December 2017 - Total Food Service

NEWS

EDUCATION

Institute Of Culinary Education Launches National Expansion With New SoCal Outpost

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he Institute of Culinary Education recently announced its plan to open a second location near downtown Los Angeles, after 42 years in New York City. ICE will bring to Southern California its award-winning education model, which includes a highly developed curriculum, student focus, strong externship and job placement record, as well as a deep connection to the local culinary and hospitality industries.

As ICE launches in LA, the school’s initial focus will be six- to 13-month career diploma programs in Culinary Arts, Pastry & Baking Arts and Restaurant & Culinary Management. The Hotel & Hospitality Management program will be added later in the year.

“Los Angeles is an ideal next step for ICE, as it has the confluence of food culture, diversity, job opportunities and a nationally recognized, vibrant culinary community that ICE can support and grow just as we have in New York City,” said Rick Smilow, ICE’s president and CEO. “ICE will provide a new option for ambitious and creative students who want to start or change careers, advance in the culinary and hospitality industries or are cost- and time- conscious in their approach to education.”

Los Angeles is an ideal next step for ICE, as it has the confluence of food culture, diversity, job opportunities and a nationally recognized, vibrant culinary community that ICE can support and grow just as we have in New York City,” said Rick Smilow, ICE’s president and CEO. ICE took over a portion of the lease previously occupied by the former Le Cordon Bleu Pasadena location, which is already equipped with the necessary infrastructure to build a culinary school. ICE will update the school to reflect the brand standards of its flagship NYC campus opened in 2015 — often considered the “best in the nation” by leaders of the food industry. Renovations will begin in early 2018, and ICE anticipates opening and commencing teaching in the first half of the year.

“I was thrilled to learn that the Institute of Culinary Education is expanding and opening its second location in Los Angeles,” said Wolf-

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gang Puck, chef and restaurateur.

“LA is a hub of culinary innovation, and having a culinary school of ICE’s caliber in this market will only enhance the city’s standing as a major culinary center in the United States.”

The school will aim to create the same sense of community, creativity and campus life offered in NYC, adapted to the thriving LA food scene. Once career program classes are up and running, ICE will build on its platform for inspiration and is considering options to offer specialized amenities and features similar to the NYC campus, such as a chocolate lab, culinary technology lab and an extension of its “farm to

classroom” program, and later on, recreational classes and special culinary events.

“I’ve been working with ICE students in New York for years and they are consistently among the best young chefs in my restaurants,” said Tom Colicchio, chef and restaurateur. “I’m very much looking forward to having an institution like ICE produce the same level of talent for my LA and Las Vegas restaurants and to what their next generation of culinary leaders will do for the west coast food scene.”

The school will employ top tier culinary professionals to teach ICE’s curriculum. While an ICE education is grounded in classic French technique, it also offers the opportunity to explore food globally, including the cuisines of Italy, China, Thailand, India and regional America, as well as specialized techniques from artisan bread baking to modernist cooking and more. ICE will work to evolve its globally-inspired curriculum to reflect the local culture, diversity and flavor of LA. In addition to its highly regarded Culinary Arts and Pastry & Baking Arts programs, ICE will also offer its Restaurant & Culinary Management program, which focuses on owning, operating or managing a food

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Inspiration. Creativity. Passion.

Your fascination with food. Your creativity. Your love of people. Your talent for nourishing their bodies and their souls. Imagine 3 days in the heart of New York — the world’s most exciting city — where you can focus on all the magic and mystery that attracted you to food in the first place. Give yourself the gift of learning! From the art of ancient grains to the latest in lighting for Instagram, from the fine points of fermentation to designing smart kitchens, from veggie-centric dining to the prospect of delivery by drone. Spark your creative appetite and turn your passion for the industry into a sustainable business.

EDUCATION | DEMOS | TASTINGS | EXHIBITS

internationalrestaurantny.com

PRODUCED & MANAGED BY

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The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York March 4–6, 2018 at the Javits Center.

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 3

NEWS

SHOWS

New York Produce Show and Conference Set for Javits This Month

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he New York Produce Show and Conference, scheduled for Dec. 11-14, promises to offer a full agenda of interesting, informative and enjoyable events. That doesn’t even include the one-day trade show with more than 400 exhibitors.

Ultimately, the three-day show is intended to enlighten, educate and connect produce professionals from all sectors of the industry.

The show offers networking opportunities, a retail thought-leader

breakfast panel, educational microsessions and tours of the region’s vibrant industry, including local retailers, wholesalers, foodservice distributors, urban farms and unique eateries.

The 2017 New York Produce Show will take place Dec.11-14 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City. An outreach to students and faculty at regional universities as well as distinguished culinary schools are also

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The New York Produce Show and Conference is touted as one of the largest produce trade shows in North America.

With more than 5,000 attendees meeting more than 400 exhibitors in one day, there’s a lot of business to do in a short amount of time.

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 5

NEWS

FOAM BAN

Anchor Packaging Set With Full Line Of Packaging Alternatives As City Implements Foam Ban

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nchor Packaging is a family operated, privately owned company that has been in business for fifty-four years. The focus has always been on packaging solutions, with special emphasis placed on customer service, customer retention, and providing products of the highest quality. In fact, Anchor Packaging has grown to become the largest provider of polypropylene food packaging. In addition, Anchor launches an average of twenty-five new products each year, which is far more than any of the competition.

It is a particularly interesting time for a packaging company with operations in the New York City market. The polystyrene foam ban has been revived, and went into effect on November 13th, 2017. Restaurant and foodservice operators are expecting to take a financial hit as a result of the new legislation.

However, Anchor Packaging might be able to soften the blow. “Anchor Packaging doesn’t necessarily take a position on the legislation – It’s a matter of law. We do, however, have an opinion on the effectiveness of foam products as a food packaging solution. It’s widely known that foam packaging can fracture and that food can easily spill out of it. At some point, most people have accidently dropped a foam clamshell or had it tip over in the car. From a mar-

We aim to provide our customers with the right product, that will work best within their particular business.

Having products that provide multiple solutions in a single unit really helps customers minimize their packaging costs,” said Marilyn Stapleton, Director of Marketing. keting perspective, foam packaging appears inexpensive, which many consumers associate with low quality. Implementing better packaging instantly presents the food as better quality, which is the message that operators want to convey to their customers,” explained Mike Thaler, Executive Vice President. Restaurant operators should consider the fact that quality packaging presents as a premium product, which leads customers to return and may even support higher pricing.

Customer service is crucial at Anchor Packaging. The company has implemented a multifaceted customer outreach strategy, which in turn provides great industry insight.

First, there are a number of employ-

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ees that attend a variety of different trade shows. Thaler recognizes the importance of actually going out into the field and making visits at the store level. “We talk to the people that are using the products on a daily basis, and ask them what they like and dislike. We want to know how we can make our products better,” said Thaler.

In addition, Anchor Packaging works with companies such as Technomic. In some cases, Anchor not only uses the Technomic studies, but also sponsors them in order to better understand what’s happening in the market. “We take the information from Technomic and vector it against what we’ve learned firsthand at street level,” added

Thaler.

This approach makes Anchor a valued partner for its end-users and distributors. All of the information acquired through their outreach initiatives is used to create several different product solutions. Anchor Packaging offers a product called the Culinary Square, which might be especially attractive to operators in a post-foam ban New York.

“We’ve already converted a number of customers in other parts of the country who were previously using foam to the Culinary Square, simply based on their desire to have a better branding and marketing message for their consumers.

They didn’t convert to the Culinary Square in response to any mandate.

Rather, they decided that foam was not a good way to present food, so they transitioned to the Culinary Square without incurring a lot of costs,” Thaler said.

The Culinary Square is a two-piece polypropylene container available in one and three compartment units, making it a good candidate to replace foam clamshells. In fact, the Culinary Square actually has the same interior capacity as a nineinch foam clamshell. Additionally, the Culinary Square can be paired with several different types of lids, depending on the type of food be-

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December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 7

NEWS

ACQUISITIONS

Mulligan and McGrorry Led Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages Acquires Local Tri-State Bottling Operation

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iberty Coca-Cola Beverages, LLC announced last month that it has closed its deal to acquire territory from The Coca-Cola Company across the New York Tri-State Metro area. The definitive agreement comes approximately five months after The Coca-Cola Company announced a letter of intent with the bottling partner as part of a broader plan to refranchise its operations in North America.

Liberty Coca-Cola has officially opened its doors and welcomes more than 4,600 associates to its family.

The new bottler’s areas of service includes the cities of Philadelphia and New York, part of Delaware, the state of New Jersey, Long Island, parts of Hudson Valley, NY, and Fairfield County, CT. Liberty Coca-Cola will operate four production facilities and

Main Office 282 Railroad Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 Publishers Leslie & Fred Klashman Advertising Director Michael Scinto Art Director Mark Sahm Contributing Writers Warren Bobrow Faith Hope Consolo Morgan Tucker Fred Sampson Staff Writers Deborah Hirsch

This is a team that truly believes in the power of our brands and world-class portfolio execution,” said J. Alexander “Sandy” Douglas Jr., President, Coca-Cola North America. ten distribution centers throughout the region.

Coca-Cola Refreshments executives Paul Mulligan and Fran McGorry are at the helm of the new venture, and bring a combined 55-years of experience from the Coca-Cola system.

Over the past 20 years, Paul has led the charge overseas from Europe to Japan to Latin America and most recently with Coca-Cola Refreshments in the U.S.; transitioning bottlers across North America to become part of the Company’s 21st Century Beverage Partnership Model.

Fran McGorry has been President of the Tri-State Metro Operating Unit of Coca-Cola Refreshments for the last two years. Prior to his current role, McGorry’s career included serving as President of the Philadelphia Coca-Cola Bottling Company. He is a native of Philadelphia and has strong,

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local connections throughout the region.

“This is a team that truly believes in the power of our brands and worldclass portfolio execution,” said J. Alexander “Sandy” Douglas Jr., President, Coca-Cola North America.

“Winning in one of the nation’s biggest and most complex markets is mission critical, and Paul Mulligan, Fran McGorry and their tri-state team are the perfect people to make it happen for this newly established bottling partner.”

“Becoming a Coca-Cola franchise owner is an honor and a privilege, with a responsibility and challenge we respect,” said Paul Mulligan, CoOwner Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages LLC. “We are passionate about the opportunity to refresh such a diverse marketplace with the world’s most iconic beverages, and look forward to

Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com

Total Food Service ISSN No. 1060-8966 is published monthly by IDA Publishing, Inc., 282 Railroad Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830. Phone: 203.661.9090. This issue copyright 2017 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

growing and innovating with our customers and consumers in each one.”

“I have been part of the Coca-Cola family for 30 years, and achieving this dream of localizing the business not only for a brand I love, but in a market that I have grown up in, makes it all the more special,” said Fran McGorry, Co-Owner Liberty Coca-Cola Bever-

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NEWS

ASSOCIATIONS

NYSRA News: Commercial Rent Tax, Fair Work Week, Bike Regulations

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ommercial Rent Tax Reform To Be Passed and Signed!!

One of our primary government affairs’ priorities this year in New York City was to reform the commercial rent tax and raise the threshold for businesses that were subjected to the tax from $250,000 to $500,000.

We have great news on this front as the bill passed through the council and Mayor has stated that he will sign it when it does! By the print date of this article we are guessing it’s signed!

This tax was unfair to many of the restaurants that are located below 96th street in Manhattan, the only area in the five boroughs that still has this unnecessary tax. The threshold for the tax was last changed in 2001, when it was raised to $250,000 from $150,000.

Since then, commercial rents have exploded in most of Manhattan to include more small businesses in this unneeded tax.

The Association was incredibly active in fighting for this reform as we testified in support of this legislation, wrote an op-ed that appeared in

The NYS Restaurant Association was incredibly active in fighting for this reform as we testified in support of this legislation, wrote an op-ed that appeared in Crain’s Business Journal on the importance of this issue and met with Councilmember Dan Garodnick who was the primary champion of this bill. This bill will help hundreds of restaurants across Manhattan.

Crain’s Business Journal on the importance of this issue and met with Councilmember Dan Garodnick who was the primary champion of this bill. This bill will help hundreds of restaurants across Manhattan.

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Thank you to all our members and partners involved with this Commercial Rent Tax WIN! Fair Work Week Scheduling Laws Take Effect The New York City Department of Consumer Affairs announced earlier this week that the Fair Work Week Scheduling Laws went into effect and inspectors will be issuing warnings to those quick service restaurants that are not in compliance. The Department has assured the Association that it is taking an “education first” approach and will host a series of educational seminars on the new laws before issuing fines. As a reminder, these new laws only effect restaurants that

have 30 or more locations across the country.

This package will mandate employers: • Provide written schedules for the first two weeks of work with hours, dates, start and end times of shifts and written “Good Faith Estimates” (days, times, hours, locations you can expect to work during your employment) before an employee’s first day • Give workers their written work schedule at least 14 days before their first shift in the schedule • Advertise shifts to existing workers before looking for new employees • Cannot schedule workers to work two shifts over two days when the first shift ends a day and when there are less than 11 hours between shifts unless workers consent in writing AND are paid a $100 premium to work the shift • Authorize voluntary deductions and contributions to a nonprofit If employers do not meet the above criteria after the educational period has concluded, the offending restaurant will face financial penalties to be determined by the Department of Consumer Affairs.

The Association fought against these regulations tooth and nail, meeting with every member of the City Council on this package. We are

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December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 11

TRADE SHOW NEWS

HX17 Show Brings Full Slate of New Restaurant/Foodservice Design Build Solutions to Javits November 12-13, 2017 / Jacob K. Javits Convention Center

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he headline on the press release that was dropped off in the Total Food Service booth on opening day of this year’s HX Show read: “HX: The Hotel Experience to Transform to HX365 Under New Ownership.”

Based on the years of emotional equity that the show’s manager Phil Robinson looks for ‘365 to once again emerge as a must exhibit and must attend event.

The Hotel Experience, one of North America’s largest trade events for the hospitality industry (formerly IHMRS), announced at the opening of its 2017 show that it has transitioned to full ownership under Hospitality Management Group (HMG), a division of ST Media Group. HX was previously co-owned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), the Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC), and the New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association (NYSHTA).

The HMG acquisition also includes purchase of the 50% share of Boutique Design New York (BDNY) owned by AHLA, HANYC and NYSHTA, giving HMG full ownership.

BDNY was launched in 2010 as joint venture between HMG and the three associations.

There are a number of factors that

point to the show’s rebirth as “circle those dates” entry into Metro New York’s restaurant and foodservice calendar. First and foremost is with a single owner and Robinson at the helm, show management will have the ability to turn the key decisions around on a timely basis. It might be a commitment to a keynote speaker or celebrity chef demo or

the expansion of the show’s on going technology platform. Secondly, the co-joined BDNY show owned

by ST Media has brought “sexy” back to the show’s aisles. Some of the world’s hippest design firms have brought elaborately designed booths to the Javits. With BDNY has come a whole new look to the type of attendee that comes to see the

latest in hotel furniture and amenities.

Many of those goods and services are infact earmarked for the food and beverage operations of hotels and could easily create dynamic design solutions for Metro New York’s restaurants.

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Pack’N’Woods’s Melanie Gasior and Lena Lebecq

(L to R) Friendly rivals Andrew Wolfe of Wolfepack Marketing and PBAC’s Larry Cantamessa

Con Edison’s Juan Jimenez unveiled several new kitchen energy saving strategies

(L to R) Evo’s Scott Heim and Tavelle Cox of Johnson and Wales

Mohegan Sun’s Abedel Anquar shopped the show

(L to R) The CLVMarketing team of Tom O’Halloran and John O’Halloran

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HX, from page 12 HMG has exciting plans to amplify the experience beyond the show to produce content throughout the year in its HX365 transformation.

HX365 will provide unparalleled resources for those who create the guest experience and will curate and explore the latest trends, disruptions, and successes in the industry. With a strong dedication to assembling preeminent thought leaders as the industry moves forward, HX365’s new offerings will be second-to-none in the hotel and foodservice space.

The HX365 expansion includes many key features to benefit attendees, hotel and restaurant professionals, and industry suppliers.

ST Media Group President Tedd Swormstedt said, “As new owners, we see great opportunity to invest in the transition of HX from a stand-alone tradeshow to include year-round digital access and a full

conference in conjunction with the tradeshow, both designed around thought leadership in the hotel and hospitality profession. We want to create a home for hotel professionals, a vibrant community where owners, GM’s, their teams, and suppliers can learn, network, and enhance their leadership skills to grow their organizations.” Swormstedt added, “BDNY has experienced tremendous success, creating a great community of design professionals that reflects an engaging and vibrant experience. Our goal is to create that same level of community and immersion within HX.” Mark Dorr, President of NYSHTA said, “We are excited to see what is next for HX and the vision to become a year-long resource for the hotel industry.” HANYC’s President and CEO, Vijay Dandapani,

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(L to R) Connecticut’s design community was well represented at HX17

Bunn’s Karalynn McDermott brought new service technology to the show floor

(L to R) Clevenger Frable’s Foster Frable and Simon Potash of Culinary Depot

New Jersey designers Vitali and Kate Feldman of Prime Studio

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HX, from page 14 added, “We are proud of our contributions to grow HX to what it is today and look forward to seeing it evolve to meet the changing needs of our members.” Katherine Lugar, President & CEO, AHLA echoed the sentiments saying “AHLA has been a proud partner of this event celebrating our industry and we look forward to HMG’s plans to build on the 100+ year legacy of this important event.”

Swormstedt further explained that the expansion of HX365 allows for an entirely new engine to drive progress in a rapidly changing industry. “We see so many disruptions and exciting technological advances in the way hotels do business today, with more to come at an even quicker rate than before. HMG is excited to be at the forefront leading the conversations between GMs and hoteliers for today and for the future. We look forward to the ways HX365 will be a true partner to professionals who shape the

hotel experience to stay on the cutting edge of our industry.” New initiatives are set to roll out beginning in spring 2018.

This year the zones, each built out on the show floor, offered new products, services, concepts and trend direction in three key areas of hospitality: Lobby & Bar, Food & Beverage, and Technology. “The 360° Innovation Zones were fun, interactive spaces that allowed attendees to better understand and to define the guest experience of the future,” said Phil Robinson, VP/ Group Show Director of event producer HMG. The HX360° Food & Beverage Innovation Zone featured the “Pivot Point” concept, designed by Christensen Consultants, San Jose, CA. This creative set up, with refrigeration, light cooking appliances, plus coffee and espresso services, offered guests a wide variety of dining options for its daytime func-

tion. Responsive to changing guest demands in the evening, beverages took the lead by “pivoting” the back bar to place glass and bottle displays, taps and more into prominence. This is accomplished by placing the bar area on a turntable that a single employee rotates. EYE kudos to Marsha Diamond, MA, RDN, and the President/CEO of M. Diamond, LLC. Once again Diamond quarterbacked the Food & Beverage Innovation Zone’s buildout of the Pivot prototype.

“Pivot Point,” a foodservice concept designed by Christensen Consultants of San Jose, CA, was chosen as the feature for the HX360° Innovation Zone Food & Beverage area, and debuted in a 900-square-foot working model at HX. “Pivot Point” utilizes a dual personality to adjust to the needs of hotel guests throughout the day. By daylight hours, Pivot Point makes

(L to R) Many of the restaurant design’s next generation toured the show including Michela Trkalova of Preciosa Lighting, Rockwell Group’s Ronnie Burdick, Leonardo Caion DeMaestri of Gensler and Ricardo Cajigas of Myer Davis Studios.

(L to R) Brown Jordan Outdoor’s Phil Zaler, Clark Johnson and Mitch Slater

Long Range Systems’ Rick Sierra displayed the firm’s new Table Tracker technology.

Noted furniture executive Paul Weintraub brought his unique feel for industry trends from his trip to Milan

(L to R) Noritz’s James Facer and Reg Gholston

(L to R) Economy’s Kevin Konzelman, Michael Konzelman, and Rick Gengaro of True

(L to R) PBAC’s Michael Posternak and legendary kitchen consultant Jimmy Yui enjoyed the festivities at the Westchester reps Feinstein’s on 54th bash

(L to R) Hobart’s Shayne Barnum, and SHFM president Victoria Vega

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food its primary focus. This setup allows for refrigeration, light cooking appliances, and coffee and espresso services to take center stage, giving guests a wide variety of dining options. By night, in a change that can take less than a minute, the evening personality emerges and beverages take the lead. The key is the unique ability to “pivot” the back bar refrigeration, glass and bottle displays, taps, and more into prominence. The pivot maneuver is accomplished by placing the back bar areas on a large turntable that rotates the bar and can be handled by a single employee with no need for any additional power.

Pivot’s guest-responsive, multifunction innovation is perfect for hotels’ food and beverage with limited amenities or as a specialty area for larger destinations. It will also

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December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 17

HX, from page 16 embrace enhanced technology with smartphone and tablet ordering, and will utilize the latest sustainability initiatives.

The HX360° Lobby & Bar Innovation Zone featured an outstanding virtual experience. Using VR, attendees had the opportunity to explore the finalists from the Gold Key Awards Lobby category. The Gold Key Award for Excellence in Hospitality Design is considered the best in class competition for the industry. Users immerse into an experience of these top designs and award winning properties.

When the goggles came off, there was ample area to relax at the Innovation Zone Lobby Bar merchandised by HX exhibitor Vie Avenue. It featured coffee and tea each morning and cocktails in the afternoon.

There was also a special GM Lounge dedicated to general managers, designed to foster networking opportunities and continued conversations with HX speakers.

The third Innovation Zone was dedicated to the rapidly changing world of hospitality technology.

HX360° Tech featured a Wearables Showcase where guests tried out Microsoft Hololens AR Goggles, Samsung Gear 360°, Google Tango devices, SnapChat Spectacles, and Myo’s armband that allowed hands free control of computers, phones, and more. The zone was an interactive playground where guests could livestream, ask Amazon Echo’s Alexa to personalize room music, explore teleconference concierge applications, or see how robotics are impacting the industry.

