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| Lisa Perini |
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| Scott Plowman |
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| Bernay Sheffield |
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| Jerry Morales |
Visit www.restaurantville.com.
Visit www.restaurantville.com.
Visit www.restaurantville.com.
Visit www.restaurantville.com.
The ConAgra Foods brands pledged a donation to Feeding America for each food sample served. A visual counter at the booth displayed in real time the number of samples and the corresponding donation level. More than 10,000 samples of sweet potato products, appetizers, hot dogs, popcorn, and other products were served, culminating in the maximum donation amount of $10,000. This donation is another example of ConAgra Foods’ nearly 20-year partnership with Feeding America to help end child hunger, including the company’s Child Hunger Ends Here campaign.
In other NRA-related news, Larry Katz, president of Dots Diner in Metairie, La., won the booth’s grand prize giveaway—a big-screen 3D television. To enter the drawing, attendees were encouraged to find a secret word using 3D glasses. Lamb Weston and ConAgra Foodservice combined to take home three of the 13 inaugural NRA Food and Beverage Product Innovation Awards. Winning products were Sweet Things Sweet Potato Mini Tater Puffs, The Max Fit for Kids Plus Whole Grain Stuffed Crust Pizza and PAM Cooking Sprays in environmentally improved cans.
During the competition, junior chefs had four hours to produce eight portions of a three-course meal (appetizer, main course and dessert) featuring a list of required ingredients. A panel of judges evaluated contestants’ performance and menus and determined the winner. Canada placed second, earning a silver medal, and Chile placed third and took home a bronze medal.Gorman’s menu focused on his own style of food, which he calls “New American with a focus on Southern cuisine.” Here is a look at his winning menu: first course was Kobe flat iron steak with red onion jam, asparagus salad, herb yogurt and Parmesan lavosh; second course was buttermilk-braised halibut with pink-eyed pea cake, fava bean purée, corn relish and mustard gastrique; and the third course was strawberry cheesecake with a margarita cake inside, mint sauce, strawberry compote, and strawberry soda with sour strawberry "bubbles."
Gorman was recognized as the winner June 15 during the President’s Ball at the close of the Canadian Culinary Federation’s National Conference, and received the Hans Bueschkens Memorial Trophy, a gold medal and a certificate. In the world finals at the WACS World Congress in Daejeon, South Korea in May 2012, representatives from Africa/Middle East, the Americas, Asia, Central Europe, Northern Europe, Southern Europe and the Pacific Rim will compete for the global title and the right to be called “best young cook in the world.”
Visit www.acfchefs.org.
Attendees to the United Fresh Produce Association’s annual convention and expo in New Orleans cast their votes Wednesday and recognized this year’s New Product Awards in six categories. A record 34 fresh fruit and vegetable innovations competed in the categories of Best New Packaging Product, Best New Food Safety Solution, Best New Processing Equipment, Best New Fruit Product, Best New Packing and Packaging Equipment, and Best Vegetable Product.
- Best New Packaging: MIXIM Classic 5x5 6oz. Bushberry Packaging System, Sambrailo Packaging
- Best New Food Safety Solution: SmartWashTM, New Leaf Food Safety Solutions
- Best New Processing Equipment: Primus Gemini – New and Improved Fresh Berry Sorter, Best Sorting
- Best New Fruit Product: Sun DropsTM Grape Tomatoes, Mucci Farms AND Naturipe® Berry Quick Blueberry Snacks, Naturipe Farms, LLC
- Best New Packing/Packaging Equipment: Volmpack Ultrek 320 Vertical-Form-Fill-Seal Bagger, Volm Companies, Inc.
- Best New Vegetable Product: Pure Flavor Grill Ready Vegetable Mix, Pure Hot House Foods Inc.
“Because there was some confusion among voters about tomatoes being judged in the fruit category, both of these outstanding products are recognized as category winners due to the widespread voting support they received in the balloting,” Toner said.
The finalists in each category were on display for the two days of the United Fresh 2011 trade show, and the winners were selected by votes cast from show attendees.
Visit www.unitedfresh.org.
All of the net proceeds from Taste of the Nation Atlanta will help fund Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry® campaign to end childhood hunger in America by 2015 and, as part of that campaign, continue supporting local organizations including the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Genesis, A New Life and Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters™ Georgia.
This year, Share Our Strength honored Atlanta’s Five-Star Taste of the Nation Chefs, those who have supported and participated in the Atlanta event for more than 10 years. These chefs included Jamie Adams, Gary Donlick, Robert Holley, Pano I. Karatassos, Gerry Klaskala, Gary Mennie, Nan Niyomkul, Kevin Rathbun, Joey Riley, Scott Serpas, Jay Swift, Hilary White and Ian Winslade.
Visit www.TasteOfTheNation.org.
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| (L to R): Jenni Bair, LEED-AP, marketing manager, ITW Food Equipment Group; Bob Perciasepe, deputy administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and Sarah Puls, vice president, brand marketing, ITW Food Equipment Group, accept award. |
Visit www.hobartcorp.com.
"Freedom to Create" is the motto and goal of Ferran Adrià's new elBulli Foundation. The organization will take the place of the legendary chef's famous restaurant elBulli, near Barcelona, Spain after it closes its doors on July 31, 2011. Chef Adrià spoke of his innovative plans for the first time in the United States during a visit to The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY on March 21.
The Barcelona native says he will turn the restaurant's property into a park and "reserve" for culinary brainstorming, opening in 2014. Each year, 20 collaborators from around the world will be selected to work with the base team. Through the Internet, chefs across the globe will then be able to access the thousands of ideas the team creates, and use the ones that fit their restaurants.
