Atlantic Restaurant News - April 2013 by Ishcom Publications

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History repeating

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By Elaine Anselmi, assistant editor FREDERICTON—After Isaac’s Way Restaurant’s original home on Carleton Street in downtown Fredericton was destroyed in a fire last fall, its owners are reopening just a block away in the historic York County Courthouse building. “It’s in a great location right on the Saint John River,” said Isaac’s Way co-owner Tina LeJeune to ARN. The historic designation doesn’t hurt its appeal either as the building

rant will likely be open around mid-June. “When you walk in it feels like a large rooming house,” she said. “We will be taking some walls down to make it more of an open restaurant.” She said that the building largely dictated the layout of the dining space, and the most logical positioning was to allot the main floor as the restaurant in order to make a patio feasible, as well as ensure wheelchair accessibility. The second floor will have offices for rent and LeJeune said they are considering an addition of a mezzanine level in the high-ceilinged space. “We’re going to maintain the feel of the place, in terms of the historical feel, and we will of course have to bring in some newer things,” she said. “We came to the agreement that we’re going to mix new with old.” Some of the old Jason and Tina LeJeune pieces will come right at the new home of out of the building, said Isaac’s Way. LeJeune, such as 12 to 14 foot long doors that once was one of the first in the city to be divided rooms on the second floor built with brick, she said. The courtthat will be remodeled into tables. As house was built in the mid-1800’s well, old shelving in a records room and has been government operated is being considered for building wine for more than 150 years. The buildstorage for the new bar. ing, which was designated a historical The restaurant will have more site in 1980, sat empty for more than a space in the 10,000 square foot buildyear after the government moved out ing, 5,000 of which encompasses the in 2011. operational first floor. With a 110LeJeune, and her husband partseat indoor capacity, a seasonal patio nered with two others to purchase will put Isaac’s Way at more than 150 the building that will now house seats, said LeJeune. Isaac’s Way. Although the owners had hoped to open in late May, the restauContinued on page 3

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A new historical home for Isaac’s Isaac’s Way’s new location in the York County Courthouse.

Continued from cover

The menu, which was in the process of being reworked before the fire, features some old favourites from the original location. It will have a heavy focus on New Brunswick products, said LeJeune. She noted the building’s main floor was originally used as a farmers’ market for the town with the courthouse situated on the second floor. As well as regional sourcing, LeJeune

said that they are looking to have craftspeople from the Fredericton area take part in the renovation. “There’s a local fellow who does carvings with a chainsaw, a local ironsmith, and someone who does stonework,” she said. “We really want to promote the local artisans.” Isaac’s Way will continue to contribute to the community by displaying local art collections in the restaurant, and hosting art auctions approximately three times per

year to raise funds for children in need to take part in art and music programs, said LeJeune. “We’ve raised approximately $50,000 so far,” she said. “We started in 2007 and have completed 17 [auctions] and did have the 18 th on the wall just before the fire.” The original staff from Isaac’s Way will be offered their jobs back, said LeJeune, and from what she has been told, some will return but hiring will likely need to take place. Taking ownership of the building on March 15, LeJeune said even prior to that date they were in the building at least once a week with engineers, fire inspectors, historians and friends to get a general impression of the space. “There is a long list of people who have helped us,” said LeJeune. “We already know the layout, we’ve already ordered some things. The design and the process are on the way.” Isaac’s Way will be located at 649 Queen St., Fredericton, NB.

Revisiting a Quidi Vidi landmark By Leslie Wu, editorial director ST. JOHN’S—Chef Todd Perrin is joining the restoration game with his latest restaurant project in a house dating back to the 1800s, thought to be one of the oldest wooden structures in Newfoundland. Set to open at the end of May, Mallard Cottage is an ambitious new dining space in the Quidi Vidi neighbourhood. “We’re trying to beat the drum with local Newfoundland ingredients,” Perrin told ARN. The menu will be family-style, with plenty of soups, stews, braises and comfort food. “It’s a bit of a risk, sourcing this way. If I get two whole hogs in, then that’s what I’ve got and the menu will feature a lot of pork.” The market-driven menu will change weekly, or even daily, depending on his six to seven person team, said Perrin, who will be working with the Culinary Institute of Canada in Charlottetown to give students some restaurant experience. The 26 by 16 foot, two-room building

has a large central hearth that has been rebuilt completely with the original bricks and restored to the original size and made fully functional. “For how much money I’ve spent on it, I’d better be able to use it,” joked Perrin. The cottage will seat 16 people in the main building, and Perrin has added on a linney in the style of old saltbox houses, which will contain a reception area and service bar. He’s also adding on a new building to house the kitchen, a dish pit, and more dining space, bringing the total dining capacity to between 50 and 60 people. The cottage itself has been stripped down to the original foundations to remove some renovations that were done in the 1980s, and rebuilt using the original materials. “It’s going to be a very rustic feel, with wood, natural colours and exposed beams. We’re trying to reflect the age of the building,” said Perrin. “It will feel a little bit like a barn, but that’s a good thing.”

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Mallard Cottage, 2 Barrows Road, St. John’s.

We also want to thank our incredible food suppliers; the farmers, the fishers, foragers, wine makers and others who have been integral in putting FID Resto on the map,” chef and co-owner Dennis Johnston said in a release. With FID’s space up for lease renewal, Johnston said it was the time for him and his wife (co-owner, Monica Bauche) to consider their options.

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FID Resto and D’s Corner to close in May HALIFAX—Early adopters of Halifax’s locavore movement, the owners of FID Resto, have announced they will be shutting the doors in May. Located on Dresden Row in downtown Halifax, the fine dining establishment with a local and sustainable mandate opened in 2000. “We want to thank all of our loyal customers for dining with us over the years.

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“We’ve put a great deal of thought and consideration into our decision. While not easy, it feels right and we are looking forward to whatever the future holds for us both,” said Johnston. FID, as well as “D’s Corner,” located at the front of the restaurant with jams and infused oils made by Johnston and his team, will remain open with service as usual until the May closure.

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for editorial consideration.

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RestaurantNews

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Editorial Director Leslie Wu ext. 227 lwu@canadianrestaurantnews.com Senior Contributing Editor Colleen Isherwood ext. 231 cisherwood@canadianrestaurantnews.com Assistant Editor Elaine Anselmi ext. 226 eanselmi@canadianrestaurantnews.com National Sales Manager Dave Bell ext. 230 dbell@canadianrestaurantnews.com Senior Account Managers Debbie McGilvray ext. 233 dmcgilvray@canadianrestaurantnews.com Joe Couto ext. 229 jcouto@canadianrestaurantnews.com Production Stephanie Giammarco ext. 0 sgiammarco@canadianrestaurantnews.com Circulation Manager Don Trimm ext. 228 dtrimm@canadianrestaurantnews.com Controller Tammy Turgeon ext. 237 tammy@canadianrestaurantnews.com How to reach us: Tel (905) 206-0150

Considering the chew

scientist quoted in a recent New York Times article about the study of chewing concluded that since the mind associates crispness with freshness, “to a certain extent, we eat with our ears.” Although many chefs focus on the sight and taste of the plate they’re putting out, often the other senses get a little forgotten. With the explosion of burger operators on the market, novel and premium items are key market drivers. I can’t help but wonder if perhaps this rush is distracting us from the meat of the matter – from the visceral nature of grabbing a teetering burger with two hands and navigating that first bite: the feel of the soft bun beneath your fingertips, the rustle of the paper

as you lift it, the rush of fat and the sensation of salt when your teeth close around that caramelized patty. Although the term burger flipper used to be an insult in our industry, it’s amazing how many chefs clearly savour the description of that first bite of burger, or describe the care that they take in getting that perfect grind, testing bun after bun, or achieving the perfect sear. Whether they craft fine dining meals or churn out countless burgers a day, the chefs that I talked to for this month’s burger feature all lit up when describing the methods they use to achieve that burger bliss. Burgers create a communal experience that transcends class, restaurant type or back-

BITS Chicken farmers recognized for food safety

Publisher Steven Isherwood ext. 236 sisherwood@canadianrestaurantnews.com

Volume 14 Number 2 Atlantic Restaurant News is published 6 times per year by Ishcom Publications Ltd. which also publishes: Ontario Restaurant News, Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News, Atlantic Restaurant News, Canadian Chains Directory 2065 Dundas Street East, Suite 201 Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2W1 Tel: (905) 206-0150 Fax: (905) 206-9972 In Canada 1 800 201-8596 Subscriptions: Canada & USA: $24.95/ year or $39.95/two years Single copy: $5.00 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to circulation department, 2065 Dundas Street East, Suite 201, Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2W1 Publication Mail Agreement No. 40010152 ISSN 1702-3483 GST number R102533890

OTTAWA—The Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) were given the first letter of recognition from the On-Farm Food Safety Recognition Program (OFFSRP). On March 19, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz presented the national organization with the letter for its development and implementation of an effective and consistent food safety management system. “This is a major milestone for Chicken Farmers of Canada and a source of great pride in being the first commodity to receive this recognition,” CFC chair Dave Janzen said in a release. The OFFSRP is part of a government recognition program aimed at enhancing on-farm and post-farm product safety and consumer confidence by encouraging national organizations to apply for recognition. Organizations qualify by meeting or exceeding government regulations and recognition requires food safety systems to be assessed and reviewed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Trends and forecasts for Canadian foodservice TORONTO—The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association released their annual survey of Canadian chefs predicting the trends for 2013 and beyond. The association’s senior economist, Chris Elliott, spoke at the CRFA Show on March 3, giving a sneak peak of the survey results and a forecast for the economic future of the industry. According to the 2013 Chef Survey, allergy-conscious options

are holding their ground as a menu must-have, as are locallysourced ingredients. While local foods remain in high demand, internationally inspired flavours also make the list of what is here and what is to come.

