Holleman Receives Research Chefs Association's Lifetime Achievement Award

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Michael Holleman, director of culinary development for Indian Harvest, a producer and supplier of specialty grains, beans, legumes and blends for foodservice, received the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Atlanta-based Research Chefs Association (RCA) at the organization’s Annual Conference and Culinology® Expo in San Antonio, Texas, on March 24.  

The RCA’s Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded to an individual who has achieved industrywide recognition for his or her contributions to the field of Culinology®. The recipient must have significantly influenced the food industry and/or the consumer market throughout his or her career, must be a veteran in the food industry for at least 25 years, and should be generally recognized as an inspiration to others in the industry.

Michael Holleman receives the RCA’s Lifetime Achievement Award from Janet Carver, president of the RCA and senior Culinology® group leader at National Starch Food Innovation.
Granting of the Lifetime Achievement Award is at the discretion of the RCA board to determine if nominees meet the stated criteria, and is not necessarily granted each year. Harry Crane, immediate past president of the RCA and executive chef of the Kraft Culinary Center of Excellence, was responsible for receiving nominations and working with the RCA’s board to determine the award’s recipient.

“Michael Holleman practices what we advocate,” Crane says. “He represents the ‘sweet spot’ of who the RCA really is—a mover and shaker in the food-product-development/culinary world—while still being at the tactical/development level of our industry.”

As the latest RCA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Holleman joins the ranks of such notable honorees as celebrity chef and author Jacques Pepin (2004); Paul Prudhomme (2005), owner of Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Seasoning Blends and K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen; and Robert Okura, CEC, CFBE (2008), vice president of culinary development and corporate executive chef of The Cheesecake Factory, Inc.

“We couldn’t be more proud of Chef Mike’s recognition by the Research Chefs Association, which is an incredible milestone,” says Trevor Duininck, vice president of Indian Harvest. “As the leader of our experienced Culinary Team for many years, Mike has forged the way for innovative whole-grain solutions not only here at Indian Harvest, but in the industry as a whole. His passion for culinary excellence and the integrity he shares in bringing lesser-known grains to a wider market permeates our entire company.”

Founded in 1996, the Research Chefs Association represents more than 2,000 members including chefs, food scientists, technologists, writers, nutritionists, academicians, researchers, consultants, sales and marketing professionals, suppliers, co-packers, distributors and students. RCA is the premier source of culinary and technical information for the food industry and is committed to the advancement of Culinology®—the blending of the culinary arts and food science. For more information, visit www.culinology.com.
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Survey Reveals Popularity of Ethnic Salads; Mediterranean Tops the List

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A Mediterranean-style salad holds the most appeal as a new flavor for diners at casual-dining restaurants, according to a Culinary Visions™ Panel study conducted by Chicago-based Olson Communications.

“When restaurants want to add new salads they should look to the Mediterranean for inspiration,” said Sharon Olson, president of Olson Communications. “We discovered a full 60% of customers are highly likely to choose that type of salad when they have ethnic salad choices that also include Latin and Asian.”

The Latin salad was the next most likely to be ordered, with 52% of respondents choosing it. The Asian salad attracted 44% of the respondents. There were also some gender-specific side discoveries revealed in the responses.

Of all three ethnic choices in salads, 50% of men were likely to choose the Mediterranean salad and 45% of women were likely to choose it. Overall, 71% of women will order a salad, while only 54% of men will. About 44% of both men and women said they’d order a Latin salad. For the Asian salad, almost 40% of men said they’d order it, compared to 30% of women, and it was least likely to be ordered of all the ethnic salad concepts.

In the study, Culinary Visions Panel asked the likelihood that respondents would order menu concepts from categories that included burgers, salads, side dishes, pizzas and ice cream. Not surprisingly, men are more likely to order burgers and women are more likely to order salads when ordering at their favorite casual-dining restaurants. Salads had the widest gap between men and women across the entire survey.

