 in Orlando. FL.

taurants should be mindful of the following:

• Staying compliant with any state insurance and licensing requirements and ensuring that both the restaurant and delivery workers satisfy any requi site obligations.

• Complying with applicable laws such as New York’s Hospitality Wage Order and New York City’s Fair Work week Law.

• Being mindful of tip-related prac tices, including what a restaurant must do to lawfully avail itself of the

tip credit, and maintaining clearly es tablished tip distribution policies so that tips are not shared with ineligible employees.

• Maintaining careful records of all hours worked, including travel time back to the restaurant after a delivery is made.

Direct delivery may benefit both the restaurant and consumer, and if it continues to grow, more restaurants may consider hiring their own deliv ery workers to meet the demand of

such orders. Restaurants should work with employment counsel to ensure that they are properly classifying de livery persons, that they are comply ing with all applicable wage and hour laws, and to update their handbooks and policies accordingly. Addition ally, they should continue to monitor federal, state and local laws for any changes.

1 For example, in 2020, many app users in Chicago may have seen a “Chi cago fee”, in response to a city ordi

nance capping the amount of fees that third-party apps could charge to res taurants. By imposing the “Chicago fee” on customers, rather than restaurants, third-party apps were able to sidestep the ordinance without losing any rev enue. (https://www.chicagotribune. com/dining/ct-food-doordash-fee-res taurants-chicago-1209-20201208-b5x q3ckvo5fqbcjfcrzmbc6sxq-story.html)

2 https://www.newsweek.com/manshocked-cost-650-drink-after-deliv ery-fees-took-me-out-1742247

from page 94

folded napkin is also a major win for the restaurant itself, as the prod uct “guarantees napkin usage – and waste – reduction by over 25%.” As inflation continues to drive prices higher, and as guests focus more on sustainable dining practices, Tork Xpressnap puts restaurateurs’ nerves at ease.

Another boon to operators comes in the form of an advertising panel on the exterior (or top, depending on the model) of the Tork Xpress nap dispenser, allowing franchises to market their brands in easily visible and highly-trafficked loca tions. “Most operators miss out on

DIANA DELUCIA

this opportunity,” said Haynes of the panel. “Research indicates that marketing messages help repeat business and also help personalize experiences by using those panels to share aspects of the restaurant’s heritage and what it’s doing in the community,” she continued. The recent upgrade of these panels to include more space for advertising and to facilitate easier usage and cleaning goes to show the ways in which Tork helps to make business more efficient for its customers. For operators who’d like to begin adver tising on the panel, Tork provides a resource to start at www.adaglance.

from page 52

about the transition from being a hands-on, Sommelier to a more re flective source of knowledge for a captive audience.

How did you become the industry’s Wine critic?

During the pandemic, I began writing wine reviews on social me dia first and soon for Golf Kitchen magazine and several other golf publications. The private club in dustry has not been blind to all these movements, but as particular as it is, it has always been a unique niche where mainstream wine crit ics have rarely found a spot.

The private club sector is full of avid wine collectors who have been trying to define themselves or fit into a category for years. Main stream tastings are far from what a private club needs today; as I men tioned earlier, the private club in dustry has changed and evolved. It keeps moving forward, offering high-level dining experiences to its members and guests. Keeping in mind these private club members’ needs, this special category of pri vate club wine critic emerges today.

Can you walk us through “Silva’s 101” on how a club should build its wine cellar?

There are no shortcuts to build ing an excellent Wine Cellar. Good

organization is primordial in this task. First of all, determine what the goal of your cellar is. Are you going to keep wines in storage for a long time, or are you looking to move your inventory quickly?

In the private club industry, we cater to many different audiences, so it would be wise to separate your wines depending on the purpose, i.e., “Events and Outing Wines” or “Premium Cellar Wines.” Do some research and learn about your member’s favorite wine regions, then purchase accordingly. It is easier to introduce new wines when you know the regions they love and offer similar wines based on that knowledge.

