F&H October Issue 2016

BREAD WINNERS Today’s bread trends

are taking cues from the past

SUGAR RUSH George Brown College set to open new baking and chocolate lab

A MATTER OF CONVENIENCE Convenience stores are facing stiff competition

JUST CHILLIN’ Thinking outside the box for refrigeration solutions

SHAKEN, NOT STIRRED Mixologists CANADIAN PUBLICATION MAIL PRODUCT SALES AGREEMENT #40063470

talk cocktail trends

Christian Bullock, founder, Famoso Pizzeria

FIVE FOODSERVICE ENTREPRENEURS SHARE THEIR SECRETS TO SUCCESS foodserviceandhospitality.com $4 | OCTOBER 2016

WE CUT THE

SODIUM

BUT KEPT THE

FIRE Fire Roasted Vegetable

I N T R O D U C IN G S M A R T KETTLE LOWER SODIUM SO U P S Offer your customers lower sodium options that don’t skimp on flavour. New TrueSoups Smart Kettle Lower Sodium soups come in seven truly delicious varieties, including five vegetarian options. At only 410 mg of sodium per serving, flavours like Fire Roasted Vegetable and zesty Lemon Chicken Orzo keep all the flavour with the heat-and serve simplicity you crave in the kitchen.

Learn more about this satisfying line at kraftheinzfoodservice.ca/en-ca/productsandbrands/soups/frozen

VOLUME 49, NUMBER 7 OCTOBER 2016

CONTENTS

PHOTOGRAPHY: ADAM&KEV PHOTOGRAPHY [COVER, CHRISTIAN BULLOCK], NICK WONG [GEORGE BROWN, SUGAR RUSH], DREAMSTIME.COM [ARTISAN BREAD]

29

19

10

Features

10 BREAD WINNERS

32 LOW OCTANE, HIGH FASHION

19 BRIGHT STARS

Five of the country’s top foodservice industry entrepreneurs share their start-up stories, insights and inspiration

By Lindsay Forsey

33 A MATTER OF CONVENIENCE

27 NEW WORLD ORDER

37 IF THE FRIDGE DOESN’T FIT…

Today’s bread trends are taking cues from the past

By Danielle Schalk

The millennial cohort is looking to franchising opportunities to feed its entrepreneurial spirit By Sebastian Fuschini

29 SUGAR RUSH

George Brown’s new baking and chocolate lab answers a growing demand for skilled pâtissiers

By Sarah B. Hood

Canada’s top mixologists talk cocktail trends By Eric Alister

BRIGHT STARS COVER STORY ON PAGE 19

Convenience stores are facing stiff competition for market share when it comes to foodservice sales

By Carol Snell For operators seeking an outside-thebox refrigeration solution, customdesigned units are the way to go

By Denise Deveau

Departments

2 FROM THE EDITOR 5 FYI 9 FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT CARTER 40 CHEF’S CORNER: Michael

Robbins,

AnnaLena, Vancouver

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

1

FROM THE EDITOR For daily news and announcements: @foodservicemag on Twitter

and Foodservice and Hospitality on Facebook.

THE DRIVING FORCE

H

“

Most entrepreneurs draw their energy through new ideas and those ideas germinate in the unlikeliest of places

”

2 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

ave you ever wondered what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur? In the whirlwind and sometimes cutthroat world of entrepreneurship, passion is oftentimes viewed as the driving force necessary to fuel success. Scratch the surface of Canada’s dynamic $78-billion foodservice industry and you’ll undoubtedly find a plethora of passionate individuals — be they owners, operators, or chefs.

When you look at the high failure rate of restaurants, the low profit margins eked out by many and the long working hours demanded by this industry, one has to wonder why so many wannabe entrepreneurs still gravitate to it? But for those intoxicated by the thrill of running their own business, the foodservice and hospitality industry holds an unexplainable magnetic force — pulling them in and then propelling them forward to break through the barriers and ultimately achieve success.

Just as passion is a necessary ingredient for success, so too, is creativity. Ever meet an entrepreneur who is at a loss for new ideas? In fact, most entrepreneurs draw their energy through new ideas and those ideas germinate in the unlikeliest of places. For these individuals, the magic unfolds when an idea finally takes root. Entrepreneurs are driven by fuelling new concepts, watching them develop into successful entities and then, just as easily, moving on to the next great idea because there’s always another great idea. They’re not prone to indecision; they don’t let it stifle or paralyze them with inertia; they’re not risk averse.

Failure is not an option for these steely individuals. They’re energized by challenges; they see opportunity where others see failure; and should they fail, they learn from it, pick themselves up and get to it, again.

Luckily, the foodservice industry is home to many of these entrepreneurs — individuals with a dream and the conviction, determination and perseverance to make it a reality. Of course, solid backing, sound acumen and strong financial footing don’t hurt.

Sure, passion alone may not necessarily guarantee success — but it can go a long way in propelling entrepreneurs to great heights. In fact, more often than not, it’s hard to ignore the importance that passion plays in any successful enterprise. And, it happens to be the one common thread woven through many of this month’s featured Bright Stars (see story on p. 19). Each of this month’s five profiles represents a unique brand of entrepreneurship and their stories serve as inspiration for those keen to glean a few lessons from them.

Interestingly, as a new generation of millennials now starts to take the reins of power (see story on p. 27), a new form of entrepreneurship will undoubtedly take shape — one rooted in social activism and care for the planet. The scope of what will be created will change and evolve, and their stories will unfold in new and creative ways never before imagined.

Rosanna Caira Editor/Publisher rcaira@kostuchmedia.com

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

EDITOR & PUBLISHER ROSANNA CAIRA rcaira@kostuchmedia.com ART DIRECTOR MARGARET MOORE ideas@margaretmoorecreative.com MANAGING EDITOR AMY BOSTOCK abostock@kostuchmedia.com ASSISTANT EDITOR DANIELLE SCHALK dschalk@kostuchmedia.com EDITORIAL ASSISTANT ERIC ALISTER ealister@kostuchmedia.com MULTIMEDIA MANAGER DEREK RAE drae@kostuchmedia.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER COURTNEY JENKINS cjenkins@kostuchmedia.com SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER/U.S.A. WENDY GILCHRIST wgilchrist@kostuchmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER MARIA FAMA VIECILI mviecili@kostuchmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER MAGGIE SPENCE mspence@kostuchmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER CHERYLL SAN JUAN csanjuan@kostuchmedia.com CUSTOMER SERVICE ASSOCIATE ELENA OSINA eosina@kostuchmedia.com CIRCULATION PUBLICATION PARTNERS kml@publicationpartners.com, (905) 509-3511 CONTROLLER DANIELA PRICOIU dpricoiu@kostuchmedia.com FOUNDER MITCH KOSTUCH

ADVISORY BOARD CARA OPERATIONS KEN OTTO CORA FRANCHISE GROUP DAVID POLNY CRAVE IT RESTAURANT GROUP ALEX RECHICHI FAIRFAX FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LIMITED NICK PERPICK FHG INTERNATIONAL INC. DOUG FISHER FRESHII MATTHEW CORRIN JOEY RESTAURANT GROUP BRITT INNES KATIE JESSOP REGISTERED DIETITIAN LECOURS WOLFSON LIMITED NORMAN WOLFSON MANITOWOC FOODSERVICE JACQUES SEGUIN SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY & TOURISM MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH BRUCE MCADAMS SENSORS QUALITY MANAGEMENT DAVID LIPTON SOTOS LLP JOHN SOTOS SOUTH ST. BURGER CO. JAY GOULD THE HOUSE OF COMMONS JUDSON SIMPSON THE MCEWAN GROUP MARK MCEWAN UNILEVER FOOD SOLUTIONS NORTH AMERICA GINNY HARE

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MONTHLY NEWS AND UPDATES FOR THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY

HIGHER LEARNING

McDonald’s Canada is making post-secondary education accessible for employees BY AMY BOSTOCK

FYI ONLINE OPPORTUNITY

Workers in other provinces will also be able to participate in McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada’s new agreement with Colleges Ontario that will see restaurant employees’ on-the-job training translate into credits towards a college business diploma. Since some of the Ontario colleges offer online studies, Sharon Ramalho, chief people officer, McDonald’s Canada, says all of the company’s approx-

M

cDonald’s Restaurants of Canada has inked a new agreement with Colleges Ontario that will allow McDonald’s employees to receive credits towards a college business diploma — a first in the province.

The agreement will create a provincewide partnership with McDonald’s Canada to establish a prior-learning recognition system.

McDonald’s managers who have completed two courses at one of the restaurant’s training institutes — along with a combination of onthe-job experience, readings and workbook activities — can qualify for the advanced placement at one of 24 public colleges in Ontario, according to Sharon Ramalho, chief people officer, McDonald’s Canada.

imately 12,000 managers across Canada

“McDonald’s and its independent franchisees are committed to providing opportunities for people to learn life skills that will set them up for success — skills such as leadership, communications, hospitality and profit management,” says Ramalho. “We’re so pleased to work with the colleges on this new program that not only recognizes the quality of McDonald’s training, but also empowers employees to apply the skills they’ve learned to reach their career and academic goals.”

The program lets eligible employees directly enter a second-year business diploma or business administration advanced-diploma program, effectively saving them time and money (up to $4,500).

One expert says the McDonald’s initiative

could choose to pursue higher education.

signals a potential change in how Canadians will upgrade their skills to stay competitive in the workforce. “I see it as a win-win if it turns around the long decline in not spending the time or money upgrading the skills of our people,” Alan C. Middleton, executive director of the Schulich Executive Education Centre at York University’s school of business in Toronto told The Canadian Press.