Top 10 Canadian menu trends in restaurants TORONTO: Results of the CRFA’s Canadian Chef Survey 2013 were released in time for the annual CRFA show in early March. The survey of foodservice professionals came out with the following findings: • Locally produced and locally inspired dishes; • Gluten-free and food allergy conscious; • Sustainability; • Farm or estate-branded ingredients; • Food trucks and street food; • Ethnic-street food inspired appetizers, such as tempura and taquitos; • Greek yogurt; • Simplicity and back-tobasics; • Non-wheat noodles or pasta, such as: quinoa, rice, buckwheat; and • Ancient grains, such as: kamut, spelt, amaranth. Top 10 up and comers for 2013: • Red rice; • Digital menus; • Goat; • House-made soft drinks; • African cuisine; • Gluten-free beer; • Kid-friendly versions of adult dining options; • Underutilized fish, such as: mackerel, bluefish, redfish;

• •

AND

ground. There’s a reason that politicians use burgers as a means of connecting with voters (as evidenced by U.S. president Obama’s endorsement of his favourite burger outlets during his last campaign.) Like a jazz riff, a burger symbolizes both the familiar and the potential to build upon a foundation; to constantly revisit and revise. It can be down to earth or pretentious, excite some while leaving others cold, and relies on variation and experimentation. And to enjoy it requires no education besides an open mind and a willingness to totally engage your senses. Leslie Wu, Editorial Director

BITES

Drinkable desserts; and Black/forbidden rice.

Specialty food producer acquiring deli meat VANCOUVER–Premium Brands Holding Corporation, a producer, marketer and distributor of branded specialty foods, announced on March 25 it will purchase family-owned Freybe Gourmet Foods Ltd., a western Canadian manufacturer of gourmet deli meats. The sale will include Freybe’s 118,000 square foot production facility in Langley, BC. “Freybe’s modern production facility has significant under-capacity,” said George Paleologou, president of Richmond, BCbased Premium Brands in a release. He noted transferring some of the production of deli meats there from the Richmond, BC facility, which is slated to close this year, is an “ideal situation.” Paleologou said Freybe president Sven Freybe, whose family founded the company in 1844, will be joining the Premium Brands management team. According to the release, the $55-million purchase is expected to “close shortly.”

CRFA launches insurance program for restaurants TORONTO- The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association is proud to announce a new program that will help restaurants, bars and other hospitality establishments get the insurance coverage they need at competitive rates. CRFA’s Restaurant Protect is a new insurance program underwritten by The Dominion of Canada General Insurance

Company and Totten Insurance Group. The new program offers competitive pricing to all CRFA members and specialized coverage to meet the needs of Canada’s restaurants, pubs, nightclubs and bars. Restaurant Protect will offer hospitality businesses better coverage at competitive rates, the CRFA said in a news release. Coverage is designed specifically for the hospitality industry including: legal expense insurance, restaurant recovery coverage, foodborne illness, forcible ejection, and special wine valuation.

Restaurants put to the nutritional test With a call out for more transparency in labelling the ingredients and nutritional content of menus, many restaurateurs have obliged. Consumer Reports magazine sent secret shoppers into some well-known restaurants to test the validity of those nutritional claims. According to the Consumer Reports website, secret shoppers ordered 17 items from 12 different chains, ordering each item from three restaurants per chain. In general, the restaurants passed the test. Of the 17 items, only two dishes had a higher fat or calorie content in all three samples than was listed on the restaurant’s nutritional guide. The two menu items in question are Olive Garden’s Lasagna Primavera with Grilled Chicken and Outback Steakhouse’s Chicken on the Barbie. While other dishes ultimately passed the test, the report did find some variance in nutritional content within the same dish from different locations.

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CRFA SHOW 2013 TORONTO—From March 3 to 5, the Direct Energy Centre in Toronto played host to more than 13,000 members of the foodservice industry at the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association show. The event saw 1,200 exhibitor booths and demonstrations from chefs including Mark McEwan, Vikram Vij, Anna Olson and Michael Blackie.

Industry growth in forecast

Educational seminars ranged in topic from allergies and restricted diets, to tips and tricks on creating a wine list or a catering menu. The CRFA also hosted Industry Night out, a networking event at the Liberty Grand, and the CRFA Breakfast with Champions, a panel discussion on the state and future of the industry.

Photos: 1. Fresh produce from the Ontario Greenbelt area. 2. Chef Michael Blackie does a cooking demonstration. 3. The Seed to Sausage team. 4. Fire on the floor at French’s. 5. Veraida-Lyn Bermejo, marketing director for Town and Country displays a new line of uniforms. Town and Country held a draw for chef’s uniforms at the show. The winners can be found at www.can-restaurantnews.com. 6. Claudio Baldinelli, national sales manager, Alto-Shaam Canada. 7. Flair bartenders practice their moves. 8. Chef Bruno Elsier and Lotte Andersson, area sales manager for Ontario and Manitoba at Barry Callebaut Canada. 1.

AT L A N T I C R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

TORONTO—The CRFA’s senior economist, Chris Elliott, hosted the seminar Economic Forecasts and Foodservice Trends during the CRFA show in early March. Musing over the annual lecture’s gloomy tendencies, Elliott offered the audience some positive, forward-looking advice. “We just have to make it through 2013 and into 2014 and that will lead to healthy gains in the foodservice industry,” he said. Growth in foodservice is up since 2011, Elliott said, and a great deal of this has to do with a changing consumer base. “Consumers don’t know how to cook and don’t have time,” he said. Both are contributing to the largest gain in the FSR segment since 2006, more than five per cent. In the QSR segment, Elliott said of the more than four per cent gain, 40 per cent of this is attributed to Tim Hortons and MacDonalds. Elliott said that one sector seeing strong growth is catering, due to an aging demographic that is populating both retirement homes and hospitals. A rise in the minimum wage has had an effect on restaurants, increasing their overall operating costs and skewing the ratio of those costs. Restaurants are seeing more than 32 per cent of their overall expenses going to salaries and wages, up from 29 per cent last year.

Due to a trickle down effect, Elliott said the high unemployment rates in the U.S. and loss of manufacturing jobs is reaching the Canadian economy and in turn, restaurant operators. He predicted that it would take at least 18 months before the U.S. economy returns to its pre-recession state. In particular, Elliot said, “The U.S. economy has huge implications for Ontarians.” One disconcerting factor Elliot mentioned is that consumer spending has outpaced their income. “Canada has one of the highest household debt loads in the world,” he said. With competitive costs becoming increasingly important in low-economic times, Elliot said general merchandise stores, such as Walmart and Target, are seeing the strongest gains in overall food sale shares. He said grocery stores have to compete by offering value meal deals and are coming in direct competition with restaurants on the sale of cheaper items such as frozen pizzas. Elliott attributed an increase in foodservice sales in 2012 to an additional statutory holiday (family day) and minimal snowfall. His prediction continuing from 2013 to 2016 drops slightly below the 2012 levels of nearly five per cent growth, particularly in 2013.

Left: Benjamin Tal, chief economist of CIBC World Markets Inc. Right: Food and Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) senior vice-president of public and regulatory affairs Derek Nighbor.

World trends and markets at FCPC Foodservice Interchange

8..

TORONTO—“Someone who is employed in Spain will affect your business even though they won’t visit your restaurant,” warned deputy chief economist of CIBC World Markets Inc. Benjamin Tal. Speaking to a room of 125 foodservice executives, Tal was one of the presenters at this year’s Food and Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) Foodservice Interchange, held at the Exhibition Allstream Centre during this year’s Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association conference in early March. In linking world markets to local concerns, Tal talked about the Canadian market in broad strokes. “I’m not incredibly confident in the Canadian consumer because they are not starving,” said Tal, noting that American consumer confidence went down 40 per cent last year while Canada’s decreased by only 10.

