The Winery raises $25,000 for children's nonprofits

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The Winery Restaurant & Wine Bar, Anaheim, Calif., raised $25,000 during its inaugural "Sunday in the Vineyard" fundraiser to benefit the Marconi Foundation for Kids and Child Guidance Center. The Marconi Foundation for Kids is a nonprofit organization and automotive museum that raises money for at-risk youth by donating proceeds from events and tours to local children's charities. Child Guidance Center helps at-risk children and parents build healthy family relationships through counseling and coaching.

(from l to r): William Lewis, managing partner/sommelier at The Winery; Priscilla "Bo" Marconi, executive director for the Marconi Foundation for Kids and CEO of the Marconi Automotive Museum; JC Clow, managing partner at The Winery; and Lori Pack, L.C.S.W., executive director of Child Guidance Center

The event featured a wine tasting with more than 100 wines from boutique wineries around the world. The Winery's executive chef and partner Yvon Goetz prepared contemporary California dishes at a live cooking station during the event.

The Winery executive chef and partner Yvon Goetz plates regional California cuisine for fundraiser guests

Guests bid on silent and live auction items including a multi-course dinner with wine pairings for eight at The Winery's chef's table, a two-night weekend stay at Mayacama resort in Sonoma and a one-hour baseball clinic for up to 15 people with two California baseball pros. For more information, visit www.thewineryrestaurant.net.
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SOS to hold second Great American Dine Out webinar today

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Today from 4 to 4:30 p.m. EST, Share Our Strength's Great American Dine Out will host the second of a series of summer webinars to provide strategies and ideas for restaurant operators who want to participate in the dine out for charity, which takes place from Sept. 20 to 26.

The Great American Dine Out is a week-long, nationwide event in which participating restaurants donate a portion of proceeds to help end childhood hunger in America. It is a flexible program, meaning operators can decide how they want to implement and promote it.

Annica Kreider, director of marketing for McAlister's Deli, will lead a panel of industry experts in the second webinar. Click here to register for the webinar.
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NRA praises Obama administration's efforts in food safety

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The National Restaurant Association (NRA) announced its support of the Obama administration's call to strengthen the nation's food safety programs in the following statement from executive vice president of public affairs Beth Johnson:


"The safety of the food supply continues to be the restaurant industry's number one priority, and we applaud the Obama administration’s leadership in this area.

"The emphasis on prevention and the creation of a deputy foods commissioner position within the [Food and Drug Administration] brings renewed focus to reforming our nation's food safety system. The key findings by the administration's Food Safety Working Group bring a fresh perspective to the policy discussions and are an important step forward in achieving much needed reform.

"The National Restaurant Association supports comprehensive reforms that will bring our members and millions of restaurant customers increased confidence in the safety of the food supply.

"We look forward to continuing our work, together with the administration and members of Congress, in helping forge solutions and supporting bi-partisan legislation to strengthen the safety of America's food supply."


For more information, visit www.restaurant.org.
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Rotary evaporator enables chefs to capture pure flavors

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A laboratory distillation technique has now been adapted for culinary use by PolyScience, a leading manufacturer and supplier of scientific equipment. Designed to perform distillations at reduced pressure and temperature, the Laborota 4000 Rotary Evaporator enables chefs to easily purify liquids, concentrate flavors, and obtain essential oils that can be used to infuse or intensify flavor without affecting the texture or composition of the final dish. For example, Grant Achatz of Alinea is using a rotary evaporator to pull the flavor, but not the heat, out of chilies and then using that pure chili essence to add an unexpected element to his creations.

The Laborota 4000 is a modularly designed rotary evaporator that provides high distillation efficiency while requiring a minimum of kitchen space. A liquid-cooled condenser allows condensation to occur at -20°C, using the included LM6 Mini-Chiller, ensuring maximum product yield. For more information on PolyScience culinary technology, visit www.cuisinetechnology.com.
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TRA announces new officers

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The new slate of Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) leaders took office for 2009-2010 at the annual meeting held during the Southwest Foodservice Expo, June 28 to 30 in Dallas.

The new president is Mark Maguire, Maguire's Restaurant Concepts, Dallas. The president elect is Bob Westbrook, WR Ventures Inc./CiCi's Pizza, Tyler. Lisa Perini, Perini Ranch Steakhouse, Buffalo Gap, and Russell Ybarra, Gringos Mexican Kitchen, Pearland, will serve as vice presidents. Scott Plowman, Parkway Grill & Sports Bar, Wichita Falls, is the newly elected secretary-treasurer.
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The secret ingredients to effective pest management

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Contributed by Ron Harrison, PhD, director of technical services, Orkin Inc.

Like following the recipe for your signature dish, successful pest management is a matter of gathering the right ingredients and combining them with precision and care.

The first key ingredient is an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, a sanitation effort that targets and eliminates the elements in kitchens that attract pests. Pests enter buildings looking for their essential survival needs--food, water and shelter--all of which are readily available in a commercial kitchen. By focusing on "hot spots," or areas that are particularly conducive to an infestation, you can prevent your kitchen from serving up everything pests need. Hot spots include kitchen surfaces, floors, storage areas and waste-disposal zones.

By combining the following ingredients with your IPM program, your facility will be prepped for rave reviews from customers--not pests.