A similar program is currently offered in B.C. with the British Columbia Institute of Technology and the company is also exploring programs with other post-secondary institutions across the country.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS While some critics cite the loss of first-year tuition as a downside to McDonald’s Canada’s new

education initiative, Linda Franklin, CEO of Colleges Ontario, says the program may see schools gain students they would never have attracted otherwise. “That’s a bit of a double-edged sword,” says Franklin, who feels the program may help colleges attract more students because “many of them might have considered multiple years of schooling too big a hurdle.” Franklin adds that Colleges Ontario spent three years reviewing the McDonald’s training before signing on.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

5

FYI

COMING EVENTS Oct. 5: Gordon Foodservice Show, Northland Expo, Hall E, Edmonton.

Tel: 800-232-7285; email: edm-info@ gfs.ca; website: gfs.ca/en/about-us/ news-events/come-join-us-in-edmonton Oct. 18: Gordon Foodservice Show, PNE Coliseum, Vancouver. Tel: 800663-1695; email: bc-info@gfs.ca; website: gfs.ca/en/about-us/newsevents/come-join-us-in-vancouver Oct. 29: 2016 Canadian Hospitality Foundation Gala, Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto. Tel: 416-363-3401; email: chf@theohi.ca; website: thechf.ca Nov. 21: Ontario Food Tourism Summit, The Westin Ottawa, Ottawa. email: communications@ontarioculinary.com; website: ontarioculinary.com Dec. 2: The 28th Annual Pinnacle Awards, Fairmont Royal York, Toronto.

Tel: 416-447-0888, ext. 235; email: dpricoiu@kostuchmedia.com; website: kostuchmedia.com Jan. 20 - Feb. 5: Dine Out Vancouver Festival, Tourism Vancouver, Vancouver. Tel: 614-682-222; email: lpavan@tourismvancouver.com; website: dineout- vancouver.com

FOR MORE EVENTS, VISIT http://bit.ly/FHevents

A NEW MILESTONE

In August, Milestones Bar and Grill unveiled its newly renovated space alongside new menu offerings at The Heartland Town Centre in Mississauga, Ont. Originally opened in 2006, the 6,163-sq.ft. location — the brand’s first foray into Eastern Canada — found itself in need of a design update to put it back in line with the chain’s current look and feel. The restaurant now boasts a modern interior and patio. Among industry insiders, Cara executives and special guests attending an evening of food and drinks was Newstalk 1010’s Beyond the Mike host, Mike Bullard.

The Mississauga-born comic kicked off the event with a toast to his high-school friend, Cara Operations’ CEO, Bill Gregson, and the rest of the Cara team. Milestones’ regional Operations manager, Joanne Keyworth, followed with an update on the company’s local fundraising efforts.

“Milestones is a huge believer in community involvement and it’s my pleasure to announce we’ve formed a partnership with the official Boys and Girls Club of Peel,” Keyworth shared.

Throughout the evening, guests were able to sample Milestones’ new appetizer offerings, crafted

by Culinary director, Jeff Dell. “With a nice new restaurant such as this, we have to have absolutely awesome new food paired with it,” said Dell. — Eric Alister

TIM HORTONS TO OPEN ACROSS THE POND

Restaurant Brands International has established a master franchise joint venture with a U.K. investor to bring the Tim Hortons brand to England, Scotland and Wales. The joint-venture company and its CEO, Gurprit Dhaliwal, will be responsible for developing and growing the brand in the new market. “This deal is part of our growth plan to take the iconic Tim Hortons brand around the world,” says Daniel Schwartz, CEO of Restaurant Brands International. “Great Britain is an attractive QSR market with a strong and growing coffee culture, so it’s a natural fit for the brand.”

This announcement comes just a month after RBI shared plans to enter the Philippines. The brand currently has an active presence in Canada, the U.S. and the Middle East.

STURGEON SURGEONS The International Centre for Sturgeon Studies (ICSS) at Vancouver Island University (VIU) is selling cans of smoked sturgeon and fresh fillets to restaurants and retail shops to raise awareness of what ICSS does, while also generating revenue to help further fund its research. White Sturgeon, which has been around for more than 200 million years, is the largest sturgeon species in North America. It can grow up to six metres and has a life expectancy of between 100 and 150 years. The ICSS raises thousands of white sturgeon to the age of two before selling them; releasing them in the wild is prohibited by federal and provincial laws. Restaurants serving VIU’s sturgeon products include the Westwood Bistro in Nanaimo, Pacific Prime Restaurant and Lounge in Parksville and Edible Canada in Vancouver. Ian Lane, director of Food and Beverage at Pacific Prime Restaurant, regularly uses VIU’s fresh sturgeon fillets as the eatery’s featured catch of the day. At Westwood Bistro, guests can enjoy the smoked product in a risotto-filled crepe with yam cream.

6 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FYI

RESTO BUZZ

Chefs Makoto Ono and Amanda Cheng have opened a new restaurant called Mak N Ming in the old Thai Star location in Kitsilano. The 850-sq.-ft. eatery, backed by Julius Dong, seats 28 and caters to guests seeking a personal and refined Japanese/French blend of Pacific Northwest cuisine…Oliver & Bonacini opened Pokito, Poke Balls Leña in late August at Toronto’s CF Toronto Eaton Centre. The new restaurant spans three floors in the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store. The menu features items such as salt-cod fritters with capers and dill crema ($11); smoked jamón croquetas with sherry aioli ($12); and iced scallops served with apple and mostarda ($21) …On Nov. 14, Dave & Buster’s will open its second Canadian location in Oakville, Ont. The 40,000-sq.-ft. entertainment destination will offer guests a modern space to eat, drink, play and watch sports. The restaurant’s chef-crafted menu features Pepperoni Pretzel Pull-Apart, the Legendary Buffalo Wing Burger, the Caveman Combo (ribs, sliders and fries piled high in a bucket) and the all-new Whisky BBQ Half Chicken…Pokito, a new Toronto quick-service restaurant specializing in fresh poke, is now open at the corner of Queen St. and Spadina Ave. Co-owners Kenton Chan and Allen Tan, the team behind Chatime, Bake Code and Me.N.U. Food Truck, have come together to create a new twist on the classic Hawaiian-style poké. Pokito offers customizable poké burritos and bowls with a variety of protein choices, including sashimi-grade tuna and salmon, cooked garlic shrimp, tako and organic tofu. Pokito’s signature dish, the 420 Bowl, features ponzu-lime sauce, sweet onions, cucumbers and Hawaiian guacamole…Joey Restaurant Group’s newest location, JOEY Bell Tower, opened this summer in the heart of downtown Edmonton. Located in the new arena district, Joey Bell Tower features an open kitchen with glass walls to showcase the chefs’ work. The menu boasts a number of new dishes created by Joey executive chef, Chris Mills, including Osaka-style pressed salmon sushi — fire-seared salmon, umami sauce and shaved serrano peppers ($14); Night Market Curry Dip — a spicy chickpea curry served with house-baked naan bread and aromatic herbs ($12); and Chef’s daily rotisserie chicken — chicken brined for 24 hours and spit-roasted hourly ($23.75)… Led by executive chef Brandon Olsen of Chocolates X Brandon, La Banane,— an 85-seat French-style Bistro by The King Street Food Company — is set to open this fall in the space previously occupied by The Saint Tavern.

for the cause… McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada rolled out its new modernized restaurant experience across Manitoba this summer, creating more than 400 local jobs. The company and its franchisees are investing between $200,000 and $250,000 and hiring approximately 10 to 15 new employees in each of the 29 participating restaurants…Hainan Airlines has launched a new Restaurant on Board service, which pairs Michelin-starred chefs from around the world with leading Chinese chefs to provide passengers with gourmet airline cuisine…

Araxi Restaurant executive chef James Walt’s new cookbook is now available. Called Araxi: Roots to Shoots: Farm Fresh Recipes, the book is colourful, recipe-laden and embraces the Whistler-based restaurant’s spirited mountain cuisine.

PEOPLE

Opening a new restaurant? Let us in on the buzz. Send a high-res image, menu and background information about the new establishment to ealister@kostuchmedia.com.

The UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has appointed Dr. Joyce Boye — a Canadian researcher and innovator — as FAO Special Ambassador for the International Year of Pulses (IYP) 2016…Pete Bensen, who served as McDonald’s Corporation’s chief administrative officer for 20 years, has retired.

“Throughout his career with McDonald’s, Pete has been a strategic partner, a tireless advocate and an influential contributor to our brand’s success,” said McDonald’s president and CEO, Steve Easterbrook.

INBRIEF

SUPPLY SIDE

The Burgers to Beat MS fundraising event — held by A&W and the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada on Aug. 25 — raised a record-breaking $1.75 million.

