February 2017 - Total Food Service by Total Food Service

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NEWS

RETAIL DEVELOPMENT

Newark’s Downtown Rebirth Anchored By Samuelsson

former landmark department store, once a jewel of the city’s downtown and later a symbol of its decline, reopened last month after 30 years, repurposed as a combination retail and residential hub. Officials including Mayor Ras Baraka and his predecessor as mayor, Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, celebrated the reopening of the former Hahne & Co. store building. The $174 million public-private project, led by L+M Development Partners of Larchmont, New York, fea-

tures residences, an arts and cultural center operated by Rutgers-Newark and shopping. Planned are a restaurant by James Beard Award-winning chef Marcus Samuelsson and the city’s first Whole Foods store. The store, known as Hahne’s, opened in the early 1900s and was a downtown anchor in Newark along with Woolworth’s and other stores, predating the population exodus to the suburbs and the ensuing shopping mall craze that took hold in the 1960s and 1970s. Hahne’s was sold and shut down in the late 1980s, and the shell of the

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once-majestic building alongside vacant spots on Broad Street symbolized Newark’s economic struggles. Baraka, a Newark native, stood in the opulent atrium and remembered being in college when Hahne’s closed and “there was nothing here.” “A lot of people want to look to the past, but I say, ‘forward ever, backward never,’” he said. Of the 160 new apartments, 40% will be set aside for lowincome and working families, he said. Newark’s central business district has been transformed in the last 10 years with the addition of the Pruden-

tial Center arena, home to the NHL’s New Jersey Devils; a new office tower built by Prudential; a 22-story apartment building across from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, currently in construction; and the corporate offices of Panasonic. “Our team feels good about joining a culture scene that has been around for decades offering jazz, theater and good food. I’m also thrilled to bring a restaurant inspired by the farmer’s market and seeing what an urban restaurant in 2017 can look like,” said Samuelsson.

BOOTH #2206

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NEWS

SPECIAL EVENTS

Top Pastry Toques Set to Vie At IRFSNY

ising stars of the pastry world will compete for the coveted title of Pastry Chef of the Year at Paris Gourmet’s U.S. Pastry Competition taking place at the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York on Sunday, March 5 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. The theme for the 2017 competition is Modern Masters Come to Chocolate. The U.S. Pastry Competition 2017 finalists will have three hours to set-up their exhibit and will be permitted one assistant. All attendees of the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York are invited to see the illustrious showpieces created by America’s leading pastry chefs throughout the duration of the Show. “We are thrilled to be hosting the 28th annual Pastry Chef of the Year Competition,” said Ron Mathews, Vice President for the Urban Expositions Family of Foodservice Events. “This special event has consistently been a highlight on the show floor, and we look forward to welcoming the competitors and an esteemed panel of judges to critique and select the next

Main Office 282 Railroad Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 Publishers Leslie & Fred Klashman Advertising Director Michael Scinto

We are thrilled to be hosting the 28th annual Pastry Chef of the Year Competition,” said Ron Mathews, Vice President for the Urban Expositions Family of Foodservice Events. Pastry Chef of the Year.” The U.S. Pastry Competition is America’s most prestigious pastry competition. The event allows leading pastry chefs to showcase their talents by creating “petite gateau buffet” (mini cake/dessert display) and a plated dessert, exhibited along with highly technical chocolate sculpted showpieces using Cacao Noel brand chocolate. Board members of the Societe Culinaire Philanthropique, one of the oldest and most prestigious chef associations in the world, will preside over the judging procedures. Contest awards will total over $16,000.00. Finalists for this year’s competition come from across the nation and include: • Jeremy Archereau,

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• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Restaurant Daniel (NY) Francois Behuet, Francois Payard Patisserie (NY) Manuel Bouillet, Barry Callebaut (IL) Isaac Carter, Facebook HQ, Menlo Park (CA) John Cook, Norman Love Confections (FL) Ariety Estevez, Loews Atlanta Hotel (GA) Romuald Guiot, Pitchoun Bakery (LA) Laura Lachowecki, Woodstock Country Club (IN) Timothy Maguire, Icahn Assoc. (NC) Robert Nieto, Jackson Family Wines (CA) Richie Pratadaja, FIKA (NY) Deden Putra, The Peninsula (NY) Joel Reno, French Pastry School (IL) Rocio Varela, The Fort Worth Club (TX)

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Art Director Mark Sahm Contributing Writers Warren Bobrow Faith Hope Consolo Morgan Tucker Fred Sampson Staff Writers Deborah Hirsch Alex Rubin Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com

Cover photo by Alexandersportraits.com Total Food Service ISSN No. 1060-8966 is published monthly by IDA Publishing, Inc., 282 Railroad Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830. Phone: 203.661.9090. This issue copyright 2017 by IDA Publishing Inc. Contents in full or part may not be reproduced without permission. Not responsible for advertisers claims or statements. Periodicals Postage paid at the post office, Greenwich, CT and additional mailing offices. Additional entry at the post office in Pittsburgh, PA. Subscription rate in USA is $36 per year; single copy; $3.00. Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Food Service, P.O. Box 2507, Greenwich, CT 06836

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NEWS

COMMERCIAL SPACE SOLUTIONS

Developer Creates New NonFood And Beverage Revenue At NYC Restaurants

reston Pesek, CEO and cofounder of Spacious, a coworking site, had worked in commercial real-estate for Fortress Investment Group and SL Green Realty when he had an epiphany that sparked an entrepreneur’s dreams. On vacation in Tokyo with his wife, walking around jet-lagged at 3 a.m., he passed an empty restaurant and realized that many were vacant during prime hours. Why not turn that idle space into co-working sites? Pesek co-founded Spacious with Chris Smothers. Pesek functions as CEO and oversees recruiting new partners, handling members, hiring employees and operations while Smothers is CTO and is the software engineer that concentrates on tech issues. Though it’s early in its development, cheap working space at commercial sites is showing signs of tapping an audience. Spacious debuted officially in June 2016. For $95 a month, entrepreneurs rent space through Spacious at various restaurants from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. It currently offers co-working space at four high-profile eateries in New York: La Sirena in Chelsea (across from Chelsea Market), DBGB Kitchen & Bar on the Bowery, L’Apicio in the East Village and MP Taverna in Williamsburg. These eateries are owned by prom-

These eateries are owned by prominent chefs such as Daniel Boulud (DBGB) and Mario Batali at La Sirena. And they were targeted strategically. inent chefs such as Daniel Boulud (DBGB) and Mario Batali at La Sirena. And they were targeted strategically. “If the concept works successfully at a world-class restaurant, it will be easier to replicate at the local pizzeria,” notes Pesek, who is 38 years old, graduated from NYU and was raised in a Houston, Texas suburb. Members sit either alone or at tables for two or four people at a restaurant that is either closed or has extra rooms. “Spacious is using DBGB Kitchen and Bar as a meeting and office space and now, they’re adding L’Apicio in the East Village and Public in Soho to the available work spaces, too,” founder Preston Pesek says. They plan to announce partnerships with restaurants in Williamsburg, Chelsea, Tribeca, Upper West Side, and even San Francisco and Los Angeles soon, but Pesek says they’re not targeting just any restaurant. It must be beautiful, and even though they won’t be serving food immediately, the menu must be delicious, he says. A good

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restaurant, he says, works perfectly as a good meeting space. “Technology allows us to work from anywhere we want. Why not pick a place that’s beautiful and inviting?” Pesek says. “A restaurant is a highly evolved environment that is designed specifically to be inviting and comfortable and nice.” Besides being dinner-only restaurants, the restaurants involved with Spacious also need to be near public transit, be well-designed, and be big. DBGB has about 180 seats, and L’Apicio offers about 190. All of the eventual participants will have a minimum of 60 to 100 seats. Spacious members pay $95 per month to work in the spaces during the day, and restaurants are part of a profit-sharing partnership with the start-up. Eventually, Pesek envisions some of the restaurants offering limited small plates during the day only for Spacious users. Most of the kitchens open early for prep work anyway, and it would be a way to showcase what they’re working on, he adds. Spacious

members would order it from an app on their phones and pick it up themselves, as to avoid table service. They’ve already started to see some Spacious members return for dinner service, and a taste of lunch adds to the experience. “We have a symbiotic relationship with our restaurant partners,” Pesek says. “Our customers become their customers, and their customers become ours.” But smaller, “divey” restaurants are out of the question, he says, though several have already reached out to them. “What we really want to do is curate and showcase some of the best spaces in every city where we operate, almost giving people an opportunity to learn that these spaces exist,” he says. Plus, he wants to make sure all the restaurants involved feel proud to be in the same “peer group” of people. “We really want to make sure all the partners we select have really spent some time thinking about creating a great environment,” he says. Some of the more than 100 people who have already signed up to use Spacious work as freelancers and seek alternatives to coffee shops, but many also work from an office and use it as a public meeting space. “Being in a well-designed restaurant space can be a nice break from office life,” Pesek says. “We like the fact that it’s different,” he says. “It’s refreshing. It feels good to be in these spaces to work.”

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MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Ron Mathews

Vice President, Foodservice Events, Urban Expositions

s Industry Vice President at Urban Expositions, Ron Mathews is responsible for the strategic responsibility, portfolio branding, market positioning and growth directions for the Restaurant and Foodservice portfolio of events including: Florida Restaurant and Lodging Show, International Restaurant and Foodservice Show of New York and the Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo. Total Food Service sat down with Ron Mathews to discuss the upcoming IRFSNY show. What will exhibitors see and hear at the 2017 International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York? For one thing, how Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality (and Shake Shack, of course) started out. We’ll also have over 170 exhibitors. There’s a lot of brand expansion that comes into the New York market because it’s such a lucrative place and has so much spending going on. Our team works every single day to find the new, the exciting, what can add value and do anything they possibly can do to make the show as exciting and innovative as possible. What award will Danny receive? Danny Meyer will receive the Torch Award because of his visions and his philosophies. We’re honoring people in the culinary area who really make a difference and have brought it to another level through innovation, through persistence. Danny Meyer’s a

Our team works every single day to find the new, the exciting, what can add value and do anything they possibly can do to make the show as exciting and innovative as possible.” one-in-a-million kind of guy, so we’re really excited to have him. He’ll also do a Q & A with the audience and take some time to connect with people. As many people in the industry know, he’s a great guy. He has a wealth of knowledge, and he’s very honest. He’s very forthright with the way he feels, whether it’s with a tipping scenario, his service style scenario, margin and costing scenario and the like. He’s very honest, and he’ll go through all those components. What does the award signify? The Torch Award, presented by The Food Shows and Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum, was created to honor outstanding restaurateurs who embody all the qualities and characteristics of the word Torch which symbolizes, including illumination, energy, joy, victory, enlightenment, hope and education. As a restaurateur extraordinaire and enlightened hospitality guru, Danny Meyer’s ability to teach and share clearly demonstrates the definition of the Torch.

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Minimum wage is one of the key issues this year. And Danny was the one who changed the culture in terms of tipping. That was a sea change. What are the needs of the community that you serve this year that might be different from last year and how is the show going to help answer some of those needs? The conversations around minimum wage have heightened to a level that so many people in the industry are really taking a look at it. Our industry is always quite the target, right? Just go back through the years – smoking, trans fat, Styrofoam. It’ll be heightened over the next couple of years because it’s a tiered growth plan to get that minimum wage up. How it affects the restaurateurs, though, I don’t think people have really realized. People who want to see better wages for lower paid folks or entry-level folks see that as nothing but positive. It’s not that restaurateurs don’t want to pay a fair wage but they also want to be able to give the right product, the right ser-

Ron Mathews, Vice President, Foodservice Events, Urban Expositions

vice, and the right price to consumers. Something has to give somewhere to make up for this massive increase. So if you have something that’s 30 plus percent in the area of your overall cost of your business, and now it’s going to go up 20% in one year. That’s a big hit! Restaurants don’t have a big enough margin to take that hit. A lot of them are taking it 100%. Many are increasing the price a little here, a little there, figuring out ways to run their business that won’t affect service, but can save costs. At the show, as you look at your educational panels, what are some of the highlights? Actually, this topic in particular, is a major one. On Tuesday, March 7, we have a program that’s running from 8:30 to 1:00 on how to survive increasing the minimum wage by two experts in the industry, David Scott Peters who’s been part of our faculty for the forum for the last several years, and

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BOOTH #1425

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BOOTHS #2021 + 2110

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LITTLE M. TUCKER

WITH MORGAN TUCKER

The Mount Everest of Cuisine

s we made our final descent in to Salt Lake City, the Olympic rings appeared and I felt every hair on my body stand up. Awarded the bid to build and supply the athlete’s kitchens, I accompanied my father to the event of a lifetime in 2002. Witnessing each athlete’s display of unwavering determination to practice and presentation triggered my lifelong addiction to competition. Last week I had the privilege of watching another group of world class competitors first hand in Lyon, France at the 2017 Bocuse D’Or. Every two years, in conjunction with the Sirha tradeshow, twenty four chefs are invited to display the world’s greatest culinary technique to an international jury of experts. Fourteen themed plates and one avant-garde grandiose staging presentation are prepared in five hours and thirty five minutes. Over the

Morgan Tucker is Director of Business Development at M. Tucker, a division of Singer Equipment Company. Ms. Tucker works with a wide diversity of acclaimed restaurateurs, celebrated chefs, and industry leaders across the U.S. Her website littlemtucker.com is an exceptional resource for equip-

course of 30 years and 15 grand finale events, 2015 marked the first year Team USA reached the podium (2017 Coach Philip Tessier) and the only time our country had placed higher than sixth. To pay homage to the 30th an-

niversary of the single greatest culinary competition in the world, the theme on a tray had the same requirements as it did in inaugural 1987 Bocuse D’Or– Bresse Chicken and Live Crayfish (or one of four other selected shellfish products.) For the first time, emphasis was placed on a vegan course for the theme on a plate. Treating vegetal products as main ingredients is not entirely new, but attention on this stage as the opening course is monumental. Our candidate, Mathew Peters, and his commis, (junior chef ) Harrison Turone, were one of the twelve countries to compete on day two. Work as a team. Represent your country. Respect the products. Show imagination and freedom. Limit Waste. Serve humanism. Remain humble. In front of the largest congress of culinary elite assembled anywhere in the world.

ment and supplies solutions. Morgan is based in NYC and can be reached at mptucker@mtucker.com.

With three hundred Americans 300 degrees around me, we cheered for three hundred and thirty five minutes on Tuesday, January 24th. Our vegan plate featured California Green Asparagus and Sauce Bordelaise, inspired by Chef Peters culinary journey across America. Our stunning silver plated platter created by Crucial Detail, which included a component of Hudson Valley Foie Gras, had a hidden heating element underneath the bone china petal inserts to allow the modules to maintain temperature while making its way around the stadium.

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NEWS EVENTS Chef Michael Anthony To Be Honored At C-CAP Annual Benefit

ichael Anthony, Executive Chef of Gramercy Tavern, Untitled, and Studio Café at the Whitney Museum of American Art, will be honored at the annual Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) culinary event on Wednesday, March 8, from 5:45-9:00 p.m. at Chelsea Piers’ Pier Sixty. Anthony will receive the CCAP Honors Award, an award granted to individuals within the culinary industry for exceptional leadership and achievements. Funds raised at the event will support the national notfor-profit’s mission of providing job training, internships, competitions for culinary scholarships, college advising, college and career opportunities, lifetime career support, teacher training and curriculum enrichment in the culinary arts to at-risk youth.