A sound Bin number System is ad vantageous as well as labeling and dividing the cellar into countries, regions, and subregions, Like Cali fornia “Napa,” Italy “Piedmont” or France “Burgundy.”

When it comes to wine menu of ferings, do not be afraid to chal lenge yourself and move out of your

torkusa.com.

Why Tork Xpressnap then? For Haynes, the answer is simple: “You’ve got to think about the ex perience you want your guests and employees to have, and the kind of message you want to send.” It is abundantly clear that Tork Xpress nap is a win in all departments – it facilitates better hygiene practices, whether dining in or carrying out, reduces waste and napkin usage, and makes the lives of restaurant employees easier through its prod uct commonality. “The product allows operators to say: “we care about the environment, and we care

about your hygiene,” Haynes added. As rising inflation and labor shortages put pressure on restaura teurs, Tork Xpressnap provides con venient solutions.

For more information regarding the Tork Xpressnap line of products, operators can contact their distribu tor, visit www.torkusa.com/distribu tor-finder to find a Tork distributor, or click on https://www.torkusa. com/xpressnap for more general in formation about what the brand has to offer.

“comfort zone” a good idea here is to start rotating wines at least every two weeks, organize wine tastings, and invite winemakers to talk about their wines. Creativity is the key to success!

Ask for new wines if you are on the other side as a club member. As a good wine lover, you should check the wine list at your club often and ask your Sommelier or your Wine Director to show you what is new on the list! Remember that it is all about “the Experience” and having a bit of fun simultaneously!

What trends in wines do you see

as we enter ‘23?

I think that “Natural Wines” are making a significant impact in the US, it started as a trend a few years back, but today we can see that they are taken more seriously. There is a return to classic Italian Grapes or the rediscovery of the Modernist approach to traditional areas, like the case of Nebbiolo in Piedmont or ready-to-drink Bordeaux.

What domestic wines are trending?

One of my favorite wine regions is Paso Robles; the quality of this area’s red and white wines is outstanding.

Imports?

Oh, la la! Too many choices, but I will narrow it down to three. My first choice would be Burgundy in France, Barolo in Piedmont, Italy, and Malbecs, from Mendoza in Ar gentina.

Is there a Rosé that is about to emerge?

Now, this is very interesting. We are used to the traditional Rosé, which comes from Provence, France; however, I am seeing more and more Rosés coming to the mar ket, with a heavy focus on quality, such as Rosés from the “IGP Medi terranee” or “Chiarettos” from Lake Garda, in Italy.

Private Clubs started to pay more attention to the rising figure of the Sommeliers and Wine Directors who team up with Chefs to cater to the most demanding palates.

utilizes in the production of the straw.

“Bamboo and cane straws are close to reed straws in texture and design, however reed has a significantly ad vantage in functionality (bamboo is too big) and a significant difference in price,” Masientsova explained. “Prices are very high for the bamboo straws and makes them a niche prod uct. REEDS’ straws are priced to make sense.”

REEDS also begins the process with scientists that carefully select the area to harvest the reed crop with their own custom fleet. “Our approach to cutting to the reed to exacting dimen sions result in the world’s highest quality straw. We use only biogradable and natural components and materi als. This is the core solutions REEDS has applied from the very beginning since our launch,” Masientsova said.

REEDS has also recognized that we live today in a world of specialization. A straw for a milkshake and a straw for a cocktail simply are not the same thing. “We supply reed straws of natu ral and brown color, dimensions from

6 to 8 inches and wrapped and un wrapped versions,” Masientsova said. “We are very customer- and partnersoriented. With that, we offer engrav ing, and the reed straws are the only straws that can offer the engraving of a brand logo on the straw that is really beautiful.”

For US and North American opera tors and the distributors that support them the addition of the REEDS line offers the opportunity of making a statement in support of the Ukrainian people as well as the functionality and pricing of a world class straw. “Russian aggression began in 2014 and we have experienced the war actions from the Russians during these 8 years. This year the war has become more exten sive, however we begin to receive the support from US, EU and other coun tries to stop Russian aggression. Glory to Ukraine!,” Masientsova concluded.

