This article was mentioned on page 11 of the January 2010 issue of Chef Magazine.
Editors' note: Chef Kevin Rathbun is, among many things, a restaurateur (of Atlanta's Rathbun's, Krog Bar and Kevin Rathbun Steak), philanthropist and fascinating conversationalist. He is also Chef Magazine's 2009 Chef of the Year. Check out the January issue for the profile article on Rathbun. Here, he shares his thoughts on what will be the big trends in foodservice this year--and what it takes to sustain success.
Chef Kevin Rathbun is Chef Magazine's 2009 Chef of the Year
I think the biggest thing is farm to table. It's huge right now--the local farmers are getting a lot of play--using local ingredients and really paying attention to sustainability. It's going to be bigger and bigger. ... Once people really start understanding the freshness and the care it takes to do that kind of stuff, I think it will become more prevalent in the marketplace. It's been tough. Sustainable food is very seasonal, so if you don't write menus seasonally and you keep your same menu all the time, you really can't play in that game. You've got to be constantly changing and evolving your menus and trying to keep up with who's local and who's using what. I think that's a big part of it.
I think simplicity is something people are starting to understand a lot more. The whole "10 flavors on a dish" has kind of come and gone. I think people want to get straight to the root of what they're eating. I think that's where a lot of food is going.
We always say that people come back to a restaurant most of the time for the service. The food could be okay--but if the service is great, people are coming back. If it flips and the food is great but the service isn't so good, they tend to forget about you pretty quickly. If the service is really lackluster, they can spend their dollars anywhere. You really have to have the whole package. ... [Y]ou still have to have great décor as well. People want to feel welcome and want to come back to your place. But food and service are really the top two things that continue to drive sales and drive seats.
I think more than anything ... if the operator isn't doing the right thing, then his people won't do the right thing. And I just have great people. I couldn't do it without them. I have 140 employees--from the dishwasher to the general manager at the restaurant, everybody's respected and treated like they're part of the family.
Another big thing for me that I try to instill in all my people is that vendors are an extension of us. Those days of yelling at the driver for bringing in rotten fish are over. The driver needs to get a Coke and ... come in to dinner every now and then. ... I like continuity and consistency and relationships, from insurance people to meat purveyors. I think that's what grows good business. If you're nickeling these people for price reductions all the time, you only hurt yourself. I try to tell people that in my business, and some get it and some don't. You pay a little more up front, but you always get consistency, you get quality, you get these people talking good about you around town because they have earshot of people in your business and in your community. You want to win that extended hospitality with the people in your structure, too.
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Master-Bilt, manufacturer of a full line of premier commercial refrigeration systems, understands that foodservice operators are looking to save money and be more conscious of their purchases. New is not always necessary, and with Master-Bilt's retrofit program for walk-ins, a variety of cost-saving options can extend the life and improve efficiency, safety and appearance of any walk-in from Master-Bilt and competing brands.
"Just like a car, walk-ins can get less efficient, and over time components can show wear and tear and may break down," says Bill Huffman, vice president of sales and marketing for Master-Bilt. "In an effort to save money on replacing an entire unit, there are other ways to extend the life of any walk-in by replacing worn-out doors and refrigeration systems."
With Master-Bilt, customers can replace old or worn-out refrigeration systems or individual compressors to improve performance. Master-Bilt retrofit doors replace well-used or damaged doors--even those of competitors--to provide better insulation and aesthetics. Master-Bilt's unique field adjustable hinge backing plates on walk-in cooler and freezer doors ensure a proper fit of the door during installation and retrofitting for optimum efficiency.
Additionally, if walk-in floors have buckled or curved under the weight of shelving or pallet jacks, Master-Bilt can install a new floor overlaminate without replacing the entire floor. "A new system is not always a necessity and through a retrofit program, foodservice operators no longer have to buy a brand new walk-in when components get worn out," adds Huffman.