Michael Anthony, Executive Chef of Gramercy Tavern

Grand tasting event featuring Michelin Star and alumni chefs gives attendees a taste of the best of New York, funding educational programs and culinary scholarships for disadvantaged youth. The event features fabulous culinary tastings prepared by Michael Anthony and over 30 of the city’s finest chefs, including Chef Chair and C-CAP Board Co-Chair Marcus Samuelsson; Michelin Star Chefs Michael Anthony, Daniel Boulud, Fredrik Berselius, Daniel Eddy, Markus Glocker, Alfred Portale, and Michael White; as well as C-CAP alumni Cesar Gutierrez of Café Boulud, Betty Peña of Pig and Khao, Kelvin Fernandez of Strand Bistro, Swainson Brown of The Writing Room, and Yvan Lemoine of Union Fare. A full list of the renowned chefs and restaurants is given below. Assisting the chefs will be more than 60 New York City C-CAP high school students and alumni, eager to put their mark on the culinary world. The Chair for this year’s event is Mark Weiss, Chief Investment Officer of RFR Holding LLC and C-CAP’s Board of Directors Co-Chair. WCBSTV News Anchorman Maurice DuBois will be the Master of Ceremonies. The festivities will also include an auction with once-in-a-lifetime culinary, culture, and travel packages. “We are thrilled to honor Michael Anthony for his remarkable achieve-

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ments and contributions to the industry and for his commitment to culinary innovation,” says Mark Weiss. “The walk-around tasting event raises funds to support C-CAP’s mission to transform lives of underserved youth who are interested in pursuing careers in the restaurant and foodservice industry. Richard Grausman, C-CAP’s Founder & Chairman Emeritus launched C-CAP in 1990 to teach French cooking in 12 New York City public schools. We now have thousands of C-CAP alumni around the globe and are impacting the lives of a whole new generation of chefs. We are so proud that we continue to manage the largest independent culinary scholarship program in the nation and have awarded over $50 million in scholarships.” Chef Anthony has received numerous accolades, including Food & Wine’s “Best New Chefs” in 2002 and Bon Appetit’s “Next Generation” in 2003. In 2008, Gramercy Tavern earned the James Beard Award for “Outstanding Restaurant.” In 2012, Michael won the James Beard Award for “Best Chef in New York City,” and in 2015, he won the James Beard Award for “Outstand-

ing Chef,” a national recognition. In 2016, Michael’s V is for Vegetables won the James Beard Award for “Vegetable Focused and Vegetarian” cookbooks. “The Benefit is our most powerful way in one evening to make a huge difference in the lives of so many young students, C-CAP changes lives by arming at-risk youth with the skills they need to succeed in culinary arts,” says Marcus Samuelsson. “As a chef and longtime supporter of C-CAP’s work, this is an extraordinary program that benefits both its remarkable recipients, and the growing market and demand for skilled talent. C-CAP continues to help thousands of qualified students across the country through culinary education opportunities in high school to career placement assistance upon graduation.” Past recipients of the C-CAP Honors Award include: Daniel Humm, Richard Parsons & Alexander Smalls, Michael White, Tony May, Michael McCarty, Michael Lomonaco, Marcus Samuelsson, Drew Nieporent, Alfred Portale, Lidia Bastianich, Thomas Keller, Charlie Palmer, Danny Meyer & Michael Romano, Daniel Boulud, Jacques Pepin, Egidiana & Sirio Maccioni, Nina & Tim Zagat, and Saul Zabar & Stanley Zabar. The C-CAP Benefit is open to the public. Tickets for general admission are $600 (limited availability). Tickets for VIP admission are $800 and $1,000. The $1,000 ticket includes a signed cookbook from a celebrity chef. For tickets, more information about the event, and sponsorship opportunities, call 212-974-7111 or visit www.ccapinc.org.

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NEWS

FURNITURE SOLUTIONS

Jersey Furniture Maker Brings Artisan Craftsmanship To Metro New York Hospitality Community

amily owned and operated M. Deitz and Sons have been manufacturing and distributing high quality, durable, custom-made chairs and stools since 1921. With such a long history, it’s no surprise they are one of the leaders in the industry. We had the pleasure of chatting with Kenneth Deitz, President of M. Deitz and Sons to learn more. M. Deitz and Sons started out selling entire restaurant projects in the early 1900’s. “This included front of the house furnishings as well as the back of the house equipment. This gave the customer an incentive to buy from us for a “one stop” shopping convenience.” It was Michael and Til-

The M. Deitz product line now offers a vast variety of quality, custom furnishings at all different price points. The line ranges from economical chairs and table bases up to fully upholstered custom chairs. lie Deitz who established M. Deitz in 1921 right out of Newark, NJ. Now three generations later, Kenneth and Steven Deitz hold the reigns after M. Deitz and Sons persevered during the Great Depression, one world war, 15 recessions, one great recession and 15

different presidents. With an underlying desire to sell front of house items the company switched gears fully over to furniture. “Furniture became such a big piece of the business that we were able to wholesale our seating products and distribute throughout

A sampling of the high quality M. Deitz chairs and stools at The Ice Plant Bar in St. Augustine, FL

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the country.” Now in 2016 the company is going strong, providing a wide range of contract seating products. M. Deitz product line now offers a variety of quality, custom furnishings at price points for almost any budget. The product line ranges from economical chairs and table bases up to fully upholstered custom chairs. M. Deitz also offers quick ship items that are expedited with a 1 to 2 day prep time and can be fabricated to the customers liking. “One of our greatest strengths is the ability to tailor our products to meet our customers’ design needs without adding tremendously to the costs. Since we buy components and build the products ourselves in our facility it is simple for us to make adjustments and alter the furniture as we progress on an order,” said Deitz. M. Deitz may have a big product line and large clientele but the company itself has only 16 employees and that has been stable for the past 5 years. With only 16 employees, it’s incredibly impressive for this New Jersey based company to operate within a 65,000 square foot facility. M. Deitz is incredibly proud of their employees and prides themselves on their product and their customer service. “Customer service is one of our best features. We are very responsive to all inquiries and orders, and treat each customer, whether it’s a single loca-

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ASK ANDREW

FROM THE NYC HOSPITALITY ALLIANCE

Navigating The Tech Side Of Permits, Licenses, And Inspections

s a restaurant or nightlife operator, how do you keep track of renewing all your permits and licenses on time? How do you earn an A Letter Grade on your Health Department inspections? How do you stay on top of important deadlines? These are all great questions that I’ve discussed in detail with restaurateurs over the years. I’ve had chefs call me in a panic saying their Health Department permit inadvertently expired because they don’t recall getting the renewal notice in the mail, or they are confused about when they’ll get their next Letter Grade inspection. Restaurateurs have emailed me explaining how a general manager who is no longer with their company never forwarded them the calendar invite as a reminder to renew their sidewalk cafe license, and now they may have to go through the expensive and time consuming process of reapplying and missing a whole season of outdoor seating, as a result. And, I won’t even get into the discussions I’ve had about renewing insurance policies and issuing employee Notice of Pay Rate forms.

All of this got me thinking about how we could help members of the NYC Hospitality Alliance manage these important tasks. The answer was simple. Let’s develop our own technology platform, available exclusively to members. And now we’re proud to introduce a new and easy way to stay in compliance with COM.PLY. No more complicated spreadsheets. No more scrambling over last minute renewals because the person responsible is no longer with your company. No more risking that a permit renewal notice gets lost in the mail. It’s easy with COM.PLY: Just log into your account, choose an event type and select your license or permit. Then enter the issuance date and set a reminder to notify you and selected team members before it expires. It’s important for restaurants to earn and keep an A Letter Grade from the Health Department. That’s why keeping track of when you’ll be inspected and making sure your team is always practicing A grade food safety is a must. With COM. PLY: Input the date you were inspected, select the number of points

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issued by the inspector and hit submit. COM.PLY will alert you before your re-inspection and prior to entering your new Letter Grade inspection cycle. Create any kind of event and select from a list of popular events. Whether your restaurant needs to stay on top of insurance policies, issue labor law notices to employees, or countless other events that are important to the operation of your business, COM.PLY will remind you and your team of important dates and deadlines. COM.PLY lets you invite your team to events so your renewals, deadlines and inspections never get overlooked. You can even upload documents like your permits and important paperwork to events for easy reference. Then view your active and completed events all in one dashboard. Whether you have one restaurant or 20, you only need one COM.PLY account! COM.PLY will send you and your team email reminders and create calendar invitations to help keep you in compliance. COM.PLY is only available from and to members of the New York City Hospitality

Andrew Rigie is the Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, a trade association formed in 2012 to foster the growth and vitality of the industry that has made New York City the Hospitality Capital of the World.

Alliance. To learn more about how COM. PLY will help your business stay in compliance, watch our video and learn more at www.theNYCalliance. org/comply or contact info@theNYCalliance.org or call 212-582-2506

BOOTH #1601

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NEWS

POS SOLUTIONS

How Your POS Can Help With Loss Prevention

pening a restaurant is filled with positive visions of the future: the seats full of happy customers, the kitchen sending out plate after plate of delicious food, and the service staff happy and jovial. And often, this is the case. But what you don’t see in the rose-colored fantasy is a very real threat to your business – theft. To be more specific, employee theft. But how does one combat staff taking advantage of loopholes in systems and processes without stalking their every move? A POS that tracks their every move, of course. The key to this point of sale is for it to have settings that make skimming the cash, running a scam, or sneaking inventory impossible. Make sure your POS has the following features. Staff Settings and Controls An iPad POS makes it easier than ever to control what staff can and can’t do when punching in orders and taking payments. With the option to set up each staff member with specific permissions based on their role, you can have greater oversight and ensure your cash is going into the register and not into anyone’s pocket. These additional and customizable controls help avoid sneaky scams. For example, James the bartender opens a table, punches in 3 rounds of drinks, and prints the bill without sending the drinks to the bar. He then deletes a round of

the offending parties and request an explanation.

drinks before closing the bill – pocketing the cash. A POS with staff settings and controls would easily stop James and serving staff from being able to run scams like this, because manager permission would be required to print the check with unsent items. Manager Tools A POS that managers can turn to for insights is valuable and can stop loss prevention in its tracks – or prevent it from happening in the first place. Reports on how many voids and discounts were performed, how many items were deleted, how many times the cash drawer was opened,

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and who was responsible for each, holds staff accountable for their actions and sheds light on what employees are doing. A credit card tips report will show tips entered and nip in the bud any sneaky staff members trying to pad their pockets on the customer’s dime. In addition, a POS with a setting that tracks changes can be helpful to spot anyone attempting to be paid for hours they didn’t work. If Frank left at 10pm on Wednesday night, and clocked out, but a shift supervisor went into his hours and changed his clock out time to 2am, a note that the shift was modified leaves a visible trace, making it easy to approach

Inventory Tracking Most restaurateurs know that inventory tracking works best when it’s consistently and correctly tracked, and by comparing what’s been sold to what’s in and out of stock. With a POS that has customizable reporting options, you can use inventory reports and staff reports to spot theft in your restaurant. For example, if you notice that every couple of weeks on Friday night a couple of bottles of beer go missing from your physical inventory, you can compare that to your shift report and see that’s Sally’s night on bar, then question her to find out what’s happening to the disappearing bottles. Don’t let your staff undermine your dream of running a successful business. A point of sale that offers control and insight into your staff’s actions is the most important tool you can have for restaurant loss prevention. This article was contributed by TouchBistro and Cayan.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

WITH FRED SAMPSON

How Many Restaurants Are Enough?

hile concerns haven’t reached the level of a stadium roar, I’m starting to hear more and more of them within the industry, that there are “Just too many restaurants.” In order to answer this question, it occurred to me to look at what we do have, and see what some qualified sources say about this. Then perhaps I can come to a conclusion. I have gathered some statistics that will give you an idea of how large we, as an industry, are: sales, $782 billion … employees, 14.4 million … restau-

rant locations, one million, of which seven out of ten are single units. To bring it closer to home, here is similar data for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. New York State: $42.5 billion in sales … 821,000 employees … 45,000 eating and drinking places; New Jersey: $16 billion in sales … 243,000 employees … and 18,000 eating and drinking places; and Connecticut: $7.3 billion in sales … 160,000 employees … and 7,800 eating and drinking places. I selected these three states due to the density they create within a radius of 100 miles of New

York City. The New York State figures include the Buffalo-Niagara area with a population of over 1,250,000. Buffalo is the state’s second-largest city. In a recent issue of Nation’s Restaurant News, Jonathan Maze, senior financial editor, discussed the topic of casual dining, saying it faces an oversupply of units. Referring to Andrew Strelzik, a BMO Capital Markets analyst, Maze reported: “The segment’s share of the supply of restaurants in the U.S. has shrunk since 2007. Yet there

continued on page 82

Fred G. Sampson is the retired President Emeritus of the New York State Restaurant Association. He began working with NYSRA in 1961. Within the next four years the NYSRA more than tripled its membership and expanded from one regional chapter to eight. Sampson played roles in representing restaurants on issues including paid sick leave, minimum wage, liquor laws, a statewide alcohol training program and insurance plans. Comments may be sent to fredgsampson@juno.com

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24 • February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 25

MIXOLOGY

WITH WARREN BOBROW

Five Tips To Simplify The Daily Grind Of A Bartender

etting back to the old fashioned basics. Here are five simple and inexpensive things you can do today to make that behind the bar job shine! 1. As my friend Gary Regan teaches in his “Cocktails in the Country” training- when an orange is presented for use as a garnish- cut with a knife and not with a peeler. You would think that a peeler is faster because on a busy night and you have that orange in your hand and you want to go faster. A conundrum when you are slammed- at the very least. But one that is easily solved. Ditch the quick peeler in favor of your trusty companion. What is it? The basic item, your paring knife. It’s an elegant tool and it connects you with the past, the

mastery taking your time. Of conscious bartending. You will learn over time not to let this knife out of your sight, lest it come back with a broken tip, or you see it being used to open thick cardboard boxes. Use this paring knife when you cut all of your citrus. It’s a bit slower on the peel, but far more rewarding to your guest when you take your time and connect with the zest. It smells better too for some reason. 2. Ice is nice. Pretty simple, right? I’m convinced in my time working in the liquor industry that there is good ice, but more often than not, there is lousy ice. I think that the use of quarter cubes is taking advantage of the guest by diluting their drink. The quarter cube should only be used in a water glass. Cocktails just look and

taste better with a larger cube of ice, preferably a round or a square shape instead of a slice. I am an intellect with ice- it’s important to me. Ice is the most important ingredient in a craft cocktail. Ice can make or break that event of dining out so don’t give your guests a glass of diluted top shelf liquor for their hard earned money. Encourage your bar-back to use silicone trays to make large ice cubes to show off your expensive, top shelf whiskies. The guest remembers how impressive this looks in their glass and will tell everyone about their ice experience. If the sky is the limit, consider having Glace Ice in your bar. They make perfect rounds and cubes. I’ve rarely seen anything like them. If you are in NYC, I’m told that Hundredweight is the way to go. Out here on the perimeter we have ice

Warren Bobrow is the creator of the popular blog The Cocktail Whisperer and the author of nearly half a dozen books, including Apothecary Cocktails, Whiskey Cocktails, Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails, and his most recent book Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, & Tonics.

companies, I’d ask for a 50-pound block and ask (nicely) if they would consider cutting 1 pound chunks out of the block. You can train your staff to hand cut ice for a drink. It’s a class act to be seen cutting your own ice. 3. Natural and Organic. Now more than ever with the utter explosion of natural and organic foods, the attention is poised towards the liquor industry. How do you make a product that tastes delicious and captures the consumer’s interest in eating (and drinking) more healthfully? Fortunately, there is a green colored label that appears on the liquor bottle that shows that the product is certified Organic. It

continued on page 80 26 • February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

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February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 27

SEDERHOLT ON RESTAURANT FINANCE

To Be Or Not To Be… An Inc. Or An LLC?

id you ever find out that you did something years ago that turned out to cause you big headaches later on? This is one of those issues that few small business owners think about only when they are just starting up, other than to listen to well-intended friends and family who think they have degrees in corporate law. Making the wrong decision can cost you money, time and throw a big obstacle in front of you when you want to finance your small business. The issue is - the legal structure of your business. When I refer to legal structure I am talking about the formation your business as a corporation (Inc.) and either as a “C Corp”, an “S Corp” or possibly forming as an LLC. Perhaps you feel no need to form a legal business entity prefer to be a “sole proprietorship” or partnership thereby using your personal tax IDs for your business. Lastly you will need to determine which state is right for you to form this business and why you believe that is so. There are quite a few options. Depending on your business type and the state where you operate, your choices might vary. Tax considerations, reporting requirements and fees are very often the main drivers in choosing the structure for your business. Ask your accountant and lawyer for some guidance. Each structure offers benefits and

Making the wrong decision can cost you money, time and throw a big obstacle in front of you when you want to finance your small business. The issue is - the legal structure of your business.

