Kosherfest 2009 dates announced

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Kosherfest--the number-one kosher food and beverage tradeshow event serving the retail, foodservice, manufacturing and distribution industries--will take place at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J., October 27–28, 2009. The show will give visitors a taste of the latest and greatest trends and products in the kosher food and beverage industry from around the globe, with more than 13 countries represented.

According to research by the Mintel organization, kosher was the leading claim on new products in 2007 and 2009. Exhibitors are invited to enter their new kosher products in the Kosherfest New Products Competition, which awards prizes in 17 categories. The competition will be held on Oct. 15 in New York City prior to the tradeshow. A panel of culinary experts will select the winners of these coveted awards. Winners will be announced and products will be showcased at the show.

Have a favorite pastrami or corned beef sandwich? Noted chefs will prepare their kosher deli sandwich and side of choice at the 2nd Annual Kosherfest Culinary Competition (last year the competition was for the best kosher sushi). A panel of industry professionals will judge and decide who takes the title at the show.

Menachem Lubinsky, president of Lubicom Marketing and founder of Kosherfest, will discuss how the industry can use its kosher status to make inroads with different segments of the food market during the event's keynote address, scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

For product entry deadlines and general information, visit www.kosherfest.com, contact Vianna DiGristina at vdigristina@divcom.com or call (207) 842-5583.
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Morton's teams up with anti-hunger charity

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Morton's The Steakhouse received the Illinois Restaurant Neighbor Award for community service after teaming up with Feed America, the largest domestic hunger-relief charity that supplies food to low-income individuals and families in the United States.

Morton's aims to raise a minimum of $75,000 this year to benefit Feeding America through multiple projects, including a silent auction and a 41-market cookbook tour supporting the launch of Morton's The Cookbook: 100 Steakhouse Recipes for Every Kitchen. All proceeds from the silent auction and a portion of ticket sales will go to Feeding America and its local food bank partners in Chicago. For more information, visit www.mortons.com.
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September is National Food Safety Education Month

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The National Restaurant Association is encouraging restaurant and foodservice operators to prepare for the 15th annual National Food Safety Education Month in September. National Food Safety Education Month is a campaign that focuses on the importance of food safety education for the restaurant and foodservice industry. This year's theme is "Food Safety Thrives When You Focus on Five."

As part of the campaign, www.ServeSafe.com will offer training activities and free posters for download starting in mid-July that reinforce the theme of overcoming the five barriers to food safety. Each week will focus on one of the barriers: purchasing food from unsafe sources, failing to cook food adequately, holding food at incorrect temperatures, using contaminated equipment and practicing poor personal hygiene. These materials are based on the ServSafe food safety training and certification program.

National Food Safety Education Month was created in 1994 to heighten the awareness about the importance of food safety education. For more information, visit www.ServeSafe.com/nfsem.

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Pacific Natural Foods receives business ethics award

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Pacific Natural Foods (PNF) has won the 2009 Oregon Ethics in Business Award, joining only two other recipients in the business category. PNF received the award at a June 10 ceremony at the Governor Hotel (photo, right), where Attorney General of Oregon John Kroger gave the keynote address.

The award honors the state's outstanding organizations and individuals who demonstrate a commitment to ethical business practices in the workplace, the marketplace, the environment and the community. A partnership among the Rotary Club of Portland, Willamette University, Samaritan Counseling Center and the Portland Business Journal is behind the award.

According to the Oregon Ethics in Business Web site, "Pacific Natural Foods has a variety of programs in place which go above and beyond compliance expectations for a food processing company…In 1997 PNF established a rigorous, extensive, comprehensive program called 'Certified to the Source' which is designed to document the true origins of their food. Not willing to live with the damage done to the word 'organic' over the past several years, PNF wants to know for themselves where their food comes from."

PNF is a producer of prepared organic foods such as soups, soymilk, nut and grain beverages, and iced tea.
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June 2009 Chef digital edition now available

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The digital edition of the June 2009 issue of Chef Magazine is now online through the Chef Web site. This digital edition features all the same great content as the print edition, plus online exclusives for more global pork recipes, Beverage & Spirits: Sake and Tech Update: Bar equipment. To access the issue, click the icon below. You can also register on the Chef Web site to receive e-mail notification when each new digital magazine is available for viewing.
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June 2009
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Industry Voices

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"At a recent Newport Restaurant Group meeting, I challenged each of our chefs to find opportunities to create unique experiences for our guests by making use of the tools, data and information available on creating a memorable dining experience. By doing so, we increase our market share and financial success for the entire company."
--Casey Riley, director of culinary operations,
Newport Harbor Corp., Newport, R.I.,
"Industry Voices" column, June 2009, Chef Magazine
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June 2009

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The Last Word

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"Recently, I was asked where all the good jobs are. My first inclination was to rattle off all the fabulous (and funny) food jobs that I find interesting—everything from chef on the Queen Mary 2 to food historian, food geographer, heirloom seed collector and event planner to the wow-can-I-really-get-paid-for-that? (luxury yacht chef, Arctic chef, trend tracker, garbage anthropologist, chewing gum taster, fortune cookie message writer) and an ever-expanding list of possibilities. Here, though, are my thoughts about four broad categories of food job growth."
--Irena Chalmers, "Grab a fork,"
"The Last Word" column, June 2009, Chef Magazine

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June 2009


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Nutrition calculator tool launched for restaurants

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Because more and more states have passed menu labeling laws, Web-based nutrition analysis solutions company FoodCalc now offers a Nutrition Calculator for restaurants with create-your-own menu items such as pizzas, pastas, salads and sandwiches. The calculator is part of FoodCalc's MenuCalc offering, which determines recipe nutrition profiles for restaurants and culinary professionals. For more information, visit www.foodcalc.com.

Earlier this year, the California Restaurant Association (CRA) announced a partnership with FoodCalc. As a CRA preferred-vendor product, FoodCalc's MenuCalc provides CRA members with a 10 percent discount.
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Green Dining Best Practices guide for chefs

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Corporate cafeterias, museums and restaurants across the country are about to take a bite out of foodservice costs by sparing the environment.

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and Restaurant Associates (RA) unveiled their Green Dining Best Practices--a comprehensive set of science-based recommendations for environmentally friendly foodservice. The practices have been tested by two RA clients, Random House and Hearst Corp., early results will save over $85,000 each year at the two sites, cut 275 tons of carbon pollution and reduce landfill waste by 60 tons annually, among other environmental benefits.

In a National Restaurant Association survey of trends for 2009, environmentally friendly equipment and sustainable practices topped chefs’ lists of hot trends and top cost-savers. The Green Dining Best Practices, available free of charge at www.edf.org/greendining, focus on aspects of the foodservice and restaurant industry with the biggest environmental impacts, including food purchasing (addressing specific products like meat, produce and seafood), facility operation (improvements in the use of energy, waste, and water), packaging, transportation of food, and the use of toxic cleaning chemicals. The best practices provide clear, objective, science-based advice for dining managers and chefs to make smart choices in their kitchens to improve environmental performance across the board. See video below for more information, or visit the EDF Web site.
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