urban beekeeping growing across the northeast – page 3 ... · pdf filewintertide 2012...

O F F E R I N G I N F O R M E D R E P O R T I N G & C O M M E N T A R Y F O R T H E F O O D S E R V I C E P R O F E S S I O N A L

Foodservice EastFoodservice EastVolume 86, Number 5 • Wintertide 2012 • THE BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS PUBLICATION FOR THE $80 BILLION NORTHEAST FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY

PE

RIO

DIC

AL

INSIDETHIS ISSUE

Food For Thought Chef Steve Corry of Five Fifty-Five in Portland offers his take on “new New England” food at his Congress St. restaurant.

Page 4

FoodTrakEd Schoenfeld and Joe Ng bring a significant shift in Chinese/Asian offerings to New York’s West Village at their Red Farm.

Page 6

The Way We Drink Today We continue our theme from page 1 with an interview with Smith & Wollensky’s national direc-tor of wine & spirits, Stuart Roy.

9

produced beers, the popular cocktail, the wines dominating lists drawn up with the aid of distributor sales personnel.

Today is a different story. Bars such as Drink in Boston offer a uniquely personalized experience, creating beverages based on the customer’s prefer-ences. One customer/review on Yelp.com describes it as “more of a negotiation” than a request for a specific drink. The philos-ophy has been well received.

One long-time industry ob-server who calls himself a “bev-erage and wine sherpa,” Marc

Much as the way we eat today is undergoing changes, the way we drink is

also undergoing nothing short of its own revolution.

Today’s increasingly sophis-ticated customer knows the new spirits, craft beers and wines or wants to learn about them, and no longer depends as much on the scores or views of ‘experts,’ relying increasing-

ly on their own palates.There was a time when the custom-er would order the

‘usual’ – the mass

The way we drink today…

rapidly down the road, there’s much to be said for improve-ment, regardless of how small.

Total restaurants and bars are also expected to show a 0.3 percent real growth (up from no growth in 2011) while education and healthcare will have real growth of 1.4 percent and 0.8 percent respectively. Nominal growth is expected

least a small measure of im-provement over the past four years.

At Technomic, the Chicago-based consultancy expects real growth for the entire industry, commercial and non-commer-cial, of 0.3 percent this year, up from 0.1 percent in 2011.

While the picture is more that of the slow and steady

tortoise plodding along than the hare hopping

BOSTON – A new year brings the pe-rennial question – will business race toward the sales

growth finish line with the speed of a hare or will it inch along, much as the fabled tor-toise?

Here in the Northeast, food-service industry analysts are pondering the question, with many anticipating at

2012–What can the foodservice industry expect?

OUTLOOKContinued on page 16

DRINKING TODAYContinued on page 18

Will the tortoise or the hare

prevail this year?

Urban beekeeping growing across the Northeast – page 3


prevail this year?

Industry analysts expect a year

of slow but steady

growth in sales

Industry analysts expect a year of slow but steady growth in sales

Urban beekeeping growing across the Northeast – page 3

2 FoodserviceEast•Wintertide 2012

19th annual International NY Restaurant and

FoodserviceShow offers new events, displays

and programs

al sessions, information on trends and best practices and more; the New Product Gal-lery; and the Pride of New York Pavilion with family farmers and New York State food processors.

The show will also host more than 500 vendors and manufacturers. Visit www.in-ternationalrestaurantny.com

tions.Other returning events

are the Ultimate Barista Challenge from the Ultimate Barista Challenge® USA; the 23rd annual U.S. Pas-try Competition from Paris Gourmet featuring 20 rising stars of the pastry world; the Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum with free education-

and deliver healthy dining options. The area on the show floor will provide education and cooking demos as well as tastings. The demonstration theater will feature executive chefs from top New York res-taurants including Certified Master Chef Fritz Sonnen-schmidt, Master of Charcute-rie, and Hell’s Kitchen Sea-son 6 Executive Chef Kevin Cottle.

The Foodservice Council for Women returns for the second year on March 5 at noon with a panel of industry leaders who will discuss the theme, “Breaking Barriers To Success – How To Be Unstop-pable in Life and Business!”

The Japanese Pavilion re-turns with its own new dedi-cated demonstration theater and tastings to allow attend-ees to discover the ingredi-ents and tools essential to creating their own Japanese-inspired cuisine.

Also returning is the New York Wine Expo on Mar. 4 with 640 wines from 140 wine makers from around the world. Winery principals will be available to offer tips on serving, pricing and selec-

NEW YORK - The Interna-tional New York Restaurant and F o o d s e r v i c e

Show, scheduled for March 4-March 6 at the Javits Con-vention Center here, will of-fer an array of new events, programs and demonstra-tions along with a special showroom display on the show floor to help operators find ways to enhance dining rooms, bars, foyers and spe-cial events spaces.

Also new this year will be a Healthy Solutions Pavilion and Demonstration Theater to help restaurateurs and foodservice operators source

FSEFOODSERVICE EAST

FOODSERVICE EAST(0885-6877)

The Business-to-Business Publication of the $80 Billion

Northeast Foodservice Industry

Published by LRH Ventures

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Ecothink Design Studio – websiteContributing Photographer: CB HaynesContributing Photographer: Bill Heald

Advertising: Heald Associates

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FOODSERVICE EAST is published five times a year: Wintertide, Spring, Mid-Year, Fall Equinox and Fall. Susan G. Holaday, President and Treasurer. Peri-odical postage paid at Boston and ad-ditional mailing offices.USPS #0317-380. U.S. subscription rate $30.00. Canada and Foreign on request; single copies $5.00 plus $2.95 shipping & handling. All rights reserved. Production in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Foodservice East, 197 Eighth St., #728, Charlestown, MA 02129-4234.

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Wintertide 2012•FoodserviceEast3

BOSTON –Growing numbers of hotels and restaurants in the Northeast are discovering

the joys of beekeeping and its impact on menu offerings while bringing attention to the problem known as Colony Col-lapse Disorder.

In recent years, bee colonies in North America have been diminishing due to the prob-lem, which has been attribut-ed to pesticides, air pollution, declining numbers of beekeep-ers, and even cell phone emissions that keep bees from returning to their hives.

At Miel Brasse-rie Provencale in this city’s InterContinental Hotel on the waterfront, honey has played a key role since the ho-tel’s opening. It’s been on the restaurant’s menu as part of a special dinner each fall in hon-or of National Honey Month in September.

Today, with the addition in

expert. The frames containing the honey are brought from the fifth floor roof to the kitch-en for the extraction.

Guests at Miel get a front row seat to the bees’ activi-ties as a “Bee T.V” lets diners watch the honey bees in ac-tion, 24/7, through a live cam-era feed from the apiary.

The honey is also used in SPA InterContinental, the ho-tel’s spa and health club, in several treatments, which pro-vide the cleansing and hydrat-ing effects it offers.

Joining InterContinental in raising awareness about bees in Boston is the Seaport Hotel at the World Trade Cen-ter, where 90,000 bees buzzed in last summer to occupy two large, specially constructed hives, several feet high on the roof.

The hope, says General Manager Jim Carmody, is that the effort will help to create a safe environment for the bees, boost the bee population which has recently been threatened by Colony Collapse Disorder, and produce some sweet hon-ey for special recipes in Aura restaurant and TAMO bar, as Seaport’s new friends settle into their home.

“This is yet another effort in Seaport’s on-going sustain-ability efforts,” Carmody adds, pointing to Seaport Saves, which began in 2005 and re-cently received a Boston Green Business Award from the City of Boston.

In Manhattan, at another InterContinental property, the Barclay, known for its own in-

the past several years of more than 140,000 bees on the roof, honey is now celebrated as part of a three-course Honey Harvest meal in which each course is infused with the property’s own honey and spe-cial cocktails are served con-taining the sweetener.

The property is one of sev-eral in the chain with bee colo-nies on its rooftop, and other hotel chains, among them Fairmont, have joined in the movement, which keeps the honeybee and its problems in

recent years in the public eye.

InterContinental Boston was the first in the city to cre-

ate a rooftop apiary, starting with 10,000 bees ini-tially in 2010. This past spring, two more beehives were added and today, there are more than 140,000. Last year, honey was harvested two separate times, with extractions in the hotel’s kitchen by Sous Chef Cyrille Couet and Zainal Kahn, a bee

BEEKEEPINGContinued on page 15

Bee-ing sustainable

gains in favor

At the Barclay Hotel, bees play a key role

in the property’s growing efforts to be sustainable

Bee-ing sustainable

gains in favor

At the Barclay Hotel, bees play a key role

in the property’s growing efforts to be sustainable


FOODFOR

Thought

FOODFOR

ThoughtA culinary

dialogue of current

perspectives and techniques

Adjusting to the consumers’

needs as the economy got worse, Corry

changed menus & opened new

bistro

“New New England” fare from a Portland chefChef Steve Corry builds menus

around Farmers’ Markets

PORTLAND – A funny thing hap-pened to Steve Corry, chef-owner today of Five Fif-

ty-Five on Congress St. in the heart of this city’s bustling restaurant-filled downtown on his way to opening a brewpub.

He found his calling by “happenstance,” he says, and soon went on to become one of Food and Wine magazine’s “Best New Chef” of 2007.

Corry worked in restau-rants as a teenager, washing dishes and doing other back-of-the-house duties, but origi-nally thought his calling was brewing craft beers.

Leaving his native Massa-chusetts for the West Coast, he originally worked in vari-ous breweries before returning east to open a brewpub here.

“I came here with my wife and a brewer partner but we had no chef, so I thought it would be a good idea to go to culinary school. I’d always loved cooking when I was growing up.”

As a fortuitous result, he discovered that he liked food and cooking even more than the world of beer. “Food is less limiting.”

He opened Five Fifty-Five with his wife, Michelle, in 2003 and never looked back. About a year ago, they opened a sec-ond establishment, Petit Jac-queline Bistro, an ‘homage’ to Michelle’s grandmother.

“It’s an Old World French bistro serving

comfort food,” Corry notes. “It’s a little

over a year old and generat-

ing a bit of buzz. We only have 50 seats plus an outdoor c a f é that can a c c o m -

m o d a t e 1 2 - 1 5 . ”

The aver-age per per-

son check is around $30 to

$40 at the bistro and $55 at Five Fifty-

Five. At their first venture,

Five Fifty-Five , the restau-


rant seats 85 to 90 plus a lounge and bar. “We are what I like to call new New England. It’s regional, contemporary fine dining.”

Five Fifty-Five serves an extensive brunch menu with both small and savory plates, priced from $4.95 for blue-berry dumplings to $18.95 for Traitor’s Eggs” – poached eggs, Maine lobster, and spicy and lemony Hollandaise.

The biggest change over the past few years has been the economy, which left its mark on the restaurant due to sales declines from ’07 to 2010.

