// NEWS
CHEFS
Tavern on the Green’s Chef Leaves, Five Months After Its Reopening Less than five months after the revered but troubled Central Park restaurant Tavern on the Green reopened with a costly renovation, a new management and a new menu, its executive chef, Katy Sparks, has left.
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he Tavern’s co-owners recently announced that they had “amicably parted ways” with Ms. Sparks, who has worked in several New York kitchens since the 1980s. Since the Tavern reopened in April, it has received lukewarm to bad reviews from critics, including a “satisfactory” rating in June from Pete Wells of The New York Times, who gave the restaurant no stars. Mr. Wells wrote that the restaurant’s latest iteration was in some ways an improvement over its last, which closed in 2009. But he said, “You may hear a few teaspoons of added regret when I say that it’s not a good restaurant yet by any measure.” Jim Caiola, who runs the restaurant with David Salama, said that the parting was amicable, and credited Ms. Sparks with helping them win the contract to run Tavern from the city’s parks department. “We were a team,” he said. Mr. Caiola added that she had “per-
Jim Caiola, who runs the restaurant with David Salama, said that the parting was amicable, and credited Ms. Sparks (pictured above) with helping them win the contract to run Tavern from the city’s parks department
fected” a menu of fresh American fare that Tavern would continue. But he said, “Sometimes you don’t know exactly what a job is until you create it and it happens.” He said the restau-
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rant, which seats 350, was unusually large, and was under a microscope because of its fame. “It wasn’t a good match for Katy,” he said. Ms. Sparks said she would return to
the food consulting business that she started in 2007. “I’ve been sort of a midwife for other people’s hopes and dreams,” she said. “It’s really gratifying work. As much as I really enjoyed working with Jim and Dave, it was time for me to return to my own work.” The bad reviews Tavern received, she said, were not a problem, “not for me,” and she said some of the criticism was helpful. “Everybody takes ownership of Tavern on the Green,” Ms. Sparks said, adding that she knew tough criticism went with the territory. “I’ve been in New York well over 20 years,” she said. Ms. Sparks has also worked at Bussaco in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and Quilty’s in SoHo. “It was a wonderful experience,” she said of Tavern on the Green. “I think they’re on a path to do fabulously well.” “Of course, it would have been better if everybody had been happy every single moment, but the restaurant is young. It will continue to grow and evolve.” Mr. Caiola said he and Mr. Salama had taken the critiques to heart. “We’ve really tightened the ship so much,” he said. “What we are doing today is night and day different than where we were when we opened. We’re grateful for the support of all the people who have been willing to come back.” They are interviewing candidates for executive chef, Mr. Caiola said. “We need someone who has no conflict with the volume and the criticism and the pressure, who thrives on it,” he said. “Do you know anyone?”
// NEWS
CHEFS
From McDonald's To Fine Dining, Chef Jesse Schenker Has Found Comfort In The Kitchen Chef Jesse Schenker remembers sitting in his great grandmother’s lap while she delicately turned an apple with a paring knife in her hand.
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he young boy, maybe four or five, was transfixed by the effort and care she put into preparing the snack. It kick-started his love of food that led him from the greasy grills of McDonald’s to New York City’s renowned dining scene. The Florida native began requesting menus from local restaurants and watching cooking shows at a young age. Schenker jokes that, while his friends were out riding motorbikes and building tree forts, he was experimenting with different ingredients. A naturally anxious child, Schenker said the kitchen was a sort of “natural Xanax.” Iron Chef winner and James Beard Rising Star semifinalist, Schenker is the force behind New York hotspots Recette and The Gander. Recette, an intimate urban American restaurant, was nominated for a James Beard award
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// EYE
METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
Ace Endico's Annual Trade Show Once again Yankee Stadium played host to Ace Endico's annual trade show. An overflow audience enjoyed a special day of tasting and a trip down memory lane the "House that Ruth Built" or maybe more accurately this year, the venue where the legendary Derek Jeter capped a brilliant 20 year career.
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ankee Stadium is quite the venue. Our client base and our vendors looks forward to our show at the stadium year after year. We utilize all of The Stadiums area's- ex: Monument Park, Dugout Tours and the show itself (all the vendors) are spread across the concourse from First base line to Third base line," noted Ace Endico Vice President Laura Endico Verzullo. The Stadium represents so many of the characteristics that we strive for as a company. In our eyes we chose a venue to be proud of and to showcase our growth. For Ace Endico, growth has come from presenting an array of new solutions for their diverse customer base throughout the year. We have acquired new business as well as com-
Former Yankee legend and manager Lou Piniella with Ace Endico’s Operation Manager, Matthew Hertzberg
panies: This year Ace Endico's newest acquisition, Farmers Pride made its Yankee Stadium debut. Ace Endico offered their guests a very special experience. Yankee legends including Dave Winfield and Lou Piniella greeted Ace Endico customers and signed autographs. Ace Endico customers got the opportunity to be photographed with World Series Trophies and visits to the Dugout and Monument Park. Once again show guests were treated to over 200 vendor booths offering special pricing, new and exciting food
demonstrations. Yankee Stadium's Legends Hospitality chefs brought a bevy of new menu ideas. The show
Ace Endico CEO, William Endico with former Yankee great, Dave Winfield and Ace Endico President, Murray Hertzberg
(L to R) Ace Endico Senior Management team: William Endico, Laura Endico-Verzello, Michael Endico, Murray Hertzberg, Matthew Hertzberg
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also gave Ace Endico an opportunity to introduce the newest members of their lineup with the recent acquisitions of Farmers Pride and Cannillo. EYE visited with many local food and beverage regional managers including: Campbell’s Derek Hay, and Scott Rothstein, Admirations' Beverly Barcelona, PanaPesca's Anthony Peluso and Niccolas Mazard of Koppert Kress. The Metro New York's food brokerage community was well represented with notables including Nancy Hartigan of Summit, and Acosta's Bill Binks leading a large contingent. "We had a huge turnout. Our customers had been calling our Customer support staff and Account Executives, asking for additional food show tickets. Customers who have attended in years past can't wait for the next show. And the customers who were unable to come last year, made sure they make it this year! “It was a GREAT event," Endico Verzullo added. Founded in 1982, by William A. Endico and Murray Hertzberg, Ace Endico is the largest distributor in Westchester and Putnam Counties servicing the tri-state area. The firm's state-of-the-art facility houses an allencompassing inventory featuring dairy, produce, meats, seafood, fine imported specialty products, paper, canned goods and everything in between.
The Ace Endico staff was on hand to welcome and assist vendors and guests
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// NEWS
FOOD AWARDS
Cinnamon Snail Grabs Top Honors At 2014 Vendy Cup Showdown The results are in, and NYC has crowned 2014’s top street chef. More than 2,500 foodies flocked to Governors Island to cast their votes at the 10th annual Vendy Awards, where Cinnamon Snail took home the top prize: the coveted Vendy Cup.
The winners in all seven categories were: The Vendy Cup: Cinnamon Snail Masters Cup: Calexico Best Dessert: Ice & Vice Best Market Vendor: Zha Pan Rookie of the Year: Snowday People’s Taste Award: Nuchas. The 2014 recipient of the Heroic Vendor Award was Baare Batchiri, who was also the first non-food vendor to receive the honor. Batchiri’s story made headlines in June when a homeless man stabbed him in the chest while he was working at his stand. Despite his extensive injuries, Batchiri was courageous enough to chase after the perpetrator into the subway and point him out to police. Since the incident, he has still managed to keep his generous and friendly nature, even toward the mentally ill man who almost killed him. Batchiri emigrated to the U.S. 10 years ago from Niger, and supports his family back home by selling cell-phone cases and appliances in SoHo. “The street food scene has transformed food culture in New York – and around the country - over the past decade. We at the Vendys are so proud to have celebrated this re-
the Vendy Awards last month Governors Island. The Middle Eastern cart King of Falafel might be the only winner of two coveted Vendy awards in the same year — but this time, their competition was a lot tougher. Facing off against the King of Falafel
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Main Office: 282 Railroad Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 Publishers: Leslie & Fred Klashman Advertising Director: Michael Scinto Creative Director: Ross Moody Contributing Writers Warren Bobrow Wyman Philbrook Noelle Ifshin Andrew Catalano Laurie Forster Mitchell Segal Staff Writers Deborah Hirsch Marcy Bruch Intern Alexis Robinson
“The street food scene has transformed food culture in New York – and around the country - over the past decade. We at the Vendys are so proud to have celebrated this reflection of our rich culinary diversity since 2005 when we started in an East Village garage with four vendors. We’ve come a long way!” said Sean Basinski, Director, Street Vendor Project.
flection of our rich culinary diversity since 2005 when we started in an East Village garage with four vendors. We’ve come a long way!” said Sean Basinski, Director, Street Ven-
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dor Project. For the first time ever in the 10-year history of the street food competition, past winners battled it out in a special Master’s Cup showdown at
Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com
Total Food Service ISSN No. 1060-8966 is published monthly by IDA Publishing, Inc., 282 Railroad Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830. Phone: 203.661.9090. This issue copyright 2014 by IDA Publishing Inc. Contents in full or part may not be reproduced without permission. Not responsible for advertisers claims or statements.Periodicals Postage paid at the post office, Greenwich, CT and additional mailing offices. Additional entry at the post office in Pittsburg, PA. Subscription rate in USA is $36 per year; single copy; $3.00. Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Food Service, P.O. Box 2507, Greenwich, CT 06836
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// EYE
METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
NJRA Annual Golf Outing & 22nd Hall Of Fame Awards Reception On Monday, September 8, the New Jersey Restaurant Association welcomed over 90 enthusiast golfers for a great day of Golf and 30 additional guests joined the group for the 22nd Hall of Fame Cocktail & Dinner Reception. The full-day event was held at Battleground Country Club in Manalapan Township, NJ.
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he event included an outdoor lunch, beverage and cocktails on the course and a Cocktail & Dinner Reception during which the Association honored 9 companies in different categories and Assemblyman Dave Rible as the NJ Industry Partner of the Year. The Golfers had the opportunity to enter various competitions such as several Hole-in-One Holes sponsored by T&T Coast, Longest Drive,
Marilou Halvorsen with Assemblyman Dave Rible
Straightest Drive, Closest to the Pin, Green Games and finally a Best Dressed Competition. The First Winning Foursome was composed of Daniel May, Pete Eckhardt and Steven Squeri of Panther Valley Golf & Country Club and Kevin Scott of National Restaurant Association. The Second Winning Foursome was composed of Brad Caruso and Brian Roddy of Withum Smith & Brown, PC and James Jamieson and Tom Zerrener of Micros Retail System.
From left to right: Kevin Scott of National Restaurant Association, NJRA President Marilou Halvorsen with Harrison Hines of Tri-State Food Expo, Golf Lunch Sponsor and NJRA Partner
Craig & Chris Kunisch of Allendale and Mahwah Bar & Grill with Kenny Donohue and Assemblyman Dave Rible, 2014 Industry Partner of the Year
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The NJ Restaurant Association would like to pay special thanks to the sponsors for their support and generosity. These companies helped to make this golf event such a huge success: Restaurant Equipment Club, South Jersey Energy, Maxey Hayse Design Studio, Tri-State Food Expo (Oct. 27 & 28), Choice Organic Teas. We would also like to thank Allied Beverage Group for the Cocktail Sampling and Sea Breeze Syrups for their Soda Donations. Established in 1942, the New Jersey Restaurant Association (NJRA) represents the Garden State's 25,000 eating and drinking establishments - the State's largest private sector employers, generating $14.2 billion in annual sales and employing over 318,000 people. Support, Education & Advocacy for its members is part of the NJRA’s recipe for success and why it has become an essential ingredient for the hospitality industry.
From left to right: Peg Zaremba-Born of Choice Organic Tea, Beverage Sponsor; Susan Pitaccio of Maxey Hayse Design Studio, Meet & Greet Sponsor and 2014 Architect of the Year with Marisa Marks and NJRA Chairwoman Nancy Laird of Restaurant Serenade
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// EYE
METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
Sands Point Club Manager Frank Benzakow (C) welcomed friends
with Minner's Designs Jill Ostaszewski. The club manager's lineup also featured top execs from Long Island. Enjoying the day’s festivities were Steve Dietz of Northport's Crab Meadow who captured low gross, and Paul O'Donahue, Paul of Southward Ho won the low net. They were joined by Village of Sands Point's Frank Benzakour, Deepdale's Scott Heaney and Brad Mathees of Rockville Links. 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. In the early Forties, a few dissatisfied members left and formed the Invitation Club. Things went well for both clubs until the crackdown on business expenses during the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969). Membership declined in both clubs and committees were formed to explore the possibilities of a merger. After much dickering and negotiating, the merger was implemented in 1967. The scholarship program was established and it grew so fast that in 1988 the club’s name was changed to the Partridge-Invitation Scholarship Foundation, Inc., to better describe its mission. Today the club grants annual scholarships to a wide diversity of students at schools including: the CIA, Johnson and Wales, City Tech, Cornell University and the University of Massachusetts.
Partridge Club’s Maureen Cole of Minners Design, F. Rozzo’s Lou Rozzo and Tom Egan of HB Day
Once again the club managers won the annual event with Captain Dennis Harrington (3rd L) of Meadow Brook Club leading his squad to victory
Partridge Invitational Club Managers Golf Challenge Opici Wine sales executive Dennis Murphy once again outdid himself with the annual Partridge Invitational Club and Club Managers’ Golf Shootout on Long Island last month.
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he annual event, one of the industry's rare "play your own" ball tournaments pitted some of the top golfers from the club manager's ranks against their Partridge Club hosts with the winner taking home the spectacular trophy. "Everybody loved the new venue," noted Murphy who won the tournament
in 2002. The industry leader was making reference to the Rockaway Hunting Club in Lawrence, NY. The storied track although not a true links, sits on a lowlying table of land that is at times reminiscent of the game across the pond, a mix of quirk and raw challenge. The Rockaway Hunting Club was founded in 1878, making it one of the oldest country clubs in America. As the name might suggest, the club’s first years were defined by equestrian sports. Fox hunting and steeplechase were popular; Rockaway was one of the twin powers of early American polo. Golf arrived a few years later—a rudimentary 9-holer was in place by 1895 and a full 18 by 1900.
Partridge and Club Manager guests were astounded with the fabulous fare that the Rockaway Hunt Club team led by GM Frank Argento served. The Westchester club manager's lineup featured Fenway Country Club's Steve Arias, Rob Kasara of Wygagyl and Mark Sheehan of Mamaroneck's Orienta Beach Club and Kevin Burek of Bonnie Briar. In addition to the Foundation's mission of raising scholarship funds for institutions of higher learning it promotes mutual business interests among its members and to stimulate friendship and fellowship. EYE notes that the key to the ongoing success of the Club's special events lie
Partridge members Tom Egan of HP Day and DeBragga and Spitler's Marc Sarrazin welcomed guests
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#4254
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// NEWS
SEASONAL STRATEGIES
Cold-Weather Kick-Off: Seasonal Strategies for the Restaurateur The colors of the leaves have started to change, there is a nip in the air and we all start yearning for our favorite seasonal flavors. Fall is the best time of year and offers the most potential in the way of flavor transition. Your customers were craving cool summer recipes and now want earthy, warm flavors. It’s time to revamp that menu and tell others about it.
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lay Ball! The Fall calendar offers many holidays which you can use to market your seasonal creations; Halloween, Thanksgiving, National Nut Day (10/22, it’s a thing!). It also brings about America’s other national past-time – going out with friends in matching jerseys and watching your favorite fall/winter sports! Football fans, and we want to give a nod to those basketball and hockey fans out there as well, are social and loyal customers. They find a watering hole they like and you have them for the entire season. Being able to accommodate such customers whether you support one team or offer the NFL package in the bar area will be a great way to gain new and regular business. It’s not just about the pumpkins – or is it? As soon as the last watermelon is purchased, it is replaced with a pumpkin. Social media, magazines, and emails are rushing to show you the next big thing in the way of this orange vegetable. And why not? The look of it brings the thought of spices such
as cinnamon and nutmeg and warm pumpkin soup and pies. Everyone wants a little pumpkin in their lives so be sure to serve up some on your menu. Traditional is great but experimenting with these classic flavors in a new way will give you an edge over the competition. And maybe it’s not just about the pumpkin. What about the humble apple? We are New York after all. Really the Fall is about the flavor. Create that warm, fuzzy feeling in your customers and they will keep coming back. Bringing Your Meals to Market So now you have this fantastic menu for fall. How do you tell people about it? Marketing your restaurant the right way is crucial. Here are a few little ways you can make a big impact: Take photos of your new recipes and post them to your social media feeds and remember hashtags are your friend (#pumpkin #welovefall). Be sure to post sports updates from your restaurant and tag the teams playing, that will spread your message to more readers who will now know their favorite team can be watched in your restaurant.
