LaClare Farms' Evalon wins U.S championship cheese title

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A farm-based artisan goat’s milk cheese crafted by a 25-year-old cheesemaker was named the 2011 U.S. Championship Cheese by a national panel of expert judges last week.

Katie Hedrich, of LaClare Farms in Chilton, Wis., took top honors out of 1,604 entries from 30 states for Evalon, a hard goat’s milk cheese, made from the milk of her family farm's goat herd. Out of a possible 100 points, Evalon scored 99.06 in the final round of judging, during which judges re-evaluated all gold-winning cheeses to determine the champion at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in Green Bay. Hedrich is the youngest cheesemaker to ever earn the honor, and is only the second woman in the history of the contest to be named U.S. champion. 

 LaClare Farms says production of Evalon will ramp up in the coming months, in part due to the recent addition of 183 dairy goats to the family herd. Evalon will continue to be available at retail shops in Wisconsin, including Nala’s Fromagarie in Green Bay, Larry’s Market in Brown Deer, and Fromagination in Madison, because of those shop owners’ commitment to testing early batches and carrying Evalon from the beginning, Hedrich said.

For more information about LaClare Farms Evalon, visit www.laclarefarm.com.
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Top chefs competed against each other at the 3rd annual Idaho Potato Side Dish Challenge

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On February 24, the nation’s most talented chefs competed for a ‘good cause’ at the fifth annual Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Burger Bash® hosted by Rachael Ray. In addition to the battle to create the best burger, their love for spuds was tested during the Idaho Potato Commission’s (IPC) Side Dish Challenge. The IPC enlisted the participants to show off their culinary excellence by preparing an exceptional Idaho® potato side dish. The Grand Prize was a $5,000 donation to Florida International University made by the IPC on behalf of Chef Carlos Barillas, Corporate Chef of Burger & Beer Joint in Miami Beach. Chef Jose Garces, Chef/Proprietor of Village Whiskey in Philadelphia snagged the Over the Top! side dish prize and a second donation of $1,500 was also awarded to the university.
Lee Schrager and Rachael Ray congratulate Chef Carlos Barillas (center),
along with Frank Muir and Mr. Food for his Grand Prize winning Truffle Baked Idaho® Potato Salad.
The judging team included Frank Muir, IPC President & CEO; Don Odiorne, IPC Vice President, Foodservice and the syndicated TV personality Art Ginsburg, aka “Mr. Food." Chef Barillas earned the title of Grand Prize Winner for his Truffle Baked Idaho® Potato Salad. Chef Garces’ Over the Top! Yellow Finn Poutine was also a prize-winning hit. 

For recipes, tips and additional information about Idaho® potatoes, visit http://foodservice.idahopotato.com/ 

 

 
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USA Rice partners with Chartwells school dining services to promote healthy eating and classroom education

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To celebrate National Nutrition Month and nationwide efforts to boost nutrition in school meals, USA Rice Federation is partnering with Chartwells School Dining Services, the nation’s leader in contract management services to 6,000 schools nationwide, to emphasize the importance of healthy eating. Chartwells’ EAT LEARN LIVE With Color Nutrition Month® campaign teaches students to choose healthy foods including whole grains like brown rice along with lean proteins, fruits and vegetables. 

The program encourages schools to conduct activities to promote whole grain brown rice by serving healthy rice bowls for lunch, and utilizes a fun, interactive workbook, U.S. Rice In The Classroom, to teach students about U.S.-grown rice. Classroom activities also include preparing a seasoned brown rice mix recipe that students can cook at home with their parents.

To support these efforts, USA Rice staff will visit several Chartwells-managed schools this month to present rice information during nutrition education sessions. The promotion leverages the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s initiative to improve the nutritional quality of school meals by increasing servings of whole grains as recommended by the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 

For more information and recipes, visit www.MenuRice.com.
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Women Chefs & Restaurateurs announces 2011 scholarship and internship opportunities

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Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) is offering a slate of learning opportunities for students and professionals in its 2011 Scholarship and Internship Program. Deadline for applications is April 4, 2011.

“Our scholarships and internships allow WCR to fulfill its mission by offering women in the culinary industry invaluable educational opportunities,” says Jamie Leeds, president of WCR and chef/owner of Hank’s Oyster Bar and CommonWealth Gastropub in greater Washington, D.C.

Last year, WCR awarded more than 40 scholarships and internships in six nations. Recipients gained professional skills and inspiration from industry leaders who donated their time and resources to advance the professional development of women in foodservice. 

Opportunities for WCR’s 2011 program include:
• Internship with Bon Appétit Management Company, Silicon Valley
• Barbara Tropp Memorial Internship, Beijing
• Internship in New Orleans with Susan Spicer
• Organic internship with Nora Pouillon, Washington, D.C.

Returning opportunities include scholarships at leading professional culinary-arts programs nationwide and cooking, baking, cheese- and winemaking, management and marketing internships in the United States, China, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland.

Applicants must be active members of WCR in any category. Online application deadline is 5:00 p.m. CDT on April 4, 2011; mailed applications must be postmarked no later than April 4, 2011. Details of this year’s WCR Scholarship and Internship Program are described fully at www.womenchefs.org.
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James Beard winners of "Best Chefs in the Northeast" for 2010 to release new book, Maine Classics

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MAINE CLASSICS: More Than 150 Delicious Recipes from Down East by Chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier, winners of the prestigious James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chefs in the Northeast” for 2010, will be released in late April 2011. 

