April 2019 - Total Food Service

NEWS

SCHOOL FOODSERVICE

New York City Public Schools to Join Meatless Monday Movement Article by Joyce Appelman

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or students in the United States’ largest school district, “Meatball Monday” in the cafeteria will soon be a thing of the past.

Instead, beginning in the 20192020 school year, all of the 1.1 million students in over 1,700 New York City public schools will be offered a vegetarian menu for breakfast and lunch, as the DOE adopts “Meatless Monday” in an effort to improve public health and reduce the city’s environmental footprint, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last month.

“Cutting back on meat a little will improve New Yorkers’ health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We’re expanding Meatless Monday to all public schools to keep our lunch and planet green for generations to come.”

The menu is still being worked out, but the Mayor and New York City officials say the menu will be budget-neutral. According to the Department of Education, Food and Nutrition Services officials will meet with students to receive their input before the menu is finalized.

“The announcement that Mayor de Blasio is expanding Meatless Monday to all New York City pub-

Mayor Bill de Blasio talks Meatless Mondays with NYC school children

lic schools mark a major milestone.

Through this united effort, New York City’s schools take a leadership role in getting our children on a healthier track, as well as making a positive impact on our environment,” said Sid Lerner, Founder, Meatless Monday Movement.

Meatless Monday is a global movement with a simple message: one day a week, cut the meat. Launched in 2003, Meatless Monday is a nonprofit initiative of The Monday Cam-

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paigns, working in collaboration with the Center for a Livable Future (CLF) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Their goal is to reduce meat consumption by 15% for personal health and the health of the planet. They provide information, news, recipes and free promotional materials to help individuals, schools, restaurants, hospitals, food companies and entire communities to start each week with a commitment to eating healthy,

environmentally-friendly, meat-free meals. Now entering its second decade, Meatless Monday is embraced in over 40 countries, in over 20 languages, demonstrating the universal appeal of an idea that is simple to understand and easy to do.

“Meatless Monday is good for our students, communities, and the environment,” said Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza. “Our 1.1 million students are taking the next

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Meatless Monday, from page 2 step towards healthier, more sustainable lives.”

Meatless Monday has already gone through a successful pilot program in 15 Brooklyn schools in Spring 2018 and the decision to expand it to the more than 1,700 schools citywide was based on the positive reaction from the students participating in the program. This promises to be just the beginning of a very significant shift in the way school food provides meals to students.

Borough President Eric Adams is a champion of plant-based diets, adds, “I could not be more energized by our progress and more ready to take on the work ahead.”

Meatless Monday builds on the City’s efforts to provide free, healthy meals to all students. This initiative will be part of New York City’s Free School Lunch for All, providing free, nutritious, healthy breakfast and lunch to all participating in New

Plant-based diets are healthy and also good for the environment,” said Assembly Health Committee Chair and longtime pescatarian Richard N. Gottfried York City schools. Launched in the 2017-18 school year, more than 150 million breakfasts and lunches were served free of charge. Each summer, the DOE also provides free breakfast and lunch to any New Yorker under 18 through the Summer Meals program. Since 2015, New York Thursdays have provided schools with locally sourced or produced food.

Studies indicate that a properly formulated vegetarian diet provides all essential nutrients for children and major provides advantages to help prevent or treat various ail-

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ments including childhood obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease. Data indicates that 65% of American kids age 12-14 shows signs of early cholesterol disease.

“Plant-based diets are healthy and also good for the environment,” said Assembly Health Committee Chair and longtime pescatarian Richard N. Gottfried. “From child development to chronic disease management, diet and nutrition play a central role in health care. I commend Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza for

their leadership on this issue.

Meatless Monday provides resources for restaurants including, How to Get Meatless Monday Going at a Restaurant, which provides a quick overview, benefits for restaurants and a sample email for reaching out to restaurants.

The Meatless Monday Restaurant Implementation Guide was developed based on research conducted by the Johns Hopkins University Center for a Livable Future, who gathered feedback from foodservice professionals. The guide offers: • Step-by-step instructions on how to start a Meatless Monday program • Tools and tips for best practices in plant-based foodservice • New research detailing the growing demand for meatless dishes • Menu strategies Additional free resources are available here at https://www.meatlessmonday.com/free-resources/

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 5

NEWS

CORPORATE DINING

Savory Appoints Wendy Powell as President Seasoned Foodservice Executive to Lead Corporate Catering Company of the Future

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owell Bryan, CEO of Manhattan-based corporate catering company Savory, announced last month the appointment of Wendy Powell as President.

Combining a passion for culinary arts with a strong focus on quality, strategic alignment, people and team building, Powell will be charged with leading Savory’s continued transformation into the corporate catering company of the future, one that delivers culinary innovation and hospitality excellence for premier organizations without onsite foodservice production capabilities.

Responsibilities include overseeing Savory’s client experience, culinary performance, operational and financial performance, growth and retention, brand and marketing

Wendy Powell

Wendy brings incredible knowledge of the food industry and has a wealth of relationships with clients, suppliers, chefs and others,” said CEO Lowell Bryan. strategy, and company culture. She will report directly to Bryan.

“Wendy brings incredible knowledge of the food industry and has a wealth of relationships with clients, suppliers, chefs and others,” said Bryan. “Since being named interim President just a couple of months ago, she has been able to not only assemble a first class team but also to confirm a number of new, major corporate catering clients. As Savory becomes focused on becoming the best provider of food and beverage services to Manhattan-based clients who do not have their own kitchens, we are thrilled to confirm her as the new President of Savory.”

Powell joins Savory with over 25 years of hands-on hospitality and foodservice experience. Prior to Savory, Powell held positions as VP and Regional Business Development for companies including Patina Restaurant Group, Restaurant Associates and Guckenhiemer.

From 1993-2008, Powell owned and operated Jubilee Catering, Inc,

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a premium catering company in Boston with two brick and mortar cafes that focused on corporate and event catering. The successful company was voted Best Caterer South of Boston (2001-2007).

She is a member of top industry organizations including the Society for Hospitality and Food Service Management (SHFM) and Les Dames d’Escoffier, among others.

Powell’s vision and experience makes this a unique opportunity for Savory. Commenting on her new role, she said: “I feel like I’ve come full circle in my career. From operating a successful catering company to working with some of the best global companies in our industry, these experiences have prepared me to be in a position to transform Savory into a leader in offsite premium corporate and events catering.”

The way we work and eat is changing. Savory’s focus is to deliver the highest quality food and hospitality experience to premier, Manhat-

Main Office 282 Railroad Ave. Greenwich, CT 06830 Publishers Leslie & Fred Klashman Advertising Director Michael Scinto Art Director Mark Sahm Director of Public Relations and Special Events Joyce Appelman Contributing Writers Warren Bobrow Morgan Tucker Fred Sampson Jeff Kravet Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com

Cover photo by Maria Brandao Total Food Service ISSN No. 1060-8966 is published monthly by IDA Publishing, Inc., 282 Railroad Ave., Greenwich, CT 06830. Phone: 203.661.9090. This issue copyright 2019 by IDA Publishing Inc. Contents in full or part may not be reproduced without permission. Not responsible for advertisers claims or statements.

Periodicals Postage paid at the post office, Greenwich, CT and additional mailing offices. Additional entry at the post office in Pittsburgh, PA. Subscription rate in USA is $36 per year; single copy; $3.00. Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Food Service, P.O. Box 2507, Greenwich, CT 06836

tan-based corporate clients. We are a culinary organization dedicated to innovation, best-in-class services and exceptional experiences for workplace communities. Savory powers tailored culinary programs that include meeting catering, office-wide meals, grab and go, pantry management, receptions and events. For more information, visit https://savory.com.

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 7

NEWS

SPECIAL EVENTS

American Express Set To Host Annual SHFM CIC Conference

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etro New York and the nation’s leading Client Liaisons, Self-Operators, Contractors and Integrated Facility Managers are set to gather for the annual SHFM Critical Issues Conference (CIC) this month in New York City.

SHFM – The Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management – serves the needs and interests of executives in the corporate foodservice and workplace hospitality industries.

SHFM hosts events across the country that enable industry professionals to come together to exchange ideas with industry professionals who share similar challenges and agendas.

This year’s SHFM Critical Issues Conference is slated for American Express corporate headquarters on Wednesday, April 10th. An all-star cast slate of presenters will explore this year’s conference theme: Delivering, Measuring And Mastering Exceptional; Customer Service.

“Today’s customers are well informed and have elevated expectations,” noted Suzanne Heidelberger,

“Our goal for the panel is to explore how hospitality models and strategies influence customers and associates as the definition of worldclass service continues to change,” noted JLL’s Peter Miscovich.

SVP, Global Real Estate, American Express. “So it is imperative we deliver impactful experiences that engage those customers and exceed their expectations.”

The goal of the CIC is to provide a program that outlines exceptional service that maximizes the hospitality experience. To kickoff the full day of festivities, there will be an Operators Session Client Liaisons/Self-Operators/Contractors/IFMs from 9:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

The opening session will enable operators to come together at this roundtable to exchange ideas with industry professionals who share similar membership classifications. This interactive session will feature selected presentations on critical topics and pro-

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vide a forum for open dialogue. The roundtable will be facilitated by subject matter experts to maximize educational benefit and allow for conversations on issues of common interest.

Once again the CIC will host a Young Professionals Session & Lunch.

Young professionals (40 and younger) will discuss ways they deliver and retain excellence in service. In addition, industry leader and SHFM Past President Holly Von Seggern, with HRV Marketing & Communications, will touch on building personal brand in the workplace.

The afternoon session will begin with welcoming remarks by the event’s host: Suzanne Heidelberger, SVP, Global Real Estate, American Express. An All-star panel featuring Flik’s Adam Freed, Alan Gallo of

American Express and Jones, Lang, LaSalle’s Peter Miscovich will then discuss: Hospitality Is Bigger Than Ourselves. The mission of that panel will be to create strategies for providing hospitality experiences that attract and retain top-tier talent, drive repeat customers and create value for clients.

The trio of corporate and industry executives will offer perspectives on delivering and maintaining worldclass service that exceeds customers’ expectations through innovative experiences. The focus will also be on providing service to multiple generations with differing perspectives. The panel will also seek to help attendees adapt to technological advances and automation while supporting multiple service disciplines.

“Our goal for the panel is to explore how hospitality models and strategies influence customers and associates as the definition of world-class service continues to change,” noted Miscovich.

The second afternoon session will focus on: Measuring Customer Service For Success. Panelists Dr. Ken Fordyce of Arkieva, NYU’s Dr. Jukka M. Laitamaki and Ronni Schorr of Sodexo Group will focus on a theme

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April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 9

MIXOLOGY

WITH WARREN BOBROW

CBD Cocktail 101

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y now someone or other has gone over to the ‘dark side’ and ordered a CBD infused cocktail or mocktail while out and about. And this got you thinking, what is CBD and why are they so interested in it? That question and a few others should be answered and who better than myself to expose the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of adding CBD to your craft cocktail program. First of all, is it legal to add cannabis to a cocktail? Yes, it is but evidently not CBD, which in the larger extent of the word, not from the plant that has THC, that stuff that is illegal.

But what is it? Illegal or legal. That certainly needs explanation. And the ones who can explain it best are your local ABC or liquor board. They would be able to guide you. After all, they issued your liquor license, so they would certainly be the ones to take it away from you, should you not have the proper guidance on what is legal or illegal in cocktail mixology with CBD.

If your bartender is using THC in his/ her craft cocktail program, no matter how innocent they seem, this action is breaking the law. It must stop immediately. Your liquor license is at risk.

You must practice tough love. First offense? It’s pretty bad. Second? Fire the offender. What I do in the real world is not anyone’s business. But bring THC into a cocktail or restaurant and you face serious penalties. Like the loss of your liquor license. Not cool!

CBD in the broader context has been shown to relieve pain in small amounts. It also can stop a particularly evil hangover from ruining your day. I use CBD on my meniscus (yep, a bartending injury, and you thought all I did was write about liquor!) the lotion has proven itself to do a fine job.

My go/to for that varies, always look for whole plant extractions. AND no Chinese hemp. It’s pretty bad for you.

I’m clear on the fact that CBD is being used in craft cocktails and I wonder why. After all, CBD is mostly negated

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by alcohol, but who am I to blow the lid off this whole trend. If it works for the good of some, then it should be effective for all? Far from, with actual dosage amounts still mostly unknown.

But as a placebo against pain, as an aspirin can lessen a headache, I see nothing wrong with it.

But a quick recap. There are two different types of CBD. One comes from hemp. Hemp is an industrial ingredient. It is used mostly in building materials and some forms of cosmetics. Sailboat line is made from hemp, very durable stuff, as well as paper and even pain relief lotions that go on the skin. The kind of CBD that comes from the cannabis plant has psychoactive properties, they have a ‘feeling’ to them. That ‘feeling’ substance is called THC. THC came from the same plant that supplies CBD. There are also high and low CBD strains. They both can come from plants that have THC/CBD mixes. My own cannabis DNA testing revealed that I should use

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

low THC and high CBD strains in my own healing. That certainly changes the way the budtenders speak at the dispensary. They are always promoting high THC strains, when low THC and high CBD is healthier. But I digress. CBD in craft cocktails is here to stay. It is non-psychoactive. You won’t get high. You won’t fail your drug test.

You won’t be labeled a stoner. You’ll feel relaxed. Happy perhaps. Anything is better than being angry. CBD makes everything better. One drip under your tongue at a time.

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 11

FIORITO ON INSURANCE Protect Your Restaurant From The Rise of Email Phishing and Fraud

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irtually every business relies on a network to conduct its daily operations, making cyber liability a concern for businesses of all sizes as cybercriminals continue to find new creative ways to profit. One tactic of cybercrime that has become notably prevalent and concerning is Social Engineering Fraud, where cybercriminals can deceptively gain the confidence of an employee to induce him or her to part with money or securities. While there are several methods of social engineering; Business Email Compromise (BEC) or Email Phishing, is one that continues to become increasingly troublesome.

As email communication is an integral part of conducting business for all restaurants and food-service establishments, it is also a major exposure to potential cyber related losses. Cybercriminals have moved beyond unsophisticated and obvious phishing emails, now being able to leverage a compromised email account in several ways. Through BEC, the email accounts of high-level business executives may be mimicked or hacked. A request for a wire transfer, W-2 forms or other sensitive information from the compromised email account is made to someone responsible for processing transfers.

Typically, the attacker sends a phishing email with a link to a website that looks legitimate and prompts the user to enter their username and password. On the back-end, the attacker has now acquired those credentials.

As email communication is an integral part of conducting business for all restaurants and food-service establishments, it is also a major exposure to potential cyber related losses.

Robert Fiorito serves as Vice President

The statistics are alarming. Data from a recent study by specialty insurer Beazley, revealed a 133% increase in BEC incidents from 2017 to 2018.1 In the past year, the amounts stolen in this way have also increased significantly as attackers get more brazen and successful. Accordingly to the report, fraudulent transfers were typically under $15,000 just a few years ago, but attackers have gotten far bolder, with successful fraudulent transfers ranging from several thousand dollars to seven figures.2 One promising recent development has been the banks’ ability to freeze the transaction and return the funds if they are contacted quickly enough (within 24-48 hours) by the targeted organization.

Unfortunately, behind those statistics are real victims and a true threat.

Just recently, I assisted my client, an upscale restaurant group, with a situation where the controller received an email coming from the main principal of the corporation (or so they thought) requesting a wire of funds to two separate bank accounts, one overseas and another in a different state. The email looked completely

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legitimate, especially since the group had multiple restaurant locations throughout the nation and overseas.

The controller wired over $100,000, only to learn the request was fraudulent a short time later. Luckily, they had the proper insurance coverage in place and were able to recover some of the losses.

with HUB International Northeast, a leading global insurance brokerage, where he specializes in providing insurance services to the restaurant industry. As a 25+ year veteran and former restaurateur himself, Bob has worked with a wide array of restaurant and food service businesses, ranging from fast-food chains to upscale, “white tablecloth” dining establish-

Given the rising incidence of social engineering fraud, all companies should implement basic risk avoidance measures: • Educate and train your employees so they can be vigilant and recognize fraudulent behavior.

• Establish a procedure requiring any verbal /emailed request for funds or information transfer to be confirmed in person, or via phone, by the individual making the request.

• Be mindful of phone conversations. Victims have reported receiving phone calls from fraudsters requesting personal information for verification purposes. Some victims report they were unable to distinguish the fraudulent phone conversation from legitimate conversations. One way to counter act this

ments. Robert can be reached at 212338-2324 or by email at robert.fiorito@ hubinternational.com.

fraudulent activity, is to establish code phrases that would only be known to the two legitimate parties.

• Consider two-factor authorization for high level IT and financial security functions and dual signatures on wire transfers greater than a certain threshold.

• Avoid free web-based email and establish a private company domain and use it to create valid email accounts in lieu of free, web-based accounts.

• Be careful of what is posted to social media and company websites,

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Singer M. Tucker is your Complete Foodservice Partner.

“ Running a restaurant requires finding strong partners that you can trust. Singer M. Tucker has been a dependable supplier since our opening day, helping source kitchen equipment, smallwares and high-quality plateware.”

Suzanne Cupps

Execuuve Chef, Unntled

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 13

THOUGHTFULLY CURATED

WITH LMT PROVISIONS

Digging Toward the Future

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e began an endeavor in geology last November when we set out to harvest clay and manufacture plates straight from our backyard. Executive Chef Jamie Simpson, my partner in all things, invited Nate Mell of FELT+FAT, along with expert forager Jessica Hans to dig up the earth around us and bring a deeper sense of place to the dinnerware portfolio at The Culinary Vegetable Institute.

We uncovered spectacular ranges of color and texture that usually only the earth gets to see. Rare and elusive forms were created by 1. Digging up the banks of the Huron River for clay, shale, and foraging materials from which we drew regional inspiration.

2. Soaking our findings and slaking out clay and glazes on plaster slabs.

3. Mixing slurries of glazes and slips for decorating.

4. Shaping forms by hand, both free form and on surfaces of meaningful items around the property.

5. Placing wares in barrels and setting them ablaze.

6. Unloading our home-made kiln.

Mell is no stranger to experimentation. He has pioneered a collaborative design and manufacturing studio that is coveted by some of the greatest chefs in the US. Its success is based off the needs of one chef in particular: Eli Kulp, who was the Executive Chef of High Street on Market in Philadelphia, PA. In 2014, Kulp approached Mell in need of dinnerware for his new restaurant.

Since then, FELT+FAT has gone from a humble pottery studio in Kensington, Philadelphia, to an internationally recognized, hospitality focused

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tableware brand.