David Sederholt is the Chief Operating Officer of Strategic Funding, a leader in small business financing since 2006. Before this, David spent

protections along with costs and other requirements that some small business owners feel unnecessary. That’s why they make chocolate and vanilla, my friends, because everyone has their own preferences. To cut to the chase, electing to operate your small business as a sole proprietorship or even a straight partnership is NEVER a good idea, particularly if you are in the restaurant business. You leave yourself wide open to all kinds of direct personal liability, lawsuits, tax issues and more. Why do it? An important thing to know is that many small business lenders will not consider financing sole proprietorships or un-incorporated partnerships because there are blurry lines between a small business financing and consumer loans. Rather than risk being confused as a personal loan, small business lenders will just say “no” unless you are incorporated or an

28 • February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

LLC. So make sure you incorporate or form an LLC. The majority of small business applications that we see at Strategic Funding are for LLCs or “Limited Liability Companies” seeking financing. This LLC structure offers exactly what the name infers – limits on the personal liability for the owners. This is a very good thing particularly in the restaurant business where you could be targeted for accidents, food claims, labor disputes, liquor liability etc. Like an “S Corp” it also affords the owners a direct pass through of taxes at your personal tax rate as opposed to a “C Corp” which taxes the corporation first, then you as the owners against personal income earned from your business. Not so good! The one curious thing that we often see is a restaurant operating in one state that is formed as an LLC in another state. Imagine a restau-

30 years in the restaurant business and has owned and operated more than a dozen restaurants. As a direct lender, the company offers a variety of financing options and has provided over $1.25 Billion to approximately 20,000 businesses across the United States and Australia.

rant operating in New York which is formed as a Delaware or Nevada LLC. My big question is – why?? Uncle Louie may tell you that you will receive a lower tax rate if you form your company in states like Delaware and Nevada. Many larger corporations choose Delaware because it offers some of the most flexible, pro-business laws in the country, particularly if you are seeking to “go public” in the future. Nevada on the other hand is becom-

continued on page 86

February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 29

Q&A

EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEW

Tilman Fertitta CEO, Landry’s, Inc. and Star of ‘Billion Dollar Buyer’

s Chairman, CEO, and sole shareholder of Landry’s, Inc., Tilman Fertitta oversees more than 500 properties and over 50 leading restaurant, hotel, and entertainment brands, ranging from high-end properties like Mastro’s and Morton’s The Steakhouse, to such mainstream destinations as Rainforest Cafe, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., Saltgrass Steak House, and five Golden Nugget Casinos. With an annual supply spend of $2 billion, his buying power is second to none. Now, he’s personally scouting the country for the most innovative new products America’s entrepreneurs have to offer – everything from food and drink for his restaurants and casinos, to furniture and lighting for his hotels – as part of “Billion Dollar Buyer”, currently airing Tuesdays at 10PM ET/PT on CNBC. In each hour-long episode, Fertitta spends time with two small businesses, samples their goods, gets to know their owners, and assesses their compatibility with Landry’s, Inc. He’ll point out flaws in their product and operations, share his expertise, and push for improvements. In the end, he’ll decide whether to place a transformative purchase order with one of the companies, both, or neither. In 2016, Fertitta added the BR Guest Hospitality Restaurants to his portfolio. These include some of New York City’s most prestigious brands including Dos Caminos, Strip House, Bill’s Bar and Burger, and Atlantic Grill.

Can you share how you got into the food service industry? My dad owned a seafood restaurant in Galveston and when I was 12 years old I remember peeling shrimp in the kitchen. After a while, that became old and I started telling my father things he could do to make the restaurant better. We even reviewed the profit and loss statement to understand the profitability of the restaurant. Years later, after I made some money in other businesses, when I was in my early twenties, I jumped at the opportunity to invest in a couple of Houston area restaurants in the mid-80s named Willie G’s and Landry’s. Due to a dispute between the partners, I ended up buying everybody out in the late 80s and the rest is history. What was your motivation/inspiration to focus on the culinary world? My mother is an unbelievable cook and many of her dishes are in a number of our restaurants today. She more than anybody was my culinary inspiration. Nevertheless, I pride myself in being a good businessman and my primary motivation for being in the restaurant business is that I saw it as a great business opportunity. Unlike a lot of businesses, in the restaurant and hospitality business, you receive your money every day and you don’t have to wait on getting paid. I am happy not to be in the receivables business. Let’s talk about Landry’s, first off what would you say are the founda-

30 • February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Tilman Fertitta, CEO, Landry’s, Inc., listens to a business pitch on the set of CNBC’s “Billion Dollar Buyer” (Photo Credit: CNBC)

tions of Landry’s as a company? Location, location, location is part of the secret to our success. In addition, our systems and controls are as

good as anyone’s in the restaurant business. Also, I have good people that have been with me for a very long time. They understand how I

think and know how important it is to spread our culture. No deferred maintenance is allowed at any of our facilities. Yet, the secret is change, change, change. Just because you are successful today, doesn’t mean you can rest on your laurels. If you don’t continually change with the times, update your menus, culinary offerings and presentations or your facilities, you will be passed by. What has Landry’s done differently to create so much success? Everyone understands my motto, “there are no spare customers.” Our expectation is that 95% of what everybody does is right and my people know to look for the 5% that is wrong. We are not a lifestyle company. People here at Landry’s work. If you were to come to our office at 7 PM on a Friday night, if it wasn’t dark outside, you would think that it was only 2 PM in the afternoon. We do weekly inventories at every restaurant, as well as weekly financial statements. Based

on labor reports available to me, I can tell you on the same day whether a restaurant had too much labor or not enough based on their volume of sales.

based on finding A+ locations, such as Mastro’s, Morton’s and Bubba Gump. While we own all of our brands domestically, we do license some of our brands internationally.

What was the motivation for the purchase of BR Guest Hospitality? BRG owns and operates great restaurants in A+ locations. The restaurants are perfect, and the guest experience is tremendous. We saw that we didn’t need to do anything operationally and could leverage our corporate support to increase profitability. While we already had 5 other very successful restaurants in Manhattan, it now makes us the largest full service restaurant operator in the city.

Diversify the holdings? My company Fertitta Entertainment has significant holdings. I own 5 Golden Nugget Casinos, numerous hotels, aquariums, amusement parks and more. Today I am building a $300 million plus 40 story hotel/office/retail project in Houston.

Territorial expansion? We are rapidly growing our Saltgrass Steakhouse concept which has been touted in Consumer Reports as the best casual dining steakhouse brand in America. We are also opportunistically growing other brands

I have a home here and have been spending a lot more time in NYC because of my TV show Billion Dollar Buyer. So when the opportunity presented itself, it made sense to increase my business holdings here. It gives me a little something extra to do when I am in town.

Landry’s already had a lot of properties in NYC, was the BR Guest purchase designed to create a bigger dent in the NYC culinary scene?

What has the response been like for the purchase? The employees love it. They are excited to be a part of a restaurant company. We haven’t made any changes operationally, so we haven’t received any push back from customers. It is business as usual. What about from the restaurants themselves? The restaurants are great. Food and execution is at a high level. Our plan is to continue to operate and make the guests happy. We will put a little more emphasis on maintenance and repairs and will redesign the front enTilman Fertitta examines the quality of a product on CNBC’s “Billion Dollar Buyer” (Photo Credit: CNBC)

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Q&A Tilman Fertitta, from page 31 trance for Blue Fin and Dos Caminos on Times Square to take better advantage of the location. We will also spend capital dollars to refresh and update the restaurants. What potential do the BR Guest brands have in other market places and your casinos? We see ourselves expanding Bills Burger’s of Manhattan and Dos Caminos. My real estate department is right now looking for a couple of Houston area Bill’s locations. Also, we are looking at places in a number of our Golden Nuggets for either or both concepts.

tour, he showed them all the various products that we are buying and commented how we had businesses throughout the country that could serve as a great backdrop for a show. From that tour, the idea was born. The idea was refined to feature two small businesses each episode that could be meaningfully transformed with purchase orders from me. What are the goals for the show?

What makes the NYC restaurant marketplace unique? It is Manhattan, the finance and tourist capital of the world. The density of people is like no place anywhere in the world. I guess as Frank Sinatra says, “if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.” Steve Hanson had/has a very unique management style. What are the lessons learned from what he was able to build? Steve is one of the great restaurant operators out there. He built a great company, and we are glad it was for sale and had the opportunity to buy it. The prices of New York real estate are out pacing restaurant operators’ abilities to operate profitable restaurants. Long term leases are a must. Where did the idea for “Billion Dollar Buyer” come from? Both the production company, Endemol Shine and CNBC wanted to do a show with me for a long time and had various ideas, none of which made any sense from a reality TV perspective. They asked to come to Houston for some inspiration. I asked my general counsel to give them a tour of our offices and greater Houston area businesses. While on the 32 • February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

I just want to help good people succeed, while at the same time providing the most innovative products to my customers in order to change, change, change with the times. I also want to teach, not just the small businesses appearing on the show, but the people watching, things that they can do in their own lives to be more successful. Naturally, I would like for people to enjoy the show and have great ratings.

In the deals you’ve completed and as you’ve done the TV show, what are the common characteristics of successful entrepreneurship? You can’t be afraid of taking risks or failure. You do have to learn from your mistakes. Successful entrepreneurs understand rejection, but still continue to have faith and belief in

continued on page 34

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Q&A Tilman Fertitta, from page 32 themselves and are willing to work harder than anyone else. They understand their businesses better than anyone else. That means that they know their numbers. What are you going to do differently that Barry Sternlicht couldn’t? Barry is truly one of the world’s outstanding businessmen, but isn’t a restaurateur. He owned a fund that bought BRG as a restaurant vehicle for his hotels. For whatever reason, it didn’t work out, but it had nothing to do with Barry. Operating restaurants is what we do. Are you in the real estate business or the people business? We are in the restaurant, people, real estate, development, construction, casino, retail, hotel, purchasing, insurance, legal, technology, night club, entertainment, amusement,

marine, and transportation business, although I am sure I left out a number of businesses. You cannot be successful today without committed employees. They will always remain the backbone of our businesses.

and expense matters. This helped us become better operators. Because of our restaurants, today, unlike anyone else in the gaming business, we can reward the loyalty of our casino guests, not just while they are on property, but when they leave our casinos, they can use their comp points at any of our restaurants nationwide.

What role does food & beverage play in your casino ventures? We drive customer traffic to our casinos with our restaurant concepts. Our food and beverage offerings in our casinos are by far the best in the industry. We provide well-known brands to our guests at a reasonable price value relationship. Before we got into the casino business, I used to say that we don’t have slot machines in Tilman Fertitta discusses strategy on CNBC’s “Billion our restaurants and that Dollar Buyer” (Photo Credit: CNBC) every penny of revenue

What does the future look like for Landry’s? Rest assured, we will change, change, change with the times. Millennials are our customers of today and in the future and we need to be on top of our game to understand the changing trends in the industry. We will be constantly remodeling our stores to keep them fresh and relevant. We will continue to grow the concepts that provide us with the best economic returns and look for locations that will be good for the next 25 years. We will innovate where and when it makes the most sense. At the end of the day, it is all about pleasing customers, and as long as we continue to do that, we will be around for a long time to come. It is almost this simple, hot food hot, cold food cold!

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BOOTH #1831

February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 35

SCOOP All Star Dining Line-Up Set For Brooklyn Navy Yard Scoop says New York’s next hot food hall is also a manufacturing space. The Brooklyn Navy Yard announced six more food tenants for Building 77 and while the name might be pretty plain, the offerings inside won’t be. “You’ll be able to go and really see how food is produced and see that people are manufacturing and making stuff in New York,” David Ehrenberg, president and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, said. In addition to the two anchor tenants, Brooklyn Brewery and Russ & Daughters, the building will also be home to outposts of Brooklyn Greenery, a Prospect-Lefferts Gardens juice joint; Rustik Tavern, a Bed-Stuy comfort food spot; The Food Sermon, an acclaimed Caribbean restaurant in

INSIDER NEWS FROM METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE SCENE Crown Heights; Tiny Drumsticks, a commercial kitchen-for-rent and caterer; We Rub You, a Korean BBQ stand that started at Smorgasburg; and Grandchamps, a Bed-Stuy Haitian restaurant. All of those restaurants will manufacture food or beverages onsite, as well as offering them for sale to people who want to eat and drink at Building 77. The Navy Yard says Building 77 will create about 3,000 jobs, about 150 in the food hall. The Navy Yard, aimed at housing high-quality manufacturing jobs, is home to 7,000 workers, a number that will soon grow to 16,000 people in need of good lunch options each day - so seeking food companies that would both create food manufacturing jobs and serve food to employees was a way to “have your cake and eat it, too,” Ehrenberg noted. Rawlston Williams, owner of The Food Sermon, said he will use the

36 • February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

new space to create deeper flavors cooking over wood, for example as well as to make and bottle hot sauces, teas and juices. The Food Sermon also cater from Building 77.“Sometimes the space dictates to you what you can do,” he said, noting his original intention was to run catering out of the Crown Heights restaurant. “It just took off at such a level where the community responded in such a way that we had to adjust and become a restaurant instead of a catering place. This opportunity with the Brooklyn Navy Yard allows us to do all of the above and then some.”

Cat Cora To Helm SouthernStyle NYC Eatery Fatbird Scoop says celebrity chef and TV host Cat Cora will take the helm at a new Southern-style eatery opening on West 14th Street. Cora, the first female

Cat Cora

contestant on “Iron Chef America,” will lead the kitchen at Fatbird, opening at 44 Ninth Ave., in either March or April. It’s a Southern kitchen that’s going to feature breakfast, lunch and dinner. We think we’re going to add a new culinary option to the neighborhood. Fried chicken will be a staple at the eatery, along with “specialty biscuits”

continued on page 38

February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 37

Scoop, from page 36

Olympics Take Center Stage

and other Southern fare. Though the restaurant is still working on its menu, a tentative one filed with Community Board 4 includes items like crawfish hushpuppies, spicy shrimp and grits, catfish tacos and brisket. The eatery will replace The Diner, which closed on Jan. 4. Signs hanging in the windows say the eatery closed its doors after 12 years.

Jersey Beer Guru Rafter Set To Guide Micro Matic’s TriState Team Scoop hears Pat Rafter has joined Micro Matic as Business Development Manager for Metro NY/ NJ. Pat’s roots run deep in NY/NJ having been a native of New Jersey. Pat has been in the beer business for over 20 years. Having started his career with Guinness as a District Manager in the Mid-Atlantic Region, Pat then transitioned over to the Beer Wholesaler side where he managed the On Premise & Draft busi-

Micro Matic’s Pat Rafter

ness for Peerless Beverage in Northern New Jersey. Pat with his first-hand experience and knowledge enjoys assisting customers to achieve the best pour and return from their draft beer system.