For information on the REEDS straw line, operators and distributors can click on www.reeds.organic , or con tact Olena Masientsova at sales@reeds. com.ua

HAMPTON’S ‘23 RESTAURANT SPACE MARKETPLACE HEATS UP

The summer of ’22 brought a whole new lineup of success ful eateries to the East End of Long Island. The Hampton’s sizzled as restauranters from Man hattan and across the nation brought notables including the Lulu Kitchen & Bar (Sag Harbor), East Hampton’s O by Kissaki, and Calissa Hamptons (Water Mill). Once again, the center of the Summer ’22 dining universe was set in Southampton with a trio of favorites that all found success with Manna at Lobster Inn, Tutto Il Giorno South and Dopo Argento.

With that success in focus, Total Food Service set out to get a read on what the opportunities look like for the professional restaurateur/chef in the Hamptons for the Summer ’23 season. To do so we chatted with Hal Zwick, Director, Hamptons Com mercial Real Estate. For 20 plus years, he’s been matching landlords and the restaurant professional with a goal of creating a unique dining opportunity for the throngs of discerning dining

patrons that second of Long Island’s Eastern end.

As life returned this summer to a “new normal, what types of trends did you see?

While there is an increase in yearround population - 10-15% and yearround weekend population - 15-20%, we are returning to near pre-Covid business levels. Weekday business will continue to be slower than 2020 and 2021 and business drops off each week after Labor Day. While the Fall is still very strong, the Spring gets off to a slow start. And staffing will continue to be an issue going forward impact ing restaurant schedules.

Are guests looking for a more for mal or casual experience?

Generally, a more casual experience -- but they seek out the site with better food and service.

How much growth was there in square foot pricing from Summer ’21

to Summer 22?

Significant, probably 20% for retail. However, restaurant operators have been reluctant to accept high rent increases since their food and labor costs have greatly impacted their bot tom line.

There’s concern throughout the industry with labor challenges both with shortages (no more visa program) and the advent of the $17 an hour dishwasher?

All labor costs have increased and unfortunately, it has been reflected in pricing. The restaurants for the most part do not want to sacrifice quality and must pass the costs along to the customers. Another factor on the East End is housing. A good percentage of operators need to provide housingseasonal and sometimes year-round to acquire and keep staff out here. This impacts costs even further.

As you look at the “early ’23 mar ket”, are most of your seasonal op erators re-upping for ’23?

There are not that many sites avail able right now, but operators are very cautious about coming out to the Hamptons based on the cost of doing business out here and the still sea sonal nature of the locale. We have seen an increase in demand for takeout locations -- labor costs are lower, and the profit margins are higher

What’s your read on the type of inventory that you have to offer to date?

We have had a few “off-market” lo cations that we have been able to sell quietly. There is not much available but we have one very high-profile Southampton Village entity that we have significant traffic on.

I also notice that operators that succeed in the Hamptons understand that you just don’t replicate what you did in Manhattan or Miami?

This is true - their menu offerings are geared to the season, and some times they offer a smaller menu allow ing the kitchen to run more efficiently and to keep food costs down. They also are very creative with the drink offerings, especially in the key season. Those behind the bar play a larger role in the restaurant’s appeal and bottom line.

How can the Compass team help an operator find the “right play” in the Hamptons?

Being the largest commercial team in the Hamptons and having been an exclusive commercial broker for over twenty years, we know the players, know the sites, know the local zon ing laws and can find “off-market” locations, work in confidence and pre-screen prospects for landlords and sellers. Compass’s marketing and targeting capabilities allow us to find the “right” customers for our listings. We also partner with our Compass Commercial agents throughout the NY metropolitan area and beyond to bring new and distinct prospects to our clients.

“We have seen an increase in demand for take-out locations -- labor costs are lower and the profit margins are higher.” — Hal Zwick

confirmed they often explore and compare app to app before deciding where to purchase.

When we homed in on the quickservice restaurant (QSR) segment, we found the conversion rate from app visit to physical restaurant visit to be relatively low. Of all the in stances where a consumer opens a restaurant app and arrives at a res taurant within the hour, 28% of the time the restaurant they visit is not the same as the app they opened.