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Change your linens. Go from white to orange to red to gold throughout the
season for an instant table makeover. Offer contests and coupons around the holidays. Money is tight but people are in a celebratory mood. Make their decision easier with new Happy Hour specials, contest drawings, Instagram/facebook photo contests etc. Tips from Fellow Restaurateurs We interviewed some NYS Restaurant Association Members to see how they use this season to their advantage. Der Kommissar, Brooklyn “We will be showing games on large screen TV’s and via projector on the back wall of our outdoor space. We will most likely have 'tailgate' events for Thursday night and potentially other games in the backyard. Who doesn't
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// MIXOLOGY
WITH WARREN BOBROW
Metro New York Mixology It’s quickly approaching the time of the year when putting on a sweater in the morning is as natural as drinking brown liquors. Of course I drink brown liquors all year long, not only the fall and winter months.
Warren Bobrow Warren Bobrow is the cocktail writer for Williams-Sonoma, Foodista, Voda Maga-
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ut that’s not the point. The point is clearly that brown liquors taste more nostalgic in colder weather. I
always remember the first pull that I took on whisky. I was in my midteens, certainly that old because I had
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zine and the 501c3 not for profit Wild River Review/Wild Table, where he also serves as an editor. www.cocktailwhisperer.com
my driver’s license at sixteen (farmer’s license) and parties were something that we all attended. Sanctioned by parents or not. It was a much different time in the 1970’s. The party that introduced me to brown liquor was in a grand manse, located in Harding Township, NJ. The owner of the estate was in government in some function that afforded him a view of the best things in life. He had invested heavily into Scotch whisky, not for the wealth- that he clearly didn’t need. What he wanted was the smoky, liquid gold, stored patiently for thirty some odd years over in his home country of Scotland. He
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// NEWS
SAFETY SOLUTIONS
Shat-R-Shield Enables Food Service Operators To Merge Flavor And Safety Agendas Food. Beverages. Location. Heat. Air-conditioning. Light. Most restaurateurs may not think of these must-haves in this order, but light can be one of the most important elements to consider when opening a restaurant.
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ask lighting is very critical in the food service industry,” says Anita Yost, Sales & Marketing Business Manager at Shat-R-Shield Inc. “That's where a lot of production and preparation of food is done, whether before it's cooked, while prepping raw vegetables and meat, or after it's been cooked and then plating it. It is also vital when presenting something that needs to move forward and on out to wherever the user is. Task lighting is extremely critical in the kitchen, the dining room and anywhere lamps are close to food. That’s why it is imperative that restaurants use safety coated lighting to protect their customers from the threat of broken glass.” That's where Shat-R-Shield comes in. Starting out in the industrial electrical industry back in the ‘70s making various shatterproof coatings for items –anything from fence parts and hand grips on tools that required it to perfume bottles or anywhere that needed plastic coatings– the company grew to include the foodservice industry in the 1990s. Today they offer a comprehensive line of safety coated, shatterproof lamps and lighting prod-
plastic adhering straight to the glass. “That way there's no air gap, no way for hot air to build,” says Yost. “The coatings dissipate heat from the lamp,
Task lighting is extremely critical in the kitchen, the dining room and anywhere lamps are close to food. That’s why it is imperative that restaurants use safety coated lighting to protect their customers from the threat of broken glass.
ucts and their products are installed in foodservice facilities worldwide. Shat-R-Shield’s lamps have a skintight plastic coating that safely contains all mercury, glass and phosphor if a lamp is accidentally broken. Shat-R-Shield's basic channel to market is through distribution supported by manufacturers reps it contracts out with. “Working with the big corporations, the company began putting plastics on light bulbs and that's how it started,” Yost says. At Shat-R-Shield all plastics are melted to the light bulb itself, the
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so there's no premature burn-out. Other manufacturers' light bulbs can have a little air gap; oxidizing the filament and making them burn out more quickly. Our plastics are literally melted to the glass and are guaranteed not to yellow, crack or flake for the rated life of the lamp.” But Shat-R-Shield makes more than protective lighting for foodservice operations. Yost notes that the importance of heat lamp bulbs in the foodservice industry can't be overstated. “These are really not designed to emit light so much as to provide heat. You will see them more from a hanging fixture or the heat lamp itself, 15 to 18 inches away from the food, right there,
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// NEWS
CHEFS
Vincent Barcelona Joins Admiration Foods as Vice President of Customer Experience, Corporate Chef Supreme Oil Company, Inc., also known as Admiration Foods (www.admirationfoods.com), recently
Harvest on Hudson in Hastings on Hudson, Half Moon in Dobbs Ferry and East by Northeast in Montauk. Supreme Oil Company, Inc. is a family owned and operated business founded in 1945. Its entrepreneurial heritage and ability to find quick and creative solutions distinguish it from other suppliers. Operating from three strategic locations in New Jersey, Tennessee and Alabama, Supreme Oil manufactures a wide variety of prod-
announced that Vincent Barcelona, Corporate Executive Chef of the Fort Pond Bay Company, will be joining Supreme Oil as the Vice President of Customer Experience, Corporate Chef.
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n this newly created position, Barcelona will work closely with Supreme Oil’s customers to try and help each of them achieve greater levels of profitability and success in the ultra-competitive and complex restaurant industry. New services to be offered by Supreme Oil under Barcelona’s leadership include assistance with menu planning, food costing, product ideation, kitchen design and general restaurant consultation. Supreme Oil is the largest privately held supplier of cooking oil and edible-oil based products in the United States. “The hiring of Vincent Barcelona creates a unique opportunity for all of Supreme Oil’s customers to enjoy an expert level of culinary support that has traditionally been available only to larger restaurant chains,” explains Michael Leffler (President and CEO). “Vincent’s industry expertise and proven record of success in the restaurant business makes him the perfect person to lead this new initiative. I am thrilled he will be joining our team.” “I am profoundly honored to join Supreme Oil and work with its very talented team in this new role,” said
“After having spent the last 30 years working in kitchens, this position allows me the opportunity to apply my culinary experiences in a new environment and at a company that shares my philosophy of continuously looking to improve the customer experience.” “The hiring of Vincent Barcelona creates a unique opportunity for all of Supreme Oil’s customers to enjoy an expert level of culinary support that has traditionally been available only to larger restaurant chains,” explains Michael Leffler (President and CEO).
Barcelona. “After having spent the last 30 years working in kitchens, this position allows me the opportunity to apply my culinary experiences in a new environment and at a company that shares my philosophy of continuously looking to improve the customer experience.” Barcelona brings with him a lifetime of expertise from top-rated NYC restaurants Le Bernardin, Union
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Square Cafe, Park Avenue Cafe, Restaurant Luxe, Mark Hotel and River Cafe, just to name a few. Later this month, Barcelona will have the distinction of being the James Beard Foundation's featured chef at the Beard House. Barcelona will join Supreme Oil directly from serving as the Executive Chef at The Fort Pond Bay Company which includes restaurants Harvest on Fort Pond in Montauk,
ucts in an extensive array of packaging sizes and brands (including the popular Admiration and Piknik labels). Supreme Oil’s products are sold across all segments of the food industry and they include items such as edible oils, salad dressings, margarines, shortenings, sauces, condiments, vinegars, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and more.
// NEWS
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Public Relations Tells The Stories Behind The Food So often, we sit down for lunch or dinner at a restaurant and make no connection whatsoever with the food we are eating.
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believe the key to long-term success in the food industry, and the key to good public relations, is that the business owner must truly be connected to the food they are serving. In turn this should make guests relate better to the food. I know of almost no one more connected to the food they serve than Pamela Elizabeth, owner of Blossom Du Jour restaurants in New York City. Whole Foods just started selling a line of products from Blossom Du Jour and they thought her story was so interesting they had an artist recreate her image for an in-store display. “I Think what's unique about my situation is the fact that I never had a dream to open a restaurant, or cafe, or to be a business owner,” Elizabeth said. “What inspired the opening of Blossom was the thought that I could perhaps encourage people to stop eating animals by offering delicious, healthful options at a vegan eatery. According to Elizabeth, “My passion for wanting to somehow make a difference in the world for animals is what blindly led me to enter a business I knew absolutely nothing about.” Now with several restaurants in her growing dining portfolio, she is becoming a leader in the vegan food
Cindi Avila, Green Goddess, Public Relations greengoddesspr@ gmail.com
“It was during that period of time,” Goldstein said, “That I discovered the
industry! Rich Goldstein, CEO of Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts in Austin, Texas came into his own healthy food business in a different, fascinating way that also resonates with many people. Goldstein was the CEO of a large company and stress was getting to him. “It was during that period of time,” Goldstein said, “That I discovered the power of classic practices of health and well being. Including yoga, as well as a healing and stress preventive diet to allow me to work most effectively well under stress, while maintaining my personal well-being, vitality, and day-to-day energy.” Years later he earned his Masters degree in public health. Goldstein says he wanted to “develop a greater personal understanding around the research into personal health and well-being. I wanted to understand where the leading edge
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power of classic practices of health and well being. Including yoga, as well as a healing and stress preventive diet to allow me to work most effectively well under stress, while maintaining my personal well-being, vitality, and day-to-day energy.”
was in integrating ancient essential healing cuisines, time tested healing practices including meditation and movement, and modern healthcare.” Goldstein bought Natural Epicurean five years ago and his passion for the “healing cuisine” taught at the school is now evident and no doubt
a big reason the school is attracting students from all over the world. Solomon Choi, CEO of the national frozen yogurt chain 16 Handles, is so dedicated to his business that he is not one to sit behind a desk all day. Instead he can often be seen in his restaurants, at business-related events and making appearances on TV. Choi developed a love for fro-yo at a young age. “A family friend has been operating the first self-serve frozen yogurt shop in California,” Choi noted. “In 2007, I reached out to him and asked if he would teach me his business. He agreed and for three months I considered myself an unpaid apprentice. I learned everything that I could about how to run a successful self-serve frozen yogurt shop.” “In March 2008, armed with an investment from my family, I chose NYC as the destination of where I would build my own frozen yogurt franchise,” Choi said. “It took me very little time to understand what my customers liked and wanted because I worked at the shop everyday and had conversations with them.” Today there are 42 16 Handles stores in six states and with 150 additional stores coming soon internationally. The reason for his success, Choi says, is simple: “My own curiosity, persistence, and understanding what I and the customer want.” Think about your own story. That could be the key to a successful public relations campaign and in turn a successful business. Cindi Avila is the owner of Green Goddess Public Relations in NYC. She specializes in food, family and health.
// Q&A
EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEWS
Mark Grossich
CEO, Owner and Operator of Hospitality Holdings Mark Grossich has had many careers. He ran a chain of newspapers. He ran a modeling agency. An ad agency, a PR company. The list goes on and on.
B
ut what brought this restaurateur the most success and satisfaction is the number of upscale cocktail lounges, cigar bars and restaurants he has opened over the years, including the trendsetting Campbell Apartment at Grand Central, The World Bar, The Carnegie Club, Bookmarks, Madison & Nine and Dag's. He's inordinately proud that the cocktail and dining spots are some of the most popular and trendy places to socialize and, oh, yes, eat. How did you get started? We had a client in my advertising and PR business who was a hospitality guy and he approached me on whether I would be interested in going into the bar business. So we opened a place down in the West Village on Hudson Street. I still remember the address, 636. He wanted to call it Hudson Bar, and I'm like, Hudson Bar, what, are you kidding me? Every marketing instinct inside of me said, no way. But we came up with the notion, Hudson Bar and Books, a library-themed place for late-night guests and they are still open. So that's how it all started. We had four or five Bar and Books operations going, and I decided I wanted to go in a different direction, and we parted ways. But I guess I go back even farther than that in the restau-
rant world. My heritage includes a family that was in the business, and one of my first jobs as a kid at 14 was scrubbing pots and pans at the restaurant! I learned about hard work and the challenges of the business, and certainly, the importance of hospitality, to be successful in the restaurant business or any other. How does Hospitality Holdings fit into things? It's really the management company that oversees all of our individual properties. Surprisingly, the name was available. And I've always enjoyed it. It has a ring of being listed on the stock exchange to some degree I think. What was your first stand-alone project? The Campbell Apartment and The World Bar in the Trump World Tower.
Mark Grossich's Hospitality Holdings has been praised as an industry trailblazer, reviving the classic cocktail lounge, elevating the specialty cocktail and opening the country's first cigar bar
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You're one of the few operators who's succeeded in a very eclectic group of venues. Cocktail lounges, historical venues. What's been the key to that success? We started off with the notion of upscale cocktail lounges. If you remember, years back, restaurants suddenly became very large and very much the place to go. Lounges really took a backseat to that. So we brought that back. We had a strict dress code that was also part of that whole world. Basically, we were bridging the gap between public space and private club. Then, as our business continued to grow, opportunities presented themselves, which tugged us in one direction or another, which led to having instead of just upscale cocktail lounges, restaurants now. We have outdoor spaces. We have government spaces. We have rooftop spaces. But what I'm seeing in the marketplace today is bars pushing harder
and harder to create more than the old bowls of nuts, and eggs, and whatever else used to be on a bar. Now we're coming out of real kitchens that really rivals going to a restaurant for a full meal. And is the idea that that keeps people drinking? Absolutely. It's moving a little bit more from just finger foods to complicated and exciting foods for people to truly substitute restaurant dining for. And it makes sense because restaurants are all looking desperately for ways to expand their lounge business, and that's certainly one way. At the same time, we're increasing our profitability. Now you have to hire a kitchen staff. Ideally, we look for people that have both food and beverage. Our vice president, group general manager, Kenneth McClure, is a graduate of the CIA. He has the added benefit of being a very talented hospitality person to boot, too.
What are the marching orders that you have given him relative to hiring a culinary staff, relative to what the role of a chef is versus a cook? He's not the chef per se. He oversees the operation. We have kitchen folks for that. And our marching orders? To do the best we can and be aware of food trends. We have the advantage now of having two full-service restaurants, which gives us the opportunity to really show our hand with food. Are you in the people business, or the real estate business? Well, that depends on whether you consider landlords people. We're certainly in both but it doesn't help to have a lot of great people if you don't have the space for any of them to go. But it all starts with finding a great space, and then that's followed by weighing that space against what your realities are. For example, obviously there are a lot of great spaces way off the beaten track that are far more inex-
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pensive. But if you miss, you could be out-of-pocket a significant amount of money. To truly be successful you've got to develop a destination place, like many of our places are. Where does your vision come from? Where do you get inspiration? All the above, including reading publications like yours. You look at somebody's situation, and you go, how did they come up with that? The name, the look, the concept. Our basic positioning has always been our tag line, which is simply “New York's most refreshingly civilized places to meet.” And that continues to guide us. You know, we stay on the high road. Our ideal clientele are a little older. We're not a trend. We stay as far away from trends as possible. It's an acknowledgment that the trend is going to end at some point. And ours are timeless. The proof of the pudding for us is the sheer amount of time we've been able to sustain our business. The Carnegie Club is 15 years old. The Campbell
Apartment is 16 years old. Madison and Vine is eight years old. My senior staff has been with me for years. You need all of it. If you're lucky enough to find it, as I did, it makes all the difference in the world. It makes it a joy to do business. Do you think that combination of a soft economy and somebody like you, who knows what he's doing, was your recipe for success? People drink when things are bad. So we're a little recession-proof in that regard. But that being said, it's a very competitive marketplace, particularly in New York City. And unfortunately, the nature of competition often means price point, too. You've got a lot of situations where the larger operators may take ridiculous reductions to try to get an edge, to drive business over other competitors. And let's not ever overlook that little thing called luck. You do your best to
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METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
MAFSI Golf & Awards Dinner 2014 It’s always amazing how the most bitter of rivals can band together for the greater good. Metro New York's equipment and supply representative community who compete on a daily basis took a break from their daily battles on the street to honor a trio of industry leaders.