UConn’s

38 • February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Annual

Culinary

Scoop says it’s that time again, time when chefs at the University of Connecticut chose their spatulas and duel at cooking stations 10 paces away from each other. UConn’s Department of Dining Services department conducted its 17th annual Culinary Olympics last month including a recipe contest, presentations on decorating cakes and pastries, and a hands-on demonstration of making homemade charcuterie. The Culinary Olympics also included its popular annual “Boiling Point” competition, a high-energy contest patterned on shows like “Iron Chef America” and “Chopped.” Teams of three UConn chefs representing different dining facilities competed in tightly timed cooking competitions using a box of mystery ingredients and a few minor items from the pantry. This year’s winners were the McMahon team of Gary Ellis, Jacob Kochol and Sterling Townes

whom were selected based on creativity, cooking techniques, use of the mystery ingredients, and the taste and textures of their creations. The judges were novelist Rand Richards Cooper, a longtime New York Times food critic and travel writer; Christopher Prosperi, chef-owner of MetroBis Restaurant in Simsbury; Marc Hussey, Cigna’s corporate food service manager; and Sarah Gold, a food writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and elsewhere.

Garces Latest To Gamble On AC Eateries Scoop notes Jose Garces, the Food Network Iron Chef who runs a Phillybased restaurant empire, will be opening three restaurants at Tropicana Atlantic City on March 3, two years after his last A.C. adventure ended with the shuttering of Revel. The fine

continued on page 40

BOOTH #2119

February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 39

Scoop, from page 38 dining destination restaurant is Olon Restaurante, which will specialize in fresh seafood “in distinctive, modern presentations” and pays homage to Garces’ Ecuadoran roots (Olon is the name of a city in Ecuador). It will be open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, with two private dining rooms. It will be in the space formerly occupied by Fins.

Pair Of Top NYC Chefs Set To Team On West Side Scoop says partners Diego Garcia, Phil Johnson, and Leland Meibeyer have announced a forthcoming Neighborhood Pesacatarian Cuisine restaurant, Gloria, in the former space that housed Co Ba 53, located at 401 West 53rd Street. Gloria is slated to open in late February, after a brief dining room renovation, with new interiors designed by Method Design and KGM Architec-

tural Lighting. Gloria’s 40-seat jewel box dining room is warm and elegant, with an additional eight seats of bar seating. Gloria is named for Chef Garcia’s mother. Gloria’s kitchen will be helmed by Executive Chef, Diego Garcia, who has been the sous chef at Contra Restaurant for the past 20 months. During Garcia’s time at Contra, the restaurant earned its coveted Michelin Star amongst other critical acclaim. Before Contra, Garcia cooked at the world famous Le Bernardin for over four years, serving as sous chef for his final two years. The food at Gloria will be fish and vegetable forward, inspired by the Pacific seafood culture of Executive Chef Garcia’s coastal Mexican and Napa, California upbringing. Gloria’s concise menu will feature wild fish from local and sustainable north Atlantic fish. Gloria favors flavorful and responsible varieties of seafood such as fluke, tilefish, squid, lionfish,

40 • February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

and black bass, to name a few. Chef Garcia is joined by Phil Johnson, formerly GM of Contra Restaurant. Johnson has served in various sommelier and management roles throughout his career in New York over the past 12 years. Johnson has worked in such esteemed dining rooms such as Aldo Sohm Wine Bar, Dovetail, Jean Georges, and Gwynnett St. Prior to working in New York, Phil attended the Culinary Institute of America, and Cornell University.

Wu Says It Ain’t No Fun Anymore Scoop says a popular New York City restaurant is closing its doors after 25 years because of what the owners call a stifling regulatory environment that treats the restaurant as a “cash machine.” China Fun, a Chinese restaurant in Manhattan, announced its Jan. 3 closure because of increases in mini-

mum wage and a city atmosphere that treats “mom-and-pop” eateries like cash cows to pay for all the ills of society, Albert Wu, said. Wu is a representative of China Fun. “The climate for small businesses like ours in New York have become such that it’s difficult to justify taking risks and running never mind starting a legitimate mom-andpop business,” read a letter posted by the owners in the Chinese restaurant’s front door. Wu, whose parents Dorothea and Felix have owned the eatery since its inception two decades ago, said the city’s endless amount of paperwork have taken their toll over the years and finally led to the restaurant’s closure. “When we started out in 1991, the lunch special was $4 a plate,” Wu said. “Now it’s $10, $12. The cost of doing business is just too onerous.” He cited one New York City regulation

continued on page 42

BOOTH #2007

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Scoop, from page 40 requiring China Fun to provide an onsite break room for workers despite its limited space as just one of the rules that helped kill the restaurant. The state and city government, “seems to believe that we should be their cash machine to pay for all that ails us in society,” Wu added. Adele Malpass, who chairs the Manhattan Republican Party, said Wu’s complaints are common among the city’s small business owners. “For smaller businesses like China Fun, each little thing that occurs makes it harder,” Malpass said. “Each regulation, each tax you put it all together and it’s just a hostile business environment. “China Fun’s closure comes as New York-based businesses wrestle with minimum wage laws that are quickly becoming the highest in the country. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers reached a deal last year to increase the statewide minimum wage to $15 an hour over the course of five

years. The current minim wage in the state is $9 an hour.

dustry to the Metropolitan New York Tri-State area. With roots dating back to 1937, TD Marketing Co. is made up of 16 seasoned individuals with extensive knowledge of the Tri-State Marketplace and a comprehensive line-up of equipment and supply solutions.

Industry Legend Dubov Joins TD Team Scoop says congrats to TD Marketing on the addition of Larry Dubov to their sales team. Dubov brings with him over 60 years of commercial food service industry experience. His work with custom stainless steel and millwork fabrication has spanned numerous brands: Dunhill Mfg., Craig Mfg., Marlo Mfg. aka E.M.I. Industries, and most recently with Aero Mfg. “Throughout his career, in our industry, he has demonstrated loyalty, honesty, and proven he really knows what he is talking about,” noted TD Marketing President Frank Doyle. “It is known that his word means everything. Larry’s reputation has created a tremendous collection of great customers and designers who follow him. People buy from

BOOTH #1744

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TD Marketing’s Larry Dubov

people they can trust. Larry is one of those people. Although Larry is mostly known for his custom fabrication experience he will be extremely beneficial in introducing all the brands that TD Marketing represents and distributes. We are fortunate to be able to have this opportunity to work with and learn from Larry,” Doyle concluded. Dubov joins the Edison, NJ based firm and its long history of customer satisfaction in the Food Service In-

Johnny Rockets Donates $5,000 to the Education Alliance Boys & Girls Club in NYC to Support After-School Programming Scoop notes junior chefs from the Education Alliance Boys & Girls Club had the opportunity to grill burgers and hand spin shakes with Johnny Rockets’ executives at the School of the Future in Manhattan. The after-school program coincided with Johnny Rockets’ grand opening of its new restaurant at One Penn Plaza. A $5,000 check was presented to rep-

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February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 43

FIORITO ON INSURANCE

How Much Will An Interruption In Business Operations Cost You?

icture this: your restaurant is underwater — literally. And so is every other business in your entire area, after an unprecedented flood. If there was ever a time to consider what you should do in the event of a doomsday scenario, this is it. In the case of a devastating natural disaster, massive mechanical failure or key leadership loss, you would be under intense pressure to have your operations up and running again — rather than thinking about what you should have done. So how do you prepare for an event that may or may not happen? The best thing you can do to maintain your peace of mind is develop a plan for your restaurant(s) to remain operational through a worstcase scenario. Begin by properly valuing your business so that you can make an informed decision as to the amount of coverage you need to protect your income following a catastrophic event. To help you get started with the valuation process, answer the following nine questions: DOCUMENT YOUR ORGANIZATION’S FINANCIAL VALUE 1. Is your financial information complete, accurate and up to date, so you can prove the value of your operations? Your Business Inter-

Robert Fiorito serves as Vice President, HUB International Northeast., where he specializes in providing insurance brokerage services to the restaurant in-

Begin by properly valuing your business so that you can make an informed decision as to the amount of coverage you need to protect your income following a catastrophic event.

dustry. As a 20-year veteran and former restaurateur himself, Bob has worked with a wide array of restaurant and food service businesses, ranging from fast-food chains to upscale, “white tablecloth” dining establishments. For more information, please visit www.hubfiorito.com. For more i nformation on HUB’s Employee Benefits practice, please visit www.hubemployeebenefits.com

ruption (BI) value is calculated using revenue from the most recently completed 12-month financial period. Most BI value worksheets use a deductive approach, taking annual net sales plus other earnings from business operations minus certain non-continuing expenses. If your business is in a period of rapid change, you should update your BI values more than once per year. 2. Will your organization change over the next 12 months, and have you taken this into account when assessing your organization’s value? A critical factor in establishing adequate BI values is a realistic assessment of how revenues and expenses will change over the coming year. If your budget hasn’t been updated in several months, valuations may already be out of date. Make sure to include any important changes, such as proposed acquisitions or

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the likelihood of closing large deals still in the pipeline. 3. Have expenses been properly identified and incorporated in the calculated BI value? BI covers net profits and continuing expenses. These may include: • Rent • Utilities • Payroll for key employees such as your general managers, chefs and book keepers. IDENTIFY RECOVERY INFLUENCERS

TIME

4. What factors could influence the time it would take for your restaurant to recover after a major event such as a large fire? There are no standard rules for determining the length of time it takes to recover. This time period is a key factor when determining the right amount

of BI coverage. Your goal is to consider multiple scenarios and assess all known factors to ensure you have the right amount of coverage. You should keep in mind that in the event of a large natural catastrophe such as an earthquake or hurricane, limitations on such necessities as labor, materials and infrastructure services can slow the recovery process. These limitations can also result in increased services and materials costs. Zoning changes since your original site was constructed could slow or derail plans to rebuild. 5. Do you have a business continuity plan in place? Any company with a well-conceived business continuity plan (BCP) in place will most

continued on page 78

Even a great employee can put you at great risk.

How’s your insurance? Your employees are integral to your success. But they can also pose a risk to your organization. That’s why it’s so important that you partner with a company that excels at getting to know who you are and how you work. Talk to us. HUB International Northeast Robert Fiorito Vice President, Business Development 212-338-2324 | robert.fiorito@hubinternational.com hubinternational.com/Hospitality Official Endorsed Insurance Broker

February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 45

C-CAP TRADE TALK

WITH JOYCE APPELMAN

Marcus Samuelsson Talks New Cookbook And Building C-CAP Community

ast year at this time, James Beard award-winning chef, restaurateur, and author, Marcus Samuelsson became the Co-Chair for the Board of Directors of Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP). Since then he has written a new cookbook called The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem, which was released in October; opened new restaurants here in the United States and around the world; and worked tirelessly with C-CAP Founder Richard Grausman to continue to transform the lives of at-risk students through the culinary arts and prepare them for college and careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry. We recently sat down with Marcus to ask him about his cookbook and his plans for C-CAP.

pes, and also celebrates the dynamic neighborhood of Harlem through food, art, fashion, and music. I waited six years before writing the book and felt that was the right amount of time for the food and stories to develop. This book is a dive into Harlem Culture. You get not only some of Rooster’s most celebrated recipes, but incredible stories by Harlem icons like Thelma Golden, Bevy Smith, Lana Turner, Dapper Dan, and more. It’s a love story to Harlem from the community in a lot of ways too.

Tell us about your newest book, The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem. This book offers many favorite reci46 • February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

What fuels your motivation to work with C-CAP? C-CAP has an incredible system in place that, through education and training, prepares underserved youth for careers in the professional world of culinary and hospitality. The program is also a huge benefit to the growing market and chefs looking for skilled and motivated

Joyce Appelman, is the National Communications Director for CCAP, Careers through Culinary Arts Program in New York, NY. She has been instrumental in opening career opportunities for many young people in the foodservice industry. Email her at joyceappelman@gmail.com

talent, especially when we are talking about the labor shortage and diversity in the kitchen. Our programs and services are results-oriented. Never before have so many students had the opportunity to enter the culinary field and have their dreams come true. Why is your work with C-CAP so important? The students are good workers. I have hosted C-CAP interns and hired graduates from the programs in my restaurants. It’s good for me to give a break to anyone I can. I got a few in my career, and I believe I should do it for anyone I can. In our programs around the country, gun violence, gangs, and drugs affect many teens. I want to give students options, safe places, and a “kitchen family” that they can depend on. We say that once you’re in C-CAP you’re in C-CAP for life. We continue to provide mentorship and professional development after high school. What is it about the C-CAP students that make them such good workers? C-CAP works with culinary arts teachers around the country to fo-

Marcus Samuelsson (Photo by Matt Dutile)

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BOOTH #1367

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BOOTHS #1931 + 1945

February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 49

n business since 1974, New York City mainstay The Lobster Place offers the largest selection of seafood on the East Coast. The Lobster Place makes it a priority to deliver the freshest, highest-quality seafood to the most discerning restaurants and markets. Total Food Service sat down with Ian McGregor, CEO of The Lobster Place, to talk about how a restaurant or foodservice operation should approach the seafood market, and shares what you need to know about sourcing seafood. What’s the first step for a restaurant looking to set up a program for the selection and purchasing of fish? Ask for a sales rep to come out and visit your kitchen to review your menu so she can understand your cuisine, menu applications, and service needs (i.e. delivery time, etc.). With that information in hand, she should be able to recommend different types and species of seafood that can achieve your needs in terms of availability, price, etc. Traditionally, the only way to buy fish was for the chef to go to the Fulton Fish market every morning. Where are we today with sourcing seafood? Fortunately, those days are behind us. Advances in logistics and the evolution of the fresh seafood business means that a company like The Lobster Place sources its products from the same places that the Fulton Fishmongers do, and we offer the added convenience of processing filets to order, twice daily deliveries, and 24-hour customer service. Of course, nothing

can replace the trust that’s built when a customer and vendor meet face to face – so you should ask to visit your fishmonger’s plant. See their approach to food safety, sanitation, and product handling – it will tell you a lot about what you’re dealing with. There are those that say it all begins with understanding how to evaluate a whole fish. How is seafood different from beef in which many cases the full steer is sourced? Different species have different tell tale signs as to freshness. You can check the clarity of the eyes on a Black Sea Bass, or check the freshness of the gills on a salmon, but those tactics are not predictive for every type of fish. Recognizing that some fish have tender flesh (like Cod), while others are more firm (like Striped Bass), look for a nice firm feel on the outside of the fish. If you press two fingers against the flesh, they shouldn’t leave an indentation. Look for a bright, shiny hue to the skin….fish that’s past its prime will be dull and soft. What can be learned from proper inspection of: Gills, Scales, Cracks/ Breaks, Fins? Gills: Fresh smelling/bloody gills can be an indication of freshness. But some fish gills always have a strong aroma – like Red Snapper. Scales: Skin that’s lost a lot of scales may mean the fish was handled without a gentle touch by the fisherman, the trucker, the fishmonger, or all of

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the above. Cracks/breaks: It depends on the species and the reason. If it’s dry and cracked – that’s a bad thing. If you’re looking for a 100lb. tuna and there’s a crack in the skin, it may just be where it was gaffed. Fins: There are no hard and fast rules but if fins are deteriorating, it’s not a big leap to assume the rest of the fish is too. What does a restaurant’s chef or purchasing agent know about butchered or filleted options? Some fishmongers, like The Lobster Place, will filet your fish to order in just about anyway you’d like them to. Skin On, Skin Off, Butterflied, Pin Bones Out, Frenched, V-Cut – you name it. An important concept to really understand though is whether you’re billed for the gross weight of the whole fish before its fileted – or if you’re only being billed for the net weight of the meat after its filleted. In this business, chefs tend to be focused on price per pound as the indicator of value when they buy fish. But remember - the price is only one component of the total that you pay – the other is the quantity. If you ask to be billed for the gross weight of the fish, your price

per pound is lower but you have to buy more pounds (the head, tail, guts, etc.) If you ask to be billed for the net weight of the fish, your price per pound can be significantly higher, but you’re not paying for waste so the total amount you pay will be the same – if your fishmonger is honest. When paying gross weight prices, insist that your fishmonger send the bones and scraps with your order. Weigh them along with the filet so you know you’re paying for the right quantity of fish. What are the keys in understanding the economics of seafood on a menu? You can’t have filet mignon appetite with a Big Mac budget. Wild fish is expensive to catch, transport, process, and deliver so it’s going to be expensive to put on your plate. Farmed fish – and there are some fantastic farmed options – tends to be less expensive on a per pound basis. You need to design your menu accordingly. I talk to restaurateurs that say, “I maintain a 24% food cost!!!” That may be true across your entire menu – but you’re never going to achieve it by having 24% cost on every single dish. You may be able to achieve that with a Salmon or Mussel dish – which is great, you’ll sell a lot of those. But, you’re going to have a hard time getting costs that low on a more expensive fish like Tuna or Halibut. You need to have realistic expectations and balance margins across your menu.