The initiative has now collected nearly $10 million over the course of its eightyear history to help find a cure for the disease…Smoke’s Poutinerie founder & CEO Ryan Smolkin issued a challenge to senior executives, CEOs and presidents of various organizations to take him on in the Smoke’s Poutinerie Friends of We Care Charity Eat-Off Challenge this fall. The event will take place during the company’s 7th Annual Smoke’s Poutinerie World Poutine Eating Championship on Oct. 1…

Corby Spirits and Wine and Four Seasons Hotel Toronto launched a Perrier-Jouët

8 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

garden oasis pop-up patio in Yorkville to celebrate the 41st Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). The pop-up, which ran until Sep. 18, featured a menu designed to pair with the world-renowned Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque 2007…Timber restaurant in Vancouver raised more than $1,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Gord Downie Fund during its concert viewing party on Aug. 20. The restaurant collected donations during a showing of The Tragically Hip’s final concert in Kingston, Ont.…Chef Chris Whittaker’s Vancouver restaurant Forage has committed to contributing funds from its filtered-water donation program to The Cheakamus Centre in Squamish, B.C. The restaurant began donating funds for the centre’s garden-enhancement project in June and has already raised more than $1,000

TouchBistro and Square have partnered to allow Square functionality within the TouchBistro app. Square services include payment processing, Apple Pay transactions, instant money deposits and access to loans through Square Capital. From within the TouchBistro app, bill totals are transferred automatically to Square for payment, minimizing order errors, increasing operational efficiency and improving the overall customer experience…The Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) has admitted BRF Brasil — one of the world’s largest food companies — into its Certified Humane program for 33 of the producer’s chicken farms in Goiás, Brazil. BRF Brasil has been selling chicken products under the Jamie Oliver-endorsed Sadia brand to the Brazilian market for decades.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT CARTER

WHAT’S BREWING IN THE CANADIAN COFFEE INDUSTRY? Specialty coffees are experiencing significant servings gain

C

IMAGE: DREAMSTIME.COM

anadians love their coffee. In fact, according to recent data from Toronto-based The NPD Group, Canadians consume 2.3 billion servings of the caffeinated beverage annually.

While this bodes well for the coffee and beverage industry, there is more to the story than meets the eye. Over the last few years, consumer preferences have changed. Regular coffee consumption has been declining since 2013, driven at least in part by the rise in popularity of in-home brewing devices such as single-serve machines and the growing popularity of specialty coffee.

While 26.6 per cent of all visits to commercial foodservice include regular coffee, the numbers suggest the category has experienced a slight (two per cent) decline on the year. Put quite simply, Canadians are becoming less likely to reach for that cup of Joe when visiting commercial foodservice.

Regular and decaffeinated coffee have seen the worst declines on the year, down 57 million servings. Furthermore, specialty coffee has shown menu importance gains while regular coffee has slipped compared to last year.

Within the hot beverage category, regular and decaffeinated coffee, hot tea and hot flavoured coffee have driven declines. Total servings of hot beverages have declined by four per cent in 2016. Here is how the category breaks down: n hot regular/decaffeinated coffee is down three per cent year-to-date n hot tea has dropped 11 per cent

year-to-date n cappuccino / espresso/ latte has remained unchanged yearto-date n hot chocolate has seen a gain of four per cent year-todate n specialty coffee has grown three per cent year-to-date Over the last year, specialty coffee has experienced the secondbest servings gain among beverage categories — equivalent to an incremental 18-million servings compared to the previous year.

Only bottled water showed a larger gain at nine per cent more servings. It’s also worth noting that specialty coffee growth has been solely driven by QSR chains. Specialty coffee is well developed in Quebec, but is underdeveloped in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Atlantic Canada.

Although specialty coffee has proven to be a hot trend over the last three to five years, it is expected that through the rest of this decade, growth of hot specialty coffee will diminish to almost a third of the growth rate in recent years. This decline in the consumption rate is tied to a number of fac-

tors, including an aging consumer base with changing preferences and a decline in overall trend momentum.

So where do we go from here?

While it’s always challenging to anticipate how trends will affect the growth of a particular category, over the next decade, hotbrewed coffee servings will grow at a stronger rate than they have in the recent past. An aging consumer base, a decrease in trend momentum and overall population growth will continue to have a positive impact on the hot-brewed coffee market. l

Robert Carter is executive director, Foodservice Canada, with the NPD Group Inc. He can be reached at robert.carter@npd.com for questions regarding the latest trends and their impact on the foodservice business.

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

9

BREAD

WINNERS

TODAY’S BREAD TRENDS ARE TAKING CUES FROM THE PAST

10 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOOD FILE

STORY BY DANIELLE SCHALK

WITH THE POPULARITY of the gluten-free movement, ancient grain use has been on the rise — so much so that it was identified as a top up-and-coming trend in Restaurants Canada’s 2016 Canadian Chef Survey.

However, there is no official definition of what qualifies as an ancient grain. The Whole Grains Council in Boston loosely identifies ancient grains as “grains that are largely unchanged over the last several hundred years.” This definition rules out “modern” wheat, which has been consistently bred and changed to produce higher yields and more favourable baking qualities, such as increased gluten for a fluffier final product.

Modern wheat, along with its processing method, has been accused of causing wheat and/or gluten sensitivities. In fact, according to the 2016 Taste Tomorrow study conducted by Toronto-based Puratos, 31 per cent of Canadian consumers believe gluten can cause digestive problems. The study also highlighted Canadians’ negative feelings about the quality of food and the way it’s produced. “People are not sure what the industry is doing in terms of producing foods or making breads and cakes,” says Liesbat Vandepole, director of Marketing at Puratos. “What they’re looking for is transparency.” And in this quest for transparency, she says, claims such as “no added preserFOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

vatives” or “all natural” have the greatest impact on consumers.

Full-service restaurants have certainly taken notice of the growing demand for ancient grain breads, though this is still in the process of filtering down to the QSR level.

LESSONS FROM THE PAST

Together, these factors have given rise to the modern popularity of ancient grains.

Vandepole explains that Canadians view ingredients such as nuts, seeds and ancient grains as fundamentally natural. “We are [also] seeing more grains and seeds that are considered gluten-free used more fre-

quently in bakery applications.” But, she cautions, not all ancient grains are glutenfree. Quebec-based Spiffy Bake Shop (a brand under Maison Cannelle Group), specializes in making breads from glutenfree ancient grains — sorghum, quinoa and brown rice flours are staples in the company’s flour blends.

Frederic Blaise, Spiffy’s CEO, says with 22 per cent of Canadians actively seeking gluten-free products, giving foodservice operators an opportunity to embrace gluten-free preferences and make a strong impression with quality offerings is key to his business. “[Gluten-free] is almost following the path of probiotic yogurts and other ingredients that increase digestive comfort,” says Blaise. “At the end of the day, two-thirds of Canadians are experiencing digestive discomfort every single day...not because they’re celiac, but it may come down compositionally to their microbiota.”

Health, texture and taste are at the core of Spiffy’s philosophy, which is why nutrient-dense ancient grains play a key role in its breads. The company’s products are also GMO- and preservative-free, which means its products are best kept frozen, but as Blaise quips “frozen is the new fresh.” The Taste Tomorrow study supports this sentiment, reporting 45 per cent of Canadians store their bread in the freezer in order to preserve freshness.

The brand’s white-bread-like quinoa loaf is particularly popular with clients such as Ritz-Carlton Montreal. Spiffy also provides bread and other products — including dinner rolls, pizza dough and burger buns — to clients such as Sofitel, Hotel Germain and Pizza Salvatore. Blaise says Spiffy’s FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

11

FOOD FILE

KNOW YOUR GRAINS AMARANTH has tiny kernels, a slightly spicy taste and is gluten-free. Amaranth’s protein is

more balanced than other cereals, meaning it is more complete.

BARLEY is one of the oldest cultivated grains and is an excellent source of soluble fibre and fibre in general.

BUCKWHEAT is an excellent source of iron

and the only grain known to have high levels of the antioxidant rutin.

KAMUT has higher levels of protein and more

Vitamin E than common wheat. It boasts a rich, buttery-taste.

MILLET is a grass-like plant that is gluten-free

and a good source of magnesium. Its protein is of better quality than that of wheat.

QUINOA is gluten-free and an excellent

source of magnesium, iron and potassium. It also contains more protein than most cere-

clients come to them because they “turn gluten-free into more of an opportunity and less of a nightmare.”

A LOT OF DOUGH

TOP IT OFF Customer demand for better bread led Chartier to start baking its own (top); a toast-serving pop-up concept in Toronto found a niche with its selection of fresh local breads and house-made spreads (above)

14 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

Maintaining a restaurant’s bread program in-house is no small endeavour. At Beaumont, Alta.-based Chartier, chef Steve Brochu and his team produce a selection of breads and pastries for both the restaurant and its bread window, which offers freshmade delicacies Wednesday through Sunday.

Chartier is a French-Canadian restaurant concept that opened this spring and its bread has quickly become a local staple.

“It was important to Darren and Sylvia [Cheverie] (the restaurant’s owners) that we have good bread to stand on, because it brings people together in French-Canadian food as much as anything,” explains Brochu.

Chartier’s kitchen bakes a variety of breads, including whole wheat, sourdough, sourdough-rye, ciabatta, brioche, baguettes and potato rolls. Brochu notes it chose to stick with what was popular and familiar when developing the restaurant’s bread offerings. “We’re in a rural town in Alberta so we didn’t want to do anything too crazy to scare people away right out of the gate.

[So we stuck] to a standard rundown of breads they’re familiar with.” The breads

als. In fact, quinoa is a complete protein, which means it contains all the essential amino acids our bodies can’t produce on their own.

RICE is gluten-free and one of the most easily digested grains. Brown rice is lower in fiber

than most other whole grains, but rich in many nutrients.

RYE is among the most popular ancient

grains in restaurant bread baskets. It boasts an unusually high level of fibre in its endosperm — not just in its bran. Because of this, rye products generally have a lower glycemic index.

SORGHUM is a gluten-free grain that can

be eaten like popcorn, cooked into porridge, ground into flour for baked goods, or even brewed into beer.

SPELT is a variety of wheat that can be used

in place of common wheat in most recipes. It is also richer in protein than common wheat.

also had to make sense within the context of Chartier’s French-Canadian concept, he adds.

