January 2023 - Total Food Service

On the heels of the reelection of Governor Kathy Hochul, New York’s restaurants saw significant state and local employment law developments that have gone into effect with the turn of the calendar to a new year.

As of December 31, 2022, the minimum wage for non-tipped workers increased to $15.00 per hour. The minimum wage for tipped staff remained at $10.00 per hour. The allowable “tip credit” for food service workers and service employees and the minimum cash wage increased for employ-

ees working outside New York City, Westchester, or Long Island. A food service worker is defined as any employee who is primarily engaged in the serving of food or beverages to guests, patrons, or customers in the hospitality industry, including, but not limited to, wait staff, bartenders, captains, and bussing personnel; and who regularly receives

tips from such guests, patrons, or customers. The term food service worker does not include delivery workers.

On January 1, 2023, an amendment to New York’s Paid Family Leave law went into effect, expanding the definition of “family member” to include siblings, meaning biological siblings, adopted sib -

lings, step-siblings, and half-siblings. Under the current law, employees can take up to 12 weeks of job-protected, paid leave to care for spouses, domestic partners, children and step-children, parents, parents-in-law, grandparents, and grandchildren with a serious health

By Sophia Maggio

SCHULSON ADDS NEW EATERIES TO PHILLY PORTFOLIO

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

Michael Schulson likes pizza with a bite. Toppings are essential – but for the New York native, dough is an equally delicate matter. So when he opened his first pizzeria, Prunella, at 13th and Sansom St in Philadelphia, PA, Schulson knew what he needed to do.

“There are all of these gourmet doughs, starters, and all of this stuff. What I don’t like about that pizza is that the crust is so thick, there’s no bite to it. There’s no crispiness, you can’t fold it over, it flops down. And I knew I didn’t want that.”

In pursuit of crispy, foldable crust, Schulson and his team created a cross between a New York-style slice and a personal pizza. They settled on a shareable, 14-inch pie, and it’s the pizza Schulson likes.

It’s his first time in the pizza business, but Schulson is no stranger to the restaurant industry. As a hospitality professional, Schulson understands how the right space – and the proper dough – can transform a standard meal into a culinary experience.

In 2008, Schulson opened his first restaurant, Izakaya, in Atlantic City. The Japanese pub marked the beginning of the Schulson Collective,

which expanded to Philadelphia in 2009. That year, Schulson introduced Sampan, which became a fast favorite among Philly foodies. Schulson’s Philadelphia assortment now includes Double Knot, Graffiti Bar, Independence Beer Garden, and other hotspots.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, restaurants closed throughout the U.S., and Philadelphia’s food scene – though vibrant – fell suit. Yet the availability of new real estate allowed Schulson to extend his reach in Philadelphia. Suddenly, he had “all the time in the world” to consider his next move in Philly – and he used this time to design Prunella.

While Schulson cannot understate the power of crispy crust, he attributes much of Prunella’s success to the space itself. Diners are surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows, natural lighting, and an iconic photo wall. In this bright, airy setting, guests tend to linger long after the final bite.

After Prunella’s successful reception in 2022, Schulson sought to replicate its intimate aesthetic in other Philly-based eateries. Earlier this year, he opened Samuel’s, an all-day deli that makes sandwiches, meats, pastries, and traditional, water-boiled bagels.

Like Prunella, Samuel’s stems

“Ultimately, we want to build beautiful, fun restaurants that people feel good in, which means great heating and AC, lighting, and design.”

— Michael Schulson

A sampling of the delicious cuisine at Michael Schulson’s Prunella in Philadelphia, PA.

BATTLE OVER FAST FOOD IN CALIFORNIA DELAYED BY COURT ORDER

California passed a fast food bill last summer aimed at raising wages and working conditions. Opponents said it would raise costs and blocked it with a petition to let voters decide. California planned to enact the law Jan 1st anyway, but a group filed a lawsuit and won a temporary hold on it.

A group won a temporary restraining order to stop California’s plan to implement a law on Jan. 1st late last month that could, among other things, raise the industry’s minimum wage to $22 per hour.

Save Local Restaurants filed a lawsuit in late December saying California couldn’t enact AB 257,

or the FAST Act, also known as Fast Food Recovery Act, as planned after the group on Dec. 5 submitted a petition signed by more than 1 million Californians to put the measure on the ballot in November 2024. Save Local Restaurants includes International Franchise Association, the National Restaurant Association,

and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The law would give an appointed 10-member state council, or “Fast Food Council,” wide-ranging authority over fast food and fast casual restaurants in California with more than 100 locations nationwide. The council could raise the minimum wage to $22 per hour in 2023 and up to 3.5% annually after that. It could also set minimum standards for working conditions, maximum hours worked, security, and more.

Normally, a petition for referendum would put the law on hold but earlier this week, the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) said it would implement the law as planned. DIR said the law should only be put on hold once the petition signatures are verified and the ballot referendum is formally approved, which could take weeks.

“Since the inception of the right of referendum over a century ago, approximately 52 referendum measures have made it on to the statewide ballot, over 50% of which ended up repealed by voters,” said Nielsen Merksamer attorney Kurt

continued on page 106

Main Office

282 Railroad Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830

Publishers

Leslie & Fred Klashman

Vice President of Sales and Marketing Michael Scinto

Art & Web Director Mark Sahm

SCOOP News Editor and Senior Contributing Writer Joyce Appelman

Contributing Writers Cherry Dumaual Francine Cohen

Editorial Interns Claudia Giunta Jackson Hart Karen Jones Keesha Joseph Zachary Kitay Sophia Maggio

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

continued on page 102

The battle has restaurateurs and foodservice operators across the Nation watching carefully. The bill includes a provision for minimum wage in Golden State restaurants to increase to $22 per hour.

By Claudia Giunta

VISIONARY KRINSKY LEADS CHARGE TO REINVIGORATE SAVANNAH, GA

Harley Krinsky, CEO of Sorry Charlie’s, has taken advantage of the rich charm and history that Savannah offers, bringing a timeless, yet contemporary new scene to the restaurant industry. By keeping the rich history of each of his venues while also considering how to create new memorable experiences for his audiences, Krinsky has established himself as a successful business owner. In a people-driven industry, Krinsky and his team look at the needs of their customers and act on their ever-growing interests, creating a trusting relationship between them.

Krinsky grew up in Atlanta, Georgia where his family already had deep roots in the service industry. In 2006 he moved to Savannah and came across an opportunity to establish himself in the marketplace. “I found a place in need of a bar and decided to move in on the project. I worked on it with a friend of mine from college and in 2011 we opened Congress Street

Social Club. In 2015, we successfully opened Sorry Charlie’s.”

Krinsky saw these restaurants as a vehicle to be an operation for real estate, while his passion for the food industry naturally grew alongside it. “The community and connections we established were a huge part of this. Most of our management has been with us for almost a decade and it’s hard not to let these people become intertwined in your life.” Krinsky attributes the success of a second unit to people on his team and the longevity and trust that is prioritized.

Sorry Charlie’s was the original name of the business that previously occu-

pied the space prior to Krinsky and his team finding and remodeling it. They left the iconic sign on the building that was left there for nine years. “It was a part of the building for that long, so it was a part of the building’s history and I liked that.” Unlike the high volume, high energy that Congress Street Social Club offers, Sorry Charlie’s brings more of a low country, affordable seafood environment. “There’s lots of places along River Street that offer fried shrimp baskets and quick bites, and we wanted to be an establishment that was approachable, but authentic. One mantra I’ve always had is if we get the locals, we’ll get the tourists. We fo-

cus on that and the rest will come.”

While Krinsky’s two establishments were never takeout centric, he was lucky enough to have remained open during the pandemic. “It was some of our toughest, but most rewarding years.” In terms of the changing labor market, Krinsky believes it will remain a people business. “I’m actually glad we didn’t pivot in takeout and delivering because part of our experience is coming out and seeing us.”

However, he and his team have evolved with social media marketing and like to market something affordable at all times to show their value.

“Social media is the way of the future so we keep up with the times in that regard. We have a social media presence and market our happy hours and ongoing offers.”

When considering the growth and potential of Savannah Krinsky shared his thoughts. “I like to consider Savannah as New Orleans’s little brother. We have an opportunity to be as big or bigger than Charleston and there’s more opportunity in Savannah than there’s ever been. I’m happy to be a part of it.”

While Krinsky and his team patiently wait and consider the right time and place for a third establishment, they are always improving their current locations. Sorry Charlie’s started as one floor, but in 2019 they bought the building next door to go up and create more bars and event spaces.

“We’re always looking to create multiple experiences within one establishment. We want to listen to our customers

order to continue being successful.”

in

“I like to consider Savannah as New Orleans’s little brother. We have an opportunity to be as big or bigger than Charleston and there’s more opportunity in Savannah than there’s ever been. I’m happy to be a part of it.” — Harley Krinsky

ITALIAN TRADE COMMISSION DEBUTS NEW VIDEO SERIES TO PROTECT TRUE OLD WORLD QUALITY

Genuine integrity has long been a hallmark of great Italian food. From oils and cheeses to what is served by top chefs around the globe, the Italian food industry has repeatedly taken that extra mile to protect its reputation.

With that spirit, the Italian Trade Commission (now Italian Trade Agency, ITA) has debuted an educational element to pursue its promotional strategy. This Fall, the Italian Restaurants Today campaign launched a new curriculum of virtual masterclasses for restaurateurs to ensure that they’re keeping up with the golden standards of Italian restaurants in the U.S.

The need for masterclasses arose from a substantial wave of new American tourists, coming back home from Italy with high expecta -

tions and seeking the same genuine flavors and superlative culinary experiences. Responding to this trend, Antonino Laspina, U.S. director of the Italian Trade Agency (ITA), developed a series of professional seminars to capitalize on what he defined as a fantastic phenomenon. “We have an important task to accomplish,” Laspina declares, “we have to make sure that chefs and dining consumers understand the uniqueness of what makes the Italian products special.”

The courses, still available online, are taught by two-star Michelin Chef Ernesto Iaccarino and Chef

Andrea Zanin named ‘best Italian pastry chef of 2005-2006.’ Those world-renowned authorities shared both Northern and Southern Italian cooking personal journeys with hundreds of eager attendees. Both chefs illustrated the ingredients and procedures of making the dishes, while also encouraging individual creativity within the process.

The masterclasses were designed to explain three crucial aspects that discerning palates and globetrotters are now looking for: quality, technique, and presentation. “Ingredients are fundamental for the quality of Italian foods,” Laspina told TFS, “if they use products not originally made in Italy, they cannot guarantee optimal performance of the dish, as expected by the customers. It’s one thing to use Italian mozzarella, another is to use local mozzarella. You can do it, but it is different.”

After learning about how to recognize the right ingredients and the narrative behind each recipe, mastering the art of cooking is the next step toward impressing customers--the set -

Laspina

up of the restaurant completes the whole package. “Italy is the land of design, including very sophisticated furniture. [Restaurants] should also be curated places where people can enjoy great food and wine, in an inviting setting” Laspina remarks, adding “It’s the cuisine that has conquered the world and these flavors have very distinct characteristics.”

Together, the two masterclasses can make a lasting impression on a menu, with an unforgettable entrée -dessert combination. Chef Iaccarino’s class focused on preparing Strascinati di Nonno Ernesto, a family-owned signature filled pasta on a light San Marzano tomato ragout. Chef Zanin, on a sweeter note, illustrated the scrumptious and energizing Tiramisù, which originated in his Veneto Region, providing surprising insights into the making of the most common des -

“It’s the cuisine that has conquered the world, and these flavors have very distinct characteristics.” — Antonino Laspina

Antonino

The beginning of the year can spark inspiration to set and achieve fresh goals, expand your business and come up with new ideas to attract customers. For as much inspiration that may be kindled, the beginning of the new year can also spark procrastination. Some of those pesky issues that may have been giving you headaches in the past don’t seem as important – or fun – as creating something new. But in order to make time for new priorities, it’s important to figure out how to spend less time and energy on activities that aren’t actively growing your business.

For many restaurant owners and managers, back office tasks like managing sales tax and delivery apps can be stress-inducing time sucks. Follow these three tips to make your back office tasks quicker and hassle-free. Gain back time and energy to focus on your 2023 goals and plans.

Back Office Productivity Tips

1.Update your bookkeeping now. Disorganized and messy bookkeeping causes stress and anxiety come tax season. For many restaurateurs, that stress comes not only from the income tax season, but also ongoing sales tax deadlines. Make sure all of your expenses are categorized and that you’ve accounted for all expenses including those made on credit cards.

You can reduce the amount of time spent on organizing your records by syncing your POS system with your accounting system. Many popular POS systems can integrate directly with accounting software, ensuring that your calculations are accurate.

2. Automate your sales tax.

Sales tax is a common headache for restaurant owners and managers. You must make sure you understand your state and locality’s deadlines for sales tax payments throughout the year. Once the deadline approaches, you must have the cash on hand to pay the tax liability. Both of these requirements require accurate sales data, a cash flow plan and attention to detail. The good news is that you can meet your sales tax liability on time and in full by automating the entire process.

Sales tax automation apps, like DAVO Sales Tax, can eliminate the entire complicated, manual process and tasks associated with reporting, filing and paying sales tax. With an automated process, you’re guaranteed to pay sales tax on time and in full. No more headaches and stress

about deadlines and paperwork. The app seamlessly integrates directly with the most popular POS systems with just a 5-minute set up.

3. Set up your 3rd party delivery apps (Grubhub, DoorDash, Uber Eats) to run through your POS.

It may be time to check or improve the way 3rd party food delivery apps are integrated with your POS and operations. We recommend making your POS the official record of all sales. Doing so ensures that you have an accurate sales number for your own reporting and tax reporting. In the last year, many states have changed the way the laws work around who is responsible for collecting and paying sales tax on these orders. Avoid double-paying or underpaying sales tax by reviewing your contract with the

food delivery partner and your POS set-up.

Sales Tax on Autopilot

DAVO Sales Tax can help you gain back valuable time to focus on the priorities that will help the business grow. With just a few minutes of set up, your sales tax process, filing and payments are on autopilot. Give it a try and see how much time and hassle you can save.

The app offers a free trial for the first month: shorturl.at/ryOZ3

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

By David Joseph, co-founder, DAVO by Avalara

As the public’s fear from the COVID-19 pandemic receded, pent-up desire for travel and leisure boosted revenue across various sectors. While pivots in business practices kept the hospitality industry afloat through tough times, lingering challenges such as economic uncertainty, ongoing labor shortages, higher costs of supplies, increasing insurance costs and changing consumer demands remain. Hospitality employers that engage in risk management and focus on recruit -

ment and retention will be poised to thrive in 2023.

Heading into 2023, here are some important things that hospitality business operators should consider when it comes to their profitability, vitality, and resiliency:

• An Uncertain Economy:

Supply chain shortages, inflation and increasing wages for workers continue to put pressure on hospitality profit margins. The industry will continue to feel inflationary pressure on food, beverage, and labor in 2023. According to the National Restaurant Association, 95% of restaurant owners are raising prices and 65% have made menu changes because of food costs or ingredient availability. Many restaurants have cut back hours and postponed expansion plans. 1

• A Difficult Insurance Market: Rising insurance costs for food and beverage will compound the industry’s profit burdens. Hospitality companies with liquor liability or live entertainment exposures can expect to pay 5%20% more for insurance in 2023. Training workers on how to identify alcohol-related risks and maintaining risk management protocols will be vital to reduce liabilities.

The hospitality prop -

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

erty insurance market will also remain challenging in 2023, forcing hospitality businesses to improve building resiliency and prioritize ongoing maintenance. With rates expected to rise at least 5% — 10%, restaurants need to show underwriters they are mitigating risk. Those with a proven risk management strategy that includes a post-disaster plan for recovery will secure better coverage terms and conditions. This emphasizes the importance of working with an experienced insurance advisor on initiative-taking strategies and risk management measures to appear as a favorable risk to the marketplace.

• An Emphasis on Sustainability: Consumer pressure on the hospitality industry to implement more environmentally friendly business practices is growing. In 2022, 87% of Americans said sustainable travel was somewhat or very important to them 2. From reducing waste by eliminating single-use items like toiletries or plastic food containers, hospitality businesses that want to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers would be wise to increase their sustainability efforts in 2023. Meanwhile, hospitality businesses should work with insur-

Robert

BURRATA

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

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

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

belgioioso.com/Foodservice

QUEENS CATERER LEMOINE BRINGS INSIGHT ON LATEST VIRTUAL BREAKFAST SESSION

Next VBS With TFS & L.Sashin On January 11th

The TFS co-sponsored Virtual Breakfast Session launched a new series last month. The inaugural “Coffee with…” Virtual Breakfast Session shared the story of one of Metro New York’s hot young rising industry stars: Yvan Lemoine.

Lemoine is the Chef/ Owner of My Kitchen, a catering and event venue in Forest Hills, NY. “Yvan has always been generous with his time us and we wanted our viewers to know more about this very talented chef and businessman”, stated Larry Sashin of L. Sashin and Assoc. who co-sponsor the event with TFS. Publisher/Editor Fred Klashman added, “Yvan’s journey to where he is today is the stuff movie scripts are made of.”

When asked how he chose Foodservice as an occupation Lemoine quipped, “I didn’t choose Foodservice, Foodservice seemed to choose me.” Being a poor, Venezuelan immigrant and having an artistic mindset on a new Culinary Arts Program in a school in Long Island City seemed “Cool and something I wanted to try”. There he learned that, “’Food is currency… If you were late to a class and gave the teacher a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie, all was forgiven.” Good food earned him the approval of others. A positive change in the school’s program moved its focus from concentrated “Home Economics” to

“Professional Kitchen Prep” and Yvan was on his way.

Internships with Roger Fessaguet at La Caravelle, Sirio Maccioni’s Le Cirque and Rocco DiSpirito’s Union Pacific honed his craft and gave him exposure on both sides of the house. During his tenure at these legendary restaurants, he picked up tips and techniques that would mold his methods and systems today. “I learned what guests want and need and then how to deal with chef and staff to get them what they need.”

Today those lessons pay dividends to both guests and staff. He often speaks about reopening the restaurant in the Queens location, but can’t, “Because we’re just too busy with par-

ties and events to do it effectively”.

When asked why he’s successful during these hard, competitive times he credits both the things he learned in the past and the style he and his wife Rebecca (front of the house manager) have developed on their own. “When people come to us they see that we really care about them. There are no cookie cutter or package deals. We’re very good at the human aspect of the business”. When questioned on how they coped during the hard post covid times Lemoine spoke of maintaining quality, values and” Just keep on going!”

The Sashin and TFS team have created must a must watch live or ondemand programming with the VBS

Series. “One of the keys has been great guests that included leading chefs David Burke and visionary entrepreneurs like Brooklyn Dumpling’s Stratis Morforgen”, Sashin added.

One of the keys to the growth of the program has been the commitment to production quality. To accomplish that VBS has contracted with Big Work Productions. “With Tim Gannon’s team, we have the opportunity to work with a true video craftsman whose editing makes our videos attractive and impactful. TFS’s Joyce Appelman has also been integral in working behind the scenes to guide the content of the series,” Sashin said.

The VBS will return on January 11, 2023 with a discussion topic of “How Tech Helps Restaurants/ Catering Prep for the Future”.

The bi-monthly VBS-Virtual Breakfast Sessions are a production of L.Sashin and TFS. The programming is entering its second year with a goal of creating unique perspectives and solutions for the restaurant and foodservice professional.

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

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

FEMALES IN FOOD CREATES VISION FOR FUTURE OF INDUSTRY

The math, as they say, simply didn’t add up. With that a duo of food industry executives set out to do something about it. Angela Dodd, Founder and CEO of Females in Food and Edie Weintraub, cofounder of Women in Restaurants, found that over 60 percent of people employed in the foodservice industry are women. In addition, they make up more than 80 percent of the food buying decisions.

With a goal of working towards increasing that voice and gender parity at the top, the duo teamed up to leverage the resources and network across their organizations. Females in Food and Women in Restaurants are both female-led organization working to create an equitable playing field for women in the industry at the top tier. Experts in the industry contend that it is frustrating that gender remains a staffing issue well into the 21st century given that only “24% women are represented in the C-Suite.”

The question uppermost on their minds is: Why would gender support not be a priority and a focal point for progressive development given the difficulty that the industry faces in recruiting and training topflight management staff?

“If there was one solution then I think that the problem would have been solved. In addition to those obstacles, women also encounter biases of ageism or discrimination across the board. How do we combat those biases? Some of the divisions and barriers to equity for women in business is the lack of community and platform to connect and raise their own visibility. In some cases, there’s also the absence of career

confidence, resources, and development to really empower their careers,” noted Dodd, the Founder and CEO of Females in Food.

The Minneapolis and Atlanta based organizations are a collaboration born from a gap witnessed within the industry by both Dodd and Weintraub. “At Females in Food, we represent every sector of the food and beverage industry from retail, food service, ingredients, and CPG. Our collaboration efforts with Women in Restaurants allow us to further support those in our network ” Dodd said. Their ultimate desire is to be a “part of the solu -

tion” combating the inequity experienced by female corporate professionals and female restaurateurs which comes directly from feedback that indicated the broadly noticeable disparity in opportunities compounded by an already weak and under-sustained workforce.

According to Dodd, Females in Food is the first female-focused professional platform committed to closing the gender gap across every sector of the F&B industry. Females in Food deploys a 360-degree approach to talent development and gender diversity by offering professional programs, events and job

search tools through their membership community. It also acts as a trusted partner to organizations to help increase gender diversity through talent connection, consulting programs and data insights.