From artificial intelligence to multi-location F&B concepts to deep dive research into the minds of hotel guests, the education sessions were welcomed at the show.

“We strive to make the overall content of HX second to none. And this year, we were particularly excited

with HX’s conference component,” said Robinson. “The 30-plus sessions covered an amazing breadth of topics all highly relevant to the hospitality industry.”

The trio of headliner sessions for HX 2017 truly served as food for thought. Valerie Ferguson, Director, Experience Planning and Integration, Hotels & Resorts, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, explored the impact of robotics and the coming wave of Artificial Intelligence.

The “Siri, Alexa, Cortana and Rosie. Oh My! AI on the Rise! Trending Tech Talk: AI + Robotics in the Hospitality Industry panel featured Micah Green, President and CEO, Maidbot, and Steve Ransone, Vice President of Rooms Operations, White Lodging. They walked through how robots are already deeply rooted in hotels overseas and analyze how this innovation enhanced the guest experience in North America.

“Creating One-of-a-Kind MultiConcept Operations: Yes it Can Be Done,” Alex Taylor, Senior Vice President, Restaurants & Bars, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, looked at a more human element of the guest experience and asked, “How do you maintain the feel of an independent boutique when your operation grows to multiple locations?” The presentation explores how Kimpton has made it work in the hotel restaurant space. “The key is allowing freedom and creativity to thrive inside the company culture,” Taylor noted.

Five exhibitors received Editor’s Choice Awards recognizing best new products within the categories of food & beverage, foodservice equipment, guest amenities, hotel products and technology. From the five winners, the Kenneth F. Hine “Best of Show” Award also was selected.

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(L to R) Legendary kitchen consultant Jimmy Yui and PBAC’s Steve Bauer

(L to R) Saratoga Springs’ hotelier Jared Demagistris and Susanne Simpson used the show to prep for the 2018 season

M. Tucker’s Fred Bonaccorso toured the event

(L to R) The Tuxedo Club’s food and beverage team: Michael Ruggiero, Blake Bungard and Shelby Lacombe

(L to R) Wolfgang Hugle, Marsha Diamond of Diamond Associates and Eagle’s Shari Kaplan

(L to R) The Pecinka Ferri team of Ed Pecinka, Joe Louis Ferri and Joe Ferri Sr.

Lana Trevisian (2nd-L) VP, Restaurants, Bars and Nightlife at Two Roads Hospitality listed with the Morgan Tucker (L) led Little M. Tucker team

The creativity of Canadian contract furniture firm BermanFalk brought talented NYC street artist Timothy Goodman

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HX, from page 18 Amenity Services won top Food & Beverage honors with its State of the Art sleek stainless design, easy and engaging digital display with over 80 drink options including Cappuccinos, Lattes, Mochaccinos, Coffee, Espresso, Tea and Hot Chocolate, the CafeXpress Touch uses soft pods which are plastic-free, 100% biodegradable and packaged in compostable material at a certified green plant.

Top foodservice equipment honors went to Vulcan for its Low Water Energy (LWE) steamer. It is the only generator-based Energy Star steamer in its class. Exclusive smart steam control regulates steam production to minimize excess steam reducing energy usage by 50% and water consumption by 90% versus traditional units with no sacrifice in cook times.

The 3rd annual TECHPitch winner was ALICE (New York, NY); it is

(L to R) The private club industry was well represented with notables including the Knickebocker Club’s Heather Koehle, Jean Luc Deguines and David Paulstich

(L to R) ICE’s Steve Zagor and publicist Hanna Lee

a cloud-based platform that unifies your staff and guests to seamlessly handle any request—whether it’s in-room dining or a broken AC unit.

ALICE is a tool that empowers staff to be the best versions of themselves so they can be more efficient with their daily internal tasks and flawless in their guest service.

Once again, the HX: The Hotel Experience, teamed with the New York City Hospitality Alliance to create an exciting line-up of foodservice education programming. Under the hands-on direction of the Alliance’s executive director Andrew Rigie show attendees had the opportunity to hear from some of the industry’s best and brightest.

The HX/NYCHA seminar lineup on “Show-Sunday” was highlighted by presentations on Kitchen in a Closet, The Behind the Buzz of Craft

(L to R) Gary Licht and Irina MirskyZayas of Equipex

Automatic Ice’s Jordan Singer was wheeling and dealing in the Hoshizaki booth

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3M’s Tom McCarthy brought a number of creative scrubbing solutions

(L to R) New Jersey restaurateurs’ Kurt Knowles Sr. and Jr. of the Manor

Mercedes Benz of Manhattan’s Sam Zawalunow

(L to R) NYSRA-NYC’S Ron Mathews, Michael Scinto of TFS and NYCHA’s Andrew Rigie

(L to R) Longtime teaching chef Gerry Murphy, Clements Stella Gallagher’s Tom Gallagher and Kim Lehr of Performance Foods

(L to R) Restaurant Associates’ Susan Birdsall and Kristen Biehi of UBS enjoyed the Naples 45 networking event

(L to R) Pro-Tek’s Diane Rossi, John Alfano and Lori Weiss

(L to R) Office Star’s George Maniscalo and Jamie Stamey

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HX, from page 20 and Local, Greening Your Restaurants 101, Optimize Your Restaurant for Profitability.

On “Show-Monday”, seminars included: Creating One-of-a-Kind Multi-Concept Operations: Yes, It Can Be Done, Creating Your Company Culture, What You Need to Create a Hot F&B Concept, Two Tech Companies the Industry is Talking About and Living La Vida Hotel: The F&B Influence.

If you missed this year’s event, the takeaways included kitchen design/ build strategies on how new innovative recirculating ventilation systems can allow a pop-up kitchen.

Fresh & Co.’s Alex Perez and Jimmy’s No. 43’s Jimmy Carbone talked about the bright future of the craft cocktail and local food movement.

Tren’ness Woods-Black of Sylvia’s, Dinex’s Tami von Isakovics Johnny Hill of Tacombi and Spacious Preston Pesek outlined how NYC restaurants are generating revenue

during off peak hours, using their space creatively and hosting unique events.

The HX/NYCHA programming concluded with TFS’s publisher Fred Klashman moderating a panel focused on: The What’s Cooking for 2018? Trends & Insights. The hourlong session featured Men Who Dine’s Gennaro Pecchia, PR maven Marie Assante and ICE’s visionary Steve Zagor. The group agreed that healthy is in for ‘18 and that restaurants rents may drop due to Amazon eating Main Street.

The excitement of the show spilled over into the evening with a number of significant industry events. The “Show’s After Hours” included the annual all industry networking party at Naples 45, the annual PBAC “Best of Broadway” consultant event at Feinstein’s 45 and the industry’s Tabletop Show Room 41 Madison greeting guests at its open house.

HMG’s Karen DiPeri and Carolyn Milea

(L to R) TD Marketing’s Michael Klatman and Pat Fava of Air Comfort

(L to R) Day & Nite’s Brett and Rick Sher

(L to R) DeBragga and Spitler’s Marc Sarrazin and Maureen Cole of Minners Design

22 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

(L to R) TD Marketing’s Frank Doyle with Kate McDevitt and Stephen Grans of Meiko

(L to R) Romano Gatland’s Chris Brady with JP Morgan’s Barbara Boden and Bill Adams

(L to R) K-Vent’s Marty Kohn and David Hayes

(L to R) Sam Tell and Son’s Arthur Fisher and Kahled Halabi of Cini-Little

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December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 23 10/11/16 14:34

LITTLE M. TUCKER

WITH MORGAN TUCKER

She’s Making A List.

And Checking It Twice.

Morgan Tucker is Director of Business Development at M. Tucker, a division

M

Tucker hosted our first Farm-to-City pop-up at Steelite International’s NYC Showroom in conjunction with The Hotel Experience Show (HX) last month.

“We could not think of a better way to kick off the holiday season,” said John Miles, President of Steelite, in his welcoming remarks.

In case you missed our inaugural fete, I’d like to fill you in. Upon arrival, guests were greeted with a curated tablescape of our proprietary collections. Charlotte Voisey, acclaimed

of Singer Equipment Company. Ms.

Mixologist of William Grant & Sons, kept the party fueled with expertly crafted Hendricks Gin cocktails. We hosted special guests Farmer Lee and Mary Jones of The Chef’s Garden and Executive Chef Jamie Simpson of the Culinary Vegetable Institute – who brought the farm to NoMad for the first time! Guests were invited to explore the boundaries of their tongues and their tabletops.

Our brand, Little M. Tucker, continues to expand rapidly. With the addition of our pop-up launches, we now have over 50 collections. It’s my pleasure to share many of them with

24 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

you now. Interested in seeing more?

Follow our newly minted Instagram @littlemtuckerco.

It’s been a big year for us. Unlike other regional distributors, we are now truly serving a national network.

Our company executed projects in 48 states. I made sales calls in 19 of them.

We’re sourcing ourselves… quality products. I visited 6 European countries in the past 12 months to source exclusive dinnerware patterns. And on one of those international adventures, I witnessed the most important tabletop presentation in the history of American cuisine at the Bocuse D’Or, highlighted in my February LMT column, a favorite of 2017.

This year has certainly flown by and our team continues to achieve new milestones. One of the accomplishments I am most proud of is being a member of an illustrious group of strong female leaders, which have been featured in this issue each of the past three years.

For those joining the list of The Top Women in Metro NY Foodservice & Hospitality for

Tucker works with a wide diversity of acclaimed restaurateurs, celebrated chefs, and industry leaders across the U.S. Her website littlemtucker.com is an exceptional resource for equipment and supplies solutions. Morgan is based in NYC and can be reached at mptucker@mtucker.com.

the first time in 2018, welcome. Thank you for your commitment to development. Of yourself and of others. Thank you for paying it forward. Thank you for believing in better.

“If you “Believe in Better,” our world will continue to change for the better – one girl, one woman at a time.”

Laura Kohler, Senior Vice President, Human Resources and Stewardship, Kohler Co. I am a list person. I love making lists. I love people who make lists. I love checking things off my lists.

Join me in checking off nine recommendations from Ms. Kohler on how to truly make a difference this holiday season and beyond. Cheers.

• Stay Determined • Make an Impact • Take Calculated Risks • Focus • Hire Great Talent • Have Courage • Develop Yourself • Be a Mentor & Find a Mentor • Be Yourself

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December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 25

MIXOLOGY

WITH WARREN BOBROW

Q-Drinks Make For Some Spectacular Cocktails

Q

-Drinks, hailing from Brooklyn, NY is a spectacular drink mixer. Not just because the label

reads it, but because QDrinks offer something better than what you are using right now. I say using right now, because most drink programs lack a soda/seltzer program. They are content using a product that comes out of a drink gun, and that’s too bad for your guest, because with all the attention that craft sprits have been getting and even craft ice, why is your soda program still using a concentrate to deliver that all important fizz? It’s pretty clear to me, through my travels in the craft spirits space that the fizzy element is mostly forgotten-

and afterthought perhaps, one that in my opinion can bring real flavor and value to the equation of making the finest craft cocktails. And through this careful engineering of all the elements, you may have discovered Q-Drinks.

Sure there are plenty of craft sodas on the market and that market is exploding yearly with fine flavors-but let’s first look at the ingredients in Q-Drinks. The conversation of fizzy beverages should be one of quality parts. I’m massively impressed by the quality of their bubble, the carbonation- to me, it should be elegant and crisp. Q-Drinks pumps more bubbles into each bottle- offering a tiny, pin point, (like elegant and expensive Champagne),

26 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

pure and rambunctious fizz, one that jumps up your nose- offering a giggle in every sip. There are never genetically engineered products added to Q-Drinks, nor artificial flavors, or preservatives. Sure the Europeans have been serving pure sodas for years, so what went wrong here in the USA? The short answer is commerce in the form of high fructose corn syrup. This syrup is the most popular sweetener in our land. It is the one that flavors many beverages and foods here in the USA. It has a particular flavor that is quite familiar to most Americans.

It’s made from corn that is added to many products other than sweetener. Q-Drinks are made with only the very best ingredients, no cutting

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.

corners here. The sweetener in QDrinks is not corn syrup, it’s either cane sugar or agave, these ingredi-

continued on page 119

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 27

SEDERHOLT ON RESTAURANT FINANCE

Looking For Financing?

Know What You Are Talking About!

David Sederholt is the Senior Advisor

A

friend of mine, who is not a restaurant person, recently asked me to look at a Business Plan for what he thought was a promising new restaurant in our area. My buddy is a fairly seasoned business pro, who is CEO of a manufacturing company and former business professor at a major university. He also knows what he doesn’t know, which in this case is the restaurant industry.

The email arrived with what looked like a well thought out and organized Business Plan attached. It covered all the classic bullet points that someone tells you must be included. Vision statements, mission statements and fluff about the best food, best service, most unique, cutting edge establishment ever created were there. Yea and management is the best, and has the most experienced and creative people in the world. Blah, blah, blah – one thing they forgot? The real pros go to the numbers and other details about the business to piece together the real story.

I am sure that the folks behind this new venture are sincere, honest people who are pursuing their dream of having their own restaurant but they are either naïve or intellectually lazy. They are seeking $400k in financing and trying to convince potential lenders or inves-

to management at Strategic Funding, a leader in small business financing

I can’t go into all of the tripwires that presented themselves to me in a 15 minute reading, but I will point out some high level things for you to consider when crafting one of these documents. tors that they are solid professionals who can run a great restaurant and pay back the debt or equity with a favorable return on their capital.

Unfortunately this document told me quite the opposite. The truth was that ownership either doesn’t know what they are doing; didn’t really put the time in to research key financial data points; failed to have the business savvy to recognize simple logic; or they just guessed at the numbers. In any and all cases, my bullshit meters went off like crazy and if it wasn’t for my friend’s kind offer to help these people out – the document would have been thrown in the garbage can.

I can’t go into all of the tripwires that presented themselves to me in a 15 minute reading, but I will point out some high level things for you to consider when crafting one of these documents:

28 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

1. Know what the hell you are talking about before you look stupid! You will be challenged to defend your assumptions. On every single line item ask yourself how did you arrive at this number both on revenue or expenses. I’m not talking about your “gut” or how your years in the business led you to the numbers – you’ve got to show the lenders your logic. a. Revenue – in the restaurant business it’s all about butts in seats or how many meals are served. Your revenue projections should tell a realistic story. What are the number of days of operation? number of covers served by day? by meal period? average sales per cover for each meal period? etc. Don’t just pull a number out of your rear end and say – “we will do $1.5MM in year one and increase 10% per year thereafter.”

Based on what? Show how you got

since 2006. Before this, David spent 30 years in the restaurant business and has owned and operated more than a dozen restaurants. As a direct lender, the company offers a variety of financing options and has provided over $1.25 Billion to approximately 20,000 businesses across the United States and Australia.

to the number. Also, don’t ignore comps, promos, discounts and employee meals as they have real cost and are a fact of life in the restaurant biz. b. Expenses – really, really research this and get as close as possible. Assertions that are very easy to shoot holes in make you look less than knowledgeable. The business plan in my hand has so many glaringly uninformed claims that it made me realize the owners were just low balling costs. Labor, insurance, advertising and marketing, direct operating, R&M, utilities and so forth, are favored fairytale items.

Having owned and operated over a dozen restaurants, I could smell it.

2. Stop with the fluff – make a solid substantive, data filled argument as to why this business will be a winner! In this 25 page document I

continued on page 110

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 29

Q&A

EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEW

Victoria Vega Vice President of Operations for Unidine’s Corporate Culinary Group, and President, SHFM

V

ictoria Vega, Vice President of Operations for Unidine Corporation’s Corporate Culinary Group and Senior Living Culinary Group, was recently elected President of the Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM). Vega has had an extensive career in the workplace hospitality industry. Total Food had the opportunity to ask her a few questions.

Please describe your background, and discuss how you got into the industry.

I had the privilege of attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which has a renowned hospitality tourism management program. On my career day during senior year, a recruiter from Aramark asked me why I didn’t appear on their interview list, and insisted that I meet with them. I ended up

Victoria Vega, Vice President of Operations for Unidine’s Corporate Culinary Group, and President, Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management (SHFM)

30 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

going to work for Aramark right out of college in business dining in metro New York. Aramark provided me with my foundational knowledge in contract food service. After a thirteen-week immersion process, I was placed at Salomon Brothers at the tip of Manhattan, which was a fabulous experience. I worked my way up through Aramark, and eventually opened Viacom MTV Networks, who previously had not incorporated any dining services. I spent ten years at Aramark, and went on to work at Restaurant Associates and Compass.

Who would you consider to have been a mentor? What have you gained from him or her?

I believe that I’ve had several mentors that have been critical to my success. First, was Dick Cattani

continued on page 32

Dining in the workplace hospitality arena really mirrors the businesses that we serve. When I started in dining, there were a lot of self operated businesses, full subsidies, and private dining rooms. Now, it’s really about fast and friendly, convenience and portability, so you can eat at your desk.

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 31

Q&A Victoria Vega, from page 30

when I began at Restaurant Associates. He was incredibly smart and strategic, and a great role model.

He elevated me to organizational leadership. Next, Rick Post at the Compass Group was a tremendous mentor as well. He took a lot of time to meet with me, troubleshoot challenges that I may have been having, and talk about big picture corporate strategy and accountability for results. My current boss at Unidine, our COO, Tom Warren, has also encouraged me to be the best that I can, not only for my team, but also for myself within the industry. So I’ve gotten great validation from three exceptional leaders, which has had an important impact on my confidence.

eat at your desk. The trends push our industry to constantly innovate because our consumers are so savvy with all of their options. We can’t consider our consumers a captive audience anymore.

Corporations such as Google and Facebook have embraced dining with activities including daycare and ping-pong. Are we mov-

How did the opportunity at Unidine come about?

Timing is everything. I had actually accepted a new position elsewhere. Mark Freeman, the president of SHFM at the time, had tasked me with the rebranding of putting the “H” into SHFM. So I worked on the rebranding initiative of how we remarketed the society. When Mark heard that there was an opportunity to run the corporate dining segment at a corporation, he urged me to pursue it. After he made the introduction for me at Unidine, I ended up accepting the offer and moving to Boston.

How has the industry changed since you began?

First and foremost, it’s gone from an entitlement to a de-centralized need. Dining in the workplace hospitality arena really mirrors the businesses that we serve. When I started in dining, there were a lot of self operated businesses, full subsidies, and private dining rooms. Now, it’s really about fast and friendly, convenience and portability, so you can

32 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

ing back towards a subsidized dining environment?

I think we’re moving into a different world of change in which corporations view dining as an amenity used to attract the best talent and retain the best workforce. It becomes a part of their brands. When corporations look at dining as an amenity, food plays a transformative role in helping corporations

add to their brands.

When Unidine has the opportunity to partner with organizations in which wellness is part of their culture, it creates a win-win. We go on to create and customize solutions for that organization and their customers, clients, and guests. It really comes full circle for me.

continued on page 34

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 33

Q&A Victoria Vega, from page 32

How did you become involved with SHFM? How has it become a part of who you are and what you do?

I became a member of SHFM when I was 23, so they’ve literally seen me grow up in this industry.

I was always involved in clubs and networking while I was in school.

To spend 28 years involved with the organization, and go on to become the president has been an unbelievable experience. I’ve been involved in the organization on many levels, from being a founding member of the women’s council to being a part of conference planning committees and running the critical issues conference.

You’ve given a lot to SHFM. What has the organization given back to you?

I’ve gained a tremendous sense of

pride through my responsibilities with SHFM. I’m the only child of two deceased only children. So over the years, the people that I’ve met through SHFM have truly become my family. They have become the people that I trust. I always encourage all new members and first time conference attendees to really get involved and remain engaged, because I really believe that what you get is a function of what you give. At SHFM, what you give comes back to you threefold with the relationships and the knowledge gained. The chance to spend time with some of the key leaders in the workplace hospitality industry is a rare and terrific opportunity.

As you took over the reins of SHFM in Florida, the room literally shook when you addressed the assembly.

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What’s on the agenda? What are the goals that you’d like to achieve in the next year?

I’m going to be leveraging the strength of the contractor by focusing a little bit more on the “F” in the SHFM. I truly believe that food is our future because without the “F,” there really is no “H.” One of my platforms for 2018 will focus on where food comes from, how we produce it, and how we serve it. The bottom line of what we do every day is related to food, so I’d like to put some of the focus back on that. We will largely accomplish this at next year’s conference, where the theme will be “food as our future.” The SHFM foundation is actually sponsoring a research project related to food waste and food origins with the University of Houston.

Bold

Please discuss the opportunities that exist in your segment of the business for women.

My major platform initiative is the relaunch of the SHFM diversity council. It’s important that our leadership in workplace hospitality reflects the diversity of the people that work in it. If you look at our statistics, I believe it’s 52% female in mid-level field management in the contract foodservice industry.

There’s nothing but great potential.

The women’s council was created only fifteen years ago, and by tapping into the knowledge and the resources of that diverse group, it has changed some of the direction and purpose of SHFM. It’s important that we be role models for inclusion.

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December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 35

NEWS

TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

The Perceived Nutrition Dilemma of Restaurants

N

utrition is often an afterthought when developing a restaurant menu. The opinion is that to focus on the nutrition of a menu is to compromise on the three things that are typically the most important: the taste of the meal, how the menu draws in customers and high margins. However, can one not have all these things plus a nutritious meal?

Opinions are starting to change.

Nutrient-packed food is drawing customers in droves. There are even

restaurants and chains built on this phenomenon – think Juice Press or sweetgreen. In addition, nutritious food, which tends to be plant-based, often affords higher margins and easier sourcing than a meat-heavy menu.