The size of their operation can also be limiting. “Our bread program has almost reached capacity…we’re not a bakery, we’re a restaurant that happens to have a Hobart mixer and a bread oven in the corner,” Brochu says with a chuckle. “We stomp FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

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FOOD FILE out a ton of bread. It takes us eight hours and one or two devoted bakers; we have to account for a lot of time and energy.” The fruit of this labour is served in bread trays with butter and salted herbs ($5), made into sourdough croutons to accompany salmon ceviche ($14), used for smokedmeat sandwiches ($15) or sold as whole loaves. House-made English muffins and sourdough also feature prominently on the restaurant’s brunch menu.

Constraints on time and space have prevented Chartier from delving into producing gluten-free bread offerings, however, the restaurant’s gluten-free diners do not go without. Gluten-free bread produced by Edmonton-based Kinnikinnick Foods Inc. is also available. “We get a gluten-free flour and on Wednesdays when we do fish and chips night, our batter is all gluten-free,” Brochu adds.

Chartier dedicates a large portion of its social-media feeds to promoting its bread and baked goods, an approach which Brochu says has a significant impact on sales. The restaurant is also very transparent about its bread program. “The bread window looks right into our kitchen,” explains Brochu. “People can see our [dough] rising

BLAST FROM THE PAST Ancient grains are a fast-growing trend in Canadian restaurant bread baskets as diners demand cleaner, better tasting products

16 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

for hours overnight because it is right in front of the window.”

THE ART OF BREAD

Artisanal products have an undeniable cachet with customers, but in-house production is not the only way to add that level of quality to a restaurant’s bread basket.

Toronto-based Blackbird Baking Co. has made a name for itself by providing artisanal bread products to some of the city’s top restaurants. Among the bakery’s approximately 50 wholesale accounts, Blackbird boasts clients such as Alo, The Black Hoof, Momofuku, Bar Volo and Loka — along with high-end retailers such as Pusateri’s Fine Foods and McEwan grocery stores.

In the six years since it opened, Blackbird has grown to a three-shifts-per-day, sevendays-a-week operation with more than 30 employees. It also introduced a retail location in Kensington Market. “Customers who come to us are looking for consistently high-quality, hand-crafted breads,” says the company’s founder Simon Blackwell.

“The majority of our restaurant accounts are interested in variety — baguettes, sourdough, focaccia and buns.” This is just a small sampling of the breads produced by the company, though Blackwell says the bakery’s sourdough varieties are among its most popular.

Blackbird makes use of a wide range of grains for its flours, including whole wheat, whole spelt, Kamut, red fife, whole rye, pastry flour and unbleached allpurpose flour — all of which are sourced from local mills. “These flours are certified organic, locally grown, milled and delivered fresh to us so they are full of flavour and are nutrient rich,” Blackwell explains.

“Our breads would not be the same if we were not working with these smaller local mills.” Blackwell also says the majority of its breads are made with flour blends using unbleached all-purpose and whole-grain flours sourced from Gorrie, Ont.-based Hoffnug Mills and Parrish & Heimbecker in Hamilton, Ont., respectively.

At the end of the day, both Blackwell and Brochu agree, people are looking for “better quality” breads. “[There is] a demand from the public for better breads,” says Blackwell.

“Sliced supermarket bread, made quickly with commercial yeast, is absolutely every-

THE TOAST STANDS ALONE

Bread isn’t just for the start of a meal any more. Humble toast has become something of a standalone offering in cities such as San Francisco where toast (often made from house-made bread) has made its way onto the menus of several cafés. Recognizing this trend, a trio brought the concept to Toronto this summer, launching a pop-up serving toast and unique spreads.

Amrita Singh, Lindsay Agnew and chef Jo Lusted set up shop in Toronto’s Distillery District on weekends in May and June. “May was a really busy month, so we decided to expand into June, and what ended up happening was eight out of 10 people who came through the door were regulars by then… and it started to feel more like a community hot spot,” Singh explains. “We were really excited about the reception and the concept — people loved the concept, they thought it was super simple and fun.”

At the pop-up, guests were invited to create their own combination from a selection of 10 spreads (half sweet, half savoury) created

by Lusted on cheddar chunk ciabatta, dark chocolate sourdough, semolina loaf or pumpkin seed rye ($6/slice including tax). Each of the four breads on offer were custom-made by one of two local bakeries — Scarborough, Ont.-based Cliffside Hearth and Cobuorg, Ont.-based MillStone Bread. Customer’s concoctions resulted in pretty, photo-worthy treats that soon littered social media.

Following the success of the pop-up, the Toast team is currently exploring options for the future of the concept.

where now. I think people are looking for a higher-quality product that someone has taken time and care to produce.”

Puratos’ Vandepole believes the Taste Tomorrow findings support this theory. She recommends restaurants highlight the story behind the breads it serves. “It’s good to talk about the ingredients used and who has made the bread...it gives the consumer that trust in the quality of the product.” l FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP

BRIGHT

STARS

FIVE OF THE COUNTRY’S TOP FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY ENTREPRENEURS SHARE THEIR START-UP STORIES, INSIGHT AND INSPIRATION

I

By Lindsay Forsey

f there were a recipe for successful entrepreneurship, the ingredients list might look something like this: a mountain of ambition, a truck load of courage, tireless vision and endless tenacity. Making a go of it on your own is kind of a big deal, not to be pursued by those easily discouraged. The late Steve Jobs, co-founder and CEO of Apple, and a prolific visionary, once said: “I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” The stories that follow highlight five of Canada’s foodservice industry entrepreneurs — their approach to business, their advice to aspiring independents and their plans for the future. In the fiercely competitive restaurant business, this is how you make your mark…

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FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP

CHRISTIAN BULLOCK Owner, Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria

W

hen friends Christian Bullock, Justin Lussier and Jason Allard teamed up to launch a pizzeria, they wanted to bring something innovative to the Canadian restaurant scene. “In 2007, there were only a few people focused

on Neapolitan-style pizza. Now, there are dozens, but we’re still the leader,” Bullock says of Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria, a business that has grown into a 30-store franchise with locations in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

Famoso hand-mills Italian tomatoes for its sauce and fires pizzas in imported ovens for

20 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

90 seconds at 900 °F. Bullock brought years of entrepreneurial know-how to the partnership.

His first business, The Heights Taphouse, opened in 1997 in his hometown of St. Albert, Alta., and quickly became the local hot spot. Next, a nightclub called The Burgundy Room, followed by another sports bar, The Canadian Brewhouse, in

Edmonton. His next start-up was the now 60-location Wok Box franchise, serving fresh, fast, Asian-inspired dishes. “We opened in 2004 and by 2009 we had 72 stores. We learned a lot of things the hard way, so I understood [with Famoso] the importance of investing in infrastructure and getting the best talent on board,” he says.

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BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY: “Surround

yourself with amazing people. I’ve been in this a long time and I’ve had good and bad partners.

Work with people who have the same vision and same integrity and you can build a strong business for the long term. We put success first and the money follows, whereas some people are just focused on the numbers. Build a great team and the success follows.”

WORDS OF WISDOM: “Don’t be greedy.

There’s plenty to go around, so focus on success, not on the money and it’ll work out in the end.

New entrepreneurs are so excited and ready to take on the world, but they’re not always listening to the what-ifs. Understand how to protect the

W

hen Sarah Blackmore met her now husband, Dan Blackmore, it wasn’t just love, it was a match made in burger heaven. She had completed studies in nutrition and foodservice management at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and he had plenty of experience in the restaurant industry.

Along with partner and Red Seal Chef, Michael Ringland, the duo opened Bin 4 Burger Lounge in Victoria in 2011. Since then, the company has grown to three popular locations in the city, all serving gourmet burgers made from ethically raised, hormone-free meats and house-

made sauces. Of course, there’s something for everyone, including vegetarians and folks with other dietary preferences.

“We like to stay local and appeal to a large customer base,” says Blackmore, who was ranked 17th on PROFIT/ Chatelaine’s W100 2016 Canada’s Top Female Entrepreneurs. Bin 4 pours pints of local craft beer and supports other nearby suppliers as much as possible.

In July 2016, Blackmore and her team opened a new concept called Lot 1 Pasta Bar, also in Victoria, focusing on fresh pasta, made in-house daily, as well as local wine and beer, and handcrafted signature cocktails.

downside and focus on growth and success with strong partners.”

LOOKING AHEAD: “In 2017, we’ll focus on growth in B.C. and Ontario. The next part of our

evolution is to help other groups grow. Because

SARAH BLACKMORE Co-owner, Bin 4 Burger Lounge & Lot 1 Pasta Bar

of our success, some great businesses have reached out to us looking to take things to the next level.”

DON’T BE GREEDY. THERE’S PLENTY TO GO AROUND, SO FOCUS ON SUCCESS

BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY: “It’s all

about quality, value and consistency. My team has worked very hard at creating systems and procedures in order to maintain a consistent product for our customers. We pride ourselves on being customer-service forward and offering a quality product with exceptional value.”

WORDS OF WISDOM: “Stick to your

concept and be consistent. Make sure you take the time to work on your business and not just in your business. It’s important to train a team to represent your business values to the customer, giving you the time to find balance and move forward with ongoing growth.”

LOOKING AHEAD: “My team will con-

tinue to focus on both of our concepts in the immediate future.”

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

21

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY: “We sell a

product and if it’s not good, people aren’t going to buy it. But that’s just the beginning. You need to

ALEX BARROTTI CEO & founder, TouchBistro

A

fter selling his previous company, INEX Corporation, for a cool $US45 million, Alex Barrotti took time off and moved to the Caribbean. That’s where he befriended Yoshi — a sushi restaurateur who wished there were a way for his staff to easily take orders on the patio and have them automatically sent into the restaurant.