Clearly, there is a fierce battle to be won in converting app visits to restaurant visits — and winning or losing could significantly impact revenue. So how do restaurants win?

Halverson Group’s deep dives into consumer motivations have uncov ered three key insights that are im mediately actionable to perfect your restaurant’s mobile app experience.

First, seamless is relative. Poor usability is the No. 1 reason cited by our consumer panel for abandon ing an app experience. Restaurants carefully plan every in-store touch point; it’s equally essential to think through every step of the digital experience. However, digital teams must remember that users judge the usability of an app within their mobile ecosystem. If improvements in navigability and ease of use aren’t meeting competitive benchmarks, this may be part of the reason your mobile users are app-hopping. Many restaurants in the QSR seg ment may assume mobile-frustrat ed users will default to ordering instore; in reality, they may go from a bad app experience to another res taurant’s doors.

Digital deals hit differently. Often, when users open more than one restaurant app, they are price shop ping for the best available deal. With rising commodity and labor costs, many quick-service chains are abandoning discounting strategies for in-app deals. This manifests in loyalty programs, mobile exclusives and geo-located promotions. Digi tal teams should consider personal ized marketing strategies to ensure deals win over the guests comparing

nearby brands.

Finally, we’ve learned that loyalty is a two-way street. Loyalty pro grams are a known driver of res taurant app usage. From points for dollars spent to free birthday treats, loyalty rewards come in many suc cessful shapes and sizes. But for many consumers, loyalty goes both ways and, much like price shopping for deals, consumers are comparing loyalty programs side by side from their mobile devices.

If loyalty rewards aren’t consis

tent, consumers will open a new restaurant app, enroll in a new pro gram and start spending their dol lars elsewhere. For mobile-based loyalty programs, sustainable re wards are key to converting in-app visits to in-store spend.

Contact Halverson Group for more insights on how to win the battle for mobile mindshare at http://www.halversongroup.com.

Ron Halverson, Ph.D., President:

As president of Halverson Group, Ron has armed executives, market ers, strategists, innovators and their agency partners with the consumer and business intelligence they need to more confidently make bold stra tegic decisions about where to play and how to win. Ron has a 25-year track record of delivering gamechanging insights to many of the world’s top brands, including CocaCola, McDonald’s, Walgreens, Wrig ley and the VF Corporation.

intimidation. You should not have to be a chef to operate it. There should be Simplicity. The cook should find a new relationship with the combioven that makes their cooking more efficient, better quality, and actu ally a joy. Retigo wants a cook to embrace the combi-oven. With the Retigo Vision Series of combi-oven this is achieved,” Bartek noted.

The Retigo US team has seized the opportunity to build an experienced and industry knowledgeable team to support its entry into this untapped marketplace. This has included the creation of a second-to-none outside sales rep force with culinary support, warehousing stock of ovens locally, complete demonstrations and train ing on every combi-oven sold, and a close integration with Retigo service agencies for installation, parts, and service if needed.

“We have also built a team of sea soned reps including Eaton Markee, Food Tec Distribution, DMM Reps, Joe Wilson Marketing, and others to support the needs of end-users, food service consultants, and foodservice dealers. We also understand that when something goes wrong, what makes the difference is the level of technical support you can provide,” Pelc said.

The breadth of Retigo’s offerings includes a a wide range of sizes to fit any food service facility. From micro wave size combi ovens that can cook single portions to large volume ovens that can cook 600-800 meals at once for large facilities such as hospitals, stadiums, or schools.

To accommodate the diverse needs of the wide and diverse foodservice

community, The Retigo combi-oven has an amazing selection of features –Convection cooking, steaming, combi cooking, poaching, hot or cold smok ing, cook & hold, low temperature cooking, regeneration, dehydration, Delta T protein cooking, sous-vide, banquet plating, and much more. The keys are to create the best product possible in the safest manner, mini mize loss & waste, reduce food cost, and make the preparation of hot foods the simplest and most consistent as possible for the customer.