About Culinary Visions™ Panel
The Culinary Visions™ Panel explores a wide range of culinary topics with food-industry professionals and consumers. Consumers surveyed were those who frequented casual restaurants and comparisons were made between male and female consumers. A closer look was taken at self-described foodies with more adventurous menu preferences.




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Scott of Isleworth Golf and Country Club Named Education Dean at CIA at Greystone

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Russell Scott, one of only 66 Certified Master Chefs in the United States, has been named dean of education of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone, effective April 2, 2012. In his new role, Scott will be responsible for the quality and effectiveness of all education programs at the CIA campus in St. Helena, Calif. He will oversee faculty and staff on the education team, direct the development and delivery of the curriculum, and lead the support of students enrolled in the campus’ degree and certificate programs.
Scott was previously an associate professor at the college’s Hyde Park, N.Y., campus from 1998 to 2005. During that time, he taught several culinary courses and served as executive chef and instructor in the American Bounty Restaurant. “It is very gratifying to rejoin the CIA family and to once again be part of the jet stream of culinary knowledge,” he says. “I am indeed privileged to be able to work directly with the finest staff and faculty in hospitality education.”

“We are excited to welcome Chef Scott back to the CIA,” says college provost and Certified Master Chef Mark Erickson. “His culinary background and experience coupled with his commitment to education will be a tremendous asset to our Greystone campus.”

Between his stints at the CIA, Scott was executive chef of the Isleworth Golf and Country Club in Windermere, Fla. Earlier in his career, he was executive chef at the Hotel Nikko in Los Angeles and the Virginia Country Club in Long Beach, Calif. He is also the proprietor of the Gore-Scott Hospitality Partnership, which consists of restaurants and wine shops in Florida, New York, California and Colorado.

The American Culinary Federation honored Russell Scott as the USA’s Chef of the Year™ for 2008 and presented him with its Chef Professionalism Award in 2011. Representing the United States in the Global Chefs Challenge in 2009, he took second place among chefs from throughout the Americas.

Scott won numerous medals as a member and captain of teams competing in the quadrennial Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung (commonly known as the “Culinary Olympics”) and Culinary World Cup between 1996 and 2004. He holds a bachelor’s degree in alternative medicine from Everglades University in Altamonte Springs, Fla., and an associate degree in culinary arts from the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh.

With Scott’s return to the CIA, the college now has eight Certified Master Chefs on its education team and administration, more than any other organization.
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Ronald DeSantis of Yale University Named ACF Certification Commission Chair

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Certified Master Chef® (CMC®) Ronald DeSantis, AAC®, CHE, of Staatsburg, N.Y., began his two-year term as chair of the American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF) Certification Commission at the group’s bi-annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 13-14. DeSantis, director of culinary excellence and quality assurance for Yale Dining at Yale University, New Haven, Conn., says he and the commission’s 16 other current members will focus on increasing the awareness and credibility of ACF certification.

“My vision for the commission is to develop and project the message of certification relevance beyond ACF,” DeSantis said. “Members know certification’s value and importance. We need to make the dining public and foodservice employers aware of the value of certified chefs.”
ACF certification is based on education, experience and completion of official coursework and exams. ACF certification credentials distinguish culinary professionals as leaders in the culinary field, and demonstrate skill and expertise to peers and potential employers. Currently, more than 11,500 professionals hold ACF certification.

Since its inception in 2007, the ACF Certification Commission has been developing, implementing and monitoring a validated process of globally recognized certifications based on skills, knowledge, integrity and equality through an achievable process for all culinary professionals. The commission was formed in order to meet the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) accreditation standards to obtain accreditation from the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE). In August 2011, ACF’s Certificated Executive Chef® (CEC®) designation was accredited, making it the first and only culinary credential accredited by ICE. The commission is now in the process of accrediting its Certified Sous Chef™ (CSC™) designation and will seek accreditation for its Certified Executive Pastry Chef® (CEPC®) designation in 2013.