For instance, rice bowls at $16 have higher margins than a steak with a side at $36. And, then of course, there is taste. The palate of the American is changing and consumers are increasingly enjoying nutrient-rich plates with ingredient diversity and varying textures and flavors.

36 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Perhaps restaurants would like to address the nutrition problem but do not understand how? Perhaps they are too preoccupied with busy everyday life in a restaurant to make nutrition a priority? Perhaps they believe that rich and creamy dishes with generous helpings of butter, sugar or salt are what make people happy? Regardless of the roadblock, one thing is certain - in many markets of the United States, dealing with nutrition is a topic that has become of immediate importance and will continue to prevail. In

the media and in everyday life, the ever-growing importance of nutrition is clear. Understanding this, however, is one thing. Applying this to your restaurant concept or menu redesign is quite another.

So what is a chef or restaurateur to do? Does one jump in headfirst on the health-obsessed bandwagon or stay with the tried and true? The answer is neither. There is a middle way to the nutrition dilemma.

continued on page 106

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 37

FIORITO ON INSURANCE

Carbon Monoxide Leaks: Prevention & Crisis Management For Your Restaurant

C

arbon monoxide (CO) leaks are not uncommon in restaurants. CO is a colorless, odorless, toxic gas, which interferes with the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood. CO is non-irritating and can overcome persons without warning. Unfortunately, these incidents are often fatal, leaving businesses in damaging situations they may not ever recover from. It is important that owners and managers look at recent tragic incidents to examine their own restaurants and safety practices in order to prevent future incidents.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provided the following guidelines to prevent CO exposure: • Never use a generator indoors or in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces such as garages, crawl spaces, and basements. Opening windows and doors in an enclosed space may prevent CO buildup.

•

Make sure the generator has 3-4 feet of clear space on all sides and above it to ensure adequate ventilation.

•

Do not use a generator outdoors if placed near doors, windows or vents, which could allow CO to enter and build up in occupied spaces.

It is important that owners and managers look at recent tragic incidents to examine their own restaurants and safety practices in order to prevent future incidents.

Robert Fiorito serves as Vice President with HUB International Northeast, a leading global insurance broker-

•

•

When using space heaters and stoves ensure that they are in good working order to reduce CO buildup, and never use in enclosed spaces or indoors.

Consider using tools powered by electricity or compressed air, if available.

Key safety measures that all restaurants should consider, that at least meet, but in some cases exceed regulatory codes include CO detectors, alarm systems, security systems, and other life safety processes and equipment. However, installing equipment is not enough; all safety processes should be regularly tested, and employees must be trained, with frequent drills to vary emergency scenarios to ensure that they will understand what to do in a variety of emergency situations.

38 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

The first step to emergency management planning is performing a vulnerability analysis. An effective vulnerability analysis looks at all possible threats. Once risks have been assessed, you need to put together a response plan that addresses various types of incidents, what the risks are, what could trigger the plan, and what to do in the event an incident escalates to become a crisis. This step by step process should take you throughout the crisis management process and should include how your team will interact with social media.

Today, we are simultaneously blessed and cursed with the ability to know about things almost as soon as they have happened, and while this is in many ways beneficial, it can easily devastate a business in the event of a crisis, particularly if the crisis could potentially be attributed to the business’s actions. A so-

age, 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 establishments.

Robert can be reached at 212-338-2324 or by email at robert.fiorito@hubinternational.com.

cial media policy should specify who will be active on the business’s social media accounts and what they will share (it is recommended that your public relations team also be involved), and it should be done in a timely manner.

Speak to your insurance broker to learn more about implementing effective emergency and crisis management plans.

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 39

FAITHFUL FOOD

WITH FAITH HOPE CONSOLO

Holiday Food For Thought

S

ome of the merriest moments come from visiting one of our dynamic new eateries. ‘Tis the season to nosh all that is new and noteworthy. Here are some new City spots that shine as bright as the 57th Street Snowflake.

Gino Sorbillo one of Italy’s most legendary and beloved pizza chefs, at long last, launched the outpost of his flagship restaurant here in New York City at 334 Bowery, between Great Jones and Bond Streets in Noho. Gino Sorbillo Pizzeria is a 70 +-seat restaurant with a similar menu of soft-crusted pies that he serves in Italy. Fun fact: “Gino Sorbillo is a Napolitan Pizzaiolo appreciated in the world for his verve and ecleticism. His father is the nineteenth of 21 children, all pizzaioli.”

BAAR BAAR by Chef Sujan Sarkar features his interpretation of modern Indian cuisine. Baar Baar, which means “again and again,” is now open at 13 East First Street (Second Avenue) in the former L’Apicio space and is adorned with happy, vibrant colors.

It is “a reimagining of the Indian love affair with all things spirited. A first of its kind Indian Gastro Bar that will challenge your perception of the subcontinent. Join us for this journey with India-inspired cocktails that pay homage to our beginnings and modern interpretation of regional Indian Cuisin.”

JoJo has reopened at 160 East 64th Street and will no longer be a French bistro, it has now reemerged as a “casual farm to table spot” in a relaxed yet elegant dining experience in a quaint turn-of-the-century townhouse setting on the Upper East Side. The first of Jean-Jeorges’ restaurants, this neighborhood gem is now celebrating

The Blue Box Cafe, located on the 4th floor of Tiffany & Co. at the 727 Fifth Avenue New York flagship store

its 20th anniversary; the Contemporary French menu still features some well-loved original dishes. Just think, it is now one of 13 of his restaurants in NYC and counting! A culinary icon.

The Blue Box Cafe, located on the 4th floor of Tiffany & Co. at the 727 Fifth Avenue New York flagship store is what holiday dreams are made of. The store is the setting for Audrey Hepburn’s classic 1961 film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.” Serving American classics that evolve through the seasons is an exciting take on signature New York dishes reinvented to be uniquely Tiffany. Gaze out at Central Park while in keeping with the store’s brand; nearly the entire café is decked in robin’s eggblue. Even the china plates are dipped

40 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

in blue. The Blue Box Café shares the fourth-floor with the Tiffany’s renovated home and accessories collection, baby boutique, vintage books and fragrance laboratory.

Start at the ground floor outside and work your way up to floor 4; Tiffany’s windows are inspired by Christmas in New York – the quintessential Tiffany holiday. Each window, like a magical jewel box, contains a glittering, festive scene that only Tiffany could conjure up. Where else would one decorate their Christmas tree with diamonds, or throw a lavish feast for fabulous friends with jewel-filled Christmas crackers, champagne, cakes and all, right in the snow? Another window display features Rockefeller Center with Prometheus in gold leaf and a jewel-trimmed tree with angels. The façade of the flagship lights up Fifth Avenue with an intricate light show inspired by an archival motif depicting a spray of diamonds, which framed the Tiffany Diamond at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. I can’t think of anything more Christmas!

Future food forecasting…..

London to NY seems to be trending. A private London venue made famous for “celebrity hedonism” The Groucho Club to take 363 Lafayette Street and will include a bar, restaurant, party rooms, screening rooms and hotel suits. The NY outpost is to be grander than London and the members-only format will have 30 hotel rooms for members and their guests. “The Groucho Club is a private members club open to men and women formed in 1985. Dreamt up by a group of publishers as an alternative to stuffy gentleman’s clubs who wanted somewhere to meet and relax, they

Faith Hope Consolo is the Chairman of Douglas Elliman’s Retail Group.

Ms. Consolo is responsible for the most successful commercial division of New York City’s largest residential real estate brokerage firm. Email her at fconsolo@elliman.com

approached Anthony Mackintosh owner of ‘The Zanzibar’ – a member’s bar in Covent Garden – and Restaurant 192. Tony and his partners got to work and The Groucho Club was created. Premises were found in Soho, the bohemian heart of London, and the doors opened to a membership drawn from the Arts, Publishing, Film, Music and Advertising, many of whom were working in the area. It soon became the approved watering hole for the creative industries. With bars, two restaurants, private event rooms and twenty bedrooms, The Groucho Club is the benchmark for a new generation of member clubs both opening in the area and internationally.” To be an exciting dining experience for sure!

London hospitality specialists RHUBARB has restaurants and event spaces in sites like the Saatchi Gallery, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Sky Garden will open two restaurants in the Hudson Yards development, in 2019 and these will be the company’s first international ventures. A restaurant is planned for 5,800 square feet on the fifth level of the central building those houses shops and restaurants. Another restaurant, bar and an event space will be on the two top floors of 30 Hudson Yards. I can’t wait to see what they will accomplish with their impressive pedigree of projects.

Happy Holidays & Happy Dining!

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 41

NEWS

LABOR LAWS

Are You Prepared for New York City’s Fair Workweek Laws?

N

ew York City’s “Fair Workweek” legislative package took effect November 26, 2017, drastically changing scheduling practices for fast food operators and their employees.

These laws will affect non-salaried employees at fast food chains with at least 30 locations nationally, including franchises of said chains.

And in New York City, that impacts more than 65,000 fast food workers.

The purpose of the Fair Workweek package is to give fast food employees more stability in their work schedules, allowing them to improve their quality of life when they’re off the clock.

Schedule flexibility has long been seen as one of the perks of the restaurant industry, both for employers and employees. Still, you can only expect so much certainty when you move at the pace of the restaurant industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 47 percent of parttime hourly workers ages 26 to 32 receive a week or less of advance notice for their work schedules.

Complexities Operators Need to Manage As an operator, you want your employees to be present and engaged when they’re in your restaurant — that’s one of the reasons your guests are paying to eat there.

But you also want your employees to be able to manage their work-

The purpose of the Fair Workweek package is to give fast food employees more stability in their work schedules, allowing them to improve their quality of life when they’re off the clock. life balance. Studies continue to show that a healthy work-life balance drives employee engagement and overall satisfaction - which often translates to higher retention rates. But work-life balance can be hard to manage and achieve when work schedules are unstable — lastminute schedule changes can affect transportation, child care arrangements, familial duties and other professional commitments.

That’s why the City of New York enacted the Fair Workweek laws in May. “Working while raising a child is difficult, but raising a child while working at a job with unpredictable scheduling and paychecks is virtually impossible,” said New York State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky.

The Fair Workweek legislation maintains that fast food employers must: • Give employees written notice of schedules no less than 14 days in advance. (Changes

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•

•

•

• •

within two weeks will incur payment of $10 to $75 to the employee, depending on the situation.)

Stop “clopenings” — employees must have 11 hours off between shifts. (If an employee works sooner than 11 hours after their last shift, they will be paid an extra $100.)

Give current employees the option to take new shifts before hiring any new employees. This will allow existing employees the option to move from parttime to full-time employment or give them the additional hours they want.

Allow employees to deduct part of their salary for donation to a nonprofit by payroll deduction.

Maintain compliance records for 3 years.

Not retaliate in any way towards employees for exercising their rights under these new laws.

It will be vital for fast food operators to have solutions in place that can help ease employee scheduling practices, automate documentation and help maintain compliance. Failing to comply won’t be cheap — the Fair Workweek regulations mandate that fast food establishments could face penalties of $500 for the first violation, $750 for the second violation and up to $1,000 penalties for each succeeding violation.

How to Help Prevent Noncompliance So, how can restaurants manage these more complex regulations without hindering the flow of business? One method is finding the right technology partner; one that provides configurable labor and scheduling tools that help restaurants manage compliance, and reduce penalties and potential classaction lawsuits.

HotSchedules, which provides the first cloud-based intelligent operating platform for the restaurant industry, recently announced new predictive scheduling features that address the unique scheduling challenges with configurable labor rules, manager alerts to potential compliance violations, shift transaction reporting and continuous electronic documentation.

“Predictive Scheduling legislation has been a key compliance concern

continued on page 102

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COFFEE STRATEGIES

WITH JONATHAN WHITE

New Year Resolutions

I

t’s that time of the year againassessing what went right (and wrong) in the outgoing year, and planning to be bigger and better for the upcoming year. There’s plenty of cause for optimism, as recent statistics indicate that the local foodservice economy remains strong and is well positioned for continued growth in 2018.

At the same time, a “rising tide” will not necessarily lift “all boats”- there are just too many operational costs (that will continue to increase- see the minimum wage increases as a prime example) in today’s hyperpaced world, here are a couple of

thoughts that you may want to incorporate into your corporate and personal planning goals: 1. Regulation Isn’t Going Away. From NYC delivery times, to increased food safety modernization act requirements, from revised menu requirements to different employee benefit rules. Many new rules will apply for 2018. Have you checked the impact? Be sure to consider the differing viewpoints and policies from national and local changes.

2. Competitors Will Get Bigger and Tougher. Every show we

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go to, we see fewer but larger customers. Programs are more comprehensive and more competitive. Wins are larger, and losses are more significant. It reminds one of the need to capitalize on critical opportunities and to stay closer than ever with your key customer and clients and insure you are constantly giving real value and a competitive advantage.

3. Millenials Will Rule the World- Products and service.

Convenience and Technology. Millenials are used to having what they want, how they want it, and when they want it (now). How do your

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.

products and services match up to that? And how do your products offer constant “improvement” from the previous generation of “whatever it was”? Go to parts of the city where millenials shop and spend to

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ASK ANDREW

FROM THE NYC HOSPITALITY ALLIANCE

PRESENTED BY

Commercial Rent Tax Reform

T

he NYC Hospitality Alliance helped deliver an important victory for nearly 400 restaurants that will now either be exempt from paying Commercial Rent Tax (CRT), or have their tax burden reduced.

The CRT is effectively a 3.9% surcharge that only businesses located south of 96th street in Manhattan pay on their annual rent when it exceeds $250,000.

The CRT reform was just voted on and passed by the City Council last month. While it will double the annual CRT exemption threshold from $250,000 to $500,000, the new version contains a revenue cap, so if your business pays less than $500,000 in annual rent and generates less than $5 million in revenue, your business will no longer pay any CRT. But, if your business pays between $250,000 and $500,000 in annual rent and generates between $5 million and $10 million in revenue, you get a partial CRT credit. If your business generates more than $10 million in revenue, you will still pay CRT. Companies that operate mul-

Andrew Rigie is the Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, a trade association formed in 2012 to foster the growth and

tiple businesses where their annual rent is less than $500,000 but commingle their revenue and file a single tax return that exceeds $5 million will still be required to pay CRT. For the purpose of this CRT reform, the city will determine a business’s revenue by subtracting the cost of goods sold from its gross receipts, plus a few other factors, so we recommend that you speak with a tax professional about eligibility.

The NYC Hospitality Alliance worked hard to reform the CRT, and we’re happy to deliver another regu-

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latory reform for the businesses community. Unfortunately, in order for the CRT reform to get the support it needed to pass and be signed into law, the original reform was amended in a way that will require a few hundred restaurants to continue to pay the CRT, which would have been exempt under the original proposal.

This amendment is unwelcome news to hundreds of restaurants that have small profit margins, high labor costs and also need financial relief. So while the announcement is definitely a victory for many of our members,

vitality of the industry that has made New York City the Hospitality Capital of the World.

rest assured that the NYC Hospitality Alliance aims to continue to work with the de Blasio administration and the next City Council to eliminate the unjust Commercial Rent Tax for even more deserving businesses.

The NYC Hospitality Alliance gives a big THANK YOU to Council Member Daniel Garodnick for his leadership as the prime sponsor of this Commercial Rent Tax reform!

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 47

NEWS

HIRINGS

Industry Tech Maven Greenwald Returns to Roots with New Singer Post

S

inger Equipment announced earlier this month that Michael Greenwald has joined the company as Vice President. The veteran executive will be reporting to Singer’s President and CEO Fred Singer.

“Michael is a perfect fit for us on so many levels, “ Fred Singer noted. “He has relationships that run deep with many manufacturers and consultants in our industry. Michael will help us with two key initiatives across the company – improving and enhancing our IT infrastructure and procurement model.”

For Greenwald, the new position marks his return to his roots. Mr. Greenwald worked for

15 years at M Tucker, now a division of Singer, as the head of the equipment and contract division of the company.

“It is full circle for me as I started 35 years ago on the dealer side. Greenwald noted, “It’s a comfortable place for me. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Fred and the Singer team.” My goal is to leverage accomplishments and relationships to bring more value to the company and enjoy what I am doing.

In his role as Vice President, Greenwald’s agenda will encompass several key initiatives.

continued on page 105

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It is full circle for me as I started 35 years ago on the dealer side,” Greenwald noted.

Michael Greenwald “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Fred and the Singer team.”

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CHEFCETERA

Costas Spiliadis Chef/Owner, Estiatorio Milos, New York, NY

T

he world-renowned Mediterranean-inspired seafood restaurant, Estiatorio Milos, founded by chef/ owner Costas Spiliadis, was the 2017 winner of The Concierge Choice Awards’ International Cuisine category earlier this year.

The New York City location, celebrating its 20th anniversary on 55th Street this year, brings ingredients of the highest quality and traditional preparations from the Mediterranean to guests in a fresh environment with design nods to its Greek heritage. The restaurant, which will soon debut a renovated dining room and new subterranean private dining space, welcomes guests into the restaurant like they would into their home, sharing the Greek traditions and customs from Spiliadis’s childhood.

We recently sat down with Chef Costas to learn more about his career, the concept behind Estiatortio Milos, and winning the 2017 Concierge Choice Awards - honoring the

It is our constant interaction with nature and its offerings that finds itself every day in our fish markets in our restaurants. It is there, where we invite our guests to come and make together their menu for the night.” best in New York City hospitality Please describe your background.

I was born in Patras, a fishing port of Peloponnesus Greece. I came to New York in 1966 with a student visa from New York University. Continued studies in Sociology at University of Maryland and Sir George Williams University in Montreal Canada.

I was involved in community work and worked for 5 years as a program director at a community radio station, Radio Centreville, in Montreal.

In 1979, I opened my first Estiato-

The interior at Estiatorio Milos, New York, NY

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rio Milos in Montreal in an effort to present North Americans another approach to Greek food and dining, different from the typical souvlaki and moussaka version that people were accustomed to.

What is the concept behind Estiatorio Milos? How did you develop it and how has it evolved?

With Milos, I tried to go beyond just another restaurant concept and, instead, present a whole new (for North America) culture about food.

A culture which I grew up with in my

A mouth watering example of Chef Costas Spiliadis’ cuisine at Estiatorio Milos in New York, NY

Costas Spiliadis, Chef/Owner, Estiatorio Milos, New York, NY

home. My mother, a Greek, born and raised in Istanbul, brought a strong culture and a cosmopolitan appreciation of food when coming to Greece. These memories of food at home constituted the foundation of the cuisine, which I created at Milos.

Greece is blessed with thousands of islands and amazing fish and seafood. And so is the whole Mediterranean. It was therefore, only natural to me, to focus on these ingredients and build a cuisine around the treasures of the sea. On the other hand, the pristine quality and freshness of these ingredients dictated the method of cooking. Simple but not simplistic. Exact and minimum manipulation of ingredients. Minimum intervention. As one of my chefs in Milos Athens once said, “here at Milos cooking is “prohibited”. We drive our need for creativity in our walks through the forests and mountains and our fishing expeditions in an effort to always find new and precious ingredients. Our food is always young, always evolving as we always discover new products, new farmers, new fishermen. It is our constant interaction with nature and its offerings that finds itself every day in our fish markets in our restaurants. It is there, where we invite our guests to

continued on page 112

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HOW GREEN ARE YOUR WAYS? WITH PETER KAPLAN Energy Pricing Increase And How It Affects The Restaurants Industry

E

IA expects the share of U.S. total utility-scale electricity generation from natural gas will fall from an average of 34% as in 2016 to about 31% in 2017 as a result of higher natural gas prices and increased generation from renewables and coal.

There are many factors that influence electricity and gas prices. Electricity prices generally reflect the cost to build, finance, maintain, and operate power plants and the electricity grid.

Several key factors influence the price of electricity: 1. Fuels: Fuel costs can vary, depending on the per-unit cost of the fuel, such as dollars per ton for coal or thousand cubic feet for natural gas.

Power plants generally use electricity generators with relatively high fuel costs during periods of high demand.

2. Power plants: Each power plant has construction, maintenance, and operating costs.

Restaurants in the U.S. have one of the greatest energy intensities of any type of commercial building...”

3. Transmission and distribution system: The electricity transmission and distribution systems that deliver electricity have maintenance costs, which include repairing damage to the systems from accidents or extreme weather conditions.

Natural gas prices are a function of market supply and demand. Because of limited alternatives for natural gas consumption or production in the near term, even small changes in supply or demand over a short period can result in large price movements that bring supply and demand back into balance.

Here are the major factors that

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affect gas prices: For supply: • Amount of natural gas production • Level of natural gas in storage • Volumes of natural gas imports and exports For demand: • Variations in winter and summer weather • Level of economic growth • Availability and prices of competing fuels Anyone who has paid bills in the past few years can certify that life on the whole is becoming more expensive. As ready access to natural resources diminish, the cost of the fuels

Peter Kaplan has served as Chief Operating Officer and President of United Energy Consultants since 2005.

Behind his leadership and 20+ years of de-regulated energy and risk management experience, United Energy Consultants has developed several proprietary procurement and software systems that are a benchmark in the industry. Email him at peter@uecnow.com

continued on page 111

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SCOOP Services Group Sodexo Buys Stamford Based Centerplate to Strengthen U.S. Presence Scoop says France’s Sodexo is buying Centerplate, a U.S. company that provides food and hospitality services at sports, convention and entertainment venues, for $675 million in cash to raise its profile in the U.S. sports and leisure market. The logo of French food services and facilities management group Sodexo is seen at the company headquarters in Issy-lesMoulineaux near Paris, France, March 18, 2016.The takeover comes as Sodexo looks to get back on track after cutting its full-year sales growth target in July after a weaker than expected third-quarter performance. Sodexo, the world’s second-biggest catering services company behind Compass Group said the Centerplate deal would more than double current revenue in sports and leisure, given that Centerplate runs services at high-profile events such as American Football’s Super Bowl and the U.S. Presidential inaugural balls.