Mell now partners with some of the industry’s brightest stars. When interviewed in Restaurant Hospitality, Chef Brad Kilgore expressed how he couldn’t put his new restaurants’ signature dish in a traditional vessel. Instead, he commissioned the F+F studio to create a new glaze technique for the opening of Kaido in Miami, Florida to “mimic the texture and look of a sea urchin for our uni fondue.”

The eye-catching, Tetris-inspired wood display, drawing the largest crowd on the IRFSNY show floor last month, was their showcase.

Inside the Singer M. Tucker booth, guests discovered porcelain clay slip formulated and mixed in-house and then cast in handmade molds adorned with one of the F+F signature satin matte glaze colors. Each is a refined forward-thinking solution

Morgan Tucker is the Director of Business Development at Singer M. Tucker and founder of LMT. Ms. Tucker advises a wide diversity of acclaimed restaurateurs, celebrated chefs, and industry leaders across the U.S. LMT is a thoughtfully curated brand of hospitality provisions that can be sourced through the Singer family of companies. To consult with our team, please email lmt@singerequipment.com.

to a playful pantone. The newest offering, Honeydew, compliments a 16-piece collection of finishes from pigeon and periwinkle to taupe and marble teal.

With creative collaboration at play in all directions, it’s no wonder that when it came time to find the perfect tableware partner to celebrate Singer Equipment Company’s centennial last year, we looked in our own backyard. LMT Provisions is excited to showcase the portfolio once again at Singer Equipment’s Annual Trade Show on April 7th and April 8th at our Elverson, PA warehouse, and reveal a glimpse into our next 100 years.

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April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 15

CHEFCETERA

Rachel Flatley Pastry Chef, Honest Man Restaurant Group

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native of Long Island, Rachel’s passion for baking started at a young age. She was drawn to the kitchen, and would spend hours preparing treats for her family and friends. In 2008 she enrolled in the Baking and Pastry Arts program at Suffolk County Community College, and in 2009 she relocated to the North Fork. She quickly fell in love with the serene atmosphere, beautiful beaches and bountiful farms. Shortly after moving, Rachel began her internship at the highly acclaimed North Fork Table and Inn, where she worked under the James Beard Award Winning Pastry Chef Claudia Fleming for three and a half years. After graduation, she began working as an Assistant Chef for Suffolk County Community College’s Baking and Pastry Arts Program, where she was able to hone her craft and inspire others in the

field. She joined the Honest Man team in 2014, which includes the restaurants Nick & Toni’s, Rowdy Hall, La Fondita, Townline BBQ, Coche Comedor, and Honest Catering.

Total Food Service had the opportunity to talk to Rachel Flatley about her inspirations, trainings, and ambitions.

What experiences growing up inspired you to become a chef?

There were several people growing up that influenced and inspired my love for baking. My dad was one of my biggest influences – he’s the cook in the family, so I would spend a lot of time in the kitchen watching him make dinner. We would only have dessert on Sundays, so I started making a dessert to go with whatever feast he was preparing for Sunday Supper. As time went on and my skills improved, I took over the Christmas cookie task from my older

sister. My father would give each of his employees & coworkers a cookie tray for Christmas, and eventually this turned into a 4-day cookie bake off where I would bake upwards of 120 dozen cookies in my home.

He’s been my biggest supporter and has always encouraged me to keep learning and keep reaching for my goals. My grandfather, noticing my growing interest in baking, arranged my first job at the age of 15 at the local bakery where he was a regular.

This experience taught me so much and gave me a deep appreciation for the amount of time, labor, and effort that went into each and every dessert and pastry. I found the organized chaos of it all enchanting.

Tell us about your culinary education, what were some highlights of your time in the Pastry and Baking Arts program?

I received my Associates in Baking

Rachel Flatley, Pastry Chef, Honest Man Restaurant Group

& Pastry Arts from Suffolk County Community College in Riverhead, NY. This program is a great program for anyone interested in the hospitality industry. The classes are intimate, rarely more than 30 students in a classroom, and maximum 16 in a lab, which gives you nearly oneon-one instruction. Out of the 4 baking classes we took, my favorite was the Advanced Pastry course, which focused on plated desserts. This class was taught by the late Gerard Molloy, who has been such a great influence and mentor in my career.

Being located on the East End of Long Island, the school gave us the opportunity to meet and work with local farmers & chefs who have been forefront in the farm to table movement on Long Island.

Who are your culinary mentors and what were some of the most important things they taught you?

My biggest culinary mentor is definitely Claudia Fleming. I started working for Claudia at the North Fork Table and Inn in 2009 as a pas-

Some mouth watering examples of Chef Rachel Flatley’s desserts from Rick and Toni’s (All photos by Eric Striffler)

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continued on page 110

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NEWS

POS SOLUTIONS

Toast Releases Suite of New Features To Enhance The Guest Experience

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oast, the fastest-growing restaurant management platform in the U.S., recently released a suite of new features focused on the guest experience; the Company unveiled Toast Guest Feedback, the first multi-channel guest feedback platform built exclusively for restaurants. Toast Guest Feedback empowers restaurant owners to collect and act on guest reviews in realtime via Toast Digital Receipts and Toast Go™.

We’re committed to helping the restaurant industry apply technology to increase revenue, improve operations, and delight guests,” said Steve Fredette, president and co-founder of Toast.

“We’re committed to helping the restaurant industry apply technology to increase revenue, improve

operations, and delight guests,” said Steve Fredette, president and co-founder of Toast. “In an industry

where online ratings can dramatically impact revenue, reputation management is more important than ever for the Toast Restaurant Community. We developed Toast Guest Feedback in response to this trend; restaurateurs can better manage their online reputation, perform service recovery, attract new diners, and retain guests.”

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Increase revenue by driving more orders through tableside ordering and payments, online ordering, and integrated loyalty programs.

Improve restaurant operations by gaining visibility into your restaurant’s data through kitchen management technology and an easy-to-use point of sale system built in the cloud.

Toast’s restaurant management platform combines front of the house, back of the house and guest-facing technology that empowers restaurateurs.

Deliver amazing guest experiences toasttab.com/totalfoodservice-2019

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by offering digital gift cards, text and email receipts, and personalized marketing campaigns.

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SEDERHOLT ON RESTAURANT FINANCE

Fun Facts About Tax

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t’s tax time! One of the most costly, contested and ridiculous versions of Kabuki theater on the planet has just gotten crazier. Because everyone has a different world view of this issue, I thought it just might be interesting to simply provide a Tapas Bar of small bites about the taxes, the economy to amuse and bewilder. The big question is how this might affect people in our industry.

• As I predicted earlier this year – many middle-class employees have “under withheld” their taxes because they heard about the “tax cut”. Many should brace for a shocker when it comes to tax refunds. The IRS has reported that for the 2018 returns, they are refunding 17% less than prior years. Some may argue that this is because people didn’t accurately calculate the amounts they should withhold. But as most average people know, this activity is a guessing game and with the new tax code, even more of a mystery. If you are really doing it right you should have a zero refund as you don’t want to give the government an interest free loan, however most people over withhold because they don’t want to take the chance of owing the IRS when they file their returns. Many people also look at their refund as a bit of a “bonus” each year and a way to force themselves to save money. This change in refunds is very unpopular with many wage earners and leaves the average guy feeling that the new “tax cut” has left them on the curb while large corporations and the wealthy are cleaning up.

• Under the new tax code, states like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut have received a limit of $10,000

David Sederholt is a multi-discipline entrepreneur who has launched

Many middle-class employees have “under withheld” their taxes because they heard about the “tax cut”. Many should brace for a shocker when it comes to tax refunds.

and built numerous companies in specialty finance, foodservice and commercial real estate over 40 years.

After owning, financing and operating over a dozen restaurants in his career he found a niche in serving small businesses seeking financing and strategic advice. For 10 years he

tax deduction for state and local taxes (SALT). This includes real estate taxes, personal property taxes and state / local income taxes. Many entrepreneurs with pass through businesses no longer have the ability to write off the taxes of their business property tax.

The US Treasury Inspector General estimated that nearly 11,000,000 taxpayers will be negatively affected by the limits on SALT deductions and could lose $323 Billion as a result. Ouch!

• The standard deduction almost doubled to $12,000 for individuals and $24,000 for married couples filing jointly. This could be good for you but for those who had taken personal exemptions and itemized deductions, you could end up with HIGHER taxable income.

• Amazon will be paying $0 Federal Income Tax for the second year in a row despite being a $793 Billion company with $11.2 Billion in profits.

Netflix will probably pay nothing in taxes despite a record $845 Million in profits. General Motors paid only 5.5% effective rate. I’m sure your business will experience the same (aka – sarcasm!)

• The “pass-through” provisions are providing some tax breaks for small business owners except those earning more than $157,500 individually

20 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

or $315,000 for married couples. However, the vast majority of this tax break goes to the biggest businesses which make $1 Million and up.

• The tax cut program was supposed to stimulate hiring, increase wages, spending power and the general economy. Instead it has funded record stock buybacks and stimulated a dividend spree benefitting investors and corporate executives over the employees. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a January press conference that “Over 70% of this tax cut will be returned to the workers”. Guess what? It hasn’t and over the past year S&P 500 companies have given shareholders over $1 Trillion in the form of stock buybacks and dividends while real wage growth was zero.

• Some large companies did indeed give their employees a one-time bonus allowing them to give some benefit to the employees without raising the company’s fixed costs – unfortunately the employees are paying a higher tax rate on the bonus as supplemental income.

• The Treasury Department stated the tax cut isn’t paying for itself. The $1.5 trillion tax cut is not stimulating the general economy which pushes additional tax revenue into the Treasury as it was sold by the politicians.

served as Chief Operating Officer of Strategic Funding Source, Inc., (now called Kapitus). David has also been a Managing Partner at a boutique investment bank and a specialty commercial real estate firm. He is a regular guest lecturer and contributor to business and industry publications as well as serving as a Board member and advisor to numerous companies and non-profit organizations. He is currently owner of Ragnar Partners, LLC, a private investment and advisory firm.

As described by Jim Tankersley in the New York Times, “One way to think about it is from the perspective of a small-business owner. Let’s say you run your own bakery. You sell bread for $4 a loaf. Today, you sold 90 loaves, for $360 in revenue. You expect that, because it’s a busier day at the bakery tomorrow, you’ll sell 100 loaves then, earning $400. But you’d like to sell even more than that, so you lower the price to $3 a loaf to encourage additional purchases. Congratulations! You sell 125 loaves. Your revenue goes up, to $375. That’s more than you brought in the day before. Your price cut, though, has not “paid for itself” — because

continued on page 108

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TREND TALK

WITH JOYCE APPELMAN

Roundtable Discussion: What Chefs & Restaurateurs Need to Know About Reservations and The Customer Factor

R

estaurants, non-reservation Hummus, San Francisco and reservation-taking are Opened first location in Palo Alto, aiming to keep their reguCalifornia in 2011. She now has lolar customers happy while cations operating from morning unkeeping seats filled throughout opertil night in San Francisco, Palo Alto, ating hours, and the kitchen humming Mountain View, Cupertino, and San along profitably. To shed some light Jose. on this topic, TFS turned to four res· Gina Chersevani, Owner, Buftaurateurs to explain how they do it: falo & Bergen, Washington, D.C. · Yuka Abe, Director of OperaOpened 2012 in Union Market, this tions, Aquavit, New York neighborhood gathering spot has Cornell University Hotel School seats for 22 at the counter and 60 outalumna Abe began her career at the side. The patio operates from 8 a.m.- 9 original Aquavit location, before joinp.m. ing the Townhouse Restaurant Group.

She returned to Aquavit in 2012 to If you are a no-reservations restauoversee the restaurant’s daily operarant how do you manage to keep seats tions alongside Executive Chef Emma Bengtsson, New York’s only female chef bestowed with two Michelin stars. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner with 52 seats in the Dining Room, 24 in the Bar and Lounge. · Ralph Brennan, Owner, Brennan’s, New Orleans Brennan’s originally opened in the iconic pink building at 417 Royal Street in 1946. In 2013 the restaurant closed and was then purchased by Ralph Brennan. The restaurant returned to its original glory in November 2014 and remains a classic New Orleans destination. · Mistie Cohen, Owner Aquavit, New York City (Photo by Signe Birck) and President of Oren’s

22 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

filled while accommodating regulars so they remain loyal/keep returning?

Brennan: Only the Roost bar is no reservations.

Chersevani: Humor! You have to watch your numbers as closely as you watch your social media. We are just nice, offer drinks while guests are standing and waiting, and we suggest that they wander through, or sit somewhere else, in the market while they are waiting.

Cohen: Our Palo Alto location is the only one that does not accept reservations. It does not affect business; our regulars know the best windows to come where it will not be busy, and/ or works well for them. Our guests wait 20 minutes and at night we can end up at a 30-minute or more wait. Our food is quick to the table so it allows guests to stay and enjoy their experience as long as they would like and/ or move on with their day or night as quickly as they would like. This keeps our guest wait times for tables short. We also use a Nowait, Yelp’s system that allows guests to walk in town and be alerted by automated call and text when their table is ready.

Do you do anything special for these regulars in terms of communication/outreach pre-restaurant arrival, bonus courses during a meal,

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

expedited seating upon arrival, etc.?

Brennan: We always give our regular guests first right of refusal on special dates. We pay attention to their specific requests, and if there is a certain table they frequently dine at or what they desire to drink. We try to continue and review the guest’s history, as tradition is very important in New Orleans.

Once they arrive, we try and ensure that all of their favorites are ready and waiting for them. Our guests like to know that we plan for and anticipate their arrival.

continued on page 24

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 23

Reservations and The Customer Factor, from page 22 Cohen: We use Nowait; it allows guests to add themselves to any existing waitlist and allows guests to expedite seating before arrival. The system does not allow them to add themselves unless they are within a specific distance. Walk-ins also are added to this; and if they choose to walk around Nowait provides an automated text and call to let them know that the table is ready. Our Cupertino location uses Allset, which allows guests to preorder, and pre-reserve a table. We then have a table with food ready for when they arrive. This supports guests who have a very limited time to dine. Everything is prepaid so there is nothing else that needs to be processed.

With the advent of technology, how have you kept that personal touch and implemented technology in such a way that regular guests feel special?

Abe: As a restaurant that is over thirty years old, an enormous factor in our continued success is the support of our regulars. We have some guests who dine with us every week at the same time, while others that visit us every year for our traditional Swedish holiday celebrations. Technology has played a huge role by allowing us to keep detailed notes on everyone’s preferences so that each time they visit their experience is as personal as possible.

Brennan: With technology, it’s all about keeping notes of our guests’ preferences so that when they return we are better able to cater to what they like or dislike. The goal is to add layers of details during and after each visit.

Chersevani: Technology allows us to remain in contact with guests and enhances face-to-face communication with them.

Cohen: Our philosophy is happy employees bring happy guests. Our employees are very happy and enjoy every guest interaction. They are well trained, knowledgeable and truly treat every guest as if they are their guests, not just a table they are turning. Our

Oren’s, San Francisco (Photo by Tai Kerbs)

culture promotes that every person who walks through the door is valued and appreciated. We feel technology supports our communication, and timing of tables does not interfere with the guest experience.

If you take reservations, do you leave tables for walk-ins and what’s the % of seats? Do you require a credit card deposit to hold a reservation? What’s your cancellation policy? Do you call in advance to confirm the reservation?

Abe: We do accept walk-ins; however, we don’t necessarily reserve a set percentage just for that. We take walkins only if space allows in our dining room as well as our bar and lounge. In terms of reservations, we take deposits for all dinner reservations and for parties of 5 or more. Our deposit is $50 per person and our cancellation policy is 24 hours in advance in order to be refunded the deposit amount. Guests receive an email to confirm their reservations.

Brennan: We accept as many reservations as possible depending on staffing and which rooms we choose to open on any given day. While we always do our best to welcome guests who walk in, our focus is first and foremost on the guest who planned to

24 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

dine with us.

Cohen: Other than at Palo Alto, we accept reservations. In order to keep things flowing smoothly for walk-ins, we normally accept reservations before 11:30 a.m. Depending on the location and space size we take 30% in reservations.

This keeps tables open for walk-in parties. We do not require a credit card for reservations unless it’s a special buy-out event. We do not have a cancellation policy for normal reservations. However, we only hold tables for 15 minutes from the reservation time and the whole party must be there to be seated. We always call the day of to confirm reservations.

How do you bundle all of the technology so that the POS and “Open Table”/RESY/Tock or whatever system you use for reservations talks to your front-of-house inventory management and manages back of house for your bottom line?

Abe: A major advantage and a big reason why we switched to Tock is that it allows us to plan in advance, which menus are ordered, allowing the kitchen to order with less surplus. For instance, in the past, we would accept reservations for the dining room but did not know whether guests would

be ordering our three-course prix fixe or our ten-course chef’s tasting menu, so we had to prepare for every possible situation. Moreover, now that we know what each table will want ahead of time, we are able to better manage our turn times for each service, which also reduces waste for the back of the house.

Brennan: We use Open Table, and of all the technology we use, our POS helps us the most - specifically with our wine program. Our wine list syncs with the POS so that we are always able to have an accurate inventory count and are always able to deliver the wine to our guests.

Cohen: We accept a lot of large catering orders and/or reservations that have pre-order menus. This is placed into our Aloha/NCR systems so the back of the house can better prepare and receive the orders. We do have pre-shift “huddles”, so the entire team is aware of large reservations, catering orders or to-go orders for the day, These advance orders support the team in prep, staffing, and ensuring we are all on the same page about each day. We also include all reservations made with managers into our Yelp Nowait system. We can reserve and pre-set tables for these reservations and ensure staffing of our team is in place.

Francine Cohen, an industry veteran who runs the hospitality industry focused strategic marketing firm and online publication insidefandb.com, applauds these restaurateurs for masterful balancing acts. She concludes, “Guests visit restaurants to enrich their lives while filling bellies. Therefore, we need to evaluate every front and back of house decision through that lens as well as through our operational view. It’s a fact that the most perfect meal can be ruined by a negative experience; but when technology is married to hospitality and you end up maximizing covers, profitably and the guest experience, everyone wins.”

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April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 25

NEWS

PAYROLL SOLUTIONS

CONTRIBUTED BY VALIANT SOLUTIONS

3 Compliance Regulations Restaurant Owners Cannot Ignore

M

oving into a new year, it’s important to understand the complexities of operating a restaurant with respect to compliance laws. There are more regulations around the workforce and ensuring employees have protection in their workplace.