This sparked an idea for Barrotti, a 25-year technology industry veteran, and when the iPad was released soon after, it came to fruition. TouchBistro, an iPad-based point-of-sale system launched in June 2011 and has since become

find creative ways to sell the product and build the proper support infrastructure. And always motivate the people who work for you. Every employee has ownership in the company through stock options and we build our success shoulder to shoulder.

the top-grossing food-and-beverage app in more than 37 countries in the Apple App Store — deployed to 10,000 iPads in 6,000 restaurants. The company has received accolades galore, including Best POS System for Restaurants 2016

by Business News Daily and backto-back Entrepreneur/Founder of the Year for 2014 and 2015 by Best in Biz Awards. “Any business owner can buy an iPad today, download TouchBistro and be up and running in half an hour,” Barrotti says.

“It’s dramatically cheaper and more accessible than a traditional POS system and the software is updated every eight weeks with new capabilities, so it’s never obsolete.”

22 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

We work very hard and I have the privilege of being the captain.”

WORDS OF WISDOM: “Starting a business

takes time, patience, money and perseverance.

You’re going to encounter ups and downs and

things you can’t control and you have to be in it for the long haul. Having a positive attitude makes a huge difference and costs nothing.”

LOOKING AHEAD: “We recently launched TouchBistro in Mexico. We’ve reached top sta-

tus, but only in English. Now we’ve launched in Spanish and French and we get email requests all the time for other languages.”

HAVING A POSITIVE ATTITUDE MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE AND COSTS NOTHING FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

PETER CHIU Founder & Chief Basil, Basil Box

W

orking as a regional manager for a large chain of restaurants, Peter Chiu spent a lot of time eating fast-food lunches in his car. “I didn’t feel good about it and I wanted to come up

with something that would be fast, but also healthy and delicious,” says the Ryerson University hospitality and tourism management grad. Chiu believed Canadians were looking for an exotic, flavourful option. So, rather than spending their honeymoon in the Maldives as planned, he and his wife packed their bags for three weeks in Thailand and Vietnam, where they immersed themselves in the food culture — farming, cooking and exploring mar-

kets. “I wanted to bring home the vibrancy of fresh food, spices and flavours,” he says.

Customers choose from one of four bases — salad spring mix, jasmine rice, brown rice or rice noodles — plus whatever veggies, protein, sauces and toppings suit their fancy.

The first Basil Box opened in July 2015 in Mississauga’s Square One Shopping Centre food court. The second location — a 2,700-sq.-ft. flagship — launched in February 2016 at the base of Ryerson’s Student Learning Centre. Two additional Toronto locations are scheduled to open by February 2017.

The Goose and Firkin 1875 Leslie Street, Toronto

Photography: David Whittaker

BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY:

“Service is paramount. In the fast-casual segment, the amount of time we spend with our guests is limited and we want that short time to be positive. We treat our staff very well and that translates to our staff giving our customers the best experience. We pay them above industry average and do special things, such as taking them to Canada’s Wonderland.”

WORDS OF WISDOM:

“Follow your passion and it won’t feel like work. It brings a smile to my face knowing I’m doing what I want to do. Build a team that has the right attitude, is willing to learn and to serve people well and you will go far. Even if you have really good food, you need to have excellent service if you want to succeed.”

LOOKING AHEAD:

“I’m focused on Basil Box and I think it can grow exponentially. We are negotiating several more down the road, including in B.C. We believe we can go global if we manage everything correctly.”

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MOHAMAD FAKIH President & CEO, Paramount Fine Foods

F

or a guy who describes himself as someone who doesn’t know how to fry an egg, Mohamad Fakih has done well building a restaurant empire. After arriving in Canada from Lebanon in 2000, the gemologist started a jewellery business. But one afternoon his wife asked him to pick up some baklava and everything changed. He visited a shabby Middle-Eastern restaurant tucked away in an industrial plaza and was compelled by the owner to help turn it into something better. Cue 2007 and Paramount Fine Foods

debuted, dishing up Middle-Eastern cuisine and culture, complete with oven-fired pita bread and Halal butchery. “The best asset we had was our great chefs. They we here from the Middle East and knew exactly what they were doing,” Fakih says of those early days.

The learning curve has been steep, but Paramount is flourishing, with 55 locations in Canada by the end of this year, along with spots in the U.S., Lebanon and Pakistan. The company has its own commissary kitchen, a food truck and recently launched Fresh East by Paramount, a Middle Eastern sandwich shop.

Fakih was an Ernst and Young finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year in 2013 and highlighted as one of The Globe and Mail’s Torontonians to Watch in 2016.

More than 150 Syrian refugees have found employment in his restaurants since arriving in Canada this year.

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BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY: “Hire the people who know what you don’t.

My team has made me and the brand what we are today. Don’t lose your

vision, but let your team do its best and don’t get in the way. And remember that everyone needs to win — franchisees, staff and suppliers. I see my team owning their houses and living better. Everyone is winning and proud of where the company is going.”

WORDS OF WISDOM: “Think things through. When you have a dream,

you always think positively, but you need to be very harsh on yourself. Get down to the bottom line, get other eyes on your plans and see if it actually makes sense. Make sure you understand the level of risk you might face.”

LOOKING AHEAD: “We recently signed a master franchise agree-

ment in the U.K. for more than 50 locations. We’ve been changing the way Canadians look at Middle-Eastern food and culture and now we’re taking it international.”

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FRANCHISING

New World Order

The millennial cohort is looking to franchising opportunities to feed its entrepreneurial spirit

BY SEBASTIAN FUSCHINI

B

ack in the New Frontier days of the 1960s, the Baby Boomers moved into the world of business and politics with an eye to effect change and leave a generational mark. They were successful to a degree and helped drive the technological revolution that actually did change the world. Now their children and grandchildren are following the same path — and they may be more successful than the previous generation.

In today’s market, traditional job searching methods are difficult and there are large numbers of educated unemployed. Rather than being swallowed up by large business concerns, today’s young and well-educated millennials prefer to exhibit their independence and entrepreneurial spirit with wellresearched and well-planned investments in franchising. This route provides a viable option for gaining employment and management experience.

Millennials are willing to enter the industry at a lower level and work their way up — as long as they’re allowed to chart their own progress. They want to be their own bosses and plot their own courses. This group is also more likely to rent or lease, and far less likely to purchase, according to studies.

In response, many franchisors are offering “rent-to-own” and “operator” programs. For

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

example, the Pizza Pizza Associate Program (PPAP) provides a “test drive” type of business atmosphere in hopes of injecting new blood into the corporation.

Smaller franchise opportunities requiring lower down payments are also attractive to millennial operators. Some franchisors even offer in-house financing to appeal to potential franchisees who don’t have access to significant amounts of cash.

But are millennials so different? Is being born in the 1980s and beyond so special?

The simplest answer is the most obvious — they are the first generation to grow up in the digital age. They were weaned on mobile platforms and social media; they eschew television and traditional media and live in, and on, their smartphones.

They are desperate for an opportunity to prove their worth and to show and implement new ideas.

For nearly a decade, the older generation saw millennials as apathetic and reluctant to enter the traditional business world.

And then something happened: millennials began investing in business — especially in franchising — wherever they could.

They gravitated to franchises with five or fewer employees, those where they could be hands-on in all aspects of the entreprise. As a result, the millennial cohort is changing

public perception of their generation.

A report by Swedenbased employer-branding experts Universum stated: “Millennials want to truly understand a company’s purpose, align with it and work with others to propel the organization’s performance. Millennials are highly attracted to entrepreneurial energy in the workplace.”

They can find those opportunities in the world of franchising, where benefits such as being your own boss and investing in your future are key selling-points.

While most franchisors identify and grow with one brand, millennials are investing in several different types of franchises — leading to a new generation of multi-brand franchisors rapidly building business empires. Millennials entering the franchising industry are bringing new ideas to the table and changing the way franchisees invest in businesses and use technology. As recently as a decade ago, it would have been impossible to find anyone in franchising who thought people in their 20s or early 30s represented the “great new thing” for their business. Today, millennials bring an independent and entrepreneurial spirit, energy and a new way of seeing the business world. They are the transfusion of new blood the corporate world needs. l Sebastian Fuschini is VP of Franchising for Pizza Pizza Ltd.

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

27

SWEET PARTNERSHIP From left, Lorraine Trotter, dean for the Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts; John Higgins, Chef School director; and Christine Walker, Chef School chair

GEORGE BROWN’S NEW BAKING AND CHOCOLATE LAB AN 28 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

PROFILE

Back in 2012, pastry chef Olivier Fernández of Spain’s Escuela de Pastelería del Gremio de Barcelona boosted the popularity of “bean-to-bar” chocolate-making when he pioneered a technique for producing micro-batches in a small conche — consequently raising the demand for chocolate artisans around the world.

The past few years have seen a spike in bean-to-bar chocolatiers across Canada, such as Quebec’s Chaleur B Chocolat, Ontario’s Hummingbird Chocolate Maker (Almonte), Ultimately Chocolate on Manitoulin Island and Winnipeg’s Aschenti Cocoa to name just a few.

These small-batch, from-scratch manufacturers are riding increased demand for handmade chocolate and pastry in both the retail and foodservice sectors. But where are all the new chocolatiers and pâtissiers going to come from?

STORY BY SARAH B. HOOD

PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICK WONG

NSWERS A GROWING DEMAND FOR SKILLED PÂTISSIERS FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

29

PROFILE Thanks in part to Redpath Sugar, Toronto’s George Brown College is stepping up to answer this challenge with a new large-quantity baking and pastry lab set to open in the fall of 2017. Located on the ground floor of the college’s Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts (CHCA), the lab will accommodate full-time students at the Chef School, as well as part-timers enrolled in Continuing Education classes and others working on special projects in the Food Innovation and Research Studio (FIRSt).