“This was a made-in-the-U.S. recession and we are basically second hand smokers. We borrowed our way out of the recession,” he said. “The consumer is exhausted and not borrowing as much as they used to. Since some of this borrowed money went to consumption, they’re not spending as much as they used to because they’re more conscious of their debt and paying it off,” he said. Derek Nighbor, FCPC senior vice president of public and regulatory affairs, also addressed Canada’s regulatory landscape, including issues such as recent moves towards restricting sugar sweetened drinks and sodium reduction. He also spoke of the difficulties faced in creating such regulation. “Childhood obesity can be a sensitive and controversial topic to address, especially to those involved,” he said.

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atering 16 IDEAS IN 16 MINUTES

DEBRA LYKKEMARK

1. Mobile carts 2. Fake wedding cakes 3. Reinvented mini-Yorkshire puddings 4. Hand-pulled noodles

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Tips from top Canadian and U.S. caterers

AT L A N T I C R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

Left to right, Debra Lykkemark, Jack Milan, Frank Puleo and Russell Day shared 60 catering ideas at the CRFA Show in Toronto last month. ARN has taken a look at 16 of the best.

2. 1.

4. Debra Lykkemark, CEO of Culinary Capers Catering and Special Events is based in Vancouver, and recently opened an office in Beijing.

FRANK PULEO

5. Tiny Coke floats 6. Service wall made from inexpensive IKEA shelving 7. Servers’ T-shirts show what they’re serving 8. One-bite candy apples

JACK MILAN

9. Food walls 10. Jar cooking 11. Meringue mushrooms 12. Key lime lollipops

10.

7. 9.

8. 12. 11. Frank Puleo is the owner of Framboise Catering, a distinctive full-service catering operation located in New York City.

Four caterers’ top tips for unforgettable events TORONTO—Four catering experts, two from Canada and two from the U.S., presented a lively, fast-paced seminar at the CRFA show held last month in Toronto. Titled “60 Catering Ideas in 60 Minutes,” the presentation ran the gamut from food presentation and serving station solutions, to innovative T-shirts and costumes for serving staff. In the interest of space, we have only presented 16 of those ideas here. For the full PDF showing ideas from the presentation, go to www.canrestaurantnews.com.

Mobile carts and a noodle puller Debra Lykkemark of Vancouver-based Culinary Capers Catering and Special Events has made use of ordinary, stainless steel mobile carts (#1 above). She’s used them for a dessert station featuring empty profiteroles that can be filled with three types of mousse and with various sauces. They’re also great for after-dinner coffees and liqueurs, or even a gnocci station. If you don’t have the ability to make an eyepopping wedding cake, fake it (#2 above), says Lykkemark. She gets cake forms from Nicholson’s Baker Supplier. She sews pink covers and pale pink ribbons onto the forms, and places lemon drop kisses and petite desserts around the edges of each tier. In a twist on a classic, Lykkemark recommends mini-Yorkshire puddings (#3 above). They’re just two bites of beef tenderloin and horseradish cream. For interactive entertainment, Lykkemark has a hand-pulled noodle station (#4 above), where the specially-trained server pulls and stretches the

noodles until they turn into angel hair pasta. The serving table features prepared noodles with a variety of toppings.

Milan’s innovations.

Wait-staff as gladiators and more

Some of Frank Puleo’s events involve sponsor integration, i.e., little tiny Coke floats (#5 above). Puleo, of Framboise Catering is based in New York City. The serving wall can be brought up to date with simple, inexpensive IKEA bookshelves (#6 above). They can hold pre-plated items and plates for the following courses. After a big event, servers’ voices can become hoarse as they tell guest after guest what it is they are serving. A T-shirt with type that explains the menu item (#7 above), can make the server’s job a little easier. While guests probably wouldn’t eat an entire candy apple, just one bite (#8 above) can appeal to childhood memories. Slices of apple coated with candy also look attractive when plated.

At a Premier Fitness gathering, Russell Day of Toronto’s Daniel et Daniel, dressed up the waitstaff as gladiators (#13 at right). At the Film Festival, the servers wore ascots (which were actually napkins). At the launch of the Bell Canada film, “After the Wedding,” the wait-staff dressed up as brides. And at a Women, Wine and Shoes party, Day had male wait-staff wear high heels. “You can’t put a price on that look,” Day says. Fun serving vessels are another way to differentiate your event. “There are so many different vessels—if you don’t have them, rent them,” says Day. He uses mini frying pans, martini glasses and tasting spoons for presentation. One of his favourites is stand-up cocktail forks (#14 at right). Day also believes that ice cream doesn’t necessarily have to be sweet. He serves savoury ice cream flavours, such a chili-glazed chicken with peanut ice (#15 at right). He also does tomato tatin with olive tapenade sorbet and popcorn crunch. And if the bride doesn’t want a traditional cake or cupcakes, Day says that “donuts are the new cupcakes” (#15 at right). “I use mini Tiny Toms, bring them in and have little bags for the guests,” he notes. Day believes in subconscious branding of events through food. That’s why he has petit fours with slippers on top for ballet events, and the CBC logo on cookies for their event. “You can buy the printer and the sheets,” he says.

Boston-based caterer Jack Milan makes good use of space with food walls (#9 above), with horizontal holes in the walls to hold plates of food. The walls can also be used to hold plastic glasses in place with Velcro. Milan also likes jar cooking (#10 above), with jars that can just be popped in the oven to warm. This approach works for both main courses and desserts. Meringue mushrooms (#11 above) sell for $80 a box. They’re easy to make—basically a Pavlova recipe that is making a comeback. Milan

RUSSELL DAY

13. Dressing up wait-staff (as gladiators, etc.) 14. Fun serving vessels 15. Savoury ice cream (chili-glazed chicken with peanut ice) serves them with three different types of sorbet. Key lime lollipops (#12 above) are another of 16. Donuts—the new cupcakes for weddings.

Mini Coke floats and candy apples

Arranging food on the wall

Jack Milan, president of Different Tastes, Edibles By Jack, Boston’s Picnic Company, Magic Marketing and The Fast Repast, has 35 years experience in the catering and restaurant business.

13.

14. 15.

16.

Russell Day, VP of Daniel et Daniel, has been setting tables and creating experiential events for 19 years in Toronto and area. He sits on the board of the International Catering Association, allowing him the opportunity to give back to the catering community.

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Although the old truism that diners eat first with their eyes is a bit of a tired cliché, there’s no arguing that burger presentation can be the first step to winning over the customer. A well-plated (or wrapped) burger can be a brand distinguisher, not to mention a bit of free promotion on social media if the diner snaps a picture. Think about how you want your brand represented in that single snapshot. At Windsor’s Motor Burger, chef/co-owner Jay Souilliere plates on bamboo cutting boards. “We wanted to have a green element and wood is relatively inexpensive,” he says. Although some customers see a cutting board and request a plate, some people get a kick out of it, he says, plus it makes the burger the central element and provides a canvas for the house made slaw, pickles and other sides. A bamboo spear through the burger helps keep all the items together. Some practical considerations come into play with this method of plating, however. Due to the relatively small size of the bamboo board, burgers are mostly served closed rather than open faced in order to prevent items from sliding off the board. “We seat 80 people and when it’s quite busy, expediters take out several plates at a time,” says Souilliere. Winnipeg-based Boon Burger’s co-owner Tomas Sohlberg serves the restaurant’s vegan burgers on a square wooden plate with a liner. “We wanted the place to have a modern feel, and had so many drawings and concepts,” he says. Ultimately, the shape of the plate ended up mimicking the shape of the burger buns, which are made on a sheet pan and square cut by hand to provide a rustic look. Colour is also an important factor in making a burger appealing. “The burgers for which I’ve gotten the most bang for buck have fascinating colours. The yellow mustard of the turmeric and the green from the lettuce, avocados or herbs like a chiffonade of basil or cilantro. Even the creamy white of sauces, such as mayonnaise and aioli,” says Trip Kadey, corporate chef for Reckitt Benckiser. “Burgers have the ability to throw a beautiful platform of colour at you.”