This can be a benefit for both the employee and the employer, but comes with a risk to employers who are not aware. Let’s look at 3 regulations that can impact your business (and a bonus fourth that might impact you this year): 1. Affordable Care Act (ACA) Compliance: Obama Care Is Not Going Away (Yet) All over the news earlier this year was a ruling by a federal judge in Texas, calling the Affordable Care Act (ACA) unconstitutional. Even as we write this, the current administration is seeking to repeal the ACA as well.

While these decisions now open the entire healthcare program up for debate, there currently is no impact on businesses.

“First and foremost, this ruling has no immediate impact on the health insurance landscape”, says Todd Bellistri, President and CEO of August Benefits, a leading consulting firm and expert in ACA Compliance. “All provisions of the ACA, including the online marketplace, premium subsidies, employer reporting and IRS enforcement - remain the law of the land.”

Legal debate notwithstanding, for many businesses compliance to ACA

is not usually top-of-mind – especially when you are busy running an operation on a daily basis. The majority of small business either didn’t meet the requirements for ACA, or failed to report – both can be problematic and can result in fines from the IRS. The reason for this? Many small businesses believe they are too small to be “noticed” or simply don’t have the resources and tools to report effectively.

Even those companies that DO report, if they miss the proper calculations, deductions and itemization, they can STILL face fines.

So, how do companies solve this challenge of regulatory compliance?

The key is to incorporate ACA reporting directly into your payroll system. While your payroll system is the lifeblood of how your staff is paid, it needs to have a compliance component to it. Building a payroll system that allows you to generate ACA reports that will compile the payroll, check all the deductions, itemize the benefits paid, contributions, and provide you with a compliant report will take out the manual, error-prone efforts related to ACA compliance.

2. FLSA Compliance and the

26 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Rising Minimum Wage The Fair Labor Standards Act includes regulations on Minimum Wage rates. In many States such as New York, the minimum wage is steadily rising. While a benefit for employees, this can impact a business in how it handles costs, and profits. Businesses don’t want to have to charge more for their products, but rising costs usually mean rising prices – which can impact customer loyalty and competitive pricing.

A lot of the challenges with meeting minimum wage is calculating the proper wage rates with tip credits to meet the minimum standard. With payroll management, the payroll automatically looks at the wage rate, the tip allowance, and ensures that the wage rates meet the minimum wage requirements.

Too often overlooked is regulatory compliance. Between the Department of Labor and the Internal Revenue Service, the Hospitality industry is one of the top most-scrutinized and cited industries when it comes to wage and tax compliance. While this is something many do not consider this a potential threat, more and more companies are cited for wage and tax

fines.

Without having a system that connects the employee rates to the payroll, you run the risk of errors or failed entry of wages.

This not only poses a risk to employees’ getting paid but can also run into compliance risks with failure to accurately record taxes or benefits. You want a system that provides you with the intelligent business rules to automatically run payroll against the current employee rates.

The biggest challenge becomes being able to accurately track the employee wage rates, taxes, and credits that need to be accounted for. Minimum wage changes, or properly calculating tip credits, overtime, and how this is taxed can be a complex process, and noncompliance to this can result in costs associated with time to process or failure to record wages properly, which can result in penalties you cannot afford.

Failure to report time with earnings can result in fines or penalties that you want to avoid in your operations.

3. Pay stub Compliance: WPTA Compliance and How you can Mitigate Risk As the market drives towards more transparency in employment wage protection and visibility, both State and Federal agencies are looking to drive more legislation on employer’s ability to communicate wage rates with their employees. In New York, the Wage Theft Protection Act (WTPA)

continued on page 28

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Valiant Solutions, from page 26 has been driving for Pay Stub Compliance, which is creating challenges for companies in their Payroll Management operations.

With a focus on transparency, the WTPA Pay Stub Compliance is a directive to provide additional details on an employee’s pay Stub that clearly outlines the various elements that make up the total gross to net pay. While an important initiative for communicating clearly on the wages and deductions that make up the wage, this is proving a challenge for businesses in the hospitality industry, NY state in particular. The challenge isn’t in the concept of providing this detail, it is the mechanics on how an employer can complete this using their current Payroll Management System. Some of the areas you want to consider with Pay Stub Compliance include (but not limited to): • Blended Rates: An employee may work Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH) during a given work week. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) require that all hours worked performed at two or more rates, overtime must be paid out at a blended overtime rate.

• Meal Allowances and Credits: Many organizations will provide a meal credit or allowance for staff, depending on their shift and their time worked. This is a deduction that needs to be shown on the pay stub in order to remain compliant.

• Overtime Rates: Companies that have employees incurring overtime not only must follow the guidelines on overtime pay rates, but also must accurately display what the overtime hours are, the overtime rate, and factor this – in detail – on the employees pay stub.

4. Bonus: Tip Pooling, and the debate on Compliance impact While not yet a mandate, but a hotly debated topic is the concept of Tip Pooling. The idea is that rather than each individual employee receiving

tips for their service, the entirety of tips for the evening are “pooled” and equally distributed amongst the entire staff, both in BOH and FOH. There are obviously many pros and cons to this method, and there is a lot of chatter in the market as to whether a law or regulation is even required.

Taking that aside, the real challenge becomes one of tracking and automating it. Even if you can establish a tip pooling program, the complexity of building in an intelligent payroll management system to split out the different tip credit rate and the pooling mechanisms becomes another set of challenges. As we begin to see more and more of the above regulations take their spotlight in the industry, be aware that this one may surface once again.

Mitigating Risks of Compliance Through Technology There are many other components that add to the complexity of operating and running a service-based industry. When looking at it from a workforce operations perspective, the compliance element to operations can be daunting and seemingly overwhelming. When you consider the risks of non-compliance, companies certainly have to really pay attention to how they are paying employees, how they are communicating payment, and what options are offered to them for their well-being.

Trouble is, that without tools and technology to aid in the process, it can make operations such as these a near impossible task. You really want to guard yourself against the risks of compliance with a payroll management system that tracks wage rates, time worked, ACA compliance eligibility, and provides the intelligence and detail necessary to do the calculations for you in the background.

This way, you can reduce the compliance risks and focus on what matters – running a thriving and profitable business.

28 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

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April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 31

TRADE SHOW NEWS

W

ith a backdrop of the newly opened Hudson Yards, just around the corner, some 15,281 industry professionals attended the annual International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York.

“What an exciting three days, the Javits Center was the place to be for the largest food & beverage experience in the Northeast,” said Tom Loughran, Clarion UX ‘s Vice President, Food & Beverage Group. Clarion UX brought an expanded experience to Javits with the co-locating of the Healthy Food Expo New York and Coffee Fest. “By bringing together the specialty coffee and tea industry and the healthy food marketplace with the restaurant and foodservice professionals we expanded the trade show floor and offered more special events, more education, more new products and more

Roger Cirone and Joe Cirone of Roger & Sons Inc.

networking events than ever before.”

The IRFSNY marketing team led by Loughran and Andrea Tencza again did a spot-on job of reading and responded to the trends of the Metro New York food service industry. At the top of that list was technology that could merge a platform of a restaurateur’s needs from managing customer loyalty to a simple approach to add vegan items to a menu that make sense from a P&L standpoint.

As a result of the expanded needs of the attendee base, the exhibit hall grew by some 33% over the event

in 2018. The show floor offered new products and innovations from 547 exhibiting companies covering 91,000 square feet. There were many new exhibitors who participated to make this one of the largest exhibit halls in the New York Restaurant Show history.

Loughran and his team continue to respond to the needs of its exhibitors. The Clarion UX/IRFSNY team launched its new MATCH! program.

This new initiative arranged meetings between restaurant and foodservice operators with participating exhibitors and suppliers.

The Torch Award was presented by Melissa Autilio Fleischut, President & CEO of NYSRA to Chef Marcus Samuelsson in honor of his outstanding contributions to the industry

32 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Once again, a highlight of the event was the presentation of the New York State Restaurant Association’s Torch Award. The annual award has brought many of the industry’s titans to the show floor including former winners Danny Meyer and Geoffrey Zakarian.

This year’s Torch Award was presented

by Melissa Autilio Fleischut, President & CEO of NYSRA to Chef Marcus Samuelsson in honor of his outstanding contribution to the industry. Samuelsson is the acclaimed chef behind many restaurants worldwide including Red Rooster Harlem, Red Rooster Shoreditch, and Marcus B&P. The show also saw the presentation of the annual Beacon Award.

The 2019 edition was presented to Amanda Cohen, Chef/Owner, Dirt Candy, by Kathleen Wood, Founder, Kathleen Wood Partners. The Beacon Award recognizes a woman leader who has truly served as a Beacon for

Performance Food Equipment Rep’s Kim Lehr and Larry Dubov.

the industry through her leadership, contributions, and inspiration. Cohen was presented with her award during the Foodservice Council for Women Panel.

For many years, the IRFSNY Show has always been a “show-to” for introducing and rewarding innovation.

This year’s Innovative Product Awards were presented to Allie’s GF Goodies for Product Showcase-Best in Show.

Planeteer LLC won for Best In Show Winner: Food Trends Experience. The Coffee Fest People’s Choice Winner was Cube Methods and RTE Cuisine won Best in Show for Pitch the Press.

IRFSNY also continued its long tradition of high intensity barista competition on the Javits Show floor.

The 2019 Coffee Fest featured several exciting competitions. Top honors went to Emilee Bryant, who captured Latte Art Championship. America’s

continued on page 34

Joe Ferri (L) and Joe Louis Ferri (R) of Pecinka Ferri with M.Tucker’s Angel Gonzalez (C)

Stratas Foods’ Scott Goldsberry

(L-R) PlateScrape CEO Nate Stein and Imperial Dade’s Jeff Burdick

Imperial Dade’s Robert and Jason Tillis

The Day & Nite All Service team was on hand with a diverse “One call fixes all” solution of service expertise

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IRFSNY, from page 33 Best Espresso award went to Counter Culture Coffee. Brooklyn’s Spare Moment Coffee Roasters won America’s Best Cold Brew - Still top honors and Cervantes Coffee Roasters grabbed the top prize for America’s Best Cold Brew - Nitro.

The newest addition to IRFSNY is Coffee Fest. It is a business-to-business event serving the specialty coffee and gourmet tea industries since 1992. Coffee Fest draws more than 10,000 coffee industry professionals together per year, connecting regional coffee communities through regional tradeshow events.

The show continued its tradition of both educational and entertaining chef demos. Center Stage, sponsored by TFS-Total Food Service, was packed all three days of the event and featured culinary demonstrations from renowned Chefs Pankaj Pradhan, John LoCascio, Mareya Ibrahim, Marcus Samuelsson, Anita Lo, Amanda Cohen, Fabio Viviani, Scottish Francis, Adam Lathan, Ron Du-

prat and a mixology demonstration

by George Duval.

The action also heated up on stage with a pair of food and beverage competitions. Heidi Liv Tompkins, of Heidi’s Health Kitchen, won $1,000 for the Rapid Fire Challenge: Meatless Monday Edition for her Heidi’s Health Kitchen Raw Mock Tuna Recipe. “What a great way to focus on Fat Tuesday in honor of Mardi Gras,” said Loughran. Coincidentally, just a week later, the City of New York announced the adoption of Meatless Monday in the City’s schools for the 2019-2020 calendar year.

Jared Bailey of Soho Cigar Bar won the much anticipated Hip Sip: Battle of the Modern Bartender Competition - Mardi Gras Edition, for his cocktail “Yays & Nays”. Professional Bartenders Association and Bar Business Magazine sponsored the event.

The Rapid Fire challenge celebrated IRFSNY’s Healthy Food Expo New York. The event brings attendees access to the latest healthy products

from organic, vegan, gluten-free and allergy-safe to hormone-free, nonGMO, plant-based, low-sodium, lowfat, and more. The Healthy Food Expo offers education sessions focused on hot topics including Neuro-Nutrition, Trending Healthy Ingredients, Plant-Based Seafood, Food Allergies, Gluten-Free Options, Sourcing Local Food, Healthy Beverage Category, Prebiotics, Spice Sourcing, and much more.

The IRFSNY education program expanded to offer 167 sessions with over 200 subject matter experts who spoke on a variety of important topics for restaurant and foodservice professionals, coffee shop owners and those involved with healthy foods. Many of the seminars and workshops were standing room only.

The New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA), sponsors of the event, held a panel discussion of the Challenges Facing Small Businesses in New York that featured Taniedra McFadden, Sylvia’s Restaurant and

TD Marketing’s Frank Doyle (L) and Glenn Tunis (R) with Moffat’s James Madsen and Perry Legg

Total Food Service’s own Michael Scinto welcomed new President of The NYC Hospitality Alliance and Owner of Melba’s Harlem, Melba Wilson to this year’s show.

Quebec Based Montreal’s Smoked Meat by Mello Foods had the show buzzing about their briskets.

34 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Steven Pickler, NYC Department of Small Business Services.

The NY State Department of Agriculture and Markets sponsored the 9th Annual Farm to City Expo featuring panelists from Speed Dial, FoodFuture Co., and Food Systems Consulting who talked about a Small Business Guide to Perfecting Your Pitch and Disrupting the Marketplace.

At the close of the Show, City Harvest, the world’s first food rescue organization dedicated to feeding the city’s hungry men, women, and children were able to rescue 4,500 lbs. of food.

The 2020 International Restaurant & Foodservice Show, Coffee Fest and Healthy Food Expo New York will be held March 8-10, 2020 back at the Javits Center in New York City.

More photos on pages 36 + 38

M.Tucker President Michael Greenwald welcomes Executive Chef Stephen Johnson of Charlie’s of Bay Head

Malachy Parts & Service’s Samantha Farrell Hernandez, Richard Malachy Farrell, and Janine Tullock

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 35

IRFSNY, from page 34

Waring Commercial’s National Sales manager, Giuliana Bolanos

Java Jacket’s President Jay Sorensen

Beth Cohen of Netplus with MiniTacoShells.com’s Steven Trabb and Todd Brogan

(L-R) D’artagnan’s Jack Faherty, Norman Steiner, and Kevin O’Donnell

The Foodservice Council for Women hosted by Kathleen Wood presented a high energy – action packed – line up of winning industry leaders including 2019 Beacon Award Recipient Amanda Cohen, Elizabeth Falkner, Anita Lo, and Claire M. Marin

Heidi Liv Tompkins (L), of Heidi’s Health Kitchen won $1,000 for the Rapid Fire Challenge: Meatless Monday Edition for her Raw Mock Tuna Recipe.

The educational demos were packed at The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York

36 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Nicholas Mercogliano, Corporate Executive Chef of Pecinka Ferri

The show attracted a variety of attendees like the Discover Card team of Duslyne Shepard, Paul Wagner, Annette Mazzella, and Mindy Connors

Laura Dye of Hollowick with Erik Weiss of Gotham Hospitality

The Best in Show Winner in the Featured Product Showcase was Allie’s GF Goodies

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 37

IRFSNY, from page 36

Center Stage, sponsored by Total Food Service, was packed all three days of the event including the Rapid Fire Challenge: Meatless Monday Edition

M.Tucker’s Sarah Bulmer with Quality Restaurant Corporation’s Brendan Spiro

Hip Sip Judges Tom Fischer of BourbonBlog.com, Total Food Service’s contributing writer and 6x author Warren Bobrow, along with proprietor Claire M. Marin of Catskill Provisions

Bbot brought wait-free order and pay technology to this year’s show floor

The top Pitch the Press award went to RTE Cuisine for their ready-to-eat ancient grains and seeds

Vine Solution’s Marisa Gierlich and Culinary Software’s Scott Futerfas

Lloyd Pans’ Director of Manufacturing, Paul Lackey brought the latest in baking, pizza, and pan technology to the NY Restaurant Show

38 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Jared Bailey of Soho Cigar Bar won the Hip Sip: Battle of the Modern Bartender Competition - Mardi Gras Edition, for his cocktail “Yays & Nays”

Celebrity Chef and Restaurateur Fabio Viviani demonstrated cooking techniques including fresh fettucini with roasted pinenuts and basil pesto

Mayer Schlisser of Shiprite Bags wrote the book on customized bags for the restaurant industry

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 39

MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Karen DiPeri, HMG+ Executive, Named 2019 New York Staffing Association President

H

MG Plus, Inc., a specialized provider of hospitality staffing solutions headquartered in Manhattan, announces that Karen DiPeri, company president, was elected president of the New York Staffing Association for 2019.

DiPeri serves on the NYSA board and is the marketing co-chair for the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM). She is an alumnus of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, honored as a SmartCEO New York Brava and SHFM Spirit Award Winner, and recognized for three years by Total Food Service as a Top Woman in Metro New York Foodservice & Hospitality.

Karen DiPeri, President, HMG+

“I’m honored to be stepping into this NYSA leadership role, especially at this point in time where there is ever-increasing legislation potentially impacting the staffing and recruiting industry and a proliferation of disruptive technology that can transform the way we do business—compounded with the lowest unemployment rate in more than 50 years,” DiPeri said.

“More so than ever before, it is critical for all stakeholders to support the most powerful voice for the staffing industry in the state of New York, NYSA.” HMG+ is a Women’s Business Enterprise, has received numerous awards, including the American Staffing Association National Staffing Employee of the Year and the CEO Report Corporate Culture Award.

The New York Staffing Association (NYSA) is the trade association that promotes the interests of the staffing industry through legal and legislative advocacy, education, and the advancement of high standards of ethical conduct. NYSA is a nonprofit organization for the staffing industry in the state of New York. We serve as the voice of the industry in state efforts to communicate industry matters to association members, legislative leaders, regulators, the news media and the general public. You can make that voice more effective when you join our association.

DiPeri and her husband Michael,

40 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

HMG+ chief executive officer, have been working side by side in the hospitality staffing industry for more than 25 years. HMG+ is an award winning specialty provider of hospitality staffing solutions. For corporate or private events, HMG+ consistently provides, professionally trained, friendly frontof-the-house staff. High touch client support for both long term and flex-

ible placements for dining management, administrative, conference and catering positions. HMG+ has earned industry praise by creating a corporate culture that embodies integrity and trust; dedicating resources to training, education, and engagement. Employees of HMG+ deliver excellence in service, prosper through teamwork, and exude passionate hospitality.

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 41

NEWS

ENTERTAINMENT

How Important Is Live Music In The Hospitality Industry?

Article by 20 Lemons LLC

Ryan

Gallagher,

S

pring fever is currently taking effect in New Jersey and all across the East Coast.

For the Hospitality Industry, the start of Spring season means an influx of people coming out of the woodwork to enjoy local restaurants and bars. The combination of good food, sincere service, and entertaining live music have become the key factors in a community member’s decision to come out and play on nicer Spring days and evenings.

