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LEGISLATION // NEWS National Restaurant Association Files Appeal To Tackle Cuomo’s $15 Wage Edict

T

he National Restaurant Association is fighting New York’s anticipated $15-per-hour minimum wage hike in the restaurant industry’s latest wage battle.

The group argued that the New York Department of Labor’s order to raise the minimum wage from $8.75 to $15 an hour by 2021 marked a “thinly veiled” attempt by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to circumvent an “unwilling legislature” to advance his agenda.

In a 26-page filing, association attorney Randy Mastro said the wage board and Labor Commissioner Mario J. Musolino’s actions were, “thinly veiled attempts by Governor Cuo-

mo and his appointees to maneuver around an unwilling state legislature and to enact their own policy choices.”

Cuomo spokesman Richard

“Singling out a sector of one industry to have a higher minimum wage than all other occupations is unfair and arbitrary,” said Melissa Fleischut, President & CEO of NYSRA.

4 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

Azzopardi said, “The governor’s action will help lift more than 200,000 New Yorkers out of poverty and ends the backdoor corporate welfare that rewards fast food companies for paying sub-poverty wages.

It’s unfortunate, but not surprising that these same corporations will be fighting to protect the status quo.”

In its appeal, the association claims that the governor violated the state’s separa-

continued on page 124

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 5

// NEWS

COMPENSATION

Meyer Set to Eliminate Tipping At USHG’s Manhattan Properties

I

n mid-November, diners at the New York restaurants Gramercy Tavern and The Modern may notice something new on their menus: higher prices, across the board.

Why? Because the man in charge of those and 11 other celebrated eateries is doing away with tipping. Danny Meyer, the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group (who also founded Shake Shack), says tipping is actually a big problem for his industry.

Kurt Stephens is general manager of Packhouse, a restaurant in Newport, Ky., that has eliminated tips in favor of a higher hourly rate for its servers.

“I think that restaurant patrons have unwittingly believed that they could, if they wanted to, use their tip to punish bad service, and/or to praise great service,” Meyer said. “What that’s done over the years has actually been quite the opposite, because the average American restaurant-goer leaves the exact same tip, irrespective of the service they receive. And unfortunately, none of those tips that you leave in a restaurant may be shared with the full team, i.e. the cooks, the dishwashers, the prep cooks, the butchers, etc.”

But it might not be easy to bridge that gap between what the servers make and what the dishwashers make. Meyer says that since he started in the restaurant business 30 years ago, he’s seen “something fascinating and completely unfair: waiters’ income in a fine-dining restaurant has gone up well over 200 percent.”

That’s happened for two reasons:

“menu prices have gone up and the average tip that people leave has actually gone up from around 15 percent in 1985 to about 21 percent today.”

Meanwhile, Meyer says, workers at the back of the house who don’t get tipped have seen their hourly wage go up only 22 to 25 percent.

At Gramercy Tavern, in New York City, one of Danny Meyer’s restaurants, Meyer says he will try to keep the new prices on par with a 21 percent tip what diners have been adding on average lately.

“So by incorporating everything in the menu prices, and therefore having it be the restaurant’s responsibility to pay everybody a fair wage, we think we have the opportunity to make a great place to work for everybody not just servers, but also for our cooks,” he says.

Meyer says he hopes it’ll also solve the problem of servers having to take a pay cut of about 25 percent if they want to move up and become managers. “We’re going to change that,” he says.

Of course, this sea change in how his restaurants are run will result

in higher menu prices. How much?

Meyer says, “When you get your bill, it should look just about exactly as it would have if you had left your gratuity in the old days.”

“This strategy could also help finedining restaurants in expensive cities like New York City hold on to cooks who now might find even better opportunities at fast food restaurants,” Meyer says.

“We’ve never faced a labor shortage the way we have right now,” he says.

“The fast food industry is by law going to be raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour. So why would you tell your parents, ‘Gee, please help me pay the bills for a culinary education so I can make less than in a white-tablecloth restaurant.”

Will other restaurants follow?

“There’s a huge number of colleagues in our industry who will be watching very, very closely,” says Meyer. “We felt a responsibility to go first, and we’re proud to do it because it’s the right thing to do. And I really think you’re going to see this happen all over the country.”

Main Office: 282 Railroad Avenue Greenwich, CT 06830 Publishers: Leslie & Fred Klashman Advertising Director: Michael Scinto Art Director: Mark Sahm Contributing Writers Warren Bobrow Laurie Forster Morgan Tucker Fred Sampson Marjorie Borell Staff Writers Deborah Hirsch Intern Alexis Robinson Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325 Email: tfs@totalfood.com Web: www.totalfood.com

Cover Photo Credit: Eric Groom

“We felt a responsibility to go first, and we’re proud to do it because it’s the right thing to do. And I really think you’re going to see this happen all over the country.”

6 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.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 2015 by IDA Publishing Inc. Contents in full or part may not be reproduced without permission. Not responsible for advertisers claims or statements.

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November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 7

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// NEWS

ASSOCIATIONS

NJ Restaurant & Hospitality Association To Host 2015 Annual Awards Gala

F

or some, Thanksgiving weekend means family, football and Black Friday shopping.

For our state’s restaurant & hospitality industry it’s known as the weekend before the biggest event of the year: The New Jersey Restaurant & Hospitality Association’s (NJRHA) 2015 Annual Awards Gala.

On Monday, November 30th the NJRHA will host its 2015 Annual Awards Gala to honor the industry’s best. The event, starting at 6:00pm, is open to the public and will be held at the breathtaking Stone House in Stirling Ridge, NJ. Tickets cost $225 per person and some sponsorship packages are still available.

“Our Gala couldn’t be held at a more spectacular place this year, nor the honorees be more special,” said Marilou Halvorsen, President of the NJRHA, “Each year we shift the Gala to different areas of the state to let our members and guests know that we represent all eating and lodging establishments in New Jersey. And, as for the honorees, the panel of industry judges who selected them back in May did an amazing job. These recipients are a testament to how many superb restaurant and hospitality leaders there are in New Jersey.”

The guest of honor for the evening this year is Steve Bidgood, owner of Salt Creek Grille in Princeton and Rumson, NJ. Bidgood is the recipient of the prestigious “Restaurateur of the Year Award” and a well-known philanthropist in his community. In addition, Donald Horn, founder of Mayfair

Farms and a highly-respected person in the industry will be bestowed the Deborah Roy-Dowdell Lifetime Achievement Award. Other recipients include two Gold Plate Winners: Michael Certulo and Joanne Sczerbit.

Certulo is the owner of Scalini Fedeli, (Chatham), Il Mondo Vecchio (Madison), Sirena Ristorante (Long Branch) and Sczerbit is the General Manager at Mayfair Farms in West Orange. Lastly, chef/owner George Krytatas of SweetWater Bar & Grill, Cinnaminson NJ will be given the Hospitality Award, which is a new member of the Association and represents an individual who shows immense warmth and generosity of their time.

The evening’s theme of “elements” fits the natural, stone environment of the Stone House. Black tie is encouraged for all guests, however any formal attire is welcome. This year’s Annual Awards Gala will host approximately 300 to 350 people.

For more information about the Gala or if you’d like to purchase a ticket or sponsorship please contact Zoey Kramer at (609) 599-3316 or zkramer@njra.org.

Michael Certulo, Joanne Sczerbit, Donald Horn, Steve Bidgood, George Krytatas

10 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

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November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 13

// EYE

METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

Ace Endico’s Annual Trade Show

O

nce again the Ace Endico team proved that they are constantly setting new standards for creativity in trade shows. The Ace Endico team led by Vice President and marketing guru Laura EndicoVerzello brought the firm’s annual show to the hallowed and honored decks of the USS Intrepid. In true Ace Endico style they brought the best of the new and best of the old with them to the show’s new venue. After a pair of highly successful shows at Yankee Stadium, they brought the flavor of Yankee baseball with them. Iconic great Johnny Damon and Cecil Fielder who both won championships with the Bronx Bombers were on hand to greet Ace Endico’s customers.

“We are constantly looking for those very special venues that make New York City so special,” noted Laura Endico-Verzello. New York City’s Intrepid Sea, Air & Space

Museum Complex is an educational and cultural non-profit institution centered on the aircraft carrier Intrepid. The mission of the Museum is to promote the awareness and understanding of history, science and service through its collections, exhibitions and programming in order to honor our heroes, educate the public and inspire our youth.

“The Intrepid and its history represent so many of the characteristics that we strive for as a company.

In our eyes we chose a venue to be proud of and to showcase our growth.”

Once again show guests were treated to over 200 vendor booths offering special pricing, new and exciting food demonstrations. EYE visited with many local food and beverage leaders including: Epic’s Bob St. Martin, Creative Sales And Marketing Group’s Lisa Aprile, United Pickle’s Stephen Leibowitz, B&A’s Marc Middleberg, Palacios’s

(L to R)The Ace Endico Senior Management team, Murray Hertzberg, William Endico, Laura Endico-Verzello, Michael Endico, and Matthew Hertzberg.

14 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

Fred Steiner. Satur Farms’ Paulette Satur, WestRock’s Eric Kershenbaum, Arista’s Daniel Suseck, Norpaco’s Nick Tancredi and Pepsico’s Marin Schiffenhaus. “We had a huge turnout. Our customers had been calling our Customer support staff and Account Executives, asking for additional food show tickets. Customers who have attended in years past can’t wait for the next show. And the customers who were unable to come last year, made sure they made it this year! “It was a great event,” Endico-Verzello added. Founded in 1982, by William A. Endico and Murray Hertzberg, Ace Endico is the largest distributor in Westchester and Putnam Counties servicing the tri-state area. The firm’s state-of-the-art facility houses an all-encompassing inventory featuring dairy, produce, meats, seafood, fine imported specialty products, paper, canned goods and everything in between.

Retired MLB greats Johnny Damon (L), with Ace Endico CEO, William Endico (C), and Cecil Fielder (R) were on hand to meet and greet attendees.

Aboard the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex, the Ace Endico’s annual tasting show was packed with local Tri-State foodservice operators.

A wide range of seafood products were on hand, such as NJ based Ruggerio Seafood.

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// NEWS

SPECIAL EVENTS

New York City Wine & Food Festival Holds 8th Annual Celebration

H

ear the words “food festival” and usually the image that comes to mind is that of gluttony: people indulging in sumptuous feasts, drinking wine from elaborate goblets, basically a bacchanalian free-for-all. Or, maybe the picture those words paint is one of wealth and privilege: entry to many of the more famous food fests comes with a hefty price tag.

What you probably don’t envision is 100% of proceeds- upwards of $1 million going to charity. In fact, that’s exactly what New York City Wine & Food Festival is all about.

Having just celebrated its eighth anniversary, this Food Network and Food & Wine Magazine sponsored event uses one of the world’s greatest foodie cities as the backdrop for this charitable event. Culinary heavy-hitters from around the globe and celebrity chefs from Food Network gather to serve up delicious

dishes for a good cause.

NYCWFF was born back in 2007 as a one-night event called SWEET. The following year, the festival’s founder and director, Lee Brian Schrager, decided to take the event to the next level, launching what is now the New York City Wine and Food Festival. Sister-festival to South Beach Wine & Food, NYCWFF has quickly gained notoriety and acclaim as one of the country’s most successful food festivals.

Like South Beach Wine & Food, NYCWFF is held not only to celebrate great food, excellent wine and talented chefs and vintners, but to raise funds for hunger-relief. Proceeds go to the Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® campaign. NYCWFF has raised more than $6 million for these worthy causes.

In 2013, NYCWFF delivered the goods again, creating high-profile events like the Food & Wine Best

What you probably don’t envision is 100% of proceeds- upwards of $1 million going to charity. In fact, that’s exactly what New York City Wine & Food Festival is all about.

16 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

New Chefs 25th Anniversary Party, which was held at the luxurious Mandarin Oriental. Gourmet food was paired with sweeping views of Central Park, where celebrity chefs like Tom Colicchio, Andrew Carmellini and Daniel Boulud mingled with guests. Other not-to-be-missed

events during the festival included the Bank of America Dinner Series, more intimate affairs with meals prepared by chefs like Daniel Patterson and Michael Tusk, and the popular Global Night Market tasting

continued on page 122

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November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 17

// EYE

METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

Greenwich Takes Foodservice Center Stage With Annual Wine+Food Festival

The Greenwich 2015 Wine + Food Festival benefits Paul Newman’s The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and was hosted by Serendipity Magazine

T

he fifth annual GREENWICH WINE+FOOD FESTIVAL, presented by Serendipity magazine benefitting Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and The Greenwich Department of Parks and Recreation, held this past September became the festival’s best show with over 5,500 attendees celebrating food, commu-

Celebrity Chef Rocco DiSpirito demonstrated culinary techniques to festivalgoers

nity, charity, culture and music.

The three day festival kicked-off with an intimate event including enjoying a five-course dinner, accompanied by awarded select wines. And the Most Innovative Chefs Gala featured the 2015 Most Innovative Chef winners from restaurants across Fairfield and Westchester Counties serving an incredible tasting menu.

The center of the entire GREENWICH 2015 WINE+FOOD FESTIVAL, the Culinary Village, offered tastings and demonstrations from more than two hundred food, wine, spirits and product vendors. Culinary demonstration tents and stages housed cooking presentations by celebrity chefs and local talent, such as Kathie Lee Gifford, Geoffrey Zakarian and Adam Richman. Guests also enjoyed sommelier presentations, celebrity chef book signings, the fourth annual Burger Battle, the second annual Top Bartender’s Showdown, Barbecue & Bluegrass, and a live musical performance by Little Big Town. In

Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman and host of Kimberly’s Simply Southern met with fans

18 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

addition, VIP ticket holders enjoyed a VIP Big Easy Dinner, celebrating the culinary, musical and festive atmosphere of New Orleans. This tented event featured a traditional Louisiana jazz marching band, the Festival’s Ambassador Chefs serving up signature small plates with a New Orleans twist, premium liquor, wines and beer.

Winners of the Burger Battle, included Plan B winning the Judges Choice and Westchester Burger winning the People’s Choice. Sasha Jarufe from Harvest Wine Bar in Greenwich won the Judges choice for the Top Bartender Showdown, along with Dimitrios Zahariadis of Highland Brass Co. in Waterbury, CT taking home the People’s Choice award to a wide diversity of students at schools including: the CIA, Johnson and Wales, Paul Smith College, City Tech, Cornell University and the University of Massachusetts.

Photos courtesy of Serendipity Magazine.

Kathy Lee Gifford alongside Geoffrey Zakarian

Adam Richman hosted this year’s Burger Battle

Reggae group, The Wailers, hit the stage to kick off the festivities.

BOOTH #2710

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 19

// NEWS

DEALER EXPANSION

NJRE Continues Explosive Growth Track with Debut Of New Facility

W

ho better than a chef to buy your equipment from? That’s the thinking behind the hiring of NJRE director of sales and design, and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Mike Cinosky, to run the advising and purchasing of restaurant kitchen supplies for Metro New York operations.

With the addition of Cinosky, the business – a mix of used and new products – has evolved to not only setting up but designing and the construction of kitchens, or, as he likes to put it, “Everything from soup to nuts.”

The company, currently located in Bergen County will open a second location in December in North Bergen, according to Cinosky. This location will eventually become the company’s one place of business.

Why the move to New Jersey? “The cost associated with being in New York City, where we were previously located, was too great. The cost of business was appreciably higher so we had to charge higher prices. We knew people were looking for the best equipment for the best value, and that’s what we can offer them here.”

“The company’s advantage in having a background in used equipment is in understanding the features in new equipment,” says Cinosky. “We have people who are experts in the field for refurbishing. For new equipment, we hire chefs who understand how the equipment is used. We have the technical aspect as well as the operational. We’ve used the equipment,

“The company’s advantage in having a background in used equipment is in understanding the features in new equipment,” says Cinosky. we can help them on all levels.”

Prior to this, Cinosky owned a restaurant and was on the operations side of the business cooking and managing for over 20 years, so he knows what he’s talking about. “We purchased from NJRE and I could tell when we did, they knew what they were talking about,” he says. “It struck me that the operation as a whole was top-ofthe-line. I’ve been on the other side, so this was a natural progression for me. I can help people get set up and now I have a better quality of life. I have two kids and I’m still doing what I love, have a passion for, but at the end of the day I walk away, knowing I set them up properly to succeed.”

Cinosky knows the challenges firsthand. “When people come to me and ask, ‘How else do I want to set this up?’

I think about, let’s see, what’s the minimum for volume so they can pay their bills. Then I think about Friday and

20 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

Saturday night and how busy it needs to be and how efficiently the kitchen needs to run, because I’ve been doing hundreds of covers a night and I know how challenging that can be,” he says. “People appreciate that. I don’t sell things they don’t need; we’re not looking to gouge them. We want to make sure they’re coming back to us, because, if they’re successful, we’re successful. We’re doing 2nd and 3rd restaurants for people.”

In the new North Bergen operation, NJRE will have 24,000 square feet of warehouse/showroom/test kitchen/ design center. “Everything under one roof,” says Cinosky. “We’ll be able to test state-of-the- art equipment. We’re putting in really great equipment so people can see what’s out there.

There’s a lot of new technology coming, in combi ovens and in hoods and fryers, and we need the space to be able to teach our customer base how to use it properly.”

The new location will also include a conference room with a design team, where the drafting and modeling will be done. NJRE will also be using an “in house” architect that will be on site.

“And it’s in an urban enterprise zone, so when people come in to purchase and we’re delivering to New Jersey, we can charge 3.5% tax as opposed to 7%, a savings that’s passed on to the customer. When you’re talking $100,000$200,000 in equipment, that’s a big difference,” he notes.

NJRE originally was in the pizzeria equipment business, but expanded out, Cinosky explains, because pizza

ovens are now found in every kind of restaurant.

“Pizza is always going to be around, we’ve seen the pizza business continue to flourish, and that’s great for us because we do pizza ovens,” says Cinosky. “But now we’re seeing a new trend, wood-fired ovens. It’s the same concept in terms of pizza but we’re now seeing restaurants that don’t do any pizza. One restaurant imported a brick oven from Italy that’s wood-fired, but they don’t make pizza. They do all their breads and baked goods in there.

We’re seeing the pizza oven used for different applications – bread-baking, showcased items, putting out front, even cooking mussels in there. It gives restaurants the ability now to have a signature menu. We’re seeing the evolution of cooking the way cooking was done centuries before. It’s pretty cool.”

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212-206-6000 November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 21

// LITTLE M. TUCKER

WITH MORGAN TUCKER

Create Culinary Moments

‘P

eople remember moments not experiences’ was the sentiment of Thomas Koch’s Welcome Conference talk earlier this year. As the General Manger of Claridges, he aims to stop people in their tracks and create captivating moments that give guests tangible reasons to return to his property.

I spent most of this month in Europe and my greatest takeaway was that culinary moments are truly elevated when attention is paid to tabletop.

At the Lawcus Farm B&B outside of Kilkenny, authentic Irish breakfast was presented on Churchill China’s iconic Blue Willow. If you are not familiar with this distinctive and elaborate blue and white design, it tells an ancient forbidden love story about a young woman who gave up her fortune to marry for happiness. The couple is eventually transformed by gods into the two doves present in every piece of china. Blue Willow could have been

designed for this historic location and the destined couple operating the property.

Equidistant between Paris and Lyon lies La Relais Bernard Loiseau.

A true destination for epicureans, this three Michelin-starred property is one of the most celebrated gastronomic houses in history and the place where the greatest culinary experience of my life took place a few weeks ago. I commit a significant amount of time to visiting manufacturing facilities in order to become an expert in production and distribution. However, in all my travels I have found no greater representation or appreciation of a brand than Pillivuyt at Bernard Loiseau. After visiting a barn that houses every mold Pillivuyt produced, I had the privilege of seeing these iconic shapes in finished presentations at the most elevated level. The historic and innovative significance of Bernard Loiseau is evident in every course and every plate is Pillivuyt.

22 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

Morgan Tucker is a Senior Account

Culminating in the purchase of authentic Dirndl’s from the German countryside to wear to Oktoberfest, my trip to Selb was a true celebration. Playful introductions from Arzberg, bold colors from Versace, and elevated accents to traditional Rosenthal porcelain all provided confirmation that this factory is a

Executive and Director of Exclusive Collections at M. Tucker, a division of Singer Equipment Company. Her sales and marketing team, “Little M Tucker” provides equipment and supply solutions for a wide diversity of acclaimed restaurateurs, celebrated chefs, and industry leaders. Ms. Tucker is based in NYC and can be reached at mptucker@mtucker.com.

leader in decoration. Learning that every release is dishwasher tested for 500 cycles is a true testament to their bold commitment to innovation and color. Customization is easier than ever before, and there is no excuse to not have signature pieces in your operation today.

My recent travels provided an appreciation for true craftsmanship.

Mr. Koch benchmark’s excellence in three facets: technical, emotional, and aesthetic. What are you doing to stop people in their tracks? Prost!

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 23

BOOTH #3101

24 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

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// EYE

METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

MAFSI Golf and Awards Dinner

T

here simply are not fiercer competitors in the Metro New York food service industry than the local community of equipment and supply representatives. The daily battle to receive the majority of the orders from a consultant specifying a local project or a dealer entrusted with the purchase of those products in many cases is the food service version of hand-to-hand combat.

But somehow when that very same passion rallies behind a common goal, simply put: NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN THE LOCAL MAFSI CHAPTER. Once again local reps took a break from their daily battles on the street to honor a trio of industry leaders at their annual golf and industry awards celebration.

After two events in New Jersey, this year’s event moved to The Lake Success Golf Club on Long Island.

With the move, the group honored one of the ‘Island’s most venerable dealerships: Bar Boy Products as their dealer of the year. The Farmingdale based firm was the brainchild of industry visionary Ed DeFelice Sr. “My dear friend Eddie was one of those truly dedicated professionals, who knew that with hard work, there would be success,” explained Glissen Chemical’s Joe Lehr.