Mark and Clark have been supporting their local Maine farmers, food artisans and food suppliers for decades. In fact, more than twenty years ago they pioneered sustainable dining with the opening of Arrows in Ogunquit, Maine, where their farm-to-table philosophy still governs the restaurant today. Their new book shares their passion for fresh, seasonal food and introduces readers to the artisan bakers, organic farmers, and sustainable fisherman that make it all possible. 

MAINE CLASSICS covers all of the areas that make Maine cuisine what it is known for today – the shore, the sea, the forest, the farm, the garden, the dairy, the bakery and the root cellar – and bring readers as close to the true Maine experience as possible with such classic Maine dishes as Oyster Fritters with Remoulade, Lobster Shortcake with Rum-Vanilla Sauce and Slow Braised Pork Roast with Roasted Root Vegetables, just to name a few. 

The hardcover book will retail for approximately $30.00 everywhere books are sold beginning in late April 2011.

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Sara Lee Foodservice introduces Dessert Menuvision online platform to help operators increase dessert profits

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Sara Lee Foodservice has released its proprietary Dessert Menuvision toolbox, an interactive online platform that provides operators with custom solutions to help enhance their dessert offerings for increased sales and patron satisfaction.


The development of Menuvision was a cross-functional effort across the areas of sales, marketing and consumer and operator insights. Through extensive research, focus groups and data analysis – including proprietary research studies developed with foodservice operators, full-service restaurant waitstaff and consumers – the team identified several areas of opportunity for operators to enhance dessert performance, including product assortment, dessert presentation and limited time offerings (LTOs).   

One key component of the Menuvision toolbox is the Dessert Menu Optimizer, an online guide to help operators determine the right dessert assortment for their restaurants. Developed in collaboration with trusted industry partner Datassential, the Dessert Menu Optimizer uses information provided by operators, such as their restaurant’s dessert sales and menu composition, to calculate a menu’s “Appeal Level” – a ranking determined by the percentage of patrons likely to find a dessert they will love on the menu. The metrics for Appeal Level ratings are based on a survey of more than 2,000 consumers nationwide. After calculating a dessert menu’s Appeal Level, the Dessert Menu Optimizer will then suggest options to raise the menu’s score by shifting the mix of dessert offerings.

Menuvision offers several other tools such as the Dessert Menu Layout/Design Guide which outlines the principles of page layout, descriptive language and lighting for dessert photos as well as the LTO Profit Guide, which helps operators update their menus with a rotation of seasonal favorites throughout the year to drive additional sales.

Other Menuvision features include:
  • Smaller Portions Guide 
  • Waitstaff Training Guide 
  • Dessert Merchandising Guide
  • Dessert Promotion Calendar Guide
  • Dessert Customizing Guide
 Visit www.saralee.com for more information.
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Sixth Annual Great Chefs Event will benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer

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On June 14, 2011, acclaimed chef Marc Vetri will be joined in Philadelphia by Bravo’s Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio, Food Network's Iron Chef’s Michael Symon and Jose Garces, and more than 30 other renowned chefs to cook for childhood cancer cures as part of the Sixth Annual Great Chefs Event, hosted by the Vetri Foundation for Children, benefiting Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer.  
  

This event, which began as a small tasting at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Philadelphia, has become a nationally recognized fundraiser, receiving widespread notice as culinary greats unite to fight against childhood cancer annually. Chefs offer those in attendance a sampling of their best dishes created right in front of attendees’ eyes, paired with an evening full of mingling, exciting silent and live auctions.

For more information, please visit www.vetrifoundation.org.

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The Montague Company unveiled Suite Dreams Challenge winning design

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The Montague Suite Dreams Challenge gave teams of consultants and chef/operators the opportunity to design their fantasy kitchen suite. The grand prize for the winning team was the actual custom cooking suite, built to their exact specifications for the operation for which it was designed. 



 In an exciting ceremony at Montague's booth at the recent NAFEM show, president Tom Whalen revealed the champion design, created for the Bastille Café & Bar in Seattle, Washington. The winning team partnered executive chef Shannon Galusha of Bastille and designer Chris McKenty of the Smith & Greene Company located in Kent, Washington. Below is a photo of the suite that will  make its home at Bastille Cafe & Bar:

  
For more information, visit www.montaguecompany.com or call 1-800-345-1830.
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Wayne Rogers to give keynote address at 2011 International Boston Seafood Show

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image from brandchannel.com
Actor and Fox Business News commentator, Wayne Rogers, will give the keynote address, “It’s Time to Make Your Own Rules,” at the 2011 International Boston Seafood Show on Sunday, March 20th.

Rogers, famed for his 1970’s role as Trapper John in the hit TV series, M*A*S*H, is also a businessman and entrepreneur. He has owned many businesses over the years, including a restaurant, a vineyard, a chain of convenience stores (the Stop-N-Save), a film distribution company, a barge company, and Kleinfields, the famous bridal boutique from TLC’s Say Yes to the Dress.

In his “It is Time to Make Your Own Rules” presentation, Rogers will share the keys to his success over the past four decades. In the current economic climate, learning to be creative, challenge convention and seize unexpected opportunities is not only liberating—it can make all the difference to success, according to Rogers.

Rogers’ keynote address will be given during the 2011 International Boston Seafood Show (IBSS) which is taking place March 20-22 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, MA, and is open to all attendees and exhibitors.

Details on the full conference program and registration are available online. For more information visit www.bostonseafood.com.
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