She noted that our membership community offers women access to a private communication channel, weekly learning and development resources, industry-topic webinars, professional development webinars, in-person events, and networking events. Members also gain access to robust job search tools through an “on demand” job search accelerator course and free resume reviews.

Atlanta based, Women in Restaurants, helps women in the business with the tiniest details aimed at ensuring their success. “There’s an area of Atlanta known as Buford Highway. It’s our international corridor and where many immigrant families are located. The real estate is relatively cheap and it’s afforded mom and pop restaurants the perfect home to open. What you find is that because they are focused on great ingredients and execution, they often don’t have the money to spend on the décor. That leads the more adventurous diners to the community, but challenges others due to the appearance. The community, the food and the people are absolutely amazing,so much so that it has been featured on Food Network by Anthony Bourdain and Alton Brown on a Layover episode of No Reservations as well as local chefs Kevin Gillespie. Creating a community that allows women to leverage their collective experi -

“So, finding this space to bring everybody in to try all the cuisines is another component of Women in Restaurants, which I’m very passionate about.” — Edie Weintraub

WARMING UP YOUR WINTER MENU THE CHILL WAY

As I write this the entire country it seems is under a winter weather advisory, and the KWWL sports anchor in Waterloo, Iowa is going viral for his hilariously cranky take on the temporary assignment he had to take on reporting on the snowstorm. So, what better time than now to try and convince you that putting frozen drinks on your menu year-round leads to a more profitable business!

It’s true. As the temperatures drop outside, a menu with one or more similarly low temperature drinks provides a great guest experience and expedites ticket times. Matt Friedlander, owner of casual cocktail bar Sally Can Wait, notes, “Aside from being a large part of our identity, they’re just really delicious. The same way I would never begrudge anyone for ordering braised short ribs in the middle of summer if that’s what they were in the mood for, I’d always want to be able to offer

a frozen drink to a guest. And I think there’s something transportive about taking a sip of a frozen tropical drink in the dead of winter. It has the ability to take you to another place for a moment, perhaps one that isn’t so cold.”

There’s no denying the cold on days like today – or any windy day in Manhattan between September and March one might be skeptical about how well a frozen drink will sell, but that cold winter blowing off the nearby Hudson River doesn’t stop Porchlight from offering frozen cocktails all year long. Head Bartender Benjamin Brown acknowledges that his guests may not have come there seeking a frozen cocktail, but they surely are enjoying them. And that’s why the frozen drink has become pretty canon Porchlight according to Brown. He says, “The windy west side of Manhattan is no joke in the winter months, so our guests likely aren’t heading over to Porchlight with a frozen cocktail in

mind. Once they’ve warmed up and gotten settled with their first drink, the frozen cocktail is an easy second.

The bar has been open long enough to play this out and see it work as Brown explains, “Frozen drinks became a staple on the Porchlight menu because they exemplify our ethos of taking what we do seriously, but not taking ourselves too seriously. The ability to craft a thoughtful frozen cocktail that is balanced and has the right texture requires more on the R&D end than one might assume, but the guest experience gets to be playful and exciting.”

He continues, “We love the guest interaction in serving a frozen cocktail because it feels like a treat, or something that they “wouldn’t normally order,” and are pleasantly surprised by the complexity of flavor in something that for long had carried a certain stigma of being too syrupy or cloying. As we and others discovered ways

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

to make them balanced it became a playful way to present something new yet familiar to our guests. Similar in concept to our carbonated Long Island, Seven & 7, and Whiskey Cola, the frozen drink is reimagined into something delightful AND fun! The decision to keep them on the menu year-round came from a random “ah-ha!” mo-

Noteworthy frozen cocktails include (L-R): Bar Marilou’s Dusk Til Dawn (Photo: Randy P. Schmidt); Alto Frozen cocktail (Photo: Rush Jagoe); The Bungalow Mystery from Bar Marilou at the ACE Hotel in New Orleans; and Porchlight’s Frozen Negroni (Photo: Michelle Giang)

SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE PIONEER FOREVER OCEANS COMPLETES ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT ASSESSMENT

Cutting edge, deep-water aquaculture company

Forever Oceans today announced results of an environmental assessment conducted by the global conservation organization The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Forever Oceans, which has developed its offshore operations to not only be scalable but more sustainable than other forms of marine finfish aquaculture, is currently raising Kanpachi off the West coast of Panama and selling product in the United States. See the full TNC assessment report here.

“We’re proud to have worked closely with The Nature Conservancy in carrying out this environmental assessment of our operations,” said Forever Oceans CEO Bill Bien. “The findings confirm that our approach to raising fish can have significantly less of an impact than traditional forms of aquaculture. Our near-term aim is to be scope 1 & 2 carbon neutral by 2027. This is a bold goal, but we feel confident in taking on the challenges to achieve it.”

The aim of the assessment was to establish a baseline for the company’s environmental performance and determine the actions required to meet ambitious sustainability goals in the coming years. The carbon footprint for Forever Oceans fish is estimated to be less than 1/14 of that for beef. The farm-gate footprint of Forever Oceans Kampachi is estimated at less than 5kg of carbon per kilogram of fish produced, which is less than global average emissions for farmed salmon, and is therefore a comparatively low emissions form of animal protein.

The assessment also confirmed that Forever Oceans’ approach to raising

fish is likely to have a negligible impact on the ocean floor—a point of differentiation in one of the key areas of environmental concern for finfish aquaculture. Based on the modeling of Longline International, the average deposit rate of carbon dioxide equivalent produced by Forever Oceans operations in Panama is an order of magnitude less than the “best” Atlantic Canada Sediment Sulphide Classifications & Estimated Carbon Loading Rate, the leading international standard (0.048g CO2/m2/d vs 1.0g CO2/ m2/d).

“Our work with Forever Oceans demonstrates the environmental advantages of offshore aquaculture systems. With the right intent and practices, these systems can contribute to building a low carbon food system and operate in harmony with ocean ecosystems,” said Robert Jones, Global Lead for The Nature Conservancy’s

Aquaculture Program. “We commend Forever Oceans for taking a proactive approach and moving forward with a scientifically rigorous process to develop its sustainability goals and encourage other operators to do the same.”

In its 2022 report, The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, the FAO calls for a Blue Transformation, with the intensification and expansion of sustainable aquaculture as a recommended first step. The Nature Conservancy has called sustainable aquaculture “Critical for Feeding the World in a Changing Climate” and has authored numerous reports on the merits of offshore aquaculture.

Forever Oceans is the first company to execute commercial deep-water, offshore aquaculture by applying a suite of cutting-edge technologies. By operating in water more than 100 meters deep using patented single point

moorings, satellite-controlled robotics, and AI-driven sensors and cameras, the company is growing fish in the clean, open ocean. The Nature Conservancy, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, is dedicated to protecting the lands and waters on which all life depends.

“Forever Oceans is on track to provide one of the lowest carbon fish products on the planet,” said Flor Torrijos, Director of ARAP, the government agency regulating aquatic resources in Panama. “They’ve prioritized environmental stewardship and operating responsibly in our country. This study by Forever Oceans and The Nature Conservancy is another step in developing Panamanian aquaculture as a global leader in sustainability.”

Forever Oceans is a leading innovator in sustainable seafood and offshore, warm-water aquaculture. The company’s mission is to create a new way for the world to produce delicious seafood that’s good for people and the planet.

Forever Oceans’ unique approach to aquaculture is enabled by a patented, single-point mooring technology that allows its enclosures to orient naturally with ocean currents and swells, enabling fish to swim as they would in a wild environment. The company also uses a suite of other technologies, including satellite-controlled robotics, near-field communications, AI-driven cameras, and a feed management software platform. In addition to its Panama site, Forever Oceans also has operations in Indonesia and Brazil.

Forever Oceans has been named one of America’s most innovative seafood companies by Seafood Source. https:// www.foreveroceans.com/

AF&CO./CARBONATE RELEASE 15TH

EDITION OF THEIR ANNUAL HOSPITALITY TRENDS REPORT

Leith Steel, Head of Insights at Carbonate, shares the 2023 Hospitality Trends:

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the annual af&co. and Carbonate Hospitality Trends Report. Our first was published in 2008—the year after the iPhone was released. At the time we couldn’t have imagined all the ways this would impact how people would find and engage with restaurants.

The last 15 years have been a time of massive change for the industry, driven by both internal and external factors ranging from new technologies, to the vegan movement, to

“me too,” and the global pandemic. These, coupled with inflation, labor challenges, supply chain disruptions, and the desire to create more inclusive and supportive workplaces, continue to shift the way the industry operates.

As we enter 2023, technology is more important than ever, vegetarian and plant-based menu items are a must, foods once considered foreign are familiar, and guests are more discerning than ever—holding everyone accountable beyond just the food on the plate or service at the table.

Read on to see some of our top trends for 2023, or download the full report at https://www.carbon -

ategroup.com/insights

Hottest Dish of the Year: Maitake Mushrooms

Creative chefs looking for meaty alternatives to actual meat have long favored mushrooms—and maitakes are the new “it” varietal, taking the place of yesteryear’s grilled portobellos. Often served roasted or fried, the craggly surface makes for an explosion of texture, while also capturing any bit of flavorful sauce or dressing.

Cuisine of the Year: Filipino

Over the last decade, Filipino food has gained increased recognition. Popular pop-ups have become

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

multi-store brick & mortars; Filipino chefs have won international awards or become YouTube stars; Filipino mash-ups have attracted large audiences; and Filipinobased Jollibee Foods Corporation is launching 300 stores across the U.S.

Dessert of the Year: Baked Alaska

Thanks to its tableside theatrics and show stopping presentation, the classic Baked Alaska is back in

on page 96

A sample of the trending food items for 2023 include (L-R): Hartley Kitchen & Cocktails (Atlanta, GA) Chicken Fried Mushrooms with house-made ranch dressing (photo: credit Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants); Baonanas (New York, NY) offers Ube Banana Pudding (photo, credit Paolo Salud); Lasita (Los Angeles) a Filipino rotisserie and natural wine bar was called one of the Top 50 New Restaurants in America by Bon Appetit (photo, credit: Jakob Layman); Ilé (Los Angeles, CA) is a pop-up offering a 4-course $120, or 9-course $250 Nigerian meals two days a week (photo Ilé’s Jollof Rice, credit: Katie Jones); and Hazie’s (San Francisco, CA) Go Ask Her with tequila, orgeat, strawberry syrup, lime, and agave serves 4-5 and is presented in a stunning clear etched dispenser (photo, credit: Hardy Wilson)

HOW TO KEEP A MAJOR RESTAURANT CONSTRUCTION OR RENOVATION PROJECT ON TRACK

While making a good first impression is important in all industries, it could be said that it’s essential in the restaurant industry. After all, patrons are paying for two things: the incredible food and the accompanied ambiance. If the experience is missing, that needs to change.

While little things like restaurant apps and quality customer service are big ways to improve the restaurant experience, business owners should upgrade their physical space to stay current.

Even if your restaurant attracts a lot of business, it’s necessary to give it the right facelift to keep up with new competition. A major construction and renovation project can drive more sales to your restaurant, but how can owners stick to their plans while they’re juggling everything else?

4 Ways to Keep a Major Restaurant Project On Track

If your restaurant has been open for 7 or more years and still looks the same, it’s time for a change. Here’s how business owners should handle their construction or renovation plans.

1. Find the Right Commercial Contractor/Developer

Unfortunately, most construction projects aren’t finished on time, and that usually isn’t the contractor’s fault. A combination of supply chain issues and poor communication often leaves all parties in a bind. However, experienced contractors or developers are better with deadlines.

Before selecting a company, research local contractors and developers that boast high review ratings. If they’ve been in business for a while, then they’re probably doing something right. Still, research is necessary to sort through the subpar companies that only offer cheap rates.

Next, ask them for a realistic time frame and an accurate budget. They should be able to look ahead and foresee any potential issues at the start of your project, meaning they can mitigate any setbacks that may arise. An efficient construction company will maintain an open line of communication with its customers throughout the project and ensure renovations go as planned.

2. Use Specialist Commercial Real Estate Software

Commercial real estate software, like what you’ll find on northspyre. com, are intelligence platforms that help development teams achieve

predictable outcomes on projects. If you’re worried about missing an important deadline, such as your opening, this software is useful.

For one, it eliminates administrative tasks, like indexing and data extraction, by automating the process. It can also process all project data, which can help standardize your reports in the future. Finally, intelligence software can send alerts for budget challenges or cost-cutting opportunities. All of its tools will allow you to meet project quotas without going over budget.

However, it’s in your best interest to keep an eye on your software. While it can automate most things, it isn’t a magic tool, and there’s a chance you’ll miss something if you don’t pay attention.

If you’re not interested in using software, at least find a contractor that’s tech-focused. Without technology, contractors and developers won’t be able to offer by-the-minute

reporting, which can affect your project decisions. Accurate data will also help you keep track of project deliverables.

3. Devise a Detailed Plan With Some Wiggle Room

While software can make the construction process easier, it can’t create a construction plan without some necessary information. Do you plan on moving the restaurant? If so, you need to look up construction permits for a new location. Either way, you need to apply for a license.

Next, consider the demographics, visibility, and accessibility of your restaurants. Are you in a place with a lot of foot traffic? If not, how are you going to attract local patrons? Are there nearby parking spaces or parking lots? If not, can you build one nearby? Do the people who live near your restaurant make up your target demographic? Has that target demographic changed?

Another thing to consider are your direct competitors. Do you have a similar restaurant idea or style? How can you differentiate from the competition? Then, ask yourself what you need for floor plan work. Can you cover lights, ventilation, floors and walls, and restaurant storage?

Once you know your deliverables, you can draw up a plan. It’s easier to do this with an experienced construction worker, as they know how much time everything takes. But make sure to add a buffer if things go wrong. An extra month is more than enough for most projects.

LOVE, CHARLIE: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter

In the 2000s, chef Charlie Trotter was on top of the culinary world, revolutionizing American cuisine, but his competitive and volatile nature alienated many and his quest for excellence cost him everything. He suffered a fatal stroke at the age of 54, but his legacy is one of complexity and creativity. Love, Charlie is a detailed, comprehensive documentary that offers a glimpse into the professional and personal life of a chef who was as difficult as he was brilliant. Featuring Grant Achatz, Emeril Lagasse, and Wolfgang Puck.

The Menu

The film starring Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy focuses on a group of ultra-wealthy foodies dining at an exclusive restaurant who get more than they bargained for when they discover the celebrity chef owner intends to kill

them all before the night is out.

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

Bachour Buffets

By Antonio Bachour

This collection of individual pastries, every one of them suitable for an elegant buffet or for individual plating, offers technical precision as well as the visual panache that have made Antonio Bachour an Instagram sensation whose work inspires his professional colleagues worldwide.

More than 500 pages in extent, the book is organized into five broad categories of pastry:

• Croissant and brioche

• Entremets and petits gateaux

• Fruits and vegetables

• Chocolate

WHAT WE’RE READING:

WHAT WE’RE LISTENING TO:

• Petit Fours

Each recipe is accompanied by step-by-step photo sequences which illustrate the assembly of various components in the arresting finished pastries.

Component recipes are indexed separately from the finished pastries, so if you decide you might like to use Bachour’s whisky ganache in a creation of your own, you can find it easily.

Among the many remarkable pastries herein: glazed pecan croissant; pistachio Paris-Brest; sweet potato and pear tart; yuzu and raspberry bars; lemon and cherry beignet.

Is This A Cookbook? Adventures in the Kitchen

by Heston Blumenthal

Yes, Is This A Cookbook? is full of recipes, so it hits that mark very well. And is Heston Blumenthal a cook? In-

disputably. But to stop with the first, obvious answer to either question is to miss what makes this book distinctive.

Blumenthal’s restless exploration of technique and ingredients are the basis for his fame, arising from his Michelin 3-star restaurant The Fat Duck in the UK, and further explored in other restaurants. Each of the 70 recipes in this book is preceded by a discussion of Blumenthal’s impulse behind making the dish, many of them framed by his introduction in which he asserts that reading and cooking are both quantum experiences, determined by perspective and emphasis.

Some of his reasons for these recipes are simple. The food is good. Who can argue with a taco? In other cases, Blumenthal has spotted something that he finds intriguing: a flavor combination, a texture contrast, a way to use an

NEW ILLINOIS LEGISLATION BANS LATEX GLOVES IN RESTAURANTS

Health care providers and food service workers in Illinois will have to end their use of latex gloves by 2024 because of a new law designed to protect workers and customers who may be allergic to latex. Food service providers are now barred from using latex gloves as a new state law takes effect.

Last June, Governor JB Pritzker signed HB209 into law restricting the use of latex gloves in food preparation and medical services and protecting thousands of Illinoisans from adverse allergic reactions. Latex allergies can range from skin irritation to severe anaphylaxis, preventing those suffering from patronizing restaurants that use the gloves in food preparation or serving or receiving care from many medical practitioners.

“We want to make sure that our spaces are accessible to all Illinoisans—including those with latex allergies,” said Governor Pritzker. “With this legislation, we are preventing avoidable allergic reactions and subsequent hospitalizations. I am proud to sign this bill into law to help create a more accessible, considerate, and healthy Illinois.”

The legislation includes provisions for food service unable to source non latex gloves. If other gloves can’t be obtained, latex gloves can be used providing prominent signage warns customers of the change. The same exception applies for medical providers, with specific instructions to prioritize available non-latex gloves for use on patients with latex allergies or patients unable to give medical history. The law took effect for food service establishments and EMS personnel

on January 1, 2023 and on January 4, 2024 for health care facility personnel.

“We want to make sure that our spaces are accessible to all Illinoisans—including those with latex allergies,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With this legislation, we are preventing avoidable allergic reactions and subsequent hospitalizations. The law does carve out exceptions, but they must be “due to a crisis that interrupts a food service establishment’s ability to source nonlatex gloves.” If latex gloves are used, a sign must be prominently displayed.

Glenn Beaubien, who owns State Street Market in Alton, IL is one of

the restaurant owners who’s made the switch from latex. The fine dining restaurant in the city’s downtown got notice of the change from the Illinois Department of Public Health about one month ago, Beaubien said. The restaurant has since switched to vinyl. “Latex (gloves) are more expensive than vinyl gloves. So, from a cost perspective, that’s a better win for us,” he said. “The vinyl gloves aren’t as tight fitting, so they’re a tad bit more cumbersome to use, but it still is a vehicle to ensure that we’re working cleanly.”

Beaubien said he was a little surprised to read about the change in a letter. In his eyes, kitchens with a

good handwashing culture are just as effective. He said he’s worked in states where gloves aren’t required. “It worked very well,” he said. “We had a timer set. When the timer went off, everyone, for the most part, would stop doing what they were doing, and they would line up at the hand sink.” That’s not to say gloves aren’t as safe, he said.

Sam Toia, president and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, said the new law fits the direction the food service industry is heading. “For the most part, most of these are restaurants, providers, they’ve already moved away from latex gloves,” Toia said. Food service is one of the most regulated industries, Toia said, so restaurants are naturally sensitive to their customers’ allergies, prompting a move by many away from latex. He said he was happy to see state lawmakers include the provision that allows latex to be used in a bind. “We’d always rather be at the table than on the menu,” he said.

At least seven other states have similar latex bans: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Ohio, Oregon and Rhode Island.

“This is such a monumental moment for all of us that struggle with this life-threatening allergy daily,” added bill advocate Christopher Krohe. “We will finally be able to do things that others do without an issue. I’m so grateful that we have Representatives and Senators that actually listen. I’m so thankful that they worked with me and the other advocates I put together to get this bill written and passed. After many hours of emails and conference calls and video meetings we finally made it to the finish line. This is a BIG WIN.”

“The vinyl gloves aren’t as tight fitting, so they’re a tad bit more cumbersome to use, but it still is a vehicle to ensure that we’re working cleanly.” — Glenn Beaubien

A food delivery by a worker wearing latex gloves could have dire consequences for an unknowing recipient with latex allergies

TABLZ TECHNOLOGY REDEFINES VALUE OF RESTAURANT TABLES

It is a well-known fact that food plays a key role in our feelings and can positively or negatively impact our mood. What is also true is that the findings of a decadeold study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, indicate that people exude more happiness when they spend their money to create an experience and consider them a more fulfilling expenditure as opposed to spending it on material acquisitions

The team at Tablz understands this dynamic and is proving to the foodservice industry that while the concept of what its CEO, Frazer Nagy calls “premium seating and dynamic pricing,” is not new, it is not taken advantage of nearly enough in our industry. “I’ve been thinking about this table issue for a long time and wondering why restaurants aren’t charging for their tables? Why aren’t they enabling what’s called revenue management where they have premium seating and dynamic pricing,

and use economics in their favor?”

The magic of Tablz extends beyond the reconfiguration of a restaurant’s seating chart. Nagy has created a 3D video experience that in many ways replicates the way the real estate industry now utilizes video to take potential buyers on a tour of a property. So In addition to creating additional revenue for those special tables in a restaurant dining room, the restaurant’s marketing profile is enhanced with a fresh new look that captures what is going to make that potential dining experience special.

According to Nagy, the pandemic and the spin-off realities created the “perfect storm” that ushered his idea into the sphere of partners who could help him realize his vision. He further added that his longtime fascination with dining room economics proved the hypothesis of “data first driven management ideology.”