EYE was touched by the humility of the brothers Ed Jr. and Leonard DeFelice, who spoke about taking the lessons learned to continue to build on their Dad’s dreams. The duo was surrounded by the next generation of DeFelices who have now entered the business.

The golf course certainly proved to be challenging as long Par 4’s kept scores

high. The winning foursome was comprised of: HCH duo of Steve Antonello and Gene Cinoiti and Deli Design’s Rob Delio. Bringing up the rear and the winners of this year’s fishing rods emblematic of finding an alternative for challenged golfers was Fred Klashman of TFS, PBAC’s Michael Posternak, Tony Nicoletti of Sam Tell and Son and H. Weiss’ Jimmy Weiss.

MAFSI’s Metro New York Chapter honored Clevenger Frable’s Leif Billings as the reps industry’s Young Lion of the Year. Billings began as a sous chef before joining the White Plains, NY based consulting firm.

MAFSI’S Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to the recently retired Stephen Tucker. The longtime president of the M. Tucker Co. gave a highly entertaining talk about his love for the industry and the many personalities that he encountered through his career.

“The golf and the dinner were a BIG success,” noted the tournament’s cochair Frank Doyle of TD Marketing. “It was a great opportunity for reps and factories to have a great day of golf and to recognize some of the industry’s truly special professionals.

Doyle’s golf committee was cochaired by Jon Bowerman of Performance and Pecinka Ferri’s Ed Pecinka and assisted by Jason Butler of BSE Marketing and Mike Klatman of TD. MAFSI is a 65 year-old, professional trade association comprised of 270+ independent sales agencies and 220+ manufacturers of commercial foodservice equipment, supplies, tabletop and furniture.

MAFSI reps spend their day calling on

26 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

(L to R) H. Weiss’ Jimmy Weiss, Joe Maresca of Vulcan and Michael Posternak of PBAC

Brothers Mark and Adam Kaufmann of Kaufmann and Associates

(L to R) Restaurant Depot’s Larry Rosenthal and Jeff Hessel of BSE Marketing

(L to R) Sam Tell and Son’s Daniel Saltzman and Candice Madan of Acme

(L to R) CLV’s Tom O’Halloran and Chip Little

(L to R) Top golf honors went to the HCH duo of Steve Antonello and Gene Cinoiti flanked by Deli Design’s Rob DeLeo

(L to R) Edward DeFelice Jr. spoke passionately about his dad’s legacy as his brother Leonard looked on

all facets of the industry with the purpose of lending their specific product knowledge and experience to the foodservice community. They work directly with the local foodservice dealers and distributors, service agencies, and enduser operators as the product specialist and consultative sales agent.

“The MAFSI rep is a specialist that the dealer and consultant rely upon as

Former M. Tucker chief Stephen Tucker spoke glowingly of the contributions of the rep community to the industry.

they execute their work,” added chapter president Frank Doyle. “We support both – we replace neither Representatives who also advocate customer issues with their manufacturers and Dealers to ensure that the operator is receiving exactly what they are demanding.”

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 27

// RESTAURANT RENAISSANCE

WITH FAITH HOPE CONSOLO

Restaurants Make Their Own Weather

N

o need to fret about the impending winter weather on Manhattan’s restaurant scene.

After all, it doesn’t snow or sleet inside the city’s cafés, eateries and restaurants. And really, what’s cozier or more fun than gathering a circle of friends and dining on your favorite dish at your beloved neighborhood bistro or trying a newto-your-palette plate at the latest hot spot in town? The only question is, which one?

Ethnic eateries Mission Chinese Food recently reopened, moving from its (closed) small enterprise on Orchard Street to a full-scale two-story restaurant at 171 East Broadway on the Lower East Side. Chef/Proprietor Danny Bowien and Executive Chef Angela Dimayuga offer a massive and mostly affordable menu of noddle, seafood, duck, soup and many other dishes, www.mcfny. com.

Royal Seafood Restaurant, a favorite Chinatown eatery at 103-105 Mott Street, is reputed for its well-priced Cantonese seafood menu, plus noodle and rice dishes, but be prepared to wait in line for the restaurant’s everpopular dim sum delicacies, www. facebook.com/pages/Royal-SeafoodRestaurant/106389722809411.

Sushi Dojo, at 110 1st Avenue in the East Village, has impressed diners since its 2013 opening with Chef David Bouhadana’s seasonal menu of

authentic Japanese cuisine, including sushi dishes at its traditional sushi bar where patrons can enjoy an intimate setting with the chef. http://sushidojonyc.com.

Date night dining Bâtard, Drew Nieporent’s Michelin star-rated restaurant at 239 West Broadway in TriBeCa, stars fixed-price menus of two ($55), three ($69) or four courses ($79) featuring Chef Markus Glocker’s European dishes, such as roasted cod with Hungarian paprika, clams, mussels and eggplant, along with his octopus “pastrami” with braised ham hock, pommery mustard and new potatoes, www.batardtribeca.com/restaurants/batard.

Vaucluse, at 100 E 63rd Street in Lenox Hill, is a newly opened refined French brasserie with a raw bar, inhouse baked breads, hand-made pastas, dishes pour deux and seasonal dishes, serves classic and inspired plates based in French and Mediterranean cuisines. Of the dinner selections are duo of lamb rack and shoulder, pan sautéed trout, and Berkshire pork chop, http://vauclusenyc.com.

L’Amico, at 849 Avenue of the Americas in NoMad’s Eventi Hotel, is a new place that has diners enjoying American dishes influenced by Italian cuisine, per Chef Laurent Tourondel, in this rustic yet chic space where the kitchen is open to view. In addition to the wood-burning ovens’ crispy pies are fresh pasta dishes and main meals, such as black sea bass, skirt

28 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

steak and roasted spiced duck breast, www.lamico.nyc Casual eating Katz’s Delicatessen, at 205 East Houston Street in the Bowery, is a veritable New York City institution that’s been serving customers its massive sandwiches, platters and meats for almost 130 years, http://katzsdelicatessen.com.

Lafayette café and bakery, at 380 Lafayette Street in NoHo, has been serving a bistro menu with a nod to traditional French, Mediterranean and other regional dishes since the place’s debut in 2013. Patrons can choose from the main dining room, two private dining rooms or bakery, all designed for a comfortable meal with friends or business associates looking for anything from a frisée­salad or rotisserie lamb sandwich or a duck­au poivre entrée, http://lafayetteny.com.

Bespoke Kitchen, a new restaurant at 615 1/2 Hudson Street in the West Village, has diners choosing from a list of fresh produce and foods for personally customized dishes. Then again, Chef Franco Barrio also offers a menu of entrees for the more traditional diner, http://thebespokekitchen.com.

Patsy’s Pizzeria, at 2287 1st Avenue in East Harlem, began in 1933 and remains a favorite, causal family restaurant with an expansive menu of Italian dishes from shrimp in marinara sauce to portobello ravioli, Milanese breaded chicken and so much more,

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

www.thepatsyspizza.com.

A relative newcomer, The Cecil, at 210 West 118th Street in Harlem, is a two-year-old Afro-Asian-American brasserie that blends the best of each culture’s cuisine for unique dishes that mix the traditional with the uncommon, per Executive Chef Alexander Smalls and Chef de Cuisine Joseph JJ Johnson, http://thececilharlem. com.

Power lunch Lure Fishbar, at 142 Mercer Street in SoHo, features fresh seafood from around the world along with a raw bar of changing oyster selections and sushi, plus soups and salads, seafood baskets, burgers and sandwiches, entrees and more, http://lurefishbar. com.

Gotham Bar and Grill, at 12 East 12th Street in Gramercy, is a threedecade American-fare favorite with a starred Michelin rating, quality wine list and three course, greenmarket prix fixe lunch menu, plus dinner, dessert and more, thanks to the award-winning Chef Alfred Portale, http://gothambarandgrill.com.

continued on page 118

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 29

// Q&A

EXCLUSIVE FOODSERVICE INTERVIEW

Beth Shapiro Executive Director of Citymeals-on-Wheels

W

hat was the mission you inherited and how has it evolved?

When you look at the vast size and scope of the New York City hospitality industry, it’s larger than many states. There are more than 24,000 eating and drinking establishments in the five boroughs. This industry is an economic engine for New York City and it’s vital to the social landscape. It just made sense for us to have our own, independent organization to serve our city-centric needs and represent our interests in the halls of government and the media.

What was the vision of the founders of the Hospitality Alliance?

The clarity of the mission was really the part that spoke to me – providing food for homebound elderly New Yorkers. Our mission statement was “City Meals provides a continuous lifeline of nutritious food and human company to the home bound elderly in New York.” That combined with our 100% rule, the guarantee that 100% of all donations from the general public go to meal preparation and delivery were key. I moved to New York in 1986 and Gael Greene, one of our founders, was in her heyday at the time and I used to get New York magazine and read her reviews and I couldn’t afford to go to the restaurants she reviewed but

I used to live vicariously through them and it all came together.

What do you like most about the job?

I really feel incredibly blessed in my role here. I was initially in charge of all press outreach, writing the annual report, interviews with meal recipients and the first time I went out to interview meal recipi-

ents with our photo, the first recipient lived two blocks from where my mom grew up, and our second lived right near where my dad grew up.

And that was it. Meant to be.

What, if anything, has changed about your mission?

Our mission has not changed.

What has changed is the growing need and the reliance and intensi-

Mary, a Citymeals-on-Wheels recipient, and Beth Shapiro, Executive Director of Citymeals-on-Wheels (Photo by Blanche Mackey Photography)

30 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

fied partnership with the city, particularly around emergencies. The city funds the preparation and delivery of meals Monday through Friday but we privately raise money to fill the gap – weekends, times of emergency. That gap is now 2.2 million meals a year.

As you look at the issue of hunger, is the state/local/fed government doing enough?

I think we’re trying but there needs to be a recognition that the fastest growing population in this country, this state, this city, are the elderly. By 2030 seniors will outnumber children in the city of New York. That’s the first time that’s ever happened in this city. The city has agreed in this fiscal year to add 5% more meal recipients to the rolls, and for me, that’s an additional 8-900 people, which means that’s $1 million more I need to raise this year just to provide the same services but for an increased number of people. We feed 18,000 elderly, and that’s about 40% of all the meals going out in the city.

As you look at the role the private sector plays in solving this challenge, how generous are people?

City Meals relies on the generosity of New Yorkers and it’s an incredibly giving family of donors. We have over 40,000 individual donors each year, from those who give $25 a year

for years to those who give hundreds of thousands and we rely on them all. The one common thread is, 100% goes to meal preparation and delivery. We’re able to guarantee that because of the city and the generosity of our board members and the public.

Not only are you feeding people, but providing someone who walks in and talks to them. Where did that come from?

Our deliverers and our volunteers are the connection to the outside world for many of our homebound elderly. The regular deliverers become a part of their lives. Brown University did a study about loneliness and isolation, which leads to depression, which leads to poor nutrition. The study was specifically about the value of the home-delivered meal. If someone is getting the food they need but too lonely or depressed to eat it, it isn’t doing them

“A chef who really was reluctant to help out went on his first delivery and between the first and the second delivery, he said OK, I get it, I’ll be there without question forever. It just makes it real. And you see first-hand how a simple meal can make all the difference. They’re real people who have built this city and we owe it to them. The chefs, once they see it, absolutely get it.” any good.

We have trained all our deliverers and many of our volunteer staff, certainly our regulars, to recognize early signs of Alzheimer’s and elder abuse. They’re not to deal with it, just to understand it and be able to report back, also any changes -- if someone is suddenly becoming a hoarder or if their balance is off, someone who could walk to the

door is now holding on to the wall, they report that. So it’s really a safety net physically, literally, for these people.

What makes the City Meals support team special?

We do a party, our star party, for the staff at these 30 meal centers around the city, and individuals will be recognized for going above and

beyond. These are people who come in and think it’s a temporary job but we have some deliverers who have been doing this for 20 years, people in the kitchen that long, who have different reasons to be inspired to do what they do.

continued on page 32

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 31

Q&A Beth Shapiro, from page 31

Several times a year we’re put in life-saving situations. Some volunteers went to deliver a meal, and the person wasn’t answering the door.

They could hear her but they had to help her open the door. She was lying on the floor, naked since the night before. But she knew that a delivery was coming, and it saved her life. It doesn’t happen every day but it happens every year.

Do the volunteers do anything else for the elderly while they’re there?

Yes, simple things, like carrying the trash out if they need it, or just have a conversation to keep them from being alone. You go on a meal delivery and you get it. It changes who you are. I can’t imagine doing anything else, just to know how appreciative these people are. It’s a

Beth Shapiro, Executive Director of Citymeals-on-Wheels, and staff at Encore Community Services pack meals for Citymeals-on-Wheels recipients (Photo by Eric Groom)

meal but for someone to say hello, some don’t want to talk but others want to share their story. Every meal is a story.

Is the source of food from restaurants or food banks?

We have to meet federal guidelines for nutrition for older Americans so it is purchased food -- 3 oz. of protein, veggie, starch, milk, bread, butter, and fruit in every meal. They are nutritionally sound.

We’ve moved over the last five years to more whole grains. They get annoyed, they want white bread, but we give them whole wheat, brown rice. We have a warehouse where we do shelf-stable boxes for holidays and emergencies, and the box-

continued on page 34

, SO GOOD VODKA IS OPTIONAL. DISTRIBUTED BY:

32 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

METRO NEW YORK: Opici Wine Company 201-689-3256

NEW JERSEY: R & R Marketing 973-228-5100

UPSTATE NEW YORK: Empire Merchants North 845-338-2740

CONNECTICUT: CT Distributors Inc. 800-972-9822

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 33

Q&A Beth Shapiro, from page 32

es have pasta, brown rice, quinoa, tuna, salmon chicken, all packed in water, not oil.

Does this food come through traditional food distribution?

We have really good relationships with quite a few food providers. We buy a lot direct and do some private labeling. Some of the centers work with some of the major food distributors.

What is the relationship and importance of having the chef community and restaurateurs involved in what you’re doing?

Because of Gael Greene and James Beard, our founders, our roots were in the food world. Chefs and restaurants have been supportive and

generous from day one. We continue to rely on their generosity both to participate in our events and support us in a variety of ways. Then, two years ago, Daniel Boulud, who is our co-president of the board, started “Chefs Deliver.” On the second Tuesday of every month, from one to 3 or 4 chefs cook 100 meals that go out to our meal recipients that are absolutely delicious but also homey and easy to eat. Most of the chefs themselves come out and deliver at least some of those meals.

So when you talk to these chefs, what do you think is in it for them?

It just is a reminder of the city that they’re working in and cooking for that and there are other people outside of those who can afford their

34 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

restaurants. It’s a reminder. I get it. A chef who really was reluctant to help out went on his first delivery and between the first and the second delivery, he said OK, I get it, I’ll be there without question forever. It just makes it real. And you see firsthand how a simple meal can make all the difference. They’re real people who have built this city and we owe it to them. The chefs, once they see it, absolutely get it. The chefs cook because they love it and they like making people happy with their food. It’s just an extension of that.

Your ability to feed the hungry is only as good as your ability to raise funds. How do you do that?

We need to raise $20 million a year and we need to be increasing that

as the need grows. So we do almost $6 million from direct marketing, about $5 million from direct mail, $1 million online. The events raise another $4 million and we have four core events a year. Our largest fundraiser is the Power Lunch for Women. Last year we raised $1.2 million from the fewer than 400 women in the room. Men can come for a $10,000 donation or above. But we have more women at that level than men!

How can someone get in contact with you?

Go to citymeals.org

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 35

// NEWS

SHOW REBRANDING

Million Dollar Plus Rebranding And Newly Opened Subway Makes HX Javits Visit A Must

HX: ONSTAGE - RESTAURANT is a stunning show floor theater that elevates and celebrates foodservice … serving decision-makers what’s hot, new and next from kitchen to tabletop.

W

ith the goal of bringing back the Metro New York restaurant and food service operator who may have strayed since Hurricane Sandy, the HX-Show will return to the Javits/NYC this month.

Fresh off a million dollar plus rebranding that will bring three action packed days to the Show floor and the opening of a brand new Subway station directly across the street, this year’s show promises to be special.

“HX is a multimillion-dollar re-imagination of the ultimate in hospitality for hospitality,” noted the show’s General Manager Phil Robinson. HX is not about minor tweaks. HX is not modest improvements. Not here. Not now.

Show goers will experience dynamic

new presentation theaters that electrify the show floor with what’s new, hot, and extreme, from rooms to restaurants. It’s HX: ON STAGE. The show will feature 100,000 square feet of inspiration in an ENTIRELY new show complete with a live studio, stunning presentation theaters, extreme technology platforms and more.

In today’s business environment that is so connected to the web, HX is committed to merging the best of the old and the new.

“HX is committed to connecting you with the right people at the right time with engaging show floor dynamics and features such as HX: CONNECT,” Robinson explained.

To mark its centennial anniversary,

36 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show® (IHMRS) is unveiling a spectacular new brand and mission to better capture the dynamic innovation of the hospitality industry. HX: The Hotel Experience — Rooms to Restaurants (HX), debuts November 8-10, 2015 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City and represents a bold new strategic direction.

This multimillion-dollar investment aimed at revitalizing the largest hospitality trade event in North America, is founded on the belief that true hospitality is anticipating a guest’s needs to create a memorable and unique experience. To achieve that, HX will focus on innovation, inspiration and information.

“Making this enormous change at our 100-year juncture is exciting,” said Anthony G. Mangano, President Syramada Hotel Corporation (Syracuse, NY) and Chairman of the Board for HX 2015, “These are not tweaks or modest improvements. HX 2015 is an entirely new show.”

The deep dive transformation from IHMRS to HX called on industry experts, research-based data, and prior-year show assessments to identify what the show could and should bring to the industry.

Says Mangano, “It all came down to delivering true hospitality, that is, anticipating a guest’s needs before they even know they need it. We all agreed we wanted a show that performed at

this level.”

HX is now poised to deliver this brand of true hospitality for the hospitality industry, rooms to restaurants.

Every component of the hospitality experience for hotels, motels, and restaurants will be represented in five new show divisions: Food & Beverage, Guest Services, Technology, Kitchen Design, and Rooms Division.

The HX show floor features engaging new product theaters – HX: ONSTAGE RESTAURANT and HX: ONSTAGE HOTEL. Industry experts appearing live in HX: STUDIO will cover everything from cooking trends and marketing strategies, to social media and handheld devices. Informatively rich lounge areas provide guest comfort while HX: TECH showcases the hottest

products, solutions, and ideas. In the spirit of true hospitality, HX also has a concierge service to put the right exhibitors in touch with the right buyers.

“We’ve created more reasons for attendees to be on the show floor longer by reimagining, renovating, and rebranding the entire experience,” says Mangano.

HX: The Hotel Experience takes the best of 100 years from The Inter-

national Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show® (IHMRS) forward for the next hundred years. HX is one of North America’s largest trade event for hotel and foodservice owners, executives, directors, and GMs from across the hospitality spectrum, and manufacturers and marketers of all things hospitality. It is held annually in November in New York City.

Now the show is more accessible

“This marketplace is more vibrant than ever and our goal is to deliver a brand new experience,” Robinson outlined.

than ever. In September, the 7 Subway Extension project extended the New York City Subway’s IRT Flushing Line 1 mile southwest from Times Square, at Seventh Avenue and 41st Street, to one new station at 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue directly across the street from the Javits.

“This marketplace is more vibrant than ever and our goal is to deliver a brand new experience,” Robinson outlined. “There are 925,000 plus hotel rooms in the lucrative Northeast Corridor that most HX attendees represent.

HX’s backyard generates $53.8 billion in foodservice sales in the TriState area of NY, NJ, and CT. The area is also home to 68,000 independent restaurants.

BOOTH #3101

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 37

// NEWS HX-Show Set To Bring Dynamic Lineup Of Wine Spirits And Cocktail Creativity To Javits New York City is home to many of the world’s top mixologists and bars. Many of those stars and bars call Manhattan and Brooklyn hotels home.

So with the rebranding of the 100 year old event to the HX: The Hotel Experience — Rooms to Restaurants (HX), it only made sense that the

Anchoring this year’s event will be guest speakers Gregg Lewis of 1-800-Bartend and Restaurant Depot’s wine & spirits guru Vlad Garcia.

Metro New York focus on wine, spirits and cocktails would take centerstage at the upcoming event slated for November 8-10, 2015 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City.

The show’s Beverage Experience program will be housed at the BELLA BAR from Cafe Bellas on the show floor. This year’s Beverage Experience, a series of informative sessions to showcase how an improved and elevated beverage experience for the hotel or restaurant guest can lead to higher guest satisfaction - and to higher profits - for the restaurant or hotel operator.

Utilizing the new and innovative Bella Bar as the stage, The Beverage

SHOW REBRANDING

Experience will be held on the show floor in the middle of the tabletop section of the show, highlighting the importance that having the proper glassware, cups and saucers, etc. plays in the beverage experience for the guest. Tabletop Journal will be hosting The Beverage Experience.

Anchoring this year’s event will be guest speakers Gregg Lewis of 1-800-Bartend and Restaurant Depot’s wine & spirits guru: Vlad Garcia. The Beverage Experience will conduct sessions on improving the guest experience with coffee, tea, craft beer, high-end spirits, and wine. Each session will be sponsored by a tabletop manufacturer who will also be showing why tabletop matters in providing the guest a quality beverage experience.

Gregg Lewis is the founder and president of 1-800-Bartend. The firm’s bartending schools are the largest Bartending training center for Bartending in New York, with bartending locations in Manhattan, NYC - Kew Gardens, Queens, Suffolk County, Nassau County, with Bar tending schools on Long Island.

On each of the show’s three days Lewis and his faculty and alums will discusses the latest trends. Sunday’s Nov. 8th @2 pm session is slated to focus on wine. Spirits will be the focus on Monday Nov. 9th @ 2 pm and bourbon is scheduled for Tuesday.

Nov. 10th @2 pm.

Lewis and his team will be joined

by Garcia who for the past three years has been entrusted with bringing Wine and Spirits to the nation’s largest cash and carry foodservice operator: Restaurant Depot.