Smell:

The burger aroma can often be hidden away from the diner due to a closed off kitchen or range hood, smell can be a powerful way to engage your audience. At Splitz Grill in Vancouver, run by Trevor Jackson and his wife Miriam, the

ngaging the senses through Burg By Leslie Wu

aced with a burger consumer that will willingly trade mess for excess, operators are scrambling to invent the golden concept that will put their business front and centre in an ever-crowded market. “Throughout the years, the burger has been used and abused, but it’s probably one of the biggest and best known food items around the world,” says chef Ray Henry, co-founder of Fredericton-based Relish Gourmet Burgers. We live in an era where people can build burgers out of test tubes, sear, steam, smash or bake them, add half the contents of the spice rack or nothing but salt and pepper. If there is one thing to which operators keep returning to, however, it’s the sensation of the first bite of burger: a rush of juice, salty/sweet notes as the bun, toppings and patty mix together between one’s teeth. For burger lovers, it’s an unparalleled sensation, and these days, they’ve proven that they will shell out money for premium, novelty, customization and above all, that sensory experience with the first bite. In this month’s burger feature, operators from across the country chime in on the tips and tricks that they use to capture that ephemeral moment…and bring customers back by the droves.

open kitchen is front and centre. “As soon as you walk in, you smell that charbroil grill, with burgers cooking, and the smell of bacon, fried onions and garlic hits you,” says Jackson. He adds fresh garlic, salt and pepper, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and bread crumbs to his basic burger, which gives it a different savoury note on the grill. “We put a lot in our burgers, and why not? It’s like a sausage, you can mix things into it to make it taste better,” he says. To Greg Brown, owner of Etobicoke-based Woody’s Burgers, smell is an integral part of his restaurant’s experience. “It’s one of the things you notice when you first walk into the restaurant,” he says. Brown uses Ontario hardwood to fuel the grill where all the burgers are cooked, and even makes use of the grill to add smokiness to items such as bacon, which they purchase already cooked. A flattop is used primarily to toast burger buns. “Toasters, for me, don’t toast them the fabulous way that you can get on a flattop with a bit of butter,” he says. Using the wood grill is a method that is not without challenges, however. With a fat content in his grind of 80 per cent meat to 20 per cent fat, flareups can be a problem. “It’s a bit harder to cook over open flame,” says Brown. “Flareups can be bad and dangerous. You need to train well, and you can’t put just anyone on the grill.” Speed can also be a challenge with this method. Because of the unpredictability of the flame temperature, cooking time can take about 15 minutes, and customers are warned accordingly. In the winter months, for example, the wood stored outside will not only start out freezing cold, but will also have water in it, causing it to steam rather than ignite. Nonetheless, Brown is a firm believer that the challenges are worth it for the added olfactory boost. “The smoke that a wood grill imparts on food is unbeatable. It adds a little bit of something to the burger that makes it excellent,” he says. Souilliere approaches cooking methods with a sear and bake method that alludes to his fine dining background. “I like the way the smokey burger fat on coal fills meat with flavour, and the taste that a cast iron grill imparts on meat.” During a busy lunch or dinner rush, however, he felt that it

i s difficult to keep the burger on high heat and prevent overcooking. Souilliere’s compromise is to use a high initial heat on the grill for five to seven minutes to form a crust, then the ambient heat of a 385 degree oven for about 12 minutes to penetrate into the protein. “When you’re doing 20 things at once, it’s a way to get a more consistent burger that stays juicy,” he says. “After a minute or two of rest time, you don’t get a lot of juice leakage, either.” For thicker burgers, he offers a “super charge” option. “I’m not a fan of the one pound burger, which gets a bit like meatloaf when baking, so instead, we serve two half-pound burgers with one bun in a bowl.” At Toronto-based BQM, founder and owner Saeed Mohamed believes in the smash method, with some parameters. “We tell our guys, once you’ve smashed it down the first time, don’t press down again,” he says. Juices don’t escape because the meat is still cold, and the fat is still solid, and the blood is soaked into the meat, he says. “Once it’s on the flattop for about 30 to 40 seconds, things start melting. That’s when you have to baby it.”

Sound:

When it comes to marketing, chef and owner/ operator Chris Boehm prefers guerilla marketing to traditional methods of building buzz at Penticton-based Burger 55. Whether putting mini-burgers in cake boxes to distribute to local businesses or focusing on social media, Boehm says he’d rather get food directly into people’s hands than advertise in consumer publications. His most recent addition to his arsenal is a video of the burger of the month. “We shoot it from the beginning, from the moment the burger hits the grill through how it builds and gets delivered to the customer,” says Boehm. Boon Burger’s owners took a slightly different approach when it came to their first vegan restaurant. Sohlberg remembers that although they used social media to commu-

nicate, the biggest marketing strategy was to simply put a picture of a big bean on the window and a big sign indicating that they were opening Spring 2010. “That was all it took,” he recalls. “Just from that and Facebook, we had the CBC contact us before we were even open. It was our first taste of what social media could do.” To Rivers Corbett, CEO and co-founder of Fredericton-based Relish Gourmet Burgers, diners aren’t customers. “They’re our friends,” he says. “A lot of businesses do a lot of yelling on social media about me, me, me. We ask ‘Tell us about your kid,’ or ‘What are you doing this weekend?’” Although some may see this type of dialogue as a step beyond the norm, Corbett believes that the engagement process creates a powerful incentive to stay with the brand. “If they have to consider another option when going out to eat a burger, they think ‘how can I betray my friend like this?’ It’s not just about a cheeseburger – it’s a personality.” Within the restaurants, Corbett also engages a customer’s hearing by implementing a mandatory greeting similar to a Japanese izakaya. “When you walk in, everyone welcomes you, like when you enter a friend’s house. It’s noisy, engaging and fun. You have the ambient noise, the operational noise and the conversational noise. I’m a firm believer that no noise means empty and wasted space.” Sometimes, a specialty item or limited time offer becomes a smash hit and key to an operator’s success. The peanut butter burger on offer at Darrell’s Restaurant in Halifax has been a prime source of sales. “At the time, we didn’t realize that it was going to become as famous as it was,” says owner/operator Dan Joseph.“Originally, we weren’t promoting it more than other burgers, but in recent years, a lot of our ad focus is on the peanut butter burger, because that’s what people remember.” “If I have one goal in life, it’s that I’d like to come up with a burger that outsells that peanut butter burger,” he laughs. At Bathurst, NB’s Big D Drive In, owner/operator Richard Dobson estimates that the Danny Burger accounts for 40 to 50 per cent of the restaurant’s total sales.

gers Invented by the original owners in a trailer 60 years ago, the formula for the burger remains the same today: a cheeseburger cut in three with the centre cut the opposite way to see the cross section. The burger is then topped with the secret Danny sauce, whose secret lies with Dobson and one other employee. Apart from secret items, one of the more powerful menu strategies in recent years has been the move to green or sustainable. Justin Leboe, operating partner with Calgarybased Clive Burger, based his concept on environmental awareness.“The proteins are all natural, all local, and with no antibiotics,” he says. Although he concedes that he is not the first fast food place to take these measures, Leboe is taking it one step further by ensuring that all the post-production packaging that is handed to the customers, such as straws and cups, are fully biodgradable. “All the waste we produce becomes topsoil in six weeks,” he says. Leboe hopes to expand the Clive Burger concept through franchising, and thinks that his philosophy of “do one thing and do it well” will resonate with consumers. “We’re not trying to be everything to everyone. We have the classic cheeseburger, and focusing on doing that very well has impact.”

Touch:

When your customer first grabs that burger off the plate, what do you want them to experience? In a world filled with foot-tall burgers and toppings galore, how you build your burger can make a huge difference on the plate. First, consider the bun. “With the rise of the gourmet burger, operators understand that customers are willing to pay more, and that people are asking for more premium product,” says Lee Andrews, president of Ace Bakery. “It got to the point where the bun was the lacking factor.” Andrews recommends a bun that can stand up to the juices of a burger, and with a slight chew that adds to the texture of the burger. “Many restaurants have commercial product that when you squeeze it, the bun compresses,” he says. “If the bread is solely for holding purposes, it’s not contributing to the

overall experience.” Also, consider the structure of the bun itself. The bottom half of the bun has got to have structure to it, so it can take mayo or sauces and you can build off of it, says Andrews. The top, which tends to be an accent for appearance, can benefit from an egg wash that gives it a glossy sheen that is appealing in photos, he says. When it comes to the taste of the bun, don’t shy away from contrasting flavours. Souilliere likes using a local artisan brioche at Motor Burger. “It’s got structural integrity, and the slight sweetness pays off with the slight saltiness of meat,” he says. When building a burger, certain basic rules apply. Thicker and spreadable sauces should go on the bottom bun to insulate the bun from the juices. Some operators, like Boehm at Burger 55, put shredded cheese directly on the bottom bun when wrapping the burger to go, which then melts when the burger is placed. “We use a lot of cheeses that don’t come in sliced form, such as feta and parmesan. Putting the cheese directly on the bottom bun makes for ease of use when building the burger, as well as keeping the grill cleaner,” he says. The customer is then advised to wait a couple of minutes so that the cheese has a chance to melt. Sometimes, a small detail can be crucial to the ease of eating. When Joseph introduced a nacho burger at Darrell’s Restaurant, they found that it was too ingredient heavy. “When we analyzed it, we found that a slice of tomato made it hard to keep together. We replaced it with guacamole and it was fine,” he says. “That slice of tomato was the undoing of that burger.” Another basic thing that can make it easier for the customer is to consider topping placement. “Try to spread out to the edges when you’re building a burger with ingredients and sauces. It makes it easier to eat,” says Jackson from Splitz.