The control panel can be prepro grammed with cooking recipes for ac curacy every time. Any cook or food manager can even adapt the home screen with their own personal reci pes, including their own food photos, which can be adjusted if need be. This allows any kitchen cooking profes sional to use their creativity when cre ating recipes.

“Our Retigo ownership understands that if we make the needed invest ment for the USA market, the most challenging in the world, that it will come back to us in the long term and people, our customers, will appreciate the quality of our product. Our goal is to make Retigo the choice of every USA kitchen,” Pelc concluded.

The Retigo US line can be previewed at www.retigo.us,. With the quality and value proposition that Retigo of fers, it is certain to become a staple of kitchens across America in 2023. Please contact RETIGO, USA directly at 610883-9722 to speak with a Retigo, USA customer service representative who can help you.

food truck concept, when, at the be hest of a friend, he constructed his first truck. Drawing upon the skills he had developed outfitting com mercial kitchens, Hassanien en sured that his friend’s truck – which he finished in a mere six months –was constructed to the highest level of craftsmanship: “I’m not a food truck builder,” the exec explained, ‘I’m a mobile kitchen builder.” Therein lies an important distinc tion: by only using commercialgrade equipment as in a brick-andmortar location, Hassanien avoids the many issues that arise from the use of home-grade equipment, such as wood studs and romex wir ing, in high-intensity kitchens. His skill and integrity have, since the construction of his first food truck, served him well; what began as a 30-40 truck operation in the first year has grown into a 900 truck a year operation.

Hassanien experience with out fitting an extensive fleet of foods trucks that operate across the globe gives him unique insight into what makes a kitchen tick. With that AIC Technologies launched with steam tables which were in high demand and difficult to source on the new and used market. “80% of our food truck clients, asked specifically for a two to three well steam table in their venues, Hassanien, noted. Fol lowing their steam table success, Hassanien, supported by his incred ible team of engineering and manu facturing experts at AIC, developed a walk-in cooler.

Next, the team, in partnership with celebrated pizza connoisseur Chef Santo Bruno created their best-known item: the Chef Bruno Oven by AIC Technologies, which is a revolutionary pizza oven designed for installation in both food trucks and brick and mortar restaurants. Using gas technology, the partner ship dreamt up and manufactured a pizza oven that is far more effi cient than any other available prod uct: we now have an oven that can cook a pizza in five minutes and thirty-six seconds and can do what

the other ovens on the market do in eight minutes,” Hassanien stated.

Looking in the future, innovation, efficiency, and easy use remain Hassanien and AIC’s top priorities. Sticking with his success construct ing hot and cold solutions for mo bile kitchens, Hassanien has sug gested that he would like to, soon, be able to manufacture all of the products used in his trucks: “We’re going for the entire hot line,” he ex plained, “and we’ll be building that very soon.” He cited the gyro ma chine and fryer that he’s prototyped as evidence of his commitment to helping food truck owners inno vate. As for these new appliances in the works, Hassanien maintained his vow to efficiency, and stated that come completion, his products will be able to cook the same prod ucts using fewer BTUs and in faster time. Even more importantly, his appliances are also designed to be easy to use, as he’s kept future gen erations of food truck owners and technicians in mind: “the younger generation is very different – as we lose older technicians who’ve been working for years with this equip ment, we need to think of how we can make new equipment easy to service and use.”

It’s clear that Hassanien, with his years of stellar experience, and AIC Technologies are committed to pro ducing quality food trucks outfitted with quality appliances. With a fleet of efficient and innovative cooking solutions manufactured in-house, the exec ensures that restaurateurs – whether mobile or brick and mor tar – can reliably serve their patrons the highest quality food.

For more information about AIC Technologies and its product lines, visit www.aictechnologies.com.

JEFFREY SHAVITZ

daily or monthly? Think about the savings on interest, the float of your money plus increased cash flow if your fees were removed at the end of the month? It certainly adds up and these issues will help greatly with your cash management.