K
udos to MAFSI for finding a true gem in Rock Springs Golf to host their annual MAFSI Golf and Awards Dinner. MAFSI's Metro New York Chapter honored Long Island's Premium Supply as its dealer of the year. Perfomance Food Group's Ken Kurzweil did the honors as he introduced and presented the award to Premium's Jay Pattinger. The applause was loud for the dealer exec who is once again the picture of health. Pattinger spoke glowingly of the all-star team that he has assembled with many on-hand at the event. Brett Farrell of Raymond/Raymond Assoc. was hon-
M. Tucker’s Neil London enjoyed a day on the links
ored with the reps' Young Lions Award. BSE Marketing's Jeff Hessel introduced Farrell who spoke of his passion for the industry. MAFSI'S Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Bob Johnson of Johnson's Restaurant Supply. Johnson is set for semi-retirement after many years on serving his Jersey Shore customer base. He outlined the challenges of building and maintaining his business including the challenge of Hurricane Sandy in 2011. "The golf and the dinner were a major success," noted the tournament's co-chair Frank Doyle of TD Marketing. "It was a great opportunity for reps and factories to
have a great day of golf and to recognize some of the industry's truly special professionals. The event marked the culmination of hard work by Doyle and his tournament committee for their considerable time invested to research venues, dates and facility coordination. Doyle's golf committee was co-chaired by Jon Bowerman of Performance and Pecinka Ferri's Ed Pecinka and assisted by Jason Butler of BSE Marketing and Mike Klatman of TD. The golf awards included the annual presentation of fishing rods to the foursome with the worst score. MAFSI is a 63 year-old, professional trade associa-
MAFSI national president and Pecinka Ferri principal Joe Ferri presented Bob Johnson of Johnson’s Restaurant Supply with Lifetime Achievement honors
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tion comprised of 270+ independent sales agencies and 220+ manufacturers of commercial foodservice equipment, supplies, tabletop and furniture. MAFSI represents over 2,000 sales and marketing professionals and manufacturing executives across North America and internationally who are a major force in the 10 billion dollar equipment, supply, tabletop and furniture segment of the foodservice industry. The organization's primary member is the factory sales’ representative agency whose role is to professionally market foodservice equipment, supplies, tabletop and furniture for their manufacturers, on a wholesale basis, and serve as the local factory branch office for the dealer and
(L to R) Neil and Jodi Cohen of NJRE flank Scotsman’s Ken Harris
(L to R) MAFSI golf chair Frank Doyle presented the association’s Young Lion Award to Raymond/ Raymond’s Brett Farrell
operator communities. Because of the interdependent relationship between manufacturers and representatives, MAFSI is also committed to the 800 manufacturers that serve our industry - 220+ of which are associate members of the association. Fundamental to manufacturers, of course, is to deliver their product to market in the most efficient and thorough method. More than 80% of the brand names the foodservice industry buys are marketed through MAFSI Reps. The group strongly believes that the independent representative is more closely in touch with market trends affecting dealers, consultants, service agents and end-users than any other segment in our industry’s various distribution channels. They truly are the windows to the marketplace. MAFSI reps spend their day calling on all facets of the industry with the purpose of lending their specific product knowledge and experience to the foodservice community. They work directly
with the local foodservice dealers and distributors, service agencies, and enduser operators as the product specialist and consultative sales agent. The Metro New York Market has taken on extra significance this year for MAFSI. Local member Joe Ferri of Pecinka Ferri is serving a term as the national president of the organization. The Jersey based rep has been traveling the country on behalf of the organization. "The MAFSI
rep is a specialist that the dealer and consultant rely upon as they execute their work," added chapter president Rob McKeown. "We support both – we replace neither. Representatives also advocate customer issues with their manufacturers and dealers to ensure that the operator is receiving exactly what they are demanding." MAFSI reps typically employ 3 to 4 field representatives, 2 to 3 inside customer service
Mr. and Mrs. Jay Pattinger and the Premium Supply team celebrated their top dealer honors
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people and often have showrooms and test kitchens to assist customers in project planning. It is not uncommon for MAFSI reps to also have on staff chefs to assist the customers´ culinary team with menu planning and preparation and cooking procedures unique to specialized equipment such as blast chillers and combi ovens. MAFSI members’ broad range of services are available to customers at no expense. Our members’ field reps, their customer service staff, their facilities and their years of specialized experience are available to customers at no charge because they are paid by the manufacturers. Over 80% of foodservice manufacturers utilize the professional sales and marketing services of independent manufacturers’ representatives. Manufacturers have found that hiring independent, commission based, sales professionals provide better results for themselves and their customers.
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INSIDER NEWS FROM METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE SCENE
NYC Cake Designer Celebrates Fashion Week Scoop notes that The Royal Cake Design Studio (TRCDS) was excited to announce the first annual Cakes & Couture Fashion Show celebrating international designer, Michael Costello last month at the beautiful 404 NYC. This red carpet, public event featured extraordinary, lifesize, cake dresses and gowns from his official Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week show created by Julia Chinyakova. TRCDS client list includes Dave Navarro and Senator Cory Booker and reads like a who's who of both the music and fashion worlds. A portion of the proceeds will be allocated Generation Ubuntu (GenU), which is a non-profit organization that works to improve the health and wellbeing of South African children and teens living with HIV through a comprehensive care model. Fresh off a stint as the costume designer for Beyonce's On the Run Tour, Michael Costello’s Spring 2015 collection features amazing designs that continue to celebrate his driving inspirations using color and texture.
This red carpet, public event featured extraordinary, life-size, cake dresses and gowns from his official MercedesBenz Fashion Week show created by Julia Chinyakova. TRCDS client list includes Dave Navarro and Senator Cory Booker and reads like a who's who of both the music and fashion worlds.
In conjunction, Julia recreated these designs from the runway show that replicated each design detail by de-
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tail. Not only did show attendees view these masterpiece designs, they also had the delightful privilege to literally “taste” the fashions at the end of the night - leaving with a bit of Julia and Michael’s creations. “I’m very excited about this collaboration with Michael Costello. His designs are amazing and to be able to transform them into lifesize cakes is a huge feat and a cake designer’s dream come true,” states Julia Chinyakova, Cake Designer at The Royal Cake Designs Studio. “We worked night and day to capture the essence of each design to have them come alive at the show.”
Manhattan Equity Firm Puts Hammer To Darden Scoop sees that Darden Restaurants offered more concessions to activist investor Starboard Value last month in a fight for control of the Olive Garden parent. Darden proposed that NYC based Starboard could nominate four candidates to the company's 12-member board of directors. That is up from an earlier offer that Starboard name three candidates to the board.
Scoop sees that Darden Restaurants offered more concessions to activist investor Starboard Value last month in a fight for control of the Olive Garden parent.
In addition, Darden said it would nominate four independent directors who will remain on the board. Its slate would also include four directors would have no connections to either Darden or Starboard. As part of the proposal, Darden said new executive chairman Charles Ledsinger Jr. won't run for a new term. Darden Restaurants Inc., the owner of restaurant chains such as Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze and LongHorn Steakhouse, offered to let Starboard select three directors with the company's support in July. Darden had planned
Every $1 donated will help provide five meals for New Yorkers in need. Orange is the color of hunger awareness. Go Orange to End Hunger™ is a citywide effort to unite New Yorkers.
to nominate the remaining nine candidates. In July Darden sold its Red Lobster chain to investment firm Golden Gate Capital for $2.1 billion. Starboard and another investment firm, Barington Capital, objected to the nature of the breakup. The day the sale closed, Darden announced that CEO Clarence Otis would step down after 10 years at the helm and said it would split its chairman and CEO roles, making Ledsinger its nonexecutive chairman. Starboard owns an 8.8-percent stake in Darden that makes it the Orlando, Florida, company's second-largest shareholder.
Darden said its independent nominees will be former O'Charley's CEO Gregory Burns, Convergys Corp. Chairman Jeffrey Fox, former Office Depot Chairman and CEO Steve Odland, and Checkers CEO Enrique Silva. The company proposed Michael Barnes, Christopher Fraleigh, Michael Rose and Maria Sastre as its incumbent nominees.
Top Restaurants Go Orange to End Hunger™ with Food Bank For New York City To Launch “Meals for Meals” Scoop Food Bank For New York City,
CONNECTICUT NEW YORK
NEW JERSEY
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181 Marsh Hill Road 91 Brainard Road 566 Hamilton Avenue 22 Warehouse Row 100 Oakpoint Ave 100 Corporate Drive Ste 101 15-06 132nd Street 1966 Broadhollow Road 720 Stewart Avenue 43-40 57th Avenue 1335 Lakeland Avenue 650 S. Columbus Avenue 305 S. Regent St. 777 Secaucus Road 45 East Wesley Street 140 South Avenue 1135 Springfield Road Route 66 21 US Highway 46
the city’s major hunger-relief organization, recently announced that some of the city’s top restaurants joined them last month to Go Orange to End Hunger ™ by signing up for Food Bank’s new initiative, “Meals for Meals.” September, which is National Hunger Action Month, restaurants took action to Go Orange Against Hunger™ by pledging to donate one meal to Food Bank each time specially designated menu items were sold. Every $1 donated will help provide five meals for New Yorkers in need. Orange is the color of hunger awareness. Go Orange to End Hunger™ is a citywide effort to unite New Yorkers
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Orange, CT 06477 Hartford, CT 06114 Brooklyn, NY 11232 Colonie, NY 12205 Bronx, NY 10474 Blauvelt, NY 10913 College Point, NY 11356 Farmingdale, NY 11735 Garden City, NY 11530 Maspeth, NY 11378 Bohemia, NY 11716 Mt. Vernon, NY 10550 Port Chester, NY 10573 Secaucus, NJ 07094 S. Hackensack, NJ 07606 S. Plainfield, NJ 07080 Union, NJ 07083 Neptune, NJ 07753 Pinebrook, NJ 07058
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to become aware and engaged in the fight against hunger in our city, where 2.6 million New Yorkers struggle to put food on the table every day. Top New York City eateries – including ‘21’ Club, Boqueria (three locations), Porter House New York, The Breslin, The John Dory, Dos Toros (at five locations), The Spotted Pig, Café Grumpy at Grand Central, and others– went “Go Orange to End Hunger. ™” “We’re very grateful to our restaurant partners who understand the importance for all families to have healthy, nutritious meals,” said Margarette Purvis, President and CEO of Food Bank For New York City. Food Bank For New York City’s Go Orange to End Hunger ™ educates and inspires people to take action, donate, advocate and volunteer to bring an
203-795-9900 860-549-4000 718-768-0555 518-458-1630 718-665-3910 845-358-0410 718-762-1000 631-752-3900 516-794-9200 718-707-9330 631-218-1818 914-665-6868 914-935-0220 201-601-4755 201-996-1991 908-791-2740 908-964-5544 732-643-9393 732-643-9393
end to hunger in New York City during Hunger Action Month each September.
Date Change Announced for 2015 New York Restaurant Show Scoop says The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York has just announced that they have new dates for the 2015 event. To ensure enough days to move the show in, Urban Expositions, producers of the event chose to shift the Show dates by one week to Sunday, March 8 - Tuesday, March 10 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. The tradeshow and conference, sponsored by the New York State Restaurant Association, brings together thousands of restaurant, foodservice and hospitality professionals from throughout New York State and surrounding areas. "We wanted to get the word out as quickly as possible to ensure our customers are aware of this one week date change prior to beginning their Show planning," said Ron Mathews, Vice President, International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, Urban Expositions. "The good news is that the Show day pattern, Sunday through Tuesday, remains unchanged; just one week later, March 8-10." The 3-day event will offer: An interactive Exhibit Hall, featuring more than 550 leading vendors; Live Culinary Demonstrations and Competitions; Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum education sessions. Special features including: Pride of New York, Japan Pavilion, Dessert & Coffee Pavilion, The US Pastry Competition, Ultimate Barista Challenge and The Foodservice Council for Women Location: Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Date & Time: Sunday, March 8, 2015 from 10:00 am- 5:00 pm Monday, March 9, 2015 from 10:00 am- 5:00 pm Tuesday, March 10, 2015 from 10:00 am4:00 pm.
Yes, Chef! Food Bank Teaches Recipe for Success to Unemployed Theresa Fitzgerald stands in the classroom at the FoodBank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties in New Jersey and looks on as the students in the Culinary Job Skills Training class are lectured on different types of roux. A year ago, Fitzgerald sat in the same classroom – but under much different circumstances. “I recently lost my house and my dog and
techniques, with the hopes of giving them a skill set that will help them find a job. The food bank also offers mock interviews, resume tutorials, and an opportunity to shadow a chef in a working kitchen. "They come here to just learn for a good foundation from the ground
up,” Cattley said. “I like for them to know there’s an opportunity for them to go out there and grow and with the hard work, they’re going to be able to do something, make something of themselves.” Fitzgerald thrived, graduated at the top of the class and found a job right away in a chain res-
“I recently lost my house and my dog and you know, I was separated from my husband at the time and just kind of felt like this was it,” said the 28-year-old mother.
you know, I was separated from my husband at the time and just kind of felt like this was it,” said the 28-yearold mother. Despite having a passion for cooking, Fitzgerald had been out of the kitchen for six years. With job opportunities looking bleak, she started to look for ways to get back behind the line. After hearing about the food bank's culinary job training program from a family member, Fitzgerald decided to apply. “I wasn’t doing anything else,” said Fitzgerald. “I had nothing to lose and why not try something new.” A few weeks later, Fitzgerald was accepted into the program and was introduced to Chef Ray Cattley, the chief instructor of the program. The program, taught by Cattley, is five days a week and is a crash-course of sorts in cooking – teaching the applicants knife skills, sauce making and different cooking
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Barclays Center and Levy Restaurants have extended their partnership with a multiyear deal, building on their acclaimed BrooklynTaste™ food program, which features selections from 55 popular Brooklyn restaurants and vendors.
taurant. Now, she is a personal chef for a family in Port Monmouth, N.J., creating weekly menus inspired by the skills learned in Chef Ray’s classroom. “They taught me a lot here. Due to Chef Ray and everybody that’s worked here – they made things possible for me that I didn’t think were possible before,” said Fitzgerald. “I didn’t have the confidence and now I do. And now, I feel like I can do anything.”
Brooklyn Barclays Center Extends Partnership with Levy Restaurants
expand our relationship with Levy Restaurants,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets. “Levy has done an outstanding job at Barclays Center, co-authoring the renowned BrooklynTaste program, and we are looking forward to delivering the same level of service to guests at Nassau Coliseum. We want to thank Legends for being a part of the team that secured the winning bid for Nassau Coliseum. After further consideration, we felt that the synergy created by Levy being involved with both venues was the ultimate way
Scoop Barclays Center which opened in 2012 is a major sports and entertainment venue in the heart of Brooklyn, New York. Barclays Center and Levy Restaurants have extended their partnership with a multi-year deal, building on their acclaimed BrooklynTaste™ food program, which features selections from 55 popular Brooklyn restaurants and vendors. In addition to extend-
“We are thrilled to extend and expand our relationship with Levy Restaurants,” said
Ramsay, who stars in "Hell's Kitchen" and "MasterChef," owns nine restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, with the first Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center and the Brooklyn Nets. ing their partnership at the home of the Brooklyn Nets, Levy will become the food and beverage partner for the soon to be re-imagined Nassau Coliseum, scheduled to open at the end of 2016. The recreated venue will deliver a world-class sports, entertainment and retail center to Nassau County and its residents. “We are thrilled to extend and
to deliver best-in-class food and beverage programs. We are so proud of what we have created at Barclays Center in collaboration with the venue’s wonderful management team,” said Andy Lansing, President and CEO of Levy Restaurants. “We are looking forward to bringing the same exciting guest experience to Nassau Coliseum." Levy has been the food and beverage operator for Barclays Center since the venue opened in 2012.