“Start the fire buddy! C’mon man, play something from The Stranger!”

Screams an event attendee. “We strictly do 80’s Joel music sir…” Reasons the musician.

Any idea where this situation goes after this interaction? Even if this Step Brothers reference just flew overhead, it’s no secret that live music is amazing--until it really isn’t.

What’s more, young restaurant upstarts along with their guests do not realize that there is a ton of ground to cover in between the time that restaurant managers decide they want to have live music and when the event actually occurs. From booking the bands, setting a music schedule, playing music to the vibe of the restaurant, and doing it all over again; restaurant managers, servers, bartenders, and live musicians are constantly working to get on the same page in order to make dining out with live music an enjoyable

experience.

“There’s so many restaurants out there, so it’s nice when you have an opportunity to give a customer some added value to enhance their experience. Everyone can serve a burger and everyone serves pasta with shrimp but, live music is something that makes you different from everyone else,” said Joe Amore, a restaurant manager at The Blue Horse Restaurant in Highland Park. Amore and the team at CAM Hospitality Group recently opened the new restaurant back in October 2018 and decided almost immediately to introduce live music every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

Since The Blue Horse is so new, the team had to start from the bottom up when looking for musicians and when setting a schedule. However, as soon as word got out that musicians

42 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

were in demand, “there were weeks where I had six different bands coming in, asking if they could play. So, how do you organize that? We linked up with this gentleman John Bianculli. He’s a local artist with so many connections. He keeps track of our scheduling so we can focus on what we do best, which is food, beverages, and service,” said Amore.

A definitive schedule of events is one of the most important aspects when trying to successfully pair the Music and Hospitality industries.

As much as customers appreciate a band or solo performance whilst sipping wine or slurping spaghetti, there is such a thing as “overplaying” live music. The Blue Horse, has three days of music each week and never more. Other restaurant owners like Kevin Trimarchi of 22 West Tap and Grill also have their own scheduling

methods when it comes to booking musicians.

“When we opened, we had entertainment every single Friday and Saturday for the first five months.

We really evaluated things after that, and instead we wanted to make it something special rather than make it repetitive or washed up,” said Trimarchi of his location in Bridgewater, NJ. “We switched every Friday to a band and every Saturday to a DJ. We focused on the acts that really brought in the money as well as special themed nights like 90s Night or Techno Night.”

Once a band has been hired and added to a restaurant’s schedule, the work still does not stop for restaurant owners and musicians. Restaurant managers must begin to anticipate the crowd that each live act may bring through the door.

“We get music from New York, South Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Each band always has followers, so it introduces the Blue Horse to different people every single week,” said Amore. “We have our regulars but we also like to have new artists as well because you get another 10 to 20 people that may have never been here.”

However, once the night begins and the music goes live, the restaurant staff and performer(s) must always prepare to adjust spontaneously. Being a proper judge of the crowd’s mood or the restaurant’s atmosphere is a necessary

continued on page 107

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 43

SCOOP ROOT® Carbon Collection by FOH® Keeping the Table Green Scoop notes that Front of the House (FOH) pioneered eco-friendly serveware with their ROOT® collection is continuing to bring organic unique-

INSIDER NEWS

FROM METRO NYC’S FOODSERVICE SCENE positive impact on the industry by solving distributor and operator needs: https://bit.ly/2CEnqoV

ness and style to the table with the NEW ROOT® Carbon Collection, attractive and eco-friendly serveware, carved from naturally fallen fir trees.

ROOT® Carbon boards are finished using an ancient Japanese technique called Shou Sugi Ban, that preserves and finishes the wood using fire.

Chefler Foods Returns As Official Mayonnaise of the New York Yankees

ROOT® Carbon Collection by Front of the House

44 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Scoop is happy to see that baseball’s opening Day is just around the corner - and Chefler Foods is back as the Official Mayonnaise of the New York Yankees! Check them out at Yankee Stadium and read why Chefler Foods is a comprehensive approach to foodservice and well positioned to have a

Chefler Foods sign at Yankee Stadium

continued on page 46

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 45

Scoop, from page 44

Singer Taps Industry Veteran Griffith as Vice President Scoop notes that veteran sales and marketing executive Todd Griffith has joined Singer Equipment as Vice President. With over 20 years in senior sales and marketing roles in for Alto-Shaam, Todd’s role at Singer will include engagement with all business divisions, along with supporting strategic development and execution of the company’s business growth.

“I’m truly excited with the opportunity of working closely with Fred and the incredible leadership team and sales organization that Singer has Todd Griffith built over the past

46 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

100 years as a leading distributor serving the foodservice industry. My relationship with Singer has been as a manufacturing partner for more than 25 years, and now I look forward to being an integral part of the company’s continued evolution and future growth.”

BelGioioso Cheese wins 6 Medals at U.S. Championship Cheese Contest Scoop saw that the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest Judging took place recently at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, and BelGioioso Cheese was awarded six prestigious medals out of a total of 2,555 entries from 35 different states. Five 1st place gold medals and one 3rd place Bronze medal will be awarded to BelGioioso Cheesemakers during the April awards ceremony in Madison.

“Forty years ago, we started producing only one cheese, Sharp Provolone”, states Errico Auricchio, President BelGioioso Cheese. “Today, we make over 27 different varieties. Winning medals in a

The award winning BelGioioso Cheeses

continued on page 48

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 47

Scoop, from page 46 wide variety of classes showcase that our Cheesemakers are truly crafting some of the best cheeses in the United States.”

“The first place medals represent a variety of our cheeses, including Sharp Provolone, Parmesan, Crema di Mascarpone, Fresh Mozzarella and our newest cheese Artigiano Vino Rosso,” says Gaetano Auricchio, Executive Vice President. “My father started with a goal to create great cheeses here in the U.S. and our Cheesemaker’s expertise is key to our award-winning quality. We now have 8 certified Master Cheesemakers on staff and they are all very passionate about their craft.”

BelGioioso Cheesemakers were recognized with a total of six awards in the contest: • 1st Place Gold Medal – BelGioioso Parmesan (Parmesan Class) Tim Dudek 99.20 score • 1st Place Gold Medal – BelGioioso Aged Provolone Mandarini (Aged Provolone Class) Kevin Benzel –98.65 score • 1st Place Gold Medal – BelGioioso Crema di Mascarpone (Open Class Soft Cheeses) Randy Wolter 99.45 score • 1st Place Gold Medal – BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella Snacking (Natural Snack Class) Ryan Healy

48 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

99.00 score • 1st Place Gold Medal – La Bottega di BelGioioso Artigiano Vino Rosso (Open Class Flavored Cheeses) Davide Toffolon – 99.45 • 3rd Place Bronze Medal – BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella Prosciutto & Fresh Basil Roll (Prepared Food) Peter Gretzinger –99.45 score

Hattie Hill To Retire As President And CEO Of The Women’s Foodservice Forum Scoop notes The Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) announced that Hattie Hill will retire as President and CEO. She will remain with the organization until a new successor is hired. Hill has been CEO and president since 2013.

“My six years at WFF have been the most impactful of my entire career,” Hill said. “WFF has given me the opportunity to champion gender parity in the workplace and introduced me to thousands of talented women who, I have no doubt, will run not only the food industry, but the world, in my life-

Hattie Hill at the most recent WFF Conference

time.”

“WFF is celebrating 30 years in 2019, and I will stay on to celebrate with them and pass the baton to the next president and CEO,” Hill continued. “I will always advocate for the success of this organization and am confident our next leader will make significant strides in her tenure.”

Denny Marie Post, president and CEO of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews and current WFF Board Executive Committee Chair, consid-

continued on page 50

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 49

Scoop, from page 48 ers Hill an industry icon. “Without Hattie, WFF wouldn’t be where it is today,” Post said. “She pushes the industry to participate in seminal research which showed that while we’ve made progress, progress isn’t parity. That work is helping us create a roadmap for action. I thank Hattie for leading WFF and for advancing women in our industry.”

Prior to joining WFF, Hill was founder and CEO of Hattie Hill Enterprises, a management consultancy. She’s a professional speaker and the author of several corporate books, including “Smart Women, Smart Choices.” Her accolades span her entire career, including being named one of the “40 under 40” top business and community leaders by the Dallas Business Journal and being recognized

by Working Women magazine for “Entrepreneurial Excellence.”

menus, experiential touchpoints, service models, operational standards, development budgets, and preliminary volume and revenue projections, through support in implementing the new operations with the management teams.

The AC Hotel Nomad is designed by Danny Forster and Architecture. Anticipated date of completion and opening is early 2021.

Kareen “Chef Coco” Linton First Woman Inducted Into National Black Chef’s Association Hall of Fame

Heyer Performance Developing F&B Program for AC Hotel Nomad Scoop sees that Heyer Performance Inc. (HPI), a leading hospitality consultant for multi-use real estate and hotel owners nationwide, is creating the food-and-beverage program for a new Marriott AC hotel being built in Nomad. The 168-key hotel will be the tallest modular hotel in New York City and will feature 6,000 square feet of food-and-beverage space on four levels. The plan outlines different concepts for the grade level area, which includes an amphitheater and event space, the third- and fourth floors, and the penthouse on the 25th floor “The AC Hotel brand, based on the beauty of modern design with a European soul and Spanish roots, strives for quality over quantity in its hospitality approach and is geared to entrepreneurial, creative global travelers,” points out Julia Heyer, Managing Partner, HPI. “Our objective is to produce a thoughtful, cohesive food-and-beverage program that will provide compelling experiences for the hotel’s guests, appeal to the public as a destination in this exciting part of the city and contribute to the hotel’s bottom line.”

To that end, HPI is conducting its five-point analysis to determine the best blend of various concepts to deliver optimal guest experiences, operational functionality and financial performance in light of the project’s overall vision. Subsequently, they will provide ownership with fully-developed food-and-beverage concepts that encompass 50 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

will be unveiled at the American Culinary Federation’s national convention this summer, she was the only one on the ballot for us,” said Chef Bernard Tally, National Black Chef’s Association founder and president. “Her contributions in the culinary community, industry and her work with students and young culinarians are unparalleled. She’s truly a role model for those starting out and continues to share her culinary and creative gifts with those around her.”

“We couldn’t imagine a more worthy chef inductee for the Hall of Fame honor and congratulate Chef Coco,” said Tracy Lorenz Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts president and CEO. “Her dedication to culinary education and creative approach is contagious, she’s an inspiration to us all.”

SHFM Announces Foundation Golf Tournament Tuesday, April 30th Scoop thinks you should play golf - and make a difference! The SHFM Foundation Golf Tournament will be held on April 30th at Old Oaks Country Club in Purchase, NY. When you sign up to play, you’re helping the Foundation’s efforts to further the industry.

All proceeds benefit the Foundation, which raises money to provide research and scholarships, internships and college courses focused on the corporate foodservice and workplace hospitality industry. This year the Foundation will be honoring SHFM Past President Amy Greenberg. Purchase tickets here: https://bit.ly/2Tyd1jW

Kareen “Chef Coco” Linton being awarded

Scoop notes that this year’s award season earned another first when Kareen “Chef Coco” Linton became the first woman inducted into the National Black Chef’s Association Hall of Fame and received the prestigious Professional Chef’s Award in Philadelphia, Pa. An entrepreneur, designer and advocate for culinary education, Chef Coco’s career spans thirty years. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, member of the prestigious order of Disciples d’ Escoffier International USA and a current chef educator at Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts, Chef Coco continues to receive recognition for her unique contributions to the culinary world.

“Chef Coco not only wore it best, with one of her own designs from her signature line of chef coats that

ProTek Team Honored Scoop notes that Alto Shaam has awarded ProTek with the service agent of the year for 2018. This award goes out to service providers who go above and beyond servicing customers with Alto-Shaam equipment installation, repair, and preventative maintenance.

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 51

LEGAL INSIDER

WITH JOHN ASSADI OF ELLENOFF GROSSMAN & SCHOLE LLP

Solve Your Labor Shortage Issues Through Green Card Sponsorship

A

s an immigration lawyer in today’s booming economy, many of my business clients ask me about how to satisfy their employment needs. There are labor shortages in many American industries including in the food service industry. Most employers who approach me for advice on sponsoring a foreign worker anticipate a heavy commitment of time and resources as well as a difficult method to justify the green card sponsorship process. In addition, under President Trump, there is a misperception that immigration laws have become more difficult and that visas and green cards are virtually impossible to obtain.

In fact, the opposite is true, at least for green cards. The green card sponsorship process has become easier and faster than before. You can hire the cooks, kitchen workers and other support staff that you need. You will find the international pool of restaurant workers to be large and eager to work in the US. Skilled (chefs) and unskilled (busboys) labor is within your reach.

Green card sponsorship for a foreign national first involves proving to the Department of Labor that no qualified US workers are available and interested in the offered position. The process includes advertising in local newspapers and obtaining a “Prevailing Wage” from the Department of Labor for the offered position. Due to the historically low unemployment rate,

You will find the international pool of restaurant workers to be large and eager to work in the US. Skilled (chefs) and unskilled (busboys) labor is within your reach. my experience has been that few, if any US workers respond to these types of recruitment efforts, since the salary will not be attractive and many of the advertised jobs are available because Americans are not actually willing to work in the offered industry.

Once the Labor Department is satisfied that the employer has conducted a good-faith recruitment effort, it will typically quickly approve the application and the employer can then file the paperwork with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to finalize the green card process.

The USCIS will typically only review 2 factors in its adjudication: • Does the employer have the financial ability to pay the offered wages as of the date the Labor Department application began?

• Does the foreign national have the required qualifications?

Upon approval by the USCIS, the foreign national can receive his/her immigrant visa at a US Consulate overseas, or if in the US, at a local USCIS office. Some interesting points to

52 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

consider: • The foreign national does not need to be physically in the US in order to be sponsored. Many of my clients recruit overseas and bring the foreign nationals to the US after the green card sponsorship process is completed.

Employers should consider recruiting overseas where the promise of a green card and employment in the US will lead to an enthusiastic response.

• The employer can sponsor multiple foreign nationals for the same position using one set of recruitment/ advertising for all required employees.

For example, if a restaurant is looking to hire 3 cooks, it can conduct one recruitment/advertising effort and obtain simultaneous approval for all 3 foreign nationals. This will be costeffective and time-efficient for the employer.

• US employers can easily attract foreign workers by offering green card sponsorship and employment to them; these individuals will prove to be highly motivated and loyal future employees as a result of the effort put into their sponsorship by the

John Assadi, a member of the Firm, specializes in the representation of foreign employees of multi-national corporations, international entertainers, scientists, and professional athletes. His clients include major nonprofit organizations, national sports leagues, major orchestras, larger companies and startups. Mr. Assadi received international media attention for his work on behalf of several Chinese artists who were aboard the Golden Venture ship.

His representation enabled them to obtain permanent residence as artists of extraordinary ability. He was the former Vice-Chairman of the American Bar Association Immigration & Nationality Law Subcommittee and is admitted to the Connecticut Bar and Federal District Court. He can be reached by phone at 212-370-1300 or by email at jassadi@egsllp.com

employer.

• Employers can formalize the

continued on page 106

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 53

ASK ANDREW

FROM THE NYC HOSPITALITY ALLIANCE

PRESENTED BY

NYC Restaurants Shed Jobs And Industry Urges Gov. Cuomo To Save Tip Credit This article was published on Forbes.com

W

originally

e have data confirming our fear: full service restaurants in New York City are shedding jobs. It’s no surprise why.

Increasing labor costs, burdensome regulations, and high rents are putting unprecedented economic pressure on our city’s small business owners. If NYS Governor Andrew

Cuomo and the state legislature don’t want more vacant storefronts lining our city streets, and lost jobs, they must preserve the restaurant industry tip credit in its current form.

According to data from the state’s Department of Labor, in 2018, fullservice restaurants recorded a -1.6% job loss, which is their first recorded annual job loss in nearly two decades. To put that figure in context, even in the depths of the Great Recession restaurants posted a +.1%

54 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

job growth in 2009. This means that 2018 was worse for restaurant jobs than the Great Recession, and overall jobs were down -3.9% in January 2019.

After the recession, the city’s restaurants saw robust annual employment growth that slowed after the state’s restaurant tip wage increased in 2015 and since doubled. To put in perspective, in 2014 there was 6.7%

continued on page 106

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

June 7–8, 2019 • New York, NY

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April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 55

Q&A

EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEW

Paul Neuman President, Neuman’s Kitchen

N

euman’s Kitchen is one of New York City’s (and Philadelphia’s) renowned catering companies.

They’ve been in the business for more than 30 years and have had the same mission since – to delight, inspire and be inspired. Using the freshest, the most beautiful ingredients, and then transforming them into deliciously inspired cuisine is their specialty, allowing companies big and small to make an emotional connection with their guests. Total Food Service spoke with Paul Neuman, president of Neuman’s Kitchen, to talk about the company, business and more!

Can you just walk us through a quick history of Neuman’s Kitchen? Where did the idea come from and what was your inspiration?

Neuman’s Kitchen started 37 years ago as a retail store on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. My ex-wife/partner and I started it in 1981, after we both graduated from art school, and we had food backgrounds. It was like a “Mini Balducci’s” when we opened in 1981 and ran it on Third Avenue until 1996. We were in the retail food business for 15 years. I’m fourth generation of my family in food. My father and grandfather ran a renowned fish market on the Upper East Side called the Rosedale Fish Market. So I grew up working around fish and selling highend fish to fancy people on the Upper East Side. I went to art school, came back, went to work for my dad and

opened our retail store and then decided to focus exclusively on catering.

What was it about catering that attracted you?

The retail environment, even in 1996 was very competitive. We weren’t doing as well as we needed to do to support our business. So we saw po-

tential in launching and growing a catering business. We started from scratch after 15 years of business. We moved to the Lower East Side, found a kitchen that became our home for the next 20 years from ‘96 to 2016. We operated out of a kitchen on Christie Street and grew from $1 million in revenue to $12 million in revenue, over

Paul Neuman, President, Neuman’s Kitchen (Photo credit: Maria Brandao)

56 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

the 20 years.

We built a viable/profitable catering company in Manhattan. The plot then thickened as they say when the building we were occupying got sold to developers. We got a little buyout, and took that money, combined it

continued on page 58

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Shop Online: allenbrothers.com - or - For Chefs: chefswarehouse.com

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 57

Q&A Paul Neuman, from page 56 with money we borrowed from the SBA and personal money, to build an 18,000 square foot commissary in Long Island City. We moved in April 2016 and now employ about 100 fulltime people.