The Barcelona native says he will turn the restaurant's property into a park and "reserve" for culinary brainstorming, opening in 2014. Each year, 20 collaborators from around the world will be selected to work with the base team. Through the Internet, chefs across the globe will then be able to access the thousands of ideas the team creates, and use the ones that fit their restaurants.
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| Ferran Adrià speaking at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, where he announced future plans for the elBulli Foundation. |
Chef Adrià was at the CIA for a panel discussion with Lisa Abend, author of The Sorcerer's Apprentices, a new book about Adrià and elBulli; and two former apprentices at the restaurant, including CIA graduate George Mendes '92. About 1,200 CIA students attended the event.
Visit www.ciachef.edu for more information.
The winner of the first annual Mussel Match Up Chef Competition, sponsored by the Mussel Industry Council (MIC) and held at the International Restaurant and Food Service Show of New York, is Chef Peter Dewar from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The competition represents the mussel producers in PEI, NS and Newfoundland, Canada. Dewar has won many competitions in his career, including Competing Chef of the Year in Canada and is a member of the Canadian culinary team competing at the Culinary Olympics in 2012.
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| Chef Peter Dewar |
Eleven contestants amazed the judges and the crowds with creative mussel dishes and Dewar's winning dish, which was called "Mussel Sheet," consisted of four components: a tarragon flavored mussel sheet, covered with a tempura mussel with two side dishes of saffron mayo and pickled red onion.
The contestants were judged on five categories: menu presentation and adherence, taste, flavors and combinations, presentation, and appropriate use of mussel product and creativity. Two judges from Canada, chefs Gordon Bailey and Roger Andrews, were joined by Hell's Kitchen's runner-up, Chef Kevin Cottle and senior food editor of the Nation's Restaurant News, Bret Thorn.
The winner will receive a trip for two to Atlantic Canada valued at $10,000 in September 2011. The MIC also presented a winning trophy to Chef Greg McCarthy of Beach Street Hospitality in New York for the most creative use of mussels with his dish of PEI mussels with morels and miso.
For more information, visit www.discovermussels.com.
For more information, visit www.discovermussels.com.
Wisconsin cheese company BelGioioso Cheese earned six distinguished awards at the United States Championship Cheese Contest held in Green Bay, Wisconsin March 8 - 10, 2011.
Both the BelGioioso Sharp Provolone Mandarino and the BelGioioso Romano each took home first place, Best of Class gold medals. BelGioso also took home second place, silver medals for the BelGioioso Fresh Mozzarella and the BelGioioso Ricotta Salata and third place, bronze medals for the BelGioioso Crema di Mascarpone™and the BelGioioso Mild Provolone.
The United States Championship Cheese Contest is the largest cheese and butter competition in the country and is rooted in more than 120 years of history, beginning in 1891 with the very first contest. This year, more than 30,000 pounds of cheese were entered into the contest.
Visit www.belgioioso.com for more information.
Partnering with Sandra Lee, editor-in-chief, Semi-Homemade Magazine, New York Times bestselling author and Food Network celebrity, Tyson Foods, Inc., is giving 300,000 pounds of raw, frozen chicken to programs feeding the hungry in New York State. City Harvest, the world’s first food rescue organization dedicated to feeding hungry men, women, and children in New York City, received its first share on March 11th at West Side Campaign Against Hunger, a supermarket-style food pantry in Manhattan that receives food from City Harvest.
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| Ken Orr, Sandra Lee, Doreen Wohl, Jilly Stephens and Julio Santiago |
Sandra Lee was on hand with representatives of Tyson Foods to make an initial donation of 32,000 pounds of chicken to Jilly Stephens, executive director of City Harvest, and Doreen Wohl, executive director of West Side Campaign Against Hunger. City Harvest will distribute the donation to its network of soup kitchens and food pantries in the five boroughs of New York City. The remainder of the 300,000-pound protein donation will be provided to nine additional food banks throughout New York State over the next six months.
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| Sandra Lee unloading the truck |
The gift comes not long after Sandra Lee visited nine Feeding America member food banks across New York State to hear directly from these programs about challenges they face in this economy. Sandra Lee contacted Tyson Foods when she learned that donations of protein-rich foods like chicken are in demand, but especially difficult for food banks to obtain. Tyson Foods has made a commitment to donate one million pounds of protein to 37 food banks during the month of March as part of their “KNOW Hunger” campaign focused on helping more people understand and join the effort to eliminate hunger in America.
Visit the City Harvest Web site for more information.
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.
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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/
On February 3rd, the Beef Checkoff Program announced winners of the 2010 National Beef Backer Awards at the 2011 Cattle Industry Annual Convention & NCBA Trade Show in Denver, Colo. Each year, three restaurants are recognized for their efforts in menuing and marketing beef. This year’s national winners included The Hitching Post I & II (Buellton, Calif.) in the “Independent Restaurant” category, Home Style Dining LLC Ponderosa® and Bonanza® Steakhouses (Plano, Texas) in the “Chain Restaurant” category and Red The Steakhouse (Miami, Fla.) as the “Innovator of the Year.”
additional steaks.
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| 2010 National Foodservice Beef Backer Award Winners: Peter Vauthy, exec. chef/partner, Red the Steakhouse; Rosemary Staltare, director marketing and sales, Red the Steakhouse; Bob Ostini, chef, The Hitching Post I and II; Bill Ostini, owner/operator, The Hitching Post I and II; Tamara Jones, president/CEO/CFO, Homestyle Dining LLC; and Jon Rice, exec. vice president, Homestyle Dining LLC |
Restaurant operators interested in entering the 2011 Beef Backer contest should contact their state beef council.