Sodexo, which has the catering contract for the Tour Eiffel restaurant in Paris and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, is buying Centerplate from private equity firm Olympus Partners. The takeover is expected to provide a modest boost to Sodexo’s earnings from 2018 onwards, the company added. Shares in Sodexo, which publishes annual results on Nov. 16, edged up in early trading but virtually flat by 1041 GMT. “The acquisition of Centerplate looks like a sensible, albeit perhaps defensive, move with reasonable value creation credentials,” said Jefferies analysts, who also noted that rival Compass had “demonstrated more consistent U.S revenue growth.” The combined group, with pro-forma revenue of 1.7 billion euros ($2 billion), should gain significant revenue and cost benefits, gradually ramping up in the first year, Sodexo said. The transaction will be financed from existing cash and credit facilities and have a limited impact on Sodexo’s debt. Sodexo Chief Executive Michel Landel said last year that the company planned to accelerate the pace of its acquisitions.

Recent deals have included the purchase of Prestige Nursing + Care, a British home-care provider, and 54 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

INSIDER NEWS

FROM METRO NYC’S FOODSERVICE SCENE

Morris Corporation, an Australian facilities management services provider to mining and oil and gas companies.

NYC Chef Keller to Teach Essential Cooking Techniques Online Course

Chef Thomas Keller

Scoop notes budding chefs and at-home cooks who want to up their kitchen game can now learn from one of America’s bona fide master chefs, Thomas Keller, who boasts the title of being the only American-born chef to hold multiple, three Michelin-starred restaurants. Keller is the latest celebrity chef to sign on to teach online cooking courses with Masterclass, a virtual learning place that offers courses on everything from acting, writing to singing and cooking. Other chefs include Gordon Ramsay, Alice Waters and Wolfgang Puck. Keller’s flagship restaurant The French Laundry in Yountville, California and Per Se in New York hold three Michelin stars apiece and are among some of the most popular fine dining destinations in the US. Over 30 lessons, Keller will teach students the same restaurant techniques used in his kitchens for braising, glazing, blanching, roasting, pureeing, confuting and pasta making. As only a Michelin-starred chef can do, he teaches students how to elevate the banal zucchini to a “creamy, pudding-like” dish with a few masterful techniques brought to pan-roasting. “If you learn the essentials

of cooking they will last a lifetime,” he said.

“Cooks cook to nurture people. My MasterClass students will learn that if they go through the proper steps, are patient in the process, and learn to understand ingredients, they will taste the difference and have the tools to succeed in making a nourishing meal.”

Trump SoHo Launches New Eatery Scoop says since the 2016 presidential election, restaurants inside Trump-branded properties have suffered as chefs have left and business has dwindled.

The restaurant Koi, which was located inside the Trump SoHo hotel, closed in April. The space has a new restaurant called Spring & Varick, which opened this month. Operating a business in a Trump-branded property comes with a unique set of challenges in this political era.

Take the Trump SoHo hotel in New York as an example. Once a regular for corporations and pro sports teams, the hotel has lost clients, lowered room rates, and been forced to lay off some staff after a reported decline in business. After the election, a restaurant in the hotel, called Koi, closed after foot traffic declined.

Its replacement, Spring & Varick, opened last month, but John Creger, the new restaurant’s head chef, isn’t worried about filling seats. “I was looking for a space back down lower in the city. I wanted to do something with a different clientele that was looking to spend a little more money,” Creger said.

Chef John Creger

When the owners of Trump SoHo got in touch, Creger was eager to get into the space. Still, he said

continued on page 56

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 55

Scoop, from page 54 that opening a restaurant associated with the Trump name was a “challenge.” Post-election, some Trump brands are suffering as negative consumer perception grows. “We know that it’s a challenge absolutely, but that said, everything we do here is a challenge - no matter what kitchen you’re in, what building you’re in, in a city where there’s thousands of restaurants and tons of people who don’t like this and that,” Creger said.

Drawing upon techniques he’s learned during his time at restaurants like Le Cirque, Creger has developed an internationally inspired menu that includes edamame falafel, fish and chips, and a house burger served with comté cheese.

LI Craft Brewery Set for ’18 Expansion Scoop notes Patchogue already boasts Long Island’s oldest craft brewery, Brick House Brewery, founded in 1996, and its largest brewery, Blue Point Brewing, scheduled to open a new 60,000-barrel facility next summer. Craft beer has helped power the revitalization of the bustling South Shore village,

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Port Jeff Brewing Co.’s Mike Philbrick

with a lively pub and restaurant scene along Main Street catering to visitors and new residents in the hundreds of apartments built downtown in the past few years.

Now Patchogue is getting a third brewery that hopes to fill a niche in the craft beer market by collaborating with other new breweries that have opened across the Island. The simply named Patchogue Beer Project is the brainchild of two well-known residents of the North Shore: Mike Philbrick, the founder and brewmaster of Port Jeff Brewing Co., and restaura-

teur Ryan DiSpirito, who was looking to branch out into the growing craft beer scene. “I was ready for a new challenge and a mutual friend told me about a chef who wanted to start a new brewery, and put me in touch with Ryan,” Philbrick said. “I’m excited to do something a little different from Port Jeff Brewing and to be a part of the great things happening in Patchogue.” Port Jeff is well known for its hoppy ales including Party Boat IPA and Schooner Pale Ale. It was the first brewery on LI to install a canning line in 2014, which helped increase distribution across the Island and into New York City and Westchester.

Patchogue Beer Project will be located in the former Cornell Galleries building on West Main Street directly across from BrickHouse Brewery. The building will also house a second location for Local Burger Co., which has its original location in Bay Shore, and a new breakfast and lunch restaurant, Buttermilk’s Kitchen. Philbrick is heading up the brewing side of operations for Patchogue Beer Project and is installing a 5-barrel brewing system from Premier Stainless, similar to the system at Port Jeff Brewing. The brewery will initially have six 10-barrel fermenters and lots of serving tanks to keep up with expected demand in the

tasting room and for take-away growlers. “I want to be able to host other brewers at Patchogue Beer Project and collaborate on new beers, taking advantage of the melting pot of ideas that we have on Long Island,” said Philbrick. “Our first beers will be brewed with BrickHouse and Blue Point, who I already know very well, and we’re looking forward to having fun with the brewers which will be fun for our consumers.”

I’ve always wanted to take it back to my roots and now it’s finally happening with the Long Island City store.

That’s where I grew up,” he said. The Queens location will also be an ode to his father Olu Dara with a jazz themed dining room. Nas reveals, “We are also paying respect to my father, who is a now retired jazz artist, with a private dining room inspired by jazz clubs where chicken and waffles were born.”

Nas Opens Fifth Restaurant In Queens

Chicago Group Opens The Aviary NYC

Scoop notes Nas is bringing his restaurant chain Sweet Chick to his hometown Queens, New York.

Sweet Chicks is Nas’ chicken and waffles chain with locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, New York and Los Angeles. The new Queens location will open in February. The growing food chain has been frequented by many names in Hollywood and hip-hop including Nicki Minaj, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, and Nicole Richie. Sweet Chick provides locally sourced modern American comfort food with a Southern twist, signature cocktails, homemade desserts and a cozy vibe with live music. “Since partnering with Sweet Chick

Scoop notes the team behind restaurants such as Alinea, Next and the Aviary has launched its first project outside of Chicago, in New York City. They’ve taken over the lobby of a mid-town hotel, and have transplanted their cutting edge cocktails, as well as their friendly Midwestern service. The Aviary is really a restaurant for drinks. And the Alinea Group’s high standards have recently been exported from Fulton Market to the 35th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel lobby, overlooking Central Park. The job of creating and presenting these modern approaches to cocktails falls on the shoulders of bev-

erage director Micah Melton, who moved to New York temporarily. “We definitely have a collection of the throwback dishes and drinks on the menu, but we wanted to take some of those as well and update them for New York,” said Melton. By using a familiar coffee siphon, Melton recreates a Penicillin, a classic New York drink, with a bit of flourish. “Two types of Scotch in the bottom, with honey and ginger liqueur; then we’re boiling it up, adding some blueberry flavor, some tea flavor, and then bringing it back down.

At the end of the day you have a blueberry-forward version of a penicillin,” he said. One of their new creations is the “Wake & Bake” using a technique borrowed from Alinea.”We looked at the pillow literally, as if you woke up in the morning in New York, what would you want. The natural thing there is coffee, bagels and orange juice,” said Melton. So he makes a classic Manhattan, seals it in a bag and pumps in bagel aroma, cutting open the bag at the table, so the guest experiences aroma as well as flavor. Behind the Aviary, there’s the Office, a hidden speakeasy, featuring classic cocktails, and quite a bit larger than the original in Chicago. There’s also food here, thanks to Chef Dan Perretta, another Chicago transplant.

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 57

MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Kelly Mortimer VP, Product Management, Valiant Solutions

K

elly Mortimer is the Vice President, Product Management at Valiant Solutions. Valiant is a leading provider of cloud-based Human Capital Management Solutions, serving business leaders nationwide. Designed to meet the unique needs of large hourly workforces, Valiant offers a comprehensive suite of easyto-use Human Capital Management products with a special focus in the Hospitality vertical space. Valiant’s compliance team supports the product through active legislative monitoring on all levels, participation through American Payroll Association Hospitality sub committee and various other National, Federal, State and local associations.

What areas does Valiant specialize in your restaurant and hospitality practice?

With the hospitality space being a low wage, high violation industry per the Department of Labor - indicating that it’s one of the most complicated workforces to manage - it is a perfect fit for Valiant to apply its expertise in servicing the complex hourly workforce.

Our solutions assist all types of operators in this space, ranging from the small, single location casual dining operation to the most prestigious establishments operating from a single location to those with multi-unit operations in multiple states.

How do Valiant and EGS work together to serve the restaurant and food service industry?

Valiant is a member of the NYC Hospitality Alliance and is very active in the hospitality community. With a special-

ized focus in this vertical, we have synergy with many other organizations in this space.

Please explain pay stub compliance.

Effective date?

The information required on pay stubs varies widely from state to state.

However, the goal is common across the states, which is that the employee needs to be assured they are being paid the proper amount each period. They do this by reviewing their paystub and verifying it has the proper number of hours worked and the proper pay rates for those hours. It also itemizes other relevant items such as the cost of employer provided meals, uniform allowances, deductions and reported tips.

Additional attributes may be required on the stub by state; for instance, in Oregon effective January 1st 2017, the Oregon Business Identification number is required to be included on the paystub.

The paystub is the primary source that both the employee and the state agency will evaluate to validate the accurate payment of wages and reporting.

Improper or incomplete paystubs can result in heavy fines and legal fees and have been known to force business to cease operations. Valiant’s compliance team closely monitors updates to pay stub compliance to help keep our clients stay compliant.

What are some of the requirements unique or specific to NYS pay stub compliance laws?

New York requires more information than any other State, with the possible exception of California. Specifically, New York requires that the employee must be notified on the stub that the

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employer is taking a tip credit and the amount per hour of that credit. Additionally, any allowance included in the payment must be itemized, such as for employer provided meals and uniforms, as mentioned above. The following is a list of what must be displayed, if applicable: New York, Pay period dates, Employee name, Employer name, Address and phone number, Rate of pay and the basis for each (e.g. commission, salary), Gross wages, Itemized deductions, Credits taken (e.g. tip credit, meal allowance, uniforms), Net Wages, Number of regular hours with pay rate, and Number of overtime hours with pay rate.

Very few companies are compliant with NYS pay stub requirements. Is that the result of a lack of understanding or deliberate rejection of the law? Why? Valiant helps our clients be compliant by providing a consultative approach and reviewing their business operations. Once the review is complete, if we find items that need to be tracked and are not, or items that are being tracked but not reported properly, we make recommendations to the client to close that gap and avoid penalties and litigation. This approach helps our clients understand and comply with the NYS stub requirements.

Are NYS pay stub requirements appropriate or overly demanding and unfair?

What is the general opinion of the restaurant and food service industry regarding these laws?

Including additional information on a paystub that helps an employee understand what makes up their net pay and displays that they are being paid what

Kelly Mortimer, VP, Product Management, Valiant Solutions

they are entitled to is a fair practice. Providing such details can help eliminate questions in an employee’s mind, which might prevent the employee from filing a complaint with an agency or going to an attorney to begin a suit. This could save the client money and also valuable time. While I think most would agree with the foregoing, I can also understand the effort this takes to implement.

What must NYS do in order to increase compliance with pay stub requirements?

Offering additional materials or webinars to explain the requirements and why complying with them benefits both the employer and employee may be beneficial. Valiant is an active participant in the APA at the State, local and national levels where we assist in making recommendations for and participate in educational programs that explain current regulations, often in conjunction with agency representatives.

What’s the next step for a reader that would like to get more info on how Valiant can help a restaurant achieve compliance?

Visit the Valiant Website. Here you can find a wealth of useful information and ask to be contacted to schedule our free operational procedure review: https:// www.valiant.com/contact/

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INDUSTRY HONORS

PRESENTED BY: Women’s Foodservice Forum www.wff.org

Honoring The Top Women Of Metro New York Foodservice & Hospitality For 2018

FROM THE PUBLISHERS As we get set to reflect on 2017 and welcome in 2018, it dawned on us that many of the significant stories that we covered this year shared a common theme: women in foodservice!

From the election of Victoria Vega to the leadership position at SHFM-Society for Hospitality and Foodservice management to the $2.4 billion dollar sale of Buffalo Wild Wings, women have been at the centerstage of the industry.

That’s a long way from 1989, when the then-upstart Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) conducted a survey of women in the foodservice industry, specifically asking them about professional aspirations. Not one respondent expressed desires to be CEO. From Sally Smith who departs as BW’s President and CEO, to the one and only Alice Elliot of the Elliot Group who is empowered to find the next CEO and president for New York and Americas’ top chains, to Manhattan chef/owner Angie Mar and Little M. Tucker’s Morgan Tucker, women

are making their mark on the restaurant and foodservice industry.

As we noted last year, we continue to interview professionals from all aspects of the industry, we see what used to be locationlocation-location has clearly evolved into people-people-people.

We are convinced that the stakes have become so high with restaurant space rents fluctuating from $500 to $2K a square foot in Manhattan, that the proverbial glass ceiling continues to crack. There simply isn’t any time or wiggle room to worry about gender, it is all about competence.

Women are finding increased opportunity as ownership and management focuses on the ability to consistently create a signature customer dining experience in a Manhattan

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restaurant, a New Jersey corporate dining facility or a Long Island healthcare facility to deliver a world-class customer experience.

That’s why once again we have dedicated this issue to profiling the impact that women have had on the Tri-State foodservice scene. They have risen to amazing heights and turned the Greater NYC Marketplace into the epicenter of the world’s restaurant and food service industry.

Certainly, it’s easy to point to the growth of culinary programs and food programming on television, which has led to pockets of culinary excellence in Metro NYC and across the country but in the Tri-State area, these talents reach far beyond just the back of the house.

We owe special thanks to a number of colleagues that represent many segments of the Tri-State foodservice community. They were gracious with their time to help us build this list of the “best and the brightest” women in our industry. We selected categories based on that input.

Our mission for the criteria of this list was to identify innovators within each of those major disciplines of the foodservice and hospitality industry.

Women are having a major impact on the bricks and mortar design of restaurants, and the sales of equipment supplies and service. They also have major impact on what food and beverage is being served on local menus, and the management and marketing of foodservice facilities.

Our goal is to share some of their amazing stories and to make all of us realize that any goal is accomplishable with a measure of hard work and some good luck sprinkled in.

Leslie Klashman Fred Klashman Publishers , Total Food Service

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Congratulations from Women’s Foodservice Forum The 2018 Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) leaders congratulate you on your career-long break through CHAIR moments. For the past 29 years, WFF has been SUSAN ADZICK working to advance women leaders. Due to your hard work and commitment to excellence, our member base VP Sales & Marketing has amazing women leaders to mirror their careers after. Thank you for all you do!

HATTIE HILL President & CEO

CHAIR-ELECT DENNY MARIE POST CEO

TREASURER SALLI SETTA President

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 63

Top Women in Foodservice 2018, from page 62

Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org

Stephanie Abrams

Alba Aviles

Jennifer Baum

Diana Bisson

Rotisserie Georgette New York, NY • Chef

James J Peters VA Medical Center Bronx, NY • Nutrition & Hospitality

Bullfrog & Baum New York, NY • Public Relations

Foxwoods Casino Mashantucket, CT • Purchasing

Adedayo Adebayo

Alison Awerbuch

Shari Bayer

Leah Blackman

New York Presbyterian - Weill Cornell New York, NY • Operations Manager

Abigail Kirsch New York, NY • Caterer

Bayer PR, New York, NY Marketing & Advertising

Icrave New York, NY • Design

Maja Adiletta

Carrie Bachman

Emma Bengtsson

April Bloomfield

Arcobaleno Lancaster, PA • Co-Founder

Carrie Bachman Public Relations New York, NY • Public Relations

Aquavit New York, NY • Executive Chef

The Spotted Pig New York, NY • Chef/Owner

Suchanan Aksornnan

Lori Balter

Stephanie Berghoff

Barbara Boden

Baoburg New York, NY • Hospitality

Balter Sales New York, NY • Equipment & Supply

Culintro New York, NY • Media

Global Amenity Services New York, NY • B&I

Joyce Appelman

Lisa Banas

Gina Bertucci

Nicole Bonica

C-CAP New York, NY • Public Relations

Mohegan Sun Casino Uncasville, CT • Purchasing

Marriott Hotels New York, NY • Hotel

NYC Schools New York, NY • Schools

Donatella Arpaia

Lidia Bastianich

Grace Best

Marlisa Brown

Prova New York, NY • Chef/Owner

B&B Hospitality New York, NY • Chef/Owner

Imperial Dade Jersey City, NJ • Marketing

Total Wellness Bay Shore, NY • Nutrition

Tracy Arthur

Judith Batashoff

Sara Bigelow

Antoinette Bruno

H Careers New York,NY • Careers

Highfield Gardens Care Center Bayside, NY • Food Service Director

The Meat Hook New York, NY • Chef

Star Chefs Brooklyn, NY • Events

Einat Admony

Umber Ahmad

Taim New York, NY

Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery New York, NY

Einat Admony is the chef and owner of several restaurants in New York City, including Balaboosta, Bar Bolonat, and Taim. Before becoming a successful chef and restaurateur, she was a cook in the Israeli Army. Admony’s Israeli roots influence the fare at all of her restaurants. Taim provides diners with delicious vegetarian dishes in a casual atmosphere at both locations in Nolita and the West Villages. Balaboosta and Bar Bolonat combine Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines to create clever and tasty menus. If she wasn’t busy enough, Admony is also the author of a fantastic cookbook, Balaboosta: Bold Mediterranean Recipes to Feed the People You Love. Currently, she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.

Umber Ahmad grew up in a town in northern Michigan, but the magic of spices was first taught to her in Pakistan. After studying genetics and business, Umber spent much of her career in finance. During her tenure as an investment banker, she was the subject of “Risk|Reward”, a critically acclaimed 2002 TriBeCa Film Festival documentary about women on Wall Street. While she continues to work closely with luxury brands, world-renowned chefs and restaurateurs to expand their concepts globally, Umber has gone on to open Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery. In the Urdu language, mazedar is the word used to convey the indescribable essence and experience associated with great food. As the first Colicchio Discovery brand, Umber is thrilled and honored to be building the next great culinary experience with Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery. It is through the making and sharing of her treats that she has found her true voice.

64 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

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December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 65

Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 64

Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org

Beth Bunster

Logan Rich Chabina

Faith Hope Consolo

Karen DeLamater

Whitsons Islandia, NY • Finance

EMM Group New York, NY • Hospitality

Douglas Elliman Real Estate New York, NY • Real Estate

Jersey City Public Schools Jersey City, NJ • Schools

Angie Buonpane

Esther Choi

Dana Cowin

Lauren DeSteno

Union Square Hospitality Group New York, NY • Hospitality

Mokbar New York, NY • Chef

Chefs Club New York, NY • Marketing

Marea New York, NY • Chef

Anne Burrell

Andrea Clurfeld

Jeanne Cretella

Christine Devers

Phil & Anne’s Good Time Lounge Brooklyn, NY • Chef/TV Personality

Asbury Park Press Asbury Park, NJ • Restaurant Reviewer

Landmark Hospitality Jersey City, NJ • Owner

Reniassance NY Times Square Hotel New York,NY • GM

Lonnie Burt

Alison Cody

Suzanne Cupps

Adrienne Diaz

Hartford Schools Hartford, CT • Schools

MAFSI Atlanta, GA • Association

Gramercy Tavern New York, NY • Chef

Samuels and Son Seafood Philadelphia PA • Senior Sales Rep

Alicia Cannon

Amanda Cohen

Ariane Daguin

Maura Dillon

AJC Design New York, NY • Founder/Principal

Dirt Candy New York, NY • Chef

D’Artagnan Newark, NJ • Distribution

St. Francis Hospital & The Heart Center, Mineola, NY Director of Food & Nutrition Services

Gabrielle Carbone

Zoe Cohen

Dianna Daoheung

The Bent Spoon Princeton, NJ • Chef/Owner

The Westin New York at Times Square NY, NY • Director, Restaurants & Bars

Black Seed Bagels New York, NY • Chef

Dawn Cascio

Andria Coleman

Clare de Boer

Valley Hospital, Ridgewood, NJ Director of Food & Nutrition

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital New York, NY • Food & Nutrition

King New York, NY • Chef/Owner

Denise DiMare Connecticut Schools Hartford, CT • Schools

Angela Dimayuga Mission Chinese Food NY New York, NY • Chef

Marie Assante

Linda DiLisio

Assante Public Relations New York, NY

Casa DiLisio Mt. Kisco, NY

Marie Assante began developing the idea for Assante Public Relations in December of 2015. Prior to starting her own company, she learned from other industry gurus over the course of ten years working at various boutique PR firms throughout New York City. In January of 2016, Assante’s goal was realized with the launch of Assante Public Relations. Her clients range from Camacho’s and Pergola to Bagatelle and Delilah. Assante Public Relations offers an array of services, including press placements, the development of new ideas and concepts, and the discovery of unique sides of a business. Assante has become exceptionally popular among her clients as she strives to exceed their expectations on a daily basis.