Taste:

Probably the most contentious aspect of burger-making is the fat content. Most of the operators who were interviewed

p r e ferred a fat content somewhere between 17 and 25 per cent for taste reasons. Although some operators, like Leboe, chose to go higher, none went lower with a beef burger. “Salt and fat spread flavour across the palate,” says Leboe. “It’s like adding salt to garlic when you sauté it…it helps carry flavour molecules across the palate better.” Chefs varied in their preference of meat grinds between chuck and sirloin, with addins such as short rib and brisket. Souilliere grinds his meat on a larger grind first, then a smaller pass through. “When you grind it once really big and once on a smaller grinder, you get more steak flavour because of the larger pieces of meat when they’re roasting. It gives me control over texture and quality.” Mohamed offers three different types of burgers at BQM, suited to each palate. “If you want the first bite to be juicy, the untrimmed brisket has 30 per cent fat, and an intense taste, with an acidity due to the muscle movement of that cut,” he says. For customers looking for a texture-driven, clean first bite, the sirloin is a non-traditional bite with 10 per cent fat that’s added in from the brisket. And for purists searching out the burger taste of their youth, Mohamed says the chuck would give you the standard first bite: not too fatty, but lean and flavourful, with a 20 per cent fat content. When the grind is balanced correctly, the fat content can play a huge part in the enjoyment of the burger. “The mouth is always in love with fat. Why do you think people like ice cream?” says Henry at Relish Gourmet Burgers. “A great burger has balance and complexity of flavours.” Henry uses items such as pickled beets and pickled onion relish to provide acidity. “It gives the mouth a punch in the back of the throat,” he says. Introducing sweet notes through the sauce or the cooking method can even out the flavours.

A n d for the real burger connoisseur, Henry recommends putting in a spice mix (Relish’s are proprietary and secret) that provides a finishing flavour in the mouth. “Take a breath in. You should feel that spice mix hit in the back of the mouth, with a slow linger on the palate,” he says. Ultimately, the perfect burger should engage all five senses. Heightening that eating experience will not only increase customers’ enjoyment but bring them back through the door, which for most operators in these economic times, is a welcome sight. From left: Burger from BQM in Toronto. Stuffed cheese burger from Woody’s in Etobicoke, ON. The Brad Burger from Fredericton’s Relish Gourmet Burger. A multi-layer confection from Penticton, BC’s Burger 55.

Food on Campus: By Elaine Anselmi

a seminar in service

With every September bringing new faces, new appetites and new trends, post-secondary foodservice operators and suppliers have a unique challenge. In order to satisfy the group of predominantly 20 to 30-year-olds, communication and consideration is key. Healthy choices and restricted diets

hile meal plans are motivation enough for some first-year students to stick to oncampus foodservice, those not bound by a localized food budget – often paid by their parents – have many options for off-campus eateries. How have post-secondary institutions and suppliers stepped up their game to satisfy hungry students? Chartwells’ president Ross Munro says there is a formula that creates a unique quilt of foodservice at each school. “You have your national brand component, regional brand component, and then the remainder would be relative to the demographic of the school,” he says. “It’s a wide palette that we choose to best address the local need.” Building that successful quilt means creating food options that are worth staying on campus for. This past January Halifax’s well-known grocer, Pete’s Fruitique, opened a QSR outlet on the Dalhousie University campus, says Munro. Known by students for its downtown location, the new campus concept brings an off-campus local favourite right to them. Alongside the campus staples such as Tim Hortons and Pizza Pizza, this unique component offers students a reason stay on campus for a bite.

Communication studies One of the best ways to find out whether food operations are satisfying students is by communicating directly with them, and in this era of social media, there are no shortage of avenues. The UeaT brand at the University of Toronto is a di-

rect result of engaging with students and wanting to further involve them in a conversation on food, says U of T’s director of ancillary services, Anne MacDonald. “We developed it as an umbrella brand because [St. George] is such a big campus and there are so many different service providers,” she says. “Students don’t need to know who runs what and where, they just want to get on social media and talk to foodservice. So, [UeaT is] kind of the social media presence and outward looking face of foodservice.” Along with a website, UeaT has a Facebook page, Twitter account and student bloggers who publish reports on issues of interest around foodservice, says MacDonald. One of the things she’s noticed over the past few years is the importance of having an open conversation with students. “They want to talk to us so we have to be available to do that,” she says. The Hospitality Services Advisory Committee at Guelph, which has a student representative from each residence, offers regular feedback on the school’s food operations, says Mark Kenny, purchasing co-ordinator, hospitality services for University of Guelph. Along with dining hall surveys, Kenny says the majority of feedback comes from social media. “People are always happy to tell you what they don’t like, but our students always tell us what they do like,” he says. “Students will [write] that they liked one thing, and can we get more of this

or that. There’s lots of opportunity for feedback from them.” Sodexo recently started a Student Board of Directors that serves as a consulting committee for their campus foodservice segment, says Sodexo senior vice-president, education and healthcare, Barry Telford. Students serve on the committee for two to three years and have some regular engagement with the company and each other. “They definitely get together twice a year at a specific campus and spend two or three days testing and going through trends, data and surveys,” says Telford. “We are starting to look at technology from a social media standpoint with digital menu boards. Social media is one that is a pilot piece.” As of this year, Leigh Laidlaw, chef manager of Bridges Café at McMaster University, started a Facebook page for the café that lists the feature of the day and gives students an opportunity to respond. He says students will make requests for new items and if he gets enough requests, he’ll make it as a feature. If well received, that dish could get a spot on the menu. “They can communicate through [the Facebook page] and we’re pretty open here for the students to ask us questions,” says Laidlaw. MacDonald says the relationship between students and foodservice is really that of the university, and social media is an important vehicle for that. It is in the interest of university and suppliers to listen to the students and provide the sort of service they require, she says.

Among foodservice operators, suppliers and chefs, there is strong agreement that dietary restrictions and nutritional consciousness is on the rise. “We’ve seen a real new demand for special menus,” says Telford. “Whether it be vegan or gluten-free – some lifestyle, some religion, some health-related – it certainly has impacted us.” He says that one of the largest ways these restrictions have affected Sodexo is in making them more innovative both in their food offerings, and how they sell it. “I think the piece that’s really become apparent is that we have to market it. We have to make sure people know a gluten-free option does exist,” he says. Telford gives the example of Queens University, where there is a well-advertised vegetarian station. “In some cases, we have an email address where you can make an appointment to see someone and make specific menu requests.” MacDonald says, simply due to demographics, there is a higher representation of vegetarians and vegans on university campuses than in the general population. As well, with strong international representation, there is a high number of dietary restrictions. “[U of T] just started a labelling program so that vegetarian and vegan options are clearly identified. You want to be able to go up to a counter and know what you’re getting,” says MacDonald. She says the next phase of the labeling project is gluten-free. While traditional cafeteria options will always be a selling point for an indulgent younger generation, MacDonald says it has become clear that they also seek out the healthier options. “Students certainly seem to be more health focused than they were in my day. They’re more health conscious and more educated about nutrition than they were perhaps 10 years ago,” she says. “This doesn’t mean they don’t want pizza. They do, but they also want healthier options.” Munro says that giving students the freedom to individualize their own meals has allowed them to satisfy both restrictive diets and indulgent cravings. Many of Chartwells’ facilities have an area called My Pantry, where students can cook their own food, says Munro. Students can go shopping for ingredients in the servery and then use a frying pan or other cookware needed to prepare themselves a dish. As well as giving students the option of what to eat, it also gives them the freedom of choosing when they eat. “They go to bed at odd hours and work at odd hours. Their days are not like traditional days. They’re living on a much more global clock,” he says. “It’s like coming into your own kitchen,” says Munro. “You open the fridge, you’ll find eggs, rice that was for dinner last night – all labeled of course and held at the right temperature – you can make waffles, a smoothie, toast.” A displayed shopping list in the pantry allows students to add to the list, whether it’s a certain food or spice, for the chef to bring in, says Munro. Students seeking alternative food options

A P R I L 2 013

were largely behind creating the business plan for the all-vegetarian Bridges Café at McMaster, says Laidlaw. Partnered with the department of Diversity Services, the café operates as part of the overall foodservice at the school in that it qualifies as part of the meal plan for students, but it is strict about its vegetarian mandate, says Laidlaw. “We don’t allow meat on the premises, really out of respect for other diners,” he says. Bridges offers a full menu of hot and cold options as well as a grab-and-go salad station, says Laidlaw. A pasta and stir-fry bar offers at least 20 different types of produce to incorporate in the made-to-order dishes as well as various types of rice or noodle. Including his main menu board, Laidlaw says approximately 75 per cent of Bridges options are also vegan-friendly. Laidlaw says he sees approximately 600 students per day coming through Bridges, which is approximately one quarter of what some of the larger campus foodservice establishments see. At the beginning of each school year, Laidlaw meets with every student that has food allergies or dietary restrictions and alerts his staff. He says they

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also have clear signage asking students to make staff aware of any special requirements. “People are watching what they eat and being more involved and more aware,” he says. “Every year, I get more and more questions about nutritional value.” To address student questions and concerns about health, the University of Guelph offers SNAP – the Student Nutrition Awareness Program. The program has second and third year nutrition students advise others on food choices, says Kenny. They will give tips on concerns such as healthier food choices than coffee and pop for exam period, or how to supplement a low-iron diet. They also run programs whereby if you purchase a certain amount of fruit, you get stamps that eventually accumulate to a free fruit reward. To promote an interest in healthier vegetable alternatives U of T hosts Veggie Mondays. MacDonald notes that the name is not Meatless Mondays, since they don’t want to exclude certain proteins. “We’re going with the positive spin rather than the negative,” she says. “We don’t take

the meat away but we do want to increase the vegetable options.” Food operators also offer a 10 per cent discount to anyone who purchases a vegetarian meal on Mondays.