He explained that the gambit of

this paradigm shift started at “age 23 while doing seminal research as a precursor to a graduate degree in economics. While my peers took on challenges directed toward the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and other markets, I was looking into a more familiar but largely overlooked subject. Restaurant economics. I convinced my employer at the time, a restaurant owner, to entrust me with the historical sales data covering a 5-year span. The result was a novel research paper based on regression analysis, an endeavor that no previous literature had before highlighted. It was just something the industry simply did not do.”

Years later, Nagy found himself

reflecting on a report issued by Consumer Savings in November of 2020. That study revealed that “both millennial and Generation Xers had more money and therefore disposable income than ever before. Conversely, the restaurant industry was getting their teeth kicked in and suffering more than ever.” He added that the epiphany then hit that “this would develop into the perfect storm of bottled-up demand with insufficient service or real-material opportunities to satisfy the expectation. Let’s face it, frankly speaking, millennials and Generation Xers do not cook, the opportunity cost could be considered too high.”

Nagy continued that as Covid-19 limitations started to make a shift around November of 2020, “this presented itself as the perfect simulant for my economic focused brain to run wild. At this moment there was a massive expansion in demand with ironically not just literally but figuratively hungry consumers.”

What many patrons and likewise restaurant industry employers and employees did not know, Nagy explained, is that “the contraction in supply would extend beyond that time for an additional 14 to 16 months. Not only were restaurants going bankrupt, the limitation of 50% capacity severely titrated the opportunity to make any consistent profitability, and directly impacted

“Why couldn’t a restaurant get the same premium price for a special table that an NBA team gets for a courtside seat?” — Frazer Nagy

TOP 5 WAYS TO SHOW RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES APPRECIATION

It’s getting harder and harder to find and keep good restaurant team members. Showing your employees that they are appreciated has become the number one priority for restaurant owners who want to have a full staff. To help you stop the revolving door of employees, I’m going to share with you my top five ways to show restaurant employees appreciation.

On a weekly basis in my group coaching calls, I hear how hard it is to find anyone to work. People are leaving the restaurant and hospitality industry because they are tired of the BS from working in the weeds, shift after shift, to rude customers. So, what is a restaurant owner to do? The short answer is what you’re doing right now: learning ways to attract, hire and keep the right people.

For fun, let’s go backwards.

No. 5: When your team members come in each day for every shift, go out of your way to say hello and call them by their first name. All too often, employees walk in, and managers have horse blinders on, focused on something other than employees. They don’t even look up; they just keep doing what they do. This makes employees feel unappreciated, like they’re just a number. I’m also going to tell you that studies show there’s one

word that light people up. What they want to hear the most is their name. When you got out of your way to say, “Hey, good morning, how are you, David, I’m really glad to have you here today,” you are truly starting the day off right.

No. 4: Find someone doing something right and call them out for it. It’s so easy to find someone doing something wrong. Like wrong, wrong, change, change. But when you go out of your way to search for people do-

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

ing something right, and then in front of customers or other employees, call them out for it, and tell them what a great job they did and why this customer has one of the best servers you have, or why everybody on the team should emulate this person, you’re showing them how much you appreciate them.

No. 3: Invest in your employee’s development. This is important. Spend time to make sure they learn to do a better job. Training is key to good employees. Training is key to people knowing what their job is, how to do it, how well it should be done, and more importantly, by when. Training is the key to consistent management and supervision. By investing in development of your employees, you’re going to ensure they want to stay with you.

No. 2: Have lunch or dinner with a team member to simply get to know them. This is something I employed in my past company and it helped me connect with my employees and understand their needs. I’ve got many members doing this now where you eat every day. So, any day that you’re in the restaurant, and this goes for your managers, pull one of your

Implementing these five ways to show your employees that you appreciate them will have a dramatic effect on your ability to find, hire and keep good team members.

David Scott Peters is an author, restaurant coach and speaker who teaches restaurant

TODD ENGLISH

Chairman & Master Chef, English Hospitality Group

Just named Las Vegas Food & Wine 2022 Chef of the Year, Todd English is a famed restaurateur, internationally acclaimed Chef, television host, and Best-Selling author with a multimillion-dollar hospitality empire.

His English Hospitality Group recently opened The English Hotel in the Las Vegas Arts District, which includes his world-class restaurant, The Pepper Club. This latest venture adds to his worldwide restaurant empire, including Las Vegas and the Bahamas with Olives, Todd English P.U.B. in Birmingham, Figs in Boston, BlueZoo in Orlando, Tuscany in Connecticut, and MXDC in Washington, DC.

In addition, English is behind Target’s new Chef Todd English cookware line, partnered with Nutre Meal Plans to deliver healthy & delicious meals, created a new cannabis-infused food line with LastLeaf, and is currently developing new restaurants in cities across the globe.

The four-time James Beard Award-winner has established one of the best-known restaurant brands in the world, publishing critically acclaimed cookbooks and producing and hosting his own EMMY Awardnominated PBS TV show “Food Trip with Todd English”. English has been named Nation’s Restaurant News “Top 50 Tastemakers”, awarded Bon Appetit’s “Restaurateur of the Year” and selected as one of the “50 Most Beautiful People” by People Magazine.

English is also a celebrated philanthropist, often hosting and acting as Chef for high-profile entertainment and charity events. He has been the Executive Celebrity Chef for MTV’s Video Music Awards and has hosted events for The Superbowl, Sundance Film Festival, Fashion Week, The Tony Awards, NASCAR, The Masters, US Open, and Dinner in White.

He is also very involved with several local and national charities, including Susan G. Komen, Big Brothers of America, the Anthony Spinazzola Foun -

dation, Community Servings, Share Our Strength, Boys and Girls Clubs, Volunteers of America, Food Bank of NYC, Make a Wish, Autism Speaks, City Harvest and numerous others. Most recently, Todd formed The Wendy English Breast Cancer Research Foundation in honor of his sister.

Like many top performers, English is an example of both successful reinvention and as we came to call it through the Pandemic: “Pivoting”. With that in mind, Total Food Service wanted to share Todd’s unique journey with the foodservice and hospitality communities.

You’ve been around for so long that you actually need to be reintroduced to an entire generation that didn’t even know you as a famous Boston chef and restaurant owner.

When I started my career, it wasn’t cool to be a chef, no one even knew

about it. I had the opportunity to work with Juila Child on her radio show in Boston. She had this incredible passion with the stories that she told on the show about her and her husband in France.

I got to know Julia pretty well. She would invite me to have dinner with her and some rather amazing guests. I remember, eating dinner with her

and Charlie Trotter. She commented that it’s interesting how being a chef has always been a blue-collar profession. It’s listed in Washington, DC, as a blue-collar profession. I’m convinced that her vision for what a chef could become: white-collar and someone who wasn’t hidden away in the kitchen became a reality for many of us. It’s interesting

how even that throwaway seat in the kitchen next to the bathroom would go on to become the most wanted seat in the house: “The Chefs Table”.

Frankly, we don’t think anybody really cared who the chef was in those days.

No, they really didn’t. As long as you got your prime rib you were good. I think it was really phenomenal how it all of a sudden changed so much for me. I got into it because I love to cook and I went to Italy because I love to cook, and I went to France because I wanted to learn everything. I used to read Escoffier like it was my Bible. I would practice mushroom cuts in my room, in my dorm. Crazy stuff like that.

To show you how much things have changed, those five “Mother” sauces that were essential in the 1970’s and 80’s don’t even exist anymore.

Where are you from originally and where did you go from there?

I was born in Texas. We lived in Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Minnesota, with my Midwestern father. Then we moved to Atlanta. My Mom and I would then move to Connecticut and I fell in love with Pepe’s Pizza in New Haven. Oh my God this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten. And then we go to Louis Luncheonette for burgers. It was funny, later on in my life I actually did a whole show on pizza for PBS.

My favorite pizzas

Originally opening 1989 in Boston, Olives was founded by Chef Todd English. Chef English’s vision was a short menu of everyday dishes with a focus on daily inspired dishes based on the seasons. Pictured above, Olives’ Wood Oven Roasted Branzino.

“[Keeping your brand growing over time] is all about staying fresh by keeping that edge and thinking outside the box. You need to find out what’s next and be fearless as you go after it. You need to continue to educate yourself to understand what’s next. I’ve got my Master’s in food, but I will forever be getting my PhD because there’s so much to learn.”

- Todd English

around the country and we went to Pepe’s where I made the white clam pizza 40 years later. That’s pretty cool.

Where did you end up studying? Where did you go to school? And then how did the career blossom?

I love baseball and soccer. Those days, I liked sports and you could actually play two sports. I went to Guilford College in Greensboro (NC) on a full scholarship for baseball and soccer. I was being recruited by a lot of the bigger schools, but I just wanted a smaller experience to start, that was 1978. I played a couple of years, got hurt, took the summer off to rehabilitate, but in the meantime, I was putting myself through college, so I had to get a job. I started cooking and I worked for a guy named Don Browning in Atlanta at the Tower Place Hotel. I worked in the Rib Room; it was the classic American steakhouse. But the cool thing about him was he also had a little restaurant there. He had come out of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel and studied in Austria. So, I really had the chance to learn and make pate and stocks. Along with learning all of the classics, there were these southern ladies that were making these amazing Southern foods. I got really excited and I used to love going to work, it was like they always had a lot of other stuff going on. I was hanging out where they were doing all the fun stuff. I eventually worked in there with Don and then he recommended me. One day he looked at me and said ‘You love this don’t you? So, you should go to The Culinary Institute of America.’ I say what’s that? No one knew it, there were no cooking schools, that was the only one. I guess there was Le Cordon Bleu in Paris.

American kids didn’t go there, right?

No, Americans didn’t go there.

When I applied; it was a year plus wait to get in. I didn’t go back to baseball, the coaches were so pissed at me, but I went in and said, I’m going to just try this. I had hurt my back pretty bad; I was still in pretty bad shape. Those days nobody did rehabilitation, there was really nobody to help.

There was no Tommy John in those days, none of that stuff. No. It turned out to be a fracture, it healed, but it took a long time. CIA, oh boy, this is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life. I was 20 years old, I said, this is for me. I didn’t know why or how. As soon as I got into the CIA, I jumped in head first. I immediately joined the Saucier Club and every other club I could find on campus. I was the president of one of the clubs, it was after school activities. It was tough to get in, it wasn’t automatic. Ferdinand Metz then came to the school and took me under his wing. I was a pretty good tennis player, he played tennis, and he will always drag me out of class to play tennis with him, I used to kick his ass. I then met a gentleman from Restaurant Associates, who gave me an interview in New York back in 1981. I landed there, and it was full of American chefs. It’s like, Charlie Palmer, Rick Moonen, David Bouley and the list goes on and on

Sounds like a Hall of Fame lineup.

We were all just learning to cook. Restaurant Associates ran a very French kitchen, just crazy stuff, it was wild. I told the chef I wanted to go to France. Meantime, I had met Tony May and asked him who I should look up in Europe. I’m 22, I get on the plane, you could carry your knives with you in those days. Eurail pass and $200. I got a job in France working for Roger Verge. Then I went to Italy and worked

MICRO CILANTRO ON SESAME GARLIC NOODLES CREATED BY CHRISTINA ROSE

for Nadia Santini at Dal Pescatore, which was the number one restaurant at the time.

What did you take away from the whole experience in Europe?

I was so blown away. It was the era of making basil sorbet. No one was doing that, I was like, wow, oh my God. That’s genius. And I did learn the feeling of cooking, the aesthetics of using the ingredients so using seasonal ingredients and precision. One of the things I always realized especially when I watched the Italian women cook, I always noticed something very interesting, cooking is about timing, especially when it’s simple like Italian cooking. They know exactly when it’s perfect, put more pasta water and toss it. But when it’s ready, it’s ready. And they know there’s that 20 second window between it getting overcooked to it being sloppy and not being cooked. It’s really interesting. Like a musician that just knows music.

Then you came back here. And does all of this happen right away? What happened?

Oh no, I got a job in Boston at Michela’s when I was 25. I was supposed to go in as a sous chef. The day before the restaurant opened, the chef quit, and the owner Michela looked at me and said, you’re the Chef. It was intense, I was roasting radicchio, I was spit roasting rabbits and I was making bread. We were making bread rolls twice a day in the brick oven. We had a whole system, a beautiful grissini two and a half feet, three feet long on the table as you sat down, vanilla, parmesan cheese.

Stuff you’ve never seen before?

No one had ever even seen risotto really in Boston. I’ll never forget Michael Dukakis, who was the Governor of Massachusetts at the time, and John Kerry used to come in on a regular basis. I remember this conversation with Kerry about cooking with local products like radicchio because it would be good for local

farmers. Way ahead of its time. It inspired me to go find a local guy that foraged mushrooms and to see what we could get from our local farms. Local resourcing.

You were farm to table before there was even farm to table?

Between the idea of using local New England farmers and what I had seen in Europe, I really developed an appreciation for ingredients. I drove my pasta chefs nuts because we might be playing with five to eight different pastas with the best two or three ending up on the menu.

What led to you opening your own place?

It was one of those times in life when personal and career agendas intersected.

My wife at the time Olivia lost a baby at birth. It kind of brought life to a screeching halt and I rethought what I was doing. I also wanted to share the Mediterranean style cuisine that we had developed at Michela’s in a more casual setting. I just knew it was time to open my own place. I got pushed to do it as well by some of our patrons. As the top of that list was a banker, Jack Seidel from U.S. Trust and his wife Barbara, who were regular customers and gave me the type of constructive feedback needed to open something new. Even Senator Ted Kennedy and his family kept pushing me to take the plunge. It resulted in an amazing 25 year run that also built a footprint that expanded to New York and Tokyo.

Then what was the vision after that?

I wanted to go to New York. My family’s in New York. It was just in me that I had to prove to myself that I can make it in New York. I opened a place in New York and it was Barry Sternlicht who was the brains behind Starwood Hotels that made it happen. It worked because I under-

In the spring of 1991, Todd English caught the culinary world’s eye when the James Beard Foundation named him their National Rising Star Chef. English followed through on that promise, as the James Beard Foundation subsequently named him Best Chef in the Northeast in 1994.

stood what was needed for a restaurant to succeed in a hotel from what we had accomplished at the Bellagio in Las Vegas with Steve Wynn.

How have you kept the Todd English brand growing over such a long period of time?

It’s all about staying fresh by keeping that edge and thinking outside the box. You need to find out what’s next and be fearless as you go after it. You need to continue to educate yourself to understand what’s next. I’ve got my Master’s in food, but I will forever be getting my PhD because there’s so much to learn.

Your Food Hall business continues to grow.

Funny how things happen. I have actually been brought into look at the Palm Court in the lobby. Somehow, somebody from their team said, ‘while you are here could you look at our space in the basement?’

It was actually an old laundry room from the days when hotels did their own laundry. Right away, when I saw it, I thought about the great

Food Halls I had seen in Tokyo and Paris. Next thing I knew, we were in the Food Hall business.

Talk about moving to Las Vegas and the opportunity there? How has Vegas changed and evolved?

Las Vegas never ceases to amaze me. It continues to grow and restaurants are so flourishing and people are here and I don’t think it’s going anywhere. As the famous quote says, the show must go on and I had three projects in the works and I was also building a house there. I had been doing business in Las Vegas for a long time opening with the Bellagio and then the Food Hall. In 2020 business was on pause as the world opened back up. It made sense for me to move to Las Vegas. I’ve discovered there is so much more to Vegas than the strip. The English Hotel is in the Arts District and we have an Asian-Ocean-Fusion and Sushi bar concept called The Pepper Club. We like to call it the “Soaring 20’s”.

photos courtesy of English Enterprises

All

Interior at The Pepper Club by Todd English in the English Hotel, Las Vegas, NV

BOOTH

WORLD CUP SOCCER SCORES BIG FOR NYC RESTAURANTS AND BARS

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

The debate will go on forever as to whether the Argentina/France match up in the 2022 World Cup final last month will be recognized as the greatest game in the history of soccer or football (depending on what part of the world you might come from!) What is not up for debate is that

not only did Argentina and Lionel Messi capture the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but the real winners in New York City were local restaurants and bars. Following the finale, the NYC Hospitality Alliance conducted a

survey that found many restaurants and bars throughout the city embraced the global event, contributing to a needed uptick in sales and in-person business after a challenging start to the city’s recovery from the pandemic.

According to a survey of owners and operators of over 130 restaurants and bars across the five boroughs, an overwhelming majority of respondents viewed the 2022 FIFA World Cup in a positive light, demonstrating this during the USA National Team events and games. The analysis directly shows that during the US Men’s National Team knock-out ‘Round of 16’ loss versus the Netherlands, 55% of businesses surveyed saw an uptick in sales compared to ‘non- USA’ matches, showcasing the continued growth and excitement for the game in the United States.

After years of sacrifice and tough times, the FIFA World Cup was a needed jolt of energy for the city’s restaurants and bars. Our industry responded by embracing this worldwide phenomenon by opening their doors to people from every background and all walks of life to cheer on their favorite teams and celebrate the action. It was beautiful and exciting to watch.

Employing a learned industrywide understanding of the diversity of backgrounds and fabric that

make up New York City, many restaurants and bars were converted into “fan zones” for specific countries, embracing the neighborhoods and communities in which they are located. Nearly 75% of respondents saw an increase in revenue while featured matches were being shown live, compared to a “typical nonWorld Cup” day – a welcome change of pace for bars and restaurants.

Looking ahead to 2026, over 90% of the businesses surveyed expect a “positive impact” on their operations when North America hosts the FIFA World Cup, with matches expected to be played throughout the New York metro area. Additionally, more than 50% of restaurants and bars surveyed that did not show the 2022 World Cup said they expect to in 2026.

Soccer brings a whole different feeling. Watching sports with a group of other people in a restaurant or bar, even if you’re not in the stadium creates a truly unique experience. Many of our members found that the FIFA World Cup even attracted fans that may have been new to soccer but wanted to come and be a part of the experience.

New York looks forward to hosting the event once again in 2026 after a 20 plus year absence. The 1994 FIFA World Cup was at nine venues across the country including the former Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands. We look forward to building on this success for New Yorkers, as the World’s game comes to us in 2026!

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. Learn more at https:// www.thenycalliance.org/

Nearly 75% of respondents saw an increase in revenue while featured matches were being shown live, compared to a “typical non-World Cup” day – a welcome change of pace for bars and restaurants.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi in action at the 2022 World Cup

SERVICEPOWER BRINGS AWARD WINNING PLATFORM TO NATION’S COMMERCIAL KITCHENS

Today’s restaurant and foodservice professional is more dependent than ever on the dependability of their kitchen equipment. The pressures of maintaining the growth that came with Takeout & Delivery during the Pandemic, and now the return of inrestaurant dining, the nation’s operators find themselves in need of service that consistently touches all the bases.

The process begins with the selection of the right service company to provide that peace of mind. Leaders in the commercial kitchen service space share many of the same com-

mon skill sets as they seek to deliver 24/7 quality. For many, the starting point is the unique support and platform of ServicePower.

“What has set us apart is that we understand that the service tech that is your employee needs to be treated and managed differently than someone who is independent,” noted ServicePower’s Chief Solutions Officer, Brad Hawkins. “From the very launch of this company with its ‘Service Scheduling’ in the ’90s, we understood that the optimization of employed workforces was crucial. That has evolved into the understanding and deployment of an algorithm that enables and manages today’s hybrid service techs.”

Hawkins, who has been with the Mclean, VA-based company for 28 years, sees the key to the company’s proprietary technology in a simple light.

“From the very beginning, this has been all about tearing up what is in that schedule and then transforming it with several iterations of that schedule and finally delivery an optimum schedule based on any number of factors,” he said. “Bottom line is sure I’d like to send an employee tech. But the geography of the call might make it impossible. How do I manage and balance the blended workforce? The key is that the experience for that restaurant or operator is totally seamless.”

ServicePower’s history has

“We don’t do oil rigs with crews that are out to sea for months. With that we understand that in the commercial kitchen space, if you don’t have the right part ready to go with the right tech, you could be looking at the loss of tens of thousands of dollars.” — Brad Hawkins

been marked by several key milestones. In 2000, the company purchased a firm that handled warranty claims with equipment manufacturers for independent contractors. ServicePower also purchased a thirdparty dispatch provider. “Those two additions really enabled us to create a platform for the independent service operator that provided a single place to source a tech with the right skill set and get them paid faster,” Hawkins said.

“Bottom line today is that we offer a single point of contact for each service event,” Hawkins continued. “With all of those pieces, the service operator can maximize their use of today’s blended workforce. Maybe the job requires an employee with a specific skill set or it might be a contractor. We are able to successfully predict the optimum approach. Our specialty is that short cycle job where we need to get in there, fix it and make sure it is done. We don’t do oil rigs with crews that are out to sea for months. With that, we understand that in the commercial kitchen space, if you don’t have the right part ready to go with the right tech, you could

be looking at the loss of tens of thousands of dollars.”

ServicePower’s recipe for success has been built with an understanding of Contractor Management and Mobility. “We understand that what makes the independent contractor tick are the “2-P’s”: Get them PAID on a timely basis and make sure they have access to the PARTS they need,” Hawkins explained. “We understand how to use contractors to speed response times, increase capacity, and reduce cost of service. The execution of that enables seamless onboarding and managing a contracted workforce, that can easily dispatch a blended workforce. Our mobility facilitates installers and service technicians to complete delivery and installation on the first visit, driving consistent quality of service, improved productivity, and increased installation and repair completion rates.”