As VP Operations of Casa DiLisio, Linda has been in the industry for over 30 years. During that time she has helped her parents, Lou and Lucy DiLisio market and build Casa DiLiso’s business to where it is today. Linda is a former IBM employee, learned the ins and outs of the industry and is now responsible for the daily operation of their plant and representing the company at the 35 trade shows that Casa DiLisio participates in every year. The company’s brand of sauces fits all of the criteria for Food Service and sells their products to everyone from Cruise Lines to Chain accounts to White Table Cloth establishments and every kind of operation in between.

66 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

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pier

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Winner 2017 StarChefs International Chefs Congress Innovator Award for Tabletop www.steelite.com

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 67

Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 66

Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org

Karen DiPeri

Alice Elliot

Pearl Fleischman

Stephanie Giraulo

HMG Plus New York, NY • Hospitality

The Elliot Group Tarrytown, NY • Human Resources

Kerekes / Bake Deco Brooklyn, NY • Equipment & Supplies

St. Charles Hospital Port Jefferson, NY • Dietetics

Gladys DiStefano

Laura Endico-Verzullo

Melissa Fleischut

Laura Gladish

FBAA New York, NY • Association

Ace Endico Brewster, NY • Distribution

NYSRA Albany, NY • President/CEO

Batard Restaurant New York, NY • Maitre D’

Randi Shubin Dresner

Florence Fabricant

Marvo Forde

Jenny Glasgow

Island Harvest Food Bank Mineola, NY • Charity

The New York Times New York, NY • Media

Maimonides Medical Center Laurelton, NY • Nutritional Services

Olivier Cheng Catering & Events New York, NY • Chef/Caterer

Maureen Drum

Georgette Farkas

Elizabeth Franks

Rozanne Gold

Institute Of Culinary Education New York, NY • Education

Rotisserie Georgette New York, NY • Owner

Acfli Holtsville, NY • Association

Gold Enterprises New York, NY • Chef

Ariane Duarte

Audrey Farolino

Kelly Ann Friend

Rebecca Goldberg

Ariane Kitchen Bar Verona, NJ • Chef/Owner

Zagat / Google New York, NY • Media

Whitsons Culinary Group, Islandia, NY Chief Operating Contract Officer

Pierre Hotel New York, NY • Hotel

Whitney Edwards

Leslie Ferrer

Amanda Fugazy

Jenny Goodman

Benchmarc Restaurants New York, NY • Director of Events

Momofuku New York, NY • VP, Human Resources

Ellenoff, Grossman & Schole LLP New York, NY • Partner

Tilit New York, NY • Co-founder

Amelia Ekus

Nancy Finkelstein

Alyssa Gangeri

Stephanie Goto

Guckenheimer, New York, NY Regional Director of Operations

Carousel Cakes Nanuet, NY • Food Mfg

Riverwalk Bar & Grill Roosevelt Island, NY • Chef/ Author

Stephanie Goto Design New York, NY • Design

Linda Kavanagh

Sandra Kravetz

MaxEx Public Relations Stamford, CT

Performance Food Equipment Group, Elmwood Park, NJ

Linda Kavanagh is the founder of MaxEx Public Relations. Prior to launching her company, Kavanagh spent ten years in the culinary field, including line cooking, and later, catering. Naturally, her clients include over 300 businesses in the restaurant and dining industry. Kavanagh’s experience in the restaurant industry adds another layer to her skill set, and separates her from other publicists. “A publicist is geared towards just the PR part and that’s all they know. But I actually know food. I know restaurants. I know the industry,” Kavanagh said. Her career as a publicist began at Gary Stromberg’s PR firm in the music industry. After learning the business, Kavanagh went on to launch MaxEx in 1997.

Sandra Kravetz is the Director of Sales at Performance Food Equipment Group.

She possesses an extensive background in the hospitality and foodservice industries. Kravetz’s tenure in the foodservice industry began at Coca-Cola, where she was a business development manager. Next, she moved on to Bon Chef. Continuing on a foodservice path, Kravetz spent some time working at M. Tucker, and then stepped into her current position at Performance Food Equipment. Over the course of her career, she has acquired a strong skill set and gained a thorough knowledge and understanding of the foodservice industry. Exceptional customer service is certainly among Kravetz’s expertise.

“Chefs are artists, and I am very passionate about tabletop. I really work to capture their vision and incorporate it into the project,” said Kravetz.

68 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 69

Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 68

Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org

Cheryl Grabowski

Amanda Halle

Penny Hutner

Elizabeth Kellogg

Harvest Restaurant Group Morris Plains, NJ • Proprietor

Harri, New York, NY Director of Partnerships

Advance Tabco • Edgewood, NY Equipment & Supplies

Kellogg & Caviar New York, NY • Public Relations

Amy Greenberg

Tara Halper

Patti Jackson

Vincenza Kelly

Citibank New York, NY • Senior VP

Key Group Worldwide New York, NY • Public Relations

Delaware And Jackson Brooklyn, NY • Chef/Owner

Italian Trade Commission New York, NY • Vendor

Alex Guarnaschelli

Marilou Halvorsen

Rita Jammet

Abigail Kirsch

Butter Restaurant/Food Network New York, NY • Celebrity Chef

NJRHA Trenton, NJ • President

La Caravelle New York, NY • Chef/Owner

Abigail Kirsch Briarcliff Manor, NY • Caterer

Yusi Guerrera

Gabrielle Hamilton

Saru Jayaraman

Amanda Kludt

Citarella New York, NY • Owner

Prune New York, NY • Chef/Author

ROC Berkley, CA • Association

Eater New York, NY • Media

Jocelyn Guest

Hattie Hill

Sara Jenkins

Johanna Kolodny

White Gold Butchers New York, NY • Chef/Owner

Women’s Foodservice Forum Dallas, TX • Association

Porsena New York, NY • Chef

Food Systems Consulting Bronx, NY • Distribution

Christine Gurtler

Jennifer Hsieh

Barbara Kane

Stephanie Kornblum

Jacobs Doland Beer New York, NY • Director of Design

Marriott International New York,NY • VP

Ecolab Shrewsbury, NJ • Industry Relations

Culintro New York, NY • Media

Thea Habjanic

Megan Humpreys

La Sirena New York, NY • Executive Pastry Chef

Four Seasons New York, NY • Hotel

Stefanie Kyles Vassilaros & Sons New York, NY Stefanie Kasselakis Kyles is President, CEO and a member of the Board of Directors at New York City coffee roaster Vassilaros & Sons, Inc. Family-owned; Vassilaros & Sons has provided excellent coffee to businesses throughout the tri-state area since 1918. Interestingly, Vassilaros worked in international corporate law, as well as finance prior to joining Vassilaros & Sons in 2015.

Kyles began her career practicing law with Norton Rose, and later moved on to investment banking as a senior banker at Jefferies & Co. Before joining the family business, Kyles served as General Counsel and President of Poten’s investment banking division. After 100 years in business, Vassilaros & Sons has become a true staple for people throughout the tri-state area.

70 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Kim Lehr Performance Food Equipment Group, Elmwood Park, NJ Kim Lehr is a sales associate at Performance Food Equipment Group. Her extensive career in foodservice has spanned over two decades. Lehr’s great experience in tabletop coupled with her proficiency in sales has made her a strong asset for Performance Food Equipment. Lehr’s career has evolved over the course of twenty years. She launched Lehr Marketing, and later moved on to Lehr McKeown. Next, she joined Performance Food Equipment Group, where she incorporates her skills in sales. Lehr’s career has given her a strong understanding of foodservice, and great insight into the industry. “The foodservice industry has evolved tremendously. It’s becoming a younger sector, and I love working with newcomers who may have transitioned into foodservice from a different industry. I’ve found my work to be really fun and exciting - It challenges me everyday, and I like that,” Lehr said.

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 71

Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 70

Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org

Jaime Kriss

Terry Lewis

Laura Maniec

Sally Saltzbart Minier

Restaurant Depot College Point, NY • Cash & Carry

Sheraton Times Square New York,NY • GM

Corkbuzz Wine Studio New York, NY • Liquor & Spirits

Jane Street Capital, New York, NY, Head of Office Administration

Agatha Kulaga

Ellen Lynch

Eileen Manitsas

Irina Mirsky-Zayas

Ovenly New York, NY • Founder

Food Bank For Westchester Elmsford, NY • Charity

Baldor Bronx, NY • Distribution

Equipex Providence, RI • VP

Gloria La Grassa

Lili Lynton

Jennifer Martin

Sam Mittler

Pluckemin Inn Bedminster,NJ • Chef/Owner

Dinex Group New York, NY • Restaurants

New York State Schools Albany, NY • School

The Dessertist New York, NY • Chef

Livia Lam

Karen Maier

Kristine Martin

Laura Modica

New York City Dept of Correction Brooklyn, NY • Chief Dietician

Nutri-Serv Burlington, NJ • Schools

Steelite New York, NY • Sales

HEI Hotels & Resorts, New York, NY Director, Restaurants & Nightlife

Linda Lawry

Heather Maloney

Zarela Martinez

Fran Moreira

Les Dames D’ Escoffier New York, NY • Association

Definition Design New York, NY • Design

Zarela New York, NY • Chef

Restaurant Depot College Point, NY • Cash & Carry

Hanna Lee

Sarah Maloney

Tara Mastrelli

Sara Moulton

Hanna Lee Communications New York,NY • PR

CT Restaurant Association Hartford, CT • Association

Studio Tano New York, NY • Design

Food Network New York, NY • Media

Sarabeth Levine

Yvonne Mancini

Alexa Mehraban

Shannon Mullen

Sarabeth’s New York, NY • Chef/Owner

The Pierre Hotel New York, NY • Hospitality

Eating NYC New York,NY • Social Media

Asbury Park Press New York, NY • Hotel

Maria Loi

Angie Mar

Loi Estiatorio, New York, NY

Beatrice Inn New York, NY

Maria Loi has had a highly successful and extensive career. Fortune Magazine and the James Beard Foundation selected her as one of America’s top six female chefs and invited her to the 2014 Fortune: The Most Powerful Women Summit. In addition, Loi is no stranger to television.

Not only is she a frequent television guest and speaker regarding various aspects of Greek cuisine and culture, but she is also a well-known television chef in Greece.

In June of 2016, Loi was unanimously re-elected for a second term as the official Ambassador of Greek Gastronomy. In 2012, she accepted an invitation to cook for President Obama, Vice President Biden, and 250 honored guests at the White House. Loi also authored a book titled The Greek Diet, offering a look into Greek Mediterranean lifestyle along with a number of healthy and delicious recipes.

Diners should make it a point to visit her newest restaurant, Loi Estiatorio, located in the heart of Manhattan. Loi Estiatorio is a wonderful way to experience Loi’s clever approach to Greek cuisine.

72 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Angie Mar has served as the executive chef of New York City’s historic Beatrice Inn. Originally from Seattle, Mar’s tenure at the Beatrice Inn began in 2013.

Despite the fact that unique vegetable dishes have recently experienced a surge in popularity, Mar continues to focus on a largely meat based menu. A champion of meats, she prepares everything from beef, duck and lamb, to rabbit, venison, and wild boar. Her dishes are not only delicious, but also distinctive and clever. In fact, Mar prepares an exceptional branzino that comes baked inside a beef-fat pastry! She is clearly not intimidated by the attention that vegetables are getting, and has continued to create clever dishes that never disappoint. If you find yourself at the Beatrice Inn and in the mood for a salad, reconsider and order the tartare!

COOKIE CUTTERS ARE FOR COOKIES. Unidine creates custom-tailored dining solutions for every client.

If you’re stuck in a one-size-fits-all dining program, it’s time to give your current provider the boot.

Unidine would like to congratulate Victoria Vega for being a trailblazer in the foodservice and hospitality industry.

www.unidine.com

Fresh Thinking, Culinary Excellence

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 73

Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 72

Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org

Debbie Mumford

Tracy Obolsky

Tatanisha Peets

Sarah Quinlan

Mumford’s Culinary Center Tinton Falls, NJ • Exec. Pastry Chef

North End Grill New York, NY • Chef

Memorial Sloan Kettering Yonkers, NY Patient Experience Manager

Mastercard New York, NY • Senior VP

Erika Nakamura

Mandy Oser

White Gold Butchers New York, NY • Chef/Owner

Ardesia Wine Bar New York, NY • Wine & Spirits

Kim Nathanson

Shanna Pacifico

The Niemitz Design Group Old Greenwich, CT • Design

Cozinha Latina Brooklyn NY • Chef/Owner

Marion Nestle

Cai Pandolfino

NYU New York, NY • Education

Green & Tonic Greenwich, CT • Owner

Jill Nouatt

Becca Parrish

Food Network New York, NY • Media

Becca PR New York, NY • Public Relations

Doris V. O’Neil

Erin Patinkin

Golden Gate Rehab & Health Care Center, Staten Island, NY Food Service Director

Ovenly New York, NY • Founder

Veronica McLymont Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY Veronica McLymont currently serves as the Director of Food and Nutrition Services at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She is a registered Dietitian and a Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist with a Bachelors degree in Foods and Nutrition from Brooklyn College, a Masters Degree in Nutrition from Hunter College, and a Doctoral Degree in Organizational Leadership from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. McLymont spearheaded and successfully launched the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Nutrition Care Process and Model, which requires clinical dietitians to make nutrition diagnoses, and incorporate a standardized process for nutrition documentation. In addition, McLymont has been the recipient of several accolades. In 2008, she was voted a “Trend Setter” by the American Society for Health Care Foodservice Administrators. In 2011, The Network Journal distinguished her as one of the “25 Most Influential Black Women in Business.” McLymont has also contributed a chapter in a Cancer Rehabilitation textbook on “Nutrition Care of the Cancer Patient.” Her various achievements within the industry made her an easy pick for this list.

74 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Erin Pepper Life Hotel , New York, NY • VP, Brand & Experience

Cyndi Perez Peacock Inn Princeton, NJ • Chef/Owner

Kelly Perkins Bold Restaurants New York, NY • HR

Mina Pizarro Juni New York, NY • Chef

Maricel Presilla Cucharamama / Zafra Hoboken, NJ • Chef/Owner

Jennifer Rackoff Fourth Wall Restaurant New York, NY • Attorney

Alex Raij El Quinto Pino / Txikito New York, NY • Chef

Ann Redding Uncle Boons New York, NY • Chef

Leslie Rempfer NJRHA Trenton, NJ • Association

Meredith Reuben EBP Supply Solutions Milford, CT • Distribution

Erin Moran Union Square Hospitality Group, New York, NY Originally from Baltimore, Erin Moran was appointed the first-ever Chief Culture Officer of the USHG. In her capacity in that role, Moran is responsible for strengthening and developing USHG’s culture of Enlightened Hospitality, as well as overseeing all aspects of the employee experience.

An expert on corporate culture, prior to joining USHG in 2013, Moran spent ten years at Great Place to Work, which is a firm that studies and identifies great workplaces and offers human resources consulting services at a global level. At Great Place to Work, Moran began as a consultant in 2004, eventually rising to the position of Executive Vice President of US Business.

After a year-long collaboration between Great Place to Work and USHG in which Moran led a survey-based assessment of organizational health, workplace culture, and employee experience, she opted to join the leadership team at USHG.

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 75

Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 74

Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org

Tonya Riggins

Diane Rossi

Debra Ryan

Christine Sanchez

Newark Schools Newark, NJ • Schools

Pro-Tek Jericho, NY • Service

GNJSHFSA New Milford, NJ • President

Bold Restaurants New York, NY • Culinary

Shannon Rinella

Laetitia Rouabah

Amy Sacco

Arlene Saunders

Interstate Hotels New York, NY • Talent Development

Benoit New York, NY • Executive Chef

No. 8 New York, NY • Nightclubs

Allied Metal Spinning Bronx, NY • Manufacturer

Missy Robbins

Brigitte Rounds

Samantha Safer

Sarah Ashley Schiear

Lilia New York, NY • Chef/Owner

Advantage Marketing Hauppauge, NY • VP, K12 Services

Otway Brooklyn NY • Partner

Sarah Ashley New York, NY • Catering

Rion Robbins

Carla Ruben

Rosie Saferstein

Caroline Schiff

Henry’s New York, NY • General Manager

Creative Edge New York, NY • Caterer

New Jersey Monthly Magazine Morristown, NJ • Media

Scoops & Sweets / Greene Grape New York, NY • Executive Pastry Chef

Jasmine Rodriguez

Nicki Russ

Arlene Sailhac

Lynne Schultz

16 Handles New York, NY • Quick Serve

Russ & Daughters New York, NY • Owner

ICC New York, NY • Education

Tri-State Marketing Ossining, NY • Equipment & Supplies

Melissa Rodriguez

Amy Russo

Jordan Salcito

Nikita Scott

Del Posto New York, NY • Executive Chef

Toast Montclair, NJ • Owner/Operator

David Chang Restaurants New York, NY • Wine & Spirits

New York City Hospitality Alliance New York,NY • Communications

Julie Rose

Nicole Ruvo

Cornelia Samara

Neesha Seervai

Sweet Hospitality Group New York, NY • President/Founder

Dom Perignon New York, NY • Wine & Spirits

1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge Brooklyn,NY • GM

Apple Metro Harrison, NY • Operations

Liz Neumark Great Performances Catering New York, NY Liz Neumark is a culinary visionary and certified trendsetter in the world of food politics. A member of the New York State Food Policy Council, she is also the Founder and CEO of Great Performances Catering. In 2006, Great Performances became the first catering company to own a farm. In 2007, Neumark and her husband founded a nonprofit organization aimed at encouraging healthy eating for children called The Sylvia Center. The Sylvia Center offers cooking workshops and tours of the farm with the goal of providing an education on the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. Expanding on this passion, Neumark published a cookbook meant to inspire families to cook healthy and wholesome meals together, titled Sylvia’s Table. She has also been the recipient of an extensive list of accolades, including the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award, Crain’s 100 Most Influential Women, and Ernst & Young New York Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Her contributions to The Huffington Post and Straus Publications on topics related to food politics are not to be missed.

76 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Stephanie Oakland Oakland’s Restaurant and Sundays On The Bay, Hampton Bay, NY Stephanie Oakland is the owner of two exceedingly popular restaurants in Hampton Bays, New York: Sundays On The Bay and Oakland’s Restaurant. Over the years, Oakland’s Restaurant has hosted numerous events and fundraisers. Family owned and operated, both Oakland’s Restaurant and Sunday’s On The Bay provide diners with delicious food and a pleasant atmosphere with views of the water. Oakland’s is a seasonal restaurant, open from mid-April to the end of October, while Sundays offers great food year round. Diners at Oakland’s enjoy an assortment of the freshest seafood in a scenic setting. Sundays On The Bay offers an extensive menu with a variety of tasty options ranging from oysters and lobster to hamburgers and tacos. Both restaurants have become a beloved staple, with Oakland’s gearing up for its 27th season in 2018.

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 77

Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 76

Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org

Jess Shadbolt

Amanda Smeltz

Jilly Stephens

Rada Tarnovsky

King New York, NY • Chef/Owner

Roberta’s And Blanca Brooklyn, NY • Chef

City Harvest New York, NY • Charity

Letter Grade Consulting Brooklyn, NY • Food Safety

Beth Shapiro

Rita Sodi

Jody Storch

Andrea Tencza

Citymeals-on-Wheels New York, NY • Executive Director

I Sodi / Via Carota New York, NY • Chef/Owner

Peter Luger Steakhouse Brooklyn, NY • Owner

Urban Expositions Shelton, CT • Marketing

Gail Sharry

Daniela Soto-Innes

Dawn Sweeney

Meredith Tepper-Leckey

New Haven Schools New Haven, CT • Schools

Cosme New York, NY • Chef

NRA Chicago, IL • Association

Starr Catering New York, NY • Caterer

Mimi Sheraton

Roxanne Spruance

Brittany Tacopino

Hong Thaimee

Mimi Sheraton Inc New York, NY • Media

Kingsley New York, NY • Chef

JP Morgan Chase New York, NY • VP Global Services

NGAM New York, NY • Chef/Owner

Annie Shi

Karen Stabiner

Jennie Tannura

Gretchen Thomas

King New York, NY • Chef/Owner

Columbia University New York, NY • Author

Gotham City Hospitality New York, NY • Sales

Barcelona Wine Bar New York, NY • Liquor & Spirits

Cara Siegel

Arianna Staiano

Natalie Tapken

Kristen Tomlan

HUB International New York,NY • VP, Communications

Libbey Foodservice, New York, NY NY District Sales Manager

B&B Winepub New York, NY • Liquor & Spirits

DO New York, NY • Founder/CEO

Gail Simmons

Robin Standefer

Jennifer Tarfuri

Christina Tosi

Bravo TV New York, NY • Media

Roman And Williams New York, NY • Design

Rotisserie Georgette New York, NY • Chef

Milk Bar New York, NY • Chef/Founder

Carolyn D. Richmond

Elizabeth Schaible

Fox Rothschild LLP; New York City Hospitality Alliance New York, NY

Chef / Professor New York, NY

Carolyn D. Richmond is the chair of the Hospitality Practice at Fox Rothschild LLP. She focuses on representing and counseling employers at restaurants, hotels, caters, nightclubs, lounges, fitness centers, and other businesses within the hospitality industry. Richmond possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience in litigating wage and hour class actions, restrictive covenants, and employment discrimination cases. In addition, she is well suited to offer counseling and consulting services regarding workplace issues such as diversity awareness training, employee handbooks, and hiring procedures. Richmond is a frequent guest speaker at conferences and events, discussing topics relating to labor and employment, and serves as counsel to the New York City Hospitality Alliance. She has received a number of honors and awards, including Lawdragon’s 2017 Guide to The Most Powerful Employment Lawyers, the Law Review Outstanding Service Award, as well as being named “Super Lawyer” in the New York Women’s Edition of Super Lawyers Magazine (2016-2017).