Sustainable sources There is an increased environmental awareness and desire from students to know where their food comes from, says MacDonald. A concern for carbon footprints and issues associated with procurement have not been just a flash in the pan, but has shown a consistent increase for several years now, she says. “The big challenge with those sorts of things is always the food supply chain. Sometimes, it’s the middle of the supply chain that’s the issue,” says MacDonald. “I’ve found Aramark to be very flexible over the years. They’ve come a long way and they certainly recognize and appreciate that we have a relationship with our students that we want to continue to be positive.” The push for sustainable foodservice practices is not limited to urban schools, or a particular province, says Telford. As with most food trends,

there isn’t an easy differentiator between urban and rural schools because their student catchment is so broad. “What we did determine is that each school has its own very unique identity. It doesn’t necessarily relate to the school two minutes away,” says Telford. He chalks this down to national recruiting programs by schools that once were more focused on local or regional marketing. From coast to coast, Telford says the demand for local produce and products is a real one. Even on a large scale, local sourcing is a possibility on school campuses, says Munro. “A custom solution for Halifax is different than it is in Montreal or Vancouver or Toronto.” He says such individual catering is feasible by having a broadline solution for staples and then nuances that are unique to each school. “You do the basics with the broadline,” he says. Finding solutions that appeal to environmentally-minded students comes naturally at Bridges Café. “Sustainability and vegetarianism go hand in hand,” says Laidlaw. “Student involvement has definitely increased as they’re becoming more aware.” Continued on 14

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Laidlaw tries to stay one step ahead and shop as local as possible. Despite last year’s challenging growing season, he says he sources from local farmers that operate pesticide-free. “This is the generation that’s starting to ask more questions and be more curious,” says Laidlaw. “They are more conscious and more aware of their food.” One trend that is cropping up on campuses, including McMaster and Guelph, is going back to the source and hosting farmers’ markets, or agricultural clubs on campus. “The Ontario Agricultural College was basically the founder of all of University of Guelph and that really ties into the whole local food concept,” says Kenny. “It’s a perfect fit for us. I always say we’re lucky to be where we are. We have all of this great farmland around us. To be able to shop in your own backyard is really one of the keys.” Last year, with help from the Greenbelt Fund, Guelph opened a brand new produce processing room. The facility allows them to purchase local seasonal produce and then wash, chop, sanitize and freeze it to be used throughout the winter, says Kenny. The room also operates as a jarring station where corned salsa, pickled peppers, and other preserves are made for sale on campus under their own label. The university has partnered with Guelph Wellington Local Food on their Taste Real initiative that identifies food grown within the Guelph Wellington area. Kenny says the preserves from Guelph’s processing room are proudly labeled with the Taste Real logo. The processing room opened April 1, 2012 and Kenny says they are still in the learning phase. “We’ve been a year now, and put a lot of product through,” he says. “[However,] we’re still having to purchase some.” Along with chef Gordon Cooledge, who oversees the processing room, Kenny shops for the school at the Elmira Produce Auction. Together, they can see what is available and what can be done with it for campus foodservice. For example,

Kenny says they found cherry bomb peppers at the auction for a good price and decided they could be pickled and used down the road as a burger topping or other addition. The next big project for Kenny is an on-campus short order grill that will subscribe to the regional ingredient philosophy. “As much product as possible, in that particular restaurant, will be local (that being Ontario). We like to use Foodland Ontario logos and things like that, and the majority of that is produce,” says Kenny. “We’re expanding that into protein and developing the menus on that right now.” Guelph’s new restaurant will benefit from the processing room’s capacity for local and housemade preserves. “We can start jarring a lot of our own product. If we wanted to make our own kimchi or ketchup – we can use local ingredients, make them for ourselves and serve them at this location,” says Kenny. “We’re trying to tie all of these little local food pieces into one presentable package that says ‘Do you know you’re doing local right now?’”

Enrollment Post-secondary institutions have the unique setting of foodservice within a hub of research, learning and innovation. Everyday, students and professors are dedicating their time to discussions around agriculture, food security, sustainability and other issues that are interconnected with their own daily meals. “We have a much foodier culture now than we used to,” says MacDonald. “Students don’t shut that part of themselves off when they come to university.” Courses are geared toward food and environmental issues, and MacDonald encourages students to have a united experience where their academics meet with campus life. In turn, MacDonald says, foodservice wants to be a part of the students’ academic experience. Dana Lahey, a consultant and former national coordinator for Campus Food Systems Project (CFSP) says, “The value to foodservice providers

is that they can tap into these incredible academic capacities on the campuses they’re on.” The CFSP is a national initiative between the Sierra Youth Coalition and Meal Exchange. It works with student leaders on nine campuses across Canada to engage members at every level of foodservice operations in working towards more sustainable practice, says Lahey. Working with schools from Newfoundland to B.C., CFSP put a call out to student leaders to put in applications explaining why they felt their school was ready for this change, and why they were the right person to make it happen. CFSO provides two years of support and funding for the student leaders – generally there are two or three at each school – and coaches them on seeking out and bringing together the foodservice stakeholders on their campus, Lahey says. The student leaders are facilitating meetings between chefs, professors, administrators and the community to have a positive conversation on sustainability. “It’s about creating a space to have collaborative discussions around these really big questions of: ‘We know we want to serve sustainable food, support the local economy, provide healthy, affordable food … What are the barriers, what are the opportunities and how can we work together?’,” says Lahey. One of the benefits of campuswide involvement in foodservice is that applied research partnerships can bring about answers to these questions. “When you bring those players together, you can say ‘What research is needed by the [foodservice] provider?’ and then use the support of a passionate group of students who spend a semester or year working on that project,” says Lahey. “Students have a chance to tackle concrete, real world issues on their campus and do research that’s going to have a real impact.” At McGill University, applied student research (the topic of Lahey’s thesis at that school) has led to in depth research in sourcing local and sustainable poultry, and most recently obtaining sustainable seafood certification.

AT L A N T I C R E S TAU R A N T N E W S

Case study: Poultry Chefs and students together decided poultry was one of the largest consistent categories purchased, says Lahey. Finding out the different options with sourcing poultry and which were actually feasible became the focus for three separate courses, one undergraduate group project and an independent study by one student that led to their undergraduate thesis project. Through this work, areas such as supply and price points came into consideration as well as the varying standards for poultry such as grain fed or organic. The study dictated that the manageable option was switching to 10 per cent grain fed poultry, a smaller percentage of organic and using those avenues to begin building supply chain relationships.

Case study: Seafood In working towards obtaining sustainable seafood certification at McGill, a senior undergraduate class in environmental studies dedicated an entire semester to the cause. The class evaluated the different systems of certification, determining which was most useful and realistic. The students also posed the question, “Is it realistic for our distributors?” In March 2013, McGill became the first Canadian university to obtain certification from the Marine Stewardship Council. Photos: Page 12: Chef Gordon Cooledge serves students at the University of Guelph. Photo by Laura Berman, GreenFuse Photos. Printed with permission from Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation. Page 13: From left: Mackenzie Cafe, Mediterranean Grill at Simon Fraser University. Photo courtesy of Chartwells. Salad bar at the University of Guelph. Photo courtesy of University of Guelph. Good to Go bar. Photo courtesy of Sodexo. Background images: Ruled paper by Somad Jinn. Post-it Notes by Broken Arts.

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Big Spruce brings microbrewing to Cape Breton Island this spring Spent grain at Big Spruce.

Jeremy White

NYANZA, NS—Big Spruce Brewing celebrates its official opening this month, making it the first microbrewery on Cape Breton Island. The brewery is situated on a 75-acre farm just outside of Baddeck and is the second certified organic farm brewery in Canada, owner and brewmaster Jeremy White told ARN. “We think our message is a unique one,” said White. “We grow a significant portion of the hops required in a brewing process here on the farm and our beer is completely unpasteurized, unfiltered and entirely the way craft beer and real ales are supposed to be brewed.” Big Spruce will host three opening celebrations in the province at locations poised to serve its brews on tap, said White. The first event will be at the Bras D’or Yacht Club in Baddeck on Apr. 6, followed by events at the Governor’s Pub and Eatery in Sydney and The Wooden Monkey in Dartmouth.