Atlantic City, brace yourself:
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Gordon Ramsay to open restaurant at Caesars Scoop says maybe Gordon Ramsay can shout profitability back into Atlantic City. As yet another casino —Trump Taj Mahal — files for bankruptcy in the wake of three (soon to be four) casino closures, the hot-tempered Ramsay is betting on Caesars. Caesars confirms the deal. Caesars and Bally's Atlantic City president Kevin Ortzman says that with the addition, "Atlantic City continues to elevate itself as a culinary destination, one that features big television personalities, celebrity chefs, and now a Michelin-rated chef." Caesars Entertainment, which recently welcomed Guy Fieri to Bally's and Steve Martorano to Harrah's, is bringing Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, his British-themed concept, to Caesars, in the high-profile spot that will be vacated by Mia's, which is expected to close in mid-October. Ramsay, who stars in "Hell's Kitchen"
and "MasterChef," owns nine restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, with the first Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The pub there is modeled on an authentic English drinking hole, with 36 beers on tap and 63 bottled beers, with a hearty menu that includes English ale onion soup ($12), fish and chips ($29) and shepherd's pie ($23). You can find the more upscale items for which Ramsay is known, including filet mignon with Madeira marrow sauce ($38) and grilled Colorado lamb rack ($40). Though the Borgata brims with celebrity eateries, including Bobby Flay Steak and Wolfgang Puck Grille, Atlantic City lost several high-end eateries with the closure of Revel, including Jose Garces' Amada and Marc Forging’s American Cut.
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METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE
NYC Hospitality Alliance Ping Pong Slam Teams representing 16 of the top restaurant groups in New York City vied late last month for the first ever NYC Hospitality Alliance Ping Pong Slam title. The One Group's Jonathan Segal and Sam Goldfinger were victorious over Chef Driven Group's Simon and Thor Oren in a nail biter.
M
any of the five boroughs top restaurant owners and chefs brought teams to the noted Slam Ping Pong Center. Co-owned by actress Susan Sarandon, the 23rd Street facility has become a mecca for local celebrities. Opening round matchups included: The Russian Tea Room vs. B.R. Guest Hospitality, VIP Room vs. Chef Driven Group, The Smith vs. Dallas BBQ, Melba's Restaurant vs. Carmines & Virgil's Real BBQ,
Neil Leifer of Bottom LIne and Morgan Tucker of M.Tucker who co-sponsored the event
Betony vs. Frankies Spuntino, The One Group vs. Hair of the Dog, TAO vs. BLT Restaurants and China Grill Management vs. 3 Sheets Saloon. Under the direction of the Alliance's executive director Andrew Rigie the Battle for Ping Pong Supremacy included Cocktails, Networking & Ping Pong among Restaurant & Nightlife Industry Colleagues. The New York City Hospitality Alliance is a broad-based membership association founded in 2012 to foster the growth and vitality of the industry that has made New York City the
Hospitality Capital of the World. It is the first association ever formed in New York City representing all facets of this diverse industry: restaurants, bars, lounges, destination hotels and major industry suppliers. New York's 5 boroughs: Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island boasting the highest concentration of these industries in the United States, The Alliance plays a critical role in meeting the specialized and unique needs of this essential sector of New York City’s economy that has become a beacon to the world.
Jimmy Carbone of Jimmy’s 43 flanked by Great Performances Mike Deuel and Matthew Riznyk
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Through the support and involvement of its members, The Alliance is committed to advancing - with a clear and unified voice - an agenda focused on opportunity, economic investment and job creation. Advocating on behalf of our members at all levels of government, The Alliance supports pro-growth public policy, encourages investment in and promotion of NYC’s hospitality industry, and evaluates the development, implementation and fairness of relevant government regulations. By providing education and training, access to expert consultants, and opportunities to collaborate and exchange ideas, the New York City Hospitality Alliance helps ensure our members have the tools necessary to grow and prosper and continue to offer the world-class quality of service that has made our industry famous and our City a global destination.
Noted Harlem restaurateur Melba Wilson (R) and son enjoyed the festivities
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Q&A from page 31 try to address all the variables, and you can't control everything. You're hoping you get somebody to pat you on the head with a little gold dust. Cocktail menus have changed over the years. Is it still about a great martini? A great Manhattan? Yeah, and that's also fundamental to our long-standing positioning. We watched the whole craft cocktail craze come and go and come back again. We find it kind of amusing at times. There's a reason traditional drinks have been around so long. Certainly we tip our hat to the craft cocktails that are oh-so-popular at the moment. And we'll have a few of those on our menu. But the simple truth is, if you're looking to make money in this business, developing cocktails with six, seven, eight ingredients that take five minutes to make, makes it very difficult to do a volume business.
So, was food, when you began, an afterthought, or a secondary piece of what you were doing? The thought about food was, get them to drink more by giving them stuff with salt. Or whatever will make their palate desperate – the mentality that you have with a cocktail, which is to continue to serve the classics and the basics.
lot of these folks have been calling on you for years. We have terrific relationships with all of them. It's very simple to have a good relationship with vendors. Make sure you pay what you owe. We have great vendor relationships. They're very supportive of us. We do a lot of events together, which is great.
Is that the same mentality and the same strategy you use as you approach food? Or do you need to take a different approach to what you do with food? No. We actually try to balance the two. We'll certainly keep the cocktails in mind when we create the menu but our staff is more than capable of discussing the food and offering cocktails or wine to go with your choice of a meal.
And so, what about the food side? Are you there yet? I'm afraid not to the same degree. We're just not doing the same volume, but we hope to. In food you do have an opportunity to go to bid more often. You have a different slant. We have our own little mini-Shake Shack in the park next to the United Nations. For example, there we have a real strong relationship with Pat La Frieda, who makes a very good burger and also makes us custom hot dogs.
What about your approach to vendors? On the wine and spirit side, a
Tell me a little about how the Lexington, the Falls, and the Gramercy deals
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came to fruition. Well historically, I built the business, as you know, brick by brick, dollar by dollar, out of my own pocket. We got to a nice place and had some really terrific properties. We've got a wonderful portfolio and try to accelerate our growth, which is exactly what we did this past summer. We also had a couple of opportunities that helped, like our restaurants. Gramercy Park, I had my eye on for years. I kind of casually knew the owner. I called out of the blue at the beginning of the year and said, Hey, listen. Is your place for sale? Fast forward about six months and he wanted to make some adjustments to his focus and get some money for the house and go in another direction. So we happened to be there and boom. And I'm proud to say that it's already rockin' and rollin'. For the complete interview with additional Q&A content with Mark Grossich, visit www.totalfood.com
// NEWS
INSURANCE SOLUTIONS
AccuSure Brings Simplicity To Solving Workman’s Comp Puzzle For Tri-State Restaurateurs And Food Service Operators One of the tasks many restaurant operators find onerous (and can't seem to find the time to do) is deal with insurance, whether it's liability or property, casualty or workman's comp. They've got to have it, but who has time, running a restaurant?
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EO Jamie Reid of AccuSure has developed a solution to take all the headaches out of choosing and renewing workman's compensation insurance, and soon, many other kinds. With his company's new platform, the right agent and the right insurance for your restaurant can be yours in literally about 24 hours, he says. Renewing will take even less time. “With our solution, restaurants are able to choose among competing bids. We create the platform for them to go get quotes for their operation and manage the process afterwards. It's really important for us to remain transparent and neutral in the decisionbuying process, so we can be a source to help you determine what your best options are,” Reid explains. Reid spent 15 years on the commercial insurance side. “I had all the different roles of insurance carriers – claims, underwriting, risk control – and in that experience I was exposed to different agents across the country,” he says. “A few years ago I decided to become an agent. I thought, well, this should be easy. But to land the first business, I found out, not so much. I was introduced to amazing people;
CEO Jamie Reid of AccuSure has developed a solution to take all the headaches out of choosing and renewing workman's compensation insurance, and soon, many other kinds.
we'd have a great initial conversation. Then I would need to get five or 10 pieces of information from them to start the process and here's where it got dicey. Most businesses had nowhere to turn to get that information easily, to fill out the simple application to provide the data we needed to get them a quote. I started thinking somebody's got to create a simple way for small businesses to collect and distribute that information,” he says. So he went to work creating the
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concept and launched AccuSure six months ago. The company supports all industries but focuses primarily on foodservice. “I started with restaurants because they were getting hit pretty hard with rate increases, back before 2008,” he says. “After that, insurance started coming down for everyone, but it came down particularly well for restaurants because there was a lot of competition in that space. But the lower cost bottomed out in 2008. “And since then, there's been a dramatic increase in workman's comp,” he says. “Restaurants are feeling the pain of the market cycle starting to change. Costs are going up, and couple that with the fact that the process doesn't do anything to help profitability, so they need to minimize this to the greatest extent possible,” he points out. “That's where we come in.” It's as simple as going to the company's Web site, www.get.accusure.com, and following the green boxes to get started. “It's pretty easy for any business to create an account. You simply fill out what we call a 'request for insurance,' which is our application process,” Reid says. “The most complicated piece they have to submit is their federal employer ID number,
their tax ID. It's very straightforward information.” When restaurants get to the application, they enter a word that describes them (usually the word “restaurant”) and AccuSure matches up the right code. “They update how much payroll is there. We ask a few specific questions about the restaurant industry; with the goal to minimize the backand-forth it takes to get quotes for agents. I like to equate it to TurboTax,” says Reid. But don't think that's the end of it for AccuSure's involvement. “We're available, as well, each time an account is created. We touch base with
“With our solution, restaurants are able to choose among competing bids. We create the platform for them to go get quotes for their operation and manage the process afterwards."
the business; we have a sales team that helps negotiate the whole process. If key issues come up, we're there to support them.” Since the most difficult part of the process often is pulling together all the information required to get a quote, AccuSure tries to make it as seamless as possible. “Businesses know, when workman's comp comes up, they need to minimize that cost. They're being solicited by phone calls and emails and they're
trying to qualify who to work with and at the end of the process, they decide on one or two agents and begin emailing or hard copying all this information,” he says. Reid recalls one relatively sophisticated buyer who actually was able to pull the information together pretty quickly. “I asked her, how do we stack up against everyone else? And she said her former agent gave her a form to fill out that was 12 pages. “Others she solicited, she wasn't even able to get quotes from. She failed to engage an agent, despite trying to screen on the front end. She did a great job putting together the information to hand off to me. We accomplished it all with about 10 emails back and forth, which may sound like a lot, but in the past it was 50 or 60 independent phone calls moving the information around and at the end, she still couldn't easily compare quotes,” he says. “That's what we do, we go out, and we pre-qualify an agent. We set expectations for how the agents correspond with the business and when we tee up an application, it's easy to complete in five minutes. At the end of the process, agents are required to upload key data, so, at the end of the day, you can look inside our app and see those quotes, unbiased, compared side-byside, apples-to-apples. It streamlines that whole process and puts it in one nice, easy to use place for them to look at,” Reid notes. One recent client with $4 million in payroll and three locations – a fairly complex set-up – was able to finish the whole process in seven minutes. “She didn't need to do any back and forth with the agent, and she received a quote in less than 24 hours. So it's pretty powerful. That application's now saved for her, and we log her renewal into our calendar, so next year, 100 days out before it comes up, we let her know her workman's comp is coming up for renewal, would you like quotes, here's your application from last year, fill out any changes, and it's
back out to market in seconds, potentially,” he says. Reid says he decided to focus on foodservice because it's an industry where rates are now going up. “There's a large appetite for restaurants, so any one agent can only quote so many of those companies. There might be 50 or 70 insurance companies filed to provide insurance. It's really hard for a company to figure out the best one on its own without some technology that can reach a greater part of that audience. That's where we come in.” As for the agents, they're handpicked. “That's where my insurance experience comes in handy. When I was on the carrier side, I was exposed to agencies nationwide,” he says. “There are a lot of good agencies out there. Insurance brokers are trying to figure out how to get in front of good businesses, as well. It's not easy to make that introduction and it often falls short, just a warm hand-off. There's still the process of extracting that information, but we have a more complete solution.” Reid says restaurants are looking at new ways of doing business these days to maximize profits and minimize staff work. “I saw the change in '08 and '09. Everyone became much, much leaner in those really tough years, and no one's added back a ton of people. They've figured out a way to do things in a streamlined way. Fewer people are taking on more and more roles in organizations so they need to be able to leverage technology like this that can make it simple, and trust the results they're getting out of it,” he says. “Let's face it. Time is money. Now it's all at your fingertips. We're doing the legwork for them. They're busy running a restaurant. They don't have the time and resources to do this. They can feel confident they made intelligent decisions about this. At the end of the process, they want to feel that what they got is the best the market has to offer. That's what we bring to the table.”
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// NEWS
CULINARY PROGRAMS
Westchester Community College Set To Celebrate Expanded Teaching Facility And Host Culinary Program Reunion Did Westchester Community College (WCC) prepare you for a career in foodservice? Or did the college help you restart your career path on the road to culinary arts and management, hotel and restaurant management, institutional foods, or foods and nutrition?
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he college's department of food service administration has spent more than 65 years getting students ready for the culinary and hotel and restaurant management worlds and hopes they will now return for its special reunion honoring alumni and its new facility. The event, October 20 from 6 to 9 p.m., at the culinary dining room in the Student Center Building, invites students and alumni to tour the multi-million dollar renovation of the center, featuring the culinary labs. It also hopes alumni will reconnect with former classmates, current and retired faculty members; network with fellow professionals, and meet new students and sample their culinary creations. The Culinary Arts & Management curriculum leads to careers, not only in restaurants, but also in commercial, on-site, and institutional establishments. Graduates of the Culinary Arts & Management curriculum initially perform middle management positions, such as assistants to managers, supervisors of food production and service, caterers, stewards, banquet managers, purchasing agents, chefs,
or bakers. With additional education and/or experience, upward mobility is unlimited. Course work includes culinary arts, business management, an approved work experience, and a basic
liberal arts core, the foundation of all programs. Because of this liberal arts foundation, Culinary Arts & Management curriculum graduates are able to transfer to four-year colleges. Transfer agreements with several nearby colleges enable graduates to transfer with full credit. Graduates transfer to baccalaureate programs in other parts of the country. WCC provides certification through the ManageFirst Program of the National Restaurant Association in ServSafe and Safe Service of Alcohol. Students in WCC's hotel and restau-
rant management courses learn how to oversee housekeeping, office administration, sales and marketing, and grounds security and maintenance, hiring and training staff and setting work schedules. Hospitality management schools provide instruction appropriate for students at all stages of a hospitality career. The event planning committee includes Georgianna Anderson ’92, Valene Anglin ’00, Brittney Baeriswil ’10, Carmen Carway ’88, Emmy Creskey ’81, Stacey Cohen ’95, Diane Lombardi
The Culinary Arts & Management curriculum leads to careers, not only in restaurants, but also in commercial, onsite, and institutional establishments.
’75, Kathleen O’Keefe ’79, Juan Rosado ’14, Anna Young ’14, Professors Theresa Cousins, Desi Colon, Phil McGrath, Daryl Nosek, and Theresa Schlanger and director of alumni relations, John Fellas. RSVP at www.mysunywcc.org/ reunion. Students in WCC's hotel and restaurant management courses learn how to oversee housekeeping, office administration, sales and marketing, and grounds security and maintenance, hiring and training staff and setting work schedules.
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// NEWS
CULINARY EDUCATION
Connecticut’s Graduate Institute Thinks Outside The Box With Innovative New Degree Programs An educational program exists that teaches not only such things as consciousness studies and organizational leadership, but how to define and assess your strengths, then capitalize on them.
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he Graduate Institute (TGI) of Bethany, Conn., was founded in 1995 by Dr. A. Harris “Bud” Stone, who believed in developing a graduate experience that deviated from the traditional process of students being fed information that they then “regurgitated” back to teachers on tests. “He was tired of working in traditional institutions where content trumped context,” says Andrew Summa, provost/chief academic adviser, “where individuals sat in classes at desks looking at the backs of the heads of other students and taking notes, with very little discussion, or dialogue.” TGI was licensed in 1999, and opened for business in 2000. Its first class graduated in 2002. “Bud Stone's motivation for the class was really limited to the sage on the stage who was providing information, with students seen as empty vessels, recipients of transferred information,” Summa says. “He wanted to create instead a model that included some didactic lecture and at least 40% discussion. So this whole model gave rise to the
“He wanted to create instead a model that included some didactic lecture and at least notion that students were considered colleagues, and that colleagues learn in a cohort learning community that usually numbers between 12 and 17, so that there would be plenty of time for discussion.” With the exception of the MA in Conscious Evolution, classes meet once a month on the weekend. Weekend sessions comprise a Friday evening, from 5 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition, certain programs require one week of classes in the summer. Colleagues can enter either the MA program (baccalaureate degree required) or the certification process. “It's very intense,” says Summa. “Most of our courses are 50-60% an expert talking, and 40-50%, a discussion among colleagues and cohorts that gives rise to individual learning.