We have also recently uncovered another way to bring credit card fees in line. This new payment pro cessing program enables restaurant owners and all businesses to legally “pass on” the credit card process ing fee to the consumer. Here’s how it works: Let’s assume the dinner check is $100. If the customer pays with cash the bill is $100. If they opt to use their credit card, the to tal price of the bill will be $103. We noticed that there is a legal differ ence per Visa/MasterCard regarding a “Surcharge” vs. a “cash discount”. This loophole, which we can teach you will enable you to actually pass the payment of the “cash discount” onto your dining patrons.

There’s a common expression in

business “if it ain’t broke – don’t fix it.” I know when you run a success ful restaurant, there are no shortage of vendors, staff and patrons to lis ten to. As a fellow entrepreneur and business owner, change is scary and switching from your current pro cessor / POS system may have is sues. What I am suggesting is that whether it is us or another firm, I would like you to consider bringing in an expense auditing firm to un cover the mistakes and hidden fees that are prevalent in the payments industry. I don’t want you to replace your POS, just get a simple audit to confirm or uncover exactly what is going on.

Running a business is compli cated and as executives, we have a myriad of responsibilities for our company. Why not start saving money today by evaluating your credit card processing program to drive increased profitability to your bottom line!

from page 8 EASY ICE

releasing the formed ice. Delays in the evaporator’s process cause lower ice production. This component is expensive to repair. Be sure to check the evaporator for scale buildup.

Proper and Timely Repairs

Some ice machine issues can’t be ignored if they cause the ice maker to slow or stop production. But other issues may not create such a “loud” problem and can be eas ily overlooked by irresponsible or negligent owners. Issues like these should be discovered in a main tenance appointment before they have a chance to wreak havoc inside the ice maker. But without regular maintenance, the problem persists.

One such problem is an internal water leak. This causes water to drip onto the interior housing. Eventu ally, it can start to corrode the steel. Inspect the used ice maker for corrosion by removing the front faceplate and looking inside. If rust or corrosion is visible, consider

buying another ice maker. Other wise, all corroded pieces will need to be replaced and the leak may still need fixed.

Check Your Premise

Be sure buying an ice maker is the best choice out of all the options for obtaining equipment. If business owners are facing low cash flow or other financial reasons for not pur chasing a new ice maker, there are alternatives to get the reliable ice supply they need. Rentals and leases are available, as well as the easiest and most financially sound option: a monthly ice maker subscription. It’s important to explore all options to find out which one fits business needs and goals best.

Business owners considering pur chasing a used ice maker should heed these tips to choose a unit that will produce clean, clear ice for as long as possible.

around every day. We should be con stantly striving to grow, evolve, and be come the best we can be. That’s how we work our way to the top-personally and professionally.

What more can leaders do to sup port the women in their organization?

Communicate. Communicate often. Don’t assume. Ask questions instead of making assumptions and be open to answering questions. As a leader, it’s up to you to cultivate a company culture where your team feels safe enough to ask for help and appreciates the learn ing process as much as the outcome. Create a collaborative space where people not only enjoy working togeth er, but enjoy sharing best practices, advice, and other words of wisdom. We all have something to learn; we just have to be willing to listen.

Eaton Director of Logistics Atlanta, GA

other functions which contributed to the depth of purpose for my career choice.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced professionally and what did you learn from that experience?

I still struggle with not fully voicing my accomplishments. It is important to have individual and team goals – and to properly articulate each. Reminds me I need to continuously improve!

What advice do you have for women who want to take the next step in their career advancement?

If the step you take is not the one you thought it would be, it is never too late to try a different direction. Do not be afraid to go after what you want.

What more can leaders do to sup port the women in their organization?

Develop team and individual goals for every employee and encourage women to champion each other.

Anita Gogia SVP Finance, FP&A North Bergen, NJ

cated as others because I had to leave on time, even though I came in early, worked through lunch, and took work home. While this was disheartening, I stuck with it and moved on from her and that role, which allowed me to con tinue my long and successful career at that company before joining Imperial Dade.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced professionally and what did you learn from that experience?