Enclosed by glass windows, the lab, which will be open to observers, includes a temperature-controlled space dedicated to chocolateand candy-making, with all the equipment needed to produce small batches of chocolate right from the bean.

“In all the programs at George Brown, we’re very practical and we make sure all the tools we’re using are things they’re using in industry,” says Chef School director John Higgins. “It’s all about the skills: to pipe and temper chocolate and roll pastry by hand, because if you can roll pastry by hand, then you can use the machines as well.”

“This initiative is phase two of a [Federal Economic Development Agency] project,” explains Lorraine Trotter, dean for the Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts. The first phase, launched in October 2015, was an applied research and industry facility, which includes renovated space for the student-run Chefs’ House restaurant, an Industry Engagement and Interaction Facility and a Beverage Research Lab. “We’ve been working on the design and planning for construction of phase two, which includes this largequantity pastry lab and a new showcase kitchen and demonstration theatre,” she says. “Those much-needed additions for the Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts have been funded by donors from our sector, federal development funds and the college.”

At an event held in April 2016, Redpath Sugar president Jonathan Bamberger presented a $360,000 cheque to the college for the new facility. A $45,000-portion of Redpath’s contribution will be channelled towards 45 awards of $1,000 each, which will be given to students enrolled in Baking and Pastry Arts Management, Baking Pre-employment and Baker/Pâtissier Apprentice programs over three years.

“Our industry partners, through our partner advisory committees and all our partner visits, told us about the need for increased graduates,” says Trotter. “This would include fine-dining, foodservice and food-manufacturing companies — with whom we do significant amounts of research — the not-for-profit sectors, food stores and feedback from international employers such as hotel chains around the world.”

With these types of industry partners, the college is able to stay ahead of changing consumer trends. “They provide feedback on how the industry is changing, particularly in the baking area, as it relates to new nutrition-related products,” says Trotter, enumerating “glutenfree and whole natural ingredients, a move towards good-quality ingredients, new ingredients from around the world and focus among consumers on quality.”

Meanwhile, Higgins receives numerous phone calls from people

in the industry in search of qualified graduates. “There’s a vacuum of pastry chefs,” he says.

Furthermore, “There has been a huge shift in the demand for pastries overall, but for chocolates as well,” says chef school chair Christine Walker. “Our students need to be able to understand how to make fine chocolate from scratch. Over the last couple of years, across the board [for] culinary and pastry, our industry partners have been telling us there is a focus on smaller portions but better-quality ingredients that allow for a more intense, fresh flavour, whereas 10 years ago, the trend was more on large process and packaging — which is still very prominent.”

“John and I have had quite significant involvement in our research activities at the chef school; we have a strong relationship with industry supporters for that reason,” Trotter says. “Redpath is a neighbour of George Brown [on the waterfront]. We have a strategic relationship with them. We also have a chef relationship with them, where our chefs support them in their activities.”

“What we’re great at, at George Brown, is working with people in the industry, such as David Castellan at Soma Chocolatemaker,” says Higgins. “Students have the opportunity to work with someone like him, or to work in a large company.”

“We even send all of our faculty to Callebaut in Montreal to make sure they give the most up-to-date training,” Walker says. “Another one of our partners is Nadège Pâtisserie on Queen Street West; they are also one of our premier pastry- and chocolate-makers in Toronto. We have a brand new professional Advanced French Pastry program — they do one semester with us and then they will be going to our partner Alain Ducasse. They [attend] a school in France for one month and then work in France for eight weeks.”

The new program is designed for a maximum of 24 students, but, she says, “we have deliberately started with smaller enrollment; it’s now about 16. They’ll be coming back to show off the skills they have learned in a variety of venues in Toronto, including our own pop-up pastry shop, which is open one day a week to the public at the Waterfront campus.”

The shop has been so successful that “we’ve run out of product every week — using high-end product, so that’s not inexpensive,” Walker continues. “The demand is so great, we may look at expanding it. People understand the difference between a highly processed product and a made-from-scratch product using high-end, whole, natural ingredients with good technique. Our students are the ones who sell it as well, which gives them the chance to have interactions with customers.”

Recent George Brown graduates are already taking advantage of this market in businesses such as Roselle Desserts, a partnership between Stephanie Duong (a pastry graduate) and Bruce Lee (a culinary graduate), whose banana cream pie éclair was recently touted in the New York Times.

“We have to be ahead of the pack,” says Higgins. “We get so many people copying us, so we’re always pushing the envelope, while having a great respect for the traditions of baking and pastry arts.” l

WHAT WE’RE GREAT AT, AT GEORGE BROWN, IS WORKING WITH PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY

30 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

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POURING FOR PROFITS

LOW OCTANE, HIGH FASHION Canada’s top mixologists talk cocktail trends

BY ERIC ALISTER

PICTURE PERFECT Today’s cocktails not only have to taste good, they need to be pictureworthy, thanks to the increased role of social media in the restaurant and bar scene

T

he trend towards locally grown ingredients has extended into the realm of cocktails, with Canadians now talking about “ground-to-glass” when it comes to ingredients.

Earlier this year, Joel Carleton of the Manitoba Bartenders Guild spoke with Toronto Sun’s Ling Hui about bartenders growing their own fruits and herbs for tinctures, bitters, extractions and syrups. However, Bar Raval’s award-winning bartender, Robbin Goodfellow — who’s equally enthusiastic about local cocktail ingredients — has some misgivings about the “ground-to-glass” movement.

“Very few bartenders are growing their own herbs, but I strongly commend those who do. We have a big garden offsite for Raval — it’s a big investment and tons of work to keep up with our day-to-day needs because of the large volume we do,” says Goodfellow. “The challenge is fun. Being as sustainable as possible is something I’m extremely passionate about.”

Currently, Goodfellow’s favourite ingredient in his garden is cilantro flowers. “They’re beautiful little flowers that look like

32 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

mini daisies and have a very powerful aroma and flavour,” he explains. “They’re so surprising. I know a lot of people out there don’t like cilantro but our cilantro products are a hit.”

Non-alcoholic ingredients aside, Goodfellow’s current go-to spirits are Amaro liqueurs, Fino sherries and Mezcal — a spirit Goodfellow reports is steadily growing in popularity.

All three boast a lower alcohol content than most spirits, which Goodfellow and Carleton cite as a big trend.

Carleton says people want less potent mixes and are therefore looking to wines, aperitifs, sherry, Aperol and Campari, which have a lower alcohol by volume content (ABV) than traditional spirits. “You’re still making a delicious cocktail with fresh ingredients and components, but the overall end-result doesn’t have as much of an impact on the drinker,” says Carlton.

Goodfellow has been a proponent of low-octane cocktails for many years. “Cocktails without base spirits are my personal favourite,” he says. “Fino sours, or Amaro cobblers are so full of flavour and you can have a few without comprising your integrity.” Some of Goodfellow’s latest cocktails include, Ten Lost Years — Amaro Sibilla liqueur, Lot 40 whisky, Lustau Oloroso sherry and Benedictine liqueur ($16); Jacques Fresco — Tio Pepe Fino, Guerra Blanco wine, frankin-

cense, cava (Spanish sparkling wine), lime and mint ($14); and Supernova — Dillon’s Dry Gin 7, Blue Chartreuse liqueur, Tio Pepe Fino, Regan’s Orange bitter and lemon oil ($16).

“Instagram-ready” cocktails are making an impact on consumers’ choices. Critics bemoan the assumed superficiality of such trends, while others see an opportunity to be creative.

Linwood Essentials, one of Toronto’s most avant-garde post-speakeasies, is embracing “Instagram-ready” mixology.

Owner Jake Valianes says the taste of a cocktail is easy to get down, but the eye-appeal is what will separate the best bartenders from the mediocre.

Most of Linwood’s offerings are creative works of art that tell a story or a joke. The Single Plum Floating in Perfume Served in a Man’s Hat ($15), for example, is a tongue-in-cheek reference to an episode of The Simpsons.

Linwood’s rendition features Fords Gin, Umeshu, plum butter, lemon, dragonfruit hibiscus soda and Dillon’s Absinthe.

Trends aside, Canadian tapsters can expect a bright future for Canadian mixology as the country’s cocktails scene flourishes from its fledgling days to a more mature and vibrant culture.

“The bartending scene was in its infancy when I started,” Goodfellow says. “Now, the community is huge and you see more people learning from one another even if they don’t directly work together. People are loving cocktails more than ever.” l FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

SEGMENT REPORT

A MATTER OF CONVENIENCE

DREAMSTIME.COM

A

Convenience stores are facing stiff competition for share when it comes to foodservice sales STORY BY CAROL SNELL

guy walks into a convenience store… It’s no joke — Canadians visit convenience stores every three seconds. It’s not difficult to do, with approximately 27,000 of them across the country — more than a third of which are located in rural areas. That adds up to 10 million visits a day and total sales of $51.7 billion in 2014.

The numbers are courtesy of the Canadian Convenience Store Association (CCSA), a national umbrella organization, based in Oakville, Ont. that advocates on behalf of retailers, manufacturers and distributors. The association has regional affiliates in the West, Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces, as well as its affiliate, the National Association of Convenience Distributors. C-stores, as

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

they are known in the industry, purchased $26.6 billion from suppliers such as Campbell Company of Canada, Canada Dry, Mott’s, Clover Leaf, Coca-Cola, Dare, Hershey, Mars, Nestle Canada, PepsiCo, Weston Foods and Wrigley in 2014.

According to Technomic’s 2015 Canadian Convenience-Store Foodservice Consumer Trend Report, 67 per cent of Canadians visit a convenience store at least once a month — mostly for snacks and beverages, not meals. The report shows beverage-only occasions made up 51 per cent of c-store foodservice while snacks accounted for 26 per cent. Breakfast, lunch and dinner combined only amounted to 24 per cent of purchases.