The brewery will have two flagship beers, the Cereal Killer Oatmeal Stout, which earned its name from the abundance of grain in the brew, and the Kitchen Party Pale Ale, a dry hopped beer that uses the organic hops grown on White’s farm. “The two [flagship] beers will run year round and we’ll scatter a number of seasonal specialties throughout,” said White. After purchasing the farm in 2008, White first planted his hops in 2009. The plan has always been to move towards this sort of farmbased brewing business. On the entire acreage, White currently has 11 varieties of hops growing on a half acre, which he hopes to expand this spring and again next year to cover approximately 1.5 acres. White said he spent a year doing soil prep in the expansion area, which he hopes to use to supply at least half the hops used in the Big Spruce brews.

“We are realists. We know brewing is our bread and butter,” he said. “We don’t want hop growing to distract us from that.” White has already established a relationship with local farmers to supply ingredients both for the brewing process and for a soon-to-come associated restaurant. Along with his wife Melanie, who is a chef, White plans to open the restaurant above the brewery mid-summer, he said. “The restaurant will be reservation only, with a very small capacity of 25 seats, offering multiple course meals, and pairing [Big Spruce] beers with local food as much as possible and organic whenever possible,” said White. The brewing facility is approximately 3,000 square feet and has the capacity to move two 850 litre batches per week, White said. Initially the plan was to allot 80 per cent of the product to kegs for restaurants and bars, leaving 20 per cent for growler sales out of the brewhouse. “The business has developed and interest piqued. We think our growler traffic is going to be a little more hectic than forecasted,” he said. White has already been asked to participate in Fredericton and Halifax’s respective beer festivals where he’ll have both flagship brews and potentially another seasonal beer. Big Spruce Brewing, Nyanza, NS, 902-295ALES. facebook.com/BigSpruceBrewing.

New master distiller for Bombay Sapphire LONDON, ENGLAND—Bombay Sapphire is adding Nik Fordham to its roster as master distiller at the new Laverstoke Mill, England distillery, currently under construction and set to open this year. According to a release in March, Fordham, an experienced distiller, will oversee gin production at the Hampshire, England location. Fordham will be responsible for crafting gin, quality assurance and managing the production team. Bombay Sapphire’s gin is produced based on Thomas Dakin’s recipe, which dates back to 1761. Ford-

ham will work with master of botanicals Ivano Tonutti, who selects plant ingredients from around the world. Global marketing manager Emma Johansson said Fordham will help the “reinvigoration” of the gin category.

Sapporo’s production shuffle in Canada GUELPH, ON, AND DARTMOUTH, NS— Sapporo International will be selling its eastern operations and sending some of its central brewing south. The parent company of Sleeman Breweries Ltd. announced in a March 6 release that it will be selling its Dartmouth, NS facility and moving approximately 200,000 hectolitres of product from its Guelph, ON brewing facility to the U.S.

The moves were made for efficiency and meeting the demand for Sleeman and Sapporo products, according to the release. “Sapporo has been increasing its North American market share in a category that is experiencing only modest growth,” said Shige Yokoi, president and CEO of Sleeman Breweries Ltd. “In order to consolidate and maximize this momentum, we must make some immediate and crucial changes to our North American brewing

strategy to improve productivity across our entire operation,” he said. Sleeman generates more than 1.8 million hectoliters of product per year across Canada for North American consumption, of which 27,000 hectolitres comes from the Dartmouth operation. The sale will affect 32 employees at the Dartmouth operation. The Guelph facility will continue to produce all products for Canadian consumption.

BRIEFS

Beverage trends for 2013 TORONTO—Fair trade and organic coffee topped the list of hot trends for non-alcoholic drinks in the CRFA’s 2013 Canadian Chef Survey, based on responses from more than 350 foodservice professionals. Also included in the top five alcohol-free beverages are coconut water; specialty iced tea, such as thaistyle or southern, small-batch sodas, and green tea. The survey looked at what chefs thought the up-and-coming trends might be for 2013. House-made soft drinks, smallbatch sodas, dairy-free milk, specialty iced tea and agua fresca (Spanish for “fresh water”) made the list. The survey also indicated that local wine and beer are at the peak of popularity when it comes to boozy beverages. Craft beer and microbrews, micro-distilled and artisan liquor, regional signature cocktails and bar chef or mixologist creations are trending right now. According the to survey, the next hot trends in alcoholic beverages could be gluten-free beer, microdistilled and artisan liquor, beerbased cocktails, culinary cocktails, customized for specific dishes, and specialty beer, such as seasonal and fruit-flavoured offerings.

Have you got beverage news, such as winery or distillery openings, appointments or events to share with our ARN readers? Email: lwu@canadianrestaurantnews.com for editorial consideration.

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Mining Big Data to personalize customer service “Think of our organization as the LCBO and Beer Store in a one-stop shop,” Pellerin explained to his Ontario-based audience. “What the heck does a full monopoly need with a loyalty program?” His answer: the NSLC wanted to use rewards as currency for customer insight. “In some ways we have a tough go in Nova Scotia, although we had some positive momentum when the [tall] ships were here. We have the oldest population among the provinces, but we also have the third youngest city, Halifax. Believe it or not, we don’t want to sell more product—our challenge is

Tim Pellerin, vice-president of marketing and merchandising for Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. spoke at a recent conference in Toronto on Loyalty Programs and Big Data.

By Colleen Isherwood, Senior contributing editor TORONTO—The concept seems almost counter intuitive: big companies such as Boston Pizza, Canadian Tire and Toys ‘R Us all want to achieve the personal touch of those old-time restaurants who knew what you wanted to order when you walked into the store. But to do it, these companies attended a double-barrelled conference on Loyalty Programs and Big Data. This conference, put on by Terrapin Group, is a first for Canada, although Terrapin has organized similar conferences in the U.S. There is a reason why the words “Big Data” are capitalized. The numbers are mind-boggling. The concept encompasses the wide variety of data available online. It’s measured in petabytes (PB), one petabyte being equal to 10 to the power of 15 bytes—that’s 10 followed by 15 zeros. For example, on June 15, 2012, Facebook announced that they had reached 100 PB of data. On Nov. 8, 2012, th company announced that its warehouse grows by half a PB per day. Increasingly, marketing and IT skills are overlapping. At the conference, speaker after speaker provided compelling reasons why companies should mine all this data to increase their business. Take loyalty cards, for example. Andy Wright, president of Air Miles, talked about the company’s coalition model. Consumers love to collect points, and they are looking for a program that fits as many of their spending habits as possible. Air Miles’ coalition approach allows the consumer to earn rewards from many of their shopping habits— Wright said Air Miles covers two-thirds of all shopping types across Canada. Shoppers earn points across a range of categories and channels, including mobile. “They don’t have to carry a bunch of cards in their pocket,” Wright noted. As a measurement of Air Miles’ success, he said that there were one million downloads of the Air Miles mobile app in Canada alone. There are a number of advantages for brands that participate in the coalition as well, said Wright. If a company wants to build a loyalty program, the shared costs of joining Air Miles are not as costly as developing a product themselves. Air Miles already has an active base of ready-to-shop customers.

Why does a monopoly need loyalty? Tim Pellerin, vice-president of marketing and merchandising for the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation found these arguments compelling, and NSLC joined Air Miles in February of 2102.

to sell better—to raise the spend on a bottle of wine to $15, $16 or $17,” said Pellerin. “If we could just know what people want, just ahead of when they want it.” Air Miles was a natural fit because they have 87 per cent household penetration in the province. NSLC wanted the data from Air Miles transactions to help them personalize their sales programs. For example, 5,000 people attended their Port of Wines Festival in September last year. Those people spent $400,000 on wine. Thanks to the Air Miles program, NSLC had a better handle on what they bought. Six

months down the road, they invited those people to a wine tasting. And they will follow up with a pre-purchase offer for next year’s Port of Wines celebration. Pellerin’s approach will be to test, measure and learn. A year into the Air Miles partnership, he is pleased with the fit and speed of implementation for the program, adding that it allows for multi-channel communication with customers. Annapolis Valley wines are on the NSLC radar as well, said Pellerin, pointing out that Nova Scotia is the third largest wine producing province, behind Ontario and B.C.

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Newfoundland Tourism awards

PEOP L E

Photos: Top: From left: Alain Goyette, sales manager, Canada, Vollrath and Mike Otter president, R.E.D. Susan Senecal, chief marketing officer, A&W Food Services of Canada. Bottom: From left: Frank Hebner, Scotsman, Dao Riopel, Distex, Kathy Pocius, R.E.D., Michel Prevost, Distex, Mike Otter, president R.E.D. Chef Daryl MacDonnell, Keltic Lodge.