“We just adjusted – changed to a more approachable menu,” says Corry. “You have to adjust to the wants of the customer. Portland is a food savvy town. We began doing creative brais-es compared to racks of lamb or grass-fed beef. We’ve seen a steady, gradual awareness of food among our customers, from interest in obscure in-gredients to knowing the tem-perature at which they want their fish cooked. It’s a result of all the food programs on TV and the greater status of ‘ce-lebrity’ chefs. Emeril Lagasse

A perennial issue for the industry, labor, continues to be trying. “We see a lot of stu-dents coming into the work-force,” Corry says, “but many lack a sense of reality. This is an industry with thin mar-gins. It’s a business, and they get a real reality check when they leave school because they expect to earn more than is realistic. Often, they come in thinking they’ll be a top chef and they’re more interested in just the money.”

He’d like to see the “stereo-type of the kitchen as cool and glamorous” be broken, he says, noting: “It takes an unbeliev-able amount of work to keep going. The front of the house really deserves more glory and appreciation of the servers and managers. Sometimes people will come up to the kitchen and applaud us, but then they’re rude to the front of the house. That should change.”

Today’s customers bring a greater consciousness about sustainability, freshness, etc. to the table, he declares. “They’re interested in our be-ing local and eco-friendly. These are not trends – they’re the future – and they’ve been our philosophy since day one. It’s surprising that it took us so long to come back around to this. We build our menus around what’s at the farmers’ markets and today, you have to fight throngs of people there.”

More people today at Five Fifty-Five are choosing to eat at the bar, he adds, and the bar menu offers options from an-chovy crostini at $4.95 to steak and fries for $20.95.”We’re also seeing more adventurous wine purchases of more obscure wines and labels, and cocktails are up from 10 years ago.”

The growing numbers of customers with food allergies keeps the kitchen on its toes, he adds. “We try to accommo-date everyone, the vegans, glu-ten and lactose-intolerant, be-cause we’re a scratch kitchen.”

Dividing his time this past year between the two restau-rants has proven challenging. “It’s been harder than I initially thought. I’m still hands-on at Five Fifty-Five and am setting up a crew protocol. I go where I’m needed most but will even-tually spend a few days here and a few at the bistro.”

and Bobby Flay have actually contributed to overall restau-rant sales.”

“Today,” says Corry, “dining is an event rather than a book-end to a movie or a show.”

At Five Fifty-Five, the kitchen is in the middle where diners get a front row seat to all the action. “We have to be-have very well,” Corry chuck-les. “People love it.”

“I love cooking for our guests. We do it not for the money. And you never forget that it’s a job with sharp ob-jects and open flames. It’s re-ally all about the pride and the appreciation.”

555 Lobster Mac & CheeseCheeseSauceIngredients:

.75 quarts heavy cream

.75 quarts whole milk2 oz blonde roux8 oz fontina cheese4 oz cheddar cheese2 oz grated parmesan2 oz cream cheese 1 teaspoon salt

Procedure:Bring cream/milk to a simmer. Add salt, whisk in roux (cold) and return to a simmer. Cook 5-10 minutes then remove from heat. In blender, slowly add cheese to thick-ened cream/milk mixture. Blitz until smooth. Be sure to taste and season.Makes about 2 quarts of sauce.

Lobsterandgarnishes:Take 16 oz of **Shucks certified Maine lobster meat and

place in Cryovac bag with 4 oz of lemon-chive compound butter (salt, lemon juice, fresh chives, butter).

Cook in immersion circulator for 30 minutes at 140 de-grees.

Cook your pasta until al dente(we use torchio pasta for the shape), at the same time slowly warm up your cheese sauce.

Add pasta, sauce, lobster in a bowl- finish with white truffle oil and sliced black truffles, garnish with lobster claw.

Finally, we recommend adding a crunchy component as a garnish such as flash-fried leek or onions straws.

We hold one of the claws aside and garnish the top of the dish with it.

“Today,” says Chef Corry,

“dining is an event rather

than a bookend to a movie or a

show…”


Navigating the new

terrain in in Chinese

cuisine

FSEFoodTrak:

NEW YORK – A tiny West Vil-lage Chinese concept from industry vet-

erans Ed Schoenfeld and Joe Ng with the backing of Jef-frey Chodorow, Red Farm, is taking this city by storm as it paves the way for an ambi-tious growth plan.

The new millennium, says Schoenfeld, has brought about major changes in the custom-ers eat away from home. “”The biggest change in my lifetime,” he declares, “is a very funda-mental one. It used to be that you’d go out for dinner and a show. Now, dinner is the en-tertainment. Food has become entertainment.”

Equally significant is the major shift to what Schoenfeld calls “fiercely casual.”

“People are more sophis-ticated. Today, there are no more requirements for a jacket and tie. At Jean Georges’ new restaurants, if you’re wearing a tie, you feel like an idiot.”

Today is “the era of farms, locavores, and greening. I’m doing my thing and am con-fident that the quality of our food and hospitality will be sustainable for a long time.”

Schoenfeld would like to see Red Farm grow into a national food brand with restaurants in other cities and ultimately, de-livery shops and grocery prod-ucts as well.

‘Red Farm has great poten-tial and I have big eyes and big vision,” he points out.

“We’ve hit in a more mainstream

and significant way,” says Schoenfeld

A 40-seat Chinese bistro

revitalizes NY Chinese

food


From his earliest days at Shun Lee Palace and later, Uncle Tai’s Hunan Yuan, he’s been obsessed with Chinese cuisine.

But Red Farm is more than strictly Chinese. It’s a creative, non-strict, Asian point of view – some of Joe’s stuff and some of mine. Joe is one of the best in the world. This is about food with personality, spectacular craftsmanship, food that looks and tastes great, at modest price points.”

The critics love it. Crain’s New York Business restaurant reviewer Gael Greene writes: “It started out Chinese. Then something happened. Smoked salmon and eggplant brus-chetta…It is “unabashedly in-authentic,” as Eddie Schoen-feld is saying now.”

Another critic, Adam Platt at New York magazine, views the restaurant as attempting to “update the ancient, tired

Small bistro with great potential reflects its owners’ big vision

Coming will be several more unitsof branded Asian restaurant concept

Schoenfeld & Ng score a hit with Red Farmthe menu, with prices from the mid-teens to $36.

“Every week,” Schoenfeld adds, “we have a parade of chefs from Spain, France, all over, many of them referred by Ferran Adria who had a party here. And lots of indus-try people are coming here. Rachel Ray was here and Tweeted about us, and so was Tyra Banks who Tweeted too. Between them, we got 14 mil-lion Tweets! A story about us by AP writer Michael Hill got 250,000 views when it went viral. It was translated into Chinese.”

Even when business is slow, Red Farm is busy, he points out. “The Tuesday after New Year’s weekend should’ve been the slowest night of the year. We did 100 dinners – two and a half turns.”

Schoenfeld plans “to keep it fresh with new seasonal food. We’ll be doing a black truffle soup dumpling that is really fragrant with white truffle shavings. It’s terrific.”

Later this year, he plans to expand to another neighbor-hood in Manhattan and then look to do a third unit.

The business began with Chodorow’s involvement in plans for a 10,000 sq. ft. dumpling manufacturing fa-cility in North Bergen, NJ and the opening of Red Farm. The New Jersey plant is a build-ing owned by Pat La Frieda Wholesale Meats, a supplier to Chodorow’s many restaurants.

formulas.”Schoenfeld agrees – “we’ve

managed to push the bar for-ward,” he notes. “It’s hard to do that. This is hip and exciting and it’s fun. For a long time, Chinese menu items have been kind of stagnant. For the past 20 years, Chinese food has not meant a night of ethe-real eating. This restaurant is comfortable, informal, finely crafted and a little whimsical. I think we’ve hit the market in a mainstream and significant way.”

The restaurant is busy. “We’re sassy,” says Schoenfeld. “It’s fun for us and for the cus-tomers. We have a communal table.

Ng is revered for his dump-lings and dim sum, and they are there - but there is also Katz’s pastrami egg roll, duck and Fuji apple stir-fry with Hoisin sauce, and more.

There is a playfulness to


Winter PanoramaPRODUCTS

ChefTec TT with enhanced nutritional analysisChefTec TT brings enhanced nu-tritional analysis and the ability to print ingredients of a purchased item in a recipe on the Nutrition Facts Label. USDA allergen data can also now be downloaded di-rectly into the software using the Online Nutritional Analysis Ser-vice, and security features have been enhanced. A new Caterease

with a variety of Dutch and all natural cocoa. The cereal comes in instant packets that cook in a minute, each equal to one serving, with 130 calories and one gram of fat. Go to www.creamofwheat.com.

Olive oils from Holman RanchHolman Ranch extra virgin organ-ic, estate grown olive oil from Tus-can varietal olive trees is hand har-vested, cold pressed and bottled at the California ranch and winery, established in 1928. The olive grove consists of 100 trees, which are harvested each December and milled. Go to www.holmanranch.com.

Four sweet potato chip products now availableFood Should Taste Good, best known for tortilla chips, jumped into the potato chip category last year with Sweet Potato Chips and recently added three additional flavors – salt & pepper, barbeque and salt & vinegar, all 25 percent reduced fat compared to other chips on the market. The chips come in one oz. bags for foodser-vice. The all natural tortilla chips combine vitamin-rich benefits and tastes of sweet potatoes with kettle cooked crunch and natural flavors and were created to offer a healthier product than regular potato or “diet” ships without sac-rificing flavor or gratification. They are certified gluten free, Kosher, low sodium, and contain no trans fats, cholesterol or artificial ingre-dients. Go to www.foodshouldta-stegood.com.

Red Rose Tea introduces Sunset SpiceRed Rose Tea introduces new Sun-set Spice, a black tea flavor in its Specialty Selections line that pairs well with colder weather recipes. With layers of orange notes, cinna-mon and a touch of cardamom, the Ceylon tea works well as an ingre-dient for hot cider or as a comple-ment to a Crème Brulée. A spiced cider recipe is available at www.redrosetea.com.

Chocolate flavor instant cereal introducedCream of Wheat, supplying Ameri-can families with cereal for more than a century, introduces new Cream of Wheat Chocolate fla-vored instant hot cereal, flavored

day with a nutritious breakfast of oatmeals that range from Mostly Sunny with dried Northwest fruits to Time Out with chocolate, coco-nut and peanut butter. Visit www.jasonbeverageconcepts.com.

Fizzazz™ from Libbey helps create “show”Libbey Glassware introduces fiz-zazz™, a new line designed to cre-ate glassware theatre and “show” for the customer. A process laser etches the inside bottom of the glass to accelerate the release of CO2 and enhance carbonation while promoting head retention. Glassware includes a variety of sizes from 20 oz. Giant Beer Fiz-zazz to an 8 oz. Vina Flute. Contact Harbour Food Service at www.har-bourfood.com.

Kid-friendly flavors for brown rice lineMARS Foodservice introduces new kid-friendly flavors to its UNCLE BEN’S® flavored brown rice line – roasted chicken and Asian style. Each has 100 percent whole grain brown rice, natural flavors and col-ors and is high fiber, low sodium and has no trans fat. A full line of recipes is offered for school food-service directors. Call 800-432-2331 or visit www.marsfoodser-vices.com.

import benefits catering and event center customers, allowing ban-quet event orders to be directly im-ported to a production sheet. The software also allows for interfacing with vendors such as Sysco and US Foodservice, QuickBooks and On-line Nutritional Analysis Service. Go to www.ChefTec.com.