ServicePower’s goal is to enable a seamless customer journey. It begins with a service event that is personalized, simple & quick with product registration, and warranty qualifica-

Brad Hawkins

PRIVATE CLUB MARKETING: DEVELOPING A SUCCESSFUL MEDIA RELATIONS PROGRAM

While country clubs have long been safe havens and establishments of choice for members to dine, the last few years have enhanced their reputations for exclusivity and outstanding experiences. Accordingly, many chefs have upped their games, improving their culinary skills and offerings, honing their managerial skills, and taking on extra responsibilities for the delivery of worldclass dining, from banquets and grand celebrations to day-to-day

club meals.

But there’s another skill smart chefs are acquiring: marketing. To enhance the club’s reputation as well as their own, there’s nothing like public relations. Responding to the demands and daily challenges of delivering exceptional experiences and creative culinary journeys to a membership of upscale, sophisticated palates is certain to produce fascinating, even important, stories that can prove inspiring, educational, and in the right hands, beneficial.

I recently sat down with Karen Moraghan, President of Hunter Public Relations, who is a golf and private club industry media relations specialist, to discuss marketing. Karen has a robust client list that includes private clubs, communities, and resorts and extensive experience working with chefs and their culinary teams.

Why would a private club need a public relations initiative?

Maintaining or growing name recognition and visibility is important

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

at any time. Establishing the club’s market position and reinforcing it with specific and relevant examples helps build brand value and equity.

What value does a public relations program bring to a club, particularly if it has a full membership?

Member pride is certainly a factor. Additionally, if your club and/or its programming, personnel, and amenities are held up as superior examples, it lends to the cachet and reputation of the facility. And a full membership today doesn’t mean a full membership tomorrow; things change, and quickly, as the last few years have proven. You always want to be the club others are talking about and aspire to.

Furthermore, club life and amenities

Chef Zouhair Bellout teaches a cooking class to media at Richland Pointe restaurant at Reynolds Lake Oconee, Greensboro, Georgia.

(Left): Zouhair Bellout. (Right): Angela English Hansberger, Stephen Fries, Michael Bowler, Chris Bartlett, Taylor Bowler, and Chef Z.

CREATING A FOOD WASTE STRATEGY FOR

RESTAURANT OR FOODSERVICE OPERATION IN 2023

Consumers are returning to restaurants for in-house dining, a much welcomed trend. However, with that shift comes an increase in the waste generated that needs to be managed and disposed of properly by the operator.

As part of my work in the foodservice industry, I often address the topic of waste reduction with operators, but as a consumer, I regularly spot it on my plate. From massive portions to excessive garnishes, it is common practice for restaurants to feed diners’ eyes without considering the environmental, social, and financial impacts of uneaten food that returns to the kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy presentation but not excess.

At Imperial Dade, helping our customers reduce waste is part of our mission. Why is this such an important undertaking? Because it impacts the bottom line.

Food is one of the largest types of waste produced by restaurants. It is heavy, wet, and messy. Left untended, it can attract pests and repel customers. More waste means more hauling fees, landfill fees, and increased handling costs. Beyond the environmental, logistical, and financial concerns, food waste also represents a missed opportunity to feed people experiencing food insecurity.

For years, I have followed the research on food waste strategies. Most are logical, but some are creative. I often cite a restaurant case study I read about in New York. Every Sunday, this restaurant makes a spe-

cial, reduced-cost meal, whipped up with the leftover ingredients that are fresh. For a small flat fee, community members gather to enjoy this “leftover special,” embodying the mantra of many grandmothers: waste not, want not.

To enrich their communities and retool practices that generate food waste, more restaurants are embracing Environmental, Social,

Governance (ESG) initiatives. ESG programs offer a framework for sustainable businesses to follow to improve their practices.

To illuminate the key benefits of ESG initiatives, we need to break down the acronym. Within the restaurant industry, environmental concerns revolve around minimizing waste, especially organic matter. Ideally, restaurateurs use the mini-

Laura Craven is the Vice President, Marketing & Communications at Imperial Dade. Laura oversees marketing and corporate communications for Imperial Dade, a national distribution company headquartered in Jersey City, NJ. Her responsibilities include marketing communications, brand and reputation management, internal and external communications, experiential marketing events, and media relations. Laura has been with the company for over 18 years and has contributed to the organization’s growth and brand awareness. A LEED AP, Laura consults on sustainability initiatives and as a GBAC Trained Technician she assists customers develop cleaning programs.

mum quantity of ingredients necessary to create their menu items and limit the amount of organic matter that exits the building. This is challenging, but with careful purchasing

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YOUR

For a small flat fee, community members gather to enjoy this “leftover special,” embodying the mantra of many grandmothers: waste not, want not.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE NEW YORK PRODUCE SHOW AND CONFERENCE

How to get consumers to eat more plants and the new foodservice trends of 2023

It was exhilarating to experience the New York Produce Show and Conference in its full post-pandemic force at the Javits Center in New York City. Held in December, the second-largest produce show in North America offers attendees networking opportunities, educational micro-sessions, and an inside look at the country’s thriving produce industry.

One major highlight is the tradeshow itself, with 400 vendors welcoming approximately 5,000 attendees. Those who want to take a break from conducting business can attend some of the educational seminars that run during the show. I attended two seminars where I took away new learnings and insights that I’m sharing in this column.

First Seminar:

Hacks To Habits: Unpacking Behavioral Insights To Bolster Fruit & Vegetable Consumption, presented by the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), showcased the organization’s latest research identifying ways to reverse fruit and vegetable consumption decline through the development of sustainable habits. Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, PBH President and CEO discussed the findings and moderated a panel of experts who offered practical solutions for how communicators can help consumers eat more produce.

According to Ms. Kapsak, the new PBH Hacks To Habits research was designed to be laser-focused on the attitudes and behaviors of those consuming varying levels of fruits

and vegetables, to better understand which strategies, such as simple hacks, could effectively make it easier for Americans to adopt and sustain fruit and vegetable consumption habits.

“Now more than ever, it is imperative to raise national awareness for fruits and vegetables and acknowledge the important role they play in America’s health and happiness. Identifying successful ways to inspire simple and sustainable habits at all points of consumers’ food journey will be essential to successfully reversing the fruit and vegetable consumption decline,” explained Ms. Kapsak.

One key finding from the PBH research is that low-frequency fruit

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

(L-R) Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, PBH President and CEO discussed the PBH Hacks To Habits research findings; Wendy moderated a panel of experts who offered practical solutions for how communicators can help consumers eat more produce; and Culinary and Foodservice Specialist Amy Myrdal Miller moderated the panel discussion, Activating Foodservice to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption.

START THE NEW YEAR WITH A PIECE OF PIE

Chef Maria Loi is an Entrepreneur, Greek Food Ambassador and Healthy Lifestyle Guru. The author of more than 36 cookbooks, she is also the host of The Life of Loi, with its broadcast premiere on PBS nationally in December 2022, and streaming on PBS Passport, which aims to build an inspirational and educational movement around the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle.

Her Loi Food Products, a specialty brand built on traditional ingredients from Greece, includes pastas, beans, botanical herbs, refrigerated dips, honey, holiday cookies, and olive oil sold on QVC, at Whole Foods Markets and in other stores. The namesake of Loi Estiatorio in the heart of Manhattan, she also has the Loi Specialty Shop at The Plaza Hotel. Connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on Instagram and Facebook, and learn more about her food philosophy at loiestiatorio.com/chefloi/.

Happy New Year! Can you believe it’s already 2023?!

Time for a fresh start and new year’s resolutions –eat healthier, cook more, and spend more time with your loved ones… well, few dishes can accomplish that more than an incredible, edible Greek pie! And, since it’s the new year, we the Greeks have a traditional pie to start the year off on the right foot – Vasilopita!

The King of Pies

Vasilopita translates to ‘King’s cake’ or ‘King’s pie’, as the word ‘pita’ can mean either a cake or a pie. Not pie in the American sense, which is usually associated with desserts (think apple pie, pecan pie, cherry pie, etc.), but rather pie in the more Mediterranean sense, as in filling (whether savory or sweet) encrusted in a type of pastry – in the case of Greek cuisine, a phyllo dough (either store-bought

or homemade).

Vasilopita can be savory or sweet, depending on the region, town, or city it originates. It’s more common to find sweet Vasilopites, traditionally made with some combination of flour, eggs, milk, and sugar – sometimes with additional accoutrements mixed in like raisins, nuts, dried fruit, or herbs. The top of the cake is often decorated simply with a heavy dusting of confectioner’s sugar and the new year written atop. The key here is that there is a coin, wrapped in foil, that’s hidden in the cake.

Traditionally, the Vasilopita is sliced at the stroke of midnight with friends and family, as one year turns to the next. When cutting the Vasilopita, everyone hopes to find the coin hidden in their piece, as it is considered to be a sign of good luck and a good omen for a wonderful year ahead – the ultimate fresh start, imbued with positivity.

Beyond Vasilopita, there’s a saying we have in Greek, “Kota Pita to Genari kai Papi to Alonari,” which translates to “Chicken and Pie in January, and Duck in July.” This may sound a bit silly, but the idea behind it is sound: in January, a cold month, it is important to consume pies and chicken to keep up your strength and vitality, while in July, the more decadent bird can be consumed, as you’re much more active.

We, the Greeks, have taken this message to heart, and have a longstanding tradition of baking various pites—pies with all different kinds of fillings…including chicken!

Pi(e) – it’s not just a Greek letter or magical number

Pies have always had a stronghold in traditional Greek cuisine, with variations in shape, size, dough, and filling depending on their area or region of origin.

The word for pie in Greek is ‘pita’, which comes from the ancient verb ‘pittakono,’ meaning to make something flat. From the word the word pita comes the word ‘pida’ in Turkish (meaning pizza), the words pizza and pasta in Italian, pâte (dough and pasta) in French, and pastry in English (refering to pies, tarts, and doughs).

Now that we’ve established the etymology of the word, let’s talk about the dish itself, which has deep roots in the ancient civilization of the Mediterranean. Back in the Neolithic era, when farmers began to cultivate wheat, they learned to grind it, and at some point, decided to mix it with water to form a dough. Later, they discovered they could bake this dough on hot stones, and so was born the ancestor of the Greek pie…

The ancient Greeks continued to develop this method, and called their original pies ‘plakous’, meaning ‘wide

Some examples of Greek pies include (L-R): Spanakopita (Spinach and Cheese Pie), Tyropita from Thessaly and Hortopita (Wild Greens Hand Pies)

pie.’ Over time, the word ‘plakous’ came to denote a thicker preparation similar to the cakes of today, while the word ‘pita’ was used to denote a thin, flat bread. Subsequently, the pies were filled with vegetables from the orchards and gardens, as well as cheese, milk, meat, seafood, even grains. This is the origin story for how the traditional Greek pie was created, which continues to live on to this day.

My Pie, Your Pie, His Pie, Her Pie – Pies for Everyone!

Regionality is a huge part of what makes the pies from across Greece so distinct – the availability and prevalence of different ingredients heavily influences not only the fillings of the pies, but their shapes and sizes as well.

In Epirus, the influence of a nomadic life combined with the harsher conditions of mountain living result in a style of cuisine made for people ‘on the go.’ Given that pies have the potential to be highly nutritious and easily portable, this is a perfect style of dish for them. This region in particular has an inordinate number of pies, too many to list, in spite of the fact that all it takes is 3-4 ingredients to make wonderful pies, like wild greens and cheese, or meat and fish. The phyllo for the crust in Epirus is always very thin, which allows the

pies to be baked anywhere.

In Roumeli, cheese pies made with milk called ‘Tyropites’ are the most common – but also among the most difficult, as the phyllo they use has to be paper thin. Here they are also known for their milk pie, ‘Galatopita,’ made with milk and eggs, and drizzled with honey, and a unique pie made without wheat as the crust. Instead, they combine cornmeal and water to create a paste as the base for the pie, which they fill with squash, cheese, or cabbage, before encasing in a second layer of cornmeal before baking.

As we travel to Thessaly, we see commonality with Epiros as fellow nomadic shepherds, leading to a diet that relied heavily on portable meals. As this region is known for its dairy production, cheeses are key ingredients in many of their pies, made with a very thin phyllo known as ‘vergas’.

In Macedonia, they have a plethora of pies they are known for, but what makes them particularly unique is their unbelievably paper-thin phyllo.

In Lefkada in the Ionian region, they are known for ‘Maridopita,’ a pie full of tiny fish known as Marida (picarel in English), which are in season in September when the festival occurs. They are also known for Avgopita, or egg pie, which is a cheese pie with a lot of eggs, often prepared to usher in the Lenten period before

Easter.

While, Kefalonia, also in the Ioanian, is famous for its ‘Kreatopita’ (meat pie) and ‘Cremidopita’ (onion pie).

In Evros, they get very creative as they have a rich and vast assortment of ingredients available to them –here they make pies with cabbage, nettles, radishes, assorted herbs, often mixed with semolina, and shaped into all different styles of pies.

In the Cyclades, the predominant method of preparation for pies is to cook them on the stovetop in a small pan. Mykonos is famous for a Cremidopita made with onion, dill, tyrovolia, a type of fresh cheese known as myzithra, and bits of lard. On the other hand, the island of Folegandros makes Kalasouna, a strained cheese pie made with onions, wrapped in phyllo.

Crete is a special island, known especially for the innumerable small, handheld pies filled with all kinds of ingredients! Kalitsounia is a signature dish of Crete, made with myzithra or anthotyro (both soft, fresh milk cheeses similar to Italian ricotta), eggs, and flour – sometimes sweet, sometimes savory – and can be found in different shapes and styles all over the island. Besides the many varieties of pie that can be found across Crete, nowhere else in Greece are there more kinds of fried

pies – this stems from the olden days, when it was harder to find wood for the wood-burning ovens, and easier to cook on the stovetops in pans as a practical measure.

Of course, Greece is a big country, and there are many more specialties from different areas, regions, cities, and towns – this is just a small handful of the different kinds of pies that are made across Greece – but the point remains, there’s a pie for every person!

Pie in the Sky

As a child, my yiayia (grandmother in Greek) made a special ‘Gigantopita’ with the leftover Gigantes – Giant Beans from dinner the night before. What I loved so much about this pie was that it had all of the best elements of her incredible giant beans – creamy, rich yet light, perfectly tomato-y with herbs and vegetables all mixed together – but with the amazing crispy, crunchy, delightful texture of her homemade phyllo. Her phyllo was a hybrid – it was not as thin as the sheets people have come to know, and not as thick as the traditional horiatiko phyllo; it was something in between, so she would encase the giant beans in multiple layers that made an almost a puff-pastry-like crust – but with olive oil, of course.

More examples of Greek pies include (L-R): Patatopita (Potato Pie), Lachanopita (Cabbage Pie with Walnuts from Evros), and Kreatopita (Meat Pie from Kefalonia)

TIN BUILDING NEW YORK, NY

The Operator: Saul Scherl, President of the New York Region, The Howard Hughes Corp., NY, NY

The Kitchen Equipment Dealer: Warren Casey, Great Lakes Hotel Supply Southfield, MI

The Architect: Cass Calder Smith Architecture

Saul Scherl’s Approach

There are several people at The Howard Hughes Corporation that work with our hospitality partners. Each relationship is different, but a good example is looking at our partnership with Jean-Georges and the Creative Culinary Management teams. They operate many of the restaurants at Pier 17, like The Fulton, along with the Tin Building, which was curated by Jean-Georges himself.

The Seaport is unlike any neighborhood in New York—the anchor of Lower Manhattan offering one-ofa-kind experiences along the iconic waterfront. We wanted to bring New Yorkers and visitors alike back to this neighborhood which leans into the rich maritime history that sets the Seaport apart from any other destination in Manhattan. Through our collaboration with the city of New York, we have created a community

The Kitchen Design

Consultant: Leif Billings, Vice President, Northeast Division, Next Step Design NY, NY

The Exterior Designer: SHoP Architects

The Interior Designer: Roman and Williams Buildings & Interiors

anchor serving as a vibrant home to residents and serving as a global must-see location for visiting travelers—offering more than 450,000 square feet of entertainment, community, dining, and cultural experiences. For Tin Building, we knew we wanted to honor the building’s original purpose, so we curated a culinary destination unlike any other and through our strong relationship with Jean-Georges we were able to bring this to life.

The relationship with JeanGeorges began many years ago with The Howard Hughes Corporation approaching him with our vision for the Seaport as a dining destination. As you may know, Jean-Georges has a personal relationship with the Seaport—he visited the Fulton Fish Market here for many years as a young chef. He was enthusiastic

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Located on the 1st floor of the Tin Building, T. Brasserie serves French cuisine with the ambience of a Parisian bistro. (Photo by Nicole Franzen)

Set under the shadows of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Tin Building offers an array of retail and culinary experiences. Deliciousness all in one place. (Photo: Canoe Place)

from the start—first launching The Fulton at Pier 17 in spring 2019 and now, the Tin Building, which has been a work in progress for years.

At Howard Hughes, we have a world-class development team that has done projects across the country. We were able to tap into that talent for the Tin Building, bringing in our teammates with knowledge on construction & development in NYC, working on a landmarks project, etc. We conduct extensive bidding projects to ensure we are working with the best partners, ones that can execute the vision shared by HHC and by other stakeholders in our community. Jean-Georges brought in many of his team, who have experience opening restaurants all over the world. We then sought out others with the expertise we’d need for this project specifically—eCommerce & delivery, retail

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Zucchelli ovens from Bakers Best anchor the Tin Building baking suite (Photo by Nicole Franzen)

operations & displays, etc.

With that approach, we were able to assemble a world class team of industry professionals. The exterior design was envisioned by SHoP Architects.

Interior architecture was overseen by Cass Calder Smith ArchitectureThe dining areas in each of the restaurants were created by Roman and Williams Buildings & Interiors. Our approach was to create a central commissary kitchen on the 3rd floor to support the entire operation. The kitchens in those restaurants were designed by Next Step Design. Procurement and installation in the kitchen was handled by the team at Great Lakes Ventures.

The Tin Building features six fullservice restaurants, six-fast casual outlets, four bars, retail and grocer. Our goal was to incorporate aspects of the top dining and retail experiences from around the world, each integrated thoroughly for authentic New York environment. The design and vibrant food theater are meant to engage every one of the five senses, offering an experience unlike any other to each person that walks through the door.

Leif Billings’ Approach

Howard Hughes Corporation brought us in six years ago. We actually started with a different concept that was going to be Food Hall with Harrods of London involved. Harrods role changed from operating the facility to consulting and was replaced by Jean-Georges (Vongerichten). Food hall is really not the right word for the project, it’s more of a collection of restaurants, all run by one obviously super talented operator: Jean-Georges.

One of the key elements of the original Harrods model that remained in the plan was the creation of a huge central kitchen to support all of their food outlets. We started with a Commissary Kitchen, which is on the third floor of the building, it’s got to be close to 10,000 square feet of kitchen and storage space.

Jade ovens and Gaylord hoods were specified in both the Tin Building’s central commissary and the numerous satellite cooking stations (Photo by Nicole Franzen)

The Tin Building features a second floor beer bar that offers craft beer selections from around the world (Photo by Nicole Franzen)

That’s the central engine where almost all the prep and storage happens.

One of the keys to the flow is that all of the floors are connected with stairs and the freight elevator, so they can get food down to the different venues right out of that central kitchen. Because that central kitchen is far away from all of the venues, each of them needed to have some sort of access to a support pantry.

We have tucked away the dish stations, beverage stations, and minimal prep areas for some of the concepts that needed additional supplemental zones. The design brings back the old days of presentation cooking with little display kitchens throughout the design.

One of the interesting issues became how to deal with pizza and rotisserie cooking. We started off with a desire to have a lot more solid fuel, but obviously, with the complexity of solid fuel, ventilation became an issue. With that, we went from having a woodfired pizza and rotisserie concept down to just one single wood fired grill in the Brasserie kitchen. It’s a J&R custom grill that they’re doing, most of their proteins on. We also used Wood Stone gas rotisseries with a live flame that you see when you look through the window.

The result is ambiance and glow that the dining guest can see, because it’s glass on both sides. The goal was to bring the excitement of Harrods, whether it’s a cheese station or a sushi station, everything is almost a bit of theatrics. It’s a show for sure, and that was definitely a driving force in the design of this whole thing.

From raw bar or the sushi concept, to the taco station, we accomplished that at the Tin Building. You’re seeing faces and feeling the energy coming out of the kitchen. What’s exciting is bringing back the excitement to what was the Fulton Fish Market. It was this big, exciting,

busy, bustling place. It’s exciting to be involved in bringing that back.

One of the keys in designing a kitchen today is understanding both the challenges of the labor market. So specifying the right equipment becomes crucial. With that in mind for both prep and finishing. JeanGeorges’s groups are big on combi oven. They use Rational’s combi technology in most of their kitchens, for both prep and finishing standpoint. If you went up to the main kitchen, you’ll see 6x Rational combis in the main prep kitchen, and then every single concept has a combi on the line to support it. They do a lot of finishing in it, a lot of the sides, and even proteins are coming out of that combi oven.

The Jean-Georges culinary team led by their corporate chef, Greg Brainin have preferred brands and setups for their cooking lines. It’s interesting that they don’t tweak their line a lot even for concept.

It’ll be like the exact same line with one or two pieces in it. They know what works for them with Pitco fryers, Jade 6-burner ranges , and the Rational combi oven and American Panel walk-ins. The wild cards are the pasta cooker and the pizza oven.

They are big Jade fans, Jade on pretty much everything range related. They have the ability to build in the customization that our customers request. At the Tin Building, they wanted a specific design on the flat top. We ended up working with Jade to integrate that piece so that it looks like it’s part of the actual cooking suite, and modify the base underneath.