The Certification Commission comprises professionals with experience in culinary, media, marketing, management, education and government. Commission members represent many different levels of ACF certificants. In addition to DeSantis, Certification Commission members are:

• Past chair Derek Spendlove, CEPC®, CCE®, AAC®, baking and pastry chair, Sullivan University, Louisville, Ky.
• Chair-elect Donald Dickinson, CEC®, CCA®, AAC®, culinary-division director, Institute of Technology, Citrus Heights, Calif.
• Alex Askew, president, Black Culinarian Alliance, North Babylon, N.Y.
• Kirk Bachmann, CEC®, AAC®, president, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Chicago, Chicago
• Brad Barnes, CMC®, CCA®, AAC®, senior director, culinary education, The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y.
• Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4) Russell Campbell, CEC®, chief, Advanced Food Service Training Division, U.S. Army, Fort Lee, Va.
• Wendy Chan, president, Definity Marketing, New York
• Karl Guggenmos, AAC®, university dean of culinary education, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I.
• Erica Lattimore, CC®, banquet chef, Cincinnati Marriott North, West Chester, Ohio
• Jeanette Scarcella, culinary relations/program officer, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I.
• Leonard Scranton, CEC®, CCA®, region vice president, Morrison Management Specialists, Atlanta
• Renee Shortlidge, CSC™, purchasing coordinator, Johnson County Community College, Olathe, Kan.
• Travis Smith, CEC®, CCA®, AAC®, executive chef and educator, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Colorado, Denver
• Nick Versteeg, producer/director, DV Media/DVCuisine, Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
• B.J. Whitmore, CEC®, chef manager, Sodexo Campus Division, Hospers, Iowa
• Grace Yek, CCC®, assistant professor/chef-instructor, University of Cincinnati/Midwest Culinary Institute, Cincinnati

At Yale University, DeSantis provides leadership for all facets of culinary-concept design, development of innovative menus and cuisine and training of a culinary team. Prior to joining the staff in November 2011, he worked at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Hyde Park, N.Y., as director of CIA Consulting, as director of education services and as a professor in the culinary-arts department. DeSantis is a 1981 CIA alumnus. He earned a Basic Food Service Certificate from the U.S. Marine Corps and a master’s in business administration (MBA) from Empire State College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He has held positions in restaurant kitchens worldwide, including chief cook for the U.S. Marines, Okinawa, Japan; banquet cook, The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago; commis de cuisine, The Grand Hotel Continental, Munich, Germany; chef de partie, Michels’ Küche Restaurant, Bamberg, Germany; and chef de cuisine, Restaurant Böttingerhaus, Bamberg. He is a member of Mid Hudson Culinary Association.

Learn more about ACF’s certification program and the value of certification by viewing a video available at www.acfchefs.org/Certification-Accreditation.
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Satisfy Resolutions with Clear Springs Rainbow Trout

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In 2012, why not resolve to look for new ways to feature rainbow trout on your menu? After all, your customers are looking for healthier alternatives, and Clear Springs® Rainbow Trout features heart-healthy omega 3’s, lean protein, zero grams trans fats and has a mild, nutty flavor—a perfect addition, giving your menu a little splash.
Effortless Enjoyment
Serving seafood has never been simpler for you! Our natural and butterfly rainbow trout fillets feature our exclusive Clear•Cuts® 100% boneless guarantee—saving you valuable preparation time and giving your customers a more enjoyable experience.
Rainbow trout is very versatile in that it pairs well with many flavor profiles. The possibilities are endless—try with a variety of sauces and toppings from chutneys to salsas as well as served breaded or seasoned. Grilled, baked, sautéed poached or boiled, rainbow trout is as flexible as it is delicious.
Swimming in Popularity
Rainbow trout is gaining ground as a relevant seafood option. Just look around the country to discover how top chefs are creatively preparing rainbow trout.