Simple, solid Casadio commercial espresso makerAn innovative and economical commercial espresso system from the manufacturers of Faema equip-ment is available for foodservice operators seeking a simple, sol-idly built machine. Casadio’s one group, fully automatic machine is stainless steel construction with a rectangular design and flat, planar top where cups may be stored and preheated. The reliable, easy to use unit has 5.5” group heads al-lowing preparation of broad range of espresso-based beverages. The machine is 17” wide by 23.5” deep by 22.5” high. For more informa-tion, contact www.jasonbeverage-concepts.com.

Green Valley Organics® for lactose free productsGreen Valley Organics® offers real dairy lactose free kefir, yogurt and sour cream that are also glu-ten free. The GVO yogurt and kefir add Flourish®, a custom blend of 10 live probiotic cultures that promote optimal digestive and im-mune system health. The blend is said to deliver eight more health-promoting cultures than the US-DA’s requirement of two for yogurt. Visit www.greenvalleylactosefree.com.

Choose all natural oatmeal to start the dayUmpqua Oats all natural oatmeal, made from whole thick rolled oats for old-fashioned taste contain thiamin, iron, and fiber, which reduces cholesterol levels in the blood. Healthy and nutritious, the oats are combined with Sucanat Sugar, a whole cane sugar that adds a caramel/maple flavor to the oatmeal. Help customers start the

Browns with peppers and onions. Serve with every meal, no longer just breakfast, says the company. Go to www.idahoan.com.

FARMHOUSEFIX’Ns™ from Idahoan® introduces Cheesy Hash Browns with a rich cream cheddar sauce and O’Brien Hash

Trailered Wood Stone ovens boost businessTrailored ovens from Wood Stone help operators expand their business to include cater-ing. The mobile ovens come in two sizes, Bistro 4355 and Mt Adams 5’ to help you join the mobile food movement. Go to www.woodstone-corp.com.

Idahoan Foods intros Cheesy Hash Browns

Black and White barley from Indian Harvest Black and white don’t go out of style and Indian Harvest’s Tux-edo Barley™, a limited time of-fering from the Boutique Line, blends the light roasted notes of earthy black barley with the buttery texture of waxy, hull-less barley for a cutting edge appearance and rounded fla-vor profile. The barley is chewy with a resilient bite and comes in 6/2-lb. sleeves. Go to www.indianharvest.com.

Winter PanoramaPRODUCTS


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Lemon & CrackedPepper Nutrition Facts

Sea salt from the coast of BrittanyFrench Farm Sea Salt is harvested from the coast of Brittany for a fla-vorful addition to vegetables, salads and meat dishes. Also new in the company’s line of salts is Barbeque Salt for cookouts and Crazy Salt for spice in soups and stews. The salts come in reusable glass jars. Visit www.thefrenchfarm.com.

Maristella’s seafood arancini for added valueFour seafood pies from Maristella’s Fine Foods reduce labor and prep time for school, college, university, hospital and chain restaurant op-erations. The authentic Sicilian Arborio Rice Aranci come in five varieties: wild caught North At-lantic lobster with sherry cream sauce, wild caught shrimp with all natural pesto, wild caught blue crab with Gorgonzola cheese and applewood smoked bacon and wild Alaskan smoked salmon with white wine capers. Go to www.maristellafinefoods.com.

No Salt, No Sugar seasonings introducedNew all natural seasoning blends – lemon & cracked pepper, sweet & spicy, toasted onion & garlic, seven herbs and six spice – are available

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RiceSelect™ offers 25 lb. bulk boxes of TexmatiRiceSelect® introduces new 25 lb. bulk boxers of its best selling Texmati® White Rice, Brown Rice and Light Brown Rice. The long grain American basmati rices are produced and packed in the US, non GMO verified, certified Kosher by Star K and gluten free. Visit www.riceselect.com.

Compostable carryout Greenwave traysNew improved fiber, compostable and microwaveable carryout trays from Greenwave are oil and grease absorbent, non-toxic and recycla-ble. Trays, four cup carriers, round plates and bowls are offered in the line. Go to www.greenwave.us.com.

New institutional pack by Chef Myron’sMyron’s Fine Foods, manufacturers of Chef Myron’s Sauces, introduces a sturdy flat case with four one gallon plastic pouch institutional pack ideal for schools, hospitals, conference centers, caterers who do stir fry stations and applica-tions where a gallon at a time can be used. Cut off the corner, pour sauce out, and crumple the pouch with no bulky waste streams. For information on the ecological and economical pouches, call Chef My-ron’s at 800-730-2820 for distribu-tor information or New England broker AJ Letizio at 603-894-4445, or got to www.chefmyrons.com.

from Magic Seasoning Blends®. None contain MSG or preserva-tives and all are gluten free. The seasonings come in user-friendly shaker/pour PET containers, six to the case. Go to www.chefpaul.com.

Tandoor Naan, Roti and Pitas availableA line of Indian breads – Naan, Roti and Pocket Pitas – are avail-able from Stonefire™ Authentic Flatbreads, baked in a commercial Tandoor oven, are made with all natural ingredients - no preser-vatives, artificial dyes, trans fats or hydrogenated oils. Visit www.stonefire.com.

New organic vegan soups by Dr. McDougallDr. McDougall’s Right Foods intro-duces five new organic flavors to its Ready to Serve Soups line, high in plant-based protein and fiber, non-GMO, vegan and all natural. Packaged in paper-based BPA-free packaging sources from sustain-ably managed forests, the soups include lentil, lower sodium veg-

A new whole grain introduced by Indian HarvestNew from Indian Harvest is a nutritious, flavorful and new to the US whole grain that dates to around 2300 BC in Syria where a city was laid siege upon and wheat fields were set on fire. Rather than destroy the living green wheat inside the kernels, the fire merely burned he hull. “Freekeh,” an Arabic word de-noting rubbing away wheat chaff, was born. Today Green-wheat Freekeh is a toothy tex-tured, earthy flavored whole grain. It comes in 6/2 lb. sleeves yielding 192 half cup servicing a case. For culinary support and recipes, call 800-346-7032 or visit www.indianharvest.com/getfreekeh.

Serve Parmesan Risotto in under two minutesStouffer’s introduces new Par-mesan Risotto from Nestlé Professional. The scratch-qual-ity dish reduces labor and prep time – just thaw overnight in a cooler and sauté, customize and serve. Introduced to meet customer desires for higher end options in mid-scale res-taurants, the product is made with authentic Arborio rice, Parmesan and Asiago cheeses, and onions, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, chicken broth, cream and butter and comes in a six serving, 48-oz. pouch. Go to www.nestleprofesional.com for more information.


BOSTON – “Where does it come from?” is one of the most commonly asked questions asked

of foodservice providers, both commercial and non-commer-cial this year as customers de-mand a shift to better quality ingredients.

And from Danny Meyer’s hugely successful Shake Shack, designed to be a road-side burger joint for the 21st century diner, to growing num-bers of neighborhood indepen-dents, the answer reflects the industry’s new focus on fresh, locally sourced and better qual-ity beef.

Increasingly, operators are turning to beef that’s either grass fed or corn fed to offer consumers the quality and fla-vor they seek.

Meyer’s mantra is “No shortcut to quality,” as dem-onstrated by Shake Shack’s proprietary blend of beef that’s ground fresh and hand-formed daily by a favorite Manhattan butcher, Pat LaFrieda.

The beef from local purvey-ors can make a dramatic dif-ference. “It may be 25 cents a pound more for grass fed beef,” says one Boston chef, “but you want your customers to re-member your burger. It’s worth it.”

Others agree. Chef Paul O’Connell of Chez Henri in Cambridge, MA has been us-ing grass fed beef from a farm school in Western Massachu-setts for five years and Chef Chris Douglass was one of the first in the Boston area to in-troduce grass fed options. To-day, all the burgers at his Ash-mont Grill in Dorchester are made with grass fed beef.

In Cambridge at Rialto, Chef Jody Adams makes it “a priority for us to know how the animals are treated and cared for. We want the best quality, no hor-mones and no antibiotics.”

Adams and her team visited purveyors to see how their ani-mals were treated and raised before making a choice.

“Before, we didn’t know enough about treatment of

Today’s beef offerings more likely to be fresh, local and sustainable

From burgers to rib-eyes, beef entrées more likely to represent farm to fork trend

He points to various blind tastings by Geoffrey Steingar-ten with other judges includ-ing the Lobels from Manhat-tan and Adam Perry Lang and Cooks Illustrated magazine in which Brandt won “hands down.”

At Grill 23, Murray does a 56 day wet age followed by a 25-30 day dry aging process. “In a world that eats beef,” he observes, “any agricultural economist will tell you that grazing doesn’t make sense.”

At Kinnealey Quality Meats, a 72-year-old family company in Brockton, MA, Sales Direc-tor Jack Feiter finds people talking “a lot more” about anti-biotics in meat this year. People are looking for good products.”

This year, prices have ris-en, he notes, due to distribu-tion costs such as fuel and the cost of soybeans and corn. “It’s crushing,” says Feiter.

Operators, seeking to avoid price increases, turn to smaller portions to keep costs in line.

Beef eaters today are look-ing for all natural products, Feiter notes, with no added hormones or antibiotics and great flavor. “We’re all about supporting local farmers.”

On the non-commercial side of the industry, healthcare foodservice providers were ear-ly leaders in moving to health-ier and tastier beef options. At Fletcher Allen Medical Center in Burlington, VT, for example, Diane Imrie, foodservice di-rector, buys grass fed ground beef because she can get it for a better price since she’s help-ing to balance the demand of restaurants that usually buy the more premium cuts, says Marie Kulick, senior policy analyst at the Institute for Ag-riculture and Trade Policy and co-coordinator, Health Care Without Harm Purchasing Work Group in Minneapolis.

“This seems to be a theme,” she adds, for a least some hos-pitals that are buying local grass fed beef. Producers sell the premium cuts to restau-rants and the hospitals provide a market for ground beef and stew beef.”

Brandt family on their own land. The feed is a mixture of alfalfa hay, which is organi-cally grown on the farm, Su-dan grass (also grown on site) and corn from the Midwest shipped directly to the farm by train. Unlike many purveyors, no ranching is contracted out, says Chef Murray.

He points out the unequalled tenderness of the beef and the rich, sweet flavor. “It ages ex-tremely well,” he declares.

Today, more chefs are reduc-ing animal protein portions on the plate, knowing that cutting back consumption can help reduce air pollution, methane gases and improve health.

“We educate our staff about who the farmers are who grow our products and they meet with them. Our customers are really interested in where the food comes from.”

Boston Chef Ken Oringer’s KO Prime uses grass fed beef for the hanger steak and New York strip, a spokesman says. The cattle are grass fed for six months and then shift to a diet of grain to yield a larger ani-mal.

Prime steakhouses such as Boston’s Grill 23 note that fed cattle (that are not grazed) give off around 20 percent of the methane that grazed cattle do.

Chef Jay Murray buys Brandt Beef, all from a single breed, humanely treated cattle that are raised without hor-mones or antibiotics by the

animals (in the supply chain). Industrialization of animals increased and now we see that we lost 30 years.”