One of the key features of the design is a huge bakery. They have an executive pastry chef Jackson Roecker that runs everything over there. He’s a fan of an imported oven: Zucchelli that Jean-Georges has used on some of their other projects. They’re beautiful ovens

that echo what you’d see out of Italy with a Lamborghini or Ferrari. Its our first time working with them and they are performing beautifully.

Our approach to ventilation really reflected the approach to the entire building. It’s a landmark building that was taken down to the studs. They had to document everything to build this back out again. All the piers were replaced underneath, it really is a ground up build based on an original footprint, and columns had to go back where they were supposed to go. That gave us the opportunity to start from scratch with ventilation. With that Gaylord’s hoods gave us the most flexibility with the amount of char broiling that was being done. We originally wanted to use their Eliminator series but found their standard hood scrubber scenario the best option. When we got to the final design, we were able to just put a couple of scrubbers in and create a simple flow that exhausts right out the roof.

As you can imagine with a project of this size, dishwashing required a unique strategy. You need to begin with the premise that dishes are really scattered throughout. We have a central ware washing hub on the third floor for the commissary which also serves the employee cafeteria. That facility has a conveyor dish machine from Ecolab with a PowerSoak sink. We created our dedicated small dish stations to serve each of the satellite pantries. Each of them have a door type dish machine and an undercounter Glasswasher from Glastender. EMI did a solid job as part of our custom fab team to overcome some real challenges. They were instrumental in executing our designs of the brasserie kitchen, the seafood kitchen and several of the back of the house pantries.

It is always a challenge running beverage lines in a project this size.

Central Market at the Tin Building by Jean-Georges, located at Pier 17 at the Seaport in Lower Manhattan (Photo by Nicole Franzen)

NEW LEGAL OBLIGATIONS FOR NEW YORK HOSPITALITY EMPLOYERS TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul recently signed legislation into law which targets the prevention of human trafficking, some of which will directly impact employers in New York’s hospitality industry.

Governor Hochul proudly announced, after passing the new laws, that “we must do everything in our power to end the scourge of human trafficking and protect thousands of individuals who fall victim to this abhorrent practice in New York… New Yorkers should know the signs of human trafficking and be ready to lend a hand to stand up for victims. I’m proud to sign this legislative package, which includes campaigns that will spread awareness and help make a meaningful difference in thousands of lives.”

The purpose behind these laws is to raise public awareness of the warning signs of human trafficking, its prevalence, and provide resources to combat it, including hotlines to help those who may have fallen victim to this crime. The Governor specifically stated that hospitality establishments can often be sites of human trafficking. The new laws have been largely supported by various members of the legisla -

ture. Assemblymember Kimberly Jean-Pierre said, “[e]nsuring that bar and restaurant staff are properly trained in assisting victims of human trafficking is extremely important. Human trafficking is a social and community tragedy that endangers public health and fuels violence and crime. This bill will help bring awareness to the issue, help these staff members better understand the signs, and teach them the proper reporting procedures. I am thrilled to see this bill signed into law by Governor Hochul and look forward to continuing the fight against human trafficking.” State Senator Jamaal Bailey further commented that, “[h]uman trafficking is a growing and pervasive problem

that impacts all our communities. This package of legislation works to combat the scourge of human trafficking, promote resources for victims, and advance preventative measures to protect against and break the cycle of exploitation.”

Not only does the state government believe the hospitality industry can assist in the fight against human trafficking, it is also imposing certain legal obligations on hospitality employers.

I. New Posting Requirements

Any establishment with a license to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises must display signage regarding the offense of human trafficking and as -

Olivia P. Hines is an associate in Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP’s Labor & Employment Practice Group. Ms. Hines has experience defending employers against wage & hour claims, discrimination & harassment claims. Ms. Hines also drafts various employment policies and agreements such as company handbooks, termination letters and release agreements. Prior to joining the firm Ms. Hines worked as an Associate at a multipractice litigation firm in the Employment and Commercial litigation departments. Ms. Hines also worked as a legal intern in three boutique firms in Brooklyn and Manhattan, in the areas of Personal Injury, Securities Litigation and Criminal Law. Ms. Hines can be reached at (212) 370-1300 or ohines@egsllp.com

sistance hotline. The establishment is required to display the required postage where it can be easily read by clientele and employees of the establishment in both English and Spanish.

This requirement takes effect immediately. Employers who fail to comply will be subject to civil penalties up to $100.00 for each day of the violation.

A link to the posters can be found here:

• English: https://dol.ny.gov/ system/files/documents/ 2021/02/p746.pdf

• Spanish: https://dol.ny.gov/ system/files/documents/ 2021/02/p746s.pdf

II. New Training Requirements

Lodging facilities will soon have to provide specific human trafficking awareness training to client-facing employees. “Lodging facilities” includes inns, hotels, motels, motor courts and/or any other establishments that provide lodging to transient guests. “Client-facing employ-

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EQUIPMENT & SUPPLY INNOVATION TAKES CENTERSTAGE AT NAFEM ‘23 SET FOR ORLANDO

With the Pandemic in the rearview mirror and a year of supply chain challenges, The NAFEM Show returns next month. From Feb. 1-3rd foodservice equipment and supply buyers will convene at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

With a wide array of products for food preparation, cooking, storage and table service on display, the show is a one-stop-shop for commercial foodservice E&S purchasing decision-makers. The show floor will welcome dealer/distributors, kitchen and restaurant management consultants, any food-away-from home operations such as independent, chain and quick service restaurants, colleges & universities, C-store, grocery, concessions, K-12 schools, hospitals, senior living, military and corporate dining.

Exhibitors at The NAFEM Show have the opportunity to get in front of and connect with the industry including dealers, distributors, operators and consultants. NAFEM also provides exhibitors with a variety of tools, resources and webinars to help them make the most of The NAFEM Show. “I’m looking forward to just being able to see people again,” noted David Stafford, president and CEO, Stafford-Smith Inc. “The pandemic lockdowns kept us away from each other for some time. At NAFEM, I plan to meet with customers, walk the show floor with them and find out how things are going and just share ideas and best practices. I want to find out how to do things better.”

The show has long been an integral resource for the restaurant pro-

fessional looking for equipment and supply’s newest solutions. “I’ve been looking forward to NAFEM for the past few years,” Nadine Rodriguez, director of supply chain, Noodles & Co. said. “It’s always a great opportunity to see new, innovative equipment. We are currently looking for equipment that can help improve cook times, increase throughput and reduce labor. We’re also looking for equipment that will help reduce utility costs and aligns with our environmental, social and governance goals.”

“The NAFEM Show is a one-of-akind experience that connects the operator with the latest in foodservice equipment and supplies as well as E&S manufacturers and foodser-

vice professionals from around the world,” added the show’s General Manager Deirdre Flynn. “It’s one of the most efficient ways to discover what’s trending today. Be inspired and hear new ideas that can transform the way you operate today –and in the future.”

Foodservice equipment and supplies choices need to be more strategic than ever, increasing productivity, reducing waste and providing operational flexibility. “Only The NAFEM Show gives you a front-row seat to today’s most impactful solutions to address these challenges and many more,” Flynn. continued. “Whether you’re looking for cuttingedge advancements or tried-and-

true machinery that can enhance your operation, it’s all here. Plus, the show gives you a unique opportunity to not only see equipment and supplies in action but connect with manufacturers about the right solutions for your needs. Leave feeling confident you’ve selected the best possible solution for your operation.

Flynn and her NAFEM team have also crafted a comprehensive educational program. “@CenterStage gives you unparalleled access to insights that you can apply to your operation immediately, Flynn explained. You’ll hear from industry leaders and experts on the hottest topics in commercial foodservice E&S during engaging talks, panel discussions and presentations. It’s all available in one place – and invaluable to your future success”

There’s nothing like a face-to-face conversation to inspire the foodservice professional’s next breakthrough. “Beyond the show floor, you’ll have several opportunities to interact with foodservice professionals at special networking events,” the Chicago based executive noted. “These gatherings, including the Kick-Off and NAFEM parties, give you a chance to build or maintain your network while enjoying delicious food and exciting entertainment after a successful show day.”

“We’ve all learned how to make do on our own or digitally, but there’s just something special about everybody coming together physically. It’s almost symbolic in that it’s indicative of the industry’s recovery,” Flynn concluded.

Learn more at https://www. thenafemshow.org/

“At NAFEM, I plan to meet with customers, walk the show floor with them and find out how things are going and just share ideas and best practices. I want to find out how to do things better.” — David Stafford

AHF NEW YORK CHAPTER CELEBRATES THE SEASON WITH ANNUAL GATHERING

Metro New York and the nation’s healthcare foodservice professionals will never again be looked at in the same light after the two years of the Pandemic. The legions of the healthcare foodservice men and women that were on the front lines to support the daily challenges of COVID-19 were integral in getting their communities through a once-in-alifetime challenge.

So, with that in mind, the irrepressible Patrick Lamont, Mimi Wang and Stephen Chow hosted the annual AHF Association for Healthcare Foodservice holiday party last month. With the backdrop of the beautiful Russo’s On The Bay in Queens the special event featured a night of food service employee recognition officer installation as well as networking and dancing and fun.

The AHF New York’s chapter’s goal is to play a key role on the journey to health and Wellness. As healthcare food service self-operators, the group understands the important alignment between nutrition and healing.

The chapter’s mission is to develop leaders and raise the bar for food service in New York self-operated facilities whether acute or long-term care. its members are directors, managers, dietitians, and chefs. AHF New York provides professional growth through focused education-the programming that drives productivity innovation and patient satisfaction from within all facets of the food service department, from patient meals to staff dining to retail concepts.

The New York chapter has a history that dates back to 1960 when it was launched as the Healthcare Foodservice Administrators Association of

Greater New York. It was founded by the legendary Jacques Bloch. The former food service director of food nutrition at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx led the way for what AHF has become over the past six decades.

Today, AHF New York salutes blocks legacy and shares AHF’s national mission: to promote support and connect healthcare food service professionals assuring food and nutrition services are valued as an essential contributor to the mission of the healthcare organizations they serve.

(L-R) Alex Grover of BSE Marketing, Pro-Tek’s Kim Bunn-Minsky, and Thierry Casseus of Ecolab

The 2023 AHF-New York board (L to R) Dan Plaut, Stephen Chow, Ninel Shemelzman, Marc Fuchs, Simone Nicolas, Patrick LaMont, Mimi Wang, Leslie Rosen, Tania Collazo, Frank Coffey, Corey Perez, Veronica McLymont and Lisa Yeung

(L-R) Ninel Shemelzman, Stephen Chow, Simone Nicolas, Patrick Lamont, Lisa Yeung, Tania Collazo-Jasa, Mimi Wang, Cory Perez

VA Hospital Stephen Chow (L) feted top industry leaders

The special night at Russo’s On The Bay recognized AHF’s top achievers in healthcare foodservice in Metro New York

PARTRIDGE CLUB TOASTS THE HOLIDAYS WITH ANNUAL NYAC GALA

Clearly president Roger Oliver’s stirring rendition of the Star-Spangled banner set the tone for a truly spectacular afternoon of toasting the holiday season. The opportunity to come together once again has taken special meaning for all as the Partridge Scholarship Foundation welcomed in the 2022/23 holiday season.

The added bonus of being able to bestow scholarship funds to students was truly the icing on the cake. with the backdrop of the New York Athletic Club, Partridge Club members welcome to the holiday season at the club’s annual holiday shindig. Kudos to club president Roger Oliver who truly represents the spirit of the organization. among the highlights was the presentation of the scholarship awards to representatives of New York City College of Technology, Cornell University, Johnson and Wales, Paul Smith College, the CIA and ProStart. There was also a heartfelt tribute from Marc Fuchs to the late Dick Cattani of Restaurants Associates who was a longtime friend of Partridge.

A number of major kitchen consultants including Davella and Associates’ James Davella, and Jacobs Doland Beer’s Christine Gurtler and Ed Hull were on hand. The group enjoyed the camaraderie of such food and beverage leaders as Fresh and Tasty as Peter Fernandez.

The Partridge Club was formed in 1935 at the Victoria Hotel in New York City. The membership was made-up of leading purveyors to the hotel club and restaurant trade. The holiday luncheon brought the mission of the Partridge foundation to raise scholarship funds for insti -

tutions of higher learning and to provide training for students pursuing a career in the hospitality industry. Among the industries top equipment and supply professionals as celebrated were Singer M Tucker’s Eric Santagato and Marc Fuchs as well as PBAC’s Steve Bauer and Cory Lopez. Under the guidance of the club’s president Roger Oliver and a visionary board the club continues to fulfill its mission of making a culinary for hospitality education or reality for many students with its scholarship programs.

JP Morgan’s Brian Bingay and Kevin Byman of Singer M Tucker

Anthony Trentacosti (2nd-L), president of Cater To You Food Service, hosted a large contingent

Legendary healthcare food service executive Veronica McLymont and Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Tatanisha Peets (L-R) Lou Rozzo of Rozzo Fish and DeBragga and Spitler’s Peter Sarrazin

Roger Oliver presented a scholarship check to Restaurant Associates’ Gina Zimmer

Next Step Design’s Jason Russo (L) and Lef Billings (R) flank Romano Gatland’s Chris Brady

Legendary Winged Foot club manager Colin Burns (2nd-L) was feted on his upcoming retirement

(L-R) The Jacobs Doland Beer trio of Ed Hull, Christine Gurtler and Bob Doland

WINDY CITY TOQUE ASCENCIO BRINGS AUTHENTIC TWIST TO TACOS

When Taqueria Chingón in Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago made its debut in 2020 the restaurant went through 40 pounds of steak and 70 pounds of pork al pastor on opening day. Chef Marcos Ascencio and his team have simply never looked back.

Customers can only make their orders online, and for the first few weeks it was survival of the fittest to ensure who gets to order from a prime pickup time. The restaurant has three partners with the most well-known being Oliver Poilevey of Le Bouchon, a popular French restaurant just a short drive away. Chingón gives Poilevey’s partners an opportunity to shine by using family recipes that spotlight more than the basic chicken, steak, and chorizo that most taquerias feature.

The taqueria also has some special off-the-menu selections. Chef

Ascencio and his team have built their reputation such exotic offerings as carnitas with pig’s heads and morcillo (blood sausage). These cuts aren’t as mainstream, but the Chingón team is pushing the boundaries. The taco menu features fluffy corn tortillas and flavorful-packed salsas. Offerings have included pozole with pork shoulder, green chorizo, ceviche made with octopus and shrimp and even churros smothered truffled goat cheese.

One of the keys to being able to orchestrate such a creative menu has been the ability to source the highest quality, and in many cases unusual, ingredients. “I have built a

strong relationship with the Chefs’ Warehouse and have worked with the company for several years,” Ascencio detailed. “I value CW because of the trust I have with my sales rep and the company overall. They know how to get things done and truly provide the most incredible products. Our signature dish with the Chefs’ Warehouse was inspired with octopus & shrimp from a street vendor while visiting Mexico City and they were able to source what I need to create it here.”

Given the amount of competition with a number of nearby Mexican restaurants, Ascencio has taken an “out of the box” approach to the

creativity of the menu. Quesadilla La Reina Del Sur, a vegan Mexican spot, is across the street. Birrieria Estilo Jalisco is right next door. Las Asadas and Arturo’s also stand a few blocks south on Western Avenue.

Chef Ascencio grew up in Chicago, and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School. After high school he attended both UIC and the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago. His varied culinary career began at NoMi with Chef Sandro Gamba where over his eight years. Marcos worked every station and department, eventually rising to Chef de Cuisine of the Park Hyatt under Christophe David. After NoMi, Ascencio joined the Chicago Public Schools a culinary instructor at Benito Juarez Community Academy in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood. While there, he mentored the next generation of cooks and chefs

Chef Marcos Ascencio

Octopus and shrimp ceviche street style taco

“Our goal is to recreate a Mexico City street style taqueria focused on one of Mexico City’s favorite street foods: the Al Pasto.” — Chef Marcos Ascencio

VROMO CREATES NEW LEVEL OF DELIVERY EFFICIENCY FOR NATION’S RESTAURANTS

With the swipe of a finger, customers wield the power to enjoy meals on their own terms – and their own turf. Even before the pandemic, marketplace delivery apps transformed domestic settings into conduits of culinary experience.

A cannoli on the couch, gyoza in the living room, pizza in the park: with the rise of delivery apps, these dining experiences became both plausible and commonplace. Before VROMO, many restaurants offered the convenience of third-party delivery at the expense of their bottom lines. But Brian Hickey, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of VROMO, envisioned an alternate future: one that optimizes food delivery services to the benefit of both restaurants and customers.

In 2016, VROMO began as WeBringg: a last-mile delivery service company that delivered takeaway foods, pharmacy products, and groceries in Ireland. Expansion to the UK and Australia illuminated the need for advanced software that supported hot food delivery and automated the dispatch of delivery drivers.

By chance, Hickey and his team uncovered and ultimately purchased a small company in Perth, Australia, which offered the “perfect product” for

restaurant brands. Using this software, Hickey founded VROMO with his Chief Commercial Officer, Alan Hickey, in 2020. The company has since expanded to more than 250 cities across 5 continents and over 15 countries, according to its website.

VROMO allows restaurants to deliver food efficiently and widely, whilst reclaiming ownership of the customer experience. When participating restaurants receive a delivery order, VROMO uses on-the- ground data to determine the best available driver “based on a whole bunch of criteria that are customized for every restaurant,” says Hickey. After the transaction, VROMO takes over, calls the driver in, and sends them back out with route optimization to

the customer’s house.

When the food leaves the restaurant, VROMO texts a link to customers that provides the driver’s location and contact information, should customers need to ask for updates. Many restaurants also embed branded content in their VROMO link, including YouTube videos, referral campaigns, coupons, and loyalty programs. Remarkably, the links have an 80% clickthrough rate, and customers spend an average of four minutes monitoring the journey of their meal. “The whole idea,”

Hickey says, “is that restaurants own the customer experience.”

While a global pandemic was not part of the plan, it created a context that allowed VROMO, and the restaurants it supports, to thrive. In the spring of 2020, consumer demand for takeout services skyrocketed – and many restaurants outsourced the work to food delivery apps. Yet for many businesses, this decision stemmed from a sheer lack of options.

Enter VROMO: an industry newcomer turned industry champion; in view of the options it affords to restaurants. Says Hickey: “We’ll typically have a restaurant come to us and say, ‘Look, I’m using marketplace delivery apps because I didn’t know there were other options. But I have no idea what they’re doing. I have no idea how well they’re servicing my customer. And also, I’m paying them way too much money.”

In response, VROMO recommends and aggregates a variety of delivery methods to maximize a restaurant’s profit and delivery fulfilment. On the busiest

“The whole idea is that restaurants own the customer experience.”

— Brian Hickey

VROMO’s software, designed specifically for restaurants, reduces the total cost of last-mile delivery by 24%. Minimize labor dependence & human error with automation, expand delivery zones and volume with overflow, curtail unnecessary costs with order stacking and improve the customer journey with engaging driver tracking.

SCOOP

FDA ANNOUNCES FINAL FOOD TRACEABILITY RULE

SCOOP heard the FDA announced the finalization of a rule to trace contaminated food more effectively through the supply chain, whether sourced in the U.S. or abroad. The intention is that the FDA will be able to more rapidly and effectively identify the origin and route of travel of certain contaminated foods to prevent or mitigate foodborne illness outbreaks, address the threats to the health of consumers, and minimize broad advisories or recalls that affect uncontaminated food products.

The final rule establishes additional traceability recordkeeping requirements for those that manufacture, process, pack, or hold certain foods, including fresh leafy greens, nut butters, and freshcut fruits and vegetables. Foods subject to the final rule requirements appear on the Food Traceability List.

“This rule lays the foundation for even greater end-to-end food traceability across the food system that we’re working on as part of the New Era of Smarter Food Safety initiatives,” said Frank Yiannas, the FDA’s deputy commissioner for food policy and response. “This standardized, datadriven approach to traceability recordkeeping helps create a harmonized, universal language of food traceability that will help pave the way for the industry to adopt and leverage more digital, interoperable, and tech-enabled traceability systems both in the near term and the future.”

Through an initial proposed ruling in 2020 that faced a public comment period where food producers and stakeholders weighed in, the agency has been able to modify the final rule so that it better aligns with current industry approaches to food traceability and harmonizes points in the supply chain where records must be maintained.

Key features of the final rule include:

• Records that are required at key points in the supply chain.

• The inclusion of essential information to help regulators understand a business’ traceability program.

• Record maintenance compliance guidelines.

The ruling progresses the agency’s commitment to better protect the public by ensuring a safe and wholesome food supply.

EXECUTIVE CHEF BRYAN HILL AND EXECUTIVE PASTRY CHEF SAMANTHA SANTIAGO TORRES

JOIN AMBASSADOR CHICAGO

SCOOP learned that Bryan Hill has joined Ambassador Chicago, a JDV by Hyatt Hotel, as Executive Chef with Samantha Santiago Torres joining as Executive Pastry Chef.

Illinois native Chef Hill previously worked as executive chef for InterContinental at Doral Miami. He has also worked in restaurants at Marriott Lincolnshire Resort in Illinois, InterContinental Chicago, InterContinental Boston and InterContinental Cleveland.

Torres most recently worked at Thompson Chicago as executive pastry chef. The Spain na -

tive began her career in 2012, when she worked in London at a Japanese restaurant. She later moved to Scotland to work in a bakery and later made the move back to London, where she worked in several 5-star hotels and Michelin Star restaurants. Torres moved to the United States in 2017 and has since held several pastry roles before entering her first executive pastry chef role at LondonHouse Chicago.