Consider The Dogwood in Baltimore, where rainbow trout is menued with a four-grain pilaf and a side of Tuscan-style roasted cauliflower with sweet garlic, crusty bread, anchovies and Parmesan. At the Basil Leaf Café in Chicago, rainbow trout is featured with baby spinach, wild mushrooms and roasted new potatoes. And the Apache Grill in Traverse City, Michigan, prepares fillets topped with a delicious sauce of white wine, peppers, onions and feta cheese. Or try rainbow trout in these three applications from Brennan’s in New Orleans: Trout Kottwitz, featuring a filet sautéed with sliced artichoke bottoms and fresh mushrooms topped with lemon butter sauce; Trout Amandine with almond slices, pan sautéed with brown butter and paired with haricot verts; and finally, Trout Pecan, fresh trout sautéed and topped with roasted pecans and pecan butter.
Check out more great Clear Springs Rainbow Trout recipes at www.clearsprings.com/recipes.
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The Jan/Feb Issue of Chef Digital is Now Available

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Welcome to Chef Magazine's January/February Digital Edition. Chef's Jan/Feb Cover
    
The Chef digital magazine includes all the same great content as the print edition, but also offers online exclusives and enhanced capabilities that allow you to:
 
• View it on the iPad
• Easily share articles via e-mail   
• Click on hyperlinks in both articles and advertisements to obtain further resources  
• Zoom in and out of articles and advertisements
• Instantly search by keyword for the content in the current issue or the archives
• Print articles and/or download for offline viewing
 
The best part is the Chef digital edition requires no special downloads or applications to view the magazine online in its entirety. 

Click HERE to begin reading now!

We hope you enjoy this issue.
Feel free to contact us with your thoughts and feedback at chef@talcott.com.

Sincerely,
The Chef Team
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Mintel: Five Foodservice Trends that Will Shape Restaurant Menus in 2012

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Competition in the foodservice industry is always fierce, and restaurant chains are constantly jockeying for business, money and attention in an overcrowded marketplace. In 2012, however, five trends outlined by Mintel Menu Insights will shape how operators appeal to their customers with regional and imported menu options, double-sided menus, customization and time-intensive preparation methods.

American regionalism. Consumers are not only more aware of global cuisine, they are also more aware and interested in the regional specialties that define American cuisine. Whether it’s Kansas City or Memphis barbecue, New England chowder or Low Country grits, more consumers and restaurants are looking at the regions and cities in the United States to identify the “Best of” cuisine.

Baby-back ribs seasoned with a combination of rich coffee and warm spices and topped with spicy Mexican-inspired BBQ sauce, from Kevan Vetter, executive chef for McCormick For Chefs, speaks to the demand among consumers for regional specialties that define American cuisine.

Double-sided menus. It’s unlikely that consumers are going to start demanding absolutely healthy menus in the near future and even less likely that restaurants are going to solely list these absolutely healthy options. However, consumers want choices, and the Double Sided Menu trend illustrates that choice. Menus will continue to feature widely indulgent options, but will be balanced with healthier, better-for-you options. Additionally, this goes beyond healthy and indulgent to include premium and value pricing. Operators understand it’s not either/or, it’s both, so we’ll continue to see both high-priced and low-priced options on the same menu.

Consumer control. Consumers expect that their voice will be heard and that their wants and needs will be met. And the surest way to listen to the customer and ensure their needs are met is to give them the ability to control their dining experience. Customized ordering systems will continue to flourish, as will greater flexibility in menu design.

Slow it down. Quick-service restaurants are able to drive margins through their standardized efficiencies, but more and more we are seeing fast-food restaurants return to more time-intensive preparation methods. As such, items described as “handmade” or “home style” are popping up on restaurant menus as consumers recognize that they want more from their dining experience than efficiency.