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Elizabeth Schaible attended University of Kentucky and possesses an undergraduate degree in business administration. She went on to obtain an additional degree in hospitality management from New York City College of Technology, and received a Masters of Science from Rochester Institute of Technology with a concentration in service management. Now known as Professor Schaible, she teaches culinary arts, purchasing, dining room management and marketing at City Tech. Schaible has an extensive background in culinary and hospitality management roles, counting her position as a private chef to the editor of Rolling Stone magazine among them. In addition, she serves on the National Advisory Board of Spoons Across America, and is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier. Professor Schaible is the department chair of the Hospitality Management Department, and has researched topics such as the historical study of tearoom management schools in early 20th century New York City.

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 79

Top Women in Foodservice 2017, from page 78

Presented by Women’s Foodservice Forum • www.wff.org

Diane Tuckruskye

Gina Volaric

Elizabeth Weiss

Melba Wilson

Nassau Rehabilitation & Nursing New York, NY • Chef/Founder

Unilever Englewood Cliffs, NJ • Ice Cream

BHS Foodservice Armonk, NY • Equipment & Supplies

Melba’s New York, NY • Owner

Patrice Vassell,

Tami Von Isakovics

Claire Welle

Jane Witkin

Cut by Wolfgang Puck New York, NY • Pastry Sous Chef

Dinex Group New York, NY • Marketing

Otway Brooklyn NY • Chef/Partner

Verjus Maplewood, NJ • Chef/Owner

Victoria Vega

Holly Von Seggern

Melissa Weller

Marjorie Wolfson

Unidine Corp Boston, MA • Corporate Culinary

HRV Marketing & Communications Islandia, NY • B&I

Sadelle’s New York, NY • Owner/Baker

Cook For Kids White Plains, NY • Education

Bernadette Ventura

Louise Vongerichten

Fatena Williams

Kathleen Wood

SHFM Louisville, KY • Association

Food Dreams Foundation New York, NY • Founder

Herald Square Hotel New York,NY • GM

Kathleen Wood Partners New York, NY • Owner

Candy Vidovich

Erika Wasserman

Jody Williams

Tren’ness Woods-Black

Pomptonian Foods Fairfield, NJ • Schools

Explore Cuisine Red Bank, NJ • VP

Buvette / Via Carota New York,NY • Chef/Owner

Sylvia’s New York, NY • VP, Communications

Therese Virserius

Stephanie Webster

Laura Williamson

Karena Wu

Virserius Studio New York, NY • Design

CT Bites Stamford, CT • Media

Mandarin Oriental New York, NY • Hotel

Active Care Physical Therapists New York, NY • Vendor

Lana Trevisan Two Roads Hospitality New York, NY Lana Trevisan is based in New York City, and holds the position of Vice President of Restaurants, Bars, and Nightlife for Two Roads Hospitality. In her role at Two Roads Hospitality, she oversees about twenty properties, and has opened a number of well-known establishments such as the Chicago Athletic Association, Thompson Playa Del Carmen, and The Beekman. Before joining Two Roads Hospitality, Trevisan was the Corporate Food and Beverage Director of Gansevoort Hotel Group. Her responsibilities included the management of all Food and Beverage operations at existing properties and those under development. Some of Trevisan’s notable projects consist of managing pre-opening and daily operations at establishments such as the Standard Grill, Boom Boom Room, and The Biergarten. Trevisan’s highly successful career started with Wolfgang Puck, where she opened and managed five restaurants in Las Vegas and Chicago.

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Morgan Tucker Little M. Tucker Paterson, NJ Morgan Tucker grew up in a family that built the largest foodservice distribution business on the East Coast, M. Tucker. Morgan decided to carry on the company, founded by her father and grandfather, and establish her own imprint, Little M Tucker. Little M Tucker provides specialized equipment and restaurant supplies to a growing hub of high-end restaurants in Manhattan. She’s also an expert on tabletop trends, and writes a monthly column for Total Food Service. After graduating with honors from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in 2007, Morgan worked for New York’s Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group and Steve Hanson’s BR Guest Restaurant Group, before developing M. Tucker. After seven years in her family business, Morgan currently oversees a highly successful distribution sales team in the company, passionately serving Manhattan’s hottest operations under the Little M Tucker brand as Director of Business Development.

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 81

EYE

METRO NYC’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

PRESENTED BY:

Kosherfest Brings Full Portfolio of Foodservice Solutions to Tri-State Operators

T

he world’s largest and most attended kosher-certified products trade show took center stage in New Jersey last month. From foodservice establishments to caterers, supermarkets and every kind of kosher decision maker found the opportunity and inspiration at Kosherfest. More than 6,000 industry professionals poured into the Meadowlands Convention Center in Secaucus to shop from the 325 exhibitors who featured koshercertified products and services for the kosher market.

The show featured a vast array of international offerings with product pavilions from Israel, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, India and more.

Kosherfest does a superb job of assisting the restaurant and food-

(L to R) RC Fine Foods’ Gary Cohen and Anthony Todaro

It was most gratifying to walk the aisles, see the magnificent exhibits and the innovative kosher foods,” noted the show’s founder Menachim Lubinsky. “I remember the provincial small exhibits of 1987 (pipe and drape and tabletop displays). What a dramatic difference from 29 years ago!” service professional to source the newest innovative products. Exhibitors received exposure to high volume buyers via the Key Buyer Program, access to education ses-

(L to R) Sea Breeze’s Jeff Throne, William Evers, Jon Samuel and Ron Harodestsky

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sions covering the industry’s most relevant topics, media exposure, sponsorship opportunities, exhib-

Dynamic’s Denis Anthony

continued on page 84

(L to R) Kontos’ Donna Appy and Chef Demetrios Haralambatos welcomed Hershy Brach of Manhattan Bake Shop

Just Bagels’ Rafael Sifa

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 83

Kosherfest, from page 82

(L to R) Honey Smoked Fish brothers Skyler and Spencer Mason worked with customers

itor-only entries to the Kosherfest New Product Competition, and a New Product Showcase.

This year Kosherfest embraced the changes that technology is bringing to the industry. Google’s Yarden Horwitz outlined their firm’s Trendspotting initiative. Yarden is a Trendspotting Lead at Google, where she turns new data sets into cultural signals. In 2015, she cofounded Trendspotting at Google to help brands identify and understand shifts in consumer behaviors, values and intents. Yarden partners with top global brands to innovate trends analysis with the goal of enabling consumer trend identification, exploration and prediction across categories.

The show’s commitment to the latest in kosher cuisine was led by the dynamic presentation of Jamie Geller. The “Jewish Rachael Ray” (New York Times) discussed the latest food trends in the mainstream market and cooked up delicious examples of trending Israeli recipes.

As a best-selling cookbook author, Jamie found her niche specializing in fast, fresh, family recipes. Now the “Queen of Kosher” (CBS) she’s the creative force behind all Jamie Geller’s digital and print properties.

(L to R) The Milano’s Cheese duo of Robert Mara and Victor Romero

The annual New Jersey event also served as the backdrop for the national top awards presentation.

Rabbi Yisroel Gildin of Kof-K Kosher Supervision (Teaneck, NJ) won their 7th annual “Kosher Supervisor of the Year” and presented him with a check for $1,000.

The show brought a number of innovative kosher menu solutions to the show floor. These included kosher bagels from Bronx, NY based Just Bagels, kosher cheese from New Jersey’s Milano Cheese, Heaven and Earth’s Riced Cauliflower, Tandoor Indian Sauces from Mikee sauces, Tahini Bars, olive oil, olive oil rosemary and olive oil oregano, Parchment Thins from Italy and Aufschnitt Turkey Jerky.

Of great importance to the success of Just Bagels is its OU certification.

“Just Bagels benefits enormously from its relationship with OU. We have gained many new customers specifically because of our OU certification,” declared Mr. Nordquist.

“The OU, which is the most widely recognized certification, has helped us penetrate the kosher market.

We enjoy a great relationship with everyone at the Orthodox Union, especially with our RFR, Rabbi Sholom Lifchetz, who is always most

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(L to R) Newton, MA natives and cousins Mike Kaufman of Mikee’s Sauces and TFS co-publisher Fred Klashman

helpful. Rabbi David Bistricer our rabbinic coordinator is always responsive to our needs regarding ingredients and sources.”

The show also offered the res-

taurant and foodservice operator a unique opportunity to explore new sources of revenue. What do you get when you cross a rabbi from Chicago with a world-famous pizzeria chain? You get a frozen kosher version of the iconic deep-dish pizza of Gino’s East Deep Dish Pizza. What’s more, you also get the winner of this year’s “Best in Show” product at the annual Kosherfest New Product Competition.

“It was most gratifying to walk the aisles, see the magnificent exhibits and the innovative kosher foods,” noted the show’s founder Menachim Lubinsky. “I remember the provincial small exhibits of 1987 (pipe and drape and tabletop displays). What a dramatic difference from 29 years ago!”

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December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 85

EYE

METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

NJRHA Recognizes Garden State’s Best and Brightest at Annual Gala in Jersey City

T

he New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association (NJRHA) honored the state’s best and brightest last month at the 37th Annual Awards Gala held at the Liberty House Restaurant in Jersey City. Highlights of the Gala included Raoul and Carlo Momo receiving this year’s “Restaurateur of the Year Award” as well as Wade Avondoglio’s accepting the “Lifetime Achievement Award” while his family celebrates 100 years in business at Perona Farms.

In addition, the 2017 NJHRA Gold Plate Award winner was presented to Michael Sirianni. He is the Principal of Monmouth County Vocational School District Culinary Education Center. Gold Plate honors also went to Turning Point Restaurant’s Kirk Ruoff. The NJRHA’s annual Hospitality Award was presented to Anthony and Lou Calandra of Calandra Enterprises.

Following in the footsteps of their parents, brothers Carlo and Raoul Momo are leaders instrumental in the growth of Terra Momo Restaurant Group from a take-out pizzeria to a full-service multi-concept restaurant group. Established in 1982, Terra Momo Restaurant Group is now a cornerstone in the Princeton community having grown to three full-service restaurants, an artisan boulangerie, and a kiosk in the Princeton Public Library.

“I say this every year, but it’s true—

This year’s Lifetime ​ Achievement award winner Wade Avondoglio has spent most of his life working at family-owned Perona Farms, eventually becoming president in 1989. Wade runs the fourth-generation business with the help of his three siblings, Mark, Kirk, and Tracey. Together, they manage an expansive event staff and a large on-site restaurant, boasting the world’s best smoked salmon. What began 100 years ago as dinner around a board(L-R) Back Row: Lou and Anthony Calandra (Hospitality Award winners) - Calandra Enterprises, Raoul and inghouse table has Carlo Momo (Restaurateurs of the Year) - Terra Momo Restaurant Group with Marilou Halvorsen (NJRHA), Wade Avondoglio (Deborah Roy-Dowdell Lifetime Achievement Award winner) - Perona Farms. Front Row: become one of today’s Michael Sirianni (Gold Plate Award winner) - Principal of the Culinary Education Center of Monmouth most sought-after wedCounty Vocational School District, Kirk Ruoff (Gold Plate Award winner) - Turning Point Restaurants ding and event venues in the state. picking the winners is hard. We have us growing and excited about what we Wade has served as so many impressive restaurant owndo. This award is an affirmation to my NJRHA Chairman and currently sits ers and culinary teachers that have family, employees, and community on the Board of Directors. He is also a influenced our industry and continue that our efforts matter,” said Carlo Trustee and the Vice President of the to make a difference,” said Marilou Momo. “We especially work hard to New Jersey Restaurant Educational Halvorsen, president of the NJRHA. raise awareness of the importance of Foundation (NJREF). Notable awards “This year, these were the few that buying from local farms by sponsorinclude the NJRHA’s “Restaurateur stood out to us, especially the Momo ing many farm-to-table events and of the Year Award,” as well as “New brothers and their continued growth fundraisers that benefit half a dozen Jersey Family Business of the Year” and support of their community, and environmental groups that work to (New Jersey Monthly Magazine) and Perona Farms for their impressive protect land in New Jersey for the pro“New Good Neighbor Award” (New longevity,” she added. duction of the fresh vegetables we use ​“Our passion for food is what keeps in our restaurants,” he added. continued on page 108

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December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 87

RESTAURANT COMPLIANCE

WITH RADA TARNOVSKY

Since When Is “Passing” Good Enough?

Rada Tarnovsky is a practicing At-

G

rowing up in my house, a passing grade was never good enough. Passing meant you just made it, there was no effort, you could have done better but you didn’t try, you didn’t prepare. And maybe, on some rare occasions that wasn’t true, but most of the time it was.

Although getting a letter grade is reminiscent of good ole school days, restaurant letter grades are way different. Receiving anything other than an “A” is considered failing, it can cost a lot of money or worse your reputation. Yes it is possible to “pass” a health inspection by sheer luck and no effort. But passing isn’t good enough, and it’s just way too risky.

Which leads to the next question…Is it possible to prepare for an unannounced Health Department Inspection? The answer is Yes! When should you start? The day your kitchen equipment is installed…

If that day is long gone…today is a good day.

DOH inspections are unannounced, however the results of your last initial inspection will determine your inspection cycle. Basically, the more points received the more visits from DOH. Knowing that date, as well as the points received will give you an approximate date DOH will be visiting. If you have forgotten that date or you have buried it deep in the abyss of your brain that holds all other unpleasant experiences, you can search it

torney, who co-founded Letter Grade Consulting to help food service operators comply with regulations set forth by the NYC Department of Health.

Servicing restaurants, hotels, theatres, corporate cafeterias and schools, Letter Grade Consulting provides operators with preemptive solutions, education and training to sustain the highest level of food safety, remain inspection ready and maintain the “A” in the window. Rada can be reached at rt@lettergradeconsulting.com

• • here: on.nyc.gov/1nYXxBz Knowing the approximate date of your next inspection, should by no means act as a starting point for preparation.

Operators must not wait to remedy something that has already become a problem, or scramble to fix things at the last minute.

Being prepared means operating at the highest level of food safety and sanitation, it means having a trained staff, being proactive, and also fulfilling your role as a responsible good human. Fine …maybe that’s a little dramatic, but people that serve food to the public do have a social responsibility to serve food that is not contaminated. Being prepared means being inspection ready every day.

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The following are some tips to get you started: • Print out a list of Daily protocols. Following protocols every day will build good habits and proper techniques. Have on-duty managers assign specific tasks. Those tasks need to be signed off on. Everyone needs to be held accountable.

• Maintain Temperature logs • Train employees. Everyone must know the rules. Hold in house seminars.

• Purchase a lot of thermometers. Make sure they are being used throughout the day as often as possible. Inspectors like to see them being used. Come inspection day, make sure to use them twice as much. Also hang them

•

•

•

all over walk in refrigerators.

Perception is everything.

Change cutting boards often.

Give your employees sick days, a sick employee that contaminates food because he/she cannot afford to lose a day’s pay is way more expensive than a day’s pay.

Respect the name given to “Hand Wash Sinks” use them ONLY for hand washing. They were named that for a reason, so no mops or dishes; Use test strips throughout the day to make sure buckets are prepared with proper solution Have as many FPC holders as possible. Having only one will cost you 10 points, if he/ she steps out to the bank the day DOH comes to visit.

Good Luck… prepare… stay inspection ready… and get your “A”!

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 89

NEWS

SAFETY SEMINAR

New York City Hospitality Alliance Hosts Active Shooter Training

T

he nation has experienced a number of devastating tragedies in recent years.

In June of 2016, 49 people lost their lives in a mass shooting while enjoying a night out at Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Unfortunately, this is not the only disaster of its kind. On October 1, 2017, a gunman relentlessly targeted a large crowd of concert attendees with automatic weapons from his nearby Las Vegas hotel room. Such attacks have become a harsh reality. On November 6, the NYC Hospitality Alliance and McGowan Program Administrators partnered with the NYPD to prepare restaurant, nightlife, and hotel operators for the unthinkable.

The NYPD had several representatives present at the conference, with the main goal of educating the audience on the best ways to react in a worst-case scenario. “The main focus is to familiarize their staffs with the different scenarios that can happen and devise an action plan for those scenarios,” explained Inspector Thomas Conforti. The audience learned that there are a number of things to keep in mind in the event of a shooting, some of which may be counterintuitive. For example, it is never a good idea to pull a fire alarm in response to an active shooter. Pulling the fire alarm could potentially lead to chaos, when patrons need to evacuate in a quick and orderly manner. In addition, it is important to get the appropriate responders on the scene; pulling a fire alarm could cause unnecessary confusion. It is

While it’s difficult to prepare for the unexpected, the NYPD speakers at the conference stressed the importance of creating a plan. also imperative to remember to call 911 immediately. This may seem obvious, but in a situation with an active shooter, many people may fail to contact police because they are under the assumption that somebody else has already made the call.

An adequate response to an emergency situation is largely founded in preparedness. “We have to be proactive and think about this,” said Andrew Rigie, Executive Director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance. While it’s difficult to prepare for the unexpected, the NYPD speakers at the conference stressed the importance of creating a plan. First and foremost, restaurant, hospitality, and nightlife workers should have a discussion about the best exit routes in the establishment. For example, it may be wise to direct patrons to a back door in the event that an active shooter is in the front. Patrons may not be aware of another exit, so the employees should be prepared to point it out. It is also a good idea to have a conversation about potential safe rooms. If there is a shooter in the establishment, there may be rooms that patrons could barricade themselves into in order to escape the gunfire.

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Preparedness can mean the difference between a calculated response and a frenzied reaction.

In addition to the conference, the NYC Hospitality Alliance worked with the NYPD to create “Safe Night Out,” a video describing the best was to respond to an active shooter in the establishment. It is also important for hospitality, restaurant, and nightlife operators to be aware of the Active Shooter/Workplace Violence insurance offered by McGowan Program Administrators. “This event is the first in a series of programs aimed at helping hospitality operators to mitigate their risks,” said McGowan’s Kevin O’Connor.

Unfortunately, hotels, restaurants, bars, and clubs are inherently vulnerable to attacks. “We are a welcoming industry. We want people to come in and feel secure,” said Paul Seres, owner of multiple hospitality venues in New York. Due to the frequency of terrorist attacks and shootings in recent years, it is more important than ever to be prepared, and this is especially true in the hospitality industry.

McGowan Program Administrators is a leading provider of insurance products for Restaurant Insurance

McGowan’s Kevin O’Connor (L) and NYCHA’s Andrew Rigie (R) hosted a seminar that created strategies for a scenario involving an active shooter

nationwide. They recently teamed with the NYC Hospitality Alliance to provide a portfolio of insurance solutions for the New York City restaurant community. McGowan Program Administrators Restaurant Umbrella policy provides restaurant owners the peace of mind that accompanies having the type of insurance coverage that manages to expect the unexpected. Managing a restaurant risk comes with its fair share of threats. No matter if your risk is a single store or has multiple locations and multi-state operations, McGowan can help. In addition, the umbrella coverage also aggregates per location, so restaurant owners and managers need not worry about obtaining multiple overlapping and redundant policies.

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INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

WITH FRED SAMPSON

An Industry in Flux

T

here it was—a headline about one of the early-day casual restaurant chains: “Ruby Tuesday was sold and taken private. As of September 2017, there were 599 Ruby Tuesday restaurants in 41 states, 14 foreign countries, and Guam.” That’s 137 fewer than they had in 2015.

I, for one, was very surprised. In fact, in a column of six months ago where I discussed that a number of chains were downsizing, I suggested that because of their management they would prevail. While they will, it will be under new leadership. Private equity firm NRD Capital Management, which recently invested in other restaurant companies, is buying Ruby Tuesday for $146 million.

Mr. Aziz Hashim, founder of NRD, was quoted as follows: “As a private company, we will be able to take a long-term view on Ruby Tuesday,” making investments without public company constraints.

I’m assuming the 137 restaurants that have closed will be sold or leased to new owners. One of the negatives of selling or leasing restaurant space is that, for the most part, it becomes another restaurant simply because it is a single-purpose building. In order to make it something else necessitates removing fixtures and heavy kitchen equipment, and a reconfiguration of the space, as well as finding a buyer. I also assume they are well located.

A few days later I read an article by Jonathan Maze in Nation’s Restaurant News, where Romano’s Macaroni Grill had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection; 37 units were involved. “Nishant Machado, the

Fred G. Sampson is the retired President Emeritus of the New York State Restaurant Association. He began working with NYSRA in 1961.

Within the next four years the NYSRA more than tripled its membership and expanded from one regional chapter to eight. Sampson played roles in representing restaurants on issues including paid sick leave, minimum wage, liquor laws, a statewide alcohol training program and insurance plans. Comments may be sent to fredgsampson@juno.com

company’s acting CEO, blamed the chain’s problems ‘on an overall downturn for the casual dining industry,’ including a preference of customers toward ‘cheaper, faster alternatives.’

He also cited ‘a trend among younger customers to spend their disposable income at non-chain “experiencedriven” restaurants.’ ” In the midst of the closings and downsizing, three of the largest foodservice states suffered—Florida and Texas with floods, and California with devastating forest fires. This brought disruption to people’s lives and caused consumers and businesses to face expensive recovery costs.

Unfortunately, some will have no homes to return to in all three states.