“We are thrilled to welcome both Chefs Bryan and Samantha to our team here at Ambassador Chicago,” says Keith Cestare, General Manager of Ambassador Chicago. “They both offer impressive talent and skill that will positively enhance our guests’ dining experience at the hotel.”

USDA INVESTS IN SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATORS

SCOOP discovered that the USDA chief scientist Chavonda Jacobs-Young announced an investment of $21.6 million in scientific research for small businesses to further develop transformative agricultural solutions.

“Small businesses, particularly rural and agricultural enterprises, play a vital role in the American economy. They embody the entrepreneurial spirit that America was built upon,” said JacobsYoung. “This latest investment strengthens federal research and development support for small businesses, including women- and minorityowned businesses, and enhances USDA’s efforts to rapidly scale innovation across the food supply chain.”

This investment is part of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Small Business Innovation Research program that targets early-stage private-sector projects. Grant funding will support 34 research projects that propose innovative

Samantha Santiago Torres

Executive Chef Bryan Hill

solutions on various projects related to topics including food science, nutrition, and agricultural conservation.

The grants announced are supporting businesses across the country. Examples of funded projects include:

• Inventherm of Baton Rouge, LA, a company developing commercial soft serve ice cream and slush machines that use a novel, more cost-efficient sanitizing process.

• Hangar Alpha LLC of New York, NY, a company working to develop and commercially produce predictive fire analytics.

• Mirtech Inc. of North Brunswick, NJ, a company seeking to provide new market opportunities to the pear industry.

Other grant winners will use the money to advance disciplines including forestry, plant production and protection, natural resource conservation, food science, nutrition, and more.

BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN ANNOUNCES NEW EXCLUSIVE CATERING AND VISITOR DINING PARTNERS

SCOOP heard that Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Union Square Events, and Restaurant Associates announced their partnership in the Garden’s visitor dining and private events. Union Square Events (USE) is the hospitality and catering di -

vision of Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, and Restaurant Associates (R/A) are innovators in culinary creation and hospitality, with 75 years of expertise in working with cultural venues. These three organizations with deep New York roots look forward to working together to reimagine dining and events experiences at one of the city’s most iconic cultural centers, building from their shared values of creating community, fostering excellence, nurturing creativity, and extending hospitality. USE and R/A, in partnership, will become Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s exclusive catering and visitor dining partner as of January 15, 2023. Visitors can expect new dining concepts curated by Union Square Events at the Garden’s restaurant, Yellow Magnolia Café, seasonal informal eatery, Yellow Magnolia Canteen, and the Visitor Center’s Yellow Magnolia Coffee Bar. Yellow Magnolia Café—named in honor of the yellow magnolia cultivar bred and introduced by BBG—is a modern American café focused on locally sourced and sustainable menu choices. Restaurant diners will enjoy an array of offerings that harness seasonal ingredients and plant-based options, such as market-driven salads, simply prepared proteins, and homemade desserts. The space, designed by the Rockwell Group, overlooks Lily Pool Terrace and the Annual and Perennial Borders. At Yellow Magnolia Canteen, perched on the terrace by the Steinhardt Conservatory, visitors may choose from a curated selection of prepared salads, sandwiches, and snack boxes along with cooked-to-order items. Yellow Magnolia Canteen’s unique offerings are intended to amplify the visitor experience and engage all the senses through vibrant colors, delicious tastes, seasonally driven ingredients, fresh produce, and invigorating fresh beverages for both warm and cool days. Visitors should also plan to stop by the Yellow Magnolia Coffee Bar, which will serve up a selection of fresh pastries, delicious snacks, and quality beverages to complement a morning or afternoon spent in the Garden. In addition to visitor dining, Union Square Events will become the exclusive caterer at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, producing bespoke catered events and experiences with their award-winning culinary excellence and memorable hospitality.

WORLD CHEESE AWARDS 2022

- PARMIGIANO REGGIANO AND VERMONT CREAMERY WINNERS

SCOOP heard that Parmigiano Reggiano is the world’s most awarded cheese for a consecutive year winning 93 medals at the World Cheese Awards, the world’s leading international cheese competition held this year in Newport, Wales. The international jury, composed of 250 experts from more than 30 countries, awarded Parmigiano Reggiano two Super Gold medals, one to Latteria Sociale Centro Rubbianino (RE) and another to Caseificio di Gavasseto e Roncadella (RE), 17 gold medals, 33 silver, and 38 bronze.

The cheese and butter maker, Vermont Creamery, won six awards. The company’s legacy Classic Fresh Goat Cheese, the first cheese from the Creamery, took home gold. Bonne Bouche, the flagship of its aged cheese collection, and Vanilla Crème Fraîche also earned gold medals. Its Cremont and Coupole won silver medals, and Bijou, an aged goat cheese, won bronze.

“There is no denying the significance of winning at the World Cheese Awards,” said Adeline Druart, president of Vermont Creamery. “Having our most consumer-cherished cheeses recognized by this panel of cheese experts, on the international stage in Europe is so gratifying, knowing that our industry peers appreciate these iconic cheeses as much as our consumers and customers do. This tells us that the US artisanal cheese movement has come a long way and can stand against the

Brooklyn Botanic

world’s best.”

Also awarded bronze and silver medals were three cheeses from Wegman’s: 1916, Sweet 16, and Truffle Shuffle. All three are a collaboration between the retailer and the creamery.

The cheeses were scored on aspects such as the appearance of the rind and paste, as well as the cheese’s aroma, body, and texture, with most points awarded for flavor and mouthfeel.

This year’s World Cheese Awards was the 34th edition and saw more entries than ever before with a record-breaking 4,434 cheeses submitted from 42 countries and 900 companies from around the globe. The cheeses included increased entries from Canada, Argentina, Slovenia, and Israel, India, Ukraine, and more. Well-established cheesemaking nations such as France, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. were well represented by both returning and new entrants, with a notable increase in Swiss entries.

HELIOS™ HEAT & LIGHT MARKS FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND SERVING SOLUTION FROM ENGLISH MANUFACTURING

SCOOP learned that English Manufacturing, a subsidiary of Food Service Holdings, has announced the launch of Helios™, the company’s new proprietary heat and light solution developed exclusively for its family of food guards. The high-efficiency design offers even heat dispersion to maintain ideal serving temperature while the energy saving LED lighting illuminates culinary offerings for a more appetizing presentation.. The clean, modern profile and attractive finish provide a minimally obstructive visual and safe access to food.

Helios was developed to mirror the short lead times of English sneeze guards with the accompanying heat and light units. By reducing English’s reliance on third-party heat and light solutions and manufacturing its own equipment at the company’s Denver, Colorado headquarters, English can cut months from delivery projections.

“With every new product launch, the English Manufacturing and Food Service Holdings team is always looking for ways to bring industry-leading offerings to the marketplace,” explained Stephanie Gilbert, Executive Vice President of Corporate Growth Strategy. “Foodservice operators have been burdened with supply chain and sourcing constraints for an extended period of time. We knew we could offer an unparalleled product

that would address the issue while ensuring food safety. We’re eager to bring Helios to the foodservice industry and offer a streamlined, elevated aesthetic that promotes improved warming and illumination in culinary settings.”

Helios is available on all English food shields and should requested at time of order. Thirdparty heat and light systems are still available as a buyout option.

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, English Manufacturing produces food guards that emphasize quality while providing measurable value to end users. Anchored by its three sneeze guard models, AdjustaGuard, Matrix, and Viper, English specializes in standardized, scalable products for customers with multiple locations or applications with basic design requirements. English Manufacturing is part of the Food Service Holdings family of companies, the market leader in food shield manufacturing and custom serving line solutions.

OPENINGS - NEW YORK

• Astoria welcomed Figlia to the neighborhood, an Italian restaurant featuring neo-Neapolitan pizzas from a custom-built oven. The concept was courtesy of restaurateur Riccardo Dardha–who’s also behind New York’s Bread & Tulips—and the menu is helmed by longtime baker and chef de cuisine Ariel Villegas.

• Top Chef star, Kwame Onwuachi, who opened two short-lived fine dining establishments in Washington D.C., has returned to his hometown New York City to open Tatiana, his first restaurant here. It is the crown jewel restaurant inside of the $550 million overhaul at Lincoln Center’s David

Geffen Hall.

• Chef Marcus Samuelsson opened Hav & Mar, his first New York City restaurant in almost a decade. The menu, which emphasizes seafood, highlights the Swedish and Ethiopian flavors Samuelsson grew up with.

• Major Food Group’s much-anticipated, new Torrisi Bar & Restaurant is now open in the historic Puck Building under the helm of Chef Rich Torrisi. The Italian aperitivo bar program is led by Master Mixologist Nathan McCarley-O’Neill.

• Casino, a new coastal Italian restaurant from Aisa Shelley and the team behind Primos’ bar has opened in Tribeca. Chef Ken Addington leads the kitchen.

• Chef-Restaurateur Richard Sandoval and Chef Jonatán Gómez Luna Torres unveil Yucatán inspired restaurant, tán in Midtown Manhattan. Designed by award-winning PeterMax Co., tán boasts muted earthly materials commonly found in the Yucatán region dressed with elaborate henequen fiber wall hangings, woven sisal sunscreens and a bespoke seafood display. Its lounge, lúm, is tucked away with coved, cave-like ceilings, and warm candlelight, effectively bringing the soul of Tulum stateside.

Helios from English Manufacturing

Cuisine items from tán in Midtown Manhattan

• Danny Abrams and Cindy Smith have teamed up with Jeffrey Bank, the CEO of Alicart Restaurant Group opening The Mermaid Inn in Midtown. Chef Michael Cressotti serves Mermaid classics and signature coastal fare.

OPENINGS - HAMPTON BAYS, NEW YORK

Good Ground Tavern situated inside Hampton Bays’ Canoe Place Inn & Cottages has opened with Chef Ülfet Ralph.

OPENINGS - MIAMI, FLORIDA

Sushi by Bou, the nationally acclaimed sushi restaurant stirring up the omakase experience opened its second South Florida location at the luxurious SLS Brickell.

The intimate 650-square-foot space provides an oasis within the heart of Brickell’s dining and entertainment district. The dark, speak-easy setting is elevated with ornate art house-inspired decor with rich black and gold design elements. The 12seat counter and lounge that seats another 12 are the ideal spots to enjoy craft cocktails and Sushi by Bou’s signature timed omakase experience.

Omakase, the Japanese phrase meaning “I’ll leave it up to you,” allows highly skilled chefs to incorporate seasonal ingredients and preferred techniques into an exclusive, personalized menu. During this traditional culinary experience, guests will sit back and let the talented Sushi by Bou chefs decide their menu. Guests can choose from two signature options: a 12-course, $60 ex -

perience or a 17-course, $125 experience. The elegant cuisine is complemented by a selection of handmade cocktails, imported sake and rare Japanese whiskeys.

“We’re thrilled to bring the Sushi by Bou concept to Miami’s growing culinary scene,” said Richie Romero, Chief Hospitality Officer at SimpleVenue. “This new neighborhood gem will set the stage with an elegant and fun spin on the traditional sushi counter experience proven through our roster of successful locations across the country that all share the art of crafting a memorable gastronomic affair for our guests. We look forward to having locals and visitors alike join us for omakase, whiskey pairings, great music or a drink at the lounge.”

Sushi by Bou was created by NYC-based hospitality group SimpleVenue. Over the last few years, SimpleVenue has made its mark across Chicago with several chic sushi concepts specializing in the omakase experience. Restaurants include Sushi by Bou Lincoln Park, Sushi by Bou Gold Coast, Sushi by Bou West Loop and Sushi Suite 202, the city’s first hotel room turned sushi speak-easy in the Hotel Lincoln. Sushi by Bou also opened a Fort Lauderdale location earlier this year, inside Salt7. SimpleVenue’s ever-growing list of locations is set to change the sushi scene across the country, bringing high-end omakase experiences to more people.

OPENINGS - CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Forte, a modern Mediterranean restaurant debuted at The Symphony Center. The space is now helmed by prominent Chicago hospitality and

food service brand Levy Restaurants. Founded in 1978 with D.B. Kaplan’s Delicatessen at Water Tower Place, Levy provides food service at Wrigley Field, Guaranteed Rate Field, and the United Center. The brand also has a hand in formal restaurants and once owned Spiaggia, the acclaimed downtown Italian restaurant with chef Tony Mantuano. In October, Levy acquired a minority stake in James Beard Award-winning Boka Restaurant Group, known for Chicago restaurants such as Girl & the Goat and Momotaro.

OPENINGS - GREENWICH, CT

Wildacre Rotisserie, a fast-casual rotisserie restaurant rooted in pasture-raised chicken, bountiful sides, vibrant salads, hearty wraps, and house-made sauces that add to Wildacre’s flavorful experience, brings California-style cuisine to Greenwich, CT.

Wildacre Rotisserie is spearheaded by Chef Ben Pote whose colorful background includes Director of Development at Souvla in San Francisco, Director of Culinary Innovation at Starbucks, and Director of Culinary Strategy/Culinary Program Manager at sweetgreen, a healthy and sustainable fast-food movement currently serving over 300 communities throughout the US. After earning his bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Washington University in St. Louis in 2008, Pote cooked his way through reputable kitchens such as Hillstone Restaurant Group (Hillstone, Houston’s) and The Florence Group (led by the Food Network’s Tyler Florence), before graduating from the French Culinary Institute in New York in 2010.

Wildacre chickens come from Cooks Venture, which raises a slow-growth heirloom chicken called the Pioneer, taking into account the health of the animal and the health of the environment. Core to their mission is advancing regenerative agriculture with pasture-raised, heirloom birds fed a diet of non-GMO feed. The result is the most flavorful bird you have ever tasted.

Like the menu, the space is wrapped in a bright modern California design aesthetic. Throughout the restaurant are images of poppies - the state flower of California. The remodeled space was designed by Westport Architect Frederick William Hoag and conceived around the rotisserie, whose sights and smells evoke an inviting feeling upon entering, and the calming view of Mill Pond.

Sushi By Bou Omakase

INFLATION IS UP: FOUR TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR FOOD WASTE DOWN

As inflation continues to rise, owners and operators throughout the foodservice industry are learning that the need to focus on reducing food waste is greater than ever. Below are our top four tips for reducing food waste to help combat inflation.

Train your staff properly.

Teach your employees to store and prepare foods with waste reduction in mind. Make sustainability a part of your work environment and culture. You will also want to make sure your staff is well versed on the equipment in your kitchen. For example, highspeed ovens like the MultiChef can be preprogrammed with specific recipes

for your foodservice program. This eliminates cooking errors, which lowers the likelihood of your employees having to throw away burnt or undercooked product. Remember to lead by example, this shows the commitment begins at the top.

Make good use of every bit of food.

Leftover veggie scraps or bones can be used to make flavorful stocks and broths. Day old bread can easily be turned into croutons or breadcrumbs, and mishappen, ugly produce and be used in sauces or juices. Don’t be afraid to use your imagination.

Double check your food

deliveries.

DO NOT accept a food delivery without performing a thorough inspection. Keep an eye out for bruised fruits or vegetables when receiving produce. During meat deliveries be on the lookout for discoloration or bad odors. You never want to be in a position where you have a large amount of product in house that can’t be used.

Invest in efficient and dependable kitchen equipment.

Sometimes you just have to let technology do some of the work for you. The AutoFry is a ventless, deep fryer

complete with a revolutionary technology known as Simplifry™. This heat/time compensation intelligence automatically adjusts cooking times based on the quantity of product being prepared per fry cycle. This process ensures that, whether you’re preparing two orders of fries or five, your product is cooked to perfection every time. Simplifry limits cooking errors, ultimately resulting in reduced food waste.

For more information on how AutoFry and MultiChef can help your business, visit MTIproducts.com

DARING AND CUISINE SOLUTIONS TEAM LAUNCH FOR SOUS VIDE OPTIONS TO PLANT BASED MENUS

As a fledgling international tennis player, Ross Mackay has always understood the importance of being able to think at least one shot ahead. With that he has been able to bring that same acumen to the plant-based food marketplace.

His Daring line has emerged as a leading plant-based chicken brand in the US. Most recently it has debuted a highly new sous vide plant chicken menu solution. The company is partnering with Cuisine Solutions that has built a reputation as a global leader in pioneering and perfecting the sousvide cooking technique. Sous vide, which means “under vacuum” in French, is a cooking method in which food is vacuum-sealed and slowcooked in water at precise temperatures.

“We are so excited to be partnering

with Cuisine Solutions, Inc. to offer a sous vide format for our restaurant partners and for the opportunity to expand this new offering into other parts of the business in the future,” said Mackay, the Founder and CEO of Daring. “Taste and texture are at the forefront of everything we do, and we trust the sous vide cooking format to produce both at the highest quality.”

Currently, Daring is found in over 500 restaurants across the United States. Its portfolio of restaurant partners includes many of the industry’s top brands in a wide diversity of segments QSR (Juice Press, Monty’s Good Burger) to leading white tablecloth operators led by Dave Gruttman’s Gekko Steakhouse and the Tao Restaurant Group and our newest partner, Bluestone Lane.

Full-service dining operations will benefit from this new sous vide alternative because it allows for lower labor costs, lower preparation time, guaranteed consistency of product, hot and cold applications, and allows for limited kitchen space. “The sous vide format provides our foodservice partners with a new option not previously available: Ready-to-Eat,” noted David Johnson, VP of Food Service at Daring. “The combination of our simple ingredients with Cuisine Solutions sous vide technology gives our partners the consistency and quality that they are looking for, while opening the door to more cold applications as well.”

An early key to the new rollout has been the ease of adding it to a menu across multiple units. Juice Press has

added a new Daring Plant-Based Chik’n Salad Wrap in its refrigerated grab-and-go section at 80 of its restaurants. “Part of our focus when it comes to delivering innovation in the plantbased space is finding the very best companies in the market to partner with,” said Nolan Popper, Director of Plant-Based Innovation at Cuisine Solutions. “Pairing Daring’s clean ingredients with cutting-edge manufacturing technology means that together

we can create endless platforms with options for all dayparts. We’re excited by the possibilities our sous-vide process has helped to unlock for vegan and flexitarian customers alike.”

In addition to restaurants, Daring has found a warm reception from foodservice operators. College cafeterias including Georgia Tech and Ohio University have added the line

“We’re excited by the possibilities our sous-vide process has helped to unlock for vegan and flexitarian customers alike.” — Nolan Popper, Cuisine Solutions

Ross Mackay

Thai-style Stir Fry Noodles and Vegetables made with Daring plant-based chicken

condition. Beginning this month, employees can also take up to 12 weeks of job-protected, paid leave to care for siblings with a serious health condition.

In March 2021, New York passed an amendment to the New York Labor Law requiring New York employers to provide up to four hours of paid leave for employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. As described previously, this requirement has been extended to remain in effect

FEMALES IN FOOD

through December 31, 2023.

In December 2021, New York City passed the Automated Employment Decision Tools Law, requiring employers to conduct independent bias audits of automated employment decision tools (AEDT) used to evaluate job candidates or employees. The law became effective on January 1, 2023, and it has garnered significant attention due to its sweeping implications for New York City employers that utilize AEDTs.

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ences and support one another is what my co-founder, Kelli Ferrell and I are very passionate about,” co-founder Weintraub explained.

As fledgling organizations powered by a desire to make an impact, see new faces, inspire community, and foster a strong enduring presence, the focus is on establishing a broader footprint in 2023 for both Females in Food and Women in

Restaurants. Dodd said that they are rolling out new technology that will enable even better connectivity between our members, launching new professional development programs, and working with organizations like Women in Restaurants to find new ways to serve even more women in the industry. Our members are able to connect globally 24/7 through a secure communica -

RESTAURANT CONSTRUCTION

4. Get More Familiar With Industry Trends

Most restaurant owners don’t keep up-to-date with current restaurant design trends. They’re simply too busy managing the daily operations of their business. Still,

from page 32 TABLZ

survivability.”

He recounted that from the outside looking in “while in California during the summer of 2021 cars were literally lined up on the highway for an opportunity to find a restaurant that was able to seat them. This prompted me to ask several owners what could have been the root cause of this dilemma, “we have no staff!” At that moment it solidified the realization, we were the last industry in the world to ex -

from page 26

paying attention to these trends can save you a lot of heartache in the future, especially if your design misses the mark.

For example, after the COVID-19 pandemic, patrons want a safe dining experience. This could mean expanding your outdoor dining op -

New York City employers covered by the new law are required to: Complete an independent bias audit of the AEDT. They must maintain a publicly available summary of bias audit findings, and keep “information about the type of data collected for the automated employment decision tool, the source of such data and the employer or employment agency’s data retention policy,” which the employer would also have to provide to a candidate

or employee upon written request; Employers must also provide notice to candidates and employees who resides in New York City in advance about the use of such a tool, including “the job qualifications and characteristics that such automated employment decision tool will use in the assessment”; and allow candidates and employees to request an accommodation from being subjected to the AEDT, among other things.

tion channel, however, we will continue to build out our ambassador network and regional events to foster even stronger community at a local level.

Women in Restaurants is starting the year off with a Vision Board/ Manifestation event in collaboration with an emerging restaurant brand and is planning food and community building retreats in the

Southeast throughout the year.

So, as the industry heads into the new year and with it, new challenges, the future is not only food but most importantly, it is Females in Food. And this network is doing everything in its power to empower women into positions of visibility, power, and equity.

ercise revenue management, with a complementary theory of both premium seating and dynamic pricing as a benchmark to meet consumer demand.