“When I was growing up,” she remembers, “beef was ex-pensive and we ate it once a month. We didn’t used to know enough about the food we ate. Alice Waters, Chefs Collabora-tive and Oldways have raised our awareness a lot. Now, many us are paying attention.”

“We didn’t use to know

enoughabout the

food we ate,” says Jody

Adams

Chefs paying more attention to how beef is

raised

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style brasserie, offers “a fine dining experience with en-trees priced around $20, and has an average check of $25, while Mills Tavern’s per per-son tab runs around $65 and also offers a $30 tavern menu.

“Here,” Conforti notes, “we were originally viewed as pric-ey but over the last few years, we’ve scored eight (on a scale of 10) when guests are asked if it was worth the price. We have menu items in a broad price spectrum but our aver-age check is $12.”

Finale takes the tradition-al, Conforti explains, “and put a little twist on it. We’ve been offering tea breads and smaller, crunchy shelf stable cookies to snack on. Bakery takeout accounts for 50 per-cent of our sales. We’ve been serving Finale desserts at Red Stripe and might beef up our menu here with some of their best-sellers.”

a concept they came up with at Harvard Business School, has seen his share of changes over the past few years as the economy declined and growth plans got put on hold.

“When the recession first hit,” he recalls, “we had just opened at the Natick Collec-tion and were looking to go into Washington, DC, Provi-dence, RI, Dedham, MA, and Boston’s North End. We pulled back.”

The company just closed its third unit in Brookline, MA where its lease had expired.

Today, Conforti says, “our focus is more on our wholesale business for growth opportu-nities. We have a big central bakery in Allston and produce for other restaurants and bak-eries.”

Ocean State Job Lots, one of Finale’s investors and the owner of Red Stripe, a bras-serie, and Mills Tavern, a high-end restaurant, both in Providence, bought Finale two years ago and formed Encore Hospitality.

The group’s goal is to “seek to offer restaurant experi-ences that make the customer want to return for more.”

Plans call for renovating the Harvard Square Finale later this year and building Finale’s wholesale business. Down the road, the two Provi-dence restaurant concepts might move into the Boston marketplace.

Red Stripe, an American

BOSTON – Finale, celebrating 14 years in the city, is about to under-take its second

“refreshing” project to bring a greater sense of “fun and whimsy” to the desserterie concept.

Paul Conforti, who opened the first Finale with partner Kim Moore, bringing to life

Finale refreshes original restaurant

Eyeing the future as part of a restaurant group, Finale focuses

on its wholesale baking business

877-335-2766www.JasonBeverageConcepts.com

Renovation is planned for the Harvard Square

unit

Down the road, the two Providence concepts may be brought to Boston


mended servings of milk and alternatives according to the national Food Guide.

Additionally DFC was a fi-nalist in the Best Print Mar-keting, Store Promotion or POS category for Get A Load of Milk, effort encouraging teens to drink milk that used social media and the web.

The farmers were also commended for the Canadian Cheese Grand Prix promotion that rewarded cheesemakers for excellence in product and quality innovation. For more details go to www.dairyfarm-ers.ca

MAYNARD, MA – Remember the 50’s – poo-dle skirts, sock hops, and road-

side diners with malts, shakes, meatloaf and burgers?

Bob and Laurie Watson are out to bring back that 50’s fam-ily dining experience with their franchise concept, 5 & Diner, an affiliate of LPM Holding Co., their foodservice manage-ment firm. Recently, the couple introduced a new streamlined inline prototype for growth.

The Watsons became a fran-chisee of 5 & Diner, which had its start in Arizona and later bought the rights to the entire system in 2008.

“My background,” Bob Wat-son explains, “was in institu-tional foodservice. We have Epicurean Feast and a couple of catering companies, and we just bought Sebastian’s from Fidelity. We wanted to do

something fun, so we looked at various franchises and set-tled on this because the small 1950-style diners brought me back to my childhood.”

Importantly, he adds, the concept represents a real fam-ily experience. “We wanted something that would be fun and family oriented with no al-cohol – just a real family expe-rience for milkshakes with the kids and this met the bill.”

The company has two company-owned freestanding units, including one opened in Worcester, MA five years ago and one in Phoenix, AZ. Twelve others are franchised.

Like many family restau-rants, the units have struggled in a recessionary economy. ‘We’re relaunching 5 & Diner as an inline concept,” Watson

PARMA, ITALY – Dairy Farmers of Canada received a number of hon-ors and awards at

the International Dairy Fed-eration World Dairy Summit here late last year.

The group won in the Best Health Education or Nutri-tion Marketing category for its Power4Bones program, a cross curriculum effort for el-ementary school students.

DFC was also a finalist in the same category with its Get Enough program encour-aging consumers to get recom-

notes, “and we’re really opti-mistic. This is a great time to bring people back to old Amer-ica! “

He estimates typical devel-opment costs in the range of $450,000 to $750,000 and the average unit sales at more than $1.1 million.

5 & Diner serves American

5 & Diner eyes New England growth

Canadian dairy farmers win numerous honors

comfort food such as meat loaf with onion rings and mashed potatoes and hot fudge sun-daes. The average check is $10 to $11.

There’s a lot of nostalgia in the décor, complete with chrome, bright lights, and open seating. “We’re not just another burger joint or fam-

ily dining chain,” declares Watson. Special events in-clude sock hops and car shows.

Originally, the freestanding units were 3,400 sq. ft. with 122 seats. The new prototype is 2,200 to 2,800 sq.

ft. with 90 seats. Pictures from the ’50s and ‘60s era – Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and others, hang on the walls. Soda counters and booths with indi-vidual jukeboxes recall the 50’s era. The menu is extensive and includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, with breakfast options available throughout the day.

“I want families across the country to know that 5 & Din-er is an unparalleled diner ex-perience and I want their kids to know our shakes and malts can’t be beat.”

Watson sees potential for as many as 500 units and will be focusing on growth along the East Coast. ‘I’d like to open in Boston,” he says, “and I’m look-ing up and down the coast.”

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Bringing back the 50’s with milk shakes, juke boxes and more


L’Enclos for flavorful value-priced whiteFrom Gascogne in the southwest of France comes this extremely delicious white, Domaine L’Enclos Gros Manseng 2010 Vin De Pay. The wine has a large nose, rich in fruity flavors – think apricots, pineapple and flowers as well as light spices.

Nobilo Icon Marlborough rich and complexThis 2011 Icon Sauvignon Blanc from Nobilo is made with grapes from the com-pany’s vineyards in the Blind River, Awatere, Wai-hopai and Rapura subre-gions of Marlborough and represent excellent value for restaurants and diners alike. The well-structured wine offers hints of pink grapefruit and pineapple with flinty minerality and even notes of citrus. Pair with grilled snapper fillets on grilled asparagus, says winemaker Dave Edmonds. Go to www.nobilo.com.

Tuscan wines introduced for MA restaurantsPanther Distributing, LLC in Wil-braham, MA is bringing high qual-ity, great value wines to the MA restaurant marketplace includ-ing the Sada portfolio of Super-Tuscans (www.agricolasada.com); Lab from Portugal, produced by the Casa Santos Lima estate; De-imersfontein, Matys, Botanica, Haute Cabriere and the Chamo-nix portfolio from South Africa, and Walla Walla (Bergevin Lane). In addition, Panther is introduc-ing Rita and Andre Jammet’s La Caravelle Champagnes in three distinctive varieties, all from Eper-nay. The champagnes are elegant, approachable and affordable, pro-duced by De Castellane, part of the

New arrivals from Tuscany’s Bolgheri areaSADA Winery south of Livorno, Italy on the Ligurian Coast brings four wines – 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2010 Toscana – to the US. The so-phisticated wines include a full-fledged Bordeaux with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot; a Super-Tuscan from Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante and Montepulciano; SADA Integolo, a baby Super-Tuscan and Verminto with estate grown 100 percent Ver-mintino grapes. Contact Panther Distributing LLC at www.pant-herdistributing.com.

Blackbeard Spiced Rum brings exotic flavorsFresh from Puerto Rico’s Destilerîa Serrrallés, Blackbeard Spiced Rum brings together vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg with a secret blend of exotic tropical fruits for a premium aged 86 proof beverage. Named for the king of pirates, Blackbeard Spiced Rum expands the company’s portfolio including DonQ Cristal, DonQ Gran Anejo, DonQ Coco and more. Go to www.donq.com.

tion with the introduction of La Caravelle Champagne. The wines are crafted in Epernay using the very best grapes and age-old wine-making techniques to create high quality with a clean, contempo-rary, classic style. Choose from two styles of brut champagne, Cuvée Nina, and Champagne Rosé NV or Blanc de Blancs NV, given 91 points by Wine Spectator. Go to www.lacaravelle.com.

Special selection from Genders WinesGenders Duncan 2002 Cabernet Sau-vignon McLaren Vale is a special offering, not made every year, and was created using grapes from only nine rows, picked on the basis of flavor intensity. Winemaker Diana Genders sought to maximize the el-egance that she saw in the fruit in her wine. The “serious style of wine” warranted the best fine grain French oak ageing for more than two years. With reddish black color, the wine has a nose of roses, tea and hydran-gea as well as cedar from the barrels and notes of red currant. Dry tannins are joined with red currant-like fruit. Go to www.Genderswines.com.

forward with clean and balanced flavor, the wine is available from TI Beverage Group, which sources its prod-ucts from top wineries, brewers and distillers under the brand names of Vampire Vineyards, Je T’aime Brut Rosé and others. Visit www.vampire.com.

Wall Reserves create vivid wine storage displayPerlick Corp.’s innovative 72-inch glass door Wine Reserves stacked in layers creates a handsome wall of wine with multiple tempera-ture zones and storage for over a thousand bottles. Units come with Perlick’s standard all stain-less steel construction and two inch foamed in place insulation. A custom designed ladder is avail-able for accessing the elevated compartments. Go to www.perlick.com.

Drambuie 15 begins rollout nationwideDrambuie15 from 260-year-old Drambuie began a nationwide rollout late last year to promote the new premium offering. More refined and drier than the original Scotch liqueur, the newest offer-ing is velvety with aromatic citrus spice and butterscotch notes. De-scribed as “Scotch-forward” while retaining the distinctive flavor of the original. For complete details, go to www.drambuie.com.

Brugal 1888 introduced in select US marketsBrugal brings centuries of tradition to the table in Brugal 1888, an arti-sanal offering blending rums aged five to 14 years in medium toasted American white oak casks followed by a second maturation in Sherry oak casks. The result is smooth and full-bodied with a finish of tof-fee caramel, licorice and wood and a spicy bouquet with hints of cinnamon, coffee beans, dried fruits and chocolate. Visit www.brugal-ron.com/US.

La Caravelle Champagne carries on traditionRita and Andre Jammet, owners of New York’s iconic restaurant, La Caravelle, carry on the tradi-

House of Laurent-Perrier. La Cara-velle’s Blanc de Blancs was rated 91 by Wine Spectator.

Boston gets first craft distilleryBully Boy Distillers offers premium spirits with quality ingredients and traditional age-old techniques, making white whiskey, white rum and vodka in a 600 liter copper pot still. In the works are an aged wheat whiskey and dark Boston rum. The company uses local, natu-rally grown ingredients to make USDA-certified organic spirits. Visit www.bullyboydistillers.com.