Master-Bilt, a member of the Standex Food Service Equipment Group and in business for more than 70 years, has set the industry benchmark for refrigeration and freezing solutions for commercial foodservice applications. Today, Master-Bilt offers a complete line of refrigerated coolers and freezers, and strives to meet growing demand for energy efficient equipment. The company's Energy Saver program helps users to quickly identify their products that reduce energy usage. See www.master-bilt.com/products/energy_saver.htm for more information on the program. Master-Bilt's specialty markets include restaurants, convenience stores, dairies, warehousing and drug stores. For more information on Master-Bilt's full product line or literature, call Teresa Todd at (800) 647-1284, ext. 4236 or e-mail ttodd@master-bilt.com.
Culinary professionals nationwide are invited to compete for a total of $6,000 in cash prizes in the first Florida Strawberries--A Taste of Summer All Winter Long Recipe Contest.
Entries are due by Feb. 28. The categories for entry are starters and salsas, salads, sweets and best photo. For entry forms, rules and frequently asked questions, visit www.floridawinterstrawberrycontest.com. The contest is sponsored by the Florida Strawberry Growers Association (FSGA) and Taste of the South magazine.
The 12 finalists for the 2010 Bocuse d'Or USA Competition have been selected to compete Feb. 5 and 6 at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park. At the competition, the 12 teams will create two protein dishes before a live audience and present them to a panel of judges. The winning team, to be announced later that night, will represent the U.S. in the biennial Bocuse d’Or World Cuisine Competition in Lyon, France, in January 2011. The finalists are:
Luke Bergman, The Modern, New York City; Danny Cerqueda, Carolina Country Club, Raleigh, N.C.; Michael Clauss, Daily Planet, Burlington, Vt.; Kevin Gillespie, Woodfire Grill, Atlanta; James Kent, Eleven Madison Park, New York City; Mark Liberman, Roxy's Black Sheep, West Palm Beach, Fla.; Christopher Parsons, Catch Restaurant, Winchester, Mass.; Jennifer Petrusky, Charlie Trotter's, Chicago; John Rellah, NY Yacht Club, New York City; Jeremie Tomczak, The French Culinary Institute, New York City; Andrew Weiss, The Lakes Club at Lake Las Vegas, Las Vegas; and Percy Whatley, The Ahwahnee in Yosemite, Calif.
For more information about the Bocuse d'Or, visit www.bocusedorusa.org.
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As the saying goes, "there are only so many fishes in the sea." As a result, making the right choices for your menu in regards to sustainability is of paramount importance. While this can be a daunting task, Clear Springs Foods is one company that does a great job in this area.
Clear Springs maintains control over each phase of the growth cycle and processing of its Rainbow Trout and operates under a comprehensive program designed to minimize the environmental "footprint." This is supported by a state-of-the-art research and development laboratory and policies that reflect a long history of environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship in the local communities of southern Idaho.
High-quality water is critical to ensure product wholesomeness. Every minute, more than one million gallons of oxygen-rich spring water gushes out of the walls of southern Idaho's Snake River Canyon. Clear Springs is a non-consumptive user of these spring waters--it takes less than one hour for the water to flow through the concrete raceways on Clear Springs' six farm facilities and into the Snake River. To ensure purity, our technicians check this water quality on a regular basis. Each raceway has a 20-foot quiescent zone to settle fish waste solids from the water which is removed and made into Clear Organic fertilizer which is used by local farmers on their field crops. All of Clear Springs' farm facilities monitor effluent water quality to ensure it exceeds stringent EPA requirements. For more information, visit www.tommytrout.com.
Charleston Place Hotel by Orient-Express in Charleston, S.C., has been named the 2009 top corporate philanthropist by the Lowcountry Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).
The hotel's charitable initiatives have been led by regional managing director Paul Stracey and the general manager of Charleston Grill, Mickey Bakst. Charleston Place has supported organizations that cover cultural, educational and human needs issues. The most recent project is "Feed the Need," a coalition of restaurants, caterers and hoteliers who have rallied to help feed the hungry and assist local emergency food providers. The organization was set up in April 2009 and has so far helped approximately 14,000 people, saving food banks an estimated $42,000.
Charleston Place also offers charitable organizations space for events and rooms at reduced rates or sometimes at no cost. One of the most successful events was a fundraiser for victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, where $200,000 was raised in one evening.