As reported September 25, 2017, the National Restaurant Association has stated that Florida and Texas are expected to generate about 12% of total restaurant sales this year.

To give an overview of the size of the Florida market, Mr. Maze, in a recent issue of Nation’s Restaurant News, wrote the following: “Florida, with an estimated population of

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more than 20 million, is also a huge restaurant market. Subway, for instance, has more than 1,500 locations in the state. McDonald’s Corp. and Dunkin’ Donuts each have nearly 900 locations in Florida and Puerto Rico. Starbucks Corp. has 700 locations there.”

And now for some idea of the total destruction in Florida and Texas: Bill Strout, president of Intrepid Direct Insurance, said in an interview with Mr. Maze, of NRN: “… it would take some time before insurers understand the full extent of Irma’s toll.

‘You’re talking 10s of billions and maybe up to $100 billion.’ ” Boston-based risk modeling firm Air Worldwide lowered estimates of Hurricane Irma to as much as $40 billion—down from an estimate of $65 billion. The storm’s path on the western side of the state likely reduced the expected consequences.

Not all of the industry news is negative. The October 1 issue of Crain’s New York Business carried a story titled, “Food chains flock to the city, undeterred by wage hikes.” This ob-

viously is a twin-edged sword, but the casual quick-service segment is being welcomed with open arms and is seemingly prepared to deal with a highly competitive market.

Taco Bell is increasing its footprint by opening 50 restaurants in the next five years. Chick-fil-A will open its third restaurant in New York City’s Financial District; it will be the chain’s largest in the U.S., at 12,000 square feet over five floors, including rooftop seating and private group-dining space.

Crain’s went on to list “fast-food nation” growth as follows: “Dunkin’ Donuts here has soared by 75% since 2008, to nearly 600. … Popeye’s fried chicken … jumped by nearly 60%, to 90. Even McDonald’s, which has been struggling of late to adapt to changing tastes, has added 30 outlets in the city and now has nearly 250. Many more chains are on the way, as restaurant companies with deep pockets look to expand, lured by a booming economy—a record 4.1

continued on page 111

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10/31/17 4:53 PM December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 93

C-CAP TRADE TALK

WITH JOYCE APPELMAN

Les Amis d’Escoffier Society of New York Honors C-CAP Founder Richard Grausman, Chef Jacques Pépin, and UFT President Michael Mulgrew

T

wo hundred members and guests of Les Amis d’Escoffier Society of New York celebrated three leaders in the hospitality industry at their 81st Annual Fall Dinner held at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. Richard Grausman, founder of the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (CCAP), was honored as the Industry Leader, culinary luminary Jacques Pépin was named Chef of the Year, and the United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew was

named Man of the Year.

“We gathered to celebrate several superb professionals and educators in our hospitality world,” said Jim Dale, Foundation President of Les Amis d’Escoffier Society of New York. “The Escoffier Board is delighted to have three extraordinary and renowned honorees, with distinguished careers and are preeminent in their respective professions.

These men impact the hospitality industry and support the profession by actively educating colleagues

C-CAP Students with Jacques Pepin, Richard Grausman, Michael Mulgrew, Philip DeMaiolo

94 • December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

and serving as role models in their fields.”

Chef Philip DeMaiolo of Abigail Kirsch Catering enlisted his brigade and C-CAP students to prepare a classically-styled Escoffier feast with some modern twists.

Wine was critiqued and discussed by noted sommelier Kevin Zraly.

Les Amis d’Escoffier Society of New York, Inc. is a non-profit, charitable organization whose mission is to enhance the art of fine dining by supporting culinary education through scholarships to student chefs and to support students pursuing a career in the hospitality industry.

The organization is named after Auguste d’Escoffier, a French chef who is credited with simplifying elaborate French cuisine and elevating the position of chefs in society.

The society presented $10,000 for student scholarship support to C-CAP President Karen Brosius. Since 2005, the organization has given more than $100,000 to C-CAP. Member Uwe Toedter established the initial Natalie Toedter Scholarship for young women interested in pursuing a career in

Joyce Appelman, is the National Communications Director for CCAP, Careers through Culinary Arts Program in New York, NY. She has been instrumental in opening career opportunities for many young people in the foodservice industry. Email her at joyceappelman@gmail.com

the hospitality industry, in memory of his daughter Natalie, who passed away unexpectedly of heart failure at the age of 21.

“Natalie’s dream was to be in the hospitality industry,” Toedter said.

Natalie had completed her first year at Johnson & Wales University and then transferred to Concordia University in Montreal. She died in 2004.

The Society hosts fundraising events throughout the year to support The Natalie Toedter/Les Amis d’Escoffier Society of New York Scholarship.

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LIZ ON TABLETOP

TABLETOP SOLUTIONS

Liz’s 2018 Crystal Ball For Tabletop

S

o it’s that time of year when we say thanks for all the good things that happened this year and look ahead to 2018. Our H. Weiss tabletop design team is getting ready by what we do best, watching what our manufacturers and the rep community are previewing and then listening to what our customers have planned for their menus going into the New Year.

The first trend that pops as we look forward is the emergence of bold colors. But the look is very “handmade.” That look and feel gives the chef the flexibility to create those comfort food signature items on a restaurant, club or hotel menu.

We are also seeing a big influx of Korean restaurants and menus. This same vibrant approach to color creates the perfect serving for Kimchee.

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To bring color to our customer’s tabletops, we have been suggesting Robert Gordon’s designs from Steelite. Robert Gordon Australia makes high pottery. We like the craftsmanship and creativity that Steelite is importing from Australia at a competitive price point. We also like the look of the Organics by Schonwald that Libbey stocks in the US. We are also seeing the emergence of Malaysian and Vietnamese- soup

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.

based and noodles. There are some really good homemade noodles and rice with vegetables that are clean and colorful. They create a great look for 2018 against gray or beige stoneware.

As we look towards the New Year, finding the right texture on the plates remains a priority. We are suggesting organic and homemade matte finRobert Gordon Australia (left, available from Steelite) and Organics by Schonwald (right, available ishes. Over the last couple of from Libbey) are two hot collections trending for 2018. years, there has been an influx on menus of plant based biggrain and quinoa bowls. They look homey and natural and with different condiments. We are We also love the combination of they are easy to change seasonally. seeing all kinds of creativity on the profit and pallet pleasing that can A number of our customers serve a sandwich side. In many cases you be accomplished with booze inbunch of little bits that the guest can are seeing a smaller sandwich with fused anything. Why not use Friday mix themselves to their own taste all kinds of colorful ingredients. night as the jumping off point for

your menu and create alcohol infused sorbets. We are seeing many of our H. Weiss customers add smoke to those sorbets and serving a single bite or two – not regular portions.

They also can be used as condiments.

No column about holiday cheer would be complete without wishing our customers and readers best wishes for a happy and healthy 2018. What better way to toast that with your customers than to offer warm cozy drinks and honey sticks, and S’mores’ hot chocolate (with burnt marshmallows) in double walled glass cups with a favorite libation.

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REAL ESTATE PERSPECTIVE

WITH JEFF KRAVET

Is Location Overhyped?

F

or over 20 years I have been negotiating commercial real estate leases throughout CT, many of them restaurants.

The best compliment I ever had was from a landlord when I asked him to describe his experience with Kravet. His response was “pit bull with a brain.”

The knowledge I have acquired from this negotiating leases process is invaluable. Quite often you hear when it comes to commercial real estate sites its location, location and location. I beg to differ. I will take the side street almost every time rather than the more visible frontage or end cap assuming the concept is not fast food a la McDonalds or a Chipotle, or Starbucks which totally relies upon impulse convenience buying which is propelled by visibility and easy access rather than the dining experience driven by quality food, competitive pricing and an overall great dining experience.

Why? For starters landlords tend to be more open to negotiating lease terms if they don’t think they have the best space in the market, shopping center or trade area. The lease terms are as critical to the success and longterm viability of the restaurant as a talented chef, sourcing of quality food at competitive pricing and hiring a great staff. You can do everything right as it relates to operating a restaurant but if your lease is one sided to the landlord the profit tends to be extremely elusive, so if you want to work for the landlord then the lease negotiation is not that important, if you prefer to reap the benefits of your hard work then I offer you a few thoughts. Your

Jeff Kravet is a Licensed Real Estate Broker NY/CT for Kravet Realty LLC.

Landlords tend to be more open to negotiating lease terms if they don’t think they have the best space in the market, shopping center or trade area.

The lease terms are as critical to the success and long-term viability of the restaurant as a talented chef, sourcing of quality food at competitive pricing and hiring a great staff. landlord is your partner whether you acknowledge it or not. Below is what you should expect from your “partner landlord.” % rent vs. rent, CAM, Taxes. A good formula to follow is your total rent, taxes and CAM should not be more than 7% of your gross volume. The single best way to insure this reality is for your rent to be just that. Lease rent is 7% of the gross with a small minimum rent to cover the landlord’s taxes and insurance. This % rent insures that your relationship with your landlord is a partnership. The better the restaurateur does the more rent the landlord collects. That’s a win-win.

TI. (TENANT IMPROVEMENT ALLOWANCE) If the landlord is expecting the tenant to fund the entire fitout or renovation of existing space or new space this will inevitably siphon the restaurateur’s profit to investors or lenders. The landlord should be con-

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tributing at least 50% of any fit-out in the form of cash or free rent.

Co-tenancy: If the desired space is in a center anchored by a Macy’s that’s about to close it still may be a viable option. There does however need to be a formula negotiated in advance to insure that during the lease up time to find a new tenant that there is some abatement of the rent.

Lease Options: So often I see restaurateurs that want to sell their successful restaurants with two years left on their lease with no option to renew. It’s nearly impossible without the ability to extend the lease to sell a restaurant.

Remember if your landlord is your partner, then options to extend are a given. The landlord should also expect to receive some compensation for this grant of options. Options should also be a fixed rent not “market rent” as the latter is a recipe for litigation. The landlord and tenant hardly ever agree

Jeff has been representing tenants and landlords in NYC and Stamford, CT for the past 20 years. He can be reached 24/7 at 203-430-7811. or kravetjeff@gmail.com

on what the market rent is.

Rent commencement: I have seen more than one restaurateur negotiate a starting date for the rent to be due fully expecting the restaurant to be open for a couple of months prior. Unfortunately everything relating to construction fit out, site work, permitting, liquor license always takes longer than anyone anticipated. Rent commencement should be tied to the opening of the restaurant, not an arbitrary date picked by the landlord, as that may have no correlation to the opening and needed cash flow generated to actually pay the rent.

Personal Guarantee: This is always a contentious part of any lease negotiation. The operators with no assets and no track record and virtually nothing to loose usually have no problem personally guaranteeing the lease. It’s the successful restaurateur with other restaurants and personal assets that don’t want to risk everything if the new location doesn’t work out as intended. If you need to close the restaurant prior to lease expiration there needs to be a “good guy clause” and a formula for reimbursement for any unamortized construction fit out by the landlord that needs to be negotiated prior to lease signing.

continued on page 105

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NEWS

FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS

Buyers And Sellers Turn To JZRM For Foodservice Financial Lifeline

R

ockland County based JZRM Reports has emerged as a knight in shining armor for the foodservice industry. JZRM was launched in 2012, by a team of seasoned financial, collection, and foodservice professionals led by Randy Sarf. Essentially, JZRM is a foodservice financial consulting firm, however it provides a number of much needed and specialized services. The company possesses a critical understanding of credit-based arrangements coupled with a knack for collections. Combine that knowledge and skill set with years of experience in the foodservice industry, and it makes sense that their clients are quite confident depending on them.

JZRM Reports offers a variety of consulting services, including credit advisement. Many of JZRM’s clients are vendors and distributors, so the fact that they have the foresight to spot issues within restaurants before they surface is a huge asset. Prudence and vigilance allows JZRM to alert and protect their vendor clients.

“From what I’ve learned, the value of this information is very important to a distributor,” Sarf, JZRM’s President and CEO, explained.

In addition, JZRM Reports keeps their clients informed on the intel that’s most relevant to them through a newsletter. The newsletters include

Vendors operate and extend credit expecting to have bad debt to write off – It doesn’t need to be that way if they are selective with extending credit and managing it strategically,” Sarf said. information such as major openings and closings, chapter 11 filings, and perhaps most importantly, which businesses are experiencing challenges paying their bills, which is invaluable to vendors.

Sarf and his firm are adept at proactively and proficiently protecting their clients. However, should a problem arise JZRM Reports is prepared to act. The earliest inception of the company focused strictly on collections, and JZRM continues to get their clients the money they’re owed from other businesses. “Food distributors operate and extend credit expecting to have bad debt to write off. It doesn’t need to be that way Randy Sarf

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if they are selective with extending credit and managing it strategically.

We can help them do that, but if issues do come up, we’re ready to help them collect,” said Sarf. JZRM advises vendors to be more selective in extending credit, and take action at the first signs of trouble. The firm tracks businesses that are having issues paying their bills and reports that intelligence to their clients, which allows them to recover funds before a restaurant files for bankruptcy.

JZRM Reports is also equipped to help restaurants.

Sarf and his team have the knowledge and understanding to help restaurants avoid catastrophes.

There are a variety of steps a restaurant can take to avoid taking on too much debt, and eventually closing.

For example, JZRM suggests restaurants carefully manage their inventories, scale down staff, and implement cost-effective purchasing. Also, payroll management is crucial. Should a restaurant find itself in financial distress, JZRM is able to help them strategize and move forward. “JZRM Reports is affiliated with some lenders who work specifically with restaurants, and can help them out of a rut when necessary. We can assist with funding, and can also help restaurants to negotiate and manage their debts,” Sarf stated.

Experts on credit, JZRM Reports helps their clients to set up and maintain sustainable and profitable business relationships. Sarf’s extensive experience in the foodservice industry along with his keen understanding of the finances involved allows him to offer vendors and operators confidence and security. “It’s never too early, and it’s never too late to implement the services that JZRM Reports offers,” said Sarf.

JZRM Reports offers a free no-obligation consultation to new clients.

“We have built our business by helping food distributors connect with new restaurants to create a win-win for both buyer and seller,” Sarf said.

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HotSchedules, from page 42 impacting many full-service and limited service restaurants – especially multi-unit franchise owners and their corporate franchisors. We developed new predictive scheduling features so that operators, HR teams, and finance teams can get in front of and manage the regulations and avoid potential penalties,” says David Cantu, Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer at HotSchedules.

“It’s also important that we provide scheduling and mobile communication tools for hourly employees so that they can achieve flexibility and work-life balance while still fulfilling the needs of the business.”

Operators should look for a technology partner with a proven track record of developing tools and apps that satisfy the needs of the hourly workforce and give operators configurations and intelligence to help their managers make more informed decisions.

For example, the new minimum hours threshold feature allows your company to set a default number of hours of rest between each shift.

Visual alerts in the schedule will notify a manager if they have violated the threshold allowing them to correct the mistake before they publish the schedule. Furthermore, new schedule audit reports provide time-stamped documentation for all shift transactions and schedule modifications – both voluntary and involuntary.

These new features are configurable and will help your managers prevent and avoid compliance violations (and worse, class action lawsuits). Predictive scheduling mandates have the potential to be costly, but they don’t have to be.

To learn more about HotSchedules, visit their website at https:// www.hotschedules.com/.

White Coffee, from page 44 get ideas from retail marketplace (not necessarily food). Look how the hotel industry has morphed in its offerings to millenials.

4. What’s Old Stays Old. Whatever speed of innovation that you have experienced in the last ten years will only accelerate. Think about your technology, new food items, and the online world for every service imaginable. Things that were “good” before” may not come back so fast- and by the time they do, the world will have turned upside down several times over. Expect shorter product cycles- both on the development side, and on the “shelf life” of any given idea.

5. Time is Not on Your Side.

There used to be time to sit back and figure this out. With the speed of change, working on these issues has to be a priority. As easy as it is

for the “every day fires” to dominate the daily agenda, it is critical that these strategic issues become prioritized. Work “on” your business, not “in” your business. (Think about an outside peer group where you go offsite to learn and brainstorm with other professionals in your field/ region). Don’t just do this at the beginning of the year without regularly “checking in” on your progress- and make course corrections (small and, if needed, big) right away. Be sure to measure results with specific, applicable metrics that truly tell you “how you’re doing.”

New Year’s Resolutions are often broken- but these underlying truths will stay there whether you adapt or not. And you surely fail to adapt at your own peril. With a little bit of planning and larger bit of big thinking, you can make 2018 your biggest and best year yet.

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NY Produce Show, from page 4 included in the program, in addition to the Connect with Fresh media immersion, luncheon and show tour involving influential bloggers, consumer editors and those working with all forms of social media.

Some events will be held at the New York Hilton on 6th avenue in midtown Manhattan. The exhibition trade show, and other scheduled events, will take place on Dec. 13.

The excitement begins at the New York Hilton on Monday, Dec. 11, with the Foundational Excellence program, where Cornell University professors will offer one day of industry trends and take-aways for executives with less than five years in the produce industry. This panel of industry luminaries will be moderated about their roles in the industry and how they climbed the corporate ladder.

On Tuesday, Dec. 12, the Global Trade Symposium, also being held at the New York Hilton, offers attendees the latest insights on produce importing and exporting to and from the Northeast Region. Titled “Produce Import & Export: The Disruption of Established Markets,” the event requires a separate fee as well.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday Dec. 12, it will be time to relax, connect and reconnect with industry friends, colleagues and new and prospective customers at the Opening Cocktail Reception being held at the New York Hilton.

The Keynote breakfast with a Thought-Leader Panel will take place at the Javits Center River Pavilion on Wednesday, Dec. 13 from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. The show floor opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 5:00 p.m.

Also on Wednesday, the Spouse/ Companion Program will start at 8:30 a.m. at the New York Hilton.

Registrants enjoy exclusive use of a suite at the Hilton Hotel set aside

for their New York experience. A continental breakfast, refreshing beverages and an assortment of petit fours, tea sandwiches and, of course, fresh fruit and vegetables are served throughout the day.

The out-of-hotel tour starts with a morning site seeing and shopping expedition at some of Manhattan’s most unique retail stores including Bergdorf Goodman and Tiffany & Co. In addition, an exclusive coach serving participants will provide a tour to top museums, historical sites, Chinatown, Little Italy and more.

Back on the show floor, chef demonstrations will be ongoing at the Javits Center North. Also during this time slot, Educational Micro-Sessions will be held. A Connect With Fresh Media Immersion will help media professionals know all about the fresh produce industry, and lead them on a tour of the exhibition floor.

The final post-show day, Thursday, Dec. 14, is also packed with opportunities, including the IDEATION Fresh Foodservice Forum, which covers the role of produce in culinary innovation and foodservice profitability. Held at the New York Hilton, the Menu Marketing event is where foodservice meets produce.

It is a deep-dive into produce on menus that offers tips and strategies designed to increase consumption of fruits and vegetables.

The New York Produce Show and Conference is touted as one of the largest produce trade shows in North America. With more than 5,000 attendees meeting more than 400 exhibitors in one day, there’s a lot of business to do in a short amount of time.

All exhibitors have the same size booth, all in one hall, putting every company on an equal playing field to influence buyers.

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Singer, from page 48 “He will lead us as we look to utilize, integrate and plan technology as we seek to maximize efficiency. In addition as we look to grow organically and with acquisitions, Michael will help us create the vision and future architecture of our key platforms.”

Prior to joining Singer, the veteran executive was at the helm of AutoQuotes where he spent almost 10 years as the President. At AutoQuotes, Greenwald played a key role in creating a software product, which revolutionized the way professionals display, quote and sell foodservice equipment and supplies. Taking his dealer background, Greenwald was able to build and lead a team that utilized technology to reinvent what for years was a cumbersome manual process. The AutoQuotes product enables manufacturers to collect product data electronically that allows dealers to search a catalog, select items and automatically

Kravet, from page 98 generate a quote that could be sent to customers.

“I am so excited about how I have been welcomed,” Greenwald added.

“Singer has a great blend of some the most talented seasoned professionals in the industry and an influx of bright young talent. I am looking forward to the challenge of bringing the latest in technology to our team with a goal of maximizing our value to our end-user customers.”

Singer Equipment Company is one of the ten largest foodservice equipment and supplies distributors in the United States, providing daily deliveries from Connecticut to northern Virginia. Singer’s corporate headquarters and distribution center is located in Elverson, PA. Ten contract offices, throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia,and Florida, provide kitchen design and installation services nationwide.

Taxes. So often the only hard fought negotiation is the base rent. How much a square foot will I be paying?

That is a very short-sided approach.

If it’s a NNN lease and the tenant is responsible for taxes and common area maintenance (CAM) then the tenant needs to be very vigilant to protect themselves from any number of scenarios. ex; If the taxes doubled because the building was sold for a very high price based on a redevelopment opportunity and the taxes are the responsibility of the restaurateur/ tenant the tenant needs to protect themselves in the lease. It’s not fair for the tenant to bear the brunt of the tax increase for a building he/she did not sell or benefit by the increased value.

CAM: Most of the national tenants have % caps in their CAM charges.

Restaurateurs tend not to look at this carefully. The only time is when the landlord sends them a year-end reconciliation statement and the money

they counted on for their investors or for a well-deserved vacation is now owed to the landlord.

Demographics and Trend: It’s so important to know your target audience, where they live and work and how they will find you now and in the years to come. There are various sources to spot trends, anticipated construction and street widening and closures that may affect your visibility, access, parking that you need to be aware of prior to committing to a long term lease obligation.

Last but definitely not least hire a really good commercial broker with restaurant lease experience to represent you. That means if the landlord has a broker that is not a restaurateur broker. His/her job is to get the best possible deal for the landlord, not the tenant. A good tenant broker is invaluable to the long-term success of the restaurant.

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Edamam, from page 36 The engineer’s approach: While restaurateurs are engineers of food, they might be able to pick up a few tips from engineers of data.