Je T’aime Brut Rosé sparkler for Valentine’s DayVampire Vineyards introduces Je T’aime Brut Rosé Sparking Wine with hints of strawberry and rasp-berry, crisp finish and a fragrant complexity from Limoux in the Languedoc region of France. Fruit-

Wine & CheesePANORAMAWine & Cheese

PANORAMALondon Dry No. 3 comes to the NortheastBars in the Northeast are welcoming London Dry No. 3 from Britain’s long tradition of top gins. Made from a recipe from Barry Bros. & Rudd, Lon-don’s oldest wine and spirits merchant, No. 3 is made with juniper from Italy to provide lavender and pine hints, sweet Spanish orange peel, grapefruit peel, Angelica root, and Moroc-can coriander seed and carda-mom pod for spice and aroma. Go to www. no3.com.

Tradition and maturation in single maltsThe Balvenie’s acclaimed sin-gle malt Scotches are the result of Malt Master David Stewart’s 30 years experience with ma-turing malt whiskies. Choose from smooth and mellow Dou-blewood, a 12 year old matured in two different casks; Single Barrel, rich and complex with a long finish, aged 15 years; or Portwood with 21 years aging, creamy with fruit, honey and spice notes and a long nose. Vis-it www.thebalvenie.com. The company recently conducted a Rare Craft Roadshow across the US, filming a documentary about craftsmen and artisans and touring in a handcrafted Morgan car, while promoting its acclaimed single malt Scotches along the way. Visit www.balve-nie.com/roadshow.

Grafton Village Cheese undergoes renaissanceTGrafton Village Cheese’s new cheesemaker, Dane Huebner, is not uncomfortable with change. He’s taking the legacy of the creamery and making even bet-ter aged cheddars along with a range of brand new Vermont originals. An award winning maple smoked cheddar, Grafton Tavern Select in two, three and four-year versions connects The Old Tavern, one of the nation’s oldest operating inns here dat-ing to 1801, with the cheese-making company, in a unique way. The line of cheeses is cold smoked over maple wood chips, age well and deliver the high-est quality flavor and texture profiles. Go to www.graftonvil-lagecheese.com.


Urban beekeeping

helpsreverse colony

collapse

terest in sustainability, intro-duced four hives last spring to help pollinate an herb and fruit garden as well as the Midtown neighborhood’s flora.

The Barclay turned to James Fischer and members of NYC Beekeeping to both care for the colonies and aid Executive Chef Serge Devesa and his staff in the art of bee-keeping.

General Manager Hervé Houdré views the effort as part of the hotel’s policy of serv-ing local, organic, seasonal, sustainable and healthy food. However, he notes, “the main reason for us to introduce bee-hives is to shoulder our respon-sibility for helping to keep our urban ecosystem as healthy as possible. The bees fly to Cen-tral Park to pollinate.”

“Bees,” he declares, “are a key element of biodiver-sity and are not often recog-nized as such. We hope that by introducing beehives in Midtown Manhattan, we will help New Yorkers feel closer to the delicate ebbs and flows

of our planet.” The hotel also extended one of its kitchens to NYC Beekeeping to use for harvesting and bottling honey as it fulfills its own mission of fostering a strong community of urban beekeepers and much more.

The beekeeping group consists of more than 1,000 beekeepers and bee lovers, operating as a non-profit and offering free in-depth beekeep-ing courses with Gotham City Honey Co-op. Members work with urban farms, commu-nity gardens, the city’s Parks Department and others. The goal is to bring training and economic opportunity through beekeeping to under-served

ey is now around $40 a lb. in farmers’ markets here.”

The hardest part in becom-ing a beekeeper, Emmons points out, is getting over the fear of working with stinging insects. He finds growing num-bers of restaurateurs exploring the possibility of raising their own bees, and point to Carlos Suarez of Bobo NYC and David Selig and Andrew Day Field at Rockaway Taco in Rockaway Beach as pacesetters in that movement.

Farther north in Maine, bee-keeping has been part of the farm at Arrows in Ogunquit for nearly two years now, says Chef de Cuisine Justin Walker.

Wildflower bees are the source of Arrows’ honey, he explains, and live on the farm next to a thicket of blueberry and blackberry bushes.

“We bought 40,000 bees last winter and they arrived in the spring. We harvest it in

early winter and save it for use year-round. It’s pretty potent stuff and good for anything you’d use regular honey for. We use it on its own, in desserts and atop cheese courses, and as an ingredient in savory dishes.”

Honey, he adds, is “great as a sweetening agent in sweet and sour dishes such as pickled onion, fiddleheads and mushrooms, adding depth and an herba-ceous flavor and bal-ancing vinegar without the need for oil. It’s a running joke because I use honey on a lot of things. Local honey is also great protection against local allergies.”

areas and to conserve and pro-tect honeybees.

The bees, adds Liane New-ton, organizer of NYC Bee-keeping, “fit into the hotel’s comprehensive sustainability program. The Barclay is now linked to NYC community gar-dens and other bright spots in every borough of the city to of-fer hotel guests a taste of what is great and local in the city that they might not otherwise get. It’s a very elegant model of corporate community connec-tion!”

Meanwhile, in Queens, Brooklyn Grange, the country’s largest (one acre) sustainable rooftop garden, worked togeth-er with Rockaway Beach Club Concessions last fall to create a five-borough event, the first annual NYC Honey Fest, with honey-related talks, demon-strations, film screenings and more, says Brooklyn Grange Director of Business Develop-ment and Chief Bee-keeper Chase Emmons.

“We put together a program with live bands, a scavenger hunt, live music and we gave prizes for the best dressed bee in the parade!” Vendors such as Six Points Craft Ales served their honey beer and demonstrated how to brew it at home, while Brooklyn Kitchen offered lessons on how to cook with honey.”

New York, Emmons observes, “is much big-ger in urban beekeep-ing than Boston” and restaurants are begin-ning to show interest in creating their own colonies.

In 1992, he points out, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani banned bee-keeping in the city, a measure that took nine years to repeal. Last spring, local beekeeping groups got the designa-tion of bees as “danger-ous animals” removed. “Now we have a thriv-ing apiary population and it’s literally the hottest thing in the city. At Brooklyn Grange we have four hives and harvested about 300 lbs. of honey last year. Locally harvested hon-

BEE KEEPINGContinued from page 3

Restaurateurs joining hotels in adding apiaries

Restaurateurs joining hotels in adding apiaries

Beekeeping, says one observer, is now “one of the hottest things

in NY City”


Pent-up demand is driving expansion into the Boston market

NRA predicts food costs will

continue to challenge operators

Consumers, says Boston Restaurant Group’s Perkins,

“want to get on with their lives…”


prevail this year?


prevail this year?

to be 2.8 percent this year, as-suming menu price inflation of 2.5 percent for both ’11 and ’12.

National Restaurant As-sociation Senior Vice Presi-dent, Research & Knowledge Group Hudson Riehle expects the operating environment to be relatively unchanged this year, noting that national em-ployment will continue to ad-vance but will still be modest. He expects “greater demand for freshly prepared food away from home” to be a positive factor for the industry as in-creased employment is tradi-tionally linked to sales growth for restaurants.

“Sales will continue to post positive real gains,” he says, “but will be below historic per-formance levels. When you fig-ure menu price inflation is in the two percent range, you have to be above that for real sales growth.. Riehle expects real national employment growth to recover in 2014 as operators grapple with the challenges until then of building sales and the economy. The biggest challenge for operators prior to the start of the recession in ’07, he notes, was recruitment and retention. “We’re the most labor intensive industry. Labor costs account for about a third of industry sales dollars. Once national employment picks up, the ability of restaurants to hire and retain will become more difficult again.”

A major challenge this year, he adds, will be food costs. A recent NRA member survey showed 17 percent citing food costs as the number one challenge, ris-

nities for the city’s better oper-ators to pick up good locations. “I haven’t seen this much new activity in years. We’ve passed the worst of this.”

Smith points to a recent spurt in openings of smaller neighborhood places such as Orinoco in Harvard Square, Cambridge, the third location for the group, and Fin’s Japa-nese Sushi and Grill, which will soon open its fourth location on Cambridge St. Despite concern about the economy, he’s still getting 300 to 500 calls a week from people seeking locations, he says. “It’s still a buyers’ mar-ket with things selling for lower multiples of sales.”

In Manhattan, Faith Hope Consolo, chairman of the Re-tail Group at Prudential Dou-glass Elliman sees a frantic pace” continuing this year as “food continues to be fashion.”

2011 was an exceptionally good year, she says, with many openings and expansions. “I’m optimistic.” She’s getting calls this year from DC and Dallas. Space, however, is “tightening up at last.”

Revitalization continues in the Bowery and also, up-state, where casinos are under consideration for older resort properties, she notes.

Pointing out that former NY Times critic Sam Sifton called 2011 “the year of the smart casual,” Consolo observes that the high end has become less formal as the low end has tak-en on a new understanding of nutrition.

“Classy comfort food,” she points out, “reigned supreme last year starting with The Dutch, a Soho hot spot, and I also think of the soul-filled Red Rooster in Harlem.”

acy Place and Patriot Place in recent years have gener-ated a combined $90 million in restaurant sales, impact-ing smaller operations nearby. Meanwhile, Burlington, MA is seeing new development, with 10 new liquor licenses, while Lynnfield and Wayland are also seeing new activity.

In Boston at CB Richard El-lis/Grossman Retail Advisors LLC, Senior Associate, Retail Leasing Andrea Matteson ex-pects the city to see “a lot of new buyouts” in the months ahead as operations from New York and elsewhere target Boston for expansion.

“There’s pent-up demand and people have the money to come in and say “what will it cost?” to get a particular loca-tion,” she declares.

At Boston’s Corbett Res-taurant Group, President Todd Smith does not antici-pate much change this year but despite that, expects the business climate will improve. “Boston has fared relatively better than man y other cities,” he says. “We have a rash of new restaurants that, despite the economy, have done well.” Most of the fallout from the recession is now over, he be-lieves, and there are opportu-

into the parking lot. Unless we see more employment and a re-duction in under-employment, we’ll see little change.”

Today, he notes, one in ev-ery three families is “basically working pool. They may be employed full time but they’re near the poverty level.”

2013 and ’14 should be bet-ter, Lombardi believes, and the housing market could start to bounce back. He’s concerned, however, about possible ups and downs that could impact commodity prices. “Anything that shocks the price of corn has a big effect. A chicken is nothing but corn with feath-ers.”

At The Boston Restaurant Group, Inc. in Boxford, MA, President Charlie Perkins says people have become bet-ter operators as a result of the economic downturn.

Regardless of politics and the upcoming election, he ex-pects business will be slow for the next several years.

The first two quarters of 2011, he points out, were flat. This year could see a spike in the second quarter, Perkins says.

The city “seems to be coming back,” he declares, “and if we have better weather this year, the ‘burbs should too. Last year, they got 55 inches of snow in the first two months. So far this year, we’ve been lucky.”