Then two years ago, we opened in Philadelphia. So now we are in New York and Philly. We have four people working in Philly. In New York, we have two types of clients. We have special event clients, and we have daily service clients. In Philly, we’re just a special events company. We’ve grown quite a bit.

You recently announced a rather unique collaboration with Chef Floyd Cardoz.

Through our chef network, we identified an opportunity to enable worldrenowned restaurant chefs to participate in catering. We knew that we have a great facility with production capac-

The food service manufacturing industry has got to go towards robotics. The goal is not to cut our labor, it’s to make us more efficient. [...]

Creating beautiful handmade food will be done by humans. The chopping, slicing, dicing, [...] will be done mechanically.” ity and a team of passionate culinary artists. Our goal was to combine that with the talents of some of the great chefs to showcase their unique skills.

So our first partnership point is with Floyd Cardoz. We had heard about Floyd through his incredible reputation not just as a chef, but as a humanitarian and philanthropist. And when we first met him, we fell in love with his warmth and goodness. He truly is a lovely person who is passionate

58 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

about Indian food.

Together, we think South Asian weddings (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, etc) are a niche that is ready for a VIP experience. We think that there’s an audience, a very thin slice of the South Asian wedding market, that’s going to grow in value by having Floyd’s food for their wedding. So we’re now reaching out to the South Asian wedding community to identify the right clientele who’s going to value

our service and cooking capacity, and his style and flavor profile.

Floyd is a rock star with a worldrenowned restaurant in Mumbai. It was rated the best restaurant in India

by Conde Nast Traveler just this year.

We see it as a great opportunity to extend Floyd’s brand from restaurants to catering.

So is South Asian the new kosher?

Could be! First of all, if you look at India and its food as a culture with an incredibly rich history, it’s diverse and it’s getting worldwide attention. So we are able take a talent like Floyd’s and enable him for the first time to say yes to virtually any special event anywhere. We can also create more particular South Asian cuisines like having it be halal or all vegetarian, as is often the case with these events. We have accomplished this through our affiliation with an organization called LCA,

and the Caribbean. We have a network of the top caterers in the country. We will be able to design and execute an event with Floyd’s cuisine with the use of these local production and coordination teams.

We’ll be enabling Floyd to not just do this in New York and Philadelphia with our commissaries and our people, but to do weddings wherever we go. Our goal is for him to be the face and the designer of the food. We’ll coordinate with the local caterers. We’ll send our teams out there to train, make sure the ingredients are right, and the recipes are right.

Neuman’s Kitchen founder Paul Neuman discusses presentation ideas with Chef Floyd Cardoz Floyd will arrive basically for the wedding to be the face of Leading Caterers of America.

Houston, Dallas, Atlanta or any other the event and that makes everyWe can work and partner with camajor city in North America as well as body happy. terers in San Francisco, LA, Chicago, for destination weddings in Mexico

How has technology changed in the kitchen? Have there been significant differences in the way product gets created?

It’s such a great question. The answer is we are pretty technically advanced in terms of cooking equipment. So we’ve got all kinds of combi-ovens and the latest and the greatest in heating and thermalizing food.

Let’s face it, in New York we have the challenge of a $15 minimum wage. So finding equipment that can make us efficient is vital. We started by looking at the things that we do a thousand times a day with manual labor. We’re on the cusp as a pretty good size caterer to find manufacturing equipment.

What we are finding is that some of the equipment is scaled for the next level up.

continued on page 60

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 59

Q&A Paul Neuman, from page 59 So for example, there may be a machine that costs $100K, but you need a production run of 10,000 dumplings to make the run worthwhile. We’re not there yet, but I think that we’re manufacturing where the food industry has to go.

The food service manufacturing industry has got to go towards robotics.

The goal is not to cut our labor, it’s to make us more efficient.

What will likely happen is that creating beautiful handmade food will be done by humans. The chopping, slicing, dicing, and creating a sushi rice bowl will be done mechanically.

Here’s an example: we did a plated dinner for 1,850 people in Philly. We had 16 lines, eight lines per kitchen, two working kitchens, so we could get the service out and done in 16 minutes.

So I envision, and this is really out there, is a conveyor line where the hot plates are dropped on one end. The conveyor pulls the plates forward and there is a depositor at the top of the line to deposit, for instance, the base mashed potato. And I’m imagining a day where, instead of needing 80 chefs on 16 lines to plate out 1850 meals in 18 minutes. We can do a combination of human beings for the high-touch stuff and robots and conveyors for the serve outs. The plate is hotter than it could be because no one has to handle it. It drops on the end of the conveyor at 200 degrees. By the time it hits the end of the conveyor for the final wipe and sauce, it’s at a temperature the waiters can grab it with a napkin. So from our perspective we want to see companies invent machines that facilitate service and speed production, robotically.

What about in terms of food safety, through the years, has that always been a concern of yours, obviously?

We look at food safety as a threetiered challenge. There’s the environment and the equipment, and then there’s the personnel.

Among the highlights of Chef Floyd Cardoz’s menus at Neuman’s Kitchen are Mini Crab Cakes on a Papadum Wafer

We have a state-of-the-art kitchen, so food safety for us is about surfaces and about light in terms of the environment. The brighter a kitchen is the cleaner it is, the safer it stays.

Then we focus on the process and our people. We know the most beautiful equipment, in the most beautifully designed kitchen can be unsafe if your practices are not really compliant. So I think it’s two fold.

It’s about training and understanding by the people who don’t just make the food, but who handle the food after it comes out of the kitchen and gets delivered to the client. We’ve been lucky over the years and part of it is just diligence and constant focus on safety. But I think it’s really just a matter of having a culture of caring about our customer. For instance, you don’t set foot in our kitchen without a hair net.

Is there a move towards healthier menus?

Yes, but keep in mind that as caterers we’re designing menus for 100 to 400 plus guests.

So for instance, I went to a restaurant the other night with Floyd and our chef, and we ordered the steak, and it was fantastic. But we’re sitting there saying, “We can’t sell this on a catered event because so many guests

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now are more health conscious.”

We are finding more requests for vegan, healthier and lighter fare. At the same time, in any given event you’ve got meat and potatoes people. It’s the balancing act to make sure that everyone goes home happy, well fed, and whatever they consider to be healthy, beautiful food.

What about in terms of the other end of the spectrum? Is dessert a thing of the past?

Dessert has evolved into a mini theatrical experience. We want the dessert to almost make you do something that brings it to life. If there’s a chocolate dome, we want you to have to crack the dome with a spoon to reveal what’s below it. It’s an opportunity for us to get our guests engaged. Now having said that, there is an awareness of what’s healthy. We sell donuts, we sell fruit, we sell all kinds of gorgeous desserts for the special events, we try to elevate that desert to that sort of magical, interactive experience because it’s the last thing that the person is going to remember about the event.

What’s the environment like in running and operating a business in New York City today?

I don’t necessarily feel over regulated, but from time to time I scratch

my head and go, we really have to do that? I feel like the city’s doing the right things to make it humanistic, a warmer, more pedestrian friendly city.

Some of those things are contrary to my interest as a business person. I literally can’t drive down Broadway anymore because it’s too narrow and too slow. So, I think that some of the things that affect us adversely are good for the city and you have to bite the bullet. The $15 dollar an hour minimum wage was just the same kind of thing.

I thought, when it came out, $9 to $11, no big deal. I am all for it and clients are aware that we are raising our prices because of it. I think pricing is a challenge for us now because we compete in several markets. Some of them are more price-sensitive than others, and we have to be careful because we’re not the lowest price operator.

What are your goals for building the next generation, of your team?

We’re very mindful of taking high performers and creating career paths for them within the company. So that someone who starts out as a junior planner can work their way up to a salesperson in three to five years.

Some people are happy to stay where they’re at while others are ambitious, and we try to recognize them and grow them.

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Club Managers Celebrate 25th Annual Show At Glen Island Harbour Club

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he Spring/Summer ‘19 season kicked off with the annual Metropolitan Club Managers Association at Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle last month.

The 25th Annual MCMA Vendor Show featured aisles of menu and operational ideas for local club management teams and their food and beverage staffs. The event features one of the truly legendary dining receptions as top chefs and their culinary teams prepare signature fare for their industry counterparts with the backdrop.

Running a private club is marked by a number of challenges. Healthcare and food regulations, trends, governance, financials and strategic planning are all necessary parts of successfully managing a club.

The MCMA Vendor show brought together 1,200 people from the private club industry for its annual one-day networking and education event. The Vendor Show has raised over $3,000,000 since its start in 1994 to support educational programs for club managers and to assist managers to further the club management profession; provide financial assistance to individuals from the public sector, including minorities, interested in the club and hospitality fields and, create a greater public awareness of professional opportunities; promote the club management profession through academic programs offered by (community) colleges, culinary schools, and universities both in New York and other states, and to cooperate in the dissemination of professional in-

formation to allied associations, academic institutions, and other groups involved with the hospitality field.

Foodservice suppliers, including 120 vendors showing club specific products, exhibited their wares at the show. Attending were clubs from the Metro New York area, including Manhattan, Westchester, Long Island, the Capital region of upstate New York and lower Connecticut. A talk on trends in the club industry led off the day, with expert panelists who shared their observations and expertise on what’s hot, along with best management practices in strategic planning and board governance currently in use around the country. The event’s edu-

(L to R) TJ Diajne of Greenwich Country Club and Liz Weiss of BHS/Weiss

(L to R) Old Oaks Country Club’s Greg Stewart, Chef Harald Selkirk and Krystian Jurewicz

(L to R) Jack Clarke of Village Club at Sand Point with Opici’s Dennis Murphy

(L-R) HAFSCO’s Tom Capobianco, Chef Michael Ruggiero of GlenArbor, and Century Club’s Matt Roche

(L to R) Moises Ochoa of the Apawamis Club and Rockaway Hunt Club’s Paul Warner

Featherstone Bakery’s Eli Richman worked with many local clubs at the show including Darien’s Wee Burn Country Club

(L to R) Chris Perry and Christian Hernandez of Westchester’s Orienta Beach Club

Salem Golf Club chef Adam Greenberg

(L to R) Veteran club managers Don Molitor of Seawane Golf Club and Barry Chandler of Nissequogue

American Yacht Club’s Rabbit confit was prepared by the club’s culinary visionaries John Menz and Matthew Gianetti

continued on page 64

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EYE, from page 62 cational seminars always tackle a wide diversity of issues that face the local club manager community. Several of the seminars dealt with maximizing food and beverage profits.

The day provided an opportunity for top managers including Florian Hugo of the Larchmont Shore Club, Old Oak’s Iwona Stark, Paul Warner of Rockaway Hunt, Northforks’ Brandan Scibek and Moises Ochoa of Apawamis Club to compare notes and prepare for the upcoming season.

At the dinner reception, Club Chefs of Westchester and Lower Connecticut took a night off from competing with each other to come together to showcase the truly amazing talents that they bring to their members every day.

The after show reception included PB&J style sliders from Daniel Neuroth’s Bronxville Field Club and sliced smoked breast of duck from Wykagyl’s Victor Honrath. The always creative John Krail and his Manursing Island

Club team served a signature potato crusted black bass and Scarsdale’s Victor Zarate offered a much talked about rack of lamb.

It has been fascinating to watch the recruitment of top culinary talent by local area clubs. TFS spotted top club chefs including Chef Anibal Romero of Siwanoy, Chef Jerry Bourkney of Coveleigh’s, Hudson National’s Joe Day, and Morefar’s Andrew Howegogo.

The Foundation has grown to host an annual fundraising Challenge Cup Golf Tournament, a great Vendor Show, high-level computer workshops, and annual President’s Symposium featuring speakers of national prominence.

It is also a very special year for the local chapter as they celebrated a pair of milestones. Not only did this mark the 25th anniversary of the show but also one of their own Randy Ruder of Beach Point was recently inaugurated as the president of the prestigious national association: CMA

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(R to L) The At Your Service trio of Suzanne Schwartzberg, Jeanine Cosgrove-Albert and Agatha Malaki

(L to R) Sid Wainer’s Chris Gerdes, Atlantic Club’s Darryl Ford and Florian Hugo of the Larchmont Shore Club

(L to R) HAFSCO’s Briana, Demi, and Darren Capobianco

Carousel Cakes displayed a full line of club-happy dessert solutions for the upcoming Spring/Summer season

The Cleanse-Tec duo of Bob Clark and Pat Anabale brought a full menu of green and sustainable cleaning solutions

The Scott Family anchored the Charles Snack booth at the Club show

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NEWS

EQUIPMENT SOLUTIONS

LloydPans Introduces New Pizza Al Taglio Pan

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loydPans has strengthened its regional pizza pan offerings with the introduction of pizza al taglio pans.

The company also makes popular regional pans for Detroit, Sicilianstyle deep dish and Grandma-style pizzas.

Pizza al taglio has its origins in Rome, but is quickly gaining popularity in the United States behind restaurants such as Bonci in Chicago. The Roman-style pizza is rectangular in shape, served by the slice and designed for a grab-and-go eating experience.

To make its pizza al taglio pans, LloydPans merged traditional Roman-style pizza pans with its proprietary pan technology. To determine pan sizes, LloydPans replicated the size of authentic Roman pans, even changing the company’s standard measurement from inches to centimeters for accuracy. To ensure durability in a commercial operation, the company uses a heavy 12-gauge aluminum to construct the pan,

anodizes it and then applies the company’s proprietary PSTK® coating. This permanent, stick-resistant coating does not require seasoning and it will never rust.

“We’ve carved out a niche in the pizza industry by expertly developing and crafting regional-style pizza pans,” Traci Rennaker, LloydPans’ president and chief executive offi-

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cer, says. “Pizza al taglio is destined to be the next big restaurant trend, and these pans give pizzaiolos, retail bakers and commercial foodservice operators with the perfect pan to deliver a light, airy crust with bite.”

LloydPans’ pizza al taglio pans are available in two sizes: • Full Size: 40x60 centimeters

(15.75x23.62 inches) • Half Size: 20x60 centimeters (7.87x23.62 inches) The pans are two centimeters deep and feature a double-thick folded rim to increase durability.

LloydPans also has developed two cutting boards to complement the pizza al taglio pans. Both the pans and the cutting boards are available for purchase at www. lloydpans.com and will be on display at the International Pizza Expo at LloydPans’ booth #1857.

LloydPans’ manufactures an extensive line of commercial pizza pans and tools, bakeware, cookware and foodservice equipment. The company makes all of its products in the USA at its Spokane Valley, Washington, manufacturing facility. LloydPans’ products are sold online at www.lloydpans.com.

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Metro NY AJC Foodservice Chapter Launches New Youth Initiative

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or some three decades, Mettives on high school and college camstate solution in Israel and the role ro New York’s equipment puses across the country. of other Jewish/Israel support groups supply and food communi“Our groundbreaking Leaders for including AIPAC and the AJC. ties have teamed to battle Tomorrow (LFT) program helps high Among the notable up and comanti-Semitism through education. school students in New York, Westing leaders at the event were GlisOne spring evening every year, comchester, Chicago, and Atlanta develop sen Chemical’s Richie Knoop, Josh petitors join together to support the strong, confident Jewish identities Edheim of PBAC, Pecinka Ferri’s Joe AJC-American Jewish Committee. so that they will stand up for Israel Louis Ferri, Sarah Daldowitz of HosAs with many groups and assowhen they arrive at college,” Kogen pitality House, Sam Tell and Son’s ciations, the baby boomer that were outlined. “Our innovative Campus Carly Nadler, Woodstone’s Linda Behanded the torch in the 80’s are now Affairs department trains Jewish studell and Jamie Feaster of Debt Hub. starting to retire. So the AJC has set dents to build coalitions on campus The Midtown event also served as its sights on bringing the next generaand equips them with the tools to a backdrop for the announcement tion into the fold to continue its comcounter anti-Israel and anti-Semitic of this year’s annual dinner event. mitment to creating and implementactivities and rhetoric.”

Scheduled for Wednesday, June ing educational programs across the The AJC also features young leader12th, the annual dinner at the Bronx globe to find common ground for all. ship program: ACCESS that educates Botanical Garden will serve as a Locally, the AJC-Foodservice chapyoung Jewish professionals about ter in Metro New York has had several the critical domestic and indynamic leaders led by longtime dinternational issues facing the ner chair Clark Pager and the AJC’s global Jewish community. This Lenny Myron. As they both get set empowers them to shape the to move on to new chapters of their conversation on these issues lives, the dinner committee was faced by reaching out to diplomats with the challenge of finding a next and opinion makers, as well as generation of leadership. their peers from diverse reliThose efforts took their first step gious and ethnic backgrounds.

(L to R) Andrew Halper of I. Halper and last month when the AJC hosted a Kogen went on to field a Sons, World Finer Foods’ Vikram Chachra, and Andrew Rigie of NYC Hospitality lunch reception at their New York number of interesting quesAlliance City headquarters. The event brought tions. They included a two many of the industry’s best and brightest stars from all segments of foodservice. The highlight of the get together was an overview delivered by the AJC’s freshest young voice: Seffi Kogen.

Kogen, who serves as the (L to R) eMenu’s Lauren Diamond, Linda AJC’s Global Director of Tell and Samantha Saltzman of Sam Tell Youth programs, detailed (L to R) Ronen Kaminitz of HGR Group and and Son, and Lynne Schultz of Tri-State many of the AJC’S initiaLMT’s Morgan Tucker Marketing

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bridge for the AJC Foodservice division’s new “next gen” initiative. Two of the foodservice and design build legends will be honored also with their next generation teams.

Restaurant Depot’s Larry Rosenthal will step up to the podium to be honored for a career of accomplishments that has spanned some four decades. Rosenthal will be joined

by RD’s David Siegel. Long time design/build guru executive Eric Weiss of Long Island’s elite/studio e and his firm’s next generation that includes Marci, Aaron and Ivan Weiss and Raquel Weiss Fusco will be honored.

AJC’s Global director of Young Leadership Seffi Kogen (C) delivered a compelling overview of the Middle East and AJC’s initiatives with the next generation. AJC dinner chair Michael Posternak (L) and longtime AJC legend Lenny Myron (R) look on

(L to R) Rick Sher of Day & Nite, elite/studio e’s Adam Weiss, Michelle Resnick of Debt Hub, Tri-State’s Liz Hannon and Ivan Weiss of elite/studio e’

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NEWS

CONCESSIONS

Levy And CxRA Selected As Official Dining And Hospitality Team At The Javits Center

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evy and CxRA will collaborate as the new official dining and hospitality team serving the Javits Center and millions of guests of world-class events hosted at the iconic venue on Manhattan’s West Side. Levy, the entertainment and convention center hospitality leader, will oversee dining throughout the venue, and CxRA will precisely craft special event and catering experiences. The combined Levy and CxRA team will bring New York-centered food, beverage, and hospitality experiences to the forefront with expert culinary staff, cutting-edge technology, and innovative sustainability programs.