Importing ideas. For many restaurant chains, growth lies elsewhere, in international markets. And for those companies already with an international presence, menu concepts and product testing is taking place overseas. From there, good ideas are making their way to the U.S. market, as was the case with McDonald’s recent McBites, which launched in Australia. Given the importance of international markets for growth, this is one trend that will continue to grow beyond this year.
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Technomic: 7 Leading Restaurant Trends for 2012

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Just as the nation’s economic forecast includes mixed signals, restaurants across the United States face a varied landscape of expected trends in 2012. Chicago-based Technomic, a foodservice research and consulting firm, sees these seven developments making news in the coming year:

1. Consumers Seek a Twist on the Familiar. Shell-shocked consumers are in no mood to take risks, but novel flavors still tingle their taste buds. Look for comfort foods with a twist (gourmet, ethnic, artisan, wood-fired) as well as innovation in familiar formats (sandwiches, wraps, pizza, pasta) rather than breakout items taken from less-familiar global cuisines.

2. Commodities Costs Drive Rustic Fare Made in-House. Commodity costs are rising, labor costs hold steady and diners demand rustic fare, the simple preparations of fresh ingredients. Result: Operators will curtail purchases of value-added items in favor of cheaper cuts, beans, grains and produce that require more back-of-house prep to transform into honest, homestyle food.
Giving comfort foods a twist, such as crispy calamari transformed into an Asian noodle bowl, also delivers ethnic innovation in a familiar format. Courtesy King & Prince Seafood

3. The Next Steps in Local Sourcing. The rising use of seasonal and local items suits the less-is-more culinary trend. To facilitate flexible purchasing, growers, manufacturers, distributors and operators continue to work toward a more transparent, safe and efficient supply chain, streamlining workflow, recording every step and reducing waste.

4. Social Networking Influence Accelerates. Consumers increasingly trust friends and peers more than professional marketers. They’re taking control of social media to share their restaurant experiences and opinions with the public (via review sites such as OpenTable), with their own circles (via Facebook and Foursquare) or both (via Twitter). This helps some restaurants rocket to popularity and leaves others quiet.

5. Customers Want More Information. Consumers want transparency—looking for disclosure of everything from calories and allergens on menus to labor and local-sourcing practices. A small but growing number are serious about nutrition, labeling, sustainability and community involvement, and they are using such knowledge to make purchasing decisions.

6. Operators Try to Resist Discounting. The foodservice industry will continue to operate in a take-share environment, but discounting is cutting to the bone. To counter daily deals and other forms of discounting, operators turn to creative, sometimes in-the-moment, methods to reward their best customers, such as a free dessert out of the blue.

7. Brands Expand through Flexible Formats. Format flexibility is required as restaurants cater to new around-the-clock dayparts, switch gears from fast-casual by day to full-service at night, or transform their kitchens into catering commissaries during slow times. This flexibility is also evidenced in streamlined, high-efficiency, smaller-footprint units and brand extensions.
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Warshaw of Etc. Steakhouse Wins Kosherfest 2011 Culinary Competition

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Chef Seth Warshaw, owner of Etc. Steakhouse in Teaneck, N.J., won this year’s “Iron Chef”-style culinary competition at Kosherfest—the two-day trade show for everything kosher that attracted approximately 6,000 people to the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, November 8-9.

Three chefs at top kosher restaurants in the New York metropolitan area, which also included Chef Moshe Wendel of Pardes Restaurant in Brooklyn and Chef Craig Solomon of Ariel’s in Englewood, N.J., were given 45 minutes to cook, plate and present a kosher dish that featured the mystery ingredient: boneless duck breast. Warshaw’s winning entrée, which earned him a $1,000 cash prize, included seared duck breast breaded with grapefruit and pomegranate, and red-onion salad with lime honey and avocado purée.


Judging the competition, which was based on taste, presentation and creativity, were Jack Silberstein, director of culinary and business operations at Jack’s Gourmet; Philippe Kaemmerle, lead pastry chef at The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts in Brooklyn; and Chaim Szmidt, editor-in-chief of The Kosher Scene. The competition was produced in partnership with The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts, which, in addition to hands-on cooking and baking classes for men, women and children, offers on-site demonstrations, private cooking lessons, small catered affairs and personal-chef work (www.kosherculinaryarts.com).

Kosherfest 2012 will be held November 13-14 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center with new events, programs and seminars. Get updates at www.kosherfest.com.
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