Nagy concluded that the idea of prioritizing access and proximity for a premium has been capitalized on by many other industries to the point of normalized expectation. Airlines, theaters, sporting events, concerts, the list goes on. “Why couldn’t a restaurant get the same

tions, adding plexiglass or plastic barriers between booths, or making it easier for patrons and waitstaff to stand 6 feet apart or wash their hands.

Texture and warm pallets were on trend in 2022 because both design choices provide a sense of hominess

premium price for a special table that an NBA team gets for a courtside seat?” Nagy added.

“But we, the restaurant industry, are fighting a war and are amongst the last institutions that simply give away our real estate for free. Being last to the party we must shift our mentality and tactics to capture this opportunity. One of the foremost battles within that war is to educate operations to allay the fear of upselling premium seating, as

and comfort. Warm color pallets also make restaurants look cleaner. While these trends may disappear by 2023, reds, browns, and golden yellows will still be popular design choices for years to come. Consider adopting trends like these that are safe bets.

consumers have been comfortable and willing to upgrade to premium seating. Tablz is not a clone of our competitors that give your real estate away for free, let us help you sell 50% of those opportunities for a massive economic value.”

Frazer Nagy and Tablz have created a platform that is the perfect convergence of technology and customer experience that creates a new revenue stream for the national restaurant operators.

full force. Modern iterations may be super-sized to share, flamed tableside, or deconstructed.

*Mid-City Restaurant (Cincinnati, OH) offers a seasonally changing inexpensive Baked Alaska

Drink of the Year: The New Seafood Cocktail

In the 80s and 90s popular cocktails tended toward sweet; in the early aughts bitter was big; now briny is back in style. We’re not just talking about dirty martinis, but the newly branded “coastal” cocktails that embrace oceanic flavors and ingredients, often with an eye-catching edible garnish.

*Bluestem Restaurant & Market’s (San Francisco, CA) “Cioppino” cocktail includes salted tomato water, tequila, lime, citrus, serrano chili and clam juice

from page 54 PLANT BASED

and vegetable consumers can build habits from hacks. Ms. Kaplan and a panel of three experts discussed a number of hacks that could entice consumers to make fruit and vegetable eating.

Panelist Amy Myrdal Miller, MS, RDN, FAND, PBH Culinary and Foodservice Specialist, emphasized the importance of creating “craveability” for produce. Applying flavor to vegetable dishes through spices is one way to turn on desire. Collectively, the panelists agreed that delicious taste, affordability and convenience are essential components of effective hacks. For example, use dips, sauces and dressings to perk up produce offerings.

Second Seminar:

Activating Foodservice to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption explored how the foodservice industry is moving forward following pandemic lows and through inflationary highs. A panel of top foodservice operators/distributors discussed how to capitalize on the increased health consciousness of Americans

Ube is Ubiquitous

Popularized in large part due to Filipino desserts, such as Halo Halo or bubble tea, fans love the pleasant sweet flavor and bright, eye-catching hue. The vibrant purple color has propelled this ingredient’s popularity on Instagram. Don’t limit it to Asian flavors or preparations—consider ube a purple version of a Southern sweet potato.

Two Digit Tasting Menus

Distinctly different from the largely European, white-tablecloth versions more commonly known, the format allows chefs to express their creativity and to menu plan more accurately, controlling costs of both food and labor. Consumers love the unique opportunity to experience the breadth of a chef’s creativity—for a fraction of the price.

*Lengua Madre (New Orleans, LA)

and other lifestyle trends to build the menu around fresh produce and to boost the use of fresh produce in the foodservice channel overall.

Culinary and Foodservice Specialist Amy Myrdal Miller, (a panelist for Produce for Better Health’s Hack to Habits session), moderated the panel discussion. Participants included Stephan Manning, Purchasing Manager, True Food Kitchen; Julie Olivarria, Vice President of Produce, Sysco, and Gwyneth Rampton, Vice President, Category Development, Foodbuy USA.

Moderator Ms. Miller asked about the challenges their industries face in the post-pandemic landscape, and there was agreement among the panelists that labor shortages, supply continuity, and inflation continue to present a difficult business environment. Labor shortages have led to an effect known within the industry as “menu shrink” – where restaurants and foodservice resort to scaling back their menus.

Ms. Miller’s question on what the panelists predict as consumer trends in 2023 led to a lively

offers a five-course tasting menu for $70, rooted in traditional Mexican cuisine

Nigerian Food Pops Up

Nigerian food is gaining prominence and prestige. Incredibly rich and varied, it often features rice, legumes, soups, and stews layered with aromatic spices and chilis. Signatures include Jollof Rice prepared with tomato, onion, spices, and fiery-hot scotch bonnet chilis; or Suya, seasoned, grilled meat skewers. Some Nigerian chefs are using fine-dining, dinner-party style meals as an educational opportunity to teach others about their culture; others are presenting Nigerian foods in novel ways such as tucked into tacos, or stuffed into soup dumplings.

Cocktails for a Crowd

There has been an exuberant return

to the conviviality of shared largeformat cocktails, as people throng together looking for some fun and personal connection. But don’t expect the pitchers or scorpion bowls of the past—hip and happening cocktail bars are introducing new, aesthetically pleasing and interactive ways for people to share a spirited drink.

Salted Egg Yolk: The Next Pumpkin Spice

Thanks in part to the rise of bubble tea and Vietnamese coffee, another Asian favorite has started to cross over to mainstream America—salted egg yolk drinks. The rich custardy flavor is backed by umami notes, creating something that is sweet, savory, and a bit elusive, drawing you back for more. Torani called Salted Egg Yolk the “Flavor of the Year” so expect to see it coming to your local coffee shop soon.

discussion.

True Food Kitchen’s Mr. Manning said, “Good dishes that offer comfort.”

Ms. Rampton of Foodbuy USA, sees a trend toward health and nutrition and “using food as a part of medicine” in healthcare settings.

When it came to the question of how can we boost produce consumption in 2023, the panelists provided a number of solutions, which included:

• Focusing on seasonal menus with produce on the center of the plate

• Innovating to get away from menu fatigue

• Swapping ingredients

• Introducing people to new items and presenting old items in a new way

• Emphasizing flavor to create flavor explosion

And what about trends for 2023? Ms. Miller asked a representative from Baldor for his thoughts on what he believes will be next year’s market movers, and his answers

ranged from diversification in taste to more produce rather than protein. He also projected that global cuisines and international flavors will continue to play a big part in the marketing and desirability of produce.

The panelists concluded the discussion with a note about their optimism for the coming year. They all voiced an appreciation for their guests and customers, and were excited about continuing to build upon these existing relationships.

Free Foodservice Resources from Meatless Monday: Whether you provide food services to K-12 schools, college campuses or other large institutions, Meatless Monday can help you promote delicious vegetarian options. It’s easy to participate; just encourage your diners to give up meat one day a week. Meatless Monday provides toolkits for free, and also have a variety of promotional assets available for download. Need additional materials or assistance?

Contact me at cdumaual@mondaycampaigns.org to learn more.

ance specialists to ensure they are adequately covered for any sustainable or “green” upgrades made to their business or property.

• The challenges of a shrinking workforce: Like many other industries, hospitality businesses are struggling to find capable employees. With staffing remaining below pre-pandemic levels, the restaurant industry still down 750,000 jobs compared with 2019. 3 In order to recruit and retain workers, hospitality businesses should emphasize

LEGAL INSIDER

offering improved benefits, wellness plans and more schedule flexibility.

Offering personalized benefits is an excellent strategy to show workers they are valued. Using data analytics and tools that help identify what matters to workers, hospitality employers can offer benefits tailored to meet employees’ individual needs without increasing costs. Personalized benefits is part of a benefits strategy centered around delivering quality employee experiences (QEX). Delivering quality ex -

from page 70

ees” are defined as “employees who are likely to come into contact with guests in their facility.”

Existing covered employees must receive the training within four months of the law’s July 20, 2023 effective date, or no later than November 20, 2023. After July 20, 2023, any new covered employees must receive the training within 60 days of their start date.

Consistent with other trainings required by the State of New York, covered employers will have to maintain records showing that their covered employees completed the

training for the entire duration of each employee’s employment and for one year following separation.

The Division of Criminal Justice Services and the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance are working in conjunction with the New York State Interagency Task Force on Human Trafficking and will be providing a list of available approved training programs online.

The training is expected to cover topics such as the nature of human trafficking, the legal definition of human trafficking, how to identify victims of human trafficking, and

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and helped several students obtain full-ride scholarships to culinary schools.

Ascencio returned to cooking in the kitchen of Guildhall, in Glencoe,IL where he built a team to deliver consistent, delicious food to the neighborhood. In 2016, he left Guildhall, to join Bar Lupo. Marcos was the driving force behind Bar Lupo’s punk rock Italian fare, a free-ranging mix of classic regional Italian and Taylor Street red sauce cuisines. In 2018, following the closure of Bar Lupo, Ascencio began as Executive Chef of the Ivy Room at Tree Studios, a Lettuce Entertain You establishment known for its full

service event space set and historic courtyard.

After partnering with Oliver Poilevey with pop-ups and backyard BBQs, the duo partnered on the opening of Taqueria Chingón, “My family was the inspiration in my journey in becoming a chef and the traditions and history they passed on to me heavily influences my menu. Our goal is to recreate a Mexico City street style taqueria focused on one of Mexico City’s favorite street foods: the Al Pastor,” Ascencio explained. “We’ve developed a menu with classics that stay true to their origins, and some tacos that create a new tradition.”

periences through benefits increases worker satisfaction, engenders greater loyalty, and creates an attractive workplace where potential employees will want to work.

Work a seasoned insurance advisor to develop a tailored strategy that will protect your bottom line, support your workforce, and build resiliency for 2023. To explore HUB’s full 2023 Hospitality Industry Outlook, please visit: https://www.hubinternational.com/insights/outlook-2023/

hospitality/

1. National Restaurant Association, “Restaurant Operators Endure Weaker Business Conditions as Economic Pessimism Grows,” August 18, 2022.

2. Hospitality.net, “Greenwashing, Ecotourism and Sustainability Are Now a Major Concern for Travelers,” September 6, 2022

3. CNBC, “Restaurants are shortstaffed, and that’s taking a big toll on customers and workers alike,” July 17, 2022.

the process your employees should follow if a victim is identified.

III. Alcohol Training Awareness Program Requirements

Establishments with a license to sell alcoholic beverages will require all New York State Liquor Authoritycertified Alcohol Training Awareness Programs to include a human trafficking training component. Employers should ensure that any programs that they utilize and offer to employees contain the newly required information to increase awareness and understanding of the

signs of human trafficking.

Moving forward, hospitality employers are urged to consult with their legal counsel to ensure they comply with the rules and regulations required under these new laws.

Chef Ascencio assembles one of his culinary creations

CHEFS’ HIGHLIGHT

are changing. Even before the pandemic, clubs were emphasizing lifestyle and family, looking to expand beyond the traditional attractions like golf. Not that golf is going away, but clubs want people staying longer, eating there, bringing friends and family, using the banquet space, and so on. Clubs want members to think of them as extensions of their own home, and nothing says that like food.

What are some tactics that chefs can use to build their personal brand while working for a private club?

There are many tools and tactics for chefs to employ that showcase their efforts, creations and to build their own name brand.

First, if the club already employs someone to handle marketing, reach out and establish a relationship. Ask how you can assist them in the production of content—for newsletters, website, social media channels, and other forms of internal and external communication.

If media inquiries or leads come your way, be responsive. Most media outlets are always on some sort of deadline, and by responding within 24-48 hours (unless told otherwise) you become a good, trusted resource. Responsiveness leads to getting coverage, and to building a

reputation as someone easy to work with. That’s sort of a dirty little secret in the media business: You become the go-to expert by answering quickly and competently.

If asked to provide recipes, convert to consumer quantities and measurements. Not many at-home cooks are used to cracking 32 egg or serving 25 people. Yields and portion sizes need to be adjusted.

Speaking of recipes, if asked to give one, go the extra step. For example, suggest the right wine to go with it. Or a serving suggestion that makes the cook look better. It can be hard for the professional chef, but try to think what you’d do if you were serving the same dish at home—not at work.

Consider starting your own Instagram page, with the blessing of the club, of course. This becomes your destination to post photos, videos, and content, and will follow your career path wherever it takes you.

What are a few best practices clubs can use to showcase their food and beverage operation?

Always have a camera (currentmodel phone quality is fine) ready to photograph finished dishes or to videotape your team in action. Short, snappy videos—anywhere from 10 to 30 seconds—are perfectly acceptable for social media. You

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days of the week, restaurants can take advantage of VROMO’s “overflow” feature, which hands off deliveries to third-party providers when internal drivers are unavailable. According to Hickey, overflow can reduce the average delivery cost per order by 21% and delivery times by 18-19%, while increasing fulfilment by 15%.

Regardless of the day of the week, the key to fulfilment – like any sound investment – is to diversify the delivery methods. “You have to have a combination,” says Hickey, who cites New England based Papa Gino’s

Pizza as an example. Using VROMO’s automated dispatch system, the pizza operator assigns orders within a two-mile radius to its in-house fleet of drivers, while third party services deliver orders beyond those bounds. By integrating with the food delivery marketplace, restaurants almost always have back-up drivers. “Those guys have enormous fleets,” notes Hickey, “so it means your fulfillment goes right up.”

Restaurants like Papa Gino’s can make and adjust these decisions using the rich dataset provided by VROMO software, which includes

may want to assign one of your assistants to handle this.

Volunteer for charity or philanthropic events to gain local/regional/national name recognition and to expand your network.

Be visible in the dining room or at club events. Get to know your members—learn and remember their names! —their likes/dislikes, as well as their businesses and backgrounds. And if you see that they’re at the club with guests, make it a point to come over and say hello. Nothing impresses an outsider quite like meeting the chef.

If possible, host an internship program. Training and mentoring the next generation of chefs not only pays it forward but may yield some positive media coverage.

How do you work with vendors to drive publicity?

Forging relationships with local farmers and growers can lead to regional publicity opportunities. Say you purchase honey from a local apiary. Showcase honey-based recipes in the newsletter, on the website, and on menus to help their visibility. Likewise, having the beekeeper come to the club and share their knowledge with members adds another dimension to the culinary experience.

The same holds true for micro-

brew masters, vintners, and other food or beverage specialists.

What is story worthy?

Writers are always looking for content and story angles. A good public relations firm will have a network of media outlets with which they are in continual communication.

Some examples of recent story leads received by our firm include:

• Herb and vegetable gardens/ farm to table: Planting, cultivating, picking, sharing (on the property, on the rooftop, hydroponic, honey, maple syrup, chickens, eggs)

• Food trucks, mobile cooking units, creative outdoor cooking methods

• Specialty food or beverage products (private labels, secret sauces, proprietary products)

• Identifying trends (root vegetables, foods for wellness)

• Farmer’s market finds

• Seasonal ingredients

• Mocktails

• Wellness foods and smoothies

Any chef worth their salt knows that food is a very big story right now. If they can’t find things of interest to share with the world outside their clubs, they’re not trying. Which means they’re hurting both their clubs and themselves.

detailed reporting on driver performance, delivery times, and fulfilment. By subscribing to VROMO, restaurants can craft a custom delivery system that services their brand and the customer’s experience. When restaurants reach out to VROMO, they’re not talking to a typical software company. Before VROMO, “we were those dispatch guys and we have the battle scars,” says Hickey of his team. With a data-backed, empathic spirit, VROMO presents the options that restaurants need to maximize profits, eliminate the headache of delivery operations,

and retain loyal customers.

At the front-end, this means that restaurants gain new customers –and retain old ones – through personalized links and reliable delivery. And in the backend, VROMO eliminates logistical pains by automating the dispatch of drivers. The result is a sustainable, future-facing model, with restaurants at both helm and hind. By identifying the delivery method that best suits them, VROMO empowers restaurants to “take back the customer ownership,” says Hickey, while optimizing a meal’s journey from kitchen to couch.

ment last summer when our Beverage Director, Nick Bennett, was dreaming about the colder months and holiday cocktails and thought “what about a frozen grasshopper!?” And as we like to say at USHG, “who wrote the rule” that frozen cocktails are only for the summer months? Fast forward to today where we feature a Frozen Candy Cane Negroni and our new holiday staple, the Frozen Grasshopper.

Bringing back retro drinks in new ways, like the Frozen Grasshopper, is one way to delight guests. But don’t forget your staff. You can both apply the same whimsy and joy to frozen cocktail R&D that you do to other drinks and consider your staff’s steps of labor when making your plans. While it’s always time for a frozen drink in New Orleans the weather changes dictate menu changes that enable Ryan Wilkins’ offerings at Bar Marilou in the Ace Hotel to be big sellers. Wilkins notes, “One of the best arguments for having a frozen cocktail on the menu year-round when you’re a craft cocktail bar and labor intensive is that that frozen drink takes pressure off your bartenders. That drink is a quick out. Here at Bar Marilou the servers execute and garnish the frozen drinks, so the ticket never even hits the bar. In a craft cocktail bar, it’s great for speed of service.”

Wilkins also points out how a frozen drink can be as much as a conversation piece as any stirred drink as he shares, “I love taking frozen drinks outside of people’s expectation. For winter menus we’ll go for something with more richness or dessert-iness. On a 100-degree day you want that frozen daiquiri that Manolito does, but in winter I love to do frozen drinks with fat content using milk or coconut milks that gets you that texture. The Bungalow Mystery is one we’re running this winter from head bartender Lindsay; it uses mango lassi as a point of reference. It’s mango puree, Coco Lopez and coconut milk; the Coco Lopez gives it a delicious toastiness and sugar, and the actual coconut milk puts it over the top with texture. And then we infused funky Smith & Cross rum with lime leaf and top it with Hella’s smoked chili bitters.”

Bitter cold outside doesn’t chill sales inside when it comes to frozen drinks.

On a typical Bar Marilou menu that’s no more than 14 choices long Wilkins notes that The Bungalow Mystery is coming in fourth or fifth every night. Back in New York, Brown shares that cold weather frozen drink orders remain strong in the top half of item sales. So, if you can embrace Wilkins’ theory that there’s never weather where frozen drinks don’t make sense, you may find that, as he and Brown quickly discovered, frozen cocktails are sure to bring in cold hard cash every night.

SIPS TO SAVOR

Balancing out our chilling advice that frozen beverages belong on your menu year-round, this month’s sidebar features a brandnew product that’s bound to warm up your drinks …introducing Uncle Waithley’s Vincy Brew, a nonalcoholic small batch ginger beer. Uncle Waithley’s is the brainchild of hospitality entrepreneur, and St. Vincent native, Karl Franz Williams. Created in Harlem, and in honor of Uncle Waithley, Williams’ centenarian grandfather who was a ginger farmer on the island of St. Vincent and a beloved community figure, Williams’ Vincy Brew features Scotch Bonnet, a pepper prized throughout the Caribbean and Africa, for its heat and flavor.

That heat and flavor comes through in the freshest of ways as Williams committed to producing a product made only of natural ingredients, no extracts. The ginger beer is aged using a vintage fermentation process for richness and maturation before being balanced with fresh-squeezed lime juice, turmeric, and mineral water infused with natural salts.”

to their menus. Top chefs across the country are also able to source the line through their local Chefs Warehouse distribution centers. The distribution relationships with Cuisine Solutions and Chefs Warehouse enable Daring to listen and react to the needs of its customer base. That included the introduction of Daring’s Gluten-Free Breaded Plant Chicken product to position the company as totally glutenfree product line.

Mackay brought a very different mindset to the launch of Daring. “I had been plant based for six years,” he explained. “I felt that there was a need for healthier alternatives in the market; most of the plant-based foods I was consuming were contradictions to my decision of going plant-based, which was for health reasons. Particularly, I did not feel like there was a plant-based chicken product that was approachable, nutritional, and tasty. Chicken is important to me, as it was the protein that I previously consumed the most. So, I saw a hole in the market, began developing our plant-based chicken product to address these pain points, and launched Daring.”

Fundamentally, chicken has faced uninterrupted growth for decades, when from an environmental standpoint we actually need people to be eating less meat and poultry. Chicken

from page 34 PETERS

people once a week to have lunch with you. Don’t talk necessarily about the business unless they want to bring it up. The goal is to get to know them so they feel you care about them, that you’re going to learn their kids’ names or their dog, that their parent is ill, there is something going on in their lives, learn about their goals – even if it’s that they want to become a real estate agent. This tears down walls of you being the big bad owner, the big bad manager, and you’re going to see they’ll start to want to align with you because you took the time to learn something about them.

No. 1: This is my favorite. At the end of each shift, if that employee did a

still has been deemed to be the healthiest protein in the world; Americans eat almost 100 pounds per person per year. “Chicken production is unsustainable and unethical, yet the biggest issue in my opinion is that many of us were raised on chicken as staples of our diet and never looked twice at,” Mackay continued. “But, digging deeper, we are trying to educate consumers on the reality of how healthy chicken truly is, the scale in which the market is growing and the impact it will have on the quality of the poultry we are consuming globally. Structurally, we cannot facilitate the growing demand.”

Mackay’s strategy is for Daring is to stay outside of the red meat alternative fray. “I think right now the red meat alternative market is ‘busy’. Daring is focused on the alternatives to chicken. I really believe if we look to the future of food, it’s not even started yet! So plenty room. I think of course at some point consumers, retails and restaurants will get a bit bored of seeing version 20 of a new meat burger, so it just forces innovation which is a great thing.”