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BOOTH #1616

February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 51

RESTAURANT REPAIR

WITH ERIC SCHECHTER

It’s Time To Clean Your Grease Trap!

Eric Schechter is a Certified Restaurant Facilities Professional (CRFP) with over 25 years’ experience in the restaurant facilities industry.

estaurants that have built in grease traps or interceptors need to make sure they are maintained properly on a recurring schedule to prevent back-up and overflow into their restaurants. As the weather here in the Northeast gets colder, the grease in the lines becomes more solid due to the lower temperatures and promotes clogging of the lines. Depending on the types of foods

your restaurant prepares and the volume of business and the type of trap you have, the optimal frequency for cleaning your grease traps can be anywhere from daily to once a year. It’s recommended that if you have not had your grease trap cleaned recently and are not on a regular schedule then you have this service performed before your system becomes clogged with grease and overflows into your restaurant.

We have recently seen at least two restaurants that had to close their doors due to a flooded basement from a sewer backup due to a grease trap that needed service. The grease needed to be removed from the premises and properly disposed of and their sewer lines had to be power jetted to unclog the lines. This costly service and lost sales could have been prevented had their equipment been properly maintained on a

Eric is also Chief Business Guy at SendaGuy Now, the mobile app for restaurant repairs on demand, where he’s in charge of Strategy, Product & Service, Development & Evaluation, Go-To-Market Strategy and Product Management. Eric can be reached at eschechter@sendaguy.com

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54 • February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

My “secret ingredient” for a spotless clean.

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The difference is in the POWER DOTS. I used to dread cleaning up mountains of greasy pots and pans after a busy dinner rush, but those long nights are over. Now even the toughest burnton messes don’t scare me, thanks to my trusty Scotch-Brite™ Dual Purpose Scour Pad 96Hex. This doesn’t look like your typical hand pad – and that’s because it packs the cleaning power of two pads in one. After defeating hard, baked-on food with the yellow dot side, I can flip it over to give pans a polished shine with the gray smooth side. And the unique hexagon shape helps me get those hard-to-reach corners clean. Before I know it, I’m done and on my way home!

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February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 55

NEWS

KITCHEN DESIGN SOLUTIONS

SML USA Brings Unique Skill Set And Passion To Metro NYC Kitchen Design/Build Community

estaurant kitchens have undergone a major change in the last few years. For many years, they were hidden behind swinging doors; they’re now out in the open, where diners can see everything that’s going on. That transparency has made for a more enjoyable experience for diners but more challenging for a foodservice operator. The equipment in the kitchen often needs to reflect the aesthetics of the spirit of the front of the house design. Whether it’s stainless steel sinks or custom-fit cubic wine tanks, handmade sinks or dry cases, SML USA is answering this call. With its skill and passion for creating solutions in the kitchen design build community, the 50-year-old, second-generation Canadian company provides some of the finest custom fabrication and functionality in the industry. “The manufacturer, which has 185 employees, serves North America as well as the international market and now it’s bringing its know-how and excellence to the Metro New York area,” according to Marilys Sauriol, SML USA Director of Sales. “We serve market segments such as food service, restau-

Allowing them to see this is a great way to ensure that the clients know the quality of what they are eating. And as a manufacturer, we work to maximize this. That’s why we learned about dry aging and created the equipment to showcase it.” rant, workplace dining, corporate dining, hotel resorts, country club, food halls, bakeries, and quick-service restaurants,” explained Sauriol In new restaurant design, Sauriol noted, the kitchen is becoming a focal point, which embraces the company’s core competency – building superior equipment with outstanding finish. “The diner’s first look at the kitchen is crucial and SML USA offers durable equipment required to fulfill the client’s need for transparency.” She pointed out that the trend is to bring more processes – including dry-aging programs – in-house. Dry aging is a process where beef (primal cuts and/or sub-primal cuts) is stored – without protective packaging – at refrigeration temperatures for

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one to five weeks to allow the natural enzymatic and biochemical processes that result in improved tenderness to develop. “Allowing them to see this is a great way to ensure that the clients know the quality of what they are eating. And as a manufacturer, we work to maximize the capacity and functionality of our display cases.” The firm’s millwork expertise enables SML USA to work hand-in-hand with dealers, consultant and end-users. “In addition to custom fabrication, we also offer millwork in-house. We can include refrigeration, lighting, prewiring, prepiping and one point connection in our counters. We like to say that we are a one-stop-shop for the dealers,” she added.

The company can work in any kind of space and follows the goals of chefs. “Adapting to challenges is part and parcel of the SML USA experience,” Sauriol-Nadeau continued. “Production is fabricated accordingly, with a system contractor who will easily be able to put together the equipment on-site.” SML USA continues to build on its portfolio of success in Metro New York and the US. Recently SML USA completed a key component of the intricate design for Chef Henry Meer’s new wine shop at Occulus at the World Trade Center in Manhattan. “We had to bring the unit into the unfinished Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center but we did it,” she stated. “That’s part of our daily life. to make it happen for our customers.” The custom manufacturer also offers a complete line of off-the-shelf solutions. The selection includes deli cases, open-air screen grab and go cases, refrigerated display, and a dry aging meat case. SML has made a major commitment to design a manufacturing facility that can meet the customer’s needs with state-of-the-art equipment, and

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February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 57

MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Chris Freeman Imperial Bag & Paper Co. LLC

hat’s your first step in creating a vision? I stay as in tune with the marketplace as much as possible to identify hot topics and trends, then I let my imagination take over. I’ve always relied on my dreams for inspiration and I’ve been served well for years using this technique. How has the process of designing these booths evolved through the year? In the most amazing ways. Our trade show booths have always been a thrill for me and that’s because the company I work for is so exciting! We are always challenging ourselves, stretching, growing, improving, and the booths are a reflection of that very exciting process. This year I am blessed to have a wonderful team supporting our efforts: Grace Best, our Director of Marketing, and Charlie D’Elia Jr. our newly appointed Vice President of Sales. As a Senior Advisor, directing the youth, vigor, and vision exhibited by this great Imperial Bag & Paper Company team is wonderful. You’ve run several shows through the years in your own facilities how does the planning differ for goals at your own show vs. being at Javits? Our shows are completely focused to the very specific needs of a single valued customer. As such the presentations are unique to their

specific needs while featuring precise solutions. The venue at the Javits Center has a much broader appeal, greater challenges, and really allows us to bring out the best of our great company. With the growth of the Internet, how has the role and goal of trade shows evolved for you? We get asked this question a lot! So much information is available on the net…much of it useful, but sometimes it gets confusing or overwhelming. There is nothing better than looking in the eyes of an expert who takes the time to understand your needs or concerns and directs you to cost efficient and quality improving solutions…on the spot! That’s what happens so often at our trade show booth. Every year it seems as if Imperial comes with some big news..Borax then Green Certification etc. ..this year your Philly addition…How do you build these new marketing messages into the flow and plan for the booth? The easiest way to communicate the wonderful growth we’ve experienced at the direction of our CEO Robert Tillis and President, Jason Tillis is to invite our new associates and valued customers to our booth! The excitement in their eyes at being part of this great company and having the tremendous resources that we bring to the marketplace is amazing! Everyone has a blast and

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customers and prospects love the experience! What can our readers expect to see this year without dampening the surprise? Let’s leave this answer like this… have you ever been to a Museum, to the Theater, or a Zoo and discovered something wonderful that you’d never noticed before? Visiting our Booth is going to feel just like that. We have some brand new manufacturers showing their products for the very first time, and we’ve found a unique and interesting way to display everything we all need to run our businesses every day. You’ll have to come see us! Speaking of green certification: Will our readers be able to come to your booth and see the dates in sustainable solutions? Grace Best our wonderful Director of Marketing is the only LEED GREEN ASSOCIATE in our Industry! She is a polished public speaker, leads colloquiums, and seminars, and guess what? You can come meet her in person and have all of your questions about GREEN answered. A year later into the “Greening” process: Is the marketplace grasping the concept? Green is here and it’s here to stay. It is becoming more of a lifestyle decision for an operator than a price driven decision? Green is definitely a lifestyle decision and vast im-

Chris Freeman

provements of pricing have made it much more affordable. Just ask Grace! As Imperial has grown so dramatically how have you continued to maintain such a “customer-first” culture? The customer comes first is the key to our success. We’ve got a lot of associates at our company and we all love working here. Every one of us knows in our hearts that without our customers we are nothing. There are our bosses! Even Robert and Jason Tillis report to our customers…with pleasure! What’s the next step for a restaurant food service operator that wants more info on Imperial? Meet a Sales Consultant at the Show and make an appointment for a free assessment. We’ll review your packaging, your to go options, your sanitation and janitorial programs, everything! Once that happens we’ll build a timeline for you to follow with easy, understandable steps that will take your business to a new level. The resources at Imperial Bag & Paper Company are amazing!

BOOTHS #1921 + 2025

February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 59

NEWS

BEEF SOLUTIONS

We Found The Best Steak In The World And It’s In NYC

ver the last 40 years Vincent Pacifico has been at the forefront of the meat market. It has taken many forms in many different companies but now in 2017 Vinnie is still at it and has started a new meat company called New York Prime Beef, providing the Metro NYC area with what they proudly claim to be the best steak on the planet. The company is led by Vincent Pacifico (Vinnie) who is the chairman of several large meat companies including his first company, Vista Food Exchange. With $1.7 billion a year in combined sales with the companies he chairs, Vinny is no amateur to the

industry. Vinnie’s partner in New York Prime Beef is Josh Tanner, a relative newcomer to the meat side of the industry, but no stranger to food. Josh was originally a chef, who turned businessman. Josh jumped into the retail world on the organic side of things and spent years at Whole Foods Market where he would handle their organic and all natural commodities. Together these have formed one of the most exclusive premium beef suppliers in the country. Let’s talk meat shall we? Vinnie and Josh are incredibly proud of their product. “We source our products from quality suppliers, we buy from the majors and for our niche market

Dry aged Japanese Kobe beef from NY Prime Beef.

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we look for the absolute highest quality out there,” said Vinnie. NYPB is located in Hunts Point NY, sharing a 56 acre site with 41 independent businesses all sharing central refrigeration adding up to create a fascinating level of collaboration. “All of these competitors sharing the same powerhouse for refrigeration, it makes us work together and it is really quite unique,” said Vinnie. New York Prime Beef goes by the motto no compromise and that is exactly what Vinnie and Josh are able to do with NYPB. “We have essentially created a custom cutting facility and created a bespoke butcher shop. We deal with strictly the highest quality meat you could possibly purchase; we deal with USDA Prime, domestic Wagyu, and imported Japanese Kobe. The pair of meat moguls compare their dry aging to the careful painstaking process that goes into making a fine wine, microbrew, or a smooth cognac. “It’s a very labor intensive and expensive process that’s not easy to do either. We have done a lot of research and a lot of trial and error before we could be confident in our 28 day dry aging process,” said Josh. New York Prime Beef’s dry aging process is one of the crown jewels to the business and the feedback has been spectacular. Dry aging is a hard process that if done wrong can give your beef a strong earthy almost mushroom like flavor. NYPB has received the customer feedback countless times that their steak is some of the most balanced they have ever had. It doesn’t stop

there either; NYPB is always refining the process and offers custom dry aging too! New York Prime Beef is proud of the customization options; NYPB offers custom everything from cuts to aging. The entire business model is built around the concept that when you place an order you have a fully custom order on your doorstep in 24 hours. “We don’t cut a piece of meat until you give us an order. All you have to do is call 1-800-STEAK-NY, tell us what you need, at that point we immediately send the butcher into the dry aging room to select the perfect, dry aged, steak hand cut to your liking,” said Josh. NYPB even goes so far as to have the butcher hand wrap and sign the steak with their seal of approval. It may be the best steak in the world but unfortunately it is not available to everyone. Even with the large space they have for their dry aging room, the demand is just too high to sell to everyone. “Our business model was always directed as a consumer model, we were always open to the idea of restaurant sales and wholesale but we simply don’t have the space. We sell directly to some of the finest restaurants in New York City, and we have to be selective in the product that we give them since we are so quality oriented. Whether it’s a restaurant or if it’s for your kitchen table, NYPB wants to give you that wow moment. Vinnie, Josh and their team are dedicated to giving you the best steak on the planet, no compromise.

February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 61

NEWS

CERTIFIED GREEN RESTAURANTS

Three Candle Restaurants Light Up NYC In Their Mission To Continue Being Green In 2017

riday the 13th may be an unlucky day to many, but to Bart Potenza and Joy Pierson of Candle Restaurants, it was the day that started it all. They won the NY lottery, and their vision of owning an all vegetarian cafe shifted from a dream to reality. I had the honor of speaking with Candle Restaurants co-owners, Joy Pierson and Bart Potenza, about the evolution of their restaurant group, their commitment to sustainability, and advice they have for others. It is clear that Joy and Bart have always been ahead of the curve in the food scene. In addition to owning the first Certified Green Restaurant® in New York City, they opened an all vegan restaurant long before it became trendy. When Candle 79 opened, it was the first all vegan fine dining establishment in the country. They now operate three Certified Green Restaurants® in NYC: Candle Cafe, Candle Cafe West, and Candle 79. As Joy puts it, “We’ve always been really wanting to make a difference and trying whatever it took.” Candle Restaurants are completely vegan, but their commitment to sustainability goes beyond the dishes being served. Not only have they made huge efforts to source sustainable food, but they have also taken numerous environmental steps in the other GRA environmental categories: disposables, energy, furnish-

ing & building, chemicals and pollution, waste, and water. Some of Candle Restaurants’ most notable steps are: • Full scale recycling and composting programs, which divert 90% of their waste from the landfill, • Not purchasing or using any Styrofoam™ products, • Using Energy Star qualified equipment, which can be 30-40% more efficient than traditional models, • Purchasing CFL, T8, and LED light bulbs, • Purchasing sustainable building & furniture materials, • Installing high efficiency pre-rinse sprayers and faucet aerators that save thou-

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sands of gallons of water each year, and

• Purchasing napkins, menus, paper towels, and bath tissue that contain post-consumer waste. According to a new study by Forbes.com, millennials spend 44% of their food dollars dining away from home. When asked if they think millennials value their GRA certification, both Bart and Joy affirmed that they do. Joy went on to say that, “Millennials are going to have to take this movement to the next level. Our planet depends on it.” Additionally, the co-owners were proud to say that they have served four generations of customers. Many parents are bringing their children to eat at Candle Restaurants, but now “we get, what’s even more exciting, kids bringing the parents in,” says Joy. She added that, “it takes a village” and we will all need to lend a hand to see a more environmentally sustainable future. Bart provided one last piece of advice: “Every little bit matters is what I say to people a lot. People don’t think they make a difference just because they are saving a plastic bag or something, but it adds up.” We believe this is an important concept that speaks directly to the mission of the Green Restaurant Association. Dine green by heading to Candle Restaurants for delicious vegan food and sustainable spirits at their eco bar! To learn more about Candle Restaurants, visit their websites here: http://www.candlecafe.com & http://www.candle79.com.