Over the coming months, Levy and CxRA, in conjunction with the Javits Center, will work together to strategize and develop this new comprehensive food, beverage, and hospitality program, which will be unveiled to clients later this year.

“Anyone who comes through New York instantly recognizes Javits Center among the city’s iconic venues,” said Andy Lansing, President and CEO of Levy. “We can’t wait to get to work transforming a Javits Center visit into a true New York bucket list experience for guests and event-goers showcasing the best the city and state have to offer.”

Levy’s market-inspired dining and hospitality programs have been recognized at premier convention centers and arenas across the United

Anyone who comes through New York instantly recognizes Javits Center among the city’s iconic venues,” said Andy Lansing, President and CEO of Levy.

States and Canada. Already in 2019, Levy has served hungry fans in Atlanta during football’s showcase event at Georgia World Congress Center and Mercedes-Benz Stadium and GRAMMY Awards guests at Staples Center and Los Angeles Convention Center. Levy routinely creates amazing dining and hospitality experiences for concerts, shows, and events across its arenas and stadiums, including the US Open Tennis Championships and Barclays Center. The event hospitality experts in its Levy Convention Centers division also serve more than 20 major convention centers from coast to coast. Part of the acclaimed Restaurant Associates family, CxRA creates custom catering and service for extraordinary events, with a focus on exemplary hospitality, precise presentation, and bespoke menus. CxRA serves some of the country’s definitive cultural landmarks, including Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Solomon R. Guggenheim

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Museum, among many others in New York.

Levy has built its reputation as the the disruptor in defining the premium entertainment and sports dining experience, Levy is recognized as one of the fastest growing and most critically acclaimed hospitality companies. Named one of the 10 most innovative companies in sports by Fast Company magazine and best employers for diversity by Forbes, Levy’s expansive portfolio includes award-winning restaurants, iconic entertainment venues, and convention centers as well as the Super Bowl, Grammy Awards, PGA Championship, US Open Tennis Tournament, Kentucky Derby, and NHL, MLB, and NBA All-Star Games.

CxRA Part of the acclaimed Restaurant Associates family is guided by veteran foodservice executive Dick Cattani. CxRA is a NYC-based custom caterer devoted to creating extraordinary events at premier cultural landmarks such as the Met

Museum, American Museum of Natural History, The Intrepid, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Morgan Library & Museum, or more intimate events at the client’s site.

Fresh, local ingredients and years of fine-tuned culinary expertise are just the start.

“Our chefs, planners, and service team have years of experience learning and innovating,” noted Cattani.

Today we’re dedicated not only to the technical standards one would expect— craft, precision, presentation—but to a sense of warmth and welcome that can’t be measured. For more, visit http://www.cxra.com/ or follow us on Instagram. About the Javits Center Known as the “Marketplace for the World,” the Javits Center was originally designed by I.M. Pei & Partners and opened in 1986.

The iconic facility has since become New York City’s primary venue for large conventions, trade shows and special events and serves as home to many of the world’s top 250 trade shows, hosting millions of visitors a year. These events generate up to $2 billion in economic activity and support more than 18,000 jobs a year. Located on 11th Avenue between West 34th and West 40th streets. in Manhattan, the Javits Center has 760,000 square feet of flexible exhibition space, 102 meeting rooms and four banquet halls, as well as a range of technology services, including state-of-the-art WiFi capabilities.

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The Annual Partridge Club’s St. Patrick’s Day Party 2019

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he Partridge Club members and their guests celebrated the wearing of the green last month. It was truly a glorious day as the club’s annual St. Patrick’s Day bash took center stage at the Union League Club in Manhattan.

Newly minted president Dick Block has brought a new level of energy and vision to the club. He has very quickly brought his passion and enthusiasm to the membership as the Club looks to build on decades of funding the education of the next generation of hospitality professionals. Block’s attention to detail included a first ever move away from Corned Beef and Cabbage to a well received Shepherd’s Pie. Longtime member Ross Gnesin has managed to accomplish the impossible as he has taken over the entertainment reins from the legendary Dennis Sweeney. The New Jersey risk management guru brought down the house with his levity.

Partridge’s St. Patty’s Day event gave many foodservice executives the opportunity to toast the holiday with many segments of the industry. The

(L to R) Pro-Tek’s Kim Bunn-Minsky, Chad Daniels and Diane Rossi with longtime healthcare food service executive Stephen Chen

room was abuzz with green ties and green beers as club managers, healthcare foodservice execs, school food service visionaries toasted the upcoming Spring.

Among the notables at the Murray Hill event were PBAC’s Larry Cantamassa and Steve Bauer, Myles Foley of Sodexho, Dan Condon of Condon O’Meara McGinty & Donnelly, Greenwich Country Club’s TJ Daigne and Winged Foot’s Colin Burns.

The Partridge Club’s scholarship initiatives are led by Marc Sarrazin of DeBragga and Spitler.

The event raised money for Partridge grants, which go to such noted institutions as The Culinary Institute of America, Johnson and Wales, Cor-

(L to R) Woodway’s Steven McVey, Bonnie Boccino of Innis Arden and Neil McKenzie of Belle Haven led a large contingent of Connecticut club managers

(L to R) School food service visionary Anthony Trentacosta and Eric Santagato of M. Tucker

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nell University, The University of Massachusetts and Paul Smith College.

The Partridge Club was formed in 1935 at the Victoria Hotel in New York City. The membership was made up of leading purveyors to the hotel, club and restaurant trade. The St. Patty’s

luncheon brought the mission of the Partridge Foundation to raise scholarship funds for institutions of higher learning providing training for students pursuing a career in the Hospitality Industry.

(L to R) Cono Cimino of Apple Ice enhanced the festivities with a beautiful sculpture

(L to R) PBAC’s Keith Fitzgerald, Brian Kadel of Hobart and Savory’s new president Wendy Powell

(L to R) Ross Gnesin of GGG Risk Management, Jacobs Doland’s Christine Gurtler and and Roger Oliver of TempPositions

Edgewood Country Club’s Frank Benzakour celebrating the publication of his new book and Kevin McGurk of Sunningdale

(L to R) The University Club’s John Dorman and Debragga’s Eric Sarrazin

Jason Tallen of the Princeton Club and Partridge president Dick Block

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COFFEE STRATEGIES

WITH JONATHAN WHITE

Coffee Drinking Trends

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ne of the coffee industry’s leading gatherings is the National Coffee Association’s annual convention. Held this year in Atlanta, one of the regular highlights is a “first look” at the updated National Coffee Drinking Trends report. This survey has been conducted for nearly seventy years, and clearly shows a set of demographic and market trends that are important to consider as you plan your menu and product offerings. Here are just a few of the report’s major findings:

Jonathan White is the Executive Vice President at White Coffee Corporation in Long Island City, NY. Learn more about how Jonathan and his team can help you at www.White Coffee.com.

• Coffee consumption remains steady; nearly two in three individuals consumed coffee on a typical day. The numbers are even higher when one looks at past-week or past year consumption. These numbers can vary significantly by age (as the population ages, their consumption, especially of traditional coffee, increases). Consumption has seen a major rebound over the last ten years. How have you “expanded” your coffee section to adjust?

• “Gourmet coffee” consumption continues to rise- now comprising more than one-half of the total number of cups served.

Traditional coffee consumption remains flat, and has been declining for many years as a percentage of the overall coffee consumption.

This trend is exacerbated among younger coffee drinkers. How are you “upgrading” your coffee offerings? Better blends? Single origins?

Organics? Dark roasts? Just serving the same old “regular” and “decaf” is not enough.

• “Out of home” consumption continues to rise (as more cups are being enjoyed at restaurants and hotels and offices). This can occur in many formats, from single serve to fresh brew and including concentrates. How do you encourage this highly profitable sale with your marketing efforts?

• At the same time, the largest part of coffee consumption remains “at home”. This trend could increase if economic conditions become more challenging. Do you have products that allow you to participate in this (largest) market consumption sector?

• Cold coffee beverages (which I discussed in my column last month) are continuing to grow (while soda and juice consumption continue their multi-year decline). This growth extends across both espres-

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so-based beverages and cold brewand is even more present among younger consumers. This includes both the foodservice and “ready to drink” categories. And, unlike traditional coffee, these beverages are more likely to be purchased out-ofhome than in-home. Are you offering a complete selection of these items (beyond a simple “iced coffee) all year round?

• While breakfast is still, far and away, the highest day-part for coffee consumption, post-breakfast coffee consumption continues to rise.

How does your menu accommodate and encourage those who come in after breakfast? Is your staff trained to maintain quality in your product offerings?

• Espresso based beverages are the hottest part of the market, with consumption remaining at an alltime high. Does your menu include

a full assortment of these beverages? Are you able to consistently and quickly produce these beverages for your customers?

The report is chock full of data and its findings can be sorted/ searched to create a set of customized data that can be tailored to your individual needs. Its’ discounted early availability to members is one of many reasons for industry members to consider joining the National Coffee Association.

With today’s fierce competition, you can’t afford to be missing the trends- and capitalizing on them.

Sometimes it takes a bit of work, and even investment- but the payoff is likely well worth it. Working with good suppliers, equipment manufacturers and marketing support, generic trends can quickly turn into specific profits.

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MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Nicole Langone Scarangello Director of Menu Management for the New York City Office of Food & Nutrition Services and Culinary Educator at LaGuardia College Article by Joyce Appelman

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icole Langone Scarangello was one of those young people struggling to identify their post-high school graduation path until she took a culinary class at Tottenville High School on Staten Island and was introduced to Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP). That quickly paved the way for a new and exciting adventure for her. She competed as a junior in the C-CAP Cooking Competition for Scholarships where she excelled and was awarded a scholarship to study at Le Cordon Bleu in London, England. Her culinary arts teacher Warren Schueler accompanied her on that trip and continued to play an essential role coaching her for the senior competition. The judges recognized her talent and awarded her a scholarship from the prestigious organization Les Dames d’Escoffier New York chapter and a full-tuition scholarship to New York City College of Technology, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Hospitality Management. She attended the French Culinary Institute (now ICC) and completed the Essential Techniques of Food Styling program.

She continued her education at Brooklyn College, where she received her Masters of Science in Nutrition and completed her Dietetic Internship.

During the course of her career, she has worked at five-star resorts and restaurants where she learned about food preparation, inventory systems,

and banquet service management and planning. While working for Aramark, she directed multiple food and nutrition establishments in hospitals throughout New York City.

C-CAP students from underserved communities aspiring to become future celebrity chefs faced a challenge from the nationwide 2018 Careers through Culinary Arts Program (CCAP) Meatless Monday Recipe Contest. The challenge: create an innovative meatless dish and impress the distinguished panel of judges, which included Nicole. She provided the nutritional analysis for each of the recipes submitted.

As the Director of Menu Management for the New York City Office of Food & Nutrition Services, she oversees 29 posted menus, 1,230 kitchens, over 8,000 employees working in the

kitchens and feeding close to 1 million children each school day.

Nicole took time out of her busy schedule to tell us about her professional life.

What is your role as the Director of Menu Management for the New York City Office of Food & Nutrition Services?

I supervise a team of 13 people and together we develop and create recipes and menus to support New York City schools. We work directly with vendors in procuring product to support Food & Nutrition Services recipes and menus, ensuring that all items and menus meet and surpass city, state, and federal regulations. My team also works with school administration and students in organizing and conducting student taste testing at the

central office test kitchen.

How do you involve the teens in the Student Taste Testing?

At Student Taste Testing field trips students are provided a sample of a potential new or current product and/ or recipe and they are asked to evaluate and give feedback on the sample.

Student taste testing evaluation plays a huge role in product procurement and menu/recipe development.

Can you tell us about the Garden to Cafe program in the schools?

Menu Management also manages all Garden to Cafe relations and partnerships in about 180 schools throughout the five boroughs along with the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program are both great programs to expose students to fresh, local and the variety of produce in a cafeteria setting. The Menu Management Research and Developments team along with our internal contracts unit works directly with vendors and our distributors ensuring that our process for reviewing potential new products meets all processes and nutritional expectations.

How does Food & Nutrition Services develop relationships with vendors?

We hold an annual Product Industry Review in which we invite new and existing vendors to showcase products that can potentially support future contract bids and outreaches and untimely menu innovation and creation.

Nicole Langone Scarangello, Director of Menu Management for the New York City Office of Food & Nutrition Services and Culinary Educator at LaGuardia College

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continued on page 94

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Pecinka Ferri Associates | 973-812-4277 | sales@pecinkaferri.com April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 81

NEWS

VENTLESS SOLUTIONS

Cultural Combinations with Ventless Kitchen Equipment

T

here is just something kind of magical about the way food comes together.

Think about it, the things we cook today all stem from some region of the world. Eating is a cultural experience we often don’t know we are having. I mean, who really stops to think about the influence behind the food we just put in our mouths? Well, here at Motion Technology Inc., we certainly do!

Which is why we decided to dive in to one of our favorite new food trends, cultural combinations. We are going to take a look at the origins of one of the most exciting pairings to take the United States by storm, Mexican-Asian fusion cuisine.

For a long time, the distinctive flavors from south of the border and the eastern world have come together in harmony. Along the USMexican border, people have had the pleasure of indulging in this cultural mash up for over one hundred years. It began in the 1880’s when the Chinese Exclusion Act was put into place, limiting the work for Chinese immigrants in the United States. This led to an influx of Asians migrating to Mexico, and other Latin countries in hopes of finding employment opportunities.

It wasn’t until the early 1940’s that the Chinese Exclusion Act would be repealed, and today, Mexican-Asian fusion cuisine is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

No longer is this fusion only

found in specialty restaurants in states that line the Mexican border. Everywhere consumers want to have a little fun with their food, and this means mixing it up with crazy cultural combos. Businesses are hopping on the banh mi and burrito bandwagon, delivering unreal dishes to the hungry masses, and we would be lying if we said we weren’t doing the exact same thing!

At MTI, we love putting together recipes for our AutoFry and MultiChef XL that celebrate the unity of two types of cuisine that really bring the flavor. With our ventless kitchen equipment, it is easy to infuse tastes from different parts of the world into one delicious dish. We like to think if you can dream it up, you can serve it up with our machines.

Whether it is Kung-Pao chicken

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82 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

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The AutoFry MTI-10X is a compact design capable of producing up to 4 lbs of product per fry-cycle with the simple push of a button. Fully automated and enclosed, this machine is equipped with its own ANSUL® fire suppression system, making AutoFry the safest commercial fryer on the market.

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quesadillas, filled with soy sauce, hoisin marinated chicken and fresh roasted veggies, or El Pastor wontons, filled with shredded pork, pineapple, and cotija cheese, your guests will not be disappointed. And because our equipment requires no hoods or ventilation system, owners and operators save from what otherwise would have been very costly expenses. This allows our clients to serve up the tastiest dishes possible, quickly without breaking the bank.

If you couldn’t tell we just can’t get enough of these cultural experiences. Which is why we are so excited to be displaying our equipment at the Hotelex Show in Shanghai from April 1-4! We look forward to showing the Hotel industry how lucrative our equipment can be for them.

When searching for a hotel there is nothing better than finding one with diverse dining options. With our equipment, hotels can offer a creative mix of menu options to satisfy their guests need for diversity.

So, what are you waiting for?

Look into getting your MultiChef XL and AutoFry today and start bringing cultural combinations to your hungry patrons!

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 83

LIZ ON TABLETOP TABLETOP SOLUTIONS Injecting Creativity Into Spring Tabletop Planning

W

ith the warmer weather, our BHS/ Weiss team finds ourselves very busy with responding the expanded needs of our customer base. Many of those restaurant, catering and club customers are preparing for their move outside.

We just finished our annual run at the Club Manager show at Glen Island Casino in New Rochelle and we are preparing for this month’s semi-annual tour at 41 Madison in Manhattan.

Although the club managers and their teams have their own unique set of needs from the customer that we will

tour the show rooms of 41 Madison with, there are a number of common themes.

It seems as if each season begins with the black and white of tabletop.

This year, we are finding that our BHS/Weiss customer base is looking to dress up their white tabletop. In many cases we are finding that culinary teams drive color decisions with their menus. We are suggesting the infusion of some color to support a special menu item, special luncheon dishes and tea service which is once again growing in popularity.

We are seeing an increase in de-

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mand for black matte. I like it and I am happy to suggest it for casual dining but we don’t suggest it to our customers for fine dining. What we are helping to create is a move towards mixing in pastels like the sea-foam look from Dudson and beige in matte finishes.

We are also integrating the use of wood boards from FOH. There are big changes afoot for the Spring/Summer ‘19 season with flatware. Many of our club and catering clients are moving towards colored flatware with black, copper, gold, in both satin and matte.If you remember our discussion last year surround-

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

ing the relationship between the cost of beef and the use of a heaver knife.

continued on page 98

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April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 85

RESTAURANT EXPERT

WITH DAVID SCOTT PETERS

3 Things To Do To Improve Cash Flow H

ere are three restaurant truisms that can kill a restaurant’s cash flow:

Truism #1: You can fix any problem in the restaurant simply by throwing money at it.

Here’s an example. When you need more food, what do you do? You order more food.

But what if it doesn’t seem you should need more food? For example, what if your sales aren’t up?

If you have theft in your kitchen, if your cooks are over-portioning ingredients on plates to fill the white space and/or you are over-ordering and throwing away spoiled food, you will need to order more food.

The reality is most restaurants don’t know these things are happening. All they know is they need more food. So, they fix the problem and buy more. They don’t actually find or fix the real problem.

Your management team is doing great and hitting their numbers, yet you don’t have enough money to make payroll. How is that possible?

Truism #2: Being on a budget doesn’t mean you’ll have the money to pay your bills.

Your management team is doing great and hitting their numbers, yet you don’t have enough money to make payroll. How is that possible?

Let’s consider a scenario we’ve seen many times. Early in the week, you ran back into your kitchen upset because they ran out of one of your signature dishes and a few other items. You said, “If you 86 another item, I am going to go ballistic!” Your chef or kitchen manager heard you loud and clear, and fixed

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the problem with a huge food order that wasn’t in the budget. Now you won’t run out of any of your signature dishes. Unfortunately, this takes $3,000 out of your bank account and ties it up as inventory on your shelves, which is now at risk to be wasted, stolen or spoiled.