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40% discussion. So this whole model gave rise to the notion that students were considered colleagues, and that colleagues learn in a cohort learning community that usually numbers between 12 and 17, so that there would be plenty of time for discussion.”
We all make meaning individually of what we hear, read, and see, and by holding these discussions, as part of the weekend, ideas can not only be shared but allowed to incubate and
percolate in people's minds.” Summa explains that Dr. Stone's idea was to create a safe place, a haven for people who had mutual sensibilities. “He saw it as a place where people who wanted to share their ideas as adult learners were not confined by the traditional trappings of higher education.” Journals are provided for note taking, “so the process can be manifested as a reflection in the journal. There are no constraints or, in effect, prerequisites that TGI says you must have. It's all adult learners,” he adds. But the bottom line? “It's very transformative. That's the mission. To quote Oprah, a lot of ‘ah ha moments,'” he says. “Colleagues internalize what they've learned and they have the ability to write reflectively in their journal and they share their internalization of how the learning resonated with themselves and other members of the cohort.” How does this apply to the foodservice business? “Given the esoteric nature of our program titles – writing and oral tradition, consciousness studies, conflict transformation, learning and thinking – these programs are not about training people, but enabling each individual to develop as a person, to help them shape and transform their world view. Certainly, the learning and thinking piece, depending on the experiences of the person in foodservice, could be helpful, as well as finding your leadership voice, and creating meaning as individuals and as a society. Our courses apply to any field of endeavor. And what you learn can be applied to all aspects of your life – professional, vocational, personal, any part.”
continued on page 95
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// NEWS
FOOD SHOWS
Manhattan Food Allergy Conference Gives Metro NYC Food Service Community Opportunity To Update Crucial Strategy More than 15 million people in the U.S. have food allergies. It didn't used to be something people worried about. But with this many people at risk from the food that they eat, Paul Antico saw it as a real opportunity for the foodservice industry.
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ntico, CEO and founder of the AllergyEats Food Allergy Conference for Restaurateurs and Foodservice Professionals, has two sons of his own who suffer from these sometimes fatal disorders. “I remember one night taking the boys out for dinner when my wife and daughter were away. My wife usually takes care of these things. We went to the few restaurants I knew about that catered to those with food allergies, but they all had long waits for a table so we decided to move on. Two hours later, the boys are screaming, they're hungry. I finally got them egg-free pasta, but I remember wishing there were a guide for parents like me, to know where we could take our kids who have to be careful what they eat.” As luck might have it, shortly after he left his former job as a mutual fund manager at Fidelity to purse this idea, he played in a golf charity, co-sponsored by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. “I said, what do you think of this idea?” That was in 2008. In February of 2010, the website was launched. “In the beginning it was purely a website, a guide to food-allergy-friend-
ly restaurants,” says Antico. “The conference came out of that. I spoke to a lot of restaurants, who said, we'd love to be more allergy-friendly but we don't know how. A bell went off in my head. I know the people in the food-allergy community. I know some great doctors and restaurateurs and experts in various areas, and thought, why don't I bring them all together. If there's a need to be filled, why don't I do that? We've established ourselves in the food allergy community,” he says. “Now let's let the restaurant community know who we are.” And so, the conference was born. Antico describes the original website as a forum for good food-allergy-friendly restaurants, where people could rate their experiences for the benefit of the community. “People have to answer three multiple choice questions and we turn that into a numeric rating,” he says. “The questions are based solely on food allergy accommodations and our algorithm quantifies how friendly these restaurants are.” As he introduced the idea to restaurants, many said they'd love to be more food-allergy-sensitive but didn't know how. “I'd built up this network of experts, and I thought, let me bring all
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“We'll have six panels, 14 actual expert speakers – experts, restaurateurs, restaurant trainers, chefs who specialize in food allergy, college and university foodservice workers, even a mom talking about her own personal experience with this,” he says.
these people into one room and invite the restaurateurs,” he says. “They'll feel better, have greater profits, and our kids will be able to eat in more restaurants. We all want our food-allergy kids to be safer.” Antico says restaurateurs knew it was an important issue, but just didn't
know where to start. That's where his conference comes in. The third annual AllergyEats Food Allergy Conference for Restaurateurs and Foodservice Professionals will be held this year Oct. 21 at the Radisson Martinique on Broadway in Manhattan, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. “We'll have six panels, 14 actual expert speakers – experts, restaurateurs, restaurant trainers, chefs who specialize in food allergy, college and university foodservice workers, even a mom talking about her own personal experience with this,” he says. Attendees will learn what a food allergy is, the best things restaurants can do to get it right, and what the benefits are. “We're really going to give a ton of information,” Antico says. “You won't be a food allergy expert after one day but if you don't leave feeling this isn't as scary as it seems, it's not rocket science and I can make a lot of money catering to a very loyal community if they don't leave knowing that, I've failed. But we will provide everybody with that.” People who attend will learn what diners with food allergies worry about when they go to a restaurant, the procedures the good restaurants follow, common substitutions for recipes that are dairy-, nut- and gluten-free, and, especially, why it makes enormous financial sense. “It's the best return on investment they'll ever see. You'll hear how colleges and universities, who serve kids with food allergies three meals a day, seven days a week, for nine months, do it. That's a much greater proposition than someone coming in once a week,” he says. Antico says it just comes down to commitment. “The investment is minimal, the results fantastic,” he says. For more information visit: http:// www.allergyeats.com/conference/
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// NEWS
EVENTS
StarChefs.com Set for the 9th Annual International Chefs Congress in Brooklyn At ICC 2014, attendees will join the quest for voice and vision. The three-day, industryonly symposium will gather more than 100 of the world's most innovative chefs, pastry chefs, bartenders, sommeliers, and other industry professionals to share their latest techniques and concepts with their peers-all at the new Brooklyn Expo in Greenpoint, October 26 to 28.
cus Samuelsson (The New Chef and a Call to Community), Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy and Michael Lynn of Cornell University (Should America Ban Tipping?), Photographer Daniel Krieger (No Filter: Shooting Food Photography), Mark Stone of MM Management (Turning a Restaurant Profit), and Kevin Brown of Lettuce Entertain You (How to Lead a Loyal Kitchen Tribe). Trend-setting chefs from across the United States will showcase their skills at EAT@ICC, including egg-
“We’re excited to
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here will be Main Stage Demonstrations, Hands-on Savory, Pastry, and Mixology Workshops, Wine Tasting Seminars, and Business Panels. The common thread of this year’s programming is sharing your voice by “Cooking Honest: The Power of Authenticity in the Kitchen.” “We’ve reinvented the trade show, shedding the traditional booths and replacing them with more interactive product experiences,” says Antoinette Bruno, CEO and Editor-inChief of StarChefs.com. “And we’re excited to welcome everyone to the Brooklyn Expo and to Greenpoint, a neighborhood emerging as an incubator for inventive young chefs and artisans,” says Will Blunt, Managing Editor of StarChefs.com The gastronomic wunderkinds and legends presenting on the Main Stage include Joan Roca, Grant Achatz, Dan Barber, Masaharu Morimoto, George Mendes, Michael White,
Experience this one of a kind culinary symposium that gathers more than 100 of the world's most innovative chefs, pastry chefs, mixologists, and sommeliers
Enrique Olvera, Yoshihiro Narisawa, and Will Goldfarb, among others. There will be stellar savory workshops featuring Paul Liebrandt of the Elm, Shaun Hergatt of Juni, Mike Lata of The Ordinary, and Katie Button of Cúrate. Matt Lambert of Musket Room will be employing a Winston CVap for his “Conceptual Kiwi” workshop. And Nick Elmi of Laurel will be using a Unified Brands sous vide table for
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his workshop “Exploring New Terrine.” A once in a lifetime pasta master class will be given by Thomas McNaughton of flour + water, Alon Shaya of Domenica, and Joe Cicala of Le Virtù featuring Arcobaleno. Pastry workshops will be helmed by the likes of Meadowood’s Matt Tinder and Dana Cree of Blackbird. Black Seed Bagel will be using a Marra Forni oven to showcase their Montreal bagel technique. Shaking up DRINK@ICC are The Bon Vivants Scott Baird and Josh Harris, Jeff Bell of PDT, and Maxwell Britten of Maison Premiere, to name a few. Master Somm Fred Dexheimer will emcee the raucous Somm Slam and host a Nespresso professional “coffee sommelier” workshop. Alex Guarnaschelli and Norman Van Aken will judge the 5th Annual Vitamix Challenge - prizes include The Ultimate Vitamix Package of blenders! And among those taking care of business (panels) will be Mar-
welcome everyone to the Brooklyn Expo and to Greenpoint, a neighborhood emerging as an incubator for inventive young chefs and artisans,” says Will Blunt, Managing Editor of StarChefs.com.
slut’s Alvin Cailin, Brian Dunsmoor of Ladies’ Gunboat Society, and Fat Ham’s Kevin Sbraga. No need to drive cross country or jet round the globe. From up-and-comers to luminaries, StarChefs.com has already done the legwork. EVERYONE will be in one place, Cooking Honest at ICC 2014.
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Bobrow, from page 24 parked his cars outside in the weather at his vast home; because inside the garages his liquid investment rested. And he would offer ladleful’s to anyone who was interested in these black barrels, stinking of brine and smoke. I don’t remember the name of the whisky, nor would it matter at this point of the story. Just to illustrate that the cooler weather, was peppered by brown liquor, served with gusto. Barrell Bourbon is one such brand that will remind you of the best things in life. It is clearly something you should put on your gift list right now. Perhaps you should start today, because it might take some time to find a bottle. I think DrinkupNY had some at last glance. There are bottles available around the country, but once I tell you more about my discovery, you may have some problems sourcing it.
Such is the way with excellence. The patient owners of Barrell have such barrels. They are filled with their version of the liquid gold. It shimmers in your glass and fills your belly with warmth. Get me a nice pastrami sandwich from Eisenberg’s in New York and we can begin because that is what Barrell Bourbon needs. You need something robust to go with bourbon that is uncut. This is clearly bourbon for food! I’m prepared to go out on a limb and say that the first and the second bottlings of Barrell Bourbon scream for the sumptuous smoke of Eisenberg’s pastrami so that’s what I’m fixin’ to eat with my bourbon. Mustard, great rye bread from Pechters, the perfectly brined meat- they all say to me a lovely glass of Barrell Bourbon.
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But what about the bourbon? What does this bourbon taste like? Good question. Bottling 001 is a joy, packed full of fire, street-cart roasted nuts in caramel, sea salt and pencil lead. There are stone fruits that reveal themselves, but not preserves; instead it’s got a tangy quality. I love the lick of sea salt and the haze from the wood that permeates the room. Is the pastrami speaking to me in this tasting? Sure it is, because brined foods are brilliant with whiskey. The heat is magnanimous in the first bottling of Barrell Bourbon. You cannot escape it. The combination of grains, a mash of 70% corn, 25% rye and 5% malted barley makes Barrell speak unfathomable languages. I thought Pappy immediately, but I think this is better somehow. Maybe this is because I have a bottle of Pappy 15 downstairs, but I’d rather drink the Barrell. There
is a quality level here that needs to be discussed. The Barrell version 002 is to my best knowledge still available. There is a bit less alcohol, but this is in no way greasy kid stuff. It’s jam packed full of wet stones, salt water taffy (in a very good way) and quince paste. There is imaginary cedar closet in your grandparent’s old house on the hill in every sip. It’s drying on the palate and if you hold a rocks glass of Barrell Bourbon 002 in your hand, it evolves into a time machine from the past. 002 needs contemplation and definitely food. I have a bottle of bourbon next to me that my late grandfather left in my care. It’s from 1952. Old Forester, Bottled in Bond, 100 Proof. They are two very different liquors, but they come rough hewn from similar dreams. I would dare say, with alacrity but
The Barrell version 002 is to my best knowledge still available. There is a bit less alcohol, but this is in no way greasy kid stuff. It’s jam packed full of wet stones, salt water taffy (in a very good way) and quince paste.
without alarm that the Barrell Bourbon if discovered some sixty years
down the road, has all the stuffing needed for long life in the bottle. Which is too bad, because although whiskey doesn’t get any better in the bottle than in the cask, it does change every time the cork is pulled out. And that is what dreams are made of. Don’t forget your pastrami sandwich! If I were to make a cocktail with Barrell Bourbon, I’d err to the side of a gorgeous simple syrup of organically grown roses from Maine, lemon juice that was grilled first, cooled and juiced and then finished with the amazing Curry Bitters from my friend Bill York in New Mexico. I’d hit it with a bit of exotic mint tea in the tip of my hat to my mentor in all things literary, Joy Stocke.
Ingredients • 1.5 oz. Barrell Bourbon (002) • 2 oz. grilled lemon juice- cut lemons in half and grill until charred, cool/juice • 1 oz. Turkish mint tea – add mint to hot tea and let steep for an hour or so, cool • 2 oz. rose syrup from Royal Rose Simple Syrup in Maine • 1 oz. Seltzer water. I used Mountain Valley Sparkling Water from Arkansas • 3 drops Curry Bitters from Bitter End in Santa Fe, NM • Pinch of sea salt, like Maldon • Sprig of spearmint • Old Fashioned glass with one large ice cube (2x2)
Bosporus River Fizz
Preparation 1. Prepare your lemonade with
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2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
the simple syrup of roses- it’s ok if there are dark bits in there, sweeten to taste To a Boston Shaker, fill ¾ with ice Add the grilled lemonade Add the mint tea Add the Barrell Bourbon Cap and shake briskly to combine Pour over your hand cut rock of ice Add a splash of the sparkling water Add a tiny pinch of sea salt Drip bitters over the top and serve with a sprig of mint Relaxation is at hand, no matter what the season!
// NEWS
CHEFS
France's Top Female Chef Set Top Open Pair Of New York Eateries Diners can expect classically French dishes at Michelin starred Anne-Sophie Pic’s two new outposts. The only woman in France to hold three Michelin stars, chef Anne-Sophie Pic has announced plans to open two dining concepts in New York next year.
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ic will be opening a Manhattan outpost of her Parisian restaurant La Dame de Pic on Madison Avenue. La Dame de Pic is built on the gastronomic principle of scents, aromas and the culinary “perfume” of foods. Like the flagship Parisian restaurant, diners can expect dishes that are classically French, with ingredients like oysters, rabbit, cinnamon leaf from Reunion Island and Tahitian vanilla. She plans to open a cafe on the ground floor of 510 Madison Avenue (at 53rd Street) that will be a branch of Metcafé, in Monaco. This will be a more formal restaurant, “relaxed yet elegant,” on the second floor, with echoes of her Paris restaurant, La Dame de Pic," according to a statement from her husband, David Sinapian. Pic will be opening a more casual cafe on the ground floor of 510 Madison Avenue at 53rd Street called Metcafe. The more formal dining concept will be housed on the second floor. Pic also has a restaurant in Lausanne, Switzerland. But it’s for La Maison Pic, in Valence, south of Lyon, that Pic has
obtained the coveted three Michelin stars and gained the respect of her predominantly male peers. Maison Pic, her family’s restaurant and country inn in Valence, France, south of Lyon, first won three Michelin stars in 1934. Ms. Pic took over the kitchen in 1997, after the rating had dropped to two stars. The restaurant — now run by Ms. Pic and her husband — regained its third star in 2007. Anne-Sophie Pic is the daughter of chef Jacques Pic, and grew up at her family's restaurant, Maison Pic. Her grandfather, Andre Pic, was also a chef, who was particularly known for a crayfish gratin dish, and who first gained the restaurant three Michelin stars in 1934. However she initially decided not to follow in their footsteps, and instead travelled overseas to train in management. She worked in Japan and the United States as an intern for various companies, including Cartier and Moët & Chandon, but found herself drawn back to the restaurant for her "passion." In 2011, Pic was named Best Female Chef by organizers of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
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// NEWS
FOOD SHOWS
Martha Stewart Set to Keynote at 2014 Tri-State Food Expo in Jersey Tri-State Food Expo announced late last month that Martha Stewart, founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. and Emmy Award-winning television show host, entrepreneur, and best-selling author, will be the feature of the Keynote Session at the second edition of the regional restaurant, foodservice, and retail trade event on October 28, 2014 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center at Harmon Meadows in Secaucus, NJ.