The veteran executive brings a diverse background of success from wine vaults to restaurants.

38 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

neering Concept competition.

This year’s award winner is: Bievenu. It features a tapas and wine bar that unfolds from a box. The Architectural firm Bruner/Cott, Cambridge, MA, and foodservice design and consulting firm Colburn & Guyette, Rockland, MA, collaborated to create the small-plates concept.

Bienvenu, the winner of the HX’ 2015 Foodservice Pioneering Concept competition. sponsored by HX has won top honors and will have a full-size model of the concept feaTo mark its centennial anniversary, the International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show® (IHMRS) is unveiling a spectacular new brand and mission the HX Show to better capture the dynamic innovation of the hospitality industry which debuts and represents a bold new strategic direction.

This multimillion-dollar investment aimed at revitalizing one of the largest hospitality trade events in North America, is founded on the belief that true hospitality is anticipating a guest’s needs to create a memorable and unique experience.

To achieve that, HX will focus on innovation, inspiration and information.

Bay State Duo Brings Winning Foodservice Pioneering Concept To HX ‘15/Javits At the top of the agenda for the newly branded HX: The Hotel Experience — Rooms to Restaurants (HX) show is a commitment to bringing the latest trends to its attendees.

Among the “can’t miss” demonstrations is the show’s Foodservice Pio-

“Whether you are a full service hotel, short stay hotel, corporate, healthcare or college/university foodservice operation, Foodservice Pioneering Concepts is a mustsee,” said Marsha Diamond, foodservice business development consultant and strategic public speaker. turing state-of-the-art equipment built on the Javits Show floor.

The build out includes the latest technology from Alto Shaam, Ecowalls, Enomatic, Perlick, RPI Industries, Inc. and Vegware.

“Whether you are a full service hotel, short stay hotel, corporate, healthcare or college/university foodservice operation, Foodservice Pioneering Concepts is a must-see,” said Marsha Diamond, foodservice business development consultant and strategic public speaker. “This space is full of great inspirations

to showcase your food creativity with innovative design ideas that will generate revenue and impress your customers.” “The HX show is all about discovering new products, with attendees seeking insight about applying new products or design concepts to their existing operations,” said Phil Robinson, HX show General Manager.

Foodservice Pioneering Concepts does just that by combining the latest technologies and resources of select IHMRS exhibitors to create a retail venue in alternate locations/ spaces that ‘wowed’ customers, capture profits and service opportunities and gave operators an edge in today’s competitive environment.

Bievenu will be among the highlights of the spectacularly and newly branded HX: The Hotel Experience — Rooms to Restaurants (HX), debuts November 8-10, 2015 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City and represents a bold new strategic direction.

Bienvenu unfolds silently from what appears to be a high-top reception table that could be located in a lobby area of a hotel, retail mall or transportation concourse, in an academic setting or restaurant space. Unfolded, the concept com-

prises a small bar with bar seats, a POS counter fronted by a cold tapas display case and a wine bar. The station can be run by either one or two servers depending on volume, with self-serve wine being sold via a bar code wine ticket that customers purchase at the point-of-sale station.

The concept, serving a minimalist menu of a dozen or so small-plate selections, does not require complete set-up and takedown each day; it is completely self-contained with the exception of a roll-in, rollout under counter refrigeration unit (to store in the host site kitchen). Bienvenu folds away completely when the unit is closed and becomes a functional reception or foyer table/ floral display.

HX Show attendees will have the opportunity to attend demonstrations and tastings of Bienvenu on each day of the show. Bievenu will take center stage on Sunday, November 8, 11:30 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, Monday, November 9, 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 12:30 PM and Tuesday, November 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 1:00 PM. “Come join us to learn how to apply innovative equipment, healthy and tasty easy food options, in a mobile concept to create a new revenue-generating venue that wows your customers and enhances your bottom line,” Robinson added.

NYC Foodservice Leaders Set To Vie In Hotly Contested Jeopardy Challenge From original hosts from Art

Fleming to Alex Trebek, “this is Jeopardy” has sent viewers scrambling to their TV sets. The Metro New York City food service industry is set to experience that very same frenetic energy this month. Some of the industry’s most noted professionals will vie for the top prize as Jeopardy comes to the HX-Show floor at the Javits Center in NYC. “Our goal is to bring a full slate of informative and fun events to the show,” noted the show’s General manager Phil Robinson. “The Jeopardy format lends itself to the show being a learning experience for each of our attendees.”

“Our goal is to bring a full slate of informative and fun events to the show,” noted the show’s General manager Phil Robinson.

The HX-Show has enlisted the trio of Beth Lorenzini, publisher of Food Equipment Reports, the Executive Director of the Foodservice Consultants International Wade Koehler and Fred Klashman, publisher of TFS-Total Food Service to craft the questions for the event.

Among the challengers set to vie on “Show-Monday” for the top prize is the team of Larry Cantamessa of PBAC and Jacobs Beer Doland’s Bob Doland. The father and son duo of Chris Brady of Romano Gatland and MGR’s Alex Brady are set to compete. The top prize will be $500 to be contributed to the charity of choice of the winners.

Those who watch the show on television know that three contes-

tants vie to answer the most questions. The one who accumulates the most money in three rounds ends up the winner and can return the next day to play against two new contestants. Strategy is the name of the game, especially when it comes to Final Jeopardy.

The trio has crafted a series of questions that will include everything from Celebrity Chefs to the latest cooking technology, and food and cinema. “It’s rather ironic that you are likely to see some of those very same celebrity chefs, many of whom are based in New York City at the show,” noted Klashman. “Not to mention that our local reps will be bringing much of the very latest technology to the HX-Show floor.

The Jeopardy competition is part of the show’s Centennial anniversary, which will be highlighted by the unveiling of a spectacular new brand and mission to better capture the dynamic innovation of the hospitality industry. HX: The Hotel Experience — Rooms to Restaurants (HX), debuts November 8-10, 2015 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City and represents a bold new strategic direction.

This multimillion-dollar investment aimed at revitalizing the largest hospitality trade event in North America, is founded on the belief that true hospitality is anticipating a guest’s needs to create a memorable and unique experience. To achieve that, HX will focus on innovation, inspiration and information.

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 39

// NEWS

MENU INNOVATION

Paramount Caviar Offers The Best From Around The World

T

he world of caviar has evolved dramatically with a greater number of species to choose from, and it’s all due to the vast amount of countries getting involved in the farming of this rather esoteric product. Better yet the farmers of this special commodity are paying extremely close attention to the quality, size, flavor and color of this special roe. With farming caviar vs wild caught sturgeon being the rule to protect this pre historic fish, farmers are more importantly concerned with the health, feeding and

sustainability of the sturgeon they have invested in.

Aimani, the owner of Paramount Caviar is originally from the Caspian Sea region of Iran and he’s been tasting caviar since he was a youngster. He’s been in the caviar industry since 1984, and established Paramount Caviar in 1991.

Paramount Caviar is extremely proud to serve some of New York’s top 4 star NY Times reviewed and Michelin starred restaurants along with many of the top hotels & gourmet stores nationwide, consistently year in and year out. We are equally pleased to supply a wonderful array of gourmet foods, service ware and a selection of corporate gifts to our clients. When traveling to various vendors around the world, “I have the privilege to taste some of the best caviar and gourmet products. I believe I have become

quite knowledgeable in this area over the 30 years I’m in the field, and take pride in selecting caviar for our discerning clients,” Aimani says. A pride and joy I take quite seriously each day that my clients call upon us. Whether that’s imported or domestic caviar, smoked salmon or foie gras or any other products we carry, our moto is to be always ready, knowing our clientele only want and deserve the best.

Hossein Aimani, Paramount Caviar owner

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Aimani is most excited for the upcoming holiday season, the new hybrid caviar that sturgeon farmers have been cross breeding is a rather special sturgeon, it is a cross breed between the Acipenser schrenckii (male) and the Huso dauricus (female) sturgeons. As a result, this hybrid sturgeon produces a medium to large firm roe, light in color with a lush, buttery taste. Aimani doesn’t hesitate about recommending it to his clients, “the production of this roe has been great!” he says.

“We encourage our chef clients to come to our showroom, as so many notable chefs have, to experience

“When traveling to various farms around the world, I have the privilege and opportunity to taste some of the best caviar, I know how to select caviar for our discerning clients,” Aimani says. the newest hybrid or any other variety of caviar, prior to making their menu selections, and why not it’s an opportunity to learn about a unique product that has been enjoyed by kings and nobility for centuries. Most of our current chef clients want to use caviar like paint to

an artist. They both lend flavor and color to a special dish and increase its value.

Paramount Caviar is located at 38-15 24th Street in L.I.C., NY and offers delivery Monday – Friday.

Appointments are available for private tastings and caviar consulta-

tions. Please call to arrange for a caviar tasting, 718-786-7747 and or visit our website www.paramountcaviar.com, prior to creating your next exciting menu. One never knows where your next inspiration will come from!

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// SCOOP Meet The Chef Who Makes Dessert for 700 People Every Sunday Morning at New York City’s Historic Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Scoop says Chef Charlie Romano has spent the past eleven years serving heads of state, American presidents, royalty, and major decision makers from across the globe. Much has been written about the endless array of caviar, oysters, lobster, and succulent hot entrees available at the Waldorf-Astoria New York’s weekend brunch.

Somehow, though, the spotlight has yet to shine on the multitudes of specialty desserts created by chef Charlie Romano. Chef Romano started his career at the Payard Patisserie and Bistro working under Françoise Payard, honing his skills in the vast array of French desserts and boulangerie. In the years after, he worked at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Central Park and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel at Columbus Circle as part of both hotels’ opening team. He joined the Waldorf team in 2004 and has spent the past eleven years serving heads of state, American presidents, royalty, and major decision makers from across the globe.

INSIDER NEWS FROM METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE SCENE Chef Charlie Romano says, “I always tell our guests to leave room for dessert that’s why I position the chocolate fountain and the dessert bar at the entrance. We offer an assortment of 17 to 20 different desserts, totaling 400 to 700 portions. We offer a combination of larger show cakes along with smaller, individual-sized dessert presentations so our guests can easily pick up and enjoy the dish that their sweet tooth desires. My favorites are tiramisú, our éclairs, Linzer bars, and of course our red velvet cake. Guests also love our made-to-order rooftop honey ice cream baked Alaska pops made with honey from our very own 20th floor beehives. People should expect the hotel to offer such dessert decadence. We host guests from all around the world and every corner of our nation. Waldorf clientele represent the most seasoned travelers with very discerning tastes. I love seeing guests’ eyes light up. You can tell they treat Sunday brunch as a special occasion.

They fill their plates to the brim and hold them close to their bodies — so heavy that they have to handle it with care. When people first arrive, you can see on their face that they’re thinking, “Where do I begin?” The desserts gen-

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erally change seasonally; we use more spiced items in the fall and winter and fruiter options in the spring and summer. My favorite culinary season is fall because of the spices and fall fruits we use. The aroma that fills the air during fall in the pastry shop makes it all worthwhile as a pastry chef – we’ll make apple tarts using New York State apples, pumpkin spiced bread with white chocolate nutmeg mousse, toasted maple meringue, and orangespiced red wine poached pears with vanilla bean panna cotta. Our pumpkin pies are made from fresh cheese pumpkins, and every year we get a whole pallet (800 pounds) from a local farmer. I’m excited just thinking about it!

NYC’s ShopKeep Acquires Ambur, a Restaurant-centric POS System Scoop says the world of point-ofsale software companies is shrinking.

ShopKeep, a cloud-based point-ofsale and analytics system for independent merchants, has acquired Ambur, a smaller rival POS system specifically for restaurants, bars and food trucks.

Buffalo, N.Y.-based Ambur, with its POS app that was created by a restau-

ShopKeep CEO Norm Merritt and Jason Richelson, a co-founder

rant owner for other restaurant owners, will allow ShopKeep to further expand its reach into the restaurant industry, Norm Merritt, ShopKeep’s president and chief executive officer, said. As part of the acquisition, Ambur co-founder Ansar Khan has joined New York City-based ShopKeep’s business development team and 1,500 new restaurants will be added to ShopKeep’s merchant base, which now stands above 20,000 in the United States and Canada. The company recently announced the addition of a new chief marketing officer, Andrew Gorrin, previously with American Express and Web.com, as well as a $60 million round of venture capital in July, international expansion into the U.K., and partnerships with MasterCard and Heartland Payment Systems.

Earlier this year, ShopKeep acquired Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Payment Revolution to add customized payment processing as an option to its merchants. But it’s got extensive company in the space. The news comes on the heels of a fundraising round announced by competitor LightSpeed, which is based out of Montreal and just raised $61 million. Another rival is Square, which is gearing up for a public listing, and Shopify which went public in May. Then there’s Revel Systems, which is close to unicorn status, with a recent $110 million round of funding, and Groupon-owned Breadcrumb, which last month confirmed layoffs of 20 people out of 100, and the exit of its founder.

Fairfield County McDonald’s Donates $1 Million to Norwalk Hospital Scoop notes that Westport residents Christian J. and Eva W. Trefz have made a $1 million gift to Norwalk Hospital to support its new ambulatory pavilion. “Access to expert and compassionate health care is critical for a strong and thriving community,” said Christian Trefz, vice chairman of the Trefz Corp. and owner of a number of

Eva W. and Christian J. Trefz

McDonald’s restaurants in Connecticut. “With this gift to Norwalk Hospital, we are contributing to the well-being of our neighbors and ensuring that they feel welcome as soon as they step through the Hospital’s doors.” The donation will support the Christian J. and Eva W. Trefz Lobby and registration area, which will serve as the main entryway to the Hospital’s new Anne P. and Harold W. McGraw, Jr. Center.

“The money was provided in order to build the beautiful new lobby and registration area, a welcoming focal point in the new facility,” said Andrea Rynn, director of Public & Government Relations for WCHN, which operates Norwalk, Danbury and New Milford hospitals. The Christian J. and Eva W. Trefz Lobby feature a “spacious, light-filled atrium with comfortable seating and

a modern patient-registration area” for the McGraw Center. The center is expected to serve over 65,000 outpatients annually. “We greatly appreciate Chris and Eva’s gift, which will help Norwalk Hospital continue to meet Fairfield County’s growing need for superior outpatient care,” said Michael Daglio, Norwalk Hospital president in the statement. “Our hospital and community will greatly benefit from their generosity.” Christian Trefz is a member of the Norwalk Hospital Foundation board of directors. He has received McDonald’s Golden Arch Award, which recognizes significant community involvement and business achievement. He and his brother Ernest Trefz opened their first McDonald’s restaurant in Waterbury in 1964.

Meyer Meal Inspires NYC’s Career Scoop notes that Nate Adler can still taste the dinner he had more than a decade ago at Danny Meyer’s Union Square Cafe: sesame-crusted tuna, cooked rare, with wasabi mashed potatoes and bok choy. The meal served as the catalyst for his decision to enter the restaurant business. After spending the summer of 2010 studying cuisine and cooking, he started his own

Nate Adler

takeout restaurant on campus for a semester as part of an independent study at the University of Pennsylvania. “That was my first foray into restaurants,” said the 26-year-old, who has degrees in political science and management. “It was my way of jumping five steps ahead in the industry without having experience.” Last year, he jumped ahead again with the launch of Huertas, a Basque-inspired restaurant in the East Village that he founded with Jonah Miller, a former sous chef at Maialino. Mr. Adler, who spent three years as beverage director and floor manager at Blue Smoke, crafted Huertas’ drinks menu to feature creative concoctions such as El Toro Blanco, which combines rye with peaches, honey and lemon. “I loved the idea that I could call something

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Scoop, from page 43 my own,” he said. “I wanted to dig into a cuisine I didn’t really know but was fascinated by.” The 1,700-square-foot Huertas draws in 100 customers daily on average, and generated $2 million its first year in business, according to Mr. Adler, who has been featured as a beverage guru in Saveur magazine.

Next year, Huertas will be profiled in Generation Chef, a book about the recent wave of entrepreneurial cooks.

“It’s an awesome world, restaurants and food-there’s never a dull moment,” said Adler, who was born on the Upper West Side. “But it’s also as difficult, or much more than everyone says it’s going to be. Don’t underestimate that.”

Queens Restaurant 2015 Is Served

Week

Scoop notes that five eateries and Queens Brewery gave away free sam-

ples of their food and beverages to roughly 300 passers-by last month, as Queens Restaurant Week 2015 officially kicked off with a festive outdoor ceremony at The Shops at Atlas Park in Glendale. More than 200 restaurants including such favorites as Christos Steak House in Astoria, Bayside’s Apertife, and Glendale’s Shiro of Japan participated this year. Most establishments offered a three-course, prix fixe dinner for $28 and lunch for $14. “One of the reasons we are known as ‘The

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World’s Borough’ is that our amazing diversity allows us to offer an incredible variety of the best dishes from around the world,” said Borough President Melinda Katz. “Queens Restaurant Week is a great way to highlight this fact and encourage both borough residents and visitors to enjoy some of this outstanding cuisine. The Shops at Atlas Park is known for offering a dynamic retail mix which will include Queens’ first HomeGoods this holiday season and amazing restaurants.

That’s one of the main reasons they were very excited to host the Queens Restaurant Week kick-off event,” said Liza Diaz, Property Manager, The Shops at Atlas Park. “This is NYC’s most delicious bargain, as there truly was something for every taste bud,” added Queens Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Seth Bornstein.” Plus, it fits in perfect-

ly with the Queens Tourism Council’s mission to inform on the borough’s wonderful places to eat, shop, enjoy culture and have family fun. It’s in Queens and Eats in Queens!” Queens Restaurant Week 2015 is a program of the Queens Tourism Council. It is sponsored by All County Parking, Jet Blue Airways, LIC Flea + Food, Queens Brewery, Queens Courier, Resorts World Casino New York City, and Trattoria Thirty Five.

Former Giants Gridster Joins Bodybuilder Chef In Food Delivery Business Scoop says if you saw Steve Weatherford and Carlo Filippone coming at you in a dark alley, the last thing you might think is that they must be healthy-food entrepreneurs with big plans to deliver dinner to your door.

But the two men know their kale and

their free-range chicken, and at an event in Manhattan last month, the barrel-chested, three-time bodybuilding champion chef Filippone, announced that NFL free agent Weatherford has become his new business partner on Elite Lifestyle Cuisine. It is a meal-delivery company that ships nationwide with a focus on meals that are perfectly proportioned when it comes to proteins, carbohydrates and grains and not just for athletes, but for anyone looking for a healthy change.

Filippone, who spent years as a healthy Italian cuisine chef in New Jersey, first started making meals for fitness cli-

Steve Weatherford and Carlos Filippone

ents in a facility that was located inside a New Jersey gym. As demand for his meals in a box grew among busy executives and fitness aficionados, he moved into a cooking facility in Clif-

ton, N.J., and transformed the business into a flash-freezing operation that seals in the freshness for home delivery via FedEx. Enter Weatherford, who was in training out in California and had tried dozens of meal delivery services before Elite Lifestyle Cuisine, and promptly fell for the product.

“I loved the meals, I restocked it and said to Carlo I absolutely love this I want to become involved, what do you think about sitting down with me and talking?” Weatherford, a former punter for the New York Giants and a Super Bowl champion said, “It was the first meal service he had that was

not only healthy and filling, but also satisfied his taste buds. From there, it was a matter of combining their fields of expertise and tweaking the recipes to appeal to a wider audience.” “Steve came on board and we started figuring out how to make it better, with different ratios of protein, carbohydrates and fat,” Filippone said, noting that the football player was especially not interested in a lot of carbs.

Connecticut Ramping-Up For Keno Scoop says for the very first time, a Connecticut Keno sign lit up at State

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 45

Scoop, from page 45 Lottery Headquarters in Rocky Hill.

In about six months these signs will be all over the state. “Keno is a source of revenue that will cause steadily increasing sales at the lottery as well as steadily increasing returns for the General Fund,” said Anne Noble, the President of the Connecticut Lottery Corporation. The Mohegan and the Mashantucket tribes, who have exclusive rights to gambling in Connecticut, have given Keno the okay in exchange for a split of 25 percent off the top. The lottery-like games, which are now available in all of the states that border Connecticut will announce winning numbers every four minutes while your eating at a restaurant or having a drink after work. When the legislature included Keno in the new budget, it was estimated to generate about 35 million dollars but advocates say it will be much higher. The Connecticut State Lottery is generating

about $320 million for the state. Massachusetts is doing about three times that number, and the bulk of it is coming from Keno. “Probably close to 700 to 800 million dollars of that revenue is attributable just to Keno alone,” said Rep. Jeff Berger (D-Waterbury) the cochairman of the legislature’s Finance Revenue and Bonding Committee.

The Governor, who has come under sharp criticism for the budget cuts he announced last month, repeatedly notes that Keno was an initiative from the legislature, not him. There are currently 2,800 retailers in Connecticut that sell Lottery tickets. They all can also get Keno. The Lottery says they are looking for 600 more retailers that are likely to be restaurants, bars and the many veterans service organizations that have expressed great interest. Like the lottery dealers, retailers that have Keno will get five percent off the top.

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// C-CAP TRADE TALK

WITH JOYCE APPELMAN

Chef Marcus Samuelsson And Mark Weiss Named Board Co-Chairmen Of C-CAP Richard Grausman, C-CAP’s Founder and leader for the past 25 years, transitions to Chairman Emeritus to prepare nonprofit for a future of continued success

C

areers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) named Marcus Samuelsson, internationally acclaimed chef, restaurateur and author, as Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors with Mark Weiss, Chief Investment Officer of RFR Holdings. C-CAP Founder Richard Grausman, who previously held the Chairman position, will continue as Chairman Emeritus. The Board’s transition will set the course for the future of C-CAP, which in 2015 marked 25 years of preparing underserved high school students across the country for college and careers in the food service and hospitality industry.