AFP works to advance philanthropy worldwide through advocacy, research, education and certification programs. For more information, visit www.afpnet.org.
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Southern Style Striped Pangasius
Chefs and culinary schools across the country have something new and exciting encouraging their culinary creativity. The next great white fish has arrived: Striped Pangasius from Fishery Products International (FPI). It's been more than a decade since FPI made tilapia an integral part of American foodservice menus; now this new farm-raised fish has been in national distribution since the first quarter of 2009.
Not only is this new center-of-plate option inspiring culinary creativity among chefs, but it is also a big hit with consumers due to its light texture, large flake--similar to cod and haddock-- and a fresh, naturally mild flavor that carries sauces and seasonings particularly well. The fact that it's produced in a sustainable aquaculture environment is an added bonus for chefs and operators looking to address concerns about social responsibility.
Striped Pangasius' very attractive price point is also making it popular with operators looking for premium menu options with a better price point than the more traditional and expensive ocean-harvested seafood choices.
Owen Tilley, corporate chef and director of culinary for FPI said, "Chefs and cooks are going to really like working with this fish. Striped Pangasius offers the kind of menu flexibility a chef is always looking for in any center-of-the-plate protein choice. They can use it to make a simple upgraded fish and chips dinner for casual dining, create a flavorful Caribbean-style Striped Pangasius a la Parilla for lunch or even prepare an impressively plated baked Striped Pangasius, 'en sac' for a white tablecloth operation. Our culinary team worked closely together to make sure we had a solid range of recipe support, from developing the basics that a lot of chefs will use as a base to build their own creations on, to complete turnkey recipes for ethnic cuisine alternatives from North African to Indian to traditional New England entrées.
"The Striped Pangasius line gives the back of the house team a lot to work with and includes fillets in the most popular sizes and cuts," Tilley continued. "Our award-winning culinary team has even created three unique, premium-quality, value-added offerings and some exciting, easy-to-fix recipe ideas for them, too. The value-added varieties include: Southern Style, Blazin' and Ale House Battered. They are perfect for chefs and cooks who may not always have the time or the skilled staff for more detailed or complex preparations. They're going to find that Striped Pangasius is easy to work with and has the same characteristics of the harder-to-find and more expensive species like cod, haddock and even sole that they are already familiar with, but at a much more reasonable cost per pound."
FPI is a leading provider of quality seafood in the foodservice market, offering an exceptionally broad portfolio of on-trend and in-demand seafood solutions to America's largest restaurant chains, national distributors and regional specialists. FPI is a division of High Liner Foods (USA) Inc. For more information about FPI, visit our Web site at www.fisheryproducts.com.
The United Fresh Research and Education Foundation will host a one-day Global Conference on Produce Sustainability on April 23 immediately following the United Fresh 2010 conference in Las Vegas. The inaugural sustainability conference will bring together supply chain experts to explore the opportunities presented by sustainable produce industry practices.
"On a global level, it is becoming increasingly critical to have an overall sustainable approach to business," said United Fresh chairman Jim Lemke in a statement. "It is a way to add value, improve efficiencies and invest in the long-term for future generations. This conference is a milestone event, bringing together representatives from the entire produce industry supply chain to work towards advancing sustainable practices."
The conference is presented by the United Fresh Center for Global Produce Sustainability, which was founded through a grant from Bayer CropScience. The Center for Global Produce Sustainability is designed to help companies across the fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain use sustainability to enhance their businesses
Registration for the conference is included with United Fresh 2010's All Access Pass, or may be purchased separately. United Fresh 2010 will take place April 20 to 23 at the Palazzo Resort and Casino at the Sands Expo & Convention Center. For more information on the Global Conference on Produce Sustainability and United Fresh 2010, visit www.unitedfresh.org.
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Chef's Stirrings is the official blog of Chef Magazine, the industry publication for restaurant and foodservice professionals. The blog offers culinary news and online exclusives from the editors ofChef.
Chef Kevin Rathbun is Chef Magazine's 2009 Chef of the Year