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n this moderator-led discussion, Ms. Stewart will share lessons from her rise to the top, and offer advice for business owners and industry professionals in the challenges of building a brand and a business in today’s competitive marketplace. Ms. Stewart will also discuss the latest cookbook from the editors of Martha Stewart Living, ONE POT: 120+ Easy Meals from Your Skillet, Slow Cooker, Stockpot, and More, a collection of comforting weeknight favorites featuring recipes that call for just one dish. Tri-State Food Expo is the regional tradeshow for restaurant, retail, and foodservice professionals. The event serves qualified buyers and industry professionals in the NY, NJ & CT area. The trade show is produced by Diversified Communications, and is in partnership with the New Jersey Restaurant Association (NJRA), an association representing more than 23,000 eating and drinking establishments in the Garden State of New Jersey. Exhibitors include food, beverage, and equipment manu-
Ms. Stewart will also discuss the latest cookbook from the editors of Martha Stewart Living, ONE POT: 120+ Easy Meals from Your Skillet, Slow Cooker, Stockpot, and More
facturers, manufacturing agents and suppliers, food and beverage and equipment distributors, dealers, brokers, and traders. Stewart's presentation will highlight a full slate of events at the annual Tri-State Food Expo slated for October 27 - 28 in Secaucus, NJ.
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// NEWS
GREEN SOLUTIONS
Garden State Printer Sets Standard For Green Menu Printing Mike Kaufman decided to go green for two very specific reasons: his young daughters.
"I
thought it was important to show them that printing doesn't have to be an ink smudged industry. Our goal is to leave the planet in a better place,” says the president and founder of Cox Printers, a fullservice printing company in Linden, N.J., that just happens to be one of the greenest businesses around. “It all started when we were in a different location and I wanted to add solar panels to our roof. But I didn't own the building so I couldn't do anything about it. Then I bought this building six years ago, and knew I was going to be able to start fulfilling some of my vision of becoming a very green company,” he says. The company actually began in 1907 when it was founded by Thomas H. Cox and son. In 1984 the Kaufman family bought it from the 3rd generation of the Cox family. Kaufman says he always planned to run a high-quality printing business but what was almost as important to him was doing it in a sustainable, eco-friendly way, a trend that
“We became very green, and were recognized by other similar-thinking companies and people for our achievements. If a company is trying to decide who to use for their has caught on rapidly in foodservice. “I initially wanted to differentiate my company from the competition. At the time, everybody was talking green, but it was mostly 'greenwashing.' Everybody talks it but very few people walk it. That's not my personality. If I tell you I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it. So we really wanted to walk that path,” he says. “We became very green, and were recognized by other similarthinking companies and people for our achievements. If a company is trying to decide who to use for their
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printing needs why not use a company whose presses are partially powered by his own solar system and wind turbines on the roof.
printing needs why not use a company whose presses are partially powered by his own solar system and wind turbines on the roof. Kaufman’s commitment to green-
ness has struck a chord with many tri-state food service operators. The company prints menus for, award winning Neuman's Catering, out of New York, which is also very green. “We do printing and their promotional materials,” he says. “We share Neuman’s commitment to being green and their commitment to excellence. “Being green doesn't allow me to charge more, but it lowers my costs in many cases because we are producing our own electric. As long as the sun keeps shining and the wind keeps blowing, we are getting the payback.” Cox’s green strategy has evolved into a comprehensive agenda that has been lauded by many of the firm’s foodservice costumers. “Inside the building, we retrofitted and swapped out over 150 fluorescent light fixtures for high-energy. We also recycle our paper and actually track how many trees we save. All our wood skids and pallets are ground into industrial grade mulch with a goal of zeroing out our landfill. We even purchase carbon credits for all of our UPS shipments. The Cox team has also committed itself to a common sense agenda. “If you're not in the warehouse, turn the lights off. It's a simple thing but we do it and you would be amazed at how much it saves. We recycle even our hand towels because they're clean and can easily be recycled. We also have worked diligently to minimize what we put in our garbage bin.” Kaufman's two small wind turbines partially power his graphics’ department. “We consume a fair amount of electricity. The wind is blowing in Linden, but it's not the beach, where it's constantly windy.
But the wind is blowing here, and whatever it produces, why not capture it,” he says. Many of the firm’s food service customers are intrigued by Kaufman’s recently installed roof garden. “The weight of the plants was a big concern. Rather than have a big solid square, we outlined a little patio area, lined with succulent rooftop plants, and added annuals and flowers, and bees. My bees love the plants and flowers. I know that many chefs are now harvesting their own honey.” The reason for the bees is a little different, but no less green. “Honey bees are dying. It's a serious issue, and I found a company: Bee Bold Apiaries that's doing beekeeping for people so I reached out to them,”
he says. “I decided to try it, and the truth is, I love my bees. They're awesome.” Kaufman says recycling and going green is, indeed, a major trend throughout the food industry. “Especially in the paper and plastic business, with all the packaging that goes along with foodservice,” he says. “You can't ever be too green.” The company has had more than a little acknowledgment for its green agenda. “We won the Garden State Greenfest award for being a green business in New Jersey,” he says. “New York Reporter magazine recognized us as being the greenest business in the New York area. Cox Printers is infact a finalist for a “green” contest for the NJBIZ sponsored
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manufacturer of the year awards. With the Cox focus on the needs of their foodservice customers they have taken a unique approach to the actual sourcing of paper on which menus are printed. “We simply will not use what he calls “virgin paper” out of Southeast Asia. “They're cutting down all the forests, there,” he says. “If you can't afford the extra $100 we charge for this, I'll pay it. I want to use reforested paper. There's more trees grown today in this country than 10 years ago and100 years ago.” Like what a vegetable farmer does we are constantly growing and reutilizing the resources. We're supporting a whole recycling industry, growing, cutting, growing, cutting. If we
don't use reforested paper, we're going to kill an industry and those landowners are going to put a Walmart up there, knock it down, put some concrete in, build condos. If landowners can't make money reforesting, they'll just knock the trees down and get paid for something else. I'm just one small company but if there were 5,000 other small companies out there like me, can you imagine the results,” Kaufman added. It’s Kaufman and his Cox team’s passion that has made his firm a priority resource for food service operators that seek a truly green resource. Look for us at Cox Printers.com.
// NEWS
MOBILE KITCHENS
Retired Navy Officer Starts Temporary Kitchen Company To Support Military & Others In Need What do the military and foodservice have to do with each other?
I
f you're Glenn Therrien, it's a way to pay back his fellow soldiers and provide a valuable service to those in need. Therrien, president and CEO of Kitchen Corps, is a certified Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that provides temporary kitchens to clients that are unable to use their current kitchen facility due to renovations, construction, disasters, events, or even remote areas for the military. “I retired from the US Navy after 21 years as a Warrant Officer. While I was in the Navy I learned the logistics of foodservice and mass feeding while stationed on US carriers throughout the fleet,” he says. “I took the knowledge from my military experience and used it to build this company and support those who need our services.” Therrien, a disabled American vet, used his benefits to assist with his business, providing full-service industrial kitchens anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. “The military men and women who are on active duty now, they're performing duties that allow all Americans the opportunities we enjoy every day,” he says. A Seabee moto Glenn has taken with him from the military and uses ev-
kitchen unit is moving. We have a team travel to the location and that's where the impossible comes in. When you're in emergency mode, things seem to move faster.” The company now has 50 plus units available to move from project to project to serve as temporary kitchens wherever they're needed – construction sites, disaster sites, hospitals, colleges, business locations, and much more.
“We had all five units from Arizona on location by Monday morning. We put them together in the middle of winter which required removal of two feet of snow prior to setup! By that Friday, the kitchen was put together, with all the utilities, Kitchen Corps is a Small Disabled Veteran Owned Business founded in 1997 that is expert at providing mobile kitchens, temporary kitchens, modular kitchens, and kitchen trailers to correctional facilities, prisons, universities, colleges, hospitals, nursing homes, and military bases facing construction, renovation, or disaster relief.
ery day with his company is, “The difficult we do right away, the impossible takes a bit longer.” Therrien provides mobile temporary kitchens in two categories, those that are pre-planned such as renovation and construction projects and those needed in disaster or emergency situations. With the preplanned, we like to
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make a site visit to discuss the client’s options. After gaining all the pertinent information we make our recommendations for the equipment needed and the placement of the facility. It’s relatively easy. But during a disaster, our emergency units move within 24 hours of initial contact. We try to get all the planning done while the temporary
decks, and ramps to feed the students when they arrived back Monday.”
Therrien recalls one assignment: a college whose kitchen experienced a catastrophic fire. “We had a temporary kitchen that consists of five units that we customized into
continued on page 97
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// NEWS
SEAFOOD SOLUTIONS
New Jersey Firm Boasts Tradition Of Highest Quality Seafood Offerings When people hear the word “calamari,” they generally think of the tasty french-fried rings at a fine restaurant. But not too many think much beyond that, to where this delicious seafood comes from. That's where Ruggiero Seafood, Inc. comes in.
T
he company, who was the first to process fresh, frozen, locally-caught calamari, now stocks millions of pounds of the seafood at all times, according to James Magee, national director of sales and marketing. Brothers Andrew and Francesco Ruggiero came to this country from a small fishing village in Italy for a better life for their families, he says. “They opened a New York City retail fish market that became much larger in 1971 when Francesco’s son, Rocco, our current president, joined the family business. Rocco revolutionized the Northeast domestic squid processing industry by cleaning the unused locally-caught Loligo Pealei species of calamari, what's considered the best-tasting squid. He helped design state-of-the-art squidcleaning machinery that could clean domestic-caught calamari quickly and inexpensively, making it competitive with hand-prepared imports. By doing this, he changed the way that calamari is cleaned until this day,” says Magee. As the business grew and became more successful, it expanded into the wholesale end and began selling to res-
As the business grew and became more successful, it expanded into the wholesale end and began selling to restaurants in New York City and to other various establishments, Magee notes. “Rocco, who joined the business in the early 1970’s, was the one who realized that there was demand for fresh calamari, especially the domestic species, Loligo Pealei,” says.
taurants in New York City and to other various establishments, Magee notes. “Rocco, who joined the business in the early 1970’s, was the one who realized that there was demand for fresh calamari, especially the domestic species, Loligo Pealei,” says. The first Ruggiero Seafood processing plant opened in 1981. “Since that time, Ruggiero Seafood has become one of the largest importers of fresh
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frozen calamari in the United States,” says Magee. In addition to processing and importing calamari, the company developed Fisherman’s Pride, its original flagship brand. “We now have so many species and origins from around the world we have to distinguish them by color codes,” he says. “We have Fisherman’s Pride Platinum Label® USA/East Coast, Fisherman’s Pride Silver Label®
USA/West Coast, Fisherman’s Pride Red Label® Thailand, Fisherman’s Pride Blue Label® China, Fisherman’s Pride Gold Label® Thailand, Fisherman’s Pride Purple Label® India, Fisherman’s Pride Green Label® Peru, and Fisherman’s Pride Black Label® Korea/ Japan.” Magee says the company is proud of its history, especially of being the first to process and pack the Northeast domestic species of Loligo Pealei. “Our Fisherman’s Pride® label has become the standard against which all other brands are judged,” he says. “With over half a billion pounds sold to date and over three million pounds in inventory at all times, we can offer the largest variety of calamari anywhere.” The seafood is stored at Garden State Cold Storage, a freezer storage company, in Newark, N.J., along with facilities in Miami, Fla. and Los Angeles, Calif., and the company is currently working on a West Coast office. “Most companies don’t have the storage capacity that we have, requiring them to store their products at outside freezer companies,” Magee points out. “We have three million cubic feet and over 11,000 pallet positions in this location, which allows us to keep all of our products in one place, strategically located one mile from Port Newark, Newark International Airport, and all major highways. In addition, its location in Newark gives the company the ability to be near the Port of Elizabeth. “This gives us the advantage of receiving our product quickly from the container ship, and inventoried more quickly, so we can have it shipped to our customers within hours of receiving it,” notes Magee. But calamari is not all Ruggiero has to offer. It also provides different types of seafood from all over the world in-
cluding breaded calamari; mussels from Chile; clams from China and Vietnam; flounder, tilapia, Swai fillet, fresh gourmet seafood salads, scallops, and conch. “We are an international company selling our cleaned products to the USA, Canada, South America, and the Caribbean islands. We also sell whole unclean products to Europe and Asia for further processing. We are located in Newark but recently opened our southeast region office in Boca Raton, Fla. Doing this allows our customers faster access to our inventory and less time for the products to travel across the country on trucks,” Magee says, “so they're as fresh as they can be and always available.” Another benefit? “As a family-run company, we can make decisions much more quickly to get product to market, so our customers are happy and content,” he says. Ruggiero Seafood has a direct sales force that allows reps to work one-on-
one with its customers' sales force. “By doing this, we help educate the sales reps, and grow the customers’ business by helping them sell more,” he adds. Recently, the company decided to make the Fisherman’s Pride Calamari products come in at 100% net defrosted weight. “Most companies pack product 100% net weight, which will defrost 8-12% short. What this means is that, when the operator slacks out our product, they will get a full 2.5 lbs. of product from a 2.5 lb. package. Our products are vacuum-packed to protect the product during freezer storage, and we have removed the plastic trays to create a more Eco-friendly product.” Ruggiero has also started to pack several of its products in 8-oz. portion sizes to help chefs control food cost. What's ahead? “We are focusing more and more on the retail side of the business and the portion- packed product for the chef. As more and more people are enjoying calamari when out, we are continually asked to create
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fryer- and oven-ready products for supermarket chains, as well. “We are always looking to source new items, especially in today’s world of 'meat replacement,'” says Magee. “We're looking at different types of oven-ready items, such as Panko Breaded Calamari fries (similar in looks to fish sticks); frozen precooked items, such as seafood mixes; calamari in sauce, things that a consumer can take from the freezer and have on the table in just minutes. Our purchasing team is always looking for items that we can add to our portfolio that end users need. We have the ability to source all these items for them,” says Magee. To contact Ruggiero, call 1-866-CALAMARI. “We'll set up a meeting where we come in and show the full line of products and do a side-by-side cutting,” he says. “We ask all foodservice and restaurants to contact us to put your current calamari brand to the test.”