“Having Marcus and Mark as a dynamic team will ensure that C-CAP will grow in new ways and continue to nurture the next generation of great chefs,” said Grausman. “Marcus has supported C-CAP’s students and alumni since our early years, and it’s been inspiring to watch his passion for our work growth. Mark’s knowledge of the restaurant industry coupled with his passion for C-CAP and his successful fundraising efforts will be invaluable assets as we look to expand our programming.”

As the youngest person to ever receive a three-star review from The New York Times, chef Samuelsson has won multiple James Beard Foundation Awards including Best Chef: New York City, and was tasked with plan-

Joyce Appelman, is the National Communications Director for CCAP, Careers through Culinary Arts Program in New York, NY. She has

ning and executing the Obama Administration’s first State dinner. He was crowned champion of television shows Top Chef Masters and Chopped All Stars, serves as a mentor on ABC’s The Taste and stars in FYI’s The Feed.

Marcus is co-producer of Harlem EatUp!, a food and culture festival which debuted in Harlem in May 2015. He is the author of The New York Times bestselling memoir Yes, Chef, which was recently adapted into the young adult memoir Make It Messy, which encourages young people to embrace their mistakes and follow their dreams. He is also the author of several cookbooks including his newest, Marcus Off Duty: The Recipes I Cook At Home (October 2014). In spring 2015, Samuelsson opened his second Harlem restaurant,

Streetbird Rotisserie, a kitchenette.

“It’s been amazing to witness and be a part of the important work done

by Richard and C-CAP. Doors have been opened for minorities and underserved youth to succeed and career dreams have come true for so many talented students and their families,” said Samuelsson. “Working in hospitality can be incredibly challenging and can seem never-ending, but C-CAP provides a roadmap for these young talents, guiding them along the way. I’m truly humbled for this opportunity to make C-CAP my philanthropic focus and to help transform lives through the culinary arts.”

C-CAP also announced that board member Jeffrey B. Samuels, Partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Gar-

(l-r) Marcus Samuelsson, Richard Grausman, Mark Weiss (Photo Credit: Jerry Ruotolo)

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been instrumental in opening career opportunities for many young people in the foodservice industry. Email her at joyceappelman@gmail.com

rison LLP, is joining Tim Zagat, CoFounder of Zagat, as Co-Vice Chairman.

Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) is a national non-profit that was founded by Richard Grausman in 1990. The program transforms the lives of at-risk students through the culinary arts, preparing and guiding them for college and careers in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

For the past 25 years, C-CAP has provided job training and internships, scholarships, teacher training, cooking competitions, college and career advising and product and equipment donations. C-CAP has awarded over $46 million in scholarships through the largest independent culinary scholarship program in the U.S., and classrooms nationwide have received nearly $3.4 million worth of supplies and equipment. Through C-CAP’s efforts, a large percentage of its students find rewarding careers in the foodservice and hospitality industry with many alumni, now graduates of top culinary schools working in leading restaurants and hotels throughout the country. For more information, visit www.ccapinc.org and follow C-CAP on twitter @ccapinc.

Start your day with confidence

Protection that begins before your first cup of coffee. When you see Heartland Secure™ in the window, you know your card information is safe. www.heartland.us/TotalFood BOOTH #2761

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// EYE

METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

NYC Hospitality Alliance Ping Pong Slam 2015

O

nce again the New York City Hospitality Alliance brought “ping pong” diplomacy to the daily competition that is waged in the battle for diners every day.

Teams representing 16 of the top restaurant groups in New York City vied late last month for the first ever NYC Hospitality Alliance Ping Pong Slam title.

Many of the five boroughs top restaurant owners and chefs brought teams to the noted Slam ping pong center. Co-owned by actress Susan Sarandon, the 23rd Street facility has become a mecca for local celebrities.

Opening round matchups included: Sylvia’s vs Momofuku Bold Food vs Le Pain Quotidien TAO vs HK Hospitality Carmine’s vs Esquared Hospitality Henry’s vs Duck’s Eatery Chef Driven Group vs The Smith

Andrew Rigie, NYC Hospitality Alliance; Jed Kleckner, delivery.com

In Good Company vs NYC Best Bars Public House Collective vs The ONE Group Vincent Herbert and Matthew Delaney of Le Pain Quotidien captured the championship in a hotly contested final over runners up Leir Oren and Thor Oren of Chef Driven Group.

Under the direction of the Alliance’s

executive director Andrew Rigie the Battle for Ping Pong Supremacy included Cocktails, Networking & Ping Pong. “What a wonderful opportunity for our members to take a night off to enjoy each other’s company,” Rigie noted.

The New York City Hospitality Alliance is a broad-based membership

The Bold Food duo of Bobby Flay and Laurence Kretchmer

Ryan Burke, Kate Telfeyan, Carla Finely, and Kenneth McCoy from Public House Collective

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Matthew Delaney & Vincent Herbert, Le Pain Quotidien (2015 Ping Pong Champions)

association founded in 2012 to foster the growth and vitality of the industry that has made New York City the Hospitality Capital of the World. It is the first association ever formed in New York City representing all facets of this diverse industry: restaurants, bars, lounges, destination hotels and major industry suppliers.

Melba Wilson, Melba’s Restaurant

Jeffrey Bank, Carmine’s; Robert Bookman, Pesetsky & Bookman LLP; Max Bookman, Pesetsky & Bookman LLP; Jimmy Haber, Esquared Hospitality

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// NEWS

REAL ESTATE

Former Jersey City Home Of Thirty Acres Set To Become New DePersio Outpost

K

evin Pemoulie’s ambitious maybe too ambitious -Thirty Acres in Jersey City will be closing up this month, but another acclaimed young chef will be taking over the space: Ryan DePersio of Montclair’s Fascino, Jersey City’s Battello, and Nico Kitchen + Bar at Newark’s NJPAC. The space itself needs little work, so he and his partner Cory Checket, who also works with DePersio at Battello, expect to open The Kitchen Step in early 2016.

DePersio, who says he’s always looking for new projects, heard from a mutual friend about Pemoulie’s decision to sell the space and jumped. Unlike

his other ventures, all contemporary Italian, The Kitchen Step will be a neighborhood joint with a wide-ranging but affordable and market-driven modern American menu from a brickroasted chicken to mahi mahi tacos to an Asian-spiced tuna tartar to a burger.

He tailored the concept to the 45seat space in the Grove Street neighborhood - DePersio has been itching

to do a wood-fired oven trattoria, but Jersey City doesn’t need another Italian, he says.

“We want to feed the neighborhood,” he says. “We want for people to feel like they could eat here every week.”

In the meantime Pemoulie and his wife and Thirty Acres co-owner Alex are moving to her native Seattle with their young daughter, and he said that while

“It gets my cooking out,” he says. “I am cooking at the restaurant that made me who I am today.”

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Ryan DePersio

he’s proud of the highly-acclaimed restaurant, he’s tired of trying to push the envelope: “I don’t want to tell people they need to learn this or have an open mind. The truth is, people go to eat a slice of pizza or a burger and they’re happy.”

Even though DePersio is shifting into restaurateur mode, you can still find him behind the stove at Fascino, coowned with his parents and brother, a couple of times a week. “It gets my cooking out,” he says. “I am cooking at the restaurant that made me who I am today.”

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// NEWS

CHARITY

Elara Leads Charge To Serve One Million Meals In The Fight Against Hunger

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lara Foodservice Disposables, a designer and producer of foodservice gloves, aprons, bags and related safe food handling products, announced that it has surpassed the milestone of 1 million meals that it has helped provide for people struggling with hunger in America.

Through Elara’s One Case • One Meal program, for each case of products a customer buys, Elara helps provide a meal to a qualified food bank. The program is embedded in Elara’s business model, which means there is no cap on the number of meals. To date, Elara has made donations to 30 plus food banks in 20 states across the U.S., including Island Harvest, City Harvest and the Connecticut Food Bank in the Tri-State area.

“We established Elara in 2011 with

the social mission of fighting hunger in America,” states Dan Grinberg, President of Elara. “Achieving our first million meals in just four years is validation that our model is working. This would not have been possible without the support of our customers and sales reps, and for that we are truly thankful. We are also grateful to the thirty plus food banks around the country that are beneficiaries of the One Case • One Meal program. The work they do in providing food and services is tremendous.”

There are more than 49 million people in the U.S. who are food insecure, including nearly 16 million children. In fact, according to Feeding America, 1 in 6 Americans struggles with hunger. Hunger is a national issue that exists in every county in America.

The concept of a social enterprise,

one that serves society through its regular course of business, is increasingly supported by consumers.

According to a Cone Communications/Echo Global CSR Opportunity Study, 92% of consumers would buy a product with a social and/or environmental benefit. This creates a virtuous cycle, whereby the purchases of such a brand increases support for the cause it is aligned with.

“We expect to see more social mission driven companies taking innovative approaches to tackling hunger and other issues facing our society,” says Grinberg. “And you don’t have to start a business to make a difference. From volunteer-

ing at a local food bank, to conducting a food drive, to educating colleagues, friends and neighbors on the issue, you can fight hunger in a way that works for you personally.”

Elara Foodservice Disposables is a designer and producer of high quality food contact gloves, food storage bags and related products for restaurant and institutional foodservice operators. Elara has a social mission built into its DNA – fighting hunger. For every case of product it sells, Elara helps provide a meal for a person struggling with hunger.

For more information about Elara Foodservice Disposables, visit www. elaradisposables.com

“We established Elara in 2011 with the social mission of fighting hunger in America,” states Dan Grinberg, President of Elara.

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// COFFEE PROFITS

WITH DAVID MENDEZ

Espresso & Restaurants— A Hot Relationship

E

spresso graced the world with its presence at the 1906 World’s Fair in Milan, Italy.

Two men, Luigi Bezzera and Desidero Pavoni reengineered an earlier model of an espresso machine

by Angelo Moriondo and unveiled it to the masses. Thanks to the US coffee industry’s “second wave (referring to the Starbucks led specialty coffee expansion),” espresso based beverages went mainstream. Now, with the “Third Wave (referring to boutique cafes meticulously preparing specialty coffee and espresso drinks while educating consumers on the coffees traceability)” in full swing, properly prepared espresso drinks are being consumed at an increasing rate throughout cafes all over the US. Restaurants are in pursuit trying to capture this immense growth in the profitable espresso category.

Although espresso machines give restaurants and food service establishments a larger range of beverages over drip coffee brewers, most restaurateurs put an emphasis on drip coffee. The only logical explanations I can wrap my head around are first, restaurateurs don’t understand the capabilities of espresso, and second is that drip coffee machines traditionally are on consignment from roasters while espresso machines are purchased, I will dive into this later. With a well-trained barista at the helm, an espresso machine’s capabilities can exceed that of a drip coffee machine.

You can pull shots of espresso, craft beautiful lattes, cappuccinos and

David W. Mendez is a 4th-gen coffee professional for WB Law Coffee Co. (www.LawCoffee.com). Focusing on sales & marketing for Mid-Atlantic foodservice accounts, his expertise in coffee from seed to cup has helped develop, implement and maintain thousands of coffee & espresso programs.

macchiatos, prepare Americanos, and even enhance certain desserts like affogatos.

There are several things to think about when you’re getting into the espresso business. Do you want to use espresso pods, proprietary capsules, pre-ground espresso, or whole beans?

I don’t recommend preground espresso; it’s inefficient, and becomes very wasteful due to grounds being spilled all over the counter. Between espresso pods and proprietary capsules, I choose espresso pods.

Pods are better because they cost only around 35 cents per serving versus

capsules, which cost around 75 cents per serving. Also you need a proprietary machine dedicated for ONLY those capsules. With pods, you need only change the screens in the portafilter. So if you decide to upgrade to a grinder and whole beans, all you have to do is change the screen and not buy a whole new machine. Whole beans however, are the most cost effective form of espresso. Although it may cost you upfront for the grinder, over the long term it will save you substantially.

You can pull about 65 shots of espresso per pound (lb.) of coffee. At $9 per lb. that only costs you 14 cents per

Many restaurateurs face the decision: do they want quality product or do they want to keep it simple for their staff? Having a relationship with a roaster who knows espresso is paramount.

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shot! If you bought an espresso grinder for $1,000 and you did about 20 drinks per day, that grinder would pay for itself in UNDER 3 months! Not to mention the quality of extraction from fresh ground espresso compared to pods is undeniably better. You will even have more options of espresso.

You can try traditional dark espressos blends, light roasted specialty blends giving more citrusy notes, or even single origin espressos. None are right or wrong; it’s a matter of what is right for your restaurant and its consumers.

Profits in espresso can be substantial. Let’s say you develop a description of your espresso origin, roast and flavor profile then list it on your menu for $3. If you average 20 drinks per day at a cost of 14 cents, you will net just shy of $21,000 a year!!

When find yourself in the market for an espresso machine, you’ll realize that a reliable commercial model is NOT a small investment. New espresso machines typically start around $4,000 and can exceed $25,000!! If you

continued on page 116

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// MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Fred Bonaccorso President, M. Tucker

H

ow did you get started in the business?

I actually began my career in the publishing business, with Reuben H. Donnelley, on the street carrying the bag, selling advertising to small- and mediumsized companies on the streets of Manhattan and the boroughs to restaurants and catering establishments.

Over the years I progressed through the ranks, and moved up to executive management. I ran an operation of 500 people. But I began to realize that, with the Internet, the print industry was on the decline. So I joined a small Internet start up and built a sales organization, and then I joined Sysco Guest Supply. That was the transition to the hospitality business for me. I came to Sysco as the Vice President of sales for that $1 billion division. Sysco Guest Supply is a manufacturer and distributor of hotel supplies.

How did you get hooked up with M. Tucker? What intrigued you about the opportunity?

A recruiter contacted me, and he introduced the whole idea of M. Tucker.

When I learned about the opportunity, I became very excited. I fell in love with the whole distribution industry and was thrilled about having the opportunity to run a business. I had a lot of success with Sysco and my feelings were I could do the same for the M. Tucker organization.

What especially did you like about the company?

The team felt like it worked together like a family. The culture felt like one I

could drive in. How the business puts customers as their top priority – I felt I could be part of a very successful team and that was very exciting to me.

What are your priorities as you take over this position?

My priorities revolve around taking care of customers and the growth and training of the sales team, providing a culture and environment for the employees where they can grow and enhance our internal processes so we can give our customers the very best service now and in the future.

With the growth of the ‘Net, how do you see the role of the dealer and M. Tucker evolving to fit this new technology?

That’s the million dollar question.

How much of an impact will the Internet continue to have in changing the business is the question. We want to make sure we provide our customers with the tools and platforms they’re most comfortable using. There’s no one platform for sourcing in the future, it will be more of a multi-channel environment. What I’m doing now is taking steps to satisfy the demands of our customers by investing in technology and the training of the entire team so we can continue to be a leader now and in the future and in this multichannel environment.

Once you give a customer your services and processes, how do you keep them from shopping whatever they’re buying from you as a commodity?

I don’t think you can stop some cus-

62 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

tomers from shopping on price on commodity-type items but I do know how we sold the last year, the last five years, is no longer going to be as effective as it will be in the future. Our distribution sales representative (DSR) has to go beyond the relationship, they have to add value. Our customers are becoming smarter and more demanding. They’re really looking for ideas and suggestions to help their business. We can do that, and provide that extra value. Then the importance of a commodity-level item, saving a fraction of a dollar, may potentially not be as valuable as what the DSR is bringing to the org.

As you look at this next-generation sales person today, does it have to be a younger person who understands technology or an older person who has these wonderful relationships but doesn’t embrace technology? How do you look for the next generation who’s going to work in this environment?

It centers around the individual’s desire and ability, it’s not necessarily an age-related situation. The combination of both is the desired skill level.

As we train the next generation of distribution sales people, it’s important that we provide them with a platform of both technology and training, that we give them the skills to meet the ever-changing market that’s taking place now.

M. Tucker has always had this incredible support team that people don’t see. What makes you different in terms of that support? How will it

Fred Bonaccorso

continue?

Technology is an aid to the sales process, not the final solution. What attracted me to this business, this company is 100% built around the customer and his needs. From our DSR to the designer to the project managers, we’re here for the customer. Even maintaining such high levels of inventory is really for one reason only, to give next-day delivery. Here’s Amazon struggling to get next-day delivery, and we’ve been doing that for 15 years in this market. We believe in supporting our customers more with a team so that we can better meet their needs, whether they’re looking for stock items, or something unique.

Because our vast resources, we can solve their request. What sometimes gets taken for granted is how much time and work goes into researching and identifying and purchasing the right solution for our customers. But at the end of the day, that’s our job.

That’s what we want them to depend on us for. And that’s what we bring to the market.

Our industry is constantly evolving – for example, Danny Meyer and no

more tipping. Where is our industry heading and what’s the role M. Tucker will play to help customers accomplish those visions?

Our industry will continue to grow, not just grow but become more complex with new and creative ways of doing business. It used to be where a business owner had one restaurant but now this is big business. Customers are getting larger, owners are opening multiple locations, covering larger geographic areas but also providing unique experiences. They really need a supplier who can grow with them as well as still handle the local business.

We’re building platforms to accommodate that growth, so we can take care of these multi-unit locations and of course we’ll continue to take care of our one-family businesses but we’re building technology and processes that will give them a consistent experience wherever they need us. Bottom line, our customers are innovating at a very fast pace, faster than ever before. This has become a very dynamic market. We have to bring them supply chain solutions and new ideas so we can more than satisfy them and maintain our leadership position with them. It’s an exciting time for our industry.

Tucker’s done an amazing job of supporting not just the local restaurant community but you do an amazing job in the B & I area. You have wonderful health care relationships, corporate dining, and colleges. How do you look at the needs of that customer base? Is that a different job than what you do with the rest?

The needs of these segments vary and overall are very different from the restaurant community. They have their own nuances. This group tends to prepare large-scale meals, cook and serve and buffets. Unlike in the past,

continued on page 126 November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 63

// INSURANCE

FIORITO ON INSURANCE

The Importance of a Risk Management Program for Your Restaurant in Today’s Softening Insurance Market

Robert Fiorito serves as Vice President, HUB International Northeast, where he specializes in providing insurance

T

he insurance market overall has experienced softening over the past year, meaning that capacity is available and there has been a downward shift in rates. Depending on market segment, loss history and CAT exposure, most clients saw rate decreases in 2015, some as high as 20%. By taking proactive risk management measures and working closely with your insurance advisor, the overall cost of your insurance spend should hopefully not increase moving into 2016 and in many scenarios will decrease, IF you have a favorable loss ratio. This is beginning to look like a buyer’s market for restaurants that have not experienced any costly claim scenarios. However, if your loss ratio history is less than favorable, there is still hope. A proper risk management program is vital to help prepare for any future losses, help offset your history and present you in a more favorable light during the underwriting process.

The hospitality industry can be a risky business if its potential liability exposures are not properly identified and addressed prior to a claim being made. Insurers are aware of the high costs involved with restaurant/food service-related claims and keep this in mind when evalu-

brokerage services to the restaurant

ating a potential policy. Owners are getting hit with claims and because of this are facing insurance increases even during a favorable market, leading them to examine what could have been done to prevent the situation in the first place. Effective risk management enables you to proactively prepare for potential losses, provide a safe environment for your employees and patrons, while securing better pricing on your insurance.

Identifying risks When it comes to your restaurant, a risk can be classified as any occurrence that could have a negative impact on business. Your first step is to identify each risk and then assess the likelihood of it occurring along with its potential consequences.

Some risks are prevalent in most organizations. Other risks will be unique to your business and the services you provide – for example liquor liability, slips and falls, and

food-borne illnesses to name a few.

To get a complete picture of your risks, review your past accidents, insurance claims, and your industry’s loss statistics.

The most obvious risks associated with a business are those concerning its premises. An unsafe work environment can lead to any number of costly problems. The first priority should be ensuring that the premises are safe and secure.

Physical premises are also vulnerable to natural disasters, including fire and flood. Investing in insurance coverage for these incidences will help your business stay on track in the event of costly damage to its facilities.

While it may be impossible to identify every potential threat to a business, a risk assessment process can help you identify future problems and minimize potential costs in advance.

“Prioritizing risks can be difficult, but assigning a monetary value to each one can help simplify the process.”

64 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

industry. As a 20-year veteran and former restaurateur himself, Bob has worked with a wide array of restaurant & food service businesses, ranging from fast-food chains to upscale, “white tablecloth” dining establishments.

For more information, please visit www.hubfiorito.com

Prioritizing risks Once you have identified your risks, you need to identify which ones are most likely to happen and which ones would have the greatest, adverse impact on your business. Prioritizing risks can be difficult, but assigning a monetary value to each one can help simplify the process.

Implementing your plan Once risks are prioritized, it’s time to begin developing your strategies to manage them, starting from the most important. Once a response plan is in place, you’ll need to ensure that it’s effectively implemented.

There are three major risk management strategies that you can employ: Avoidance - Eliminate an activity, service or practice that puts your business at a level of risk that threat-

continued on page 120

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 65

// PBAC 2015-16 PREVIEW

Q&A With PBAC’s Michael Posternak

W

hat were some of the highlights for PBAC in 2015?

This was a year of solid doubledigit growth for most of our manufacturers. All segments of the New York City marketplace were strong from Corporate to Corrections, Hotels to Healthcare and Emerging restaurant groups to Education. It was one of the few times I can recall that all areas of food service were clicking at the same time.

What did PBAC do to capitalize on this growing business climate?

Over the past three years we have strengthened our infrastructure with

the building of our test kitchen in Franklin Lake, New Jersey. We also brought on board Keith Fitzgerald with a strong focus on healthcare food-service systems.

Next we acquired the services of Terry Flynn and Mike Snedeker to penetrate the Empire State marketplace.

Lastly, the addition of Paul Todaro, Hobart’s Long Island service manager enhanced tremendously our technical sales support.

Any new lines?

We want to represent the best companies and certainly not the most companies. With 13 of us covering 15 manufacturers, we have almost a solid one to one ratio, which is very

66 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

concentrated by industry standards.

We added Scotsman a couple of years ago and it synergizes very well with our linecard. Recently we struck a deal with locally based Empire Bakery to strengthen our package of bakery equipment.

What is PBAC single greatest differentiator?