“People have adapted to the economy and want to get on with their lives,” he adds, not-ing that while many operators are down, burgers, beer and Irish pubs will grow.”,

The area has seen the open-ing of restaurants with nearly 4,000 seats in the past year or so, he points out. Both Leg-

ing more than double in the past year. Food price inflation in the range of eight percent was the highest increase in 30 years. “We expect that to back off somewhat. But operators will be challenged by higher wholesale prices. “

Looking specifically at the Northeast, he observes that the region’s population growth rates and consumer confi-dence levels are below those of the Midwest and Southwest. However, he observes: “The foodservice market is sub-stantial and there are ample opportunities for well focused, executed concepts.”

At WD Partners in Colum-bus, OH, consultant Dennis Lombardi believes the year will look a lot like 2011, “if we’re lucky. There’s nothing I see on the economic horizon that the rate of increase in an economic recovery will happen.”

He’s seeing slow growth, much of which is more due to price taking than to traffic. The consumer, he observes, contin-ues to be very conscious of price points and value.

That’s an issue, Lombardi believes, that operators “need

to be very sensitive to this year. McDonald’s value menu drives a lot of cars

OUTLOOKContinued from page 1


On the Upper West Side, now viewed as “an important destination neighborhood,” Daniel Boulud opened a mid-priced Mediterranean, Boulud Sud and Maria Loi opened a Greek “like we wish Mama made” place in the former Compass space.

Meanwhile, in the Flatiron District, a “homey, taverna-style Italian outpost replaced Beppe” and a high point was the resurrection of the Monkey Bar with an updated menu and an “old New York” renovation.

There’s been “some custom-ization” in fast food - think Five Guys burgers vs. a Mc-Donald’s.”

Some national chains, she adds, are testing new concepts, such as Chipotle’s South Asian Chophouse, and Consolo also is seeing more information about flex-casual in which a restaurant is fast food at lunch and full service at dinner.

Additionally, industry leaders such as Danny Meyer continue to grow, she notes, observing that Union Square Hospitality Group expects to open five to six new units a year.

Coffee Fest New York set for Javitsseminar program.

A highlight of the show is the Coffee Fest Latte Art Championship in which the grand champion can win $2500. Second and third place winners receive $1,000 and $500 respectively. Judging is based on five categories: aes-thetic beauty, definition, color infusion, degree of difficulty and creativity, and speed.

A networking event will take place at Heartland Brew-ery, 625 8th Ave. at 41st St. and Coffee Fest attendees will also be able to preview songs and scenes from a forthcoming Broadway production, “Coffee: The Musical.”

Registration is $20 before Feb. 12 and $30 thereafter.

Four official hotels – Wynd-ham Garden Hotel, GEM Ho-tel Midtown West, Comfort In Times Square South and Com-fort Inn Midtown West, with rates ranging from $169 to $199. Contact Barby of Travel Lead-ers at 800-935-0454 or email [email protected].

ISSAQUAH, WA – The 64th Coffee Fest show takes place March 9-11 at the Jacob Javits Con-vention Center here for

the first time. The Show, which expects to

see some 5,000 industry pro-fessionals in attendance, will open Friday and Saturday at noon, running until 5 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

More than 75 programs and seminars are planned to offer retailers of specialty cof-fee businesses opportunities to learn more about ways to im-prove their operations.

Exhibitors provide a one-stop shopping experience for roasting equipment, imported green beans or in-house wire-less internet and more.

Some 70 percent of all at-tendance is comprised of spe-cialty coffee retailers who attend to purchase new equip-ment, network with peers or attend educational seminars. The International Academy of Specialty Coffee oversees the

that will be a new high point for Boston. Non-stop air ser-vice to Japan begins in April four times a week and goes to daily in mid-June, which will dramatically benefit overseas arrival as a third of the people on those planes will be con-necting from Asia, China, Viet-nam and Thailand, will will open up new areas for us.”

The spending impact, he continues, could be $14.4 bil-lion, up 5.6 percent over a year ago.

A number of very large conventions will meet here this year and in July, the cel-ebration of USS Constitution’s 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 will bring military ves-sels to salute her from around the globe.

The city will also be “the center of sports” in 2012 and will include a major lacrosse event Memorial Day weekend at Gillette Stadium, which will have all the headquarters ho-tels in Boston. “It all adds up to a very bullish forecast. It appears we’ve finally turned the corner and shows how far we’ve come.”

New York, Consolo points out, is blessed with an enor-mous market from the resi-dents of Manhattan to the “bridge and tunnel” crowd, tourists from around the globe, convention attendees and busi-ness travelers.

At Boston’s Convention & Visitors Bureau, President Pat Moscaritolo is equally optimis-tic about the new year’s pros-pects. Last year saw a 1.5 per-cent increase in total visitors which translates into $20.7 million and this year, he says, “we expect a 2.2 to 2.5 percent advance.”

“It took us eleven years to get back (from the after-shocks of 9/11),” he observes, “and it’s really good news to forecast strong growth going forward.”

The forecast for internation-al arrivals is 1.3 million and


Today’s mixologists

step up the bar on

meeting customers’

specific desires

Fresh, local and sustainable become

the mantra at restaurants’ bars

Sachs, a former beverage direc-tor for Uno Chicago Grill, who created a unique color-coded wine list for the chain, believes that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”

“Our choices today have ex-panded,” says Sachs. “We have better beer, wines and liquors. Cocktails are back. The wine list at 99 Restaurants has a Mark West Pinot Noir! Every-one has gotten better. Cocktails are more sophisticated and less sweet. They’re fresh, hand-crafted and the bar staff shows a new level of hospitality.”

The challenge now, Sachs declares, is “to make the expe-rience match the level of hos-pitality.”

At Aquitaine in Boston’s South End, General Manager Scott Toney sees the restau-rant’s theme of “fresh, local and sustainable” moving from the kitchen to the bar. “Our cus-tomers look for that philosophy at the bar too,” he says.

The customer today, Toney agrees, is more knowledgeable about beverages. He’s seeing a return to the “amber liquors”

a TV or excited sports fans. Cannon is nothing if not

attentive to guest desires. About four or five years ago, he recalls, guests “began to ask questions like ‘what specials do you make,’ and that gained momentum. They wanted cock-tails to be part of American gastronomy.”

Customers are more accept-ing this year of gin, he notes. “In the late ‘90s there was a flood of vodkas. But we turned to Hendricks and Plymouth gins, and customers didn’t know those bottles so we used them in Cosmos – sneaked them in and gained trust.”

Last year, Old Fashioneds, the original whiskey cocktail, came into favor along with oth-er stirred whiskey drinks. On the beer side, he adds, “there’s no end to creativity today At Island Creek, Shelton Broth-ers makes a Pilsener for us. We will collaborate with brewers to barrel finish for us.”

At The Hawthorne, Cannon wanted a wines by the glass list priced from $10 to $20. “Our contract is to get you something you’ll enjoy. At our restaurants, wine competes with the jugger-naut of a cocktail as a percent-age of sales. I pour cocktails all day but at night, I like to relax with a glass of Chateauneuf du Pape. But cocktails are in a state of rapid expansion and you have to care about people and create sharing and great experiences.”

In Portland, ME, John My-ers, bar manager at The Grill Room, finds customers to be more adventurous than ever this year, and “more engaged with brown spirits.” The vod-kas, he says, continue to be popular among younger cus-tomers who want something

town in the Financial District, Bar Manager Trish Lacount sees numerous changes in the scene, among them a new spirit of adventure among cus-tomers about classic cocktails and small-batch spirits. “I love that, because the story behind them is usually interesting.”

“Dark spirits are always making a show in the winter! I absolutely love bourbon so you can find a huge selection of small-batch and “off the beaten path” stuff at our place. There are so many great drinks you can make with dark spirits, I think that people shouldn’t be so afraid of whiskey and oak-aged stuff. It’s delicious. “

Almost every night, she adds, “people ask me to create special drinks for them based on their spirit of preference. It’s fun and allows me to be creative. That’s just one of the many reasons why I love bar-tending so much.”

At The Hawthorne, named for the Hawthorne strainer, the stylish new bar in the Ho-tel Commonwealth is owned by Garrett Harker of Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar and bar direc-tor, Jackson Cannon. Unlike typical bars, the experience is raised to a new level with residential furnishings – small couches and upholstered chairs, art on the walls and no big screen TVs anywhere.

The ‘scene’ is all about com-fort, relaxing with a favorite beverage in a deep chair, con-versing with friends without having to overcome the noise of

ous luxury bars in New York. The eco-conscious spirits move-ment now “extends beyond just menus and has become a prominent part of the seminar roster at the biggest cocktail conferences globally.”

Acknowledging the growing importance of cocktails, spir-its and beer, The James Beard Foundation recently added a new award category, the Out-standing Bar Program, recog-nizing establishments that set a higher standard of excellence.”

Meanwhile bars cited among the ‘best’ in the world include a number from the Northeast US, among them Boston’s Drink and New York’s Death & Co, PDT, Employees Only and Pegu Club.

New York’s bar culture has become increasingly hip with many of the top contenders described as “speakeasies.” At PDT (short for Please Don’t Tell), the bar is located within the Crif Dog space in the East Village where award-winning mixologist Jim Meehan is of-ten referred to by others in the field as their guru.

In Boston, Courtney Mc-Call, general manager of the Sea Grille at Boston Harbor Hotel, is creating her own stir with cocktail creations, some of which date to the Colonial era.

McCall, whose signature cocktails are priced at $14.50, recreates the shrub, a vinegar-based beverage in which fruit is marinated overnight in vin-egar and the syrupy results are lightly sweetened, becom-ing the base for such drinks as the Huckleberry Shrub created with house-made Huckleberry cordial, fresh orange and Bru-gal Anjeo rum.

Her repertoire also includes twists on classics such as the Saffron and Citrus Sidecar with cognac, Grand Marni-er, Meyer lemon and saffron syrup, a drink, which comple-ments seafood dishes. Chef Daniel Bruce “does an amazing job with pairings.”

“Cocktails,” McCall de-clares, “are merging with the kitchen. I spend almost more time there than at the bar.”

She also consults with the room’s bartenders about what customers are asking for and points out that the pricing of the specialty list is linked to the special ingredients required for each drink.

At the new Blue Inc. down-

such as bourbon, scotch and rye whiskey. Those beverages have grown in popularity this past year, he says. “We’ve all learned what constitutes good whiskey. And customers know brands more now and have a passion for the ones they like.”

At Destilería Serrallés, distillers of Puerto Rico’s pre-mium rum, DonQ, Corporate Mixologist Esteban Ordonez finds many bartenders and mixologists now offering craft, local and micro-distilled spirits as well as organic, sustainable and biodynamic distillation practices used by spirit produc-ers and liquor brands.

“These concepts, while not new, are enjoying a strong re-vival,” he says. “Eco-imbibing is certainly a big trend in the cocktail and mixology world.”

Additionally, he points out, the “social appeal of organic spirits has inspired many con-temporary restaurants and bars to incorporate healthier ingredients into their menus and we are starting to see more and more top cocktail bars and fine dining restaurants offer organic cocktail alternatives as well as organic options of the major spirit categories.”