Ordering too much food takes cash out of your bank account. The last time I looked, you can’t go to the power company with a case of steaks and call it even. Cash is KING and it’s what pays your bills, not profits.

Truism #3: There is only one person on your team who can place a food order.

In many independent restaurants, the chef, kitchen manager or owner are the only ones entrusted to place the food order because they have the needs of the business all wrapped up in their heads. And when they have allowed others to order, it often resulted in way too much product being ordered, so the chef, kitchen manager or owner feels like the responsibility to order must be theirs, falling into the trap of, “If I want the job done right, I just have to do it

David Scott Peters is a restaurant expert, speaker, coach and trainer for independent restaurant owners. He is the developer of SMART Systems Pro, online restaurant management software helping the independent restaurant owner remain competitive and profitable in an industry boxed in by the big chain restaurants. Download a free report to discover the #1 secret to lowering food and labor costs and running the independent restaurant you’ve always dreamed of. Learn more about how David can help you at www.TheRestaurantExpert.com.

myself.”

Do any of these sound like familiar scenarios in your restaurant?

If you want to protect your restaurant’s cash flow, run a successful and profitable restaurant where guests come to enjoy a great meal and experience, and where your employees enjoy coming to work, you have to do these three things: 1. Stop throwing money at your problems.

continued on page 102

Meadowlands Convention Center • Secaucus, NJ April 17-18, 2019 • www.njrhexpo.com

Why Exhibit? $41.2 billion in sales for the restaurant and hospitality industry 103,000 guest rooms and 1,130 hotel properties 17,957 eating and drinking establishments Over half a million people employed in the foodservice industry 21.6 million occupied room nights annually Above facts courtesy of the National Restaurant Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association

Contact us to exhibit! peter@njrhexpo.com • (646) 942-2042

njrhexpo njrhexpo2019 April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 87

NEWS

PASTRY SOLUTIONS

D’Onofrio Set To Chart New Pastry Vision For Westchester Distributor Article by Joyce Appelman

T

here are lots of sources for ingredients if you are considering starting or expanding your pastry arts arena, consider being in touch with Steven D’Onofrio, Director of Specialty Ingredients at Ace Endico’s expanded pastry arts department.

He was most recently the Managing Director of Gellert Global Group’s Swiss Chalet Fine Foods in Doral, Florida before joining the Ace Endico team with the goal of revamping the baking line which encompasses chocolate, fruit products, nut flours and pastes, glazes, sugars, flavorings, vanilla products, mixes, food coloring, stabilizers, decorations, tart and chocolate shells, and more.

He has been featured on NBC’s Today Show and in Food Arts magazine.

Before enrolling in ICE (when it was still Peter Kump’s New York Cooking School), D’Onofrio worked as a public accountant. After graduating from the pastry program, he landed a pastry externship at the original

Le Cirque Restaurant, where he was lucky enough to work with then Pastry Chef, Jacques Torres. During his subsequent years as a culinary professional, D’Onofrio worked as a National Sales Manager for Valrhona, and later, as the Director of Business and Product Development at Harry Wils and Company.

TFS’s Joyce Appelman recently asked D’Onofrio about what the future holds for him and Ace Endico.

What sparked your interest in cooking, baking and pastry?

Great question. My interest in baking started at an early age as my first job was at the age of 13 in an Italian Pastry Shop in Brooklyn. My Mom cooked a ton, but wasn’t a great baker, but loved to make Bundt cakes.

Can you share your career path with our readers?

My career path was not a straight line. I started working as a teenager in the Pastry shop but was a strong student and parents stressed pursuing a White-collar professional path.

88 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

and the Ritz Carlton in San Francisco, before becoming the Pastry Chef at the Wine Spectator Restaurant at the CIA, St. Helena campus.

I became a Pastry Instructor at the French Culinary Institute, but always had sales and business motivations, and was fortunate to work for several Chocolate companies, prior to landing at Harry Wils and Company as the Director of Business. That position helped me land other positions in the industry.

Steven D’Onofrio, Director of Specialty Ingredients at Ace Endico’s expanded pastry arts department

Although I did well in school and worked for Big 4 Public Accounting firms, I was very unhappy in the field, and after getting inspired by a Television series at the time, “Great Chefs, Great Cities”, decided to pursue a career in the industry. I went to culinary school and was fortunate enough to get an internship at the original Le Cirque in New York. I worked at the Essex House in NYC,

What are the trends on your radar for 2019 in the pastry arts?

There are a fair bit of ethnic flavors influencing the pastry field, specifically Hispanic and Asian ingredients and spices. There is also a trend to back to basic ingredients, clean labels. I am also seeing more retro style of decorating.

What attracted you to the opportunity at Ace Endico?

I was inspired by the entrepre-

continued on page 90

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Steven D’Onofrio, from page 88 neurial story of Ace Endico and how the founders, William Endico and Murray Hertzberg’s hard work ethic, made the company a success. I love the fact that it is a family company, and I also immediately had a great reaction to my boss Michael Endico.

He is very approachable, yet I am grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to do something dynamic at Ace. What’s your read of the pastry needs of the Ace Endico customer base?

It runs the gamut from high-quality ingredients easy to use products for finishing a dessert.

Do you look at one set of customers that only buy pre-made pastry/dessert?

Not necessarily only them.

a better job?

If a customer buys a pre-made, especially if it is from us, I try to complement their desserts with high-quality purees and or coulis or decorations.

How about the more sophisticated customer that has a pastry chef on staff? What are they looking for?

They are generally looking for ingredients that set them apart. That may be chocolate made from a bean from a specific country of origin or a unique puree that sets them apart from the competition. Often time they are looking for opportunities to learn.

What types of ingredients will you offer? (Organic, Non-GMO etc.)

We are primarily focusing on products that are of the highest quality.

How will you help that customer do

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90 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

We hear so much about healthier.

Is it “BS” and what people want is decadence and to celebrate when they go out?

I think people want to know what is in their food. This doesn’t mean that they will stop eating sweets or desserts, but they are looking for fewer ingredients and lower sugar content.

We just got back from the NAFEM equipment show.

We saw a number of new blast chilling and chocolate making equipment innovations. What is your read?

My read is that space is always at a premium and labor is very pricey, so any equipment that can help improve productivity needs to be considered.

What advice would you give to your

customers to get started using Ace Endico as a vendor?

Give us an opportunity, as we are a service-oriented company with a ton of dedicated and knowledgeable people working at the company. We would love to have all of your business, and are willing to start with a piece of the cake “for now”.

The pastry community is always looking for that next signature recipe. Can you help them source it/create it?

I can always be counted on for help, without getting in the way of the creativity or ego of the chef.

What’s the next step for an operator that wants more info?

Look for all that is arrived and coming soon. Go to our spring showcase and watch for all of our marketing material.

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www.admiralcraft.com April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 91

NEWS SHOWS HOTELEX Shanghai 2019 Is A One Stop Purchase Platform For The Food & Hotel Industry

H

ospitality and catering are closely correlated with each individual’s life – fascinate us more than ever. No matter the country or the region, socio-cultural revolutions of diversity are shuffling the game, and network building with matchmaking cooperation is the key metric for HOTELEX’s inimitable trademark.

A Full Sale Catering & Food Service Exhibition A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. With 27year experience in hospitality and catering industry has equipped HOTELEX to become a leading series of catering equipment, supplies, and find food trade events in Shanghai, with its geo-adapt shows in Beijing, Chengdu, and Guangzhou, covering the value chain including Catering Equipment Supply, Tableware, Food, Beverage, Catering Accessories, Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream, Wine & Spirits and Bakery. Once a year HOTELEX brings together buyers and suppliers from around the country to witness the latest trends in the industry and be inspired by leaders and legends in the field.

HOTELEX 2019 Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre Date: April 1-4, 2019 Exhibit Categories: Catering Equipment Supply, Tableware, Food, Beverage, Catering Accessories, Cof-

fee & Tea, Ice Cream, Wine & Spirits and Bakery Concurrent: Expo Finefood 2019 The Continued Leading Industry Event HOTELEX was a huge success according to last year’s figures, the expo drew a total of 146,267 trade buyers during the 4-day show, of which 5,135 came from overseas, to source from 2,500 exhibiting companies from 122 countries and regions. Compared to last year, the overseas buyer amount has been on an upward trajectory. A prominent attendance growth was spotted in America and Australia of 3.2 times and 2 times respectively, holding the U.S. 12.46% and Indonesia 20.95% of the entire overseas group.

These figures confirmed both HOTELEX’s leadership and its influence on international markets, reflecting the extent to the expo competitiveness, and how the fair has helped forward-thinking industry players to meet the right people.

“This is our consecutive 12th year attending HOTELEX. The stage really makes the product service concept stand out and boost the brand value hereby expand the customer base. Insofar as the tight liaison between exhibitors and visitors HOTELEX has become the symbol which best represents the show per se, through such channels the company culture and service commitment can be promoted to a large ex-

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tent. We definitely expect more from HOTELEX and will keep rooting for it all along,” commented by Lina Ma, Marketing Manager of VEETSAN Commercial Machine Co. Ltd. “There is no other industry event in Shanghai where the entire industry gets under one roof in this kind of scale.” from MingMei Yi, General Manager, Shanghai Jincheng Refrigeration Equipment Co, Ltd Deciphering The New Consumer’s Paradigm The economy hub of the country, Shanghai, has a large and growing population as well as multi-culture transformation led by international business and year-round tourism.

The huge market is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and there is no doubt that food and hospitality are at the core of future developments. As the industry pioneer it’s the main task for HOTELEX defining its innovative role play in overcoming the 21st century challenge of adjusting to the current oscillating market while extending the vitality to an international level by liaising among government associations, chambers of commerce, social media and most paramount, the relationship between buyers and suppliers for a bright and promising future of the industry. How can we satisfy consumer expectations and deliver more? What influence does product innovation have on each market? What value do we bring to

the industry?

The expo targets the exact specifiers, buyers and food service operators including a significant number of purchasers from restaurants and pubs, hotels, caterers, attractions and institutes, as well as attracted an equally impressive turnout of all the key distributors, delegates, retail dealers, purchasing managers, etc.

Innovative Events and Championships Designed to promote and encourage new ideas in the market place, HOTELEX had an amazing range of more than 30 “events within the event” which helped to draw a record crowd, placing strategy at the heart of HOTELEX too. The show floor had a real buzz and exhibitors were accomplishing solid business as the onsite rebook rate for the next year was high. The show continues to deepen catering and hospitality knowledge by launching creative concurrent events and campaigns from catering field to hospitality area.

Coffee and food have always been the main roles in HOTELEX, and to successfully deliver such a mixing banquet determines whether Shanghai Coffee & Wine Festival can reap its second winning in a row.

With 80 beyond domestic and overseas popular coffee stores stationed in this big market, a resounding yes

continued on page 103

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 93

Langone Scarangello, from page 80 The Product Industry Review is also a wonderful opportunity for SchoolFood to share its needs and wants in regards to nutritional exceptions and flavor profiles and potentially not only get a product that will support Food & Nutrition Services menus but also impact an industry for nutritional sound and good tasting items!

What are you teaching at LaGuardia College?

I started teaching at LaGuardia College for the Fall 2018 semester. I will be teaching the Advance Culinary Arts class lecture and lab. Students in the class will be introduced to some of the fundamentals of French cuisine including learning about the mother sauces, complete their knowledge of roasting a succulent chicken and healthy vegetarian cookery.

Does LaGuardia College offer new programs in nutrition & culinary arts?

For the first time, they are offering more than one culinary arts course as part of the new Nutrition & Culinary Management program. They continue to offer a Foodservice Management program.

The college along with the department is hopeful in expanding the program and enriching students with the knowledge and direction to better further their education and career. I am excited to be a part of this process and change and look forward to the new teaching experience, promoting the department and inspiring students to be their best.

As she continues on her journey as a dietitian, nutrition and culinary professional, Nicole follows a simple philosophy that she has always strongly believed in; her belief is “to marry the art of delicious food with nutrition knowledge and to enlighten all with my craft.”

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Weiss, from page 84 The market has moved backed toward better cuts of beef and with that the demand for nicer sleeker steak knives.

It’s been really interesting watching the evolution of plastic drink ware and “china” for out door dining. We are seeing a renewed interest in glass racks fitting their glasses and marking them that can easily be accomplished.

We are working with our customers to cresting glasses for pour lines and it has a positive impact on the bottom line.

As I get ready to get my comfortable shoes out and probably a couple of Aleves, it’s been interesting watching the evolution of 41 Madison. I’m encouraged by the changes that are being made by the new team there to accommodate the foodservice buyer.

With a history of “retail” show rooms in many cases we were not a fit. But we have always gone, because, it’s a great place to go and read trends. However recently, we are starting to see

more manufacturers with 41 Madison showrooms working towards accomodating our customers’ needs versus the demand for a large stocking buy.

The challenge with 41 Madison is that the “retail” showrooms for many years have not catered to foodservice buyers. We purchase too little and they want people to commit to large stocking buys. Whereas we buy for our customer’s needs. I go there to look at the trends. I think it will filter down to us in a few years and that more manufacturers will welcome the foodservice customer.

With this year’s tour, we are on the lookout for serving, passing plates and trays. Many of our customers are also searching for buffet items, including risers, special decanters and beverage service.

Looking forward to a great Spring/ Summer ‘19. Remember, we are here to share and assist.

Scan the QR code, Pre-registration 98 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 99

SHFM CIC, from page 8 of: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it! Measuring world-class customer service is essential to the success of any business. There are numerous ways to measure satisfaction globally and locally.

The all-star panel will explore how to measure, analyze and act on customer responses to drive world-class service. From theory to practice – academics to action, attendees will discover the latest recommendations from global experts as they address metrics for world-class customer service, data collection and how to utilize that feedback.

Moderator Becky Schilling of Food Management magazine will also lead an afternoon panel that will discuss: Creating A Customer For Life. WeWork’s Julian Clayton, Tony Johnson of Aramark and American Express’ Allison Silver will join Schilling in outlining how to master world-class service.

Fiorito, from page 12 “Service today requires an in-depth understanding of customers and the ability to anticipate needs before they are perceived, Schilling explained.

Our goal is to deliver strategies on how to match those expectations and with that to build connections, loyalty and trust.”

The event will conclude with the opportunity for industry professionals to network. CIC’s “meet and greet” is designed to build relationships among operators and suppliers.

Guests will enjoy hors d’oeuvres and cocktails in an intimate networking environment—the perfect close to an insightful conference!

SHFM members oversee all facets of corporate foodservice and workplace hospitality, from cafes and retail operations to catering, vending and even fitness centers and child care services at major corporations in Metro New York and throughout the US.

100 • April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

especially job duties/descriptions, hierarchal information, and out of office details.

• Beware of sudden changes in business practices. For example, if a current business contact suddenly asks to be contacted via their personal email address when all previous official correspondence has been on a company email, the request could be fraudulent.

Often times, even with the best prevention tactics, BEC and other types of Social Engineering Fraud can still occur. When you do discover a fraudulent transfer, time is of the essence. Contact your financial institution immediately and request a recall of funds. Then, call your local FBI office and report the fraudulent transfer with their Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Proper insurance protection is a must. Crime insurance policies can

cover fraudulent funds transfers while cyber insurance policies may cover costs related to unauthorized access of protected or sensitive information. However, the insurance buyer needs to be wary of various policy terms and coverage limitations. For example, many crime policies can contain exclusionary language for cases involving voluntary transfer of funds, even though they were unknowingly transferred to a criminal, as illustrated in the recent example above. Specialized endorsements may often need to be added to your crime policy to obtain payout on a claim of this nature, which is unknown to many until it is too late.

Having a knowledgeable insurance specialist walk you through the exposures and properly address them with the right insurance coverage options will ensure your balance sheet is protected and assist in mitigating the event when it occurs.

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 101

Peters, from page 86 2. Keep to a budget that puts money in the bank.

3. Entrust others to place food orders.

These activities protect your restaurant’s cash flow. How can you give up the ordering process to someone else, make sure they find any problems in your kitchen and fix them, and ensure you have the money in your bank account where it belongs at the same time?

Believe it or not, easily! The secret is the purchase allotment system, which you have to implement and use on a daily basis. It’s a system that changes your business and releases you from doing it all but still having controls in place that allow you to have the final say when there are exceptions.

Here’s how the numbers fit together Let’s say your food cost target

is 22 percent. You forecasted sales to be $7,602.67 for Tuesday, Sept.

1. Of those sales, 80 percent are food sales totaling $6,082.14 (sales mix times forecasted sales). If your kitchen was to execute each order following recipes exactly on Sept. 1, your kitchen should use $1,338.07 in food product (food cost target percent times forecasted food sales). This is referred to as the food allotment.

When you enter your actual food

sales on a daily basis, the food allotment adjusts up or down. If your sales were larger than you forecasted, it tells the person placing food orders they need to order more because you were busier than expected. If sales were lower than forecasted, it tells the person placing the order not to order so much because you didn’t use as much food as you anticipated. The beautiful part about this system is it corrects itself every day!

The next step is to enter your food purchases each day. If you order on Monday for a Tuesday delivery and again on Thursday for a Friday delivery, and you have followed the daily steps described earlier, the person in charge of purchasing will simply skip to the order day past the next order to find out what the estimated order is to make sure they replace what has left the shelves, order more to replace what is going to leave the shelves between now and that second order day, taking into consideration how much food you have already purchased.

Before it will work To make the purchase allotment system work and protect your restaurant’s cash flow, you have to have the following four things in place: 1. Use a budget.

2. Forecast sales by day of the week.

3. Log food and beverage purchases daily.

4. Track your sales by category daily.

Once these four things are in place, you need to make one assumption: that your inventory levels will work up and down to an average inventory value target. Basically, if you use $300 in product, you will be able to order $300 in product to get your inventory levels back to where they were before you used that product.

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HOTELEX, from page 92 was given by crowded coffee enthusiasts, foodies and fashionistas plus a slew of media and reporters, eager to spread the exotic coffee culture and derivative market to the world.

The Latest Products And Industry Trends Under One Roof Ever faithful to its principle “Be the Best”, HOTELEX has decided to move the section of hotel facilities and supplies to Hotel Plus – Phase II from last April given the soaring growth results in concentrating on market segmentation in order to better serving the customer. To shine light on the most groundbreaking exhibition in the field and provide unparalleled media coverage, HOTELEX Shanghai 2019 will be inaugurated with a pyramid of events paying tribute to the gastronomic specialties as well as the movers and shakers of the hospitality field.

