Students of the International Culinary Tourism Association's Certified Culinary Tourism Professional program are now able to listen to recorded interviews from industry professionals who are able to give them first hand information about the ins and outs of the culinary tourism industry. Included in these interviews are such culinary tourism professionals as:


For more information on the CCTP program, visit www.culinarytourism.org.
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Piccadilly Restaurants is the corporate sponsor of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's (JDRF) Walk to Cure Diabetes for the third straight year. Piccadilly will donate food to each of the four Walks to Cure throughout Louisiana and will sell colorful paper sneakers for $1 at Piccadilly locations throughout the state from Sept. 16 to Oct. 13. Money raised will help benefit JDRF, the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes research worldwide.

The first 2.5-mile Walk to Cure will take place in Bossier City, La., on Saturday, Sept. 12. For more information, visit www.jdrf.org.

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Green Seal Inc.'s Environmental Standard for Restaurants and Food Services, GS-46, was approved on Sept. 9 by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). It is the first Green Seal specification to be approved as an American national standard.

GS-46 is based on real data on the environmental impacts of restaurants and foodservice operators that include the effects of food, energy and water use and supplies. The standard offers a framework to guide operations on how to reduce their environmental impact to achieve Green Seal certification. GS-46, first published in May, was developed with input from stakeholders that include industry trade groups, operators, suppliers, academics and environmental and health organizations.

Green Seal Inc. is a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., that identifies consumer and institutional products and services that protect the environment and human health. ANSI is a private nonprofit organization that aims to enhance U.S. global competitiveness by promoting voluntary standardization.
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Restaurants participating in Share Our Strength's 2009 Great American Dine Out could win a behind-the-scenes tour of Food Network studios and kitchen in New York City. Participating restaurants must send the money they have raised by Nov. 20 to be eligible. One multi-unit operator, one franchisee and one independent operator will win. The prize includes the tour; lunch with the executives from Food Network, National Restaurant Association and Share Our Strength; airfare; hotel; and transfers. To register, click here.

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. The event, which takes place Sept. 20 to 26, is a flexible program, meaning operators can decide how they want to implement and promote it.
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Shoji Tabuchi Theatre in Branson, Mo., was named winner of the eighth annual America's Best Restroom Award from Cintas Corp. based on online votes from the public. The winning restroom features marble fireplaces, lion's head sinks, leather chairs, a hand-carved mahogany pool table, stained glass and chandeliers.

The Shoji Tabuchi Theatre received a plaque of recognition from Cintas and secured a spot in the America's Best Restroom Hall of Fame at www.bestrestroom.com. Coming in second place was the Tremont Plaza Hotel, Baltimore, Md.; in third was Radio City Music Hall in New York City; in fourth was Zeffirino Ristorante at The Venetian Resort, Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas; and in fifth was The Drake Hotel in Chicago.

Cintas created the Best Restroom Award in 2001 to honor businesses across the country that maintain exceptional hygiene with style in their public restrooms. Past winners have included restaurants, hotels, theaters, universities, airports and casinos.
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As part of the Orange County Restaurant Association's Orange County Restaurant Week to be held Sept. 13 to 19, 12 chefs will perform live cooking demonstrations at Bloomingdale's Home Store at South Coast Plaza. During the demonstrations, guests can take part in gift card giveaways, book signings by chef-authors, magazine giveaways, free recipes and a chance to meet the chefs. Among participating chefs are: Vincent Muraco, chef, Zimzala; Hector Camarena, chef, The Ritz Restaurant and Garden; Arun K. Puri, executive chef, Royal Khyber, Fine Indian Cuisine; Ronnie Arnold, executive chef, hush; Jenny Ross, executive chef/owner, 118 Degrees; Cathy Pavlos, executive chef/owner, Lucca Café; and Miguel Garcia, chef, Kimera Restaurant.

More than 100 restaurants across Orange County are confirmed to participate in Orange County Restaurant Week. Participating restaurants will offer special three-course menus priced at $10, $15 and $20 per person for lunch and $20, $30 or $40 per person for dinner. Guests will also receive a 15 percent discount on select performances of the musical "Legally Blonde."

For more information, visit www.orangecountyrestaurantweek.com.
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The Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board has released the "Inspired Creations" brochure with cheese-centric menu ideas for chefs.

The brochure features new photography and chef-inspired menu applications from breakfast to dinner that highlight innovative ways to add Wisconsin Cheese to the menu:
  • Inspired breakfast offerings include "Sandwiches That Satisfy," "Classics With a Twist" and "Brunch."
  • Sandwich suggestions from clubs and melts to burgers combine with soup and salad recommendations to fill the lunch menu.
  • Appetizers, entrées and sides deliver big flavor in a range of sizes--from small plates to scintillating main dishes that steal the show.
  • No meal would be complete without dessert, and "Inspired Creations" showcases how sweet Wisconsin cheeses can add an element of surprise to after dinner menus.
Many of Wisconsin's more than 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese are featured throughout the brochure, offering chefs an easy-to-use resource for discovering and selecting cheeses that will help make their menu a culinary inspiration.

The "Inspired Creations" brochure and recipes can be found at www.EatWisconsinCheese.com/fs.
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Online ordering service Delivery.com has acquired Eats Media LLC, a restaurant information portal and social networking site for food enthusiasts. The acquisition strengthens Delivery.com's positioning and growth potential as an online destination providing local, same-day delivery of food and other items to individual consumers and companies.

"Delivery.com has a unique partnership model that pays customers substantial referral commissions for bringing new merchants and users on board," said Howard Lutnick, chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial services firm that owns Delivery.com, in a press statement. "The addition of Eats brings even more compelling content that our partners can leverage when promoting our properties."

Eats was created in 2002 in New York and has expanded to several other U.S. markets since. Joe Ariel, CEO and cofounder of Eats, will be the CEO of post-acquisition Delivery.com. Joining him are Jon Gershman, vice president of sales for post-acquisition Eats; Jonathan Mark, vice president of marketing; and Colin Sims, vice president of operations.
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SPONSORED POST

Regal Springs Tilapia "Fishing for Frugal Recipes" contest challenged creative and cost-conscious cooks to devise frugal family meals costing less than $15 to prepare. A team of four Chicago restaurant chefs judged the amateur contest: Tony Priolo of Piccolo Sogno, Roger Herring of Socca, Chris Macchia of Coco Pazzo and Dirk Flanigan of The Gage.

(l to r) Regal Springs Tilapia contest judges Tony Priolo, Piccolo Sogno; Chris Macchia, Coco Pazzo; Dirk Flanigan, The Gage; and Roger Herring, Socca


The winning recipe was Tilapia Tostadas, by Emily Hobbs of Ozark, Mo., which included 1 pound of pan-fried Regal Springs Tilapia served with pineapple salsa. Hobbs was awarded a $5,000 prize for her entry; she plans to put the money toward attending the French Culinary Institute.

In addition to Hobbs' first-place finish, there were five finalists who each earned $150 and a three-month supply of tilapia. There were also five honorable mentions.

For the winning recipes or more information on Regal Springs Tilapia, visit www.regalsprings.com.
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