For example, he points to Rouge Tomate in Manhattan, which squeezes fresh fruit and vegetable juices daily for all specialty cocktails and gives customers the choice of an organic spirit. The wine and spirits lists describe whether producers’ practices are organ-ic or biodynamic.

In Philadelphia, Ordonez also sees Positano Coast offer-ing drinks with organic fruits and syrups and finished with organic spirits. Meanwhile, eco-liquors – rums made from organically grown sugarcane or vodkas from organic wheat – are now on the lists of vari-

WAY WE DRINKContinued from page 1


Stuart Roy tailors offerings to guests

Technomic eyes “modest” beverage sales gains

Sales at the new restau-rant, he adds, continue to set records for the group. “We sell a lot of Sauvignon Blanc, Pi-not Noir and Malbec by the glass.”

The restaurant’s Raw Bar, he adds, has its own list of wines that pair well with the seafood.

This year the group holds its 50th Wine Week, March 5-9, and Roy expects more than 30,000 glasses of more than 200 different wines to be

pick the wine first and then make food choices. “When we select wines for the list, I look for funky things and go for good values.”

“Customers today are drinking less, but better,” he declares. At Atlantic Wharf, Smith & Wollensky is selling “a ton of wine – more than at any other location.”

BOSTON – Value is a major consider-ation for consum-ers this year and for Stuart Roy,

national director of wine & spirits for Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group, the owner-operators of nine locations of the portfolio company of Bun-ker Hill Capital here, as he puts his own unique stamp on the lists he creates.

Unlike many high-end op-erators, Roy takes a custom-er-friendly tack, tailoring the lists to each individual restau-rant and its clientele in differ-ent markets.

Each restaurant, he de-clares, in an interview at the group’s newest 402-seat outlet at Atlantic Wharf here, has its own distinctive personality or flavor.

“We have 94 wines here

that are priced under $50 to $60,” he notes, “and the list starts at $38.” At Atlan-tic Wharf, the list offers 445 wines. Instead of the tradi-tional markup used by many restaurants, three times cost, Smith & Wollensky chooses to remain with two times.

“We have a lot of good val-ues,” Roy says. The list of wines by the glass offers both food-friendly, well balanced wines and “esoteric jewels.” Roy seeks to balance the “re-ally cool” options with “really nice” ones. A 1996 Haut-Brion that cost $1,100 is priced at $1,600.

“We want people to enjoy a balance of great wines and something really cool.”

Roy estimates the average wine purchase at $70 to $100 at Smith & Wollensky, but adds: “But we have

a lot between $40 and $60.” Many customers, he observes,

says Lepeltier. “We’re seeing fewer and fewer ‘label’ drink-ers as customers aren’t asking as much now for the beverages they know. They are way more curious and adventurous and less dependent on wine publi-cations. Today they read more blogs that have a huge influ-ence, and aren’t dependent on a single writer or the old scores. We also see more and more women making the wine choices at the table.”

The Rouge Tomate cocktail program uses freshly made juices and local fruits and vege-tables. “We sell a crazy amount of cocktails,” says Lepeltier. “We also have a huge line of non-alcoholic drinks that have their own list, and sell a lot of them, especially at lunch.”

However, Henkes cautions that alcohol sales will still lag slightly behind broader restaurant and bar sales, and notes volume in the in-dustry will likely remain flat. Growth, he notes, is driven largely by pricing increases and by gains in certain cat-egories like craft beers and premium spirits. Bars and clubs, typically big drivers of alcohol sales, are expected to underperform many other parts of the industry, holding down overall industry growth expectations.

“We continue to encour-age our restaurant and bar clientele to focus on improv-ing their overall beverage program,” Henkes concludes. “Sales are starting to move forward, and as operators try to differentiate themselves, the beverage program can and should play a major role.”

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QA

Customers are drinking less, but

making better choices, says Roy

“sweet and silly,” but are not as prominent in terms of demand as previously.

On the beer side, the guest is “definitely more educated today.” Myers is seeing great interest in local beers.

Back in the late 80’s, he re-calls, he used to home brew. “If you wanted good beer, you had to brew it yourself.” Today, there’s a proliferation of excel-lent locally produced beers.

Wine drinkers in Portland, he observes, tend to now look at wine by the glass lists “be-fore firing off an order for Mer-lot or Chardonnay. And among the Merlots, they’re likely to specify a Malbec.”

Meanwhile, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side at Rouge To-mate, Sommelier Pasqueline Lepeltier, formerly honored as the top woman sommelier in France, oversees a list of 200 wines, many of which are or-ganic or biodynamic. She’s see-ing “a real interest in organic wines. We promote them, but our customers are curious and want to learn more.”

Today’s guests, she adds, want quality and value and will buy unfamiliar wines if they represent that combina-tion. Pinot Noir, she points out, is expensive, but today less expensive Pinots are avail-able from Austria, the Alsace, and other areas. “Guests are now willing to consider them”

CHICAGO – Tech-nomic is predicting a slight uptick of around 2.4 percent in alcoholic bever-

age sales this year, based on improving traffic numbers at major chains and operator ex-pectations of better economic conditions.

“While the underlying re-covery in bars and restau-rants remains fragile, we’re starting to see consumers re-turn to having a drink or two while they’re out,” says David Henkes, vice president and di-rector of the firm’s on-premise practice.

“Wine sales are poised for the strongest growth, but beer and wine will also see slightly higher consumer sales. While the industry has a long way to go to full recovery, it’s nice to see things moving slowly in the right direction.”

ROYContinued on page 21


UNION SQUARE EVENTS – John Karaganis returns to Union Square Hospital-ity Group in New York where he began his career 20 years ago as a line cook at UnionSquare Café. The new ex-ecutive chef of Danny Meyer’s catering, culture, sports and events business was previous-ly executive chef for Restau-rant Associates, executive chef with Butterfield81 and head of his own chocolate con-fectionary, KaraganisChoc-olates. He most recently spent eight years as executive chef for ARAMARK head-ing all culinary operations at Goldman Sachs world head-quarters in New York. Ad-ditionally, Executive Pastry Chef DanielKeehner joined the Events team last summer.

RICK’S ROADHOUSE – BillMcComiskey becomes execu-tive chef of this Providence, RI restaurant owned by Chow Fun Food Group. Previously, he was kitchen manager at The Restaurant in Warren, RI.

new role where he will de-velop, manage and implement NRA’s agenda on food safety and quality assurance issues.

LOEWS HOTELS – PaulWhetsell joins the company as president and chief execu-tive officer, succeeding JackAdler who retired. He brings 35 years of industry expe-rience, most recently as as member of the board of Vir-gin Hotels. In other news, Michael Palmeri, most recently vice president and principal with Abacus Lodg-ing Investors, joins this New York-based owner of 18 prop-erties in the US and Canada. He will oversee expansion efforts for Loews through existing asset acquisitions, ground-up construction and third-party management.

COSI – Carin Stultz was named CEO and president and also joins the Board of Directors. She has been president of Global Business Opportunities with Brinker International’s Chili’s and Maggiano’s worldwide. In other appointments, the com-pany named Stephen Ed-wards executive chair of the Board of Directors.

GROUP – Jeffrey School-craft was promoted to gen-eral manger of the 80-room SpringHill Suites by Mar-riott from a post as assistant general manager at the Resi-dence Inn by Marriott in Mystic, CT. Elsewhere in the Group, at the Residence Inn by Marriott in Hartford, CT, Lisa McIntyre was named director of sales for the 120-room hotel downtown. Previ-ously, she was event manager at the CourtyardbyMarri-ott, Waterbury, CT and sales management/front office man-ager with the Best Western– Black Rock Inn in Fair-field, CT. At another Water-ford-managed property, the Residence Inn by Marri-ott, Conshohocken, PA, MaryCulbert became general manager, bringing more than 18 years experience in the in-dustry to the post. She most recently was with Carlson Hotels Worldwide as assis-tant general manager for the Country Inn and Suites, Newark, NJ.

NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION – At NRA in Washington, DC, Christo-pher Melchert moves to se-nior manager for food safety and quality assurance, a new position within the gov-ernmental affairs and policy team. He brings more than 27 years of food safety and protection experience to the

Harbor Hotel and the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston.

THE AQUITAINE GROUP – At Aquitaine in Boston’s South End, Scott Toney, most recently maitre d’/bever-age manager at TowneStove&Spirits, was named gener-al manager.

TURNER FISHERIES RES-TAURANT & BAR – WayneWood, an industry veteran with 25 years experience, be-comes general manager of this restaurant at the WestinCopley Place hotel in the Back Bay of Boston. He most recently was with AtlanticFish Company and ear-lier, was general manager of Smith&Wollensky.

UNIVERSITY OF MASSA-CHUSETTS DINING SER-VICES – In Amherst, MA, Garrett DiStefano becomes director of residential dining, succeeding Ken Toong who was promoted to executive director of auxillary services. One of the country’s largest dining services programs with revenues said to be around $70 million a year, ResidentialDining serves approximately 40,000 meals a day. DiStefano previously was area manager at the school’s BerkshireDiningCommons.

WATERFORD HOTEL

THE HAWTHORNE – At this new Boston bar in the Hotel Commonwealth, co-owned by Garrett Harker and Jack-son Cannon, Nicole Leb-edevitch becomes head bar-tender. She most recently was with EasternStandard. She is joined by ScottMarshall, previously bar manager at Drink; Ryan McGrale, last at New York’s LaniKai; KatieEmerson, recently at Deathand Co. in New York; RyanLotz, formerly at Brookline, MA-based Lineage; and Mat-thewSchrage, general man-ager, recently opening service manager with Boston’s Men-ton.

FITZVOGT – JohnDiPietro, most recently area director of operations, becomes vice pres-ident of operations for this Walpole, NH- based provider of foodservice management in the Northeast. He will oversee management of 110 accounts and direct new business ac-quisitions in New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions, an area from Maine to Mary-land and as far west as Indi-ana. DiPietro has been with the company for 12 years.

METROPOLITAN CLUB – In Chestnut Hill, MA, ChrisFrothingham, most recently at ToddEnglish’sFishClub at the Seattle Marriott and earlier at Bonfire in Boston, joins the restaurant as chef de cuisine.

FOXWOODS RESORT CA-SINO – Jens Baake moves to vice president of food and beverage at this Mashunt-ucket, CT property from Am-eristar Casinos where he was vice president of hospitality. A certified sommelier, Baake has worked at Landry Restau-rants, Walt Disney World, Or-lando, and earlier, at Boston

faces

&places

FROTHINGHAM

MCCOMISKEY

WOOD

SCHOOLCRAFT

CULBERT

PALMERI

STUTZ

BAAKE


BOSTON – Two in-spiring keynote speakers are set for the 2012 New England Food

Show, which opens Mar. 12-13 this year, Noah Rickun, CEO of Jeffrey Gitomer’s TrainOne and Preston Swincher, content facilitator for Generational Ki-netics, LLC.

Rickun will present “How to Fill Empty Seats, Put Smiles on their Faces, and More Mon-ey in Your Pocket” on the Dem-onstration Stage at the back of the exhibit hall on Sunday, March 11 at 1 p.m.