Daring has also retained the nimbleness that enabled it to survive and thrive through the Pandemic. “We used the growth in people cooking at home to build our retail business,” Mackay explained. “We rebranded

the line and supported it with some real product innovation and marketing campaigns. The addition of Plant Tenders to the refrigerated section at grocery stores enabled Daring to become #1 non-breaded plant chicken brand in the category. We recently just hit 10,000 retail doors, adding Target to our expansive list of retailers this past Spring.”

The key to Daring taste and flavor profile is a uniquely textured and tasty 1:1 substitute for chicken, made through a clean and simple flavor infusion process, with almost 50% less ingredients than market competitors. Daring’s vegan, gluten-free, and nonGMO plant chicken pieces are made with just six natural ingredients and seasoned in four flavor-packed signature spice blends including Original, Lemon & Herb, Cajun and Breaded.

Cuisine Solutions is the world’s leading manufacturer and distributor of sous vide foods. Led by an international team of award-winning chefs, Cuisine Solutions is recognized as the authority on sous vide—the innova-

tive precise-cooking technique that the company pioneered, perfected, and popularized decades ago. Headquartered in Sterling, Virginia, Cuisine Solutions services more than 22,000 restaurants and 6,000 retailers, as well as first and business class on the top 10 airlines in the world, and major hotels.

Mackay has brought a mantra of ‘AIM HIGH, START SMALL & KEEP GOING!’. Once again with the Cuisine Solutions partnership, Daring is positioned for a big win with the opportunity that sous vide presents. “We offer versatile plant-based chicken that allows for customization and flexibility with recipes, just like the real thing. Our customers keep coming back because we provide an approachable way to eat plant-based, making a healthier choice for oneself and the health of the environment. We are an unapologetically ambitious company, so we wanted to work with partners like Cuisine Solutions that embody this bold spirit,” Mackay concluded.

good job, go out of your way to shake their hand ,and say, thank you. One of the greatest restaurant owners I ever worked for would do this, and I cannot tell you how thrilled I was. Did I get a handshake every day? And a good job? No. I got a thank you, maybe, but a great job and a thank you every single day? Only on the days I did that. They meant something to me. I wanted to make him happy. I wanted to please him because he took an interest in me and noticed what I was doing.

Implementing these five ways to show your employees that you appreciate them will have a dramatic effect on your ability to find, hire and keep good team members.

from Schulson’s New York roots. Schulson describes the deli as an homage to his grandfather, “Poppy,” who owned a kosher butcher shop in the Bronx. To reduce expenses, Samuel’s makes everything inhouse, fresh daily. “There’s a reason that deli food was enjoyed for so long,” says Schulson, who believes in the value of delis done right – and with an eye toward younger consumers who patron both brunch and happy hour.

In November, Schulson added one more spot to complete his latest Philly trio: Pearl & Mary, an oyster bar on the corner of 13th St and Sansom.

After Happy Hour at Prunella, diners can cross the street to Pearl & Mary, which is named after Schulson’s mother, Pearl, and “Nana,” Mary. Every day, the bar features nine different raw bar selections, seafood entrees, and assorted crudo. With indoor and outdoor dining, the seafood spot seats 115 guests on a busy evening.

“We’re focused on the freshest seafood and most local vendors we can work with,” says Schulson, coupled with a stylish-yet-accessible ambience that’s become characteristic of his collective. At Pearl & Mary, this means elevated dishes, fresh cocktails, and open windows that let in the light – and the city life – from the corner of 13th and Sansom St.

From Schulson’s perspective, many restaurants faced the pandemic without the “money in the bank” to sustain and grow their businesses. But Schulson entered 2020 with a slew of profitable, Philly-based eateries behind him.

With the necessary funds and local acclaim, Schulson views the post-2020 landscape as an opportunity to rediscover – and ultimately, celebrate – North America’s favorite pastime. It’s not football, he says: it’s food. “People love to eat more than ever before. If you think about food, it consumes us more than football.”

“Ultimately, we want to build beautiful, fun restaurants that people feel good in, which means

great heating and AC, lighting, and design. We want to serve excellent food with a high perceived value.”

In Philadelphia, Schulson achieves this goal with remarkable consistency, and he plans to unroll similar concepts in New York, Atlantic City, and Miami.

As he builds the collective, Schulson remains mindful of what it means to eat well. In the U.S., he says, fads often cloud the simplicity of good food. During a recent trip to Paris, Schulson ate unabashedly:

his meals included steak frites, onion soup, and baguettes covered in butter. He felt great – but after his first bite in the U.S., Schulson felt bloated and awful.

The culprit? Processed, fad-driven fare. “We have all of these fads to circumvent the concept of just eating right,” Schulson says. Of course, “eating right” is an expansive phrase. To Schulson, a trained chef and restaurateur, it means savoring handmade pizza, grabbing a fresh sandwich from a neighbor-

hood deli, and knowing the name of his “fish guy,” Sam, who sources oysters for Pearl & Mary.

Wherever they choose to dine, Schulson simply wants his guests to eat well. In each of his restaurants, diners are surrounded by light, friends, and family. And regardless of the menu, they’re treated to cuisine that, somewhat miraculously, melds classic flavors, fresh tastes, and the buzz of Philadelphia in every bite.

On the other hand, while my mother didn’t cook very much, she had a few specialties – homemade yogurt being one of them, and Prasopita –Leek Pie being another. This simple pie is something I still dream about today! She would saute the leeks until they were soft and creamy, lightly caramelized, and add a special blend of herbs she picked from our garden – it was always a different mix, depending on what was available, but always delicious. She would emulate my yiayia’s phyllo dough, which didn’t have quite the same finesse as Yiayia’s, but the crispy, crunch exterior was what we all wanted to balance out the soft, savory filling of the leeks. However, because her crust wasn’t quite as delicate as Yiayia’s, my mother would cover the baked pie with a kitchen towel to allow the steam to soften it up a bit. This was important, because my siblings and I would all sneak in to the kitchen separately, thinking no one would notice if we secretly ripped off a piece of the outer crust to snack on before we had dinner…the thing is, when all five of us (my siblings and I) would do this separately, the big reveal at dinner actually showed that we had all accidentally eaten the entire crust, and there were no edges to the pie left! When this happened, while my yiayia would get mad, my mother actually loved it, because it meant that we loved her pie!

Would you like some Pie?

What I love about Greek pies is the culinary versatility – as culinarians, we all know that we can create some-

thing that tastes divine, but looks a mess. The magic of the Greek pie is that the aesthetic of the filling doesn’t matter, because we are able to encase it in all different shapes and styles of pie. Some are large, family style formats on sheet trays and in baking pans, to be cut and served; some are individually made in the form of triangles, spirals, or folded squares; and some are bite sized, perfect for hors d’oeuvres, like little pouches, rolls, or triangles. Really, as long as you can encase the filling in the phyllo, the possibilities are endless! And, that means the flavor combinations are endless as well!

Pies are an excellent way to reduce food waste and repurpose leftovers, or dishes that didn’t turn out quite to plan. They are a great way to experiment with textures and cooking methods for the fillings. And, they are an amazing way to feed a crowd without a tremendous amount of tedious effort.

In terms of the phyllo you use, while it’s true you can take the time and effort to make your own phyllo, there’s ready-made phyllo available in stores and for purchase through your local food purveyor. So, all you need to do is make your filling and get baking! Or, if you’re really pressed for time, there are frozen pies available in stores that only need to be baked…just make sure they’re made with olive oil!

New Year, New Pie

So, embrace the spirit of the new year, and try something new – make a pie, and make it Greek style!

Oneto, who helped file the lawsuit, in a statement. “Not in a single one of those prior instances did the State ever attempt to temporarily enforce the referred statute while the signature review process was underway.”

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which has pushed for the bill, claims it gives workers “a seat at the table to help set wage, health, safety, training standards across fast-food industry,” while opponents claim food prices would soar as much as 22%, bringing further hardship to those already suffering under the highest inflation in a generation.

The battle has restaurateurs and foodservice operators across the Nation watching carefully. The bill includes a provision for minimum wage in Golden State restaurants to increase to $22 per hour.

The proposed 60% wage increase for these businesses created concern that it would ultimately mean fewer small, local restaurants. That was a key lighting rod that came from research done earlier this year by Christopher Thornberg, director of the University of California, Riverside School of Business Center for Economic Forecasting and Development in a study this year supported by the International Franchise Association (IFA). For every 20% to 60% increase in wages, Thornberg estimated restaurant prices will rise 7% to 22%. Some IFA members forecast prices could rise more, possibly as much as 40%. Households with an average annual income of $35,000 would pay an extra $184 per year to maintain their current levels of consumption if wages rose 20%, Thornberg projected.

California’s Department of Finance opposed the bill in June, saying it would be expensive to enforce and “could lead to a fragmented regulatory and legal environment for employers and raise long-term costs across industries.” The department also questioned if the bill would even accomplish its goal.

About 70% of Californians, or 28 million people, eat at quick ser-

vice restaurants each week. Underrepresented communities, and those who can afford it least, will be hit hardest as businesses pass on higher costs to consumers. Of 67 economists in an August Employment Policies Institute survey, 93% expect operating costs will rise, 84% said fewer restaurant chains would want to operate in California and 73% said franchisees will close restaurants. Franchise-focused research firm FRANdata estimates the bill will affect 16,753 franchised locations in California operated by 5,820 franchisees.

“The measure would establish an unelected council to control labor policy in the counter-service restaurant industry, cause food prices to increase by as much as 20% during a period of decades-high inflation, and harm thousands of small family-, minority-, and womenowned businesses across the state,” Save Local Restaurants, led by the National Restaurant Association, IFA and The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.

“While this pause is temporary, the impact is beyond just one piece of legislation and keeps intact for the time being California’s century-old referendum process,” noted Save Local Restaurants.

In the meantime, the Secretary of State will continue conducting the “random sample” verification to ensure that enough of the signatures on the referendum petition are valid. It has until Jan. 25 to conduct that sample. If more than 66% are valid, then the petition is considered verified, and the law would be frozen until the election in November 2024.

tion. That flows into schedule service with “truth-based” appointment slots. Technicians are then tracked with ETA updates, schedule compliance & communications. The goal of the actual on-site repair is to maximize productivity & efficiency. That is followed up by a post-service customer survey and warranty claims.

With the NAFEM Show just around the corner, Hawkins brought an interesting perspective on the relationship between service and the nation’s kitchen equipment manufacturers. “I think there was a perception that the IOT/Internet of Things was going to create a magic solution for anything,” he said. “We understand that self-reporting a piece of kitchen equipment

is a great idea. But the reality is that the technology simply isn’t there yet. It’s a mistake for the industry to think that a service tech workforce that is aging out does not need to be replaced. Machine learning and AI are great, but it is very unstructured. The model still requires human intervention.”

offer a suite of solutions to manage onboarding, credentialing, dispatch, and claims for third-party warranties. It also features: Contractor Management, Dispatch, and Claims Management.

18,000 independent service companies and 100,000 service users. The company is trusted by some of the world’s leading brands across multiple industries including GE Appliances, LG, Electrolux, and Siemens.

With an understanding that each service provider has a distinct set of needs, ServicePower offers a trio of prepackaged solutions:

• Employed workforce solutions were created to deliver self-service, increase customer satisfaction and experience with a customer portal and Scheduling/Dispatch.

• Contracted workforce solutions

• Depot solutions provide solutions to manage the entire lifecycle of depot repair with both Customer Portal and Claims features. Each of these options can be supplemented with ServicePower’s HyperSupport that offers four weeks of additional onboarding support to ensure a smooth transition.

ServicePower’s reach has grown across 36 countries in North America and Europe, and dispatches more than 20 million jobs per year to over

“There’s simply no compromise in the commercial kitchen space for anything other than a First-Time Fix,” the veteran service executive concluded. “We have partnered with companies that enable us to use AI and machine learning to predict which parts I need to have to fix this properly. We then have the ability, once we know what is needed, to be able to find the nearest truck that has that part onboard.” from page 28

ingredient you might be wholly unfamiliar with (see page 296 for a chapter on using crickets to make the likes of protein bars, ketchup, and stock.).

Is This A Cookbook addresses cooks—real or aspirational—who are looking for what the book’s subtitle promises: adventures in the kitchen. This is not a weeknight kitchen guide. Some recipes ask you to prepare several elements, and many ask you to pair ingredients in unusual ways: bananas with parsley; tomato with coffee.

The somewhat whimsical energy of Blumenthal’s approach is reinforced by illustrations by Dave McKean, who also illustrated the original The Fat Duck Cookbook with similarly madcap work. Choose this book to expand your ideas of what can be done in the kitchen.

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

Seat at the Table

Hungry for a solid slice of culture? Tour the most iconic and influential restaurants and hidden gems in America with Seat at the Table. Join worldrenowned chef Marcus Samuelsson, along with acclaimed pioneer of Cali-

fornia cuisine chef Jonathan Waxman, on an inspiring journey.

Hear the unique and unexpected ways that legendary, game-changing restaurants are made as the James Beard Foundation award-winning restaurateurs meet with industry-leading culinary experts including Wolfgang Puck, Thomas Keller, Sherry Yard, David Rockwell, Ruth Reichl, Nancy Silverton, Toni Tipton-Martin, Colman Andrews, Charles Phan and reveal the brave entrepreneurs, cultural impact, and trailblazing history behind these delectable institutions. Plus, discover the secrets and stories to some of the most notable eateries of our time, from Michelin-starred, fine dining restaurants to local treasures and beloved underdogs, including Dooky Chase, Spago, Jezebel, Campanile, Ben’s Chili

Bowl, Prune, The French Laundry, and The Slanted Door.

Life Between The Vines

This educational and entertaining

podcast uses interviews with winery owners, wine makers and wine lovers of all kinds to share wine knowledge without being intimidating.

MEDIA CORNER

practices, inventory management, and creativity, improvements are achievable.

Socially, initiatives address the impact of restaurant waste on public health and society at large. In this arena, the New York case study shines brightly – as does any restaurant that extends its services to the surrounding community. In many cases, restaurants can donate or repurpose wholesome, and edible food, benefiting community members as well as their bottom lines. There are non-profit organizations in most cities that will assist with this process.

If restaurants can minimize the costs of carting and hauling fees and manage the cost of food purchased, those practices will reflect favorably in their profits. Efforts to monitor and control costs form the foundation of smart governance: the final tenet of ESG.

On occasion, ESG initiatives are about branding and marketing to

eco-conscious consumers and other stakeholders. However, these strategies are simply the bedrock of a good business and have multiple benefits.

To save food and money while enhancing company culture, restaurants must involve the entire team in the design and implementation of a food waste reduction plan. This way, employees can contribute ideas and manage the process. If staff understands the big picture, they will care more about the program’s success. It is like a three-legged stool: good for the planet, good for the people, and good for the pocketbook.

Imperial Dade helps restaurants accomplish these goals by assisting them with developing waste audits. These audits include measuring everything that ends up in the trash, recycling, or composting bin and recording the food waste specifically.

Simple changes including making the breadbasket and side dishes optional, reducing the size of ramekins for dipping sauces, and going

from page 10 ITALIAN TRADE

sert worldwide. All the professionals participating in the classes had the chance to be awarded for their dishes, based on creativity, execution, and appearance. The top chefs in each category were also invited to feature their creations during the Week of Italian Cuisine in their restaurants and they are now listed on the campaign’s official website www.itrest-today.com/.

Although a lot of chefs are quite opinionated about their processes, Laspina said that the classes are geared towards “professionals that are conscious, aware of ‘I need to change because the times they are a-changin!’ as Bob Dylan would say!”

ITA’s mission is to assist, inform and educate Italian companies that intend to come to the U.S. by helping them understand the regulations in place. Those companies extend beyond the scope of restaurants though, reaching everyone

who contributes to their lifestyle and brand. Laspina defined this as, “Food and wine [companies], combined with other factors such as art, architecture, music [and] design - they all combine to define what we call the ‘Italian Culture.’” That culture, Laspina said, is all about quality. “If there’s no quality, forget about it.”

The masterclasses with their recipes and techniques can be found on the Italian Restaurants Today website at https://itrest-today.com/. In the future, Laspina hopes that the ITA can offer in-person classes for professional chefs whose aspirations are to capture the true essence of Italian cuisine.

For additional information about the Italian Trade Agency, please visit Home | Italian Trade Agency at https://www.ice.it/en/

easy on the garnishes can reduce the costs and environmental impact of waste.

In addition to portion control, embracing “aesthetically challenged” produce that is not picture perfect is another way to reduce waste. If the ingredients will be chopped, sliced, or pureed does it really matter if they are odd looking if they are wholesome and taste good?

Beyond minimizing what goes into the trash, a good waste management program also includes the right equipment and supplies such as using high-quality can liners to bag and discard waste. First, restaurants should “right size” their liners which means selecting the correct type and size liner for each receptacle and its contents. Using a liner that is too large or thick is wasteful and using one that is too small or thin can result is a big mess.

The ideal can liners restaurants should use for organic waste are made from linear, low-density poly,

which has stretchy, puncture-resistant properties that prevent tearing and hold weight. The bag should also have a star seal on the bottom, which effectively contains heavy, wet waste while preventing leaks. Using the best size and shape receptables for each purpose is also important. Keep weight limits in mind to ensure workplace safety. A huge trash can may seem like a great idea in the BOH, but if your staff cannot safely lift the bag, it is a problem.

To build a sustainable food waste strategy, restaurants must commit to an upfront investment of time, energy, and finances. But it will pay off! A study by the National Restaurant Association states that waste reduction programs have a 7:1 benefit-cost ratio, meaning for every $1 invested, there is a $6 ROI. This is an opportunity for restaurants to design thoughtful, inventive meals that delight their diners, strengthen their team cultures, and nourish community members beyond their walls.

The game change was Jean-Georges decision to use only bottled soda which they see as more upscale. That took the usual pressure of having to run both soda and beer lines together. That proved to be really helpful because, the design features a beer bar with 24 flavors of beer. To accomplish that we ran two separate eight inch conduits with the beer on the third floor and the bar on the second floor. They key was the tower that Micromatic offers that enabled us to run the bar out of a single central tower.

We are proud of the opportunity we had to be part of the Hughes/ Jean Georges master plan to create both an attraction and a neighborhood. When I walk by, even in the cold weather, it is still buzzing with activity!

Warren Casey’s Approach

Keep in mind that Great Lakes bought a company in Pittsburgh six years ago that brought a scope of work for larger projects. Their niche was giant projects, including Buffalo Bills stadium, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and the the World Tennis headquarters. The TIN Building was certainly right up their scope of work, and it worked out really, really well

We bid on the project and we were brought in by the general contractor Plaza. Our job is to execute our customers’ vision our mission. This is an iconic project that we were so honored to be involved in. And it wasn’t without its hiccups, who knew we would be starting a giant project like this in a worldwide health pandemic with all of the supply chain issues that everybody talked about. At the end of the day, our job was to deliver a quality job that would last, and that met the expectations of the consultants and the owner.

We were focused on the six floors of kitchen prep outlets in all of the different foodservice venues. For us it is all about the highest quality procurement, installation and execution. It’s not to say that we don’t do different projects where that recipe that you’re talking about requires

a different skill set from our Great Lakes team. In this case, it was already laid out for us, and our job was to execute.

Given the supply chain issues, procurement was was not fun. It kept a lot of people up at night and engaged all day long at weekends to get this done. And luckily, Great Lakes has been around for 90 years, in 2023, we celebrate our 90th anniversary.

We’re on our fourth generation of family leadership. It’s definitely a unique position to be in, and really cool. Anyway, we leveraged our 90 year relationships with factories and our local reps. We looked out to see down the road and around the corner, and we tried to get as much preordered and purchased prior to what we saw, the wheels falling off the industry with the Pandemic.

It truly was a monumental effort by everybody on our team. I’m convinced that a big part of our success is that at Great Lakes we practice extreme ownership of getting it done. Having some great relationships

with some really good factories, and applying the right amount of pressure and respect, is the key to a lot of this stuff.

The other key is communication to manage the coordination with the trades that is required to install multiple walk ins, running extensive refrigeration lines. I kept hearing this voice in my head from a podcast I had listened about managing through the challenges of the global supply chain and a Pandemic. His premise was that you need to communicate more than you’re comfortable with, and then double it. And it was great, because when you really think about it, that’s what we from a leadership perspective and a partner perspective, really needed to do. You can’t take things for granted, you can’t assume anything, and things change so quickly. I always considered our communication and coordination piece a strength. This took us to a whole new level.

It’s interesting as you coordinate a project of this size just how much detail is involved. With our experience,

we know what to look for in terms of missteps from the trades. We’ve had jobs where soda lines have been run incorrectly through giant beer lines. So you are faced with an 8 inch beer line with 3 or 4 soda lines in it and need to figure out how to run 8 inches of beer lines in a 4 inch raceway. There’s just so many things that happen, but it goes to that coordination, being on site, and communication. There’s miles and miles of beer lines, soda lines and refrigeration lines. We all understand the challenges that our industry operators are facing in terms of labor market shortages. I think it’s absolutely going to be critical for operators, consultants and folks that are designing and specifying kitchens, to look to specify multi-use equipment solutions. I know there’s a lot of companies that are working with robotics in replacing labor all together, Robo Joe is one that comes to mind. Honestly, if labor does not get back in line, the service industry is going to see a huge paradigm shift in how things get done.

House of the Red Pearl at the Tin Building by Jean-Georges, located at Pier 17 at the Seaport in Lower Manhattan (Photo by Nicole Franzen)