The visitors are looking forward to the most exciting line-up of speakers and exhibitors and in return the exhibitors, wanting to impress the potential buyers and unmissable customers. The positive results in matchmaking opportunities are always approved that HOTELEX gives exhibitors incredible extra visibility and expands media exposure. Have it out with industry players around the world and impress the world win the award. For those with an innovative product, HOTELEX as an unveiling platform can make a real difference.

(More than 2,500 global exhibitors and over 150,000 buyers will participate in HOTELEX Shanghai 2019) It’s The Gateway To The Big League The updated concept of “Being Competitive and Professional” will lead us to a new level, connecting suppliers and professional buyers closely. The varieties of HOTELEX 2019 is going further, integrating

into nine sectors, covering the entire hospitality and catering value chain including Catering Equipment Supply, Tableware, Food, Beverage, Catering Accessories, Coffee & Tea, Ice Cream, Wine & Spirits and Bakery.

Besides, the expected exhibition space is reaching 250,000, fulfilling the whole Shanghai New International Expo Centre with 17 indoor halls and 6 halls outside. 2,500 exhibitors and over 150,000 professional visitors all over the world are

expected to participate in.

To improve the exhibition soft power, HOTELEX keeps extracting its underlying prospect, accompanying with competitions, displays and forums it forms an influential ally shapes the credibility of the scarcest resource. We are honored to be authorized to hold various outstanding world-class competitions and through which, on our way to attract further attention from all over the world.

The Spring has sprung and it is a time for both planning and seeding — There’s no better time than now, get yourself prepared, applications are free, registration is simple, grasp the valuable opportunity of presenting your products to increase visibility and kick-start networking with over 150,000 world players.

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Toast, from page 18 Introducing Toast Guest Feedback With Toast Guest Feedback, restaurateurs can collect positive or negative reviews from dine-in guests when checking out with Toast Go; they are also able to collect feedback from diners ordering food to-go through Toast Digital Receipts. Restaurant managers can elect to receive an SMS notification every time a guest leaves a negative review.

Real-time feedback empowers restaurant operators to show their commitment to the guest experience by immediately addressing negative reviews. Timely responses to negative ratings are more important than ever – a Toast study found that 65 percent of one-star Yelp reviews were posted within one day of a poor dining experience. The Toast Guest Feedback report summarizes all reviews, providing restaurants with invaluable information that they can use to coach their staff, adjust their menu, and improve the guest experience.

“At SuViche, it’s crucial that every single guest has a perfect experience; Toast Guest Feedback is our last line of defense in ensuring our guests leave happy. The majority of our diners are non-confrontational - but they still want to be heard,” said Ryan Egozi, director of operations for SuViche Hospitality Group.

“Before Toast Guest Feedback, we would sometimes find guests wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing a negative experience in-person, so they would instead leave a negative review online. Now, we’re able to reach guests before they leave to make it right.”

Advancements to Toast Kiosk Increasingly, guests are looking for ways to spend less time in line or order their favorite meal from home. Toast’s self-ordering kiosks simplify the guest ordering experience and improve throughput in

high-volume restaurants. New Toast Kiosk features include: • Payments and tipping: Guests have the option to tip when placing an order on a Toast Kiosk. Toast’s data shows that adding tipping to the checkout flow increases tips, on average, by 30 percent; • “Order is ready” text notification: When paired with Toast KDS, Toast Kiosk can automatically send guests an SMS message when their order is ready; and, • Brand management: The Toast Kiosk start screen is now customizable to incorporate brand colors and images. Restaurateurs can also highlight add-on items to incentivize guests to bolster their orders, or choose to hide menu items that they do not want to offer on a Toast Kiosk.

Restaurant owners and operators can learn more about Toast and schedule a personalized demo here.

To learn more about how to enhance the guest experience; sign up for Toast’s “Guest Experience Bootcamp.”

Launched in 2013, Toast powers successful restaurants of all sizes with a technology platform that combines restaurant POS, front of house, back of house and guest-facing technology with a diverse marketplace of third-party applications.

By pairing technology with an unrivaled commitment to customer success, Toast helps restaurants streamline operations, increase revenue and deliver amazing guest experiences. Toast was named to the 2018 Forbes Cloud 100 and recognized as the third fastest-growing technology company in North America on the 2017 Deloitte Fast 500. Learn more at www.toasttab.com.

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In today's economic market, value, credibility and reliability are critical when deciding who to buy seafood from. That's why Fisherman's Pride® is the #1 source for Frozen Calamari and a large selection of other seafood products including Cleaned Calamari, IQF Calamari Rings, Breaded Calamari Products (Fries, Rings, Rings & Tentacles), Clams (Vietnam White & Chinese Hard Shell), Octopus, made to order fresh Gourmet Salad (Calamari, Octopus & Mixed Seafood), Mussels (Half Shell, Whole Shell & Meat), Grouper, Swai, Flounder and Scungilli (Frozen & Canned). Our years of experience and strict quality guidelines ensure you get incomparable value, variety and service from all of our products. Call Fisherman's Pride® today.

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 105

Green Card, from page 52 commitment of the future employees by having each foreign national sign an employment contract of up to three years, which would deter them from leaving the sponsoring employer prior to the three years unless they pay liquidated damages. This will protect the employer from investing in a green card process for a foreign national who may leave the employer soon after the green card is issued.

• There is virtually no limit to the types of jobs that can be sponsored.

Rigie, from page 54 Some recent successful green card sponsorship cases include cooks, busboys, HVAC technicians, sommeliers, kitchen staff, maintenance and cleaning staff, marketing and managerial staff, etc. Both skilled and unskilled positions can benefit from sponsorship, as the demand carries across virtually every category of worker.

• The green card sponsorship process, if done properly, can be completed in less than a year.

Given the reality in today’s lim-

ited worker availability, few qualified Americans will work for wages that a restaurateur will consider reasonable.

Many American workers are attracted to jobs being offered in industries such as technology, finance and science, whereas the hospitality and food service industries continue to require a global labor force that is becoming increasingly difficult to fulfill. Sponsorship of qualified and motivated foreign nationals may be a practical and necessary response to this new reality.

growth in full service restaurant jobs, and in 2018 there was an unprecedented loss of -1.6%. So, during the time period when the tip wage increased 100%, job growth dropped 124% and became job loss.

These alarming job numbers indicate that policy decisions have consequences and support survey data from a New York City Hospitality Alliance report. The report includes survey data from over 300 full-service restaurants: • 76% of full-service restaurant respondents reported that they reduced employee hours, and 36% eliminated jobs in 2018, in response to mandated wage increases.

• 74% of respondents reported they will reduce employee hours, and 47% will eliminate jobs in 2019 because of mandated wage increases that took effect on December 31, 2018.

These employer projections appear to also show up in the state’s job numbers with full service restaurant jobs down -3.9% in the first month of 2019.

As Governor Andrew Cuomo and members of the state legislature contemplate eliminating the restaurant industry tip credit, this data should remind them they do not operate in a consequence-free environment.

New York’s small businesses and jobs are at stake. Restaurants have already shuttered, and New Yorkers have had their hours cut and lost jobs. Similarly, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the City Council should see this data as a call for small business relief that our restaurants desperately need following years of new city labor regulations and other burdensome policies.

If the restaurant industry tip credit is eliminated and restaurants’ needs are ignored, data indicates that it will accelerate this alarming job loss trend, creating more vacant storefronts instead of new jobs.

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Live Music In Hospitality, from page 42 characteristic for both musicians and staff.

“It is important that they are in tune with what’s going on around them. If there’s a musician that just plays the same 20 songs no matter what the situation well, that’s not the right person for us,” said Amore. “As we look for quality food and the right ingredients, we also have to look for the right musicians that can adapt to the crowd. Is it an older crowd or is it a younger crowd? Is it too loud to converse or not loud enough? It’s music volume, it’s interaction, it’s music selection, it’s all of that stuff.”

Vic Della Pello, a musician out of Asbury Park, NJ agrees.

“The place I’m playing tonight, I noticed that when I do their Happy Hour there’s an older clientele. So, I can’t go in there and hit them over the head with some of my harder material. I find they respond to things like the Beatles, James Taylor, or America. The types of bands that are a little bit lighter, a little bit more of the singer-songwriter type.”

Playing to a crowd is a tough, but a necessary skill when it comes to this line of work. Musicians like Della Pello have to be in sync with managers like Amore or Trimarchi when it comes to taking breaks in performance, keeping customers in the restaurant, and responding to the ever changing vibe of the evening.

Often times, a live performance can allow a server, bartender, or manager to take their time and get a dinner or drink order correct, instead of having to rush something out.

“Music definitely gets a customer’s mind off of the question, Where is our food, when there’s something nice to listen to,” said Trimarchi. “I would say customers are also more inclined to hang out a little longer, get another beer, order appetizers before entrees, and stay out a bit later.”

While live music isn’t directly correlated to increased restaurant sales,

studies do show that louder music volumes (such as those that are produced at live performances) do tend to lead to higher consumption of (alcoholic) beverages. Della Pello has noticed instances like this first hand…

“I think for the most part people are going to leave when they’re going to leave, but the other night a lady asked if we played any Bad Company. So, I said Hang out a little and when we come back on we’ll play a Bad Company song,” Della Pello recalled. “We played, the night continued, and then I saw that this individual was ready to leave. I turned to the band and said, let’s Play Another Bad Company song. And she ordered another drink [laughs]. That’s a very specific instance, and I can’t think a whole room is doing that, but there you go.”

There is never any guarantee that a restaurant’s food or a band’s music can satisfy the palettes of each guest who comes in--that has to be why Yelp exists. However, coming to the table or the stage with a plan of action and the know-how to make adjustments will assure waitstaff, barkeeps, entertainers, and administrators are satisfying their guests during this budding Spring season and during the busiest time of the year for two industries that couldn’t be more suited for each other.

Ryan Gallagher is the Marketing Coordinator at 20 Lemons LLC, a full-service marketing company. Gallagher and the marketing company’s founder, Noelle Stary advise a wide variety of clients across NJ, NY, & PA who work in industries like Hospitality, Professional Services, Health & Fitness, Coworking, and more. With a background in Journalism and experience with 20 Lemons, Gallagher’s focus is writing marketing content, blogs, articles, and news for the 20 Lemons and her clients. For more information, visit www.20lemons.com.

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 107

Sederholt, from page 20 you ended up bringing in less revenue than you would have otherwise and your cost of goods went up. In other words, you brought in more money than the day before. But it’s less than you would have made if you hadn’t cut the price.” See how that works for your business!

• On February 11th, the US national debt eclipsed $22 trillion on February 11, the highest mark in history. Since President Donald Trump took office, the US has added over $2 trillion in new federal debt. That is less than the $3.46 Trillion added between Obama’s inauguration in January 2009 and February 11, 2011, but Obama had to address the financial crisis and Great Recession. The irony is that Trump added the debt in a strong economy and it is more than the $676 Billion added under Bush and the $617 billion added under Clinton.

• Maury Cartine of Marcum Group tax and business services in NYC dis-

closed that Donald Trump would have personal net savings on his taxes of $22,500,000 primarily from eliminating the alternative minimum tax, PLUS another $1Billion in shelving the estate tax.

As with all things related to taxes and politics, everyone’s opinions and experiences revolve around how things affect them personally. When I look at the situation I think the best thing for the restaurant and foodservice industry is putting more spendable income in as many consumers hands as possible. Millions of hard working middle class people spend more than a handful of multi-millionaires – and they pay more taxes. I know for sure that if you are a billionaire or a CEO of a big corporation you are a happy camper.

Small business owners and their workers… I’m not so sure. If you have any questions or just want to discuss your business please contact me at dsederholt@ragnarpartners.com

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Rachel Flatley, from page 16 try cook and worked my way up to be Claudia’s assistant. North Fork Table was the first and most influential kitchen I’ve worked in and Claudia absolutely laid the foundation for my career. Claudia’s attention to detail, precision, hard work, dedication and excitement for food have stayed with me through the years.

She’s been such a great mentor, and I try to be that person to others as well. When I teach my students at Suffolk Community College I will pass down some of the knowledge that I gained from Claudia, which always makes me think of her. And at work, there are definitely times I think “what would Claudia do?” as silly as it sounds it definitely inspires me to do things the right way, which is not always the easy way. I think what I gained most from Claudia were the little hints and tips she gave me along the way, maybe without even realizing it.

My husband, Ryan Flatley, has been a great source of inspiration.

He and his business partner Samy Sabil started a catering company in 2011 and opened their first restaurant in 2016. He has faced many challenges in his businesses, and each time he calmly and confidentially works through and overcomes them. He has taught me, and is still teaching me, how to be humble, how to overcome obstacles, how to be grateful, how to stand up for myself, and how to be confident in my abilities. Without him by my side constantly picking me up and rooting for me, I would not be where I am today.

Joseph Realmuto, the Executive Chef of Honest Man Restaurants, has been a great mentor. When I was hired for the Executive Pastry Chef position, I had pastry experience but I had never run my own kitchen, let alone a kitchen that manages the dessert program for 5 restaurants. He believed in me and coached me through the process of

managing a staff, writing & pricing menus, ordering, training, and overall helped me find my rhythm. He not only supported me, but gave me my space to learn, make mistakes, and grow into the chef I am today.

You are creating desserts for multiple different restaurants with very different concepts at Honest Man Restaurants, how do you navigate creating such different menus?

Lots of coffee! The great thing about the company is that all of our restaurants are different concepts, which makes creating different menus challenging, but also fun.

Since we create so many different types of desserts – from high end plated desserts at Nick and Toni’s to pub-style brownie sundaes at Rowdy Hall and whole cakes and ice cream pops at Townline BBQ – I never get bored doing the same thing over and over! It has really helped expand and refine my skill set and I believe it makes me stay relevant in more of the industry since I’m not only focusing on one type of cuisine or concept. Organization is key to making it all run smoothly, as well as having a great staff who puts the same amount of care, precision and love into each dessert that comes out of every restaurant.

Tell us about your Cakes & Confections company, how did it start and what sort of creations are you making?

Back around 2012 Miche Bacher was selling her cake business in Greenport and reached out to me to tell me that I should start making wedding cakes. At the time I hadn’t done anything more than a basic birthday cake, so I was hesitant about taking on a task as daunting as a wedding cake. Miche helped me through the ins and outs of the wedding cake business, and in June 2013 I made my first wedding cake for a client.

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Being a pastry chef, taste is the most important thing to me – I make sure that each cake is as fresh and delicious as it can be. I offer a variety of cake flavors, as well as an entire dessert menu including individual desserts, tarts, truffles, and macarons. I handmake everything from scratch and put the same amount of care & dedication into my cakes as I do my plated desserts.

I am so grateful to Miche for encouraging me to take that leap, because cakes are one of my favorite things to make now. I take great pride in this business, because it is definitely one of the most difficult things that I’ve ever done. Every cake comes with its own set of obstacles and challenges, and each time one arises I learn and grow through it.

Do you have an all-time favorite dessert that you created?

One of my all-time favorite dishes I’ve created is a Raspberry Tart – because our local raspberries are so sweet and delicious, I serve them raw and make sure they are the star of whatever dish I put them on. This dish was comprised of a sweet tart shell made of a tangy raspberry mousse topped with loads of fresh local berries and simply served with candied pistachios and frozen yogurt. It’s simple, fresh, balanced and the perfect summer dessert to me!

What new kitchen technology are you excited about and why?

Although I know it’s not “new,” I am excited to become more familiar with sous vide cooking. As far as kitchen technology is concerned, however, I’m fairly ‘old school’ and don’t use much fancy equipment in my kitchen.

April 2019 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 111

THE FOODIE QUIPPER

WITH JOE FERRI

Decoupling, Disrupting And De-ducting

W

ay back in the fall of 2017, when the upcoming IRFSNY Show was imminent, the exhibiting dealers were all asking their factory reps for new ideas as to what to display in their respective booths in March of 2018. As perplexing as the annual question was, a clear direction was about to take shape, per the suggestion of the contract manager of a leading kitchen equipment and supplies dealership.

It probably comes as no surprise to anyone who’s been in the trade for a while, that shows consume multiple resources; this one – being held at the Javits Center – was certainly going to be no exception. How could funding, staffing, collaterals, and sample equipment all be assembled to support the annual exposition?

You probably are also aware that manufacturers’ representatives serve many masters, advocating for endusers, consultants, and dealer clients as well as being charged with representing the various interests of their factory principals. This business model calls for the synergy between multiple disparate products of which a rep is tasked with marketing to their territory.

Our agency, then having been granted exclusive rights to many of the Middleby Corporation’s brands fated us to display multiple ventless and ductless appliance solutions at the show that year. We have since taken on the responsibility for several

Joe Ferri (AKA the Foodiequipper) was conceived in a Greenwich Village speakeasy’s walk-in box, the love child of the hat check girl and bartender. He is in his fifth decade of (somewhat) gainful employment in the foodservice industry. He is past

other sister manufacturers playing in this arena.

A variety of technologies was assembled and displayed and demonstrated at the event, and success ensued! It was so well-received, that the 2019 IRFSNY show saw us reprising that same theme yet again, garnering similar excellent results.

Of the many lessons learned, one stood out from all the others: Ventless & Ductless decouples operators from landlords.

It was clear that searching for vented spaces was no longer going to be the norm for operators. They could safely, effortlessly, and expeditiously be up and running in any available real estate, whether it had existing hoods or not. All of this is in addition to the myriad tax advantages that ventless afford the end-user.

At each of the succeeding shows,

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many leading restaurateurs stopped by our area to expound upon and reinforce this new reality (as well as to inquire about specific hardware solutions for their unique requirements).

As one distributor sales rep put it: “Got a garage?”

“Got a restaurant!”

What was once thought of as a marginal product, suitable only for non-traditional venues was now disrupting the norms and becoming the mainstream.

From bars to bowling alleys, kiosks in hospitals, airports and arenas, transportation hubs, office towers, residential high-rises, the corner deli, the chain restaurant and coffee shop, as well as the local school and grocery store, ventless cooking was taking over.

There are several leading technologies for going ventless including cata-

chairman of MAFSI and currently COO of Pecinka Ferri Assoc., a NY area equipment, furnishings and supplies representative. Follow Joe @ joeferri on Twitter.

lytic converters and hepa-filtration systems. Each has its place in the individual design aspects of a space.

If you are considering going ductless, make sure that you understand which (or which combination) is the most appropriate for speed of service, agency approvals, sanitation, heat and odor considerations, power consumption and other objective, as well as subjective criteria.

Test it out. Make sure the final product is up to your standards. Ask about service and parts.

The future of kitchens is now. When will you be embracing progress?

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