The National Restaurant Association (NRA) called on all U.S. foodservice operators to apply for the 2009 Restaurant Neighbor Award. This annual award recognizes restaurants in four categories for their charitable contributions: small business, mid-size business, large business/national chain and cornerstone humanitarian.
This year, four national winners will receive a $5,000 prize to continue their charitable works. The deadline to apply is June 5. Restaurants may apply on their own behalf or employees, patrons and other community members may work with a local restaurant to apply for the award. For more information, visit the NRA's Web site.
Six of the nation's top chefs and mixologists volunteered to serve on Taste of the Nation Culinary Council, a group dedicated to carrying out Share Our Strength's mission to end childhood hunger in America.
The six chefs are: chef David Burke of David Burke Restaurants in New York City; chef RJ Cooper III of Vidalia in Washington, D.C.; chef Michael Kornick of MK the Restaurant in Chicago; chef Mindy Segal of Hot Chocolate Restaurant in Chicago; chef John Tesar of Fishtail in New York City; and mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim of themodernmixlogist.com.
More than 40 Taste of the Nation events are planned across the United States and Canada this year. All the events showcase top local chefs at tasting events or seated dinners, and 100 percent of ticket sales help ensure no kid in America grows up hungry. For more information, visit www.strength.org.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new Energy Star requirements for commercial refrigerators and freezers effective Jan. 1, 2010, the same date that the federal standards take effect. Under the new scope of products covered by specifications for Energy Star commercial refrigerators and freezers are glass door refrigerators and freezers, which qualified for the Energy Star label as of April 1.
Commercial refrigerators and freezers in the United States that meet the new requirements are more than 30 percent higher than minimum federal standards. If all commercial refrigerators and freezers sold in the United States met this standard, annual energy savings would reach $275 million per year in the United States. This would also prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the output of nearly 400,000 vehicles, according to the EPA.
For more information, visit www.energystar.gov/cfs.
The Madison Park Café turns 30 this year, and the Seattle-based French bistro is celebrating with a $30, prix-fixe, three-course dinner menu.
Owner Karen Binder and chef Rich Coffey are offering the special Tuesdays through Thursdays throughout the year, and guests can select from among starter, entrée and dessert choices. For more information, visit The Madison Park Café's Web site.
Megan Ketover, CPC, pastry chef of retail bakery outlet Bakery Hill at the Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati, was selected to compete in an upcoming episode of Food Network Challenge. The American Culinary Federation named Ketover the Northeast Region Pastry Chef of the Year after she won the ACF Northeast Regional Conference competition in February.
Ketover will compete in Food Network's Cereal Bridges 2 Challenge, to be filmed April 30. "I am excited to have been chosen to compete for Food Network's Cereal Bridges 2 Challenge, and I am gearing up to try to create something that seems impossible--a bridge primarily made of Rice Krispies," she said in a statement.
After filming the Food Network Challenge, Ketover will continue preparing for the national ACF Pastry Chef of the Year competition, which will take place during the 2009 ACF National Convention July 11 to 14 in Orlando, Fla.
Special events and catering company A Legendary Event's executive chef Lincoln Stevens collaborated with four renowned guest chefs to created a wine-inspired menu for the gala dinner held during the 17th Annual High Museum Wine Auction charity event in Atlanta.
(l to r) chef Sam Mason, chef Linton Hopkins, Les Damesd'Escoffier Member and chef Mary Moore, chef Scott Boswell, chef SeanBrock and chef Lincoln Stevens
Stevens along with Linton Hopkins of Atlanta's Restaurant Eugene and Holeman & Finch Public House, chef Scott Boswell of New Orleans restaurants Stella! and recently opened Stanley, chef Sam Mason of New York City's Tailor and chef Sean Brock of Charleston's McCrady's Restaurant, created and served 2,600 plates for 650 guests.
The Manitowoc Co. Inc., the parent company of Manitowoc Foodservice, ranked 37th overall in BusinessWeek magazine's 2009 top 50 best corporate performers list. Companies were selected from the Standard & Poor's 500 stock index and reviewed based on sales growth rate and return on invested capital.
All companies were measured over a three-year period and compared against their peers in the same business sector to reward sustained performance. To see the complete list of companies, visit BusinessWeek's Web site.
Family secrets from an 84-year-old Alabama barbecue joint, food and wine that celebrates the untapped flavors of southern Italy and a collection of authentic recipes and stories evoking 18th-century American cuisine--Chef's Stirrings has compiled a list of three unique new cookbooks from chefs across the country.
Big Bob Gibson's BBQ Book: Recipes and Secrets from a Legendary Barbecue Joint: What started as a makeshift barbecue pit in Bob Gibson's Decatur, Ala., backyard in 1925 evolved into Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q, a Southern staple in authentic, slow-cooked barbecue. In this cookbook, Chris Lilly, executive chef of Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q and great-grandson-in-law of Gibson himself, shares the history of the restaurant and passes on the secrets to great barbecue. From dry rubs, glazes and sauces to techniques of low and slow cooking and meat selection, Lilly aims to inform both the seasoned chef and beginner. Available from Clarkson Potter/Publishers on May 12, 2009.
A16 Food + Wine: At San Francisco's A16 restaurant, named for the highway that cuts across southern Italy, executive chef Nate Appleman and wine director Shelley Lindgren draw on the bold and rustic flavors of Italy's Campania countryside to create a menu that pays homage to the region and the age-old bond between its food and handcrafted wines. In part one of A16 Food + Wine, Lindgren profiles the key grapes and producers of southern Italy, exploring grape varieties that are nearly extinct as well as blends of indigenous and international grapes. In the second part of the book, Appleman examines food that honors southern Italian culture and inspires A16's menu: from Naples-style pizzas and bold vegetable dishes to deeply flavorful braises and seasonal desserts. Co-authored by Kate Leahy and published in September 2008 by Ten Speed Press.
City Tavern: Recipes from the Birthplace of American Cuisine: Acclaimed chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Walter Staib offers a look at the recipes, people and history of the Revolutionary Era in the United States, with Philadelphia's historical City Tavern Restaurant at the epicenter. Staib's restaurant, occupying the same location it did during the 18th century, evokes Colonial Philadelphia through its authentic menu, period architecture and artifact reproductions. The book invites seasoned chefs and home cooks to try 230 authentic City Tavern recipes and offers a resource for educators and chefs interested in American culinary history, as Staib is a recognized expert on 18th-century American cuisine. Available in July 2009 (updated 6/3/09) Now available from Running Press.
On May 3, Drew Goss and chef Susan Goss, owners of Chicago's West Town Tavern, will host the 13th Annual Girl Food Dinner to benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository, a nonprofit food distribution and training center that provides food for hungry people.
Goss will prepare the five-course dinner along with several other female chefs from Chicago: chef Nadia Tilkian, of Maijean Restaurant; chef Jill Barron, of Mana food bar; chef Karen Armijo, of the Gary Comer Youth Center; and chef Jessica Oloroso, of Black Dog Gelato. The entire price of the dinner will be donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
The dinner also will feature a raffle with prizes including Cutco knives, wine and signed cookbooks from female chefs around the country. To date, the Annual Girl Food Dinner has raised more than $140,000 for Chicago organizations that aim to eliminate hunger. For more information, visit www.westtowntaverncom/events.asp.
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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.
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) called on all U.S. foodservice operators to apply for the 2009 Restaurant Neighbor Award. This annual award recognizes restaurants in four categories for their charitable contributions: small business, mid-size business, large business/national chain and cornerstone humanitarian.