We view the market as a threelegged stool. Each leg represents one of three essential elements needed to run a successful Manufacturers Representative firm.

Each leg needs to be solid and equally supported. Our three legs are Food-service Consultants, select key Dealers and leading quality End-

users. Our time is equally divided to serve the needs of this tri-lobal customer base.

Given the magnitude of metro New York’s market participants, we address each leg wherever possible through active participation in their trade associations be it AHF, SHFM, FCSI, Partridge, MAFSI, FEDA, NACUFS, School food service and The Hotel Food and Beverage Association.

What were some leading projects completed in 2015?

Our B&I business was tech biased including Google, Uber and Twitter. It also included J.P. Morgan Chase, Colgate, Pier 59, United Nations, Conde Nast, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, CIA

SEE YOU AT THE PBAC ROW BOOTH

#2619

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 67

// PBAC 2015-16 PREVIEW and ICE just to name a few.

What Upcoming Projects are on the boards for 2016?

Upcoming promising projects include Credit Suisse, Diamond Food and Nordic Hall, Barney’s, World Trade Center, Brooklyn Bridge Hotel, Hudson Yards and the USTA as well as a ton of hospital construction and replacement projects.

What is your forecast for the New York market for 2016?

Industry estimates call for about 4% real growth. I expect PBAC to double that.

Lastly what do you expect from HX 2015?

I am enthused about the rebranding of IHMRS. Our manufacturers are out in full force with many new prod-

ucts being exhibited. HX best represents the quality of our customer base. FCSI returns in full force with a newly enlarged booth and extensive educational programing.

Visit PBAC Row at the HX Show 2015 (See diagram on Page 70): • AEROWERKS – Booth #2519, Innovative soiled tray conveyor system.

• BERKEL – Booth #2519, The Iconic Berkel Prosciutto Slicer will be on display.

• DUKE MFG. – Booth #2632, introducing the new EasyCart line of versatile mobile serving carts.

• ELKAY – Booth #2624 - introducing the new line of high end chilled and sparkling water delivery systems.

• ENVIROPURE – Booth #2619, Food Waste Decomposition System, addresses the NYC waste manage-

ment requirements.

• GAYLORD – Booth #2519, Learn about our new revolutionary cost effective AirVantage ventilation feature.

• FRANKE – Booth #2623, Introducing the new A600 coffee machine system and new FIFO, first in first out sauce dispenser. Also, presenting the BKON craft brewer with RAIN technology.

• HOBART – Booth #2519, See Hobart’s newest Energy efficient dish machine model FT1000, and Energy Star listed undercounter glass washers.

• IMPERIAL BROWN – Booth #2630, learn about the unique ability to combine soft and hard nose paneling.

• INTERMETRO – Booth #2631, new series 4 Heated Holding cabinets and the new series 4 innovative poly-

mer shelving.

• SCOTSMAN – Booth #2628, presenting the new Meridian line of ice & water dispensers. Plus learn about Prodigy Plus technology.

• STRUCTURAL CONCEPTS – Booth #2629, introducing the new heated display line of Grab and Go display units.

• T & S BRASS – Booth #2619, introducing new Faucets, Hoses and Waste Valves.

• TRAULSEN – Booth #2519, introducing top mounted forced air Milk Cooler. Display to include undercounter refrigerator, equipment stand refrigerator and blast chiller.

• VULCAN – Booth #2519, Display includes new ABC Combi-Oven with simple controls, alongside a battery of heavy duty ranges and a Power Fry fryer.

SEE YOU AT THE PBAC ROW BOOTH

#2519

68 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

SEE YOU AT THE PBAC ROW BOOTH

#2519

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 69

// PBAC 2015-16 PREVIEW

NOVEMBER 8-10, 2015 JACOB K. JAVITS CONVENTION CENTER NEW YORK CITY

#2519

#2624

P B A C #2619

#2623

#2628

#2630 #2632

R O W #2629

Other lines in the PBAC Family include:

70 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

#2631

SEE YOU AT THE PBAC ROW BOOTH

#2631

SEE YOU AT THE PBAC ROW BOOTH

#2628

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 71

// LIZ ON TABLETOP

TABLETOP SOLUTIONS

Rethinking Chafing Strategies

I

find the rebranding of this month’s show at the Javits really interesting. As I thought about some of the common themes from a restaurant to a hotel and caterer, I kept coming back to tabletop. Well not really tabletop, but chafers. At least they go on tabletops.

We all know the classic chaferstand holding a water pan, Sterno underneath keeping the food warm.

But we each visualize this scene differently. Some of us think about the wire frame, simple and inex-

pensive, holding foil pans. Some of us think of the fancy silver lion legs frame with lids hung above. And others think about sleeker drawn metal frames with retractable roll top lids, in a neat organized row.

The common theme that we hear from customers is: Oh, we have been doing it this way with our chafers for years. Sure we have even thought about adding in some squares, ovals and rounds. What we are finding in working with our customers is that buffets are becoming more competitive, whether for catered events

72 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

or Sunday brunch. Our clients at H. Weiss are looking for new menu items and better presentations.

Look it’s very natural to look at the price of the chafers first. But I would like for you to start with how much room do you have. Will you have room for each of your menu choices to have their own vessel?

Is their own vessel necessary? How much food would be wasted with single item chaffers. Woa…. Let’s take a little step back and consider if we even want to use conventional chaffing dishes.

Liz Weiss is the President and coowner of Armonk, NY based H. Weiss Co. 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.

These days, there are numerous induction choices if you have access to the proper electric. Companies like Vollrath have even come out with induction warmers that plug in tandem so that you need less outlets and total electric. Induction ready serving items are available with water baths in round, square, ovals, and rectangles. With and without glass windows (nice to know what is in there). We often see bright and shiny induction ready cook wear used, just for different shapes.

We have seen this newer fresher look for some time, but we need to continue to step it up! Since the

warmer does not have the height of a conventional chaffer, we can think about using taller tables.

This can be extreme -ly simple as just changing out the leg set on your plywood top tables, or as complex as a custom table with the induction warmers dropped in. You can add tiered displays or risers to give visual interest in heights. Small tiered ramekins on tiered shelves, which can easily be handled by customers. Operators can mix materials and styles. So many choices,

just do not forget the little details.

Somewhat new are the systems that have interchangeable components. Boxes that can hold butane stoves, canned fuel, induction warmers, ice baths and eutectic packs topped with plates, platters, and bowls. I find these systems great because you can have the same or similar look for hot and cold items. Wood tones, hammer tones, brushed or shiny stainless, black and white; the choices keep

on coming. This seems to be the new wave, if you are one who needs to keep searching.

What’s really fun as we work with our customers on a fresh new approach to chafers is that there is now an influx of new and modern serving utensils, not the same ‘ole hollow handle items.

As we step forward to create an updated or bold new look, your Father’s Tongs are not the tongs that you are going to use to capture your share of the booming buffet marketplace in Metro New York. We are here to help so don’t hesitate to Email or call.

BOOTH #3101

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 73

// MIXOLOGY

WITH WARREN BOBROW

Most People Have Never Had Authentic Rum

A

nd with that said, what is that stuff that they have been drinking?

Well, up to now this product bears very little resemblance to authentic rum.

What? The bottle says rum? What’s wrong with that?

There are very few rules that govern the distillation and eventual bottling of a bottle of rum. Why is that? Well, first of all- distillers take something other than sugar cane juice and they distill with that product. Why don’t they use sugar cane juice? That’s pretty simple, sugar cane juice is a fragile and tempestuous beast. From the moment it is either machine or hand cut with a machete it begins to ferment.

Uncontrolled fermentation becomes something that becomes unusable for distillation, the product sours quickly in the high humidity and sizzling temperatures. While some distilleries utilize wild yeast strains in distillation- Jamaica for instance, the majority of rum distilleries use plain bread yeast and molasses as the base ingredient. This is not bad, please don’t get me wrong. But what it is- is uniformity in flavor. The only thing that really changes the flavors of this kind of rum are the barrels where the rum is aged. Sometimes they use bourbon casks. Other times Scotch Whisky fits the bill. I’ve heard of wine casks being used in Japan and there are some distillers who are utilizing Sherry and Port casks. Truth is, rum tastes pretty much the same at the lower end of the price equation. But since I don’t cover that side of the business, please move

along if this is what you enjoy drinking, because there is nothing to see here!

My passion for rum is about authenticity. I love rum that speaks of a place, of a distillery- (pot stills anyone?) or the lack of caramel coloring (should I tell you who does, you may not want to know), or how about the rum distilleries who add massive amounts of industrial sugar back into the rum to make it more potent- thereby boosting the alcohol. No, I think I’ll save the outright trickery for another article.

One I won’t be writing. And of course, since there is no ingredient label on a bottle of liquor, well, what is that all about? Is the liquor that we drink any less important than the food that we eat? Then why not?

This article is about series of authentic rums that require your careful examination.

The rums that I seek speak clearly

74 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

of wine-like ‘terroir’ or quite simply, a taste of the place. Mezan Rum has revealed itself to me in this fashion.

Mezan? What is Mezan Rum? First of all, I’ll tell you what Mezan isn’t: • Not Caramel Colored • Not Chill Filtered • Not aged with chunks of re-used wood added to a cask to augment both color and sweetness • No sugar-re-added…. Oh, if you’ve ever had a rum hangover, you’ll know why, they added sugar…

Mezan is: • Authentic, made in small batches… some batches from distilleries long shuttered!

• Only lightly filtered- the essential fats and oils from the distillation process are intact leading to more authentic flavor!

• Actually from a specific place/ country

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 Cocktail and Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails- his most recent book.

• Stylistically pertinent….

• As essential as Bourbon, Scotch or Cognac after a meal • Mixes like a dream, there is nothing like the XO with carrot juice and Royal Rose Simple syrup of Roses with Bitter End Moroccan Bitters… That is delicious!

The rums and my tasting notes…

Panama 2006- Look at this rum as if you are a whisky aficionado, examining the year of distillation, the distillery where it was lovingly created, the fact that it is not chill-filtered nor is it colored. This rum speaks to me in the quality of the cask. The smoke and light char shine right through each glistening sip. Panama is a luxury item, as pertinent and essential as your finest bottle of single malt or your grandfather’s bottle of Madeira from the 19th Century… Panama 2006 speaks of quince paste and brine slicked sea stones. There is smoke in there, but not as profound as an Islay Whisky, more like a Highlands and certainly skewed more to the lighter bourbon whiskies in the finish than some of the Panama rums I’ve tasted

continued on page 119

BOOTH #2718

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 75

// HOW GREEN ARE YOUR WAYS?

WITH PETER KAPLAN

Metro NYC Hotel Operators Have Unique Energy Challenges Peter Kaplan has served as Chief

A

t United Energy Consultants, we wanted to give hoteliers and hotel managers some tips on how to cut your energy bills specific to your industry. Implementing simple and inexpensive eco measures will not only prove beneficial to your overhead and pocket book, but also increase levels of staff and customer comfort.

Our goal is to demonstrate the hotel management community finds with a unique opportunity and responsibility.

Today’s hotel manager needs to look at themselves as the consciences of the environment and global challenge issues we face. With a little planning and commitment, you will have the opportunity to enhance both your personal reputation and that of your hotel.

Here are some simple tips to reduce energy consumption, whether you’re operating as an independent hotel, or a hotel chain. With Heating & Air conditioning, we recommend the regulation of energy temperature controls, according to guest preferences and to avoid overheating bedrooms and corridor areas.

We also suggest, checking boiler and pipework regularly. Try to avoid using heating and cooling systems at the same time. If the temperature reached 21 °C, switch off the heating system, and avoid using air conditioning for cooling until the temperature exceeds 23-24°C.

Operating Officer and President of

We have also found that Hot water provides great opportunity for you to easily implement best practices.

We suggest an ideal temperature of 60°C for hot water system. That will provide comfortable hot water and is hot enough that it can kill legionella bacteria. The basics of hot water management should also include a regular check of water tap. Make sure that leaks are repaired immediately and ensure pipework is well insulated.

Many of the public utilities have made lighting easier to audit. Their programs reward the use of low-energy lighting. We also suggest the Installation of compact fluorescent lighting

76 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

in guest rooms and common areas.

Hoteliers can find additional savings by adding room occupancy sensors to control thermostats and lightning without compromising guest comfort.

These steps can provide substantial energy savings with minimal impact on lighting quality and could help reduce the electricity by 80%.

Finally, it’s time for you take another look at Refrigeration.

We suggest the regularly defrosting of fridges, checking the seals on coolers and fridges and keeping them clean. Try to promote with your staff keeping the fridge doors closed. Most importantly, with so many great rebate

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

programs in place, look for energy efficient units. If possible, look for A++ units, as they have the lowest electrical running costs.

Hope to see you at the show and we’d be happy to advise you on how to make your hotel more energy efficient.

We Make it Perfectly Clear!

www.itvice.com

We offer a wide range of under the counter, self contained, modular, Ice storage bins, ice or water Hotel dispenser and remote designed ice machines.

Our variety of ice types includes, flaked ice, half dice and full dice ice cubes, that chill drinks quickly and gourmet style cubes for the most discerning of consumers.

Finance and Leasing Available

Booth 3101 Represented in the Tri-State area by: Nov 8-10, 2015 Jacob K. Javits Convention Center New York City

“Ice Guarantee” If your ITV ice maker ever fails under valid warranty issues (not installation, power, plumbing, filtration related), TD Marketing will reimburse you for any ice purchases made (must provide receipts) until the machine is repaired.

732 339-3266 I www.tdmarketingco.com November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 77

// NEWS

MARKETING INNOVATION

SpellBrite Brings Back The Selling Sizzle Of Neon At A Fraction Of The Cost

Y

ou’ve done your advertising. Printed up new business cards. Came up with a catchy name for your new restaurant.

But did you think about signs?

“With all the focus on social media and digital customer engagement, it is easy to overlook a marketing strategy that, for over a century has proven to drive sales,” says Sean Callahan, President of SpellBrite.

SpellBrite signs, with the look of neon but with LED as their illuminating source, not only are brighter but allow restaurants to change the words on them at any time, according to the company whose motto is “An LED Sign with the Bright Look of Neon but the Flexibility of Print.”

SpellBrite signage was born from the technology developed by iLight, a pioneer and leader in innovative LED illumination solutions. Founded in 1999, the company’s award-winning legacy of exceptional lighting products known for high brightness and smooth even glow was the seed that became SpellBrite. iLight continues to develop and deliver innovative LED illumination solutions that transform, excite, and energize architectural environments worldwide. The company currently holds more than 100 patents in the U.S. and International markets.

SpellBrite was introduced in 2012.

Retailers and restaurant owners quickly grasped the benefits of the signage system; SpellBrite was named a Retailer Top Pick at the 2012 NACS trade show and Best New Product at the 2012 ISA International Sign Expo.

SpellBrite signs, with the look of neon but with LED as their illuminating source, not only are brighter but allow restaurants to change the words on them at any time.

In 2014, iLight was named one of the winners of the 12th Annual Chicago Innovation Awards for its unique SpellBrite LED signage system.

“Neon signs have been used for over a hundred years to successfully drive traffic and sales,” Callahan noted. There is no greater proof of the effectiveness of illuminated signs, and neon in particular, than Las Vegas. Casinos there have used neon to the extreme to draw in customers and their money. “However, neon is declining in popularity, even in Las Vegas, due to safety concerns, maintenance hassles, environmental issues, and aesthetic challenges and many municipalities are banning neon.”

Spellbrite’s LED-based signs have none of the drawbacks of neon signs and derive significant benefits from LEDs: long life, durable, low energy usage, light weight, etc.

LEDs are points of light and this creates aesthetic challenges if viewers are able to see the pixelation.

78 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

Several technologies have successfully addressed the pixel problem: large billboards and display screens which can cost hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Viewers are typically far enough from the display that the individual LEDs are not distinct, but actually form a composite image.

Unlike signs from the past, which were static once they were created, SpellBrite signs let restaurants change their content whenever they want. With the SpellBrite click-together letters, numbers and symbols, eating establishments can switch a word or words at a moment’s notice.

Some restaurants swear by them. After hanging his first sign, Steve Scaglione, owner of Maurizio’s Pizza & Sports Bar in St. Louis, was all in. He immediately invested $4,000 more in SpellBrite signs. Steve said, “Within weeks of putting up the sign “BANQUET ROOM AVAILABLE” with our phone number, we went from getting almost no calls on

the banquet room to 20 to 25 calls per week.”

Sam of Big Sammy’s Hot Dogs in Elgin, IL uses SpellBrite to promote the combo at his three shops. When food costs increased, Sam changed the price on “2 HOT DOGS FRIES & DRINK $5.00” to $5.50 and later to $6.25 just by buying a few more numbers. “Large chains spend millions of dollars to promote their value meals.

SpellBrite puts my value meal on equal footing and for much less money,” says Sam. “And you can’t miss the signs. They bring the customers in.”

LED-based signs have none of the drawbacks of neon, says Callahan.

LEDS have a long life, are durable and use a lot less electricity, and can sometimes cost half the price. “Business owners can inexpensively test multiple messages, promotions and price specials to find the most compelling to prospective customers,” he adds.

Callahan added that SpellBrite signs can differentiate your business, promote specials and attract employees.

A multi-unit owner of a national pizza chain found using a “NOW HIRING DRIVERS” sign led to a fivefold increase in driver candidates. The owner is pleased, “Drivers constantly turnover. I’ve gone from hoping for a warm body, to selecting candidates that will represent our brand well.”

From increasing sales to attracting top-flight employees, SpellBrite’s new signage system is delivering big results for foodservice operators.

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 79

// RESTAURANT STAFF MANAGEMENT

WITH LEEANNE HOMSEY

Contests And Team-Building To Inspire Your Staff To Remember Customer Names

I

t may seem impossible to inspire your entire staff to value anything about your restaurant beyond their own money. And truth be told they are not entirely wrong. Lets face it, waiting tables is not the most glamorous or highly prized job in the world and Stellar customer service employees are few and far between and their attitudes rarely if ever rub off on employees whose work ethic is lacking in the enthusiasm department. So how do you motivate those employees who are just there for a paycheck? How do you inspire your otherwise uncaring staff to care?

Trick them! Yes trick them into caring about your business and wanting it to thrive. Use the timetested carrot and stick called cash to start a tidal wave of enthusiasm for your customers and business plus inspire a rock-star work ethic that even the laziest of employees will love to deploy.

This is what I suggest. Begin a contest, which will run for a month or two and offer a cash prize. Yes cash money. This is what your employees work for and it will be easier for them to visualize and value the prize. Plus it is much more exciting to hear that you are giving away a $50.00 or $100.00 prize and that it will turn someone’s $80.00 shift into a $130.00 or $180.00 shift! The tools

LeeAnne Homsey specializes in

you need for your business and this contest to succeed is your employee’s enthusiasm. Once you have the contest, managing and inspiring will be easy.

Now it’s time to set the ground rules for this contest. You can have a contest as simple as “who can get, remember and use the most customer’s names?” Having them keep verifiable, detailed entries about customers in a notebook that you supply is an excellent way for them to keep a log, important details plus look back at pertinent information about their guests when they return and making the guest feel even more valued.

Next give them tips on how to win the contest. Tell them one of the easiest ways is to get the hostess to introduce them or stay by the front door, open it for customers, ask if the customer has a reservation and

then introduce them to the hostess. Asking the name of the missing guest of an “incomplete party” will get them closer to the prize too.

Simply tell the seated guest that you would like to personally greet their companion and make sure they connect as soon as possible.

The seated guest will perceive this as an added value and happily give the other person’s name which can now be used throughout the entire meal and entered into the employee’s book along with the date, table number and other pertinent details.

Introducing customers to managers and other employees with parallel interests and passions is another way to not only get and remember customer’s names but to also solidify the customer to the restaurant forever.

Now it is time to start daily pop contests: after most customers have

Get employees in the habit of experiencing your customers as people who bring more value to their life than just a tip

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providing consulting / training services to the restaurant industry. As a 25-year veteran, LeeAnne has worked with a wide array of restaurant businesses ranging from casual to upscale dining establishments. For more information call 1-646-462-0384, e-mail info@leeannehomsey.com or visit www. leeannehomsey.com.

been seated and things start to quiet down and waiters want to be cut, tell them the employee who can accurately name the most customers can start their side work and leave first or will win a free dessert, dinner or app if cutting doesn’t apply. Get employees in the habit of experiencing your customers as people who bring more value to their life than just a tip and that by documenting and remembering customer’s names they can get out of work sooner, enjoy free food and earn bonus money that others will not. Help your employees deliver great customer service even if you have to “trick” them into it. In the end they will get much more from their jobs than just money and might even thank you for it one day.

Next month: Taking Your Contests To The Next Level: help your servers connect with each customer using their new notebooks, business cards and social media.

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 81

// CRAFTED

WITH MARJORIE BORELL

Fall Brews For Heartier Fare

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elcome to CRAFTED where every month we tap into the latest news, trends and developments in the creation and appreciation of craft beers and ciders.

Each month I will be interviewing, industry influentials, brewers, distributors, cicerones, cider makers and kettle stirrers- from pale to stout - to bring you insights and information on brews you can use.

Coming off Oktoberfest, the month-long happy hour that ushers in the season of falling leaves, football and pumpkin pie seemed like the ideal time to debut this column.

And as the temperature cools, competition in the beer world has heated up. News of the impending takeover of SABMiller by rival Anheuser-Busch InBev is perhaps the biggest industry mashup of the decade – and for good reason.

As of September of this year, there were over 4,000 known craft beer companies in the United States.

While US beer sales rose a mere 0.5% in 2014, craft beer sales rose by 17.6%, capturing an impressive 11% of the entire beer market. Currently at 15%, the US craft beer market share is expected to rise to 20% by the year 2020. So intense is the battle of the brews that the U.S. Justice Department is probing allegations that Anheuser-Busch InBev is seeking to buy distributors, making it harder for craft brewers to get their products on the shelves.