February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 63

FOOD SAFETY

WITH AUSTIN PUBLICOVER

Avoiding Scombroid Poisoning

ith global temperatures on the rise, preventing temperature abuse is more important than ever. I have several clients who have witnessed guests afflicted with scombroid poisoning right there in their dining room, during service. Scombroid fish, especially those as common as Tuna and Mahi-mahi, can produce a nasty combination of substances known as scombrotoxin, which, when consumed, can lead to scombroid poisoning. Scombroid poisoning, in turn, sickens your guest almost immediately, results in lawsuits or insurance claims, and the Dept of Health will dispatch their foodborne illness inspectors to conduct a thorough audit of your restaurant. How do we prevent scombroid poisoning? Let’s define its sources first: Scombroid is a category of fish that includes Amberjack, Anchovy, Bluefish, Bonito, Escolar, Gemfish, Herring, Horse Mackerel (or Scad), Jack (including Blue Runner, Crevalle, Rainbow Runner, and Roosterfish), Kahawai, Mackerel, Mahi-mahi, Marlin, Menhaden, Pilchard (or Sardine), Sailfish, Sardine, Saury, Shad, Gizzard Shad, Hilsa Shad, Spearfish, Sprat (or Bristling), Trevally, Tuna, Wahoo, and Yellowtail. One of the most dangerous aspects of scombrotoxin is histamine formation. Histamines are an elusive enemy, affecting some parts of the fish but seldom the whole. Histamine is known neither by sight, taste, or smell.

Austin Publicover , CP-FS, established Bulletproof! Food Safety in 2013 with an emphasis on excellent customer service, HACCP, SOPs, foodworker trainings, food safety management systems, small plant

Scombroid fish, especially those as common as Tuna and Mahi-mahi, can produce a nasty combination of substances known as scombrotoxin, which, when consumed, can lead to scombroid poisoning. (A laboratory can analyze histamine in fish by employing an alcoholic extraction & quantitation by fluorescence spectroscopy. Not exactly standardissue kitchen equipment!) Nothing can reverse scombrotoxin. Once formed, histamine is here to stay: you can’t cook it away; you can’t kill it by freezing it. If you or one of your guests has ever been hit by scombroid poisoning, you’re not likely to forget it: tingling or burning around the mouth & throat, followed by rash or hives, asthma-like constriction air passageway, a drop in blood pressure, headache, dizziness, itching… all right there at the table, all within a few minutes of consuming the fish. Later, there’s nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. So what can you do to avoid such a ghastly scenario in your dining room? Because you can’t inactivate histamine formation in a fish that has scombrotoxin, the only thing you can do is prevent temperature abuse. Some histamine-forming bacteria

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are facultative anaerobes, meaning they can grow inside vacuum-packaged seafood. Others are either ‘halotolerant’ or ‘halophilic’ (‘salt tolerant’ or ‘salt loving’, for those of us who aren’t up on our Greek). And since you can’t detect scombrotoxins in the first place, the only thing you can do is focus on keeping them from forming by preventing temperature abuse. Prevention is easier than it sounds. Histamine formation results from temperature abuse to scombroids: when the fish becomes warm enough to spoil or decompose, then histamines can form. So what, exactly, is that temperature? Well, I don’t want to give you one temperature, since it really depends on a whole array of enzymatic & microbiological factors that we can’t see with the naked eye, and a lot of other stuff we simply can’t control, including how the fish was harvested, how long it was out of the water and at what temperature at harvest, whether it was headed and gut-

manufacturing, and regulatory compliance for restaurants and food producers.

ted immediately after death or much later, etc. All stuff that happens before the fish arrives in your kitchen. One thing you can request is the Harvest Vessel Records from your seafood harvester, or records of the cold chain from your wholesaler; the FDA requires all wholesalers to follow Seafood HACCP. In addition to these records being required by law, they are also a wonderful form of assurance that your wholesaler is taking the appropriate steps to ensure a safe, high-quality product, which includes avoiding temperature abuse. Asking for the refrigeration records for the delivery truck is also another good way to ensure your seafood has been kept cold. What impact can we have in our kitchen? There are many steps you can take to drastically reduce your risk of serving a seafood product that would result in scombroid poisoning. Here are a few: 1. All fresh & vacuum-packaged seafood is received on ice, regardless of species. 2. Your qualified foodworker checks for the telltale smells & signs of decomposition before signing for the fish (although you cannot smell hista-

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NEWS SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS MarketMan Delivers Innovative Technology To Manage Inventory And Supply Chain Operations

xperienced restaurateurs know how difficult it is to juggle dozens of suppliers, to train employees on receiving and managing inventory and on how to place orders without ending up with waste. Luckily, MarketMan is now aiding many metro New York operators with advanced inventory, ordering, and cost management tools. Noam Wolf started MarketMan with the goal of assisting a friend with creating a better process at his restaurant. After extensive research and discussions with restaurateurs, vendors, and friends, he realized that the issue was the cumbersome process centered on inventory. Wolf viewed the problem and narrowed it down into a handful of select areas; suppliers, procurement, inventory, and time management. “It was a broken process that wasn’t only time-consuming, but actually detrimental to restaurant owners, so I started looking into a solution,” he said. The industry was in need of a common area where both restaurants and suppliers could communicate. “The managerial problem exists on both sides,” Wolf maintained. This platform helps with price comparison, purchase orders, receiving management, and invoicing. With these key features in mind, Wolf created MarketMan to help with the ever-frustrating supply chain process. Wolf pointed out that restaurant operators live in a “real-time world” and

The Cloud-based restaurant management system is now aiding many metro New York operators and helping them manage supplies, order wisely and save money. yet, they have none of the technology or structure to support that real-time need. “That’s how the idea for our company came to life,” said Wolf. MarketMan started in out in 2013 in Tel Aviv with a small team and then developed a prototype and entered the local market. By the end of 2015, MarketMan had the system being used by 30% of the Israeli market. What makes MarketMan different is connectivity to external parties. MarketMan can connect with all major vendors, allowing the potential to become the new in-

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dustry standard for supply. In July of 2016 Wolf moved here and opened the New York office. “Moving our base of operations to the US has allowed for an increased level of customer service. For our customers that means meaningful and direct vendor relationships, and quick advances on the integration front with our technology partners.” The platform also interfaces directly with other restaurant tools such as Point of Sale systems and accounting software. “We link with everybody. We

want to offer restaurants the capability to automate manual processes, save time and gain insights all without disrupting the normal flow of business. Managers can learn from a wide array of different analytics from usage to profitability reports. Obviously, it’s important to work seamlessly. It’s a one-click integration with online platforms like QuickBooks online, Square, Revel and Lightspeed POS.” Even distributors are benefiting from the platform. “They know that it can streamline their processes, and it makes their customers’ lives a bit easier,” Wolf stated. On the restaurant side of things, the GM, the Head Chef, and everybody in-between can view alerts, manage tasks, place orders and receive by using the mobile app. There are multiple users per restaurant, Wolf acknowledged, “Different users can derive different benefits.” The owners and CFO’s can use the reporting and accounting functions. MarketMan now has over 1,500 customers, including restaurants, hotels, juice bars, bakeries, food trucks and more. They can mobilize quickly, getting new operators on-boarded and operational within a week. Its team is compiled of restaurant and technology veterans that make the set up process an enjoyable one. MarketMan wants its customers to get the absolute most out of the system. Its mission is to cut time spent in the back of the house and to help your business prosper.

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LIZ ON TABLETOP

TABLETOP SOLUTIONS

Clubs Keep It Fresh For Members With Innovative Tabletop Strategies

o you remember the time when there was a label on just about everything? You would go and sit down at your white tablecloth restaurant only to see the restaurant’s logo printed on almost everything on the table. This is how it used to be in the corporate and country club world. You would sit down and see a logo encased in gold on the rim or in the center, maybe a bread plate with a logo or perhaps

a coaster. Your drinks would even come with a logo’d stirrer and a logo on your beverage napkin. Regardless if you like it or not logos have been an overwhelming aspect of tablecloth dinnerware for sometime. You used to find it everywhere, on your butter cap, your silverware, your ashtray and of course on the matches. So what is it all for, in case we forget what restaurant we are eating at? We get it, you like your logo and

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you want your customers to see it as much as possible. This time is happily coming to an end and while it may seem like something you don’t want to see go it is going to help in the long run. Now there are much less logos for many more reasons. First of all, we all know where we are. Your customers do not need constant reminders! Logos are expensive to imprint and take time to place large orders. It also takes up space to store the minimum orders.

These are things to consider before you go logo-crazy and put it on every item you serve on. I haven’t even gotten to talk about style either. We all want to be “in” and unfortunately those with logos all over the plates are not. You want to provide your culinary team with low profile plates with a cleaner line and less decoration. This allows the chef to really create with a blank canvas as opposed to working around a big logo.

Lenox has a nice variety of crest ware that is high quality, inexpensive and beautiful. I’m not saying to throw out all your logoed dinnerware and never have a logo again; we just need to find a middle ground so it can be tasteful. Obviously logos are not going anywhere, I just want to give you some options to keep your costs down, stay on trend, and still impress your guests. Place your logo discretely on the pour lines of your wine glasses. This protects profit and discretely allows for all your beverages to be equal. You even get to keep your coveted logoed beverage napkins, just remember to keep it small and tasteful. As for your dinner plates, if you really love to have your logo on it, center it, make it something to uncover and discover at the end of

You want to provide your culinary team with low profile plates with a cleaner line and less decoration.” your meal. Another tasteful trick is to imprint your logo on cold drink cups so you can advertise when you are walking around. You can even put your logo on the guest towels in the bathroom, in case you want to remind them where they are. And of course the classic logoed matchbook so that your guests can take something home as a memento, not to mention the basically free advertising. All of these items are a more sim-

ple, classier, and most importantly cheaper way to imprint your logo. You will save time and money waiting on custom china and it will be less cumbersome to put in your bag then a butter dish. While still providing advertising and displaying that logo you put so much effort into. It’s a new era of culinary dining so let’s leave the gold etched logos in the past.

Liz Weiss is the President and coowner of Armonk, NY based H. Weiss Co. She is known nationally as one of the nation’s foremost authorities on tabletop design. The Michigan State graduate is also actively involved with WPO-Women’s Presidents Organization. Comments may be sent to eweiss@hweiss.net.

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FAITHFUL FOOD

WITH FAITH HOPE CONSOLO

New for You in Food – NYC 2017

ur city’s ever-changing restaurant scene promises openings, big and small, formal and casual, and yummy concepts you never saw coming. So far, 2017 is becoming the year of new restaurants to look forward to…. Here are some of the latest and greatest that foodies are talking about. ABCV 38 E. 19th Street Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s long-delayed veggie-focused restaurant, co-created by ABC Carpet & Home CEO Paulette Cole, will open early this year with a menu from chef de cuisine Neal Harden. The 75-seat restaurant will serve both vegan and vegetarian dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sure to be fresh and fabulous, and what decor! Agern Grand Central Terminal 89 E 42nd Street Legendary NOMA co-founder Claus Meyer has brought another elite restaurant to New York. Danish culinary entrepreneur Claus Meyer is a legend after NOMA in Copenhagen. His first US venture, opened a few months ago, has gourmets lining up and big waiting lists. Icelandic executive chef Gunnar Gíslason serves simple, clean but memorable dishes with distinctly Nordic flavors. Bevy 153 West 57th Street

of modernized classics. Housed in the former space of The Back Room in Central Park South, Bevy will feature a completely renovated interior with rustic, New American fare prepared by chef de cuisine Chad Brauze, formerly of Rotisserie Georgette. DaDong New York 3 Bryant Park aka 1095 Sixth Avenue Celebrity chef Dong Zhenxiang will make his stateside debut mid to late-2017. The Beijing-based concept is hailed as one of China’s best roast duck restaurants. The Bryant Park location, at Sixth Avenue and 42nd St, will be in 13,000 square feet on the second and third floors of the glass cube retail space. Keste Wall Street 77 Fulton Street Father and daughter pizzaioli Roberto and Giorgia Caporuscio, and Raffaele Tramma, are opening their third family-owned Neapolitan pizzeria. The new location will have 120 seats, an on-premise pizza school with individual cooking stations for hands-on courses and private events, plus house-made pastries every day. Delish! The Spaniard 190 West 4th Street From the team behind Bua and Wilfie & Nell, this retro throwback featuring design inspired by iconic New York restaurant institutions Keens and P.J. Clarke’s, with a menu

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White Gold 375 Amsterdam Avenue April Bloomfield is one of the most highly acclaimed British chefs in New York. Her newest venture features a full-service restaurant with 38 seats that also doubles as a butcher’s shop. The location is on the Upper West Side. DO, Cookie Dough Confections 550 LaGuardia Place This newly opened spot in Greenwich Village is where you can eat cookie dough without guilt! It is completely safe to eat the way you’ve been sneaking it for years — straight from the mixing bowl. Enjoy some in its ready-to-eat state, mix it into ice cream, throw it in the oven to half or fully bake it. The safety secret is pasteurized egg product instead of raw egg. Plus, most of the cookie flavors can also be ordered gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan. Playboy Club Restaurant Cachet Boutique New York Hotel 510 West 42nd Street The new Cachet Boutique New York hotel opening in Midtown later this year will be home to a location of Playboy Club — returning this legendary institution to NYC for the first time in more than 30 years. For this endeavor, Playboy Enterprises is teaming up with Merchants Hospitality and Cachet Hospitality Group to open the club, which will feature a lounge, a game

Faith Hope Consolo is the Chairman of Douglas Elliman’s Retail Group. Ms. Consolo is responsible for the most successful commercial division of New York City’s largest residential real estate brokerage firm. Email her at fconsolo@elliman.com

room, and a full-service restaurant. Hosts, dining room servers, and cocktail servers will be dressed as Playboy Bunnies, according to their announced plans. The hotel will feature 100+ rooms, an outdoor Jacuzzi, and an outdoor events space. Playboy Club first opened in New York in 1962 as one of Hugh Hefner’s exclusive men’s clubs, where sometimes the models that showed up in Playboy magazine doubled as servers for the club’s clientele. The club in New York closed in 1986, along with many other locations around the world. Besides the return of a club to New York City, the plan is now to open clubs throughout Asia. The Pickle Guys 357 Grand Street The team behind popular Lower

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BOOTH #4227

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Faith Hope Consolo, from page 70 East Side shop The Pickle Guys is now creating an actual restaurant with a new fried pickle shop. The kosher pickle shop recently moved aross the street to a new location at 357 Grand St., where their famous retail store will be accompanied by a small, counter-service restaurant. The pickle retail portion is already open, but the restaurant won’t be ready until the spring. The Good Sort 5 Doyers Street Eddy Buckingham and Jeff Lam -- of newly opened Chinese Tuxedo, a full restaurant in a former Chinatown opera house on Doyers -- will open a small, vegan coffee and tea spot that will serve dishes that represent their respective Australian and Chinese backgrounds. This little stretch is already busy with Apo-

Lobster Place, from page 50

théke Cocktail Bar, underground Mexican joint Pulqueria and the famous Num Wah Tea Parlor. More the merrier! 33 Greenwich 33 Greenwich Avenue In partnership with Ralph Lauren Home, restaurateur Danny Volk of The Upsider is opening an elegant Southern restaurant. The concept is supposed to blend New Orleans townhouse glamor with Southern diner accessibility. Expected to open in March. Food boundaries are always in flux and good taste is at the tip of the tongue, but is so much more. Enjoy these new restaurants and watch for my next edition of Faithful Food! Happy Dining!