The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA) named Susan Senecal, chief marketing officer for A&W Food Services of Canada, as the new chair of the board at its annual general meeting. The CRFA also named this year’s executive committee and board members.

Executive Committee Susan Senecal, A&W Food Services of Canada Inc., North Vancouver. Chair of the Board. Kevin Friesen, Imvescor Restaurant Group Inc., Moncton. First vice-chair. Liam Dolan, Claddagh Oyster House/Olde Dublin Pub, Charlottetown. Vice-chair. Paul Methot, Pizza Pizza Ltd., Toronto. Vicechair. Ian Mackay, ARAMARK Healthcare, Toronto. Treasurer. Yvan Coupal, Salades Sensations, Laval, QC. Secretary. Mark Pacinda, Boston Pizza International Inc., Mississauga, ON. Chair, strategic plan. Donna Dooher, The Mildred Pierce Group, Toronto. Immediate past chair.

Board Members Bill Allen Fresh Casual Restaurant Inc., Aulac, NB. Michael Aronovici, Interaction Restaurants Group Inc., Montreal. John Betts, McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada, Toronto. Scott Bonikowsky, Tim Hortons Inc.,

Oakville, ON. Darren Carter, Beer Bros. Gastropub & Deli/ The Willow on Wascana, Regina. Gerard Curran, The James Joyce Irish Pub and Restaurant, Calgary. Tommy Cvitanovich, Drago’s Seafood Restaurant, Metairie, LA. National Restaurant Association exchange director. Warren Erhart, White Spot Hospitality, Vancouver. James Henderson, The Keg Steakhouse and Bar, Richmond, BC. Brad Kramble, Salisbury House of Canada, Winnipeg. Daniel Labonté, Restaurant Normandin, Quebec City. Guy Laframboise, Les Restaurants Subway Québec Ltée, Ville Saint-Laurent, QC. Steve McMullin, Grafton Connor Group, Halifax. Scot McTaggart, fusion grill, Winnipeg. Brenda O’Reilly, YellowBelly Brewery & Public House, St. John’s. Don Robinson, Cara Operations Ltd., Vaughan, ON. Patrick Saurette, The Marc Restaurant Group, Edmonton. Bill Simpson, Drake Hotel, Toronto. Chris Tzaneteas, Chrisco Restaurants Ltd., Halifax. Vikram Vij, Vij’s Restaurant Inc., Vancouver. Mike Yasinski, Hudsons Canadian Hospitality, Edmonton. Annie Young-Scrivner, Starbucks Coffee Company, Toronto.

Mike Otter, president of R.E.D. presented two awards at the R.E.D. 2013 Conference from March 17 to 21 at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in Coronado, California. The 2012 Supplier of the Year – Smallwares, went to Vollrath and was accepted by Alain Goyette, sales manager, Vollrath Canada. The second was the 2012 Supplier of the Year – Equipment, which went to Distex-Scotsman and was accepted by Frank Hebner of Scotsman and Dao Riopel of Distex. Lifelong Nova Scotian, Daryl MacDonnell, is now executive chef of Keltic Lodge. He comes to the lodge after being executive chef for the Membertou Trade and Convention Center as well as Cape Breton Resorts. He also trained up and coming chefs as an instructor at Nova Scotia Community College. Earlier in his career, he trained under chefs Takashi “Tony” Murakami and Marcel Kretz. The 105-room hotel is one of Atlantic Canada’s Signature Resorts and is owned by the government of Nova Scotia. New Castle Hotels and Resorts has operated the property since 2002. The CEO of Island Abbey Foods John Rowe was given the 2013 Food Industry Leadership Award by Food in Canada Magazine. The accolade, previously the Processor of the Year Award, honours industry members who have shown leadership through innovation and success, according to a Feb. 22 release. Rowe received the award in recognition of Island Abbey’s brand Honibe – Pure Honey Joy. The product line includes Honey Drop, Honey Delights – confectionaries, Honey Sprinkles – for use in baking and cooking, and Honey Lozenges, according to the release. Charlottetown-based Island Abbey Foods produces natural health products and specialty foods.

COMING EVENTS Apr. 10: National Food, Tabletop & Supplies Show, Toronto Congress Center, Toronto, ON. For information, go to: gfscanada.com/en/ helping-you-succeed/foodshows. Apr. 14-15: ApEx Foodservice Tradeshow, Exhibition Place, Halifax. For information, go to: www.apextradeshow.ca. Apr. 23: Nutrition for NON-Nutritionists, University of Toronto St. Michael’s College, Toronto. For information, go to: www.nutritionfornonnutritionists.com. Apr. 24: National Food, Tabletop & Supplies

Show, ExpoCite Quebec, Quebec City, QC. For information, go to: gfscanada.com/en/helping-you-succeed/foodshows.

May 7: Flanagan Foodservice Annual Tradeshow, Owen Sound Show, Owen Sound Bayshore Arena, Owen Sound, ON. For information, go to www.flanagan.ca.

Apr. 30 – May 2: SIAL Canada, the International Food & Beverage Tradeshow, SET CANADA, the National Food Equipment and Technology Tradeshow, Direct Energy Centre, Toronto, ON. For information, go to: www. sialcanada.com.

May 9-10: Canadian Society of Nutrition Management and Dietitians of Canada joint conference. Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel, Toronto, ON. For information, go to: www.csnm.ca.

May 1: Flanagan Foodservice Annual Tradeshow, Sudbury Show, Garson Community Centre, Garson, ON. For information, go to: www.flanagan.ca.

May. 9 – 11: Nova Scotia Food Gathering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS. For information, go to: facebook.com/NSFoodGathering.

ST. JOHN’S—The annual Tourism Excellence Awards Gala was hosted by Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL) on Feb. 22. The gala was the grand finale to the HNL’s 30th Annual Conference and Tradeshow that saw more than 350 delegates and exhibitors gather at the Delta St. John’s hotel from Feb. 20 to 22. The awards recognize businesses and people who work to advance Newfoundland and Labrador’s tourism industry. “The Tourism Excellence Awards are a means to both celebrate the achievements of the tourism industry and show appreciation for the hard work and relentless efforts to bring success to our industry,” said HNL chair Darlene Thomas. The award recipients were: • H. Clayton Sparkes Accommodator of the Year Award – Ocean Delight Cottages, Whiteway, NL. • Cal LeGrow Innovator of the Year Award – Newfoundland Chocolate Company, St. John’s. • John Atkins and Co. Tourism Champion of the Year Award – Gordon Slade. • Maxxim Vacations Tourism Business of the Year Award – Anchor Inn Hotel and Suites, Twillingate, NL. • Corporate Partner of the Year Award – Gander International Airport Authority, Gander, NL. • Restaurateur of the Year Award – Bonavista Social Club, Upper Amherst Cove, NL. • PRIDE Award – Prints of Whales Inn, Sandringham, NL. • The Norman Parsons Memorial Award – Fishing Point Bed and Breakfast, St. Anthony, NL. • Cultural Tourism Award – The Cupids Legacy Centre, Cupids, NL. • The Doug Wheeler Award – Stan Cook Jr. • The Sustainable Tourism Award – Nunatsiavut Solutions, operators of the Torngat Mountains Base Camp and Research Station.

PEI tourism industry celebrates CHARLOTTETOWN—The Tourism Industry Association of PEI (TIAPEI) presented its 32nd Annual Tourism Conference and Awards Gala on Mar. 6 and 7. The event, held at the Confederation Centre of the Arts in Charlottetown, celebrated the achievements of its members with the presentation of 11 awards. The TIAPEI President’s Award was presented to Robert Jourdain of Little York B & B and the Premier’s Award was given to chef Michael Smith. Other 2012 awards recipients for the evening were: • Barry Balsom, Arlington Orchards – Hospitality Award for Prince County; • Corrie MacDonald, Confederation Centre of the Arts – Hospitality Award for Queens County; • Karen Davey, Inn at St. Peters – Hospitality Award for Kings County; • North Cape Area Tourism Partnership – Walt Wheeler Media Award; • Vicki Francis and Martha Jacobson, Cranford Inn – Operator of the Year; • Three Rivers Roma Inc. – Parks Canada Sustainable Tourism Award; • Thom and Heather MacMillan, Cavendish Entertainment – Dr. Kent Ellis Quality of Excellence Award; • The Great George, Kevin and Kathy Murphy – the Tourism Advisory Council Brand Essence Award. The Lieutenant Governor’s Award was the final presentation of the evening, given to Matthew Jelley of the Maritime Fun Group. The conference included tourism related sessions, an industry tradeshow and fundraisers for the TIAPEI Tourism Scholarship Fund.

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