And while a fair share of c-store foodservice purchases are impulse FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

33

SEGMENT REPORT buys such as doughnuts, chips and hot dogs, a new generation of customer is looking for something more. “Consumers are seeking healthier options from convenience stores,” says Donna Hood Crecca, associate principal at Chicago-based Technomic Inc., who notes an increase in snacking is opening the doors to products on c-store shelves. “Just about any item in a smaller portion can be considered a snack and consumers’ on-thego lifestyles are making portable, satisfying snacks more important in the c-store setting,” she says.

they need to compete with QSRs on menu and product innovation and deliver craveable, tasty, quality food-and-beverage items, while still hitting the mark on convenience via speedy service.”

With the foodservice industry facing overall growth of only one per cent over the next five years, according to research by Toronto-based NPD Group, c-stores need to focus on stealing share from the QSR competition. “We call that ‘category creep,’” says Andrew Klukas, president of the Western

CUTTING THROUGH

RED TAPE

If it seems as if stocking a con-

venience store is easy, it’s not. In fact, the Canadian Convenience Store Association (CCSA) and its affiliates often find themselves advocating against what it calls “over-regulation” by all levels of government.

“Today, convenience stores are not only expected to be the government’s tax collec-

COMPETITIVE EDGE

tors,” says the CCSA website, “but they are

According to U.S.-based IBIS World’s report, Convenience Stores in Canada, released in July 2016, industry revenue for the c-store segment is expected to increase at an annual-

also expected to play a role as de facto national guardians of morality as the primary vendors of so-called ‘sin’ products, such as alcohol, lottery, tobacco, gasoline and now fast food.”

But, it’s not just the “sin products” creating controversy. Even the healthy food trend can stir things up when governments are involved in c-store operations. Take the Canadian Senate Report on Obesity released in 2012, as an example. Its recommendations included a tax on sugar and artificially sweetened drinks (including fruit juices); the implementation of tax levers to encourage healthy lifestyles; a ban on advertising of food and beverages to children and the promotion of fresh, whole foods over processed items. The report also encouraged provinces and territories to promote healthy lifestyles.

“Our industry is very heavily regulated and this is impacting business growth and prosperity,” says Alex Scholten, president of the CCSA, in response to the report.

The flip side of the threat is the opportunity — today’s progressive stores live up to the “convenience” in its name by offering customers affordable and portable healthy options.

These include fresh-cut fruits and salads, along with whole fruits such as apples, oranges and bananas. Also on offer are nutritious

ized rate of 0.4 per cent to $7 billion over the next five years, which includes an increase of 0.5 per cent in 2016.

But intense competition has developed between QSRs and c-stores for the on-thego dining occasion, driven by consumer demand for quick, portable food and drink items. “C-stores have the advantage of also offering various categories in addition to prepared food and beverages (retail items such as candy, gum, groceries, tobacco products and fuel), which creates a one-stop option for consumers,” says Crecca. “But

34 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

Convenience Store Association based in Vancouver. “We are very nimble. The industry is constantly evolving.”

Klukas says competition has increased since chains such as Shopper’s Drug Mart began staying open 24 hours a day. “We roll with it,” he says. He reels off a list of franchises that share locations with c-stores: Tim Hortons, Seattle’s Best Coffee and Chicken on the Run. “There has been a focus on quality service and healthier options,” says Klukas, echoing a position that has become unanimous in the industry. But Crecca

smoothies, cheese strings, protein and granola bars. Sandwiches with grilled vegetables are available on artisanal breads and coffee has become an art form for some c-stores.

says c-store shoppers also want to indulge when it comes to food selections. The iconic 7-Eleven — the world’s largest c-store chain with approximately 10,800 of its 59,500 stores located in North America — now offers fried chicken made on premise at 200 of its Canadian locations. Although it may FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

FAST FACTS

Price and store cleanliness are the two

biggest drivers of foodservice occasions at c-stores. Both were cited by 78 per cent of

respondents to the survey. Speed of service was chosen by 67 per cent.

Nearly half (49 per cent) of foodservice

purchases at c-stores are unplanned.

Breakfast sandwiches are the favourite

breakfast food at c-stores, chosen by

52 per cent of respondents, followed by bagels (48 per cent), muffins (44 per cent) and doughnuts (30 per cent).

Sandwiches and wraps are the top choice for lunch and dinner options at

c-stores (56 per cent), followed by pizza (45 per cent), burgers (43 per cent) and chicken strips/nuggets/wings (36 per cent).

SOURCE: Technomic’s 2015 Canadian Convenience-Store Foodservice Consumer Trend Report

not qualify as part of the healthier food trend, it is hormone- and steroid-free and grain-fed.

The chain, which currently boasts a 7.5 per cent market share, dates back to 1927, when someone had the clever idea to sell milk, bread and eggs along with blocks of ice for ice boxes. Since then, 7-Eleven has always been able to identify trends — using countertop microwave ovens, self-serve soda fountains and roller grills as early as the 1970s. By the 1990s, 7-Eleven predicted the move towards healthier foods and built the infrastructure to support freshfood products delivered daily.

Couche-Tard, which also owns the Mac’s brand, is a huge player in the world of c-stores. Its organic Simply Great Coffee is experiencing continuous double-digit growth and its new, purpose-built “foodvenience” stores, featuring food prepared on-site is an industry first. In its 2016 annual report, the tone is upbeat. The fiscal year

is described as “outstanding” — the eighth consecutive year of record-setting earnings. Couche-Tard has more than 12,000 sites globally with 7,888 c-stores in North America, 6,490 of which offer road transportation fuel.

In fiscal 2016, the company launched its new global Circle K brand. In Canada, it will come to Mac’s starting in May 2017.

Because of the specifics of the market in Quebec, the Couche-Tard retail brand will be retained there. Couche-Tard also acquired the Esso-branded network in Ontario

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SEGMENT REPORT and parts of Quebec that had belonged to Imperial Oil. The deal brings together not just Couche-Tard and Esso, but also Tim Hortons which is a partner at many of Imperial Oil’s Esso sites.

FILL ‘ER UP

A corner store a short stroll down the street is a star player in the c-store world, but so is one where vehicles are fed along with people.

Suzanne Gray, a senior analyst with the Kent Group in London, Ont., says data shows an increasing number of gas stations feature a c-store component. The research is based on nearly 7,000 stations, representing approximately 60 per cent of all retail sites in Canada. In 2013, the number of gas stations with a c-store was 84.2 per cent. By 2016, that number had climbed to 86.1 per cent, with half the year still to go.

The c-store footprint has also increased with many boasting up to 1,500 sq. ft. of retail space. So what’s fuelling the trend?

“One reason might be to supplement

the relatively low margins of fuel retailing,” explains Gray. “We may be seeing an increase in the involvement of convenience retailers in the fuels business for the purpose of increasing traffic to stores and thereby increasing store sales. Many gas stations are located on prime properties with large traffic counts — perfect for the addition of a convenience store.”

Canada’s changing population is also impacting growth. The Canadian Foodservice Industry Report 2015 says almost a third of the population is forecast to be part of a visible minority by 2031.

The report notes the youngest generations will drive growth for the Canadian foodservice industry for years to come, making ethnic foods increasingly popular across all categories.

As Canadian c-stores evolve to meet customer demands, they can look to their American counterparts such as the Sheetz chain, which offers barista stations, and Wawa with its more than 650 counters offering custom-made sandwiches.

SMALL BUT MIGHTY

According to Klukas, “The smaller independent [c-stores] are doing quite well,” he says, noting these are often the only businesses within walking distance of residential areas.

“They can raise property values and transform a community.”

That’s something Elias Monsour and his wife Jeannette know a thing or two about.

They have owned and operated 5th Street Grocery in Ottawa’s Glebe section for more than 40 years. It’s the quintessential “mom-and-pop” store, open seven days a week from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. The shop is densely packed with everything from jelly beans to binoculars — the polar opposite of the sleek, modern c-store with open-front refrigerated cases full of salads.

Despite their deep roots, the Monsours have put their business up for sale, in part due to competition from stores with expanded hours. “In the old days,” says Monsour, “there was more business, more people. Not many stores were open on Sunday.” l

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EQUIPMENT

IF THE FRIDGE DOESN’T FIT…

For operators seeking creative refrigeration solutions, customization is key

BY DENISE DEVEAU

R

efrigerators and freezers are counted among the more pedestrian of appliances. However, there are also a growing number of operators who believe custom systems are the way to go — whether they’re dealing with space constraints, aesthetics, environmental concerns or specialty menus requiring a fresh perspective on day-to-day prepping processes.

For Jason Fisher, owner/ brewer at the Indie Ale House in Toronto, having the right refrigeration is key to running a successful brew pub. The

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

120-seat restaurant does all its brewing on site and also runs a retail beer-to-go section — all of which fuels unique and large refrigeration demands, he says.

“The brewery lives on refrigeration that can be dialled into specific temperatures for each of the 10 fermenters so custom was the way to go.”

Fisher says the mechanics of it all can be easily managed with the right supplier. “It’s worth paying a bit extra to make sure you have a good custom builder.” His choice was local supplier Panacci R Refrigeration Co. Ltd.

When Fisher moved into the space, it had a huge excavated basement filled with sand, which he decided to take out (at a cost of $20,000) to create 6,000 sq. ft. of usable space — more than one-third of which is dedicated to refrigeration. Inside the walkin refrigeration unit, a chain-link fence separates the food from the beer inventory.