I had a boss who was very impressed with my work-product and analysis skills. Despite this, to help set my ca reer expectations, he said he didn’t think I would ever become a manager in my career since I was a working mother. This always stuck with me throughout my career. It became a mo tivation for me to prove that it doesn’t matter what situation you are in, if you work hard, bring value to your team and the teams you support, you can be recognized and rewarded for your work, thereby leading to future career success. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t become something because of who you are.

mentors. One of my mantras is “If you need shade, find the biggest tree and get the shade from that tree.” Obtain knowledge from others, women, and men. My first mentor, a woman, taught me about business, tenacity, hard work, and the importance of longev ity. She explained that you must do the work to be recognized and given the opportunity to advance.

Have you ever been “the only” in a business situation? How did that feel?

I’m sure I have, based on the num ber of years I have been in the industry. However, I have never really thought about it, and it never distracted me from my work. It was never an obsta cle. That said, I was fortunate in that regard, and I know that not all women have that same experience.

What is the biggest challenge you have faced professionally and what did you learn from that experience?

Did you have a mentor early on in your career?

If yes, how was that impactful in your career development?

I was blessed with two mentors that came at dif ferent points early in my career. The first was at the start, right out of col lege. He was a seasoned trucking pro fessional who was passionate about his career and enjoyed sharing his knowl edge. I learned rate construction and audit from the ground up, but more importantly, he was a great example that a passionate teacher is just as important as a knowledgeable leader. Later, I had the pleasure to work with a fellow woman Director. In addition to gaining business knowledge, she fostered a collaborative environment within the transportation department, but more importantly, she supported engagement with other business units: engineering, sales, sourcing, finance, planning, etc. A great learning experi ence, but more importantly, I learned the influence of transportation across

Years with Imperial Dade: 4

Did you have a mentor early on in your career?

If yes, how was that impactful in your career development?

Yes, early in my career I had a mentor who was my former boss. She allowed me to talk about some roadblocks, think through how to get the most out of my role, and how to add value to my team. I always feel we should look for men tors, whether official or unofficial, to help guide us and to learn from. Now that I am further along in my career, I always look forward in helping people with understanding their current situa tion or guiding them to what might be a good next step for them.

Have you ever been “the only” in a business situation? How did that feel?

Yes, after having my first child and returning from maternity leave, I was the only woman with a child on our team. My boss made me feel very iso lated, treated me like I was not as dedi

What advice do you have for women who want to take the next step in their career advancement?

Often women, or minorities, don’t speak up regarding things they have achieved or want for their next move. You have to go outside of your com fort zone and be willing to talk about your accomplishments and future ca reer desires. This will help people in leadership positions understand what value you bring and consider you for a different role or a promotion. Staying silent and expecting others to see what you have done or know what you are interested in doesn’t always work. You must take ownership of your career. Even if things don’t happen for you im mediately, it will open their eyes to you and help them think of you for a role or project in the future.

Tere Martin Branch Manager

Miami, FL & Cataño, Puerto Rico

Years with Imperial Dade: 29

Did you have a mentor early on in your career? If yes, how was that im pactful in your career development?

Yes, over the years I have had many

Managing through the pandemic. There was no playbook or manual for that situation and nothing like that had even happened in my lifetime. In the early days of the crisis, we tried to be strong for our employees and had to make hard decisions. Health and safety of our staff was critical. There were also tough supply chain decisions that had to be made when critical items were scarce. We had to prioritize our cus tomers. During this time, I learned pa tience and I made decisions with more humanity than ever before.

What advice do you have for women who want to take the next step in their career advancement?

Don’t hesitate. Seize every opportu nity that feels right and trust your in stincts.

What more can leaders do to sup port the women in their organization?

Listen to your employees, communi cate with them, and find out what their needs are with regards to their work. You are responsible for getting the best performance out of your team and you need to create an environment where that is pos sible. Be honest about each of your employee’s career opportunities and help them map out a plan. Keep your door open.

Caroline

Years with Imperial Dade: 1