On Sept. 29, Bon Appétit Management Co. held its fifth annual Eat Local Challenge. In an effort to promote local food economies, chefs at the more than 400 Bon Appétit café locations nationwide prepared meals made only from ingredients grown and produced from within 150 miles or less of each café. This includes dairy products, cooking oils, meat and vegetables--everything but salt.
The Eat Local Challenge educates diners about the variety of foods available to them locally, seeking to build support for local food economies and strong regional food systems in the United States. For more information, click here.
Bon