Software companies, for example, use data in their business on a daily basis to measure, change and improve their products. Gathering data on a menu’s nutrition is not all that different.

The same approach used by engineers in the software space can be applied to a restaurant’s menu. First, start measuring the data. That means, having the nutrition of each meal – not just calories, but everything, from protein, fat and sugar to applicability for new diets such as gluten-free and paleo. Restaurants do not have to show the data to the end customer to measure it. Having an awareness of the nutrition data of menu items will help restaurants stay informed of what is selling well and how their menu can evolve to continue to attract and

retain customers. For instance, if a restaurant notices that customers order meals heavy on protein, they can adjust menus favorably in this direction. Menus do not need to be re-conceptualized or substantially changed.

The key is to measure and experiment with a new dish or ingredient and track what people do. Over time, restaurants may find themselves with a completely new menu, but one that brings in a lot more customers, has better margins and draws rave reviews on Yelp and shares on Instagram.

Getting nutrition data in a timely and affordable way: Does a chef or a restaurant owner really have the time and the money to play around with data? Nutrition data is not easy or cheap to come by, especially if you are going to switch things around all the time. Right? Wrong! For most restaurants, if a nutrition-driven

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menu is not their focus or they are not required to provide this information by law, nutrition data is a burden and a drag. However, obtaining nutrition data is not as difficult, time-consuming, or expensive as one might think.

What restaurants often do not realize is that there are several ways to obtain accurate nutrition data, ranging from the very expensive and timeconsuming, to the cheap and easy. If one approaches nutrition data the traditional way, it can indeed be a slow and expensive proposition. Hiring a nutritionist can cost $100 per recipe. A chemical analysis is even more expensive and both this and a nutritionist take time and the attention of the chef, who would rather be cooking. Other solutions on the market can be just as accurate as a nutritionist, but quick, cheap and easy. Edamam’s Nutrition Wizard Pro is a self-serve nutrition analysis tool that costs $22.95/month

and can analyze the nutrition of any recipe or ingredient list in seconds. It will give all the data restaurants need to track nutrients, diet and allergen appropriateness and lets restaurants get on their way to tackling nutrition for their menu, regardless of how small or large of a restaurant they are.

So, in the slow hours between lunch and dinner, restaurants can take five to ten minutes at the most to analyze, edit, and adjust their recipes.

Restaurants can try other tools too or hire a nutritionist friend. Regardless of which path restaurants take, the point is to start tracking how customers in a restaurant really eat from a nutrition standpoint.

Where is the dilemma?

For more information, please visit www.edamam.com or developer.edamam.com.

December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 107

NJRHA Gala Awards, from page 86 Jersey Business and Industry Association). His Lifetime Achievement Award comes at a perfect moment: the 100-year anniversary of Perona Farms. Through the venue’s annual wild game dinners and other events, Perona Farms has raised over half a million dollars for various charities over the years.

Wade Avondoglio has played an important role in the industry, with such roles as representing New Jersey on the National Restaurant Association’s Board of Directors, and representing the United States as an Exchange Director for the Canadian Restaurant Association. Wade is particularly proud of his time traveling around the world to judge the best food service program in the United States Air Force.

Gold Plate honoree Michael Sirianni is the Principal of the Culinary Education Center at Monmouth County Vocational School District. He helped create the two-year innovative culinary arts program. He is instrumental in assisting students with college placement as well as helping them find jobs in local restaurants and hotels during school and after graduation. Most importantly, he is creating a talented workforce feeding into our state’s hospitality industry while providing careers for our state’s youth.

Kirk Ruoff, Founder and CEO of ​ Turning Point Holding Company was recognized by NJRHA for his fastgrowing restaurant chain. Comprised of 14 restaurants to date, Turning Point has 11 locations in New Jersey and 3 in Pennsylvania. The company is very involved in each of the communities in which it resides. Last year, Turning Point raised close to a quarter of a million dollars for various charities to support its customers and communities. ​Anthony and Lou Calandra learned the inner workings of their family’s business, Calandra’s Bakery, at a young age. The small, family-owned bakery in Newark that their father,

an Italian immigrant, founded in 1962 quickly earned a reputation for producing delicious bread. Today, Anthony and Lou have expanded their family business with two additional bakeries, three Italian restaurants, and four family-owned and operated hotels. The bakeries deliver their products to more than 500 supermarkets, delis, and restaurants in the tri-state area. The family also produces and sells their own line of olive oil, coffee, fresh pasta, homemade

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sauces, and wines from their vineyard in Italy. Although their business has grown substantially within the past 50 years, the Calandra family remains driven by hard work, traditional family values, and a focus on customer service.

The Annual Awards Gala, a black tie event created to honor the winners and celebrate the restaurant and hospitality industry, is traditionally held the Monday evening after Thanksgiving and hosts approximately 350

people.

Established in 1942, the New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association represents the Garden State’s 25,000 eating and drinking establishments— the state’s largest private sector employers, generating $14.2 billion in annual sales and employing over 318,000 people. Support, education, and advocacy for its members are part of the NJRHA’s recipe for success and why it has become an essential ingredient for the hospitality industry.

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Sederholt, from page 28 received – 80% of it was filled with superlatives and self aggrandizements and 20% with data, assumptions and projections that were either poorly crafted, indefensible or could come off as worse - incompetence. As an old restaurant owner once told me – “less sizzle – more steak.”

3. Don’t skip over important details – the Business Plan in my hand talks about demographics,

household incomes, fabulous traffic… blah, blah, blah – but NOWHERE did they present the details about the most important fixed cost effecting their business. The lease!

What are the terms of this all important liability of the business?

What is the term, base rent cost, pass through expenses, escalations, guarantees, guarantors, renewal options, rights to sub-let and assign??

Did any of this get accurately mod-

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eled into the projections? You know the answer.

4. THINK before you make rash statements – As I went through the descriptive part of the plan then looked at the projections, I was struck by a couple of remarkable features. a. The management said they were going to serve lunch and dinner 7 days a week and have a late

night bar with entertainment. OK, so then to my surprise, the Personnel Forecast called for a total of 3 cooks and 1 dishwasher for the entire year. This for a restaurant doing over $1.5MM in sales!! That would mean these employees would never go home! Same for managers – just 1! The personnel cost reflected this assumption and the associated payroll they provided would pay these poor employees about $3 per hour.

This is just silly and makes these guys look like amateurs. b. As prescribed by Business Plan aficionados, the plan included a long list of marketing, advertising and promotional programs they were envisioning. Print ads, TV, Radio, promotions, social media, PR, you name it. None of these fluff points spoke of cost, benefit, impact ROI. Then I got to the pro forma P&L and they had $5,000 as the annual spend for all this. Maybe $5,000 per month could launch this plan, but not $95 a week! c. Then my favorite – the plan was for targeting a $400,000 financing yet the financial projections did not reflect DEBT SERVICE anywhere!

How can you show a profitable P&L statement and not pay down your loan? Deceptive or ignorant? How can you not show the debt on your balance sheet? This tells me they’re not very concerned about paying back their lenders!!

Just going through the motions of writing a Business Plan isn’t going to get you the financing you need.

It needs to show that you know what you are talking about and can defend your position with facts, not fluff. This is one of the reasons that so many restaurant owners can’t get the capital they need. Remember – more steak, less sizzle!

If you want to discuss your business or have questions on finance or operations, you can email me at dsederholt@sfscapital.com

Peter Kaplan, from page 52 we rely on to keep us living in comfort increase. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated phenomenon, but a global trend spreading across all continents.

No matter where we live or what job we have, we pay more to keep our homes warm, our fridges full and our cars operating.

Restaurants in the U.S. have one of the greatest energy intensities of any type of commercial building—an average of 38 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity and 111 cubic feet of natural gas annually per square foot (ft2).

So how does the energy price increase affect the food industry such as restaurants?

The current global food system is highly fuel- and transport-dependent.

The connection between food and oil is systemic, and the prices of both food and fuel have risen and fallen more or less in tandem in recent years.

Energy prices have a big effect on the food sector. Some of these are fairly

Sampson, from page 92 obvious. When higher oil prices result in higher prices for gasoline and diesel fuel, it costs more to get products from farms to final consumers. Whether a food item is moved by ship, train, semi or pickup, the price of fuel will affect the cost of transportation, and higher transportation costs generally mean higher food prices.

Every meal served at restaurants includes hidden costs determined by the rising energy costs. Generally speaking, cooking and refrigerating food, but also keeping storage spaces to specific conditions and ventilating spaces properly are energy-consuming activities that must go on for long schedules. Because of food safety issues, restaurant kitchens cannot afford to cut back on service quality and therefore must increase their prices.

Apart from this, getting the food from the source to the restaurant’s storage area falls under the pressure of transportation fuel costs.

million New Yorkers hold jobs in the city and are presumably looking for something new on their lunch break. … The expansions of Taco Bell and Chick-fil-A come as operating costs rise, fueled by rents and increased wages. The minimum wage for fastfood employees will rise to $13.50 December 31 and will reach $15 by the end of next year [2018].”

I think it would be fair to say that we, the industry, are going through some major changes. It seems that every day a new chain announces its arrival, and at the same time a long-term, established one is either downsizing or leaving the stage. A long-term independent will not be renewing his or her lease after 20 or so years. No sooner have we rearranged our staff to deal with the minimum wage, than, come January we will have to do it all over again. And, now I have noticed that my neighborhood supermarket has expanded

its ready-to-eat aisles.

I asked a good friend of mine who has been in the business for 48 years—and within that time developed a small chain—to sum up what he thinks of the present status of the industry. Here is what he said: “Ruby’s, TGIF, Chili’s, Applebee’s, and my restaurants, among others, are facing declining customer counts. Store closures everywhere … they all have closed stores. Obviously, the ‘good’ locations will be reconfigured. High rents, fast-casuals, and declining traffic are having a negative effect on the industry segment we are in. Independents have difficulty competing with chain advertising and purchasing power. I have made it 48 years; not sure if I’ll see 50.”

The word “flux” is defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary as “flowing, continual change.” I would suggest that best describes the status of the foodservice industry today.

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Costas Spiliadis, from page 50 come and make together their menu for the night.

Please describe the dining room renovations and the new subterranean private dining space. What inspired these plans and how did these ideas come to fruition?

With my initial 20-year lease of Milos New York coming to maturity in July 2017, the renewal of this space was a major concern for me over the last few years. I was fortunate enough to be approached by our landlord almost 3 years before lease maturity to negotiate the terms of a 20-year extension. I have an amazing relationship with my landlord in New York and they value the presence of Milos in their building, therefore they approached us with very reasonable terms for a 20-year lease renewal, which has been uncommon in New York lately. They also offered two additional premises: a 10,000 square foot lower level space and an 850 square foot retail space. The new subterranean private dining space adds 200 seats of flexible private dining, featuring a grand marble spiral staircase. Our high demand for private dining over the last 20 years and the feedback that we consistently receive from our guests regarding private dining inspired the plans to expand to private dining. We are now capable of accommodating larger groups, which we have never been able to do in the past. The main dining room renovation includes imported Pentelikon marble, used on some of Greece’s most famed landmarks, including the Parthenon, pyrofania lights, which adorn the bow of the fishing boats that supply the restaurant, and Dinesen heart oak wood floors.

Please describe the menu at Estiatorio Milos. What is the process involved in selecting the offerings?

How often does the menu change?

Our menu is in reality just a general guide and guests rely very little on the menu. For all practical purposes, the real menu is our fish market where one finds and selects his/her lunch or dinner. Based on availability, seasonality, weather condition and luck, every day our fish market/ menu may offer different goodies.

Heirloom tomatoes in August and September, stone crabs in the winter, soft shell crabs in the summer, sardines and anchovies when not a full moon, red snapper of a certain size and up to help with its sustainability.. wild spinach in October and artichokes in May. We work directly with small producers and fishermen whom we trust. Fishermen that care to leave fish for their children and grandchildren to continue the family’s profession.

at Milos can make them look good that makes us very happy. To receive such a prestigious reward, I guess, it reconfirms the efforts that we make to provide to all our guests a memorable experience in our city.

Estiatorio Milos recently won the Concierge Choice Awards’ International Cuisine Category. What are the criteria considered when presenting this award to the recipient?

Established in 2007, the Concierge Choice Awards recognize companies, organizations, and individuals who create exceptional experiences for New York City visitors. Winners are selected by a committee of the city’s most recognized concierges in New York City. Estiatorio Milos was recognized for its unparalleled dedication to quality ingredients and traditional Greek Cuisine.

What does the future look like for

What does winning the Concierge Choice Awards’ International Cuisine Category represent to you on a personal level?

Its’ recognition that I am on the right path; that doing what I am passionate about is appreciated and our food connects with more people on a bigger scale. Concierges will see the guests when they return from the places that they recommend. They must look good to their guests. If we

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You have brought exceptional ingredients from the Mediterranean to Estiatorio Milos. How did you develop such strong relationships with your Mediterranean purveyors?

The core of what I am doing is to create relationships with small producers and work with generations of farmers and fishermen, supporting their way of doing things, always with respect to nature. I have been developing these personal relationships for almost 40 years now and there is a mutual trust and pride between Milos and our suppliers.

Costas Spiliadis and Estiatorio Milos? Expansion?

Our future is exciting. We are honored to be opening a second restaurant in New York in 2019 as part of the Hudson Yards development project alongside several great chefs. We are currently working on expansions via projects that are complementary to our brand and to our mission to continuously enhance the world’s perception of Greek cuisine. Our first Markato will be opening later this year, showcasing Greece and the world’s finest ingredients in a specialty retail store adjacent to the Milos New York location on 55th.

With our restaurants in Montreal, New York, Athens, Las Vegas, Miami and London, we have gained an international following of loyal guests that would love to see us expand to various metropolitan cities around the world… stay tuned.

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Anchor Packaging, from page 6 ing packaged. The price jump to the Culinary Square from the clamshell is certainly financially viable, and in addition to compliance with the law, operators stand to gain a better marketing vehicle for their food.

Also, the Culinary Squares are leakproof and provide visibility of the contents, which eliminates waste caused through wrong orders.

The Nature’s Best product line offers a variety of different ovalshaped items. Anchor Packaging offers their customers multiple tiered products in an effort to provide the most appropriate solution for their businesses. Some of the products are upscale, while others are designed to function as a single use, price sensitive option. “We aim to provide our customers with the right product, that will work best within their particular business. We have some products that were developed for quick service chains, as well as some platters that can be used for both hot and cold food. Also, we’ve created products that can be microwaved or used to house a salad.

Having products that provide multiple solutions in a single unit really helps customers minimize their packaging costs,” said Marilyn Stapleton, Director of Marketing.

The Incredi-Bowls product line is another great food packaging solution. There are twelve different polypropylene bowls within that line with a variety of different diameters. The products in the IncrediBowls line all have polypropylene lids, are fully microwavable, and are offered at a very attractive price.

Anchor Packaging’s tagline is “innovation worldwide,” and they certainly live up to that mission.

The company has created the Crisp Food Technology, which has been built into several of the containers.

Customers have found that containers with the Crisp Food Technology can keep French fries hot and crisp

for thirty minutes. “Our containers with the Crisp Food Technology are great for keeping French fries or fried chicken hot and crisp. It’s really the only product on the market that will do that,” said Thaler.

Anchor Packaging has received a long list of awards for their clever, innovative, and reliable products. In its capacity as a family owned business, Anchor Packaging can really focus on customer service and help customers to select the most appropriate and advantageous packaging solutions. The New York City foam ban will certainly cause restaurant operators a lot of stress, but Anchor Packaging is prepared to ease that pain. Interested operators can contact their distributors, or even log onto the Anchor Packaging website to have a look at the products.

There is an opportunity on the website for interested parties to receive product samples, free of charge. Anchor Packaging provides a full line of strong, reliable, spill-proof and foam-free food packaging solutions to help operators navigate a potential foam ban.

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ICE Expansion, from page 2 business. This will allow students to “double major” and learn both how to work in and make money from the business of food.

“California has always been a trendsetter when it comes to the culinary arts,” said Panorea Avdis, Director, Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. “ICE’s new LA campus will ensure future generations of top chefs are pushing the boundaries of our state’s longestablished variety of cuisines and locally sourced ingredients, which gives us that added advantage as a global destination for adventure seekers, business travelers and entrepreneurs, alike.”

ICE is currently one of the toprated culinary schools in the nation, receiving a ranking as the number one culinary school in America from The Daily Meal in 2016, and distinctions from the International Association of Culinary Profession-

Liberty Coke, from page 8 als, FSR Magazine, online education directories and more. Over the years, numerous ICE alumni have won top national awards and become leaders in the field. Prominent alumni include Chefs Mark Murphy and Vivian Howard, Top Chef’s Gail Simmons and Modernist Cuisine co-author Maxime Bilet. Many ICE alumni have launched successful businesses in the Los Angeles area, including: Zoe Nathan (Rustic Canyon), Steve Samson (Sotto and Rossoblu) and Vic Casanova (Gusto).

“At ICE, our mission is to enable the creative light within each individual, empowering them to find rewarding careers in the culinary and hospitality industries,” said Smilow.

“We’ve helped more than 14,000 alumni find their culinary and hospitality voices, and are thrilled to be able to bring that mission to the west coast and Los Angeles area.”

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Resources are in place to develop a culture of ownership, safety and fun; where associates are empowered to make decisions that will impact the future growth of the business The closing of Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages is among the final transactions to complete the Coca-Cola Company’s process of refranchising all of its U.S. bottling territories. The bottling system in North America now will be comprised of economically aligned partners that are able to serve major customers while maintaining strong, local ties throughout diverse communities across the country.

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NYSRA, from page 10 continuing to explore other avenues to fight against these unfair laws and will continue to update you all on these possible routes when we have meaningful information to share. If you have any questions about these new laws please contact our Government Affairs Director Kevin Dugan at Kevin@nysra.org. These new regulations are separate from the scheduling rules released by the Department of Labor that affects those businesses included in the Miscellaneous Wage Order, which restaurants do not fall under.

Department of Transportation Addresses NYS Restaurant Association NYC Chapter- A win for Restaurant Owners! (Thank You DOT!) There has been some confusion amongst our members in New York City over recently amended transpor-

tation rules regarding Commercial Bike Regulations. To clear up some of the questions surrounding this issue, the NYS Restaurant Association NYC Chapter Board was joined at their monthly meeting by members of the Department of Transportation who provided much needed clarity.

The Department outlined that restaurants are NOT responsible for the education and safety of those delivery cyclists that work for 3rd party delivery companies. Those companies are the sole responsible parties and if restaurants have been cited for violations for delivery drivers outside of their control, they should contact the department immediately. If you have further questions on this issue please contact our Government Affairs Director Kevin Dugan at Kevin@nysra. org or visit the Department of Transportation website regarding bike laws at www.nyc.gov/bikes.

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Bobrow, from page 26 ents are more expensive for certain, but your cocktail program deserves the best cocktail mixers. Just like your craft cocktails deserve the best core ingredients. But what does this mean to your drink program?

If the value of your customer is worthy of their patronage in your bar/restaurant, the identity of each of the parts of their drinks should be as important as the rest of the equation. Q-Drinks are very special for their aromatics and their memory.

You will always remember the pertinent flavor and aromatic essence for each of their expressions: Spectacular Tonic- offering a spicy, classic aromatics of quinine and herbs, perfect for a Botanical Gin or their new Indian Tonic- a tad more bitter and a touch sweeter than the classic tonic water, the Indian Tonic works especially well with the steely finish of London Dry Gin. There is the Spectacular Ginger Ale- a smooth operator for an adult Ice Cream Soda- with vanilla ice cream, vanilla syrup, Q-Drinks Ginger Ale and Foursquare Rum. That’s a drink I can day-drink with! The Spectacular Ginger Beer calls out for a robust Rye Whiskey such as Barrell Rye Whiskey, barrel strength spirits call out for the sharper, more acerbic and spicy version of the classic Ginger Beer. This version has a decidedly crisp finish and extra gas for a cocktail mixer with pizzazz!

Q-Drinks is famous for their Spectacular Club Soda, made in the classic manner with a pinch of Himalayan Salt to give depth and character to this often forgotten mixer. Q-Drinks has resurrected the art of fizzy water to a new standard of excellence. Recommended mixtures include adding several splashes to a Ti-Punch made with Rhum Agricole, lime, and a touch of cane sugar syrup. Finally, the Spectacular Q-Kola is bursting with memories, woven with ‘carefully selected spic-

es from real trees and plants.’ This is the kind of mixer I want to work with because the delectability of the flavors. The Q-Kola is what cola should taste like, if it wasn’t pumped full of artificial ingredients and sweeteners. Q-Grapefruit screams out for more than a full portion of Mezcal, or in a pinch, well-made extra old- Anejo Tequila. Q-Kola is a magnificent stead, galloping under full stress. It is not sweetened with corn syrup, but this marvelous fizzy soda is sweetened with a touch of agave syrup. There are freshly cut herbs and spices in each sniff, but don’t sniff too hard, you want to drink this soda instead of taking it up your nose. Mix this marvelous liquid with un-manipulated rum, that means no added sugar, caramel color nor glycerin and taste what the original rum and cola was meant to taste like. Success in small ventures is possible when you take the time to mix your cocktails with the very best fizzy liquids that money can buy. Q-Drinks should fit that bill very nicely.

Basic Recipe for Spectacular Q-Drinks in your guest’s hand Pre-Chilled Collins Glass Ingredients: • Fresh Ice –not tasting like garlic or last week’s fish special • Q-Drinks of your choice • Craft Spirit of your choice • Bitters of your choice Prep: 1. Pre-chill your Collins Glass 2. Add a portion of your Craft Spirit 3. Top with Spectacular QDrinks Soda 4. Dot with Bitters 5. Finish with a zest cut only with a paring knife 6. Serve with a smile to your guest December 2017 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com • 119