But unlike the Goliath breweries, the Davids of the craft beer world are a different breed – passionate, innovative and fearless. Craft brewers are freer to experiment with interesting, unique and seasonal ingredients and they produce everything from wellcrafted classics to unique aromas apricot, coffee, raspberry, lime, and of course, pumpkin. Which brings me back to the change of seasons.

Fall calls for more complex brews that pair well with heartier fare. Spicy and rich, they are the perfect accom-

(Photo courtesy of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.)

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paniment to goose, turkey, hams and yams.

In addition to pumpkin-flavored beers, many breweries are making German-influenced styles for fall.

Toasty Vienna and Munich malts as well as darker ales and hop beers – freshly harvested this time of year.

Also benefiting from the brisk air are ciders. Shorter days and cooler nights make for crisp, juicy apples and is the major reason that most American cider is produced in the Northeast and Pacific Northwest.

Try a tangy cider spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, or a refreshing pear-based cider known as “perry” for a true taste of the season.

Unlike beer, wine and spirits, hard cider is a new frontier for many Americans. But recent years have shown significant uptick in the number of US-based cider producers as consumers begin to embrace this new category of alcoholic beverages.

Opened in March is New York City’s first entirely cider-dedicated restau-

(Photo courtesy of Warwick Valley Winery)

Marjorie Borell has been active in the hospitality industry for over ten years.

She is a seasoned Restaurant Real Estate Broker, published journalist and part owner of Beer Culture Craft Beer Bar and Shop in Manhattan’s theatre district. Her recent activities include: Panel of Judges, International Restaurant & Foodservice Show 2015; Reporter - Women Chefs and Restaurateurs; Member of the NY Restaurant Association, and the NYC Hospitality Group.

rant and bar. It’s called Wassail. It’s on Orchard Street (I kid you not!).

So as the days get shorter and the night times longer, there is much to look forward to. I welcome your comments on my journey to introduce you to the most intriguing people and share the exclusive stories that make the Renaissance of crafted beverages so fascinating.

(Photo courtesy of Anchor Brewing Co.)

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BOOTH #2509

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// CATERSOURCE CONSULTANT

WITH MICHAEL ROSMAN

Third-Party Delivery Technology: Threat or Opportunity?

Michael Rosman is considered one of the foremost thought-leaders and sought-after consultants in the cater-

T

here are two constants in our business—time is precious and competitors abound. Some days, it is so busy that it’s difficult to get the next day’s Sysco order in the system while ensuring that all of tomorrow’s orders are properly prepped and ready to go. Therefore, as important as it is, it may be difficult to spend significant daily time analyzing exactly which companies are a threat and what should be done about them.

This brings us to UberEATS, Seamless, Grub Hub, EZ Cater and others that we label as middlemen or third party delivery services. Some of these may act as pure alternative delivery services for those individuals looking for a sandwich from their favorite restaurant, and others present themselves as a varied menu-intense portal where an office manager can easily order a meal for a small meeting or a large presentation.

Of course these services come with a price. While charges vary, both the customer and you as the caterer may have to pay. In fact, it is common for these services to bill caterers up to 10% to deliver your order.

My clients at The Corporate Caterer are concerned about all of the

ing industry. As a national speaker,

implications these services present, and they ask me questions like this daily: “Should I be using one of these services?”

“What about the commission they take?”

“Are some companies better than others?”

“Are the commissions negotiable?”

“Can I adjust my catering menu prices when using them to offset some of the commission they receive?”

“Can I add more delivery fee to “those” orders to offset some commission?”

“What happens when I am doing business with a company and then suddenly they tell me that they now need to order thru Seamless or whomever?”

“It seems like some of the thirdparty portals allow me to adjust our prices and others don’t?”

The risks and rewards in utilizing these services are numerous. Let’s start with some negatives: 1. If you use a third party delivery service, you lose control of your food. If it’s your delivery staff, you know which driver is best for every delivery situation. Paul may be good at climbing steps, but Janice is better with finicky customers. The fol-

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lowing scary quote is from an Uber driver: “I have done delivery stuff and the problems one encounters in delivery are greater than human transport. Uber is just going too fast. They should keep doing what they have proved they can do---legitimate gypsy cab business. I will not walk up several flights of stairs to deliver some lazy ass a meal and listen to his complaints about not getting the sauce he wanted. F this.

They are getting stupid if they think this will work. Oh well let them f up what they have done....”

Want that guy delivering your food?

2. You may have to pay 10% to the delivery service. 10% can add up to an appreciable sum and will obviously increase your food cost.

3. Some of these companies put all blame for mistakes directly on you. Check out the Seamless FAQs found on their website: Who should I call if there is a problem with my order?

The restaurant is the best initial contact for order inquiries. If your order is late or the restaurant made a mistake in fulfilling your order, please contact them directly.

My food arrived and there is something wrong with my order.

It is most efficient for you to con-

published author and magazine columnist Michael’s pioneering membership website, The Corporate Caterer, is the go-to resource for restaurateurs and caterers who want to start or grow their corporate drop-off catering business. Michael can be reached directly at michael@thecorporatecaterer.com.

tact the restaurant directly so they can quickly offer you a resolve to your problem.

Where is my food?

It is most efficient for you to contact the restaurant regarding the status of your order.

I received a confirmation estimating my time of delivery and now the order is late.

Seamless electronically conveys your order to the restaurant. To check on the status of your order, please contact the restaurant directly.

Obviously, once the order is in the hands of Seamless, it is still your responsibility to correct all errors, even if they are not your own.

So that’s enough info to let you know that there can be issues with these services. Remember however, that some form of third-party delivery is here to stay and it may just make sense for you to get with the program in a way that benefits you

while cutting possible risk, exposure and damage to your reputation.

So how do you do that?

Start a new company division.

Give it a new name, a different phone number, unique domain, and a menu tailored to fit the parameters of the third-party deliveries. When setting prices, build in a 15% commission. That takes care of any wasted time negotiating commissions with any of the providers.

If they deliver your order late, your regular customers will never know it was you.

If a regular customer suddenly tells you they now have to order through Seamless only, you can send them to your new division.

There may also be some interesting added benefits. You may be surprised when your new business competes directly with your existing company, and you may gain insight into the way your clients put catering services out for bid.

This concept is not new, as plumbers, electricians and pest control services have been using it for years. And while it will obviously take some work to set up properly, this method will stop any agonizing about these third-party services.

You can keep your existing catering business pure and separate and at the same time you can totally embrace this new technology. Now that actually may be the best of both worlds!

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// MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Tobias and Michelle Glienke Co-founders, Munk Pack

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rom their corporate lives to their camping adventures, Connecticut-based Munk Pack co-founders, Tobias and Michelle Glienke, were always looking for portable, healthy, great tasting foods. They got started in the kitchen, creating smoothies and oatmeals that ultimately evolved into the products they produce commercially today, Oatmeal Fruit Squeeze snacks for adults and families on the go. Available to consumers in local grocers including Whole Foods, Wegmans, Kings Food Markets, and Balducci’s, Munk Pack is looking to expand into the foodservice market place. We sat down with Tobias and Michelle to discuss more about Munk Pack and its product line in this month’s Meet the Newsmaker.

Tell us more about your backgrounds. Did either of you have foodservice or culinary experience prior to launching Munk Pack?

If throwing together different recipes in our kitchen can be considered culinary experience, then sure! To be honest though, we started this venture with no professional food experience, hailing from corporate law and finance. We both shared a passion and curiosity for food and nutrition, so it’s been a natural progression into creating a food business. There’s been a lot to learn along the way, but our past professional experiences have given

us the tools we need to succeed in our venture.

Both being the entrepreneurial visionaries behind Munk Pack, what led to the establishment of the company?

Like many food companies before us, Munk Pack started in the kitchen. We were living in Manhattan at the time and were constantly on the go, whether it be to work or on a day trip upstate for a hike. We tried to find healthy snacks to take with us on our adventures, but were disappointed with the options that were on the market. We were tired of bars. We wanted real food that was minimally processed, without the sugars and fillers you find in most bars and snacks.

We started by funneling homemade oatmeals and smoothies into bottles,

Munk Pack Samples

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but then discovered the convenience of pouches, which allowed us to create a non-perishable product without the use of artificial preservatives. We moved into a commercial kitchen and trialed the product at local farmers’ markets before taking the big leap into a large scale production run.

Did Munk Pack hit any bumps along the road? Would you do anything different if you had to start the business over again?

There are constantly hurdles that we’ve faced along the way, but we have overcome all challenges unfazed.

We are very happy with how our vision for the brand has materialized, and the brand and product have resonated very strongly with consumers. So there are no regrets and nothing significant we would have done differently.

Talk about the ingredients, flavors and the health and convenience aspects Munk Pack fills over traditional oatmeals and nutrition bars.

Before Munk Pack there was no ready-to eat product that resembled the natural consistency and mouthfeel of oatmeal. Cereal bars contain oats held together with syrups, and oatmeal cups require hot water and a spoon and typically have added sugars. Munk Pack is oatmeal packed with delicious super fruits, with the textures of grain and fruit pieces. We source our ingredients ourselves to

Tobias and Michelle Glienke, Munk Pack co-founders

ensure the highest quality. The ground flax in our products provides a healthy dose of omega-3s as well as fiber, to provide sustained energy to carry you through your day. All of our products are also Gluten Free Certified, vegan, Non-GMO Project Verified and Kosher, meeting demand for quality and dietary restrictions.

What was the initial marketplace that you looked to fill? And how has that marketplace evolved?

When we first launched Munk Pack, we thought our Oatmeal Fruit Squeezes would be the perfect snack for busy adults on the go. While this has remained true, we have also found that people love having Munk Pack in the office at their desks for a health snack, or for breakfast. It’s great for the commute, and also when not in transit, for a quick meal. We have also had a ton of great feedback from the outdoor community, especially those in the running, cycling and climbing arenas.

It’s been a lot of fun to see how our fan base has evolved and we look forward to watching it grow.

Explain the protective measures

against cross contamination Munk Pack needs to take being a GlutenFree Certified company.

Being gluten free certified means that we take great care at each stage of the production process, from sourcing ingredients to producing finished goods. Oats are notorious for contamination with wheat and other glutinous grains because of crop rotation cycles.

Thus we source from a supplier that uses oat-dedicated fields and tests throughout each lot. Our oat source is gluten free certified, as well as our finished products. Good Manufacturing Practices are in place to test and keep equipment free of allergens, and our facility is BRC certified.

Where do you envision Munk Pack being purchased outside of the specialty food store market? Maybe a

grab n’ go item for a school and university cafeteria or a kiosk in a major airport?

There are many great placements for Munk Pack outside of the specialty food store market. In addition to the spaces you mentioned, we see Munk Pack products in corporate cafeterias, hotel breakfast bars, “in-flight” on airplanes, hospitals and cruises, just to name a few. The possibilities are really endless.

What’s the next step for a foodservice director or distributor that would like more information about Munk Pack?

Let’s chat! We can be reached directly at 203-769-5005 or email info@munkpack.com.

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 91

// THE WINE COACH

WITH LAURIE FORSTER

Celebrate Harvest 2015!

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here is an exciting feeling we get from something NEW. Whether it be a new piece of clothing, a new car or maybe a new house, the feeling is exhilarating. Same goes for NEW wine! One special wine is available just weeks after it is harvested— Beaujolais Nouveau. This Nouveau will be released on November 19, 2015.

These wines travel from Beaujolais, in the southernmost part of Burgundy, to destinations around the world for their “official” release on the third Thursday of November.

Beaujolais is a region that makes mostly red wines from the Gamay grape known for its fruitiness, soft tannins and food friendly acidity.

About half of the wines made in Beaujolais are bottled early for the Nouveau release and the other half spend time aging in oak barrels until being released in the spring.

Nouveau wines are seen by some as a way to celebrate the harvest and gauge the quality of the more “serious” wines to be released in the spring.

Winemaker Georges Duboeuf is credited with developing the idea of Nouveau to help find a unique way to create demand for Beaujolais. He felt that these wines could be released within weeks of harvest and increase cash flow for wineries that typically could not sell their wines until later in the year. By the 1970s Nouveau was a tradition in Paris

Laurie Forster, The Wine Coach, is a

“Wine snobs and wine enthusiasts sometimes view Nouveau as a “serious wine” but they miss the point. Nouveau is about celebrating the harvest and all the hard work that went into that year.”

certified sommelier, award-winning author and media personality. Forster is the host of her radio show The Sipping Point and her mobile application “The Wine Coach” was listed as one of the Top 8 Wine Apps in Wine Enthusiast. To find out more visit: www.TheWineCoachSpeaks.com | @thewinecoach | facebook.com/ winecoach

and eventually all over the world. On the day of the release at midnight the wines would be transported to Paris and other destinations where eager wine drinkers would gladly purchase these affordable wines. Through marketing and other means this became a day of celebration where parties and events drove consumption and purchase of Nouveau.

Most producers in Beaujolais use a unique process called carbonic maceration to create these fruity wines. Unlike traditional fermentation the grapes are not crushed and in fact the fermentation happens inside the grape

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itself. This process creates fruity wines with soft tannins that are reminiscent of fruit salad. In general, Beaujolais Nouveau is made for early consumption and its flavors can fade after six months or so. Serve these wines slightly chilled at maybe 60-65 degrees to taste them at their best.

Wine snobs and wine enthusiasts sometimes view Nouveau as a “serious wine” but they miss the point. Nouveau is about celebrating the harvest and all the hard work that went into that year. These wines are not built for critical acclaim.

Instead, they are meant to be fun wines that appeal

to a wide variety of wine drinkers.

Not all the wines from Beaujolais are the light, fun and fruity like Nouveau. Wine drinkers looking to see the best of this region should consider trying Beaujolais from one of the ten best villages.

These 10 form the Cru appellations, which include St-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-a-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly, and Côte de Brouilly.

Moulin-à-Vent, for instance produces full bodied and structured reds that have the ability to age for up to twenty years.

The fact that Beaujolais is a great pairing to an American Thanksgiving feast is reason enough to enjoy these wines or introduce them to your guests. So grab a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau or a Cru Beaujolais and celebrate the harvest of 2015!

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November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 93

// NEWS

TABLETOP INNOVATION

Bottles & Wood Brings Innovative New Approach To Sustainability

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t’s not every tabletop designer’s wish to have his items stolen from the table. But that’s what started Steve Cherry’s handcrafted business, all from discarded wine bottles.

“My girlfriend made me do it,” says the CEO of Bottles&Wood, repurposed glass and wood products.

“She asked me to take a couple of wine bottles and cut them into rock glasses. One of our best friends owns a restaurant and asked, can

you cut these bottles – these neat little blue Saratoga Springs water bottles in half, I’d love to use them as votives. So we cut them in half and put them on the tables and he liked them so much, he asked us to make one for every table. He puts them on the tables, puts tea lights in them, and people start stealing them off the table.”

So the restaurateur ordered another 50 and finally he told Cherry, “I’m going to have to sell these

things because people keep stealing them.”

He became Bottles&Wood’s very first customer. Because this was a high-trending restaurant in the hippest part of San Diego, called North Park, other restaurateurs saw them and wanted them, too, Cherry says.

The company started the business with wineries. “They all had tasting rooms, and they told us, we have to pay to get rid of them, you might even pay us back in products,” he

says. “But picking up our bottles is fabulous. In essence, we started buying trash from our customers!”

Wineries would need to throw out 100 wine barrels a week. “And we would buy them for cheap. We started making serving ware and butcher block and all kinds of buffet utensils. We got into the National Restaurant Show and we found our home,” he says. Recently the company has moved into the hospitality space.

At Bottles & Wood local artisans hand craft wooden serving ware, glassware and tableware using locally sourced glass bottles and french oak wine barrels. Bottles & Wood knows that presentation is an important factor in the overall satisfaction of your guests and the craftsmanship of our work is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

We Look Forward to Serving You!

858-384-6114 orders@bottlesandwood.com

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Although the company’s been very successful, production is a challenge, according to Cherry.

“Being able to source enough raw material to get the job done and being able to line up the labor to be able to do this at a cost-efficient price, because, in the hospitality business, while people love to be green, they have budget restrictions, has been a challenge.”

Being green costs more, Cherry notes. “And if you want to add that ‘handcrafted and locally made in America’ touch, that’s going to cost more, too, because most of these products are usually made overseas.”

So Bottles&Wood took advantage of its proximity to Mexico, and now operates a shop in Tijuana. “Our labor costs are literally one-fifth of what they would be here, and it’s no more than 35 minutes away – 35 minutes in labor costs and 20% of what they are here,” he says.

Cherry says the company buys 250 or 300 wine barrels at a time. “We’ve got this shop on the other side of the border and we bring the wine barrels to our shop in San Diego. Because they’re typically French wine barrels and they’ve got residue from making red wine in them, if we take them legally over the border, they will be fumigated and quarantined.

Now you’ve taken the barrels apart, and we don’t want that. So we get the wood down in Mexico, where we do the heavy glue-up and rough planning and we bring them back here to finish them and laser engrave them and do the ramekin insets, integrate glass into it, that kind of thing. It’s a mandatory requirement to compete.”

Now the company is even helping restaurants and bars with design projects, as well. “A customer

“I see the story becoming more important in the whole restaurant business and restaurants being willing to spend the money to tell the story of the venue,” he says. “We help them tell that story.”

will come in to the showroom, and say, ‘I’m starting to conceive a new bar concept, would you like to get involved in this?’ Since we sell everything from serving ware to chandeliers, we love to jump in and articulate the owner’s vision.”

continued on page 125

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// FOOD SAFETY

WITH FRANCINE SHAW

Serving Safe Food Is Your Responsibility

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spend significant time consulting in various types of food service facilities for numerous reasons: new openings, third party auditing, and as a health inspector for a mid-Atlantic jurisdiction. After spending more than 20 years working in food service operations, I understand the business is not always easy. But, I also know that if you’re willing to put forth the effort, an organized, efficient, profitable establishment that you can be proud of is attainable.

Every day, I run into situations that amaze me and just when I think I’ve seen it all, I discover - I haven’t. As I enter kitchens to conduct inspections, one of the first things I do is take temperatures. As I approached a restaurant’s prep table recently, I noticed the gaskets sticking out of the bottom of the prep table door. Upon closer inspection, I discovered moisture around the seal and mold in the gasket in the door. When the gaskets aren’t sealing properly because they’re damaged, the unit won’t function properly. Cold air escapes as the unit struggles to maintain the appropriate temperature. Ultimately, the unit’s temperature rises to unacceptable levels, creating moisture around the damaged gaskets, allowing unsightly, potentially harmful mold to grow, and resulting in another issue: poor sanitation.

Over the past several months, I’ve discovered TCS (Time Temperature for Safety) food items at temperatures in the “danger zone,” with chopped tomatoes at 65˚F, grilled chicken at 71˚F, and “par cooked” burgers at 80˚F! Foods stored at improper tempera-

tures like these can harbor dangerous bacteria and make diners very sick!

How can food industry professionals serve this food??

When I discover foods are being held at dangerous temperatures, I ask to see temperature logs. In most cases, they either don’t exist or the institutions have the forms but aren’t utilizing them. What would happen if I wasn’t there taking temperatures? How long would they continue to serve the food that had been improperly stored?

How long until someone got sick?

According to the CDC, 48 million people, or 1 in 6 Americans, get foodborne illnesses in this country each year. Another 3,000 die due to foodborne illnesses that are 100 percent preventable. Foodborne illness happens because of someone’s carelessness i.e. not taking the temperatures of products regularly, not storing food at the proper temperatures, etc.

In addition to being the owner/ manager of a busy establishment with never-ending responsibilities, an ongoing shortage of staff, and constantly rising food costs, you have the obligation of ensuring that the food you serve is safe. It’s your responsibility to ensure that your staff doesn’t make mistakes that could result in someone getting sick or, worse yet, dying. Quite

honestly, I’m surprised more people don’t die with the various situations I come across in my line of work. The mistakes and carelessness I’ve witnessed in some establishments are astounding. (One day, cockroaches literally rained on my head in a restaurant that I was inspecting!)

Here are a few ideas to help you provide guests with the safest meals possible: • Ensure that everyone on your team is trained in food safety basics.

• Require that all management personnel have a food safety certification.

• Create a HACCP plan (Hazzard Analysis and Critical Control Point).

This will ensure that you are being proactive rather than reactive, making it much easier to ensure safe food. Receiving logs, Temperature logs, Monitoring, Corrective Action, Verification (and more) will all be a part of this.

• Train your team members on the basics of HACCP. • Implement the HACCP plan.

• Explain things to your staff when you ask them to do something. By using this approach (instead of just giving orders with no explanation), you’re more likely to achieve positive results.

• Give good direction and hold your staff accountable.

• Provide your team with the tools

“What would happen if I wasn’t there taking temperatures? How long would they continue to serve the food that had been improperly stored? How long until someone got sick?”

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Francine L. Shaw, CP-FS.FMP, is President of Food Safety Training Solutions, Inc., which offers a robust roster of services, including food safety training, food safety auditing, responsible alcohol service training, writing HACCP plans and more. The Food Safety Training Solutions team has more than100 combined years of industry experience in restaurants, casinos, and convenience stores. The company has helped numerous clients, including McDonald’s, Subway, Marriott, Domino’s, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Dairy Queen, and Omni Hotel and Resorts, prevent foodborne illnesses. Additionally, they work with restaurants of all sizes, schools, medical facilities, convenience stores, hotels and casinos.

needed for success (e.g., accurate food thermometers, temperature logs, etc.)

• Be a leader, not a boss.

As a food service professional, you have many things to accomplish each day, and it can seem overwhelming to manage it all. If you have systems in place for success (trained staff members, proactive food safety protocols, a HACCP plan, the proper tools in your kitchen), maintaining proper food safety measures doesn’t seem so overwhelming – and is much more achievable.

BOOTH #2615

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// EYE

METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

Sotheby’s Hosts Merger of Culinary and Artistic Creativity

I

t’s not often that some of the world’s most creative art is teamed with the culinary creativity of Manhattan’s top toques.

Last month, that’s exactly what happened as the legendary art auction house Sotheby’s teamed with 25 culinary titans of the Upper East Side at Our Town’s Art of Food.