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Shat-R-Shield, from page 27 on top of things. It's really important to get something coated on that lamp in case you hit it, or moisture builds up, protecting them from any kind of intrusion,” she explains. Shat-R-Shield heat lamp bulbs can be used on a buffet, carving station, or in a holding area, where plates pass through an open area, or in the kitchen, to keep food hot. “Food needs to be maintained at 140 degrees or more, once it's prepared, so that lamp will provide enough heat to hold the food at the right temperature. Food safety is very important,” Yost points out. The heat lamp bulbs are also used in the hospitality industry, for events, whether stationary in a restaurant or mobile, like caterers moving food in and out of various venues, she adds. But they're about more than heat and light, says Yost. They meet all government mandates. “All these applications are being driven by the codes. You have certifications you must meet. The Food and Drug Administration is the body that governs foodservice, but you still need Underwriters Laboratories (UL) approval and sometimes other certifications. Users have to really be looking at the components in everyday operations that will keep them in compliance with government mandates,” she says. “We're constantly watching those mandates to make sure our products stay within those restrictions so we can keep our customers' lighting applications within the guidelines. If a restaurant has an inspection, we guarantee all lights will be compliant.” Recently the company moved into outdoor lighting, with LEDs leading the way. “There are not a lot of mandates yet requiring LED lamps to be coated yet; its just safer,” Yost says. “Having plastic from a lamp fall into food is just as dangerous as glass. With our safety coated LED lamps you know you are protected.” Shat-R-Shield’s coated LEDs not
only contain all fragments if it’s broken but the coating makes them waterproof as well. “Whether it's landscape lighting or just flushing the walls with light, LEDs have very detailed componentry inside,” she says. “They're all designed to have their own drivers or ballast that lights up the bulb, all housed in that one unit. Any kind of moisture will corrode the electronics and the LEDs will go out. If you're spending lots of money on new highenergy lighting, you don't want to pay $40 for a light bulb that only lasts two months, especially when that could have been prevented with our safetycoated LED lamps. Outside lighting is very susceptible to moisture. You're going to want to protect that investment.” But overriding all of that is the safety factor. “The number one concern of any restaurant outside safety is what it will cost them in lost time and lost product if glass shatters near food. If you have a lamp or light bulb that's not coated and it were to break, depending on where it's located, a lot of that product has to be thrown away because you have no idea where any of that glass or phosphorus or anything inside that light bulb went. You always have the chance that a worker might be hurt cleaning it up, and there's also the maintenance side of having to clean it up, then someone coming back in to relamp everything and get started all over. Your biggest investment is lost product, lost time,” Yost notes. Having these types of products provides the reassurance that anything like this is not going to happen. “There's total protection there. Safety is number one but time and money are right behind it. We help restaurants avoid all of that, contributing to the bottom line.”
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// INSURANCE
FIORITO ON INSURANCE
Your Restaurant is a Target: Email Phishing Cyber Attacks Go Mobile As we have recently seen, today's cyber criminals have become very sophisticated in their attacks on companies in all industries, restaurant and food service included.
Bob Fiorito, Vice President of Business Development at Hub International Robert.Fiorito@ hubinternational.com
O
ne commonly used method in the cyberattack toolbox is email phishing where the attacker attempts to acquire sensitive information such as user names, passwords, and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity. The recent Target data breach has been linked to this type of breach method. Typically, emails that appear to be from popular social websites, auction sites, banks, online payment processors or IT administrators are commonly used to lure an individual into opening the email and clicking on embedded links that are infected with malware. In fact, email phishing is one of the most common forms of attack since most of us depend upon and use email daily, either at your office or at home. Restaurant owners and managers are always on the go, sometimes managing multiple locations and rely on their
smartphone for business. Masked as coming from institutions, vendors or people you trust, the new frontier of phishing is scams targeting mobile apps. In recently cited studies, an explosion of fake notifications are imitating messages from mobile applications we use and trust every day. Specifically targeting smartphone and tablet users, these phishing attacks leverage cross-platform mobile apps to spread the greatest destruction. The rising popularity of mobile devices means that phishing attacks aimed at stealing Apple IDs are becoming more frequent. Through the first quarter of 2014, Apple ranked 17th among the organizations most often attacked by phishers. The Cost of Phishing For financial services companies, the fraudulent collection of personal customer information can result in loss of consumer or client confidence in a brand. This is but one of the great risks of identity theft that costs the financial industry billions of dollars each year. Gartner Group estimates that theft through phishing activities costs U.S. banks and credit card issuers an estimated $2.8 billion annually, and be-
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In recently cited studies, an explosion of fake notifications are imitating messages from mobile applications we use and trust every day. Specifically targeting smartphone and tablet users, these phishing attacks leverage cross-platform mobile apps to spread the greatest destruction.
tween $61 million per year to $3 billion per year in direct losses to victims in the U.S. How to Prevent a Phishing Attack Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet that can be fired to stop these attacks. However, there are several steps and guidelines to follow and practice which will mitigate risks and the potential impact they may cause within an organization.
Be Suspicious of emails that contain the following: Grammar and/or spelling mistakes within the company header, email address or the message. Generic salutations. Requests from a financial institution for your password, personal information, credit card information or other actions like a wire transfer. If you have doubts, you should call the company or their customer service department to verify that the email is legitimate. Suspicious attachments, especially from someone with whom you're not familiar. If you receive an email from a trusted friend or colleague, call or text them to ensure that the attachments are legitimate. Suspicious Links If emails contain links that might be doubtful - DON'T CLICK ON THEM! They could be malicious and lead to an infection of your computer. Follow the guidelines above, and if you are not sure or require additional assistance, please forward the email to your company's IT Security Team. Common Sense Finally, the best tool you can use to avoid an email phishing attack is common sense. If an email seems suspicious or too good to be true, feel free to hit the delete button. Robert Fiorito, serves as Vice President, HUB International Northeast., where he specializes in providing insurance brokerage services to the restaurant industry. As a 20-year veteran and former restaurateur himself, Bob has worked with a wide array of restaurant and food service businesses, ranging from fast-food chains to upscale, “white tablecloth" dining establishments. For more information, please visit www. hubfiorito.com
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// C-CAP TRADE TALK
WITH JOYCE APPELMAN
Veronica Rivera,
Pastry Chef at Marc Forgione in Tribeca Veronica Rivera is 23 years old and making a splash on the New York pastry scene as the Pastry Chef at the highly praised Marc Forgione restaurant in Tribeca.
V
eronica joined C-CAP when she was a junior attending Port Richmond High School in Staten Island. With the support and encouragement from her high school culinary arts teacher James Ryan, Veronica entered the C-CAP NY Cooking Competition for Scholarships as a senior and was awarded a $20,000 scholarship to attend City Tech-CUNY. She is the first generation of her family
Joyce Appelman, New York, NY j oyc e a p p e l m a n @ g m a i l .c o m
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to attend college. Veronica thought her interest and skill lay in the savory side of the kitchen, but when she accepted a pastry internship at Craft Steak through C-CAP’s Job Training and Internship program, she discovered her true medium in pastry. C-CAP connected Veronica to her next job as a Pastry Cook at Marc Forgione, beginning the journey that led to her current role as Pastry Chef of the same kitchen. In the interim, Veronica worked in the pastry kitchens of American Cut, and Locanda Verde under Pastry Chef Karen Demasco. What are your responsibilities as Pastry Chef at Marc Forgione? I oversee the menu change and ideas, inventory and food cost, hiring staff, production and plating service, creating better working environment between FOH and BOH, and purchasing fresh
live without? Vanilla. Vanilla definitely puts an extra pop in every dessert you make. It is the salt of the pastry world.
ingredients from markets to supply the kitchen. What inspired you to pursue cooking professionally? My family, like many others, comes together with food. It was always a way to get us all together to talk, laugh, and smile. Now I have the pleasure of seeing others experience the same. How did C-CAP shape your career? My internship at C-CAP completely changed my career. I initially wanted to cook savory; pastry was not my strong suit. Knowing this, C-CAP enrolled me in a pastry internship, which changed my mind and my life. Then C-CAP connected me with Marc Forgione. That opportunity jump started my career and has gotten me to where I am today. Who is your culinary idol and why? Karen Demasco, former Pastry Chef at Locanda Verde. She is everything a pas-
Is there an ingredient that you feel is particularly underappreciated or underutilized? Cardamom. Cardamom to me is one of those spices that does not get used as often as it should.
Veronica Rivera is 23 years old and making a splash on the New York pastry scene as the Pastry Chef at the highly praised Marc Forgione restaurant in Tribeca.
try chef should be. Her knowledge and work ethic is truly inspiring. She has really given me so much insight in this industry. I look up to her. What’s the one ingredient you couldn’t
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What are your most essential kitchen tools? A bowl scraper and an offset spatula are my trusty sidekicks. What is your favorite piece of culinary equipment? Immersion Circulator. The possibilities are endless with one of these bad boys. If your cooking style were a film, what would be the tag line? KEEP IT FRESH. And there is no bet-
ter way of keeping it fresh than using fresh ingredients. Every Wednesday and Saturday you can find me at the Union Square Market gathering ingredients for work. It truly makes you appreciate your product more. What does success look like to you? Success to me is when you start to influence and change the lives of others. When you become a mentor and a reason for someone else’s success. There’s no better feeling than that. What advice would you give your younger self if you could go back in time? Write down everything! Even if you think it is not important. There are times I wish I did and to this day I try to remember specific recipes, ingredient names, brands, etc. that were shared with me.
NYSRA, from page 22 like beer, sausage and football?” Ditch Plains West Village, New York “We have some new pitchers we're offering that are great for football such as Pacifico Pilsner, Brooklyn Oktoberfest, and Captain Lawrence IPA. We also have great items like deviled eggs with fried shrimp now and wings that come in (buffalo, bbq or sambal) style.” Duke’s Original Roadhouse, New York “We offer $10 Pitchers & $25 Beer towers during EVERY NCAA & NFL game. Also – on Sundays we do an in store Pick em for anyone who comes to the 1pm & 4:30 games. Each week we collect the sheets then at the end of the season – we draw for a grand prize winner who will get a BBQ & BEERS party for 10 at Dukes!”
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// NEWS
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
Wineracks By Marcus Enables Napa Foodservice Wine Inventories To Withstand Impact Of Earthquake When an earthquake ripped through Napa Valley in late summer, many restaurants lost thousands of dollars in wine inventories because they didn't have the right racks.
B
ut those with WineRacks by Marcus had virtually no damage because these racks are made to resist the kind of violent shaking and crashing of the earth that happens frequently in California. Napa Valley’s wine industry suffered $80.3 million in damage from the 6.0-magnitude earthquake last month, according to CBS in San Francisco. The New York Times says the damage may be closer to $1 billion. But restaurants with WineRacks by Marcus had minimal to no damage. California based WineRacks by Marcus has built a reputation at many of the nation's most talked-about restaurant, hotel and casino properties as an innovator in the high volume storage of wine. The Marcus Racks® are furnished with feet to protect flooring. Bottles are placed horizontally on the wine racks, and shelves are available for 375 ml half bottles, 750 ml full bottles, 1.5 L magnums (and larger) and for wooden boxes. For large-bottomed bottles of champagne and sparkling wines Marcus offers a champagne shelf. The
“We lost absolutely no wine,” says chef Sean O'Toole of Torc in Napa. “We didn't have the racks bolted to the wall, as Marcus suggests, which made them kind of fluid. But with all the movement, all that happened was it just jogged the racks and tilted them, but they absorbed the shock.” O'Toole, whose restaurant, contemporary American cuisine focused on international foods, has only been open 10 months. “I would buy those racks again in a minute,” he says. “I spent some time in Las Vegas, where
Golden State restaurateur Giovanni Scala noted: “The racks were SOLID. Nothing came out of the shelf. We lost no wine. We've had the MARCUS racks at least 10 years and they've been great. The The Marcus Racks® are furnished with feet to protect flooring. Bottles are placed horizontally on the wine racks, and shelves are available for 375 ml half bottles, 750 ml full bottles, 1.5 L magnums (and larger) and for wooden boxes.
shelves are available in single,double and triple bottle depths. Many of WineRacks' top customers specify the line when esthetics are important because the aluminum rivets permit the whole shelf to be color anodized in the manufacturing process. But perhaps the most outstanding part of the company's storage sys-
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tems is that they cradle each bottle on both sides. Why? Because that's what protects wine in an earthquake. Because the bottles do not touch each other, they are spared the glassagainst-glass shock, and because they are cradled, they do not fall out open sides, as is common with "X" style storage.
earthquake proved it.”
they're pretty common. Opening my own restaurant I remember them being really sleek and clean-looking but also very functional. I wanted them for Torc.” Golden State restaurateur Giovanni Scala noted: “The racks were SOLID. Nothing came out of the shelf. We lost no wine. We've had the MARCUS racks at least 10 years and
they've been great. The earthquake proved it.” Giovanni notes that wine is the draw for his restaurant Bistro Don Giovanni in St. Helena, CA northern Italian cuisine with pasta, bread, desserts all made in-house, so it's especially important to have racks that can protect the bottles. In business since 1998, WineRacks by Marcus was initially formed to provide wine storage solutions for customers of a large wine storage facility, who required safe, accessible,
and space-efficient storage, with the capability to withstand the occasional earthquake. Founder Steve Marcus had a hard time finding custom racks for the company's stage lockers and decided to make exactly what he wanted. Using his own passion for safe wine storage, Marcus designed the racks to be efficient, lightweight, and sturdy. The racks are still, as they were when Marcus started the company, hand-built, according to his wife and co-founder Nancy Marcus.
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Most insurance does not cover earthquake loss. It is considered an act of nature and therefore not insurable. That's why it's critical to store wine securely on racks designed to protect each bottle, as WineRacks by Marcus does, with its unique way of individually cradling each bottle. The bottles sit low enough in the cradle to survive a 6.0 earthquake. Marcus was no stranger to earthquakes. Growing up in the Bay Area, he lived through many. He visited the Point Reyes Earthquake Station
and studied how the earth moves in an earthquake. He understood the importance of cradling each bottle individually, and cradling them low enough to prevent "bounce out.” That's why wine stored in WineRacks by Marcus withstood the tumult and trashing of the earthquake. Restaurants with this type of wine storage thanked their lucky stars, more than once, you can bet.
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// MEET THE NEWSMAKER FarmersWeb Creates Connection For Metro NYC Restaurateurs And Food Service Operators With Farm to Table Resources Buying locally has become an important trend in the foodservice world. The food comes straight from the farm, so it's fresher, and in season. But the biggest reason? Customers are now demanding it.
F
armersWeb is a new website that makes it easier for foodservice operators to get everything that's in season in the tristate area. The site brings farms and buyers together for a wide variety of crops and foods that are produced here, according to Jennifer Goggin, CEO and co-founder. “We were fortunate to have started at a time when the trend was growing,” she says. “We thought the service would be useful and necessary but didn't realize it would become such a hot topic!” FarmersWeb was formed in January of 2011 and customers were able to start purchasing about a year later. “One of my other co-founders and I used to work at a local food distributor,” Goggin explains. “While we were there, we noticed there was no real way for farmers to connect directly with the end purchaser to get their products out
The site brings farms and buyers together for a wide variety of crops and foods that are produced here, according to Jennifer Goggin, CEO and co-founder.