BOOTH #1653

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What advice do you have for the creation of a seafood menu? First things first – you have to know and trust your fishmonger and have a relationship based on communication. If nothing else, seafood is the most dynamic protein. Price and availabilities are always in flux. Generally speaking, aquaculture items like Bronzini, Salmon, Oysters, and Mussels and frozen items like White Shrimp, Octopus, and Squid will be the most consistent price and availability-wise. Wild and seasonal items like Striped Bass, Tuna, Mahi Mahi, Red Snapper, and Cod can be harder to predict. Give your fishmonger some latitude to help choose menu substitutes for you – because there will always be times when certain fish just aren’t biting. What are the pros and cons of these different sources for seafood supply?

Broadliners (Sysco/US Foods etc.) can be strong in some frozen foods, but typically fresh cut to order fish is not their forte. Also, they typically have very large order minimums and early cutoff times. Seafood Specialists: The Lobster Place is a full service seafood purveyor. We’ve spent 40+ years building relationships with fresh and frozen seafood sources around the world; we process your order in a pristine facility that knows how to handle fish; our trucks make two daily deliveries and you can order as late as 3am for delivery by lunch service; our team of fish mongers is standing by from 6am to midnight to speak to you IN PERSON. We make our living focused on seafood and seafood only – you can’t go wrong with a specialist. To learn more about sourcing seafood with The Lobster Place, visit their website at http://lobsterplace.com/ pages/wholesale-welcome.

Insight. Encouragement. And a fresh point of view on foodservice success. No matter how you prep, cook, store or serve, The NAFEM Show can help you excel. Find the equipment and supplies you need to meet any challenge – plus the inspiration and know-how to please every diner. There’s no show like it on earth. There’s still time to get $500 toward your travel expenses, and free registration – visit thenafemshow.org/totalfood500

500+ equipment and supplies exhibitors

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Inspiring innovations

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Mathews, from page 10 Darren Denington, They’ll talk about how do you recruit and hire better to retain longer to save some costs on your turnover? How do you put your purchasing programs in a systematic way to save some money on your purchasing, minimizing your loss to absorb some of the money you’re losing on that minimum wage. They’re about helping the industry go forward, helping restaurants succeed. One of the issues we’re all concerned with is, are people replaceable with technology? Are there technological efficiencies that can help make more of an impact on helping a business be successful? We spend a lot of time out there culling and finding the best products and the best organizations that represent the next level of technology. There are a lot of mobile applications now. You can order your coffee ahead at Starbucks and it’s ready when you get

there. There are a lot of new apps out there – for ordering, paying capabilities, making suggestions on obtaining customer data, all those things. You’re going to see a lot of things that are linking into POS. The NAFEM show is a place where a lot of products are launched. Will you have some of those products? I’m sure people like Electro Freeze will bring something in. They had new soft serve machines, nine flavors coming out of one handle, this year. But that’s the great thing, Equipex always has something new in their induction. I believe Taylor Products will exhibit some new heat treatment freezers that they’re representing. It’s always a wonderful show in terms of new food trends, new beverage trends. Where are we in terms of healthier foods? How does this show reflect how people want to eat?

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You’ll see an increased number of healthy choice items and healthy options, whether it’s gluten-free or low-salt or different types of greens. There’s an item in our new product area, called the Hummistir, organic, shelf-stable humus, non-refrigerated until it’s stirred. GO VEGGIE is a shelfstable vegan product that’s like a Parmesan-style topping. They say it’s the cheese taste but it’s plant-based. And what about beverages? We’ll have at least 15 companies in that area, and we’ve had a lot of craft beverages, craft alcohols, craft vodkas. And then there’s a great potato vodka, something called 1857 Potato Vodka. And that’s a New York-based product, coming from the Barber family farms in upstate New York. So the craft and boutique products are still huge. What can you tell us about Ferdinand Metz’s forum?

We have 30-plus sessions that we put on every single year put together by Ferdinand and our faculty and our staff, programs that are vetted properly with the right content to deliver takeaways that have immediate impact for improvement in the business. So whether it’s figuring out how to cut costs, whether it’s how to use social media, whether it’s how to get better scheduling, it helps the restaurateur to become more profitable, to grow their business, build loyalty, become more systematized and organized. Because the restaurant business is crazy, no day is like the other. And these guys work a million hours. So if we could figure out how to cut a little bit of time, increase a little bit of quality, get a little more efficiency in there – I don’t think anybody can go into one of these classes and not pick up one immediately applicable concept or idea from that session.

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Publicover, from page 64 mine, you can detect nascent rot, and any seafood with off-smells should be rejected). a. Detecting bad odors in fresh fish is an effective means of determining whether the product has been subjected to abusive conditions. b. Using a metal stem thermometer, take the internal temperature of your fish; it must be less than 410F and should be closer to 320F. c. Smell something fishy? “When in doubt, send it back!” Empower your team to refuse product that doesn’t pass the sniff test and/or is above 410F. 3. Seafood or fish is stored on ice, under refrigeration, until ready to be processed. 4. Processing time is kept to a minimum: never allow your fish temp to rise above 700F, and return your seafood immediately to refrigeration after trimming, filleting, or portioning. 5. Cook fish directly from refrigera-

tion. (Cook-to temperature is 1450F internal). If you are ever unfortunate enough to have a case of scombroid poisoning in your restaurant, take care of your guest immediately, including calling 911 and ensuring the guest is comfortable until qualified medical personnel arrives. Then freeze the suspect seafood for future testing by a qualified laboratory, call the Dept of Health to report the issue (yes, you are required to call DOH!) and make sure your insurance agent is in the loop.

References: Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Fourth Edition; Modern Food Microbiology, Seventh Edition; FDA’s Bad Bug Book (Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook), Second Edition; Article 81 of the New York City Health Code.

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HUB, from page 44 likely recover more quickly from a loss and be viewed as a better insurance risk. A BCP gives you a roadmap to recovery following a shutdown. This plan helps you identify and control added expenses, provides a realistic view of downtime, and offers a faster timeframe to return to normal, as well as an assessment of risks, threats and recovery requirements specific to your operation. How the plan is communicated and applied is just as important as the plan itself. Distributing the plan and testing it with key personnel ahead of an event can minimize disruption. Having copies stored at an offsite location should also be part of the planning process. ACCOUNT FOR CHANGES AND DISRUPTION

MARKET NETWORK

6. What external market factors could influence your BI value? It’s important to consider external factors such as economic changes, the competitive landscape, circumstances that could impact suppliers or customers, and regulatory developments. 7. Do you have a plan to address network security and the costs of a data breach or network disruption? BI insurance complements your Business Owner Package (BOP) or property policy. However, when assessing your BI value, you also should take the opportunity to review your Cyber Risk coverage. A Cyber Risk policy will cover network BI and reimburse income lost and expenses incurred if your network falls prey to a cyber-attack. Since cyber-attacks can take time to re-

cover from, especially in the case of a ransomware event, you should create a network interruption plan with the assistance of a cyber security specialist. UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF KEY SUPPLIERS, CUSTOMERS AND LEADERSHIP 8. Do you depend on a few suppliers for your revenue? Companies relying on a few key suppliers could be in serious trouble if one or more of those suppliers were forced out of business by a BI event. Similarly, the loss of a key customer could be disastrous. Companies with vulnerabilities to key suppliers or customers should consider contingent BI coverage and account for the value of that customer or supplier and its potential impact on the balance sheet.

9. If your business is led by a small team or a few pivotal employees, have you considered disability or key person insurance for them? Income loss can result from the death of or, more commonly, from the loss of access to, or disability of, a key hire. If your operations are managed and led by a small group of employees who directly impact revenues, you should include a review of disability considerations for them when valuing your business. Work with an insurance advisor familiar with the restaurant industry to help you establish a business continuity plan and ensure that you are properly protected and able to bounce back in the event your operations come to an unexpected halt.

Give your customers what they want—natural ingredients and great ﬂavor. Restaurants around the world use Bascom Family Farms maple syrup to enhance appetizers, entrees and desserts. With our seven generations of experience in the production and use of maple products, you can be sure that you’re using the best for your customers. Contact us today for product, delivery information, and recipes.

info@maplesource.com

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802.257.8100

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Bobrow, from page 26 reads USDA Certified Organic. To drum up sales, side by side tastings can be organized for your guests. Organic vs. non-Organic liquors (and beers) will drive sales, it’s well proven. Certainly the conversation that includes craft liquors made from organically grown ingredients couldn’t hurt from the standpoint of more sales. Your guests are already doing their shopping at Whole Foods, so you know they are eating better, why not drink better too? An organic liquor like a vodka may start an entire pathway of liquid driven education for your guest. Then you can start juicing all your citrus fresh. (We can always hope). And that’s not even scratching the surface of Biodynamic and Organic wine production. There is a lifetime of spirits education available to your guests that costs absolutely nothing and makes your bar staff the go/to for learning of all kinds. Which of course adds to sales and your bottom line. Make it fun!

es with this mixture and wipe with a lint free cloth. The finish will be sparkling and the white vinegar neutralizes any remaining odors that sometimes linger inside the dish machine. Clean all the liquor and the wine bottles that are around the bar with this mixture. I like to use a colorful French style kitchen towel. It’s fun. 5. Punch! Make a punch of the day. It’s easy and inexpensive. One of the great ways to get rid of products that are at the bottom of the bottle is by making a punch of the day. And since this is the end of many bottles, you should always use the very best juices available. This makes the use of the end of the bottle impossible to detect. There is nothing wrong with doing things simply and with love. A smile goes a long way. Remember the guest is coming to see you, it’s just not the other way around. Don’t ever forget that!

4. Bartenders need something to do, everyone should have some sort of side-work. Bar staff should be always cleaning glasses, doing something with their hands, instead of tapping at their phones. If you are like me, having started in the food industry as a lowly pot-scrubber/dish washer back in the mid-1980’s (way before cell-phones), I’m pretty particular about caring for fine glassware. Certainly the modern equipment is more sophisticated now in this era of fast and casual dining. The new mechanized technology certainly does a better job with clarity due to modern chemicals and judicious applications of heat. I like to offer an old-fashioned approach that is very effective for putting an extra shine on the glassware. Add a few capfuls of regular white vinegar to a spray bottle with plain tap water. Spray inside the glass80 • February 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

BOOTHS #1931 + 1945

BOOTH #1810

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Sampson, from page 24 are still too many locations.” Strelzik estimated that the market is oversupplied by as many as 4,500 units, based on demand trends since the recession. “When you look at the chains, they’ve been slow to adapt to the changing environment,” Strelzik said. Casual-dining restaurants are having a hard time for several reasons. A growing number of competitors, such as fast-casual concepts, have been growing at a breakneck pace. As such, the share of casual-dining markets has been steadily declining. The segment’s share of restaurant industry transactions has fallen 20 percent over the past eight years, according to Strelzik, but the segment’s share of locations has declined only 10 percent. That brings us to the question of what to do with locations that are not producing. How many chain operations does one see with a “We are closed until further notice” sign posted somewhere on the premises? Few, if any. The major chains rarely allow a franchised unit to close, even if it means their taking it over until they can find a new operator. One of the more recent companies faced with closing units is Ruby Tuesday; their number of such locations was 95. Of the 724 units remaining, Ruby Tuesday owns 646. Then there are those brands—for whatever reason—which allow their units to take on a tired look: carpets need replacing, the parking lot is not marked, the décor is dated, and so on. Such is not the case for Ruby Tuesday. They have tried various theme menu changes and price adjustments. I would not write them off; while they might downsize, I believe they will prevail. As to the question, “How many restaurants are enough?” My response is simply, “It depends on your location.” I offer a look at five congressional districts in New York State and the number of restaurants and employees they represent, and then you make the call. Each congressional district represents

approximately 717,000 people. Carolyn Maloney (D), Manhattan: 4,898 restaurants, 68,512 employees; Jerry Nadler (D), Manhattan: 3,604 restaurants, 50,000 employees; Louis McIntosh Slaughter (D), Rochester: 1,400 restaurants, 19,000 employees; Brian Higgins (D), Erie and Niagara: 1,553 restaurants, 21,727 employees; Chris Collins (R), Erie: 1,521 restaurants, 21,145 employees. Obviously, population dictates the number of restaurants in these vari-

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ous areas. In fact, I believe Carolyn Maloney has more restaurants in her district than any other member of Congress. What is my purpose in making these comparisons? It is to say that it is practically impossible to determine how many restaurants are enough or too many. With 5,000 restaurants in Congresswoman Maloney’s district, it would seem saturated with restaurants—and it is—yet, note that her district has many apartment buildings

where the population resides upward, not spread outward. While there is a continual turnover of eating places, the problem for most of them is not competition as much as rising rents and employee turnover. It is not my intent to minimize Mr. Strelzik’s findings. I feel certain they are correct. However, even if there are 4,500 too many casual-dining operations spread out over 48 contiguous states, I think our economy will eventually absorb them.

BOOTH #1213

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Samuelsson, from page 46 cus their students on the basic technical skills needed to get started in the industry together with the very important “soft” or employable skills that are needed for success. They come to work on time, eager to learn, and willing to do whatever is asked of them. They enter our restaurant ready to be mentored. Why is mentoring so important to C-CAP? A factor holding back many chefs is the lack of mentors. Nonetheless, a growing number of chefs from many ethnic groups and races are stepping up and serving as role models for talented cooks. We have so many chefs volunteering to help us around the country. As many of the alumni are competing on TV food shows, our support is so important. C-CAP NY alum Sylva Senat, formerly at Dos Tacos in Philadel-

phia, appeared on the 14th season of Top Chef on Bravo. He is one of the C-CAP students that I mentored in my restaurant and I am so proud of his accomplishments. You’ve worked in some of the finest kitchens in Europe. Tell us about the cultural exchange opportunities C-CAP is providing for alumni. We were able to offer several culinary scholarship exchange opportunities for our alumni last year and we will increase the number of opportunities this year. This was the first year that C-CAP and Olesay, a premier organization that promotes global education and international learning through internships, have partnered together to provide two stages for five months at the threeMichelin-starred restaurant, Sant Pau, located in Catalunya, Spain; Krystal Lewis, was the Sous Chef of

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The Spotted Pig and now is a Line Cook at Public both in New York City; and Rafael Perezchica, is a Sous Chef at Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs, California. With the collaborative efforts of Asociacion de Turismo Madrid, Olesay will offer seven scholarships to C-CAP for our alumni to work abroad in Madrid at Michelin-starred restaurants for three-month externships. With the support of The Gohan Society, C-CAP Alum Brother Luck, Chef/ Owner of Brother Luck Street Eats in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was awarded a two-week scholarship to Japan to explore Japanese culture and cuisine. In addition, he was also awarded the inaugural The Joyce Chen and Helen Chen Foundation Fund Scholarship, extending his cultural experience into China for an additional week.