It was a night of unforgettable, unique, mouthwatering dishes inspired by art from Sotheby’s upcoming auction.

Chef Michael White (Marea, Vaucluse, Osteria Morini, Costata) and fashion designer Nicole Miller hosted this special event.

Guests were invited to mix and mingle while viewing art and sampling specialty dishes and drinks from Atlantic Grill, Cafe Boulud, East Pole, The Meatball Shop, Magnolia Bakery, The Penrose, Crave Fishbar, and many more of the Upper East Side’s best restaurants.

Sotheby’s New York features exhibition space on six floors, a soaring nine-story glass atrium and galleries

Crave Fishbar’s Todd Mitgang prepared his legendary naked salmon

designed by museum architect Richard Gluckman, whose list of credits include the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, and the much-admired permanent collection galleries in the Whitney Museum of American Art. A portion of the event’s proceeds benefited Citymeals-on-Wheels.

Citymeals-on-Wheels raises private funds to ensure no homebound elderly New Yorker will ever go a day without food or human company.

EYE loved the thought that went into each of the dishes served throughout the evening. Among the highlights were Chef Erik Miller of BKB Restaurant’s Long Island Duck confit inspired by Andy Warhol. Il Mulino’s Michele Mazza created a Ravioli ai Procini inspired by the artist Roy Lichenstien, Chef JJ Johnson of The Cecil and Minton’s Hominy Stew, inspired

by Gerhard Richter, Freds at Barneys’ Mark Strausman prepared Rigatoni with Brisket Ragu inspired by Pablo Picasso. Daniel Holtzman of the Meat-

Institute of Culinary Education’s chief Rick Smilow toured the event with his daughter Anna (L) and friend Jaime Halberstam

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ball Shop created Pizza meatballs. The Regency’s Brian Kevorkian found the inspiration for his Fluke Crudo from Howard Hodgkin. Pizza Beach’s Eric Kleinman served a Beet Cured Salmon dish that was inspired by Eric Fischl.

The sweet side featured such creations as Bobby Lloyd of Magnolia Bakery’s Banana Pudding (Warhol).

A highlight of the evening was the presentation of a Lifetime Achieve-

ment Award to Nina and Tim Zagat, publisher of the Zagat Guides.

The Art of Food also enabled cosponsor New York Presbyterian Hospital the opportunity for many of its culinary stars to shine. Chef Ross Posmentier created a much talked about Fettucine “Bianco e Nero” that was inspired by the famous Andy Warhol painting of longtime Manhattan resident Mick Jagger.

Co-honoree-chef Michael White shared the spotlight with noted designer Nicole Miller (Photo by William Neumann)

The BKB Restaurant father and son duo of Andrew and Eric Miller created an Andy Warhol inspired Long Island duck confit

Chef Mark Strausman of Freds at Barneys prepared rigatoni with brisket Ragu

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 99

// RESTAURANT EXPERT

WITH DAVID SCOTT PETERS

The Cure for Common Sense-itis Realize there is no such thing as common sense

D

o you sometimes just want to fire everyone in your restaurant and just do all the work yourself?

Do you wonder why people can’t just do it the way you want it done? Do you ever find yourself saying, “IT’S COMMON SENSE!” If you can relate to any of the above, you probably suffer from “common sense-itis.”

I define common sense-itis as a never-ending headache you have from repeatedly banging your head against the proverbial brick wall known as running your restaurant.

This term is most accurate when applied to restaurant owners who think their managers should just know how to do things because it’s “common sense.”

Look, the definition of common sense clearly states that it’s a shared understanding based on experience. I can tell you right now that your managers, each and every one of them, do not share your experiences. They have not grown up in your shoes.

They do not possess the same core values. They are not you and will not automatically do things your way, just because you think they should have common sense.

Get rid of your case of common sense-itis once and for all with an easy two-step process.

Step 1 - Create checklists for EVERYTHING! Creating checklists sounds so simple, yet I can’t even begin to count how many restaurants don’t have them

in place. And when checklists do get drafted, many restaurant owners are not explicit enough in what they want done or how they want it done.

Let me tell you the easy way to avoid this pitfall. Grab a pad of paper, stand outside your front door and start writing down EVERYTHING you see on a daily basis that needs to get done.

Especially note the things that really get your blood boiling because they seem so obvious. Continue writing as you walk through your restaurant.

Be precise in your expectations.

For example, “Clean glass on front door every two hours, starting with opening shift.” Then list the times.

When your list is completed, task one of your managers to customize opening and closing checklists incorporating every item on your list for every position. Remember, you cannot be too specific.

When you don’t communicate your expectations to your managers, you’re setting them up to fail.

You’re also setting yourself up for endless frustration.

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Once you have completed this process you are halfway to curing your common sense-itis. Plus, your management team is happy. They’re happy they no longer have to read your mind or dread your inevitable freak out. With lists in hand, your management team is cool, calm and collected when they see you coming. They can say with confidence they didn’t miss anything if they followed the simple checklist.

Side Note: Your checklists are never finished. You will continue to add all of the new things that drive you crazy as they come up. Don’t be surprised if your checklists are two to six pages long. But also don’t be surprised at how well they work.

Step 2 – Follow up on the checklists.

Now that you have your checklists and have trained your managers and staff to use them, the easy part is done.

You will see results almost immediately. I guarantee it.

But here’s what tends to happen.

About three weeks after implementing checklists, when your managers see that you are not looking in the designated binder to confirm the checklists are being used, your managers will start to slack off. And once they slack off, everyone else will slack off.

Eventually they’ll quit using them altogether.

That is unless you hold them accountable.

How do you hold them accountable? To start, review the checklists daily at first. Find what your

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

TheRestaurantExpert.com.

managers are missing and point it out.

Better yet, show them how you want it done. It’s your job to coach your managers and help them be successful.

Once you see they are following them routinely, you can start to randomly spot check them a few times a week.

These checklists will keep everyone on the same page for as long as they’re maintained, but you must check them or they WILL go away.

When you don’t communicate your expectations to your managers, you’re setting them up to fail. You’re also setting yourself up for endless frustration. Checklists give you an easy way to communicate your expectations and an easy way for your managers to know what is expected of them. This way, everyone is happy.

Cure your common sense-itis today with checklists.

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 101

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M. Tucker’s9 Joe Steckmeister executed the design of a8new bar that created a fresh new contemporary look for the Astoria eatery.

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M Tucker’s Team Led By Joe Steckmeister Works With Karalekas Brothers To Create New Vision For Iconic Astoria Eatery: Sanfords Restaurant

“M

y family’s restaurant has been around since the ‘70s.

In those days it was run by my dad and it was a diner. Over time we transitioned from a diner to creating our own signature dishes, and did away with that crazy menu diners are known for. Everything we make now is casual comfort food, made fresh, to

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order, with much better quality than before,” noted Chris Karalekas.

My brother Gus and I took over the business and we changed it up some more. We did away with the iceberg lettuce and got organic greens, added ahi tuna, black angus steak, risotto, upgraded the quality of the food. But we didn’t raise the prices. We were always affordable. Even our wines and craft beers are not marked up.

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Then we decided to double our space. M. Tucker’s Joe Steckmeister helped us redesign our last expansion, so we went back to him. We went from 65 to 110 seats. One of the focuses we wanted to have was a larger whiskey exposure in our bar.

We have one of the largest-single malt and bourbon supplies in any bar you’re going to find.

With our expansion, we can ac-

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commodate large groups now and we doubled our kitchen capacity, all redesigned fresh by Joe Steckmeister and his team. He took our existing equipment and helped us spec everything out. We now have a 30-foot line, when before we had a 14-16-foot line.

That’s unheard of in most places, not even hotels have that.

We also added a combi oven, another cooktop, a burner, another grill,

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 103

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104 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

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thing labeled. 19 The existing bar 20 was 9 feet long in the old restaurant.

Now it’s close to 21 22. They have 22 a full menu with 200 different bourbons and whiskeys this 23 is a real professional mixologist bar.

24 And they have a huge wine cellar in the basement and an exposed glass wine room right off the bar.

They had a vision, they stayed with it, and they knew what they wanted.

There was not a lot of different personalities, no interior designer no architect. It was, we’re the boss, and we’ll direct you. But we had a lot of leeway because they trusted our opinion; they went with everything we said.

Lessons learned? Patience. You had very strong-minded owners but at the end of the day, they did what I recommended and what turned out to be ultimately the right choice.

5=

as opposed to the old-fashioned tra- 4 ditional gas-guzzlers. They were re- 3 ally careful with where they invested2 their money, they wanted quality 1 brands – infrared char broilers, power fry fryers from Vulcan and an Eloma combi oven. When they went to the demo they liked the Eloma best; they liked the chefs presentation and the versatility. Chris said, I serve 1200 meals a day and every meal a la carte, this is just what we needed. He said, I need to put fish, steaks and chops in the oven together all night long.

They had a great menu to start with. They’re easily a three-star Manhattan restaurant in Astoria, Queens.

For cold storage to support the bar and kitchen they installed brand new walk-in coolers and freezer in the basement. As for me, I loved how clean and neat everything they store is in perfect straight lines with every-

x 16

Michael Terrazzino from our team at M. Tucker and his commitment to getting this project done “correctly and on-time,” Steckmeister added.

We created a bigger bar, expanded the kitchen and went with new equipment. Chris and Gus saw it in just one direction, the same way they’ve done things for 20 years. The way the cook line was facing, the kitchen was going front to back. Finally after 2 or 3 meetings, I said, give me the weekend and let me work with the drawing. Starting with a clean slate I laid it out totally different, turning the kitchen 90 degrees, going off the back wall and setting up a real traditional cook line, chef’s table, salad & dessert, dish/ware wash and expo area.

When Gus and Chris saw it, they said yes that’s what we need.

They knew what they wanted high-end energy efficient equipment

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high-efficiency fryers, and cold station refrigerators. Joe and his team really helped us in laying out and fitting everything in properly and making sure the equipment fit our needs.

It’s been a great experience. We’d bring Joe back in a minute. He’s very knowledgeable, and easy to work with. He made something that could have been very difficult simple, pleasant and top of the line.

“It was pretty funny, 7 years ago 2during their first expansion they needed someone to help install new equipment. One night I went in and helped them set up their bar and kitchen. Last year they called me out of the blue and said, we own this property next store and when the tenants move out, we’re going to double the size of our space,” noted Steckmeister. This turned into a great project for us and “I can’t say enough about

17

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 105

// NEWS

TECHNOLOGY

Metro New York Operators Set To Benefit From New Par EverServ 8000 Series POS Terminal

P

arTech, Inc. (PAR), a subsidiary of PAR Technology Corp. (NYSE: PAR), recently announced the launch of the EverServ® 8000 Series platform, the company’s 8th generation point-of-sale (POS) terminal, at FSTEC, booth 401.

The EverServ 8000 Series POS terminals are assembled at PAR headquarters, in Upstate New York. The re-shoring of the firm’s production facility is expected to improve PAR’s delivery time and ability to provide custom configurations.

The 8th Generation platform uses innovative industrial design and latest Intel® Processor Technology to maximize performance and enhance guest experience.

Leveraging PAR’s 35 years of innovative POS hardware design, resulting in POS terminals deployed in over 110 countries, the EverServ 8000 Series is optimized for restaurants looking for: A new generation platform, taking advantage of the lat-

“Since 1980, PAR has focused on creating gamechanging solutions for the restaurant industry to improve operations. We are excited to continue this legacy of innovation with the sleek and sophisticated EverServ 8000 Series platform,” said Karen Sammon, President ParTech, Inc. est Intel® processor technology and chipsets for superior product performance and optimal product lifecycle.

The EverServ 8000 Series System is designed to maximize performance at the drive through and the counter to help reduce customer wait times and increasing the throughput of orders in Quick Serve and Fast Casual environments.

PAR’S new offering is cost effective, yet elegant industrial design to complement restaurant décor through

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the use of poly carbonate injection molded textured plastics and aluminum components. It features better customer engagement by allowing the terminal operator to articulate the height of the POS terminal allowing for easier conversational selling and better user ergonomics.

With space at a premium in Metro New York, the EverServ 8000 Series System features a single, small footprint platform that can be deployed out of the box on a VESA compliant

pole mount, on the store counter, or as a self-serve station with no additional hardware. A simple to deploy and service system making use of a unique cabling system, tool-less chassis, and plug and play capability for new and legacy peripherals like cash drawers, payment modules, scanners and printers.

“Since 1980, PAR has focused on creating game-changing solutions for the restaurant industry to improve operations. We are excited to continue this legacy of innovation with the sleek and sophisticated EverServ 8000 Series platform,” said Karen Sammon, President ParTech, Inc. “The EverServ 8000 Series’ cutting-edge hardware is made up of multiple components that allow unlimited configurations in order to meet the unique demands of any restaurant. This is a new and unique feature to restaurant POS technology. The individual components can be updated as needed, with minimal downtime, to accommodate chang-

ing business requirements. The EverServ 8000 Series’ intelligent design, based on the latest Intel® processor technology, increases performance while decreasing power consumption – a leading edge technology only available through PAR and Intel.”

With a goal of optimal performance and energy efficiency, the EverServ 8500 takes advantage of the newest 6th generation Intel® Core™ processor family. It is based on the latest 14nm processor technology delivering up to 21% faster speed compared to the previous generation. This newest generation processor magnifies power and performance by amplifying graphic operations by 34%.

“Intel’s Retail Solutions Division

is focused on accelerating industry leading technology solutions in the Retail and Hospitality segments,” said Alec Gefrides, Director of Point of Sale Solutions, Retail Solutions Division, IoT Group, Intel Corporation.

“PAR has once again demonstrated that they share the same commitment with the EverServ 8000 series platform with scalable performance options based on Intel® architecture, including the newest 6th generation Intel® Core™ processor family.”

The EverServ 8000 Series Platform is comprised of three primary models for easy differentiation. The EverServ 8100 is for value conscious customers needing a moderate computing power. The EverServ 8300- is

targeted for Mainstream customers, seeking to balance performance and investment while the EverServ 8500 is for the Performance minded customer, seeking top performance and features.

PAR Technology Corp.’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol PAR. PAR’s Hospitality segment has been a leading provider of restaurant and retail technology for more than 30 years.

PAR offers technology solutions for the full spectrum of restaurant operations, from large chain and independent table service restaurants to International quick service chains.

PAR’s Hospitality business also markets hotel management systems that

provide a complete suite of powerful tools for guest management, recreation management, and timeshare/ condo management. In addition, PAR provides the spa industry a leading management application that was specifically designed to support the unique needs of the resort spa and day spa markets, a rapidly growing hospitality segment. Products from PAR also can be found in retailers, cinemas, cruise lines, stadiums and food service companies. PAR’s Government Business is a leader in providing computer-based system design, engineering and technical services to the Department of Defense and various federal agencies.

• Designed for the Multi-Unit Operator • Cloud-Based POS • Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Model • Loyalty at its Core • Online & Mobile Ordering • PCI Compliant

For more information, contact Par today (800) 448.6505 x5849 | www.partech.com November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 107

BOOTH #2606

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BOOTH #1700

BOOTH #2908

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 109

// INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

WITH FRED SAMPSON

Operating in a Regulatory Revolving Door

W

hen was the last time you found yourself using a revolving door? You remember those: when you walked, the door moved with you in a circular motion, and if you walked too fast you could get lightheaded. While not as popular as they once were, they still exist. If you are over age 50 you probably are familiar with them. Where am I going with this? Read on.

No matter what type of business you operate—even if you have not given it any thought—you still are doing so in a “regulatory revolving door environment.” The various regulations are being issued faster than you can handle them.

I have been associated with the food service industry for over a half century, and never have I witnessed such a cascade of proposals aimed at altering the way the industry manages and compensates its employees. First there are the increases in the various minimum wages, which include federal, state, and now, in many instances, cities.

Next are the proposed overtime rules that have been introduced at the behest of President Obama, and they could have the most dramatic impact. The proposed rules would increase the weekly threshold for those eligible for overtime pay from $455 per week to $970 per week (from $23,660 to $50,440 per year). “That would make roughly the lowest-paid 40 percent of the workforce eligible

for excess pay if they worked more than 40 hours a week,” according to Jonathan Maze, of Nation’s Restaurant News.

The new rules are expected to impact 5 million workers nationwide, many of them in the restaurant industry.

In a recent memo to its members, the National Restaurant Association reported that over 1,500 restaurant operators submitted comments, outlining their concerns about the proposed revisions. They dealt with the duties test, total compensation, and the minimum salary level (which they feel is unrealistic for restaurants).

Time and space only allow for me to quote their position on the duties test: “While most of their time is typically spent on management-related duties, it’s also common for restaurant managers to fill other roles— serving, cleaning, cashiering—as needed. Any changes to the current duties test that determines which employees may be defined as ‘management’ and therefore exempt from overtime pay, could eliminate that important flexibility.

“The concurrent duties test rule recognizes that front-line managers in restaurants play a multi-faceted role in which they often perform nonexempt tasks at the same time as they carry out their exempt, managerial functions,” the NRA wrote in their comments. “It recognizes that exempt and nonexempt work are not

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mutually exclusive.”

The NRA also stated that the proposed salary level of $50,440 is not realistic and suggested an alternative of $657 a week, which more accurately reflects the balance between salaried managers and hourly restaurant employees. It is my understanding that these changes could be announced by the first of the year.

While the industry media focuses, as they should, on the increased rates, they tend to overlook the changes in the regulations which, in many instances, add additional costs and almost mandate that you seek professional help such as an accountant or an attorney that specializes in labor law. Violating certain regulations, especially those dealing with pooling of tips, service charges, and tipping out other staff members, carry heavy fines and penalties.

Obviously you realize that as these machine gun–like increases take place, you will also face the maintaining of potential differentials, and then there are the additional employer Social Security and workers’ compensation costs, which I believe amount to about 7 percent.

Moody’s Investors Service recently stated that maintaining the differentials could cost more than the wage increase itself.

Whenever the minimum wage is discussed, it’s almost automatic that tipping credits accompany it, and the question of introducing service charges becomes an equally hot

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

topic. And every time, I caution those who are considering it: Be careful.

Only a minority of establishments can do so without customer reaction.

However, on the basis of many surveys in both the general and the industry press, service in the industry continues to be uneven.

There is still a large audience that does not want management determining how much they should tip, since they are the recipients of said service. Many also feel that should there be an automatic tip and the service has been poor, then they have no choice but to either tip or have a dispute with management, thus turning what was planned as a pleasant night out into an unhappy experience.

I always hesitate to offer advice … after all, The Cheesecake Factory, The Capital Grille, Hilton Hotels, and Olive Garden have all done well without it. … But do be careful; customers are perishable.

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BOOTH #3101

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 113

// CHEFCETERA

UP CLOSE WITH METRO NY CHEFS

Chef Bryce Shuman Betony, New York City

B

ryce Shuman grew up in Chapel Hill, N.C. and was exposed to diverse food at a young age courtesy of his mom, a cultural anthropologist, who would bring the whole family along on field trips to places such as the jungles of Costa Rica and the Arctic. After cooking at a local N.C. restaurant where he would meet his future wife, Jen, he moved to San Francisco to enroll at the California Culinary Academy during the day and work at Wolfgang Puck’s Postrio at night. Upon graduation, he joined the staff at Rubicon, where he was mentored by acclaimed chefs Stuart Brioza and his wife Nicole Krasinski (now of State Bird Provisions). Upon returning to the East Coast he joined Daniel Humm’s team at Eleven Madison Park, where he worked for six years and was promoted to Executive Sous Chef, overseeing a staff of 40. Outside of Betony, Bryce’s hobbies include blues guitar and taking shots with his Polaroid Reporter SE. Now at the helm of Betony, we had an opportunity to sit down with Bryce in this month’s Chefcetera.

Who or what was your inspiration to start a career in this industry and what led you to San Francisco to study culinary arts over NYC back then?

It began with my mom, who, in addition to being an anthropologist, has a degree in nutrition. She made sure I grew up with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and was also an excellent cook.

I always wanted to live in California

and the Bay Area in particular because of its culinary mystique. That, combined with a strong desire, at the time, to leave eastern North Carolina, made me head out there, where I enrolled in cooking school while working at Postrio.

It was at Postrio where I met Fred and Katherine Sullivan, who ran the restaurant. They were an amazing couple and Fred’s work ethic, his desire to keep pushing to make the restaurant better, made a lasting impression.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in your career and what have you brought to the table at Betony because of it?

Going to school and working fulltime in San Francisco was a huge challenge. I got the job at Postrio and then started school the next week. Based on my experience working in a North Carolina diner, I naively thought I knew something about what it would be like working in a fine dining restaurant. Suffice it to say, I didn’t imagine how hard it would be and how com-

petitive. Between the job and going to school, I learned many lessons; same for when I worked at Eleven Madison Park, where, at one point I was working as the AM sous chef, the purchasing manager, and testing and editing recipes for their cookbook. It was just a great experience knowing that you can do all of those things if somebody pushes you, which is why, “You get out of it what you put into it” is one of my favorite sayings.

At TFS, we work with C-CAP quite often, we heard you’re involved as well! What’s your involvement?

I’ve taken on C-CAP interns, have been a judge at the organization’s competitions, cooked at their fundraisers, and even fed Founder and Chairman Richard Grausman and his wife Susan here at Betony, so I’m “all in,” as they say.

Betony is fine dining that can thrive without “faking it” so to speak, along with affordable pricing. Explain.

I love taking familiar flavors and presenting them in a modern way em-

“I love taking familiar flavors and presenting them in a modern way employing new techniques and combinations that may come from my own personal experience or are inspired by a collaboration between the kitchen and dining room staff.”

114 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

Chef Bryce Shuman of Betony, NYC

ploying new techniques and combinations that may come from my own personal experience or are inspired by a collaboration between the kitchen and dining room staff.

What’s your opinion on local sustainability? And do you look for loyalty from your suppliers or do you go to bid each week?