to market. Most farms have their own truck, or can contract with a driver. They don't need a distributor who takes such a high mark-up. The demand was
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there for local products, but there was no way to get them to restaurants efficiently. We noticed the lack of connection and thought, we could build a tool to allow that to happen automatically and efficiently.” FarmersWeb was born. It's simple for buyers to take advantage of the website. “It's very straightforward,” she says. “Create an account on our site, click “Join,” give us your name, contact information and delivery address, and right from there, you can go shopping.” Buyers can search for products, browse by category, and if they have a favorite farm, they can simply go to that profile and see what's available. Once you've found what you're looking for, you put it in your cart and checkout is easy. “The system will automatically show delivery date options, and any order minimums,” Goggin says. “We've automated the whole checkout process. Once you place your order, the farm confirms the order, picks and packs it, then delivers it. It's like any e-commerce site for buyers but it's tailored to the wholesale buyer buying food in bulk.” On the farm side, there's now a wait list. “We've had a lot of interest on the farm side,” she says. “There are currently 30-
35 farms on our site and many more on the wait list. To join the wait list, farms have to tell us where they are and the product categories they sell,. When our demand exceeds the supply, we go to the wait list to find somebody else who has apples, let's say, and then that farm can join the system. All it takes is for them to fill out their profile, their inventory, their prices and how many of each are available and then their delivery setting. That's it.” Once the information is all in the system, farmers become an active seller on the site and buyers can purchase from them. “We have a full range of products that are grown, or produced in this area – meat providers, produce growers, dairy, eggs, pantry items like honey, maple syrup. We have everything you could want that's available here,” says Goggin. The benefits for foodservice operators are many. “Creating a connection benefits the operator, and, as a buyer, it's a much easier way to discover new producers near you and what's in season,” she points out. “If you're not using FarmersWeb, you're either going to farmers' markets, which are a very small representation of all the producers available in this region, or searching on Google but a lot of farms aren't easily found that way. And a listing on Google can't always tell you if the farm's retail or wholesale. You have to essentially start calling around and that takes time. We're putting it all on one platform to make it a lot easier to find what you're looking for.” Goggin says foodservice operators really like the one point-of-contact. “They are used to calling their distributor and saying, I want 50 different items, and the distributor takes care of it in one
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Farmer, from page 91 shot.” Buyers really like buying from the farms, she adds. “The items are being picked and packed for them, and it's a much fresher product. It hasn't been sitting in a warehouse. The producer knows how to handle the items. The farmer who grew it is putting it on the truck. It's all going to be handled in a much better way.” Producers benefit because it's an easier way to be discovered. “We highlight them on the site, and when we add a new item, we have our 'what's new' carousel to showcase it. They can more efficiently manage their business and it's an easier way for farms to publicize their availability list, to capture every order in one place and then easily pack the items from this one system. The record keeping is all taken care of for them, and at the same time, it's getting them new customers. A win-win.” FarmersWeb takes commissions from the farms, though it will soon roll out a version of the software that will charge a monthly fee instead. “It doesn't cost anything to join. We just take a commission on the farm side for each sale,” she says. “It's all free for foodservice operators.” Distribution is regional, mostly the tristate area, Goggin notes. “Most of our buyers are clustered in New York City and its suburbs – Westchester, New Jersey, Long Island, Connecticut. We have a 250-mile radius for our farms. The hub is Manhattan.” But there are plans to go national. “We’ll allow farms to link their Facebook page or link to their page on FarmersWeb so they can use it with their own customers anywhere in the nation,” she says. “That will help us get a national footprint going.” FarmersWeb services restaurants, caterers, schools, retail stores and offices that have a cafeteria. “This trend is being driven by consumer demand, as most things are. People are becoming more aware of what they're eating, what's in it, how it's grown, what it means to think about
where your food comes from, stemming from health or environmental concerns, or even economic ones, from the community-building perspective. Shopping local makes sure the dollars stay in the community. That's become important to people,” Goggin says. The fact that consumers show a willingness to vote with their dollars, to go to places that source responsibly and showcase the farms that they work with to get that direct connection, is what
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makes operators want to deal with FarmersWeb, she says. “The industry is responding. This is what diners want.” Word-of-mouth has been the primary way FarmersWeb has been marketing itself. “We do some social media, mostly on the farm side,” Goggin says. “We had relationships with lots of farms before we started this. The farms would tell other farms, or we'd go to them and say we need a goat cheese producer, and they'd say, yes, there's one down
the road. We grew it pretty organically.” On the foodservice side, the whole team reached out, she says. “If we went out to eat, we talked to chefs. Once we got a critical mass going, it was all word-of-mouth. We've had little articles here and there. The world is starting to learn about us.” For more information, go to FarmersWeb.com, or email: info @farmersweb.com.
Graduate Institute, from page 60 The admissions process starts with going online to explore the programs and certificate offerings. For more information, prospective students can call TGI and set up a meeting with a staff member, who will talk through the course offerings. “Many of our colleagues say, 'All these MA degree programs are really interesting to me, I don't know which one to pick,'” says Summa. “So we talk to them about each program.” Once a program is selected, registra-
programs is $15,200 for the two-year program, offered over 24 months. At graduation students are awarded 36 credits. Five of the six MA programs also require a one-week summer session in each of the two years. Each MA program also has two opportunities for self-directed learning, a mentorship and/or internship, and a culminating project. “Each colleague can select a mentor, or work as an intern, and each colleague can self-se-
Once a program is selected, registration is easy. Simply fill out the application online or on paper, come in for an interview with the program coordinator, who discusses what interested the learner in this particular program.
tion is easy. Simply fill out the application online or on paper, come in for an interview with the program coordinator, who discusses what interested the learner in this particular program. “We also ask, what's their understanding of learning in a cohort, what would they contribute to a cohort community,” Summa says. Then students are required to submit a vision statement. “Their own description of why they're interested in this program and what they can bring to the institute community,” he says. They must also have the official transcripts from their undergrad experience for the MA program. Tuition for any of six MA degree 95 • October 2014 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com
lect the topic for his or her culminating project, the capstone of each of the MA programs,” he says. “It's a way to focus on the different areas of yourself, leadership, selfknowledge, self-directed study. And it's applicable across all industries,” says Summa. “It's about promoting self-transformation, personal development. The educational experience at TGI allows colleagues to establish their own learning goals, engage in
self-assessment practices, identify their cognitive idiosyncrasies in their own learning processes, facilitate selfdirected learning, and engenders a self view that they are autonomous, confident and capable learners who are very resilient, knowing they can accomplish whatever task lies before them.” For more information, go to www. learn.edu or call 203-874-4252.
McDonalds from page 3 and received two-star ratings from the New York Times and New York magazine. Schenker’s newest venture, The Gander, is what he describes as an approachable neighborhood restaurant with sophisticated but casual American dishes. “Recette is kind of my laboratory,” Schenker, 31, said. “It’s more about trying a lot of things. Instead of getting a huge portion, you can build your own tasting.” His first foray into the restaurant world was at age 14, flipping burgers under McDonalds’ golden arches. Drugs and partying soon took over his life; Schenker grappled with and eventually overcame addiction to heroin and crack. He ended up in jail, where he was assigned to the kitchen. His personal struggles are the subject of his upcoming book, All or Nothing. Through a local vocational school, he learned the basics of running a kitchen. He began working his way up the ladder at some higher-profile restaurants like Café Maxx in Pompano Beach, Florida, and Mark’s Las Olas in Fort Lauderdale (now defunct). Yet, despite his early dedication to cooking, it wasn’t until age 22, when he made his way to City Cellar in West Palm Beach, that he knew it would be his career. “I was offered a sous chef position and it was different,” Schenker said. “That’s when I really knew I was into it—if I was told to be there at noon, I was there by 9.” Three years later, he left the position for a job in the kitchen of the presti-
gious Gordon Ramsay at the London in New York City. According to Schenker, he went from managing a group of people at City Cellar to essentially starting back at the bottom. “It was awesome,” Schenker said. “I learned discipline, organization, fineness and technique.” Shortly after launching headfirst into Recette at age 27, he began hosting “Mondays with Jesse” on the second Monday of every month. The dining room at Recette turns into a food tasting event as Schenker concocts a 10-course tasting menu from “chicken scratch thoughts,” moments of inspiration from conversations with his cooks or something he recently read about or ate. He loves sharing his culinary creations with the group of dedicated attendees who keep coming back each month. On rare days off, he often lets his passion for food run wild. “If I have one night off a month, I like to take advantage of it,” Schenker said. He’s been known to crisscross town with friends, sampling as many meals as he can get his hands on. Schenker likes comfort food or at least his version of it. He often eschews the new, trendy spots in favor of established restaurants where he knows he’ll get a great meal. Favorites include high-end Italian from Del Posto, French from Jean Georges and sushi from Soto. “I’m very keen on knowing what’s going on in the industry and supporting my co-workers,” he said. “There’s so much talent out there.” For the first time, Forbes is bring-
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ing together 1,000+ members of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list with some of the globe’s top leaders and mentors to create partnerships that will change the world over the next 50 years. The Under 30 Summit will take place in Philadelphia from Oct. 19 – 22. At the Under 30 Summit food fes-
tival, Schenker will square off against other rising culinary stars. He will compete against other up-and-comers like JJ Johnson, Adam Leonti and Max Sussman for the title of America’s top young chef.
Kitchen Corps, from page 72 one facility, located in Arizona,” he recalls. “This college was on the East Coast. Fire struck the kitchen on a Wednesday evening, our project team arrived on site Thursday. On Friday we were awarded the contract because we were the only company who could provide the needed facility and services within seven days. The students were on spring break and they wanted it completed before they came back. We had all five units from Arizona on location by Monday morning. We put them together in the middle of winter which required removal of two feet of snow prior to setup! By that Friday, the kitchen was put together, with all the utilities, decks, and ramps to feed the students when they arrived back Monday.” Therrien says this is where his military experience comes in handy at the company. “I'm going on auto pilot. We band together as a team. We dig in and meet the goals. There are 24 hours in a day, therefore nothing is impossible.” Most of his business, he says, consists of locations – hospitals, schools, even military bases – that are 50 to 60 years old and need their kitchens renovated or updated.
“A lot of times they need asbestos removal, which is a large and time consuming project, or their plumbing or electrical is outdated and not able to meet current codes and inspections in these outdated commercial kitchens. That's where we come in, while they're renovating,” says Therrien. The CEO says only about 25% of his business is taking care of emergencies. “The majority of our work is hospitals, colleges, and construction sites. Immediate emergency and disaster relief are quick and short term needs. Our facilities become necessary during the long rebuilding term for these projects instead. But there are plenty of times, a temporary makeshift kitchen is
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essential for immediate relief,” he says. Kitchen Corps played a big part in Hurricane Katrina. “We brought military ethics into the civilian world,” he says. “When Katrina made landfall, our phone was ringing off the hook for weeks. Our entire team was working around the clock to meet the demand of our services in the gulf coast. Although, many companies took the opportunity to raise their standard pricing almost 3 times as much as normal, Kitchen Corps prides itself in the fact that even during the emergency and disaster of the hurricane we kept all of our standard pricing for our clients.” Therrien says what makes his company stand out is that our equipment is maintained better than our competitors. “We spend our profits on keeping our units clean, maintained and up to date. All of our units arrive on a client’s site grease-free and operational. A client is shown that the entire facility and all the equipment are sanitized and operational prior to their use.” At every project site the temporary kitchen facility will be inspected by the local health department. Our clients have no need to worry about the temporary kitchen facility being rejected. Our units meet all International Building Codes and local Health Department needs. What's really significant to customers is that the temporary kitchen’s commercial exhaust hoods with tempered-air make up. This means that the air being brought into the facility is temperature controlled, allowing our units to maintain comfortable working conditions in all climates. The same unit can go from International Falls, Minn., to Key West. It's often above what our customers expected.”
Therrien says he's starting a new project: attachable kitchens. “It's a permanent solution if someone wanted to expand its existing operation. We would install the modular kitchen to the outside of the existing building, attach it, create an access to its current kitchen, and it would help them manage their overflow. It also eliminates construction time on their site,” he says. With this concept the client’s do not have to be concerned with the hassle of an active construction site. Within a matter of weeks an expansion on the current kitchen facility with less cost and time of a renovation. Therrien says Kitchen Corps has an internal marketing department, however, being in a small industry, references and word of mouth is one of our best marketing tools. “All we need to know is how a clients current operation works and we'll supply a facility that will continue to feed their clients or patients,” he says. He says the company didn't start out as a temporary kitchen business but as food service management. “My wife had 20 years' experience with government contracts, I had foodservice experience, and so we started feeding military troops in remote areas and used a mobile kitchen. However, with the US going to war, the contract was cancelled. In the '90s we had this very expensive mobile kitchen and didn't know what to do with it. So we spent 30 days on the phone calling shipyards, construction companies, hospitals, anyone we could think of that could use a temporary kitchen, and the phone hasn't stopped ringing since.”
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Vendy Cup, from page 8 was four other Vendy victors: Hallo Berlin, NY Dosas, Calexico, and Solber Pupusas. “The Master’s Cup should be a great way to recognize how far the Vendy awards have come and where street food has come in the last 10 years,” said Basinski. Since its start a decade ago, the Vendys have expanded to events in other cities including Philadelphia, Chicago, New Orleans and Los Angeles. “Ten years ago, there really were no fancy food trucks across the country,” Basinski says. “The Vendys provided inspiration to a lot of people and really started a trend.” All five competing carts and trucks in the Master’s Cup have won a Vendy Cup - awarded for best street food as judged by a panel of chefs, foodie TV personalities and executives in a prior year. King of Falafel has the distinct honor of having won both a Vendy Cup, and a People’s Choice award (voted by event attendees) in 2010. The panel of judges featured an allstar cast: Chef Alex Guarnaschelli: Food Network and Cooking Channel Personality, Florent Morellet: Former owner of the beloved eponymous NYC French diner Florent, Adam Richman: Food Expert; Host of the Travel Channel’s Man v. Food, Alicia Quarles: E! News Correspondent, Sarah Simmons: Chef/Owner of City Grit, A Culinary Salon, Maria Torres-Springer: Commissioner of NYC’s Department of Small Business Services Citizen Judge Hannah Lyter: Lyter was the winner of this year’s Citizen Judge competition. Hannah blogs about fashion and photography, and roams the city in search of the best food finds. The Vendy Awards, the first and largest street food event series in the country, is an annual event to benefit the Street Vendor Project at the Ur-
ban Justice Center, a membershipbased organization that provides advocacy and legal services for more than 1,800 vendor members. The Vendys, which have been New York City’s most beloved street food competition for 10 years, has expanded nationally to include events in Los
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Angeles, Philadelphia, New Orleans, and Chicago. The Street Vendor Project is a membership-based project with more than 1,800 active vendor members who are working together to create a vendors’ movement for permanent change. The Street Vendor Project
is part of the Urban Justice Center, a non-profit organization that provides legal representation and advocacy to various marginalized groups of New Yorkers.
// INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE
WITH FRED SAMPSON
For Your Information Another Attempt by Government to Get Their Foot in the Door, with an Assist by the Unions.
I
nitially it was “no smoking” in foodservice establishments, and now it’s almost universal. Then, the reduction of trans fats, and now they too are almost extinct. Posting calorie counts started out affecting operators with 20 or more units; two states now want to reduce it to 10. New York City started out with requiring paid sick days for companies with 50 or more employees; now it’s down to five. Wait until you read what the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is considering. A set of new scheduling and record keeping mandates would force the owners of restaurants and retail stores that have 11 or more locations in the United States, to comply with a series of rules and regulations that will put the city, not the owner, in control of key business decisions. Its title is the “Retail Workers Bill of Rights.” Before you take any solace in the fact that it is San Francisco’s problem, there are two things you should know. First, one of the supporters of this legislation is the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), which has been a major player in an attempt to unionize quick-service workers across the country. The other is simply that San Francisco is a very sophisticated city, much like
Fred G. Sampson,
President of Sampson Consulting, Inc. fredgsampson@juno.com
New York; in fact, the cost of its retail space is higher than NYC (Crain’s New York Business, 8-18-14), and both cities are now governed by liberal legislative bodies and have mayors of the same political persuasion. Sound familiar? Here is the laundry list of what owners would have you do. Give the city access on demand to payroll and employment records. Offer more hours to part-time employees before hiring additional employees or using employment agencies, if the part-time employees are qualified to do the work and have been performing similar work for the business. The offers of additional hours must be made in writing. Businesses are required to offer only enough hours to give the part-time employees eight hours a day, or 40 hours a week. Require employers to pay employees for any shift cancelled with fewer
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than 24 hours’ notice. Retain employees who have worked for the business for at least six months, for a minimum of 90 days if the business is sold. Maintain a series of records, including written offers of more hours to employees, offers of employment to existing employees following a sale of the business, and a list of employees who worked for the business at the time the business was sold. Records must be kept for four years. Needless to say, the California and Golden Gate Restaurant Associations, as well as other industries that would be affected, are working to oppose this burdensome proposal sometime this fall. However, even if it should fail to pass, the proponents will continue to press for its passage, just as they did for mandatory health care insurance. Javier Gonzalez, director of local government affairs, San Jose, for
the California Restaurant Association’s government affairs and public policy, made the following observation: “For operators, it would be a lot more challenging to schedule their employees with all of these requirements. The record retention requirements would be a huge burden, and also slow down the hiring process.” The following statement is exactly why I’m bringing this to your attention. “Gonzalez added that he’s concerned that other cities may attempt to copy San Francisco if the legislation is successful; there is a chance we could see this come up in other cities in California and as well as major cities around the country.” Over my long career in this industry, as an operator and then many years as a legislative observer in Albany, New York, and in Washington, I have never seen a proposal that for all intents and purposes allows government to micromanage businesses as this does. It also is another attempt to, at first, burden the multi-unit operators and—if history is any forecaster of the future—eventually, the industry at large. It also is indicative of the SEIU’s long reach in its efforts to organize the industry. Why not? After all, we are a country becoming more and more service oriented and the growth of multi-unit food establishments is expanding at a rapid rate. As Willie Sutton, the most successful bank robber of all time, is purported to have said, when asked “Why do you rob banks?” His answer: “That’s where the money is.” Why is the SEIU going after fastfood workers? Because that’s where most of the industry’s new hires are.
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