“Crossing the Generational Divide: Unlocking the Power of Generations™ for Your Stra-tegic Advantage,” Swincher’s presentation, takes place on the Demonstration Stage Mon-day, March 12, at 1 p.m.

Demonstrations by area chefs and an array of educa-tional sessions are also high-lights of the show. The educa-tional programs start Sunday at 11:30 a.m. with Restaurant Trends by Charlie Perkins, president of Boston Restaurant Group in Room 159. Perkins of-fers a look at national, region-al and local industry trends, changing demographics in Boston, the impact of technol-ogy on the industry and how to finance new restaurants and improve the bottom line.

From 2:15 to 3:30, Rich-ard Ellington, owner of Pa-tronEdge, LLC, teaches at-tendees how to use mystery shopping to train and motivate staffers. The session, in Room 159, discusses mystery shop-ping as a positive training tool, a way to hold employees re-sponsible and a way to identify problems or keep them from happening.

At 2:30 Sunday in Room 160B, Josh Bob, CEO of Turn-Star, speaks on Bites and Bytes: Using Technology to Fill Seats and Boost the Bottom Line, explaining how technol-ogy for restaurants can help operators.

On Monday, at 11:30, Room 159, Francis Skipper, director of search engine marketing at 451 Marketing, discusses “Op-timizing Your Online Presence for Local Search” with sugges-tions to help operators show up on top of search rankings as smart phone and mobile

Roy creates unique wine & spirits lists

Inspiring speakers set for NEFScome mesmerized by Belgian beers with their many nuanc-es, and is thinking of creating a tasting promotion this year.

Beers at the restaurants are generally in the $6 range as opposed to $7 to offer bet-ter value.

Roy is also looking at online training for his staffers in ad-dition to in-house programs, working with several purvey-ors on both the wine and spir-its sides to develop them.

he holds an advanced diplo-ma from the Court of Master Sommeliers and is certified as a Master Spirits Professional by the United States Bartend-ers Guild.

Before joining Smith & Wollensky, he was director of wine and spirits for Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas where he managed a selection of 3,500 wines, ran the front of the house in nine restaurants and served on the opening team for Rao’s and Payard Patis-serie & Bistro.

Looking at the changes in the way customers drink today, he sees a move on the spirits side to more “amber” beverages, noting that bour-bon and especially rye have become more popular. “Rye is very big. Jamison’s is the number one seller and grow-ing.”

Many mixologists, he adds, became enamored with gin this past year; and on the beer side, he personally has be-served over the course of five

days nationwide. Guests will taste wines from a list that won Wine Spectator maga-zine’s Award of Excellence and sample 10 daily wine options for $10 with the purchase of a lunch entrée.

A native of Louisiana, Roy made the decision to enter the restaurant industry, walked into New York’s iconic Four Seasons restaurant and was taught wine by co-owner Ju-lian Niccolini from the restau-rant’s million dollar cellar.

“I took classes there for five years,” he recalls. Today

devices dominate the digital landscape.

From 2:15 to 3:15 in Room 159, Legal Problem Solver presented by Massachusetts Restaurant Association Legal Counsel John Coyne looks at top compliance issues and how to avoid costly lawsuits.

Serving Local, Sustainable Foods and the Triple Bottom Line in Room 160B from 2:30 to 3:30 with Julia Shanks, Julia Shanks Food Consulting and Joshua D. Kemp, shows op-erators how to find sustainable food sources, decide whether to purchase directly from farms or work with regional distribu-tors, and more.

A panel in Room 159 ex-plores Opening, Operating & Expanding Your Restaurant: The Essentials You Need for Success, discussing legal is-sues related to licensing, leas-ing and employment. Panelists include Al DeNapoli, Esq. - Tarlow Breed Hart & Rodgers, P.C., Daniel Newcomb, princi-pal, licensed real estate broker - Atlantic Restaurant Group, Michael White, director of op-erations - OMNI Career Search and Chandra Witkowski, MBA and manager of restaurant hospitality accounting - Bacall & Conniff, P.C.

Tuesday brings a lineup of programs starting at 11 a.m. with Dan Newcomb, Atlantic Restaurant Group, in Room 159, discussing how to navigate the liquor licensing process and how to find the current market value of All Alcoholic and Wine & Malt beverage licenses. He’ll also offer advice on how to avoid potential pitfalls in the license application process.

Wrapping up the programs in Room 160B is Lori Besegai, director of marketing and edu-cation, EMOS Recycling Inc., who will discuss Increasing Profits, Patronage & Loyalty through implementing “Best Green Practices.” She’ll tell at-tendees how stay a step ahead of competition and stay compli-ant, and increase profits and patronage through implement-ing green initiatives.

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ROYContinued from page 19


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COOK

Flavors of Malaysia A Journey through Time, Tastes, and Traditions, Susheela Raghavan, Hippocrene Books, $40

Flavors of Malaysia is a lov-ingly crafted journey through the flavors, customs, and feasts of Malaysia whose author was born and raised there, stud-ied food science in Britain and taught at New York University. Today she sells a line, “Tastes of Malacca” of spices at www.tasteofmalacca.com.

Following 63 pages of his-torical and cultural descrip-tion, 12 chapters present 164 carefully annotated recipes on as many subjects - snacks and appetizers, soups and salads, rice, noodles, poultry, meats, seafood, vegetables, and des-serts, with separate discus-sions about festivals, feasts, and fusion.

The recipes are detailed with steps clearly numerated, often providing suggestions for ethnic variations on the main theme.

Raghavan includes a de-

niversary of crafting and cur-ing cheese, sharing 50 original favorite recipes.

Designed for the home chef, the recipes are simple and uncomplicated such as Mari-nated Granqueso® with Olive Condite, Buttermilk Blue® Spread and grilled chicken quesadillas. The final chapter includes libations. Visit www.emmirothusa.com where the recipe collection is available or email [email protected] for additional information.

All The Gin Joints: New Spins on Gin from America’s Best BarMichael Turback, Curiosity Company, $14.95

The title of this collection of gin-based drinks comes from the ’42 classic movie, “Casa-blanca,” moving forward in time to offer 101 original reci-pes from 75 professional bar-tenders in an array of forward-thinking bars and restaurants. The compilation looks at emerging new influences such as “bar chefs” who employ culi-nary methods and ingredients.

Northeast chefs offering their gin recipes include Alexi Beratis; Jackson Cannon (The Hawthorn, Boston); Brette Feore, Apiary, New York, Jason Kosmas, Steve Schneider, Du-shan Zaric and Rob Krueger, Employees Only, New York, Rodney Landers, Blue Bar at the Algonquin, New York, Ryan Lotz, Lineage, Brook-line, MA, David Moo, Quarter Bar, Brooklyn, NY, Max Toste, Deep Ellum, Allston, MA, Clif Travers, Bar Celona, Brooklyn and Eric Trishon, Mercato Bar & Kitchen, Ithaca, NY.

Drinks are creative – think Fall of Man with Apfel Korn, apple cider and gin with simple syrup and bitters, garnished with an apple slice.

and Jewish koyletch or the Polich knysz and Jewish knish shared many similarities.

Bread, traditionally viewed as a gift from God that nour-ished both body and spirit, is a major player in this collection.

Learn to make the tradi-tional Challah, the bread of the Sabbath, rye bread, pumper-nickel, potato Polish bread, bar-ley bread, and Vienna bread.

A chapter is devoted to the bagel, which became a symbol of the Yiddish-American expe-rience and a fixture of Ameri-can Jewish life. Make the classic New York water bagel, the Montreal bagel, which has more yeast plus sugar and is boiled in water, and the New York egg bagel is also covered.

Rolls - onion, plain, seeded, and more, were the “fast food of the shtetl,” the authors de-clare. They offer recipes for sweet egg dough, onion pock-ets, pletsl (a Ukrainian roll with onion, poppy seed and salt), salt sticks, and bulkies.

A chapter is devoted to bi-alys, a roll from the northeast-ern Polish city of Bialystock. Pastries and cakes – blintzes, strudel, elephant ears, and many more, make up one of the larger chapters of the book.

The I ª Trader Joe’s Around The World CookbookCheri Mercer Twohy, Ulysses Press, $17.95

Written by cooking school (Chez Cheri) founder Cheri Mercer Twohy, this collection presents an array of 140 inter-national recipes using interna-tionally sourced products from Trader Joe’s. France begins with potato fennel-leek soup with smoky cheese and a tarte flambée, while other chapters journey to Italy, Greece, East-ern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Asia, the Carib-bean, Latin America, and the USA. Preparations are simple and flavors are big in such dishes as Cuban garlic chicken, Fattoush, Stifado and more.

Easy Entertaining with Emmi Roth Käse USA

This recipe collection, avail-able by special request from Emmi Roth Käse USA cele-brates the company’s 20th an-

property where they could make good sparkling wine outside Champagne. Califor-nia, Australia and Argentina sprung up as new locations.

The impact of two world wars took its toll and produc-ers also struggled with up-rooting and replanting their vines with American rootstock to deal with the phylloxera grapevine epidemic.

Despite such issues, Cham-pagne continued to be the bev-erage of celebration. The mid-20th century saw the growth of the middle class, Epstein notes, calling it the “aspira-tionally affluent,” a group that embraced the positioning of the luxury wine.

Today, she observes, many sparkling wines are available worldwide from Crémant de Loire to Prosecco, Cav and others.

A chapter on “Drinking To-day: What, Where and How” looks at the growth of rosé sparkling wines and also, of drier sparklers. Epstein notes that Champagne is the “gold standard” of sparkling wines and gets into what’s in the bot-tle, how it’s produced.

Finally, a look at “rules, buy-ing, storage and serving” offers helpful information for wine purchasers of all types, as does a chapter on pairings with food. Champagne-based drink reci-pes concludes the book.

Inside The Jewish BakeryStanley Ginsberg and Norman Berg, Camino Books, Inc., $24.95

Stanley Ginsberg, who learned to cook from his grand-mother, and Norman Berg, a professional baker, bring East-ern European Jewish baking and traditions to life in this collection of recipes.

In that era, they point out, Jews ate much as their neigh-bors did, adjusting recipes to conform with dietary laws. But the Ukrainian and Jew-ish babkas, Russian kolsch

tailed glossary of terms and basic prep techniques for fre-quently used sauces and spices not found in most kitchens. Although she provides a list of sources for some of the more exotic ingredients required by many of the recipes, the list is regional to New York City.

Although written for pri-marily for home cooks, it could easily be adapted to commer-cial applications.

Champagne, A Global HistoryBecky Sue Epstein, Reaktion Books Ltd., $17 (US)

Becky Sue Epstein, a wine, travel and food writer, looks at the history of Champagne and sparkling wines, used for cel-ebratory occasions of all types for centuries. She takes the reader through history, from Dom Perignon who described the experience of drinking the best Champagne as “drinking stars,” to the evolution of the sparkling wine from the 1700s to current times.

Epstein takes the reader through several hundred years as Champagne grew to be fa-mous, meeting new competi-tion from other producers of sparkling beverages, both less expensive and more accessible because they were local.

This, Epstein observes, hit producers particularly hard during times of conflict and de-pression throughout the 20th century. Yet Champagne pro-ducers persevered and many began to see other vineyard

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