How can the industry help C-CAP? C-CAP is proud to be a leading culinary education for our nation’s youth. We need to help broaden the students’ exposure to the industry through job training and job shadows, stages and internships here in the United States and through culinary exchange programs abroad. We must continue to stock the classrooms with the finest ingredients and equipment that the school budgets don’t normally purchase. We welcome industry professionals into the classrooms to prepare these inspiring students for the real world. For more information and to get involved, visit the website at www. ccapinc.org

NEWS

INTERNATIONAL EVENTS

HOTELEX Shanghai 2017 Offers More Hospitality Industry Sourcing Opportunities Across Two Events

rom more than 25 years of growth as the leading sourcing event for the hotel, restaurant and catering industry, the Shanghai International Hospitality Equipment & Supply Expo (HOTELEX Shanghai) 2017 will continue to offer even more segmented and abundant hospitality sourcing options with the phasing of HOTELEX Shanghai into two events. HOTELEX Shanghai (Phase One), focusing on hospitality supplies, food and catering will be held March 28-31 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center (SNIEC), followed by the newly launched “HOTEL PLUS” event focusing on building design, furnishing and facilities management for hotels and other commercial properties, held April 26-28 also at SNIEC. HOTELEX Shanghai has seen a substantial growth over the years and its 2016 edition attracted over 2,200 exhibitors and 116,000 visitors from more than 110 countries and regions. To accommodate the demand for more space as well as streamlining the procurement experience of hotel professionals, the organizers of HOTELEX Shanghai will launch HOTEL PLUS next year to take place one month after HOTELEX Shanghai towards the end of April. (HOTELEX Shanghai will return on March 28-31, 2017 and is expected to once again attract over 110,000 international visitors) After the split, HOTELEX Shanghai

will continue to focus on hotel equipment and supplies as well as fine food and ingredients. The building design, decoration, furnishing, lighting, cleaning and facilities segments will be moved under the HOTEL PLUS brand. Targeting hotels, shopping malls, restaurants, office buildings, hospitals and other public commercial properties, HOTEL PLUS consists of 17 thematic pavilions across different sectors, many of which are wellestablished events within their own industries. The new mega event helps architects, interior designers, building engineers and contractors, facilities managers, business owners, franchisors and franchisees and retailers to find new products, technologies, services and solutions that are related to the commercial built environment. “HOTELEX Shanghai has grown significantly and further expansion is

limited by the venue,” said Mark Lu, Deputy General Manager, Shanghai UBM Sinoexpo Ltd. “Launching HOTEL PLUS is a strategic move which not only releases more exhibition space for HOTELEX Shanghai, but also helps to achieve a better sourcing experience for buyers coming from the relevant sectors.” “Although several core thematic segments are relocated to HOTEL PLUS, the sales for the remaining segments at HOTELEX Shanghai, including hospitality supplies, catering equipment and food & beverage, continue to thrive. We are very pleased that some 90% of exhibiting space has been sold although there are well more than three months to the event,” said Mr. Lu. Apart from being one of the world’s largest hospitality and fine food exhibitions, HOTELEX Shanghai also hosts more than 30 industry events and

seminars. The China Barista Championship, for instance, is known as the Olympic Games in the barista world. The China Gelato Championship, the World of Bread Contest - China Selection, the China Master Bartender Competition and the Shanghai Pizza Master Competition are just a handful of examples of world-class contests taking place during the four-day event. (Over 30 hospitality industry events take place at HOTELEX Shanghai) HOTELEX Shanghai will be held on March 28-31, 2017. For more information about HOTELEX Shanghai including pre-registration please visit http:// en.hotelex.cn/exhibition/shanghai/. HOTEL PLUS, a sequel to HOTELEX Shanghai, will be inaugurated on April 26-28, 2017. For more information on HOTEL PLUS including pre-registration please visit http://ez.jiagle.com/ hotelplus.

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Sederholt, from page 28 ing a popular choice for businesses due to its low filing fees and boasts of zero state corporate tax, franchise fees and personal income taxes. Who could refuse that?!! Maybe you should! For a bigger company, these states can offer advantages. However, for a local restaurant or foodservice company there is no point. As a general rule of thumb, if your corporation or LLC will have less than five to six

shareholders or members, it’s best to incorporate or form an LLC in the state where your business has its physical presence. This means the state where your business is physically located. For the average Main Street (and mid-sized local) business it’s going to be much easier and less expensive for you to incorporate or form an LLC in your home state. You may have to file as a foreign or out of state business and face

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extra fees, filings and restrictions on the opening of bank accounts in your state and more. Unless you are bigger and have a bunch of shareholders you can easily eat up all the benefits you hoped for in unrealized fees and filings that you never expected. If your financing goals are far grander and you will be looking for capital from commercial banks, the private equity (PE) world or in

the public markets, your structure may be the key to your success. Many successful LLCs get financing through these channels, with one exception. If you qualify and are willing to go through the gauntlet of an IPO (Initial Public Offering) of your stock, you MUST be a corporation. If you formed in Delaware it will be an easier regulatory chore than if you were a New York corporation. No matter what, you can’t take an LLC “public” regardless of the state. Piercing the protections of a corporate veil? Even with the right legal structure, ownership, members, shareholders will often be required to sign personal guarantees for business financing. The very protections from liability you were seeking are still in place, however you are now stepping forward to assure the lender that if the business fails, the owners will make good on the obligation. Without it banks, the SBA and most alternative lenders will not finance you. If you aren’t willing to stand behind the loan, why should they? So ask yourself – to be or not to be - an Inc. or LLC and why? Determine what state is the best state for you to form in and then structure your business accordingly. Sole proprietorships may seem cheaper at the outset, but can cost you dearly later. If you want banks and alternative non-bank finance companies to consider financing you - form an LLC at minimum. If you want to become a titan on Wall Street and see your stock on a ticker - an “Inc.” should follow your businesses name. How do I know? As a serial entrepreneur I have formed dozens of companies, financed all of them and taken two restaurant companies public on NASDAQ. I have made many mistakes and taken many lumps. No reason for you to do the same. Think it through before you choose.

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Scoop, from page 42 resentatives from the New York Education Alliance Boys & Girls Club to support after-school programming. Thirty students from the middle school gathered in the cafeteria that was transformed into a mini kitchen with grills and shake machines. The junior chefs enjoyed building their burgers and topping shakes as well as creating art from ketchup. Chef Calvin Harris, Johnny Rockets’ Director of Culinary Innovation, shared tips on how the boys and girls could help out in the kitchen at home. The students received junior chef hats, T-shirts with the saying Stay Original – Johnny Rockets’ tag line commemorating the brand’s 30-year history of serving its Original, fresh, never frozen 100% beef burgers. Stay Original also imparts to the students the importance of individuality. In addition, the junior chefs received gift cards and individual instant photos placed in a card that read Stay Original. Founded in 1986,

Johnny Rockets operates more than 380 franchise and corporate locations in 30 countries around the world.

Famed SI Pizzeria Joe & Pat’s To Make Manhattan Debut Scoop says another famed Staten Island pizzeria is making its way across the harbor. The Castleton Corners pizza spot Joe & Pat’s plans to bring its thin-crust pies to open an East Village outpost later this year. “Joe & Pat’s will take over the former Lanza’s Restaurant space at 168 First Ave. with a 50seat restaurant and full bar the pizzeria expects to open within six months,” owner Casey Pappalardo said. “It’s going to be the same pizza, the same quality of ingredients we’ve been serving,” Pappalardo said. Pappalardo noted that other family members operate pizzerias around Manhattan, but this one will be the first with the Joe & Pat’s name to open outside of Staten Island. “I always

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wanted to go to Manhattan,” he said. “It’s the Big Apple. It’s a whole different ball game.” The news has some longtime customers excited that they won’t have to venture to the outer borough for a pie anymore. “There’s a lot of people who come from the city to Joe & Pat’s, and they’re all really excited that they don’t have to make the trip,” Pappalardo said. His family opened Joe & Pat’s almost 60 years ago and it has regularly been ranked as one of the best pizzerias in the city. It’s the second highly rated pizzeria to venture to Manhattan after Denino’s Pizzeria opened up a West Village outpost last year.

Villa Restaurant Group Hits Hole-In-1 for Family Reach Scoop says thank you to Villa Restaurant Group, who presented a check for $48,000 to Family Reach, a financial lifeline to families with a child or parent afflicted with cancer. The

funds were raised during Villa Restaurant Group’s annual charity golf outing and dinner at Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club, where 110 golfers gathered to enjoy playing 18 holes while raising money for the cause. Golf was followed by a cocktail hour featuring a raffle giving away electronics, sporting tickets, memorabilia and much more.

(L to R) Lori Orrico, Event Organizer and Villa Restaurant Group employee; Marilyn Morello, Co-Founder, Family Reach; Ben Scotto, President, Villa Restaurant Group; Rick Morello, Co-Founder, Family Reach; Anthony Scotto, CEO Villa Restaurant Group.

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SML Stainless, from page 56 its comprehensive team of design engineers. “We always work to meet your expectation and budget. Our goal is to provide flexibility so that we can provide value added design elements that cross over budget, while maintaining the brand integrity and the overall customer experience. We also know that it’s often difficult to balance design intent and the customer experience. So we regularly work with customers to optimize their space, ensure that the workflow is efficient, while integrating our fabrication to have a seamless look. We also understand that food safety is a priority so we design with an eye towards maximizing ease of cleaning and sanitation,” Sauriol continued. SML USA is building its reputation with its ability to read and respond to the latest design trends. “It could be creating a modular concept for a food hall ,or creating an open grab

and go with rear doors. That’s the kind of challenges that are driving us,” she said. Attention to detail is essential to the SML USA mission. “All of our items are conceived to have no sharp edges and we hand polish everything that we make. We pay particular attention to ensure that handles, for example, are perfectly smooth and perfectly rounded so their touch is perfect,” she added. Sauriol brings a unique perspective to her role. She began her career working her way through school in restaurant positions. That perspective enables her to listen to the needs of the Metro New York foodservice consultant and dealer community and respond to the needs of their end-user client base. “We ultimately want to prove that we are a great partner and can simplify life for the dealers and consultants.”

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Schechter, from page 52

regular basis. Here’s how a grease trap (pictured above) works: Dirty water goes into the trap from the top pipe and exits through the low pipe. The grease on the top needs to be removed before the entire trap is clogged causing the grease to block one or both of the pipes or baffles in the trap. Some restaurants may have small grease interceptors under a sink that can be cleaned by your staff and do not require professional service. For these types of grease traps simply remove the top of the interceptor and clean out the grease basket and dispose of properly from the restaurant. It’s important to note that New York City indicates that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) routinely sends inspectors to verify that businesses have appro-

priate and well-maintained grease interceptor systems. Restaurants not in compliance with DEP regulations run the risk of being fined. The good news is that New York City restaurants can now order grease trap and grease interceptor maintenance services on-demand with the SendaGuy Now app, without the need for a service contract. The SendaGuy Now app helps your repair and maintenance tasks to run as efficiently as your kitchen. You can learn more at www.sendaguy.com/pm Important links: https://www1.nyc.gov/nycbusiness/description/grease-interceptor-information https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dep/ pdf/busgrs_english.pdf

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Pastry, from page 6 •

Jordan Weston Snider, Fairmount Grand Del Mar (CA)

“Since 1989 we have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with the International Restaurant Show of New York in hosting the annual US Pastry Competition,” said Dominique Noel, Vice President at Paris Gourmet Inc. “We look forward to bringing the best pastry chefs in the country to the event to create true works of art, which will be evident in the theme of modern master artists. Our prestigious panel of judges from the Society Culinaire Philanthropique will critique and analyze each of the entrees in this advanced-level competition while selecting the US Pastry Chef of the Year.” The event is hosted by Paris Gourmet, a leading specialty food importer and distributor sourcing

products worldwide with service throughout North America. The event is co-sponsored by Cacao Noel Chocolate, Pastry 1 (pastry ingredients), Beurremont Butter, Gourmand and Maison de Choix. The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, sponsored by the New York State Restaurant Association, will bring together 550+ vendors and 16,000 restaurant, foodservice and retail professionals to the Jacob Javits Convention Center March 5-7, 2017. Attendees of the Expo will have the opportunity to participate in over 30 educational sessions at the Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum, the gold standard, industry-leading educational conference dedicated to foodservice professional development. For more information, visit www. internationalrestaurantny.com or www.thefoodshows.com

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Tucker, from page 14 We then waited for three hundred and forty additional minutes to hear the results. The trepidation on my face and red pom poms in my hands were captured on the live feed and I began to receive texts from around the US. Our customers at the Philadelphia Cricket Club alongside their sales representative, Rick Snyder, questioned if the results were coming in faster live or if the award presentation was simply delayed almost two hours. The most historic moment in American cuisine arrived around 8pm in Lyon as Mathew Peters reached the summit. America had won the Bocuse D’Or for the first time in its thirty year history! When asked about his motivation, Mathew Peters shared this quote. “If you want to become the best, then you must go forward and walk with the best.” The Per Se Sous-Chef

The most historic moment in American cuisine arrived around 8pm in Lyon as Mathew Peters reached the summit. America had won the Bocuse

D’Or for the first time in its thirty year history! took the past year off to train for this monumental day. His boss and Team USA President, Thomas Keller exclaimed that “there are no words to describe how proud we are.” To other publications who criticize Thomas Keller for the cost of his cuisine, or write about the irrelevance of this moment just hours after the accomplishment, reconsider

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the impact of your words on the people and companies who were instrumental in this momentous occasion and what they do for each and every one of us. Learn more at MentorBKB.org and support those who put great American culinary center stage for the first time. For everyone in the culinary ecosystem that was a part of this win, thank

you. Being your cheerleader is not a responsibility I take lightly. There are three very special companies I would like to spotlight in this feature. Villeroy and Boch is the official plateware sponsor of the Bocuse D’Or. This year’s competition featured their latest Artesano Collection. Should you like to see this dinnerware along with others from V&B, stop into our customer, The Standard Hotels in NYC. The second is Steelite International, whom financially and physically supported Team USA on their entire #RoadToLyon and invited me to join them on this monumental ride. Finally, to the Singer Equipment Companies, for their commitment to strong partnerships and for supporting my #RoadToLyon.

M. Deitz, from page 18 tion restaurateur or a national chain account, with the same care, attention and service. Since we are a small company, we are nimble and flexible, and can do what is sometimes considered the impossible,” said Deitz. When it comes to food service trends, M. Deitz is always watching, either reading industry specific publications like yours truly, or by just simply listening to customers. Currently there is a renaissance with a search for value. “The advent of the internet and an influx of low quality imports have flooded the marketplace. Too many people, from dealers, to designers to end-users have been disappointed by poor quality. They purchased based on a picture they saw online or from a catalog just because it met a particular price point,” said Deitz. M. Deitz is able to monitor this in order to provide their customers with the best value and an education as to what they are getting.

M. Deitz provides its customers with the best possible value, highest quality product and with excellent customer service. It’s really no question why M. Deitz is constantly coming up with new innovative product ideas that make the lives of their customers easier. Aside from new products and ideas designed for the consumer, M. Deitz is also instrumental in helping their customers select the right furniture. “With years of experience and feedback from customers, we are able to recommend items that would be better suited to a particular application,” said Deitz. M. Deitz and Sons is an almost 100-year-old company designed to suit the needs of their customers and is obviously doing something right. So next time you are looking for seating solutions, think of M. Deitz and go to www.restaurantchairs.com or visit their showroom in Hillside, NJ and meet the M. Deitz family.

W E N

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BOOTH #2033