The system runs off heavy duty, roof-mounted glycol chillers that direct cooling to different parts of the restaurant. The glycol loop runs through the chiller to cool the air stream,

while custom-built fans blow cold air as needed. Solenoid valves (an electromechanically operated valve controlled by an electric current) allow Fisher to control temperatures for individual refrigeration systems throughout the facility. “I can dial in on a solenoid to set it to the exact temperature I need,” he explains.

Fisher admits his whole system — which cost $60,000 — is a bit over the top. “If I’ve learned one thing, it’s get something slightly bigger than what you need. It solves a lot of potential

FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

37

EQUIPMENT

HAUTE COUTURE REFRIGERATION

I

n the foodservice world, there are always standouts when it comes to creative thinking — even for refrigeration units. Here are a couple of projects that broke through the barriers to offer up one-of-a-kind showstoppers for their guests.

The Listel Hotel Whistler’s Bearfoot Bistro has been turning heads with its Kedel One Ice Room — a dedicated vodka- tasting experience built in 2010 to coincide with the Vancouver Winter Olympics. As Marc Des Rosiers, Marketing manager says, “We converted an area of the restaurant that used to be a cigar lounge into a permanent, year-round experience for guests.”

At -29°C, the room ranks among the coldest in the world and offers more than 50 different types of vodka on ice. While Des Rosiers won’t give away trade secrets about its construction, he does like to give credit to the folks behind it all: Local Refrigeration & Heating Ltd., Blackcomb Glass, Cool Creations Ltd. and Frogwood Enterprises. “It’s something we’re obviously very proud of. It’s tailor-made.”

At the Shangri-La in Toronto, guests can’t miss the glitzy two-storey champagne case in the lounge area, which features a wall-mounted elevator for the sommelier to reach the upper shelves. Scott Moore, vice-president of Sales for Trimen Foodservice Equipment, which was responsible for fabricating and installing the refrigerator, says the 16-foot-plus system has all sorts of unique features. “Everything is 100-per-cent custom: the shelves, the LED lighting, the special powder-coated interior and the glass doors. It was built in two sections so we could stack one refrigerator on top of the other. We actually had to bring a special forklift into the lobby to do it.”

38 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

problems down the road.”

Geoffrey Morden, executive chef for the Shaw Centre in Ottawa, has considerably larger needs. In fact, refrigeration takes up 60 per cent of the 13,000 sq. ft. of kitchen space, which was designed with cook, chill and finishing in mind. His inventory includes a dairy cooler, two vegetable coolers, a meat cooler, a beverage cooler walkin, two temperature-controlled prep rooms and a plating room.

All walk-in systems are sourced from Quebec-based Norbec. “We have another three or four satellite fridges scattered around the building,” he says.

He also relies on three roll-in blast chiller units from U.S.based Traulsen (priced at up to $15,000 each) that are designed to accommodate carts from Rational. Some special modifications needed to be done in terms of a small ramp system, door

size and an extension to the cooler box.

Doug Feltmate, foodservice and hospitality consultant with Planned Foodservice Solutions Inc. in Ottawa, worked on the original kitchen design after the building had been demolished, leaving only the floor slab.

“Everything was custom. We started from scratch.”

He says it was all built on the ‘kitchen-forward’ or forwardflow concept in which products come in one direction, go out the other and never cross over.

For example, raw ingredients and products come directly into the coolers and freezers and then move to the refrigerated prep rooms for de-casing, trimming or cutting and then to holding coolers. “All in all, they have 15 different cold rooms for refrigeration and working. Everything is done at various temperatures.”

The system uses glycol over

CHILL OUT The Kendal One Ice Room at The Listel Hotel Whistler’s Bearfoot Bistro (above) offers more than 50 types of vodka on ice; (top left) the twostorey champagne case at the Shangri-La in Toronto turns heads

conventional refrigerant. As Feltmate notes, “A glycol loop makes it very simple to shut down a room by closing a solenoid valve.” It also allows for individual temperature control for each room through an Einstein central control panel.

A key advantage of this “parallel refrigeration” approach, is that it only requires four FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

compressors for 15 refrigeration rooms, Feltmate explains. “Glycol is also environmentally friendly and cheaper since you’re not using refrigerants in the lines.”

He notes this type of configuration is a must if a building is going after LEED certification.

“It’s an important step in that process because the electricity savings can be massive.”

While Carl Heinrich, coowner of Toronto’s Richmond Station, may not have a huge space to work with, he has a unique refrigeration situation because of the way he buys food.

“We only buy whole animals — that requires a great amount of refrigeration.”

When he purchased the 33,000-sq.-ft. space (which now has 85 seats), he took out a large portion of the existing dining room to install a seven-by-10

foot fridge for butchery. Inside, there’s a rail for hanging the animal carcasses and a butcherblock work surface — all custom built by Vaughan, Ont.’s Curtis for approximately $13,000. “We have a pretty small kitchen so it was nice to have the butcher block in the fridge so no one is breaking up pieces of meat next to you.”

A special feature is a secret two-by-three-foot door where staff can access a two-by-threefoot pastry section. Heinrich says they also have another walk-in refrigerator and freezer for vegetable, dairy and pastry storage, as well as low-boy fridges from True for the hot line and appetizer section.

The pièce de resistance is an old two-door Coca-Cola refrigerator that was repurposed as a meat drying/charcuterie system.

“That came with the existing restaurant. We just changed up the thermostat and put in a dehumidifier for drying.” Heinrich says custom refrigeration tends to have a longer life, because it often has higher quality stainless steel, gaskets and hinges.

Given the value of his inventory, Heinrich also opted for remote sensors installed by Toronto-based Nikita Ltd., which alerts him by email or text if temperatures fluctuate. “We made that mistake once where the power went down in our building on a Saturday night.

When we came in on Monday, we lost all the food inside the refrigerators. It was a disaster.”

In his explorations, Heinrich says he’s learned some valuable lessons. One is ensuring compressors are located properly.

“If you put a refrigerator with

a back-mounted compressor in a corner, it will die because you can’t clean it.”

He also prefers a water-cooled system over air-cooled, although many jurisdictions don’t allow them because of water-usage restrictions (his system was grandfathered). “They are generally more expensive and use a great deal of water, but they last longer, don’t have nearly as much maintenance and are much quieter. Air-cooled compressors can also get dirty and you have to blow out the coils on the compressors more often.”

If he were to do it all over again, Heinrich says he would use custom fridges everywhere.

“They are built to last. In my experience, anyone with specific needs — especially if they operate in a small space — should be going for custom.” l

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CHEF’S CORNER

SELF-MADE

At only 32, chef Michael Robbins has already built a stellar reputation in the restaurant industry, as owner and executive chef of critically acclaimed AnnaLena restaurant.

BY ERIC ALISTER

A

BITS & BITES

Favourite ingredients to cook with: Salt and onions

Favourite kitchen tool: Other than a knife, a Vitamix

40 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY OCTOBER 2016

nity to be a restaurateur without the economic burden. “That was a big turning point for me,” he explains. “Treating a restaurant as if it were my own, but with someone else’s money, was beneficial for both sides. ” After rising to partner at Oakwood, Robbins was eager to operate his own restaurant and in March 2015, he opened AnnaLena.

Co-managed by Jeff Parr and Kevin Brownlee, AnnaLena has drawn both crowds and critical acclaim. “We expected to do well, but not as well as we did right out of the gate,” Robbins says.

The 65-seat restaurant’s name is a portmanteau of Robbins’ two grandmothers — Anna and Lena. Throughout the interior, dark wood grains and blacks are juxtaposed with clean, stark whites. The contrast, he explains, represents the opposing personalities of his grandmothers.

Decorative pieces consist of ’90s memorabilia, such as Gameboys and Lego pieces, representing Robbins’ childhood persona.

The young restaurateur says his hands-on approach to owning a restaurant is what he loves most about entrepreneurship. “Focus on doing one thing well and it will open the door to other opportunities,” Robbins says. “I cooked for 15 years and now I’m at a point where I can design, conceptualize and brand a restaurant myself.”

Robbins has no plans to expand beyond his one location anytime soon. “I want to maximize the potential of [AnnaLena]. I’d rather keep reinventing it and refining the concept and really nailing it,” he shared. l

What do you cook at home?

I’m a sandwich guy.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?

I’d work for Nike; I’m a ‘sneakerhead’ FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

PHOTOS: MIKE CRANE [MICHAEL ROBBINS], DREAMSTIME.COM [BITS & BITES]

pragmatist at heart, Vancouver-born Michael Robbins always knew he wasn’t interested in pursuing cooking through traditional means — he had no interest in getting a post-secondary education and preferred instead to refine his skills on the job. “[As] a chef, you’re paid to create things and be part of a team,” Robbins says.

“You can be in the career from day one and grow continually instead of going back and forth between school and your job.”

Robbins began his culinary career early at age 17, working part-time at a Vancouver Earls. There, he met his future AnnaLena manager, Jeff Parr. The pair started as dishwashers, working their way up into the kitchen before moving to the Vancouver steak-and-seafood chain Joe Fortes. Following a two-year stint there, the pair went their separate ways. Robbins travelled to Australia, where he spent a year working at various restaurants, gaining valuable international culinary experience.

After returning to Vancouver, Robbins joined the Glowbal Restaurant Group and as the company grew rapidly from a handful of diners to a large collection of fine-dining restaurants, Robbins also grew — from chef de cuisine to executive chef. But he craved more creative freedom than the chain afforded him. “It felt very corporate,” he says. “Although I was an executive, it was micro-managed.”

As executive chef at the Oakwood Canadian Bistro in Kitsilano, B.C., Robbins was given the freedom he craved. Entrusted with designing the fledgling restaurant’s brand image, Robbins got the opportu-