I shop at the Union Square Greenmarket farmers market as often as possible as does my whole team. My AM sous chef, Stephan Ilnyckyj, is there three times a week, usually arriving when the farmers are still setting up.

We have a great relationship with our growers and are very loyal to them.

Having said that, New York has a short growing season, and the growing region is also small compared to a place like California, therefore, it can be limiting. As far as going to bid every week, we are constantly cognizant of pricing and use a number of different suppliers for any category.

Talk about some of the key cooking equipment pieces you’re using in the BOH that make your life easier.

A six-burner induction range in the pastry department. It doesn’t generate a lot of heat, so it keeps it cooler there and gives the team the opportunity to

do more things. The Cryovac Machine and our Rational White Efficiency Combi Oven are also superb and quite necessary.

The Betony team also loves its PolyScience thermal immersion circulators. In fact, last month PolyScience President Philip Preston held an all sous vide dinner with us to talk about his book “Immersed: The Definitive Guide to Sous Vide Cooking.”

On a less high-tech note, I’m a big fan of cake testers and bowl scrapers.

I also have a specific brand of tweezer that I like, Wieha 4 ½-inch needle point from Germany. You can use them like a cake tester because they’re very sharp, and you can also use them to motivate cooks for the same reason.

(Only kidding).

What role does the vendor community on both the equipment and food supply side play? And in your opinion, is today’s salesperson providing the level of service you need to succeed?

I generally have a great relationship with our vendors. It’s hard for me to

say hello to drop-ins or be encouraged to use your wares if you show up unannounced, but I’m otherwise happy to check out your product if you call or email to make an appointment.

Do you feel that this industry suffers too much from Zagat and Yelp?

Are consumers depending too much on a review?

No, I think that reviews and the review process are important, but in the end, having a great product and exceeding your guest’s expectations is what will allow you to have sustained power and impact as both a chef and restaurant.

What are some cooking trends and ingredients that you think are on their way out and what trends do you see making a splash in 2016?

I’m for less of, “This is my take on deconstructed chili cheese fries” and plates piled high with components or spread out to look like a mini-skate park, and more for compactly presented dishes that powerfully convey pure flavors.

A sample of Chef Shuman’s cuisine.

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 115

Mendez, from page 60 have a good relationship with your coffee roaster, they can typically sell/ lease you these machines for less than the list prices.

Many restaurateurs face the decision: do they want quality product or do they want to keep it simple for their staff? Having a relationship with a roaster who knows espresso is paramount. They can help guide you to the right espresso machine, which can save you thousands of dollars and headaches. Many choose super-automatic espresso machines like you see in multi-unit chain cafes because they don’t want to train their staff. Here’s where you leverage your roaster to train you AND your staff.

Ultimately you’ll create better quality shots of espresso and save money on your espresso machine purchase.

Their calibration should allow you to achieve the best shot of espresso

possible. Factors to include while you’re shopping are; budget, restaurants seating capacity, beverage volume, space (front of house or back of house), electric and plumbing available, the staff’s ability to learn how to prepare drinks, and MOST importantly the roaster’s capability to service the espresso machine! If you don’t have someone to service it, DON’T buy it!

If you try to buy a used one, find out where it was used, and if it was used in an area known to have hard water. If you doubt it had any softening system, run away from the machine. It will become a money pit.

It’s vital to the success of your espresso program to maintain your espresso machine. Wiping the outside of the machine and back-flushing the group heads every night is a start. I can’t tell you how many restaurants I’ve walked into where I pull a shot of

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espresso, water leaks from all around the portafilter. Their first thought is that they need a new espresso machine, but it’s a quick $15 fix. ABSOLUTELY NO espresso machine will be maintenance free; these machines are like cars and need to be routinely looked at and diagnosed by a professional. Hard water (water with calcium and lime), identified by white buildup around water spouts like in a shower causes 90% of the problems.

This is why it’s imperative to have a water softener installed and routinely changed. Warranties are typically void if you don’t use one. You should also use water filters to help remove any chemicals such as chlorine applied to the water. My company, Law Coffee Co. (www.LawCoffee.com) offers preventative maintenance programs for our customers. Paying extra for these programs is insurance that your

machine doesn’t go down resulting in lost sales and upset customers. In the Metro NYC area, there are also independent equipment repair companies, like Java Techs (www.javatechs. com), that will repair and install many brands of machines.

Espresso is 110 years old but the American consumer is just becoming aware of what quality shots of espresso are. A commitment to a successful espresso program starts with the right espresso blend with the right machine and continues right through the server preparing and serving the drink to the consumer. Don’t let your customer leave your restaurant disappointed by serving them a sub-par espresso. They should leave your establishment in a state of euphoria by ending the perfect meal with an exceptional espresso.

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Consolo, from page 28

The Michelin-star rated Minetta Tavern, at 113 MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village, is a 1930s staple of the elite, with a steakhouse menu that expands beyond New York strip to burgers, seafood, pastas and more, along with a notable wine list, www. minettatavernny.com.

Trendy triumphs Charlie Bird, at 5 King Street in SoHo, serves seafood, roasted meats and other dishes based in Italian

cuisine, with menus stemming from farmers markets and the far reaches of the globe in a welcoming, New York City restaurant setting, http://charliebirdnyc.com.

Jams, new at 1414 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown’s 1 Hotel Central Park, is the latest incarnation of Jonathan Waxman’s former ‘80s place. Per his signature California vibe, this one offers classics along with farm-fresh dishes, https://1hotels.com/central-

park/taste-a-new-restaurant-by-jonathan-waxman.

Daniel Boulud’s Bar Boulud, at 1900 Broadway on Midtown’s West Side, offers seasonal French bistro dishes in a casual setting, including prix fixe and a la carte lunches and dinners, plus brunch and desserts, as well as a wine cellar that favors bottles from France’s Rhone Valley and Burgundy regions, http://www.barboulud.com/nyc.

Happy Dining!

NEW PRODUCTS WANTED… for the region’s #1 sales opportunity

March 6-8, 2016

Javits Center, NYC

internationalrestaurantny.com

Don’t miss this once-a-year opportunity to drive your sales & grow your business Put your business in front of more than 16,000 buyers – representing more than $132Million in sales.

Call today to reserve your space and discuss how we can help you reach your goals.

Bill: 203-484-8055 Dave: 203-484-8056 Sponsored by:

118 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

Produced & Managed by:

Bobrow, from page 74 recently. This is dark in color but elegant in the nose and across the palate. I recommend dribbling some water over the top of your glass, or in my case I took some pineapple slices and toasted them in the oven for about an hour at 300 degrees…. Then I muddled the caramelized slices with some freshly squeezed lime juice and plucked mint. Not too much, just to reveal the secrets of the flavors. Like making soup. Then I added two ounces of the Panama 2006. Gorgeous.

Adding some ice, a quick stir and voila!

The perfect way to greet the evening.

Guyana 2005- Single Distillery Rum: The Guyana 2005 is to rum as green peppers are to South African wine… It is a subtle taste of the place- subtle like having an I-Beam hit you in the head, cut free from the top of a skyscraper that is… Guyana 2005 is explosive in the glass. All at once magical, mysterious and oh so delicious. Green pepper predominates in the nose and all I can think about is that specific, Cabernet from South African terroir… Each inhalation reveals smoke, char, white flowers, lemon curd, lead pencil and crushed sea grasses. I also get Scotch whisky in the mouth… it lingers as if to say, “look at me” and then it evaporates into brown sugar woven pralines.

There is crumpled clay and pipe smoke in the nose vying for your attention. Sea smoke offers itself like waves upon the shore, tightly wound around a core of green citrus rinds.

This further reveals itself into a flurry of just collected diver scallops, sliced thinly and dashed with dots of lemon zest and gray fleur de sel. I’m thirsty for more and each sip slides happily down my throat leading to the next sip, jagged and sharp like a serrated knife against a frozen bagel. With a few drops of water, pure white nicotine flowers suddenly bloom into my mouth, raising the hair on the back of my neck with glee and allure. This is sophisticated stuff, certainly more than worthy of your hard earned liquor dollars. I’d buy a case because

there isn’t much of it to begin with…

Once it is gone, it’s gone!

My recommendation is to add a nice dose of the Guyana 2005 into a mixing glass filled ¾ with ice. Add a couple drops of Maraschino liquor, a splash or two of gin and 1.5 ounces of the Mezan Guyana 2005. Stir like crazy for 30 seconds and strain into a coupe, dot with lemon bitters and serve with a slice of a shallot. Mmmmm. Savory.

Mezan Extra Old Rum “XO” From Jamaica…. The core distillate is aged between four and twenty-three years.

Then it is blended and re-aged and use American Bourbon oak for a lightly toasty and highly drinkable pour. This rum from two different distilleries in Jamaica- the Monymusk and the Hampden distilleries respectively, is my way of introducing authentic Jamaican rum to the world. Most people have never tasted real Jamaican rum. So before you jump up and tell me that I don’t know what I’m talking about, let me try to explain what you have been drinking and why it is not authentic in the context of authenticity. Remember when we discussed ingredients? And I discussed yeast strains? I touched on Jamaican rum because some of the higher end rums still use a technique that dates back from the days of the triangle trade.

Keeping a yeast strain alive in the hot and humid weather is not easy. Yeast is a living thing and hot weather kills it very quickly. Without yeast there is no fermentation. Without fermentation there is no rum. Rebellions started over the lack of rum… Rum kept productivity up on a long sea voyage.

It was essential not to run out of rum, bad things happened.

Most rum from Jamaica is not made with a dunder. It’s just too time consuming. Therefore, most Jamaican rum is industrial in nature.

Most Jamaican rum is not at all like Mezan… Mezan is made with mysterious, time hewn methods- so don’t ask!

Jamaica, long a stewing pot of cultures and wisdoms because of sea

travel, one such technique, an ingredient known as a dunder is utilized in fermentation. This use of a dunder still holds true as unique in a world of faster and more efficient. What is a dunder? A dunder is a traditional yeast source in Jamaica. It lives in something named a dunder pit. I’m sure it is not pretty in the dunder pit. But like a sourdough doesn’t smell sweet, this “mother” certainly makes great bread.

And a dunder pit is not something that you should be sticking your head into.

But one thing is for certain. It makes magnificent rum. If you haven’t tried authentic Jamaican rum get yourself two bottles of Mezan XO. One for your neighbor, because he’s going to want one after sipping yours.

My highly personal tasting notes… wet stones, leading into white flowers.

Dissolving into freshly dipped pralines.. dunder funk.. Banana leaf. Wet tobacco flowers. More funk… breadfruit, dripped in raw honey syrup, dry dry dry finish… sumptuous mouthfeel. Zinging acidity. Brioche Toast.

Wet stones.. Orange curd.. sea smoke!

This rum is like drinking a Sean Connery- James Bond movie! It’s exciting and it drinks in a thrilling manner in a cocktail.

I recommend the Bosphorus Fizz for the Mezan XO Rum: Ingredients: • 2 ounces of Mezan XO Rum • 3 oz. Freshly Crushed Carrot Juice • 1 oz. Royal Rose Simple Syrup of Roses (Available at Williams-Sonoma) • Bitter End Moroccan Bitters (Available on Amazon) Preparation: 1. Mix together in a Boston Shaker with ice 2. Strain into a coupe glass 3. Dot with the Bitter End Moroccan Bitters.

4. Garnish with Rosemary… Yum…

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 119

Fiorito, from page 64 ens its future viability. Certain business activities may prove too costly when compared to the benefits that would be associated with that activity. In these instances, it may be better to pass on the opportunity and the potential earnings to avoid the risk of significant losses.

Transfer - Investigate opportunities to transfer the risk of loss to other parties. Passing the risk of financial loss to an insurance company is the most common form of risk transfer. It’s very important to work with your insurance broker that can review your risks and risk management plans on an annual basis to ensure that your insurance coverage meets your need. As time goes on, you may discover that you are overinsured in some areas and underinsured in others.

Mitigation - Since it may be impossible to transfer risk entirely to a third party, determine what steps can be taken to lessen the impact of losses should they occur. Ways to mitigate risk include developing policies and training programs that reduce losses. If your organization can demonstrate a downward trend in losses, talk to your insurance broker about communicating your efforts to your insurer so you can be rewarded with reduced insurance premiums.

After reviewing all the possible options and looking at your risks, decide which of the possible risk management techniques best strikes a balance between effectiveness and affordability.

Keep accurate records to demonstrate that you are doing everything you can to reduce risk and react to emerging risks. It shows your insurer that you are committed to risk management and have a history of implementing well thought out plans.

Risk management is a way of thinking that must permeate the whole organization from management to

waitstaff. Making it a part of all decision-making processes is important to creating a culture that values risk management. In turn, this will also help you achieve lowered rates while shopping for insurance. Remember, the market is beginning to flatten and soften for some vital coverages, this is the perfect time and opportunity to reduce your overall spend.

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NYC Wine & Food, from page 16 event, hosted by Todd English and held in the Plaza’s Food Hall.

It wasn’t all eating all the time though; there were plenty of opportunities for dedicated foodies to learn more about their passion in the many seminars and workshops that were offered: A cake-decorating class from the master herself, Martha Stewart; refining your palate in a tasting class with Wine Spectator Magazine; turn your hobby into a career with a pitching class from like panelists like Tyler Florence and Rachael Ray. Over the course of four days, attendees rubbed elbows with NYC’s and the world’s best chefs and food & drink superstars. Patrons stuffed their faces, drank too much, and learned from the greats and partied.

Fortunately, the New York City Wine and Food Festival is one event that you don’t have to feel guilty about going big at.

The Intimate Dinners were typically pricier than the walk-around tastings, but attendees knew it was worth it when they clinked glasses with the culinary elite, and ate food prepared by some of the food world’s biggest and brightest.

The Grand Tasting is the festival’s signature event. Attendees spent four full days of eating and drinking their way around the venue, with demonstrations and book signings by celebrity chefs like Martha Stewart, Emeril Lagasse and Masaharu Morimoto.

Food Network & Cooking Channel New York City Wine & Food Festival held a private screening of Burnt at MoMA The Museum of Modern Art, followed by an exclusive Q&A session with Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, and members of the cast of Burnt hosted by Frank Bruni.

The screening was hosted by and benefitted the Food Bank For New York City and No Kid Hungry, and sponsored by Plymouth Gin, Kenwood Vineyards, and The Weinstein

Company.

The Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite featured Samsung Home Appliance USA Culinary Demonstrations presented by MasterCard was the 130,000-square-foot culinary wonderland. At this centerpiece of their culinary campus, attendees met the greatest food stars in the country, sampled food from local NYC restaurants representing cuisines from around the world, tasted the most

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sought-after wines and spirits alongside up-and-coming labels from the Southern Wine & Spirits of New York portfolio and took part in exciting interactive experiences with various brands and foodie products.

The New York City Food and Wine Festival has become a mover and shaker in the epicurean community almost over night. It doesn’t hurt that it’s located in one of the world’s best cities for food.

BOOTH #2828

November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 123

$15 Wage, from page 4

tion of powers doctrine, which “does not allow for such blatant executive overreach.”

Cuomo received backlash across the state after he created a wage board in May that enabled him to implement the hike without approval from the legislature.

The association argued that the wage board, charged with evaluating the fast food industry to determine whether a wage increase is necessary, did not include anyone from the restaurant industry.

“Without proper representation and input from the affected industry, a wage board cannot fairly and adequately evaluate the costs, benefits, and consequences of the action it is considering,” the association wrote in its appeal.

Acting Labor Commissioner Mario Musolino approved the increase in September, making New York the first state to set its minimum wage at $15 an hour, though the boost applies solely to fast food workers at chain restaurants with at least 30 locations.

Cuomo announced the increase during a labor rally with Vice President Joe Biden last month, calling it a victory in the “crusade for economic justice.”

“Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour will add fairness to our economy and bring dignity and respect to 2.2 million people, many of whom have been forced to live in poverty for too long,” he said.

Angelo Amador, the association’s regulatory counsel, said the appeal must be decided by Dec. 10. “We are prepared to go to the New York courts if we have to,” Amador said.

The association, in its filing, said the labor commissioner broke state law by directing the wage board to focus on a limited class of employers instead of an occupation or in-

dustry. The association also said New York State was undermining interstate commerce, a violation of the U.S. Constitution.

Amador said, “The governor may think that he’s going after big corporations but he’s having a negative impact on small-business owners, the job creators in the states who are trying to keep the economy going.”

The New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA) is not part of the NRA appeal. Earlier this year they did issue a position: “Singling out a sector of one industry to have a higher minimum wage than all other occupations is unfair and arbitrary,” said Melissa Fleischut, President & CEO of NYSRA. “The minimum wage is rightfully set by the legislature and should affect all businesses equally.”

James Sherk, a research fellow in labor economics at The Heritage Foundation, countered Cuomo, contending that the wage hike would instead harm consumers and workers.

“The average fast food restaurant would have to increase prices almost 40 percent, while cutting employment and hours back by a third, in order to afford this hike,” Sherk said. “That means higher costs for low- and middle-income families and fewer entry-level jobs for those just starting in the workforce.”

The challenge marks the Washington DC based National Restaurant Association’s latest effort in its campaign against Cuomo’s wage push.

In a New York Times op-ed published in May, the group’s president, Dawn Sweeney, called the governor’s plan “an assault on an industry that has delivered nearly 800,000 jobs to the state of New York.”

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Bottles and Wine, from page 95

What sets Bottles&Wood apart, Cherry believes, is its insistence on using only reclaimed materials, and its ability to be ahead of the crowd on this issue. “That’s super hot right now, the use of reclaimed materials. We’ve been doing it for a while. You can’t go into a restaurant that doesn’t have used wood all over,” he says. “There’s a lot of ecodesign that goes on here. We’re not just putting filament light bulbs at the end of sockets on black corks.

We do a line of products where we use not only the wood barrel but the staves to make a big buffet-size serving board. Then we put that up on a six-inch stand made out of the barrel’s steel and try to incorporate some really chic design into these reclaimed materials.”

Some companies in the San Diego area, like Hewlett-Packard and Google, won’t even consider holding a sales conference at a property that isn’t green, Cherry points out.

“Yeah, it costs more but in California, if you don’t have a green resort, they’re not coming.”

Cherry says his team tries to jump on that. “We have some hotels here in town who pride themselves on being green and they’re two of our biggest clients.”

Speaking of hotels, Bottles&Wood picks up all their glass trash, sorts and cleans it and boxes it up to send back to its shop. “Maybe 100-200 wine bottles from each hotel,” he says. “We give the hotels a purchase credit and they get to buy products from us with these credits. We sell them back their trash in the form of rock glasses, we laser engrave their logos on them and they put a sign right next to the glasses in the hotel room, ‘These glasses are made from wine bottles from our bar and have been hand-crafted and locally remade into these beautiful wine

glasses.’ Guests are free to take them and the charge will be added to their bill.”

Cherry says his company tries to jump in early enough to make sure its customers allocate enough money for tabletop items when opening or renovating a restaurant. “The tabletop presentation has to be consistent with the theme of the restaurant. We see all the time these guys building these beautiful restaurants and going to the Dollar Store to buy the glasses.”

But with many high-end restaurants, especially those that have spectacular architecture and are events in themselves, he says there’s come a deeper understanding of aesthetics. “It’s not just the preparation of the food but the delivery.

At higher end restaurants, you’re going to see more of a focus on the presentation and delivery, not just the food product. What we sell can make a real statement.”

Cherry says he sees now that restaurants that offer a level of service and expertise, and not only great food but served on materials that are locally sourced, are actually telling a story. “I see the story becoming more important in the whole restaurant business and restaurants being willing to spend the money to tell the story of the venue,” he says.

“We help them tell that story.”

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November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com • 125

Bonaccorso, from page 63 their patrons are looking for the same quality and variety of meals they’d get in a restaurant. Some companies are now using these facilities as a company benefit and even as a recruiting incentive, like company-paid meals.

Our job is to help these facilities really design an environment that’s both efficient and capable of handling the demands of these customers. Due to the large volumes prepared, M. Tucker has been and will continue to be fully capable of being their one-stop supplier, providing everything from great design to resupply to making their on-going purchase more efficient. The end customer is much more particular today about his experience. Take the Milllenials. They’re much more aware of the quality of food, they want organic, they want juicing. There are food allergies that we’re much more aware of today. All these things must be taken into consideration in these

types of establishments. We understand these trends and the strength we bring to the table is that we stand ready to help our customers meet the demands not only of the facility itself but the people who will be using those facilities.

STONE HEARTH & SPECIALTY Commercial Cooking Equipment

What will the industry look like five years from now?

There will certainly be changes over the next two to five years as we not only enhance our platforms to handle a lot of the dynamic changes that are taking place in the market as well as continue to enhance and train and develop our sales organization to meet those demands in that multi-platform environment. I feel very confident and excited to be a part of this organization. I look forward to what the future holds for us. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for the employees, customers and the business overall.

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126 • November 2015 • Total Food Service • www.total food.com

NEW NEW PRODUCTS WANTED PRODUCTS WANTED… FOR THE REGION’S #1 SALES OPPORTUNITY March 6–8, 2016

Javits Center

New York, NY

If your 2016 Business Goals include any of the following: Opening up new markets Reinforcing your position in the industry Introducing new products Increasing sales

… then look no further than the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York, March 6-8, 2016 at the Javits Center. It’s the first major industry event of the year, and the only one exclusively serving the Northeast restaurant and foodservice markets. Put your business in front of more than 16,000 buyers — representing more than $132 Million in sales. You’ll connect with every segment of the foodservice and hospitality industry — from independently owned to multi-unit quick serve and full service restaurants, corporate dining, institutional foodservice, hotels, resorts and retail.

Call today to reserve your space and discuss how we can help you reach your goals.

Bill Sheaffer, Show Manager: 203-484-8055 | Dave Nagy, Show Manager: 203-484-8056 THE INDUSTRY WILL BE AT THE INTERNATIONAL RESTAURANT & FOODSERVICE SHOW OF NEW YORK — YOU SHOULD BE THERE TOO! CONTACT US NOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE TODAY! SPONSORED BY:

PRESENTING:

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