Start with a dash of stringent cleaning. Pests have a much less-refined palate than most of your patrons. They can easily survive on limited moisture and can make a meal out of minimal food debris and leftovers. Establish a cleaning regimen that eliminates pest meals from the menu.
  • Make every effort to stay on top of cleaning, even during busy hours. Thoroughly clean your kitchen with a product that does not contain bleach. Be sure to sweep or vacuum under appliances and counters. Clean spills quickly, as pests only need a small amount of water to survive.
  • Remove floor drain covers and scrub drains and covers with a biological cleaner and brush to remove food debris that can act as breeding grounds for some small flies.
  • After each customer leaves, clean their table and the floor underneath. Be sure to wipe down the legs of tables and chairs; it doesn’t take long to build up enough small debris to give cockroaches and other insects a four-course meal.
  • Line all trashcans, and make sure they are tightly sealed (photo, below). Implement a regular trash-removal schedule and make certain trash is disposed of daily.

Stir in a storage strategy. Stored-product pests may arrive on incoming food shipments and usually contaminate more product than they eat, sometimes requiring disposal of a large amount of damaged goods. Some species also secrete chemicals that alter the flavor of food products, while others can cause allergic reactions and irritate the human digestive tract if ingested.
  • Store all food in tightly sealed containers and on shelves so it does not touch the ground or the back wall. Rotate all products on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis. Check inventory regularly for pests, pest droppings, and damaged or destroyed product.
  • Use a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter to clean debris from cracks and crevices in walls. Vacuuming also can remove any pests hiding in these areas.
  • Don't leave boxes stacked up outside (photo below). Break down and remove empty boxes. Pests, including rodents and cockroaches, can use cardboard boxes for harborage. Cockroaches even eat the glue that holds boxes together.

Garnish with exterior maintenance. Even though you may be finished with it, refuse can be the starting point for pests. Outdoor dining areas attract pests, along with trash and debris that build up around the building or parking lot.
  • Don't allow trash to sit unattended next to the building or around the dumpster. All waste should be secured inside a dumpster or similar disposal device.
  • Move dumpsters as far from the building as possible, and work with your waste-management company to regularly clean and rotate your dumpster. Keep the dumpster lid closed at all times.
  • Keep your building exterior and parking lot free of trash and debris. Clean the building, sidewalks and parking area regularly (photo, below). Eliminate any standing water outside your building.

Work with your pest management professional to establish an IPM program and educate your staff about their role in preventing pests. Follow this recipe, and you'll be cooking up your signature dish in a pest-free facility. And all your customers will be talking about is the secret ingredient--in your food.

Ron Harrison, entomologist, PhD, is director of technical services for Orkin Inc. and an acknowledged leader in the field of pest management.
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Moulton honored at Alzheimer's fundraiser

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Celebrity chef Sara Moulton, a friend of FENI, teamed up with New York City's Grand Central Oyster Bar and New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi to raise Alzheimer's awareness. The second annual "Remember When, Remember Now" gala was held June 15 and celebrated Oyster Bar's 96th birthday while raising funds for Girardi's Catch 25 Foundation for Alzheimer's research.

Moulton received the second annual Ruth Friedman Tribute Award, which honors the memory of the Oyster Bar executive chef Sandy Ingber's mother-in-law, who was afflicted with Alzheimer's. Moulton was feted for her culinary excellence and good will. Moulton and Ingber were classmates at the Culinary Institute of America.
(l to r) Sara Moulton, Grand Central Oyster Bar executive chef Sandy Ingber and his wife Susan at the Oyster Bar's 96th birthday and fundraiser (photo credit: Tom Berg)


The New York City Chapter of The Alzheimer's Association, the Central Illinois Chapter of The Alzheimer's Association and the East Texas Medical Center Neurological Institute were the beneficiaries of the event.

(l to r) Judy Shea; Kim Girardi; Sara Moulton; Joe Girardi, New York Yankees manager; and ESPN News anchor Mike Yam (photo credit: Tom Berg)
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Chalmers' Food Jobs named world's best at Gourmand World Cookbook Awards

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At the 2009 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, Food Jobs: 150 Great Jobs for Culinary Students, Career Changers and Food Lovers, by Irena Chalmers, was named the Best Book in the World for Food Professionals out of competing books from 17 countries.

In her book, Chalmers, a friend of FENI and a Chef Educator Today and Chef Magazine columnist, Culinary Institute of America instructor and foodservice industry expert, profiles a range of food sector jobs available aside from that of restaurant chef including food photographer, bed and breakfast owner, specialty food retailer, nutritionist, kitchen designer and food writer, to name a few.

The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards were held July 1 at La Comédie-Française in Paris, next to Louvre. The United States, United Kingdom, Spain and France took home the highest number of awards this year. For more information, visit www.cookbookfair.com.
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Wild game's main event

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Nicky USA Inc.'s 9th annual Wild About Game event will bring together the best game chefs of the Pacific Northwest for a day of cook-offs, demonstrations, pairings and cookbook signings all dedicated to game birds and meat. The event takes place Sept. 27 at the Resort at the Mountain in Welches, Ore.

Chefs at the 2008 Wild About Game event

Ten Pacific Northwest chefs will compete in a cook-off during the event. Each chef will prepare a unique dish for a panel of culinary experts using a secret game ingredient that could be anything from elk to quail, fallow venison, buffalo or rabbit. The cook-off chefs are:
Harvest Vine chef Joseba Jiménez de Jiménez will compete again in the 2009 Wild About Game cook-off.

The event will also feature a culinary marketplace with food and wine tastings and cookbook signings. For more information visit www.nickyusa.com.

Photo credit: John Valls
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