The California Wild Rice Advisory Board is calling on all chefs, caterers, culinary professionals and chefs-in-training in California and Nevada to compete in the "California Wild Rice Rocks My World Recipe Rumble" for up to $5,000 in cash and prizes.
The California Wild Rice Advisory Board, which is sponsoring the event, is challenging culinary professionals to create interesting new ways to incorporate and serve wild rice in restaurants, catering operations and other foodservice settings.
The rumble kicks off Sept. 1 with the start of California Wild Rice Month and closes Feb. 28. The winners will be notified no later than March 31. Contest entry forms and rules can be found online at www.cawildrice.com.
*Photo courtesy of the California Wild Rice Advisory Board
On Aug. 12, employees from The Coca-Cola Co. helped sort and pack food for distribution at one of the distribution centers of the North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) to get food to those in need. Called Serving U, the program also acted as a teambuilding exercise for the employees. Coca-Cola also is donating juice boxes for the Food 4 Kids backpack program, which provides chronically hungry kids with snacks over the weekend.
(l to r) Colleen Brinkmann, NTFB; Michael DiLeonardo, Coca-Cola; Julie Brand Lynch, NTFB; Charlie Morrison, NTFB; and Susan Gambardella, Coca-Cola take a break from sorting and packing food.
The NTFB is a nonprofit hunger relief organization that distributes donated, purchased and prepared foods through a network of feeding programs in 13 North Texas counties. For more information, visit www.ntfb.org.
Today from 4 to 4:30 p.m. EST Share Our Strength's Great American Dine Out will host the final of its 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.
Ray Blanchette, CEO of Joe's Crab Shack; Diana Hovey, senior vice president of marketing for Corner Bakery; and Annica Krieder, vice president of marketing for McAlister's Deli will lead the webinar. Click here to register.
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If you attend one show in 2009 ... make it the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show!
Join us to learn creative ways to succeed during these evolving times. This is THE place to get the versatile foodservice and business learning you'll need to stay competitive in every facet of your business.
- New Product Gallery: Discover new products to improve efficiencies
- Ultimate Barista Challenge: Gain insights into driving profits through coffee
- ACF Culinary Competitions: Learn food trends to retain customers
- Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum: Realize business solutions to grow profits
- PMQ's Orlando Pizza Show: Find the best trends and tips to profit from pizza
- The Liquid Lounge: Uncover the key to beverage profitability
REGISTER TODAY!
The restaurant industry continued to grapple with economic challenges in June, as the National Restaurant Association's index of restaurant activity declined yet again. The NRA's Restaurant Performance Index (RPI)--a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry based on indicators such as sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures--fell 0.5 percent from May to 97.8 in June. This is the 20th straight month the RPI has stood below 100. Index values above 100 indicate that key industry indicators are in a period of expansion, while index values below 100 represent a period of contraction for key industry indicators.
"While there are signs that suggest an improvement may be on the horizon, the latest figures indicate that the restaurant industry’s recovery has yet to gain a firm foothold,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research and information services for the NRA, in a press statement.
June was the 13th consecutive month of sales declines for restaurant operators. Only 22 percent of restaurant operators reported a sales gain between June 2008 and June 2009, down from 26 percent who reported a sales gain in May. Sixty-one percent of operators reported a same-store sales decline in June, up slightly from 60 who reported negative sales in May.
In addition, 19 percent of restaurant operators reported an increase in customer traffic between June 2008 and June 2009, down from 22 percent who reported similarly in May. Sixty percent of operators reported a traffic decline in June, compared to 59 percent reporting lower traffic in May.
To view the complete report, visit www.restaurant.org/trendmapper.
The 65th annual Arkansas Hospitality Association 2009 Convention and Trade Show, Wild About Arkansas, is the state hospitality industry's leading event to explore the hottest trends happening now, as well as the trends of tomorrow. Myriad hospitality product innovations will be showcased throughout the exhibit floor, in interactive culinary demonstrations and education sessions led by industry leaders and the businesses that cater to this industry, Sept. 23 and 24 at the Little Rock Statehouse Convention Center. Attendees will get a year's worth of ideas for their businesses that will be sure to wow the guests in their dining rooms, hotels, accommodations, private parties, weddings and any other restaurant, lodging or travel venue.
Many free education sessions at the tradeshow and convention will focus on capitalizing on trends for the coming year, such as:
- food and wine technique
- budgeting in a recession
- group travel trends
- Welcome to Arkansas campaign overview
- public relations for the industry
- food and wine pairing
- GM roundtable discussions
For more information or to register, visit www.arhospitality.org.
Dana Herbert from Desserts By Dana will appear on the new TLC competition series"Ultimate Cake Off" in an episode airing Sept. 14 at 10 p.m.
In the episode, Dana Herbert will face off against two other contestants in a challenge to create an edible masterpiece, win $10,000 and have their cakes featured at a marquee event. In this episode, the cake is in competition to be featured at Lego Land California's 10th Birthday.
With only nine hours, the competitors must make cakes that are at least five feet tall and are creative enough to win the taste of the client and the ultimate prize. To add to the pressure, the contestants also face two mini-challenges--a skills test and a taste test--that could give one team the ultimate advantage: being able to sit out another team for 30 minutes.
The series is hosted by chef Michael Schulson, owner of Atlantic City’s Izakaya. Joining Michael are judges Margaret Braun, an acclaimed sugar artist based in New York, and Leigh Grode, owner of Los Angeles’ Cake Divas bakery.
The series fan site is tlc.com/tv/ultimate-cake-off/ultimate-cake-off.html.
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Who knew the center of plate could be such a lonely place? A new Web site called www.grilledandlonely.com, that's who.
Ostensibly a way for "centers to find their true sidemates," Grilled & Lonely is actually an entertaining little site that lets foodservice operators search for side dish ideas to accompany grilled proteins according to compatibility factors like "snuggling," "commitment" or "a fresh start." You can also "speed date," which basically delivers instant, random pairings of grilled meat and sides. And there's a fun section of success stories about centers and sidemates that were "happily menued after."
The site is sponsored by Bush Brothers, the good people behind Bush's Best® Baked Beans, the No. 1 brand of baked beans in the country. So it's no surprise the recipe ideas on Grilled & Lonely are baked bean-based. What is a surprise, maybe, is that these recipe ideas sound (and look) incredibly tantalizing and show off the versatility of baked beans. It’' also a nice tie-in with Bush’s new foodservice advertising, which positions Bush’s Best as "The best thing next to any grill."
The site was created for Bush Brothers by Marlin and The Alchemedia Project, both based in Springfield, Mo.
Chef chocolatier Lionel Clement of the Wynn Hotel in Last Vegas, will represent the United States at the 2009 World Chocolate Masters competition, put on by Barry Callebaut. This year's theme is Haute Couture.
Clement spends nearly six hours daily designing chocolate sculptures and preparing chocolate pastries, pralines and desserts in preparation of the event, to be held Oct. 14 to 16 at the Salon Du Chocolat in Paris.
About
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.
The California Wild Rice Advisory Board is calling on all chefs, caterers, culinary professionals and chefs-in-training in California and Nevada to compete in the "California Wild Rice Rocks My World Recipe Rumble" for up to $5,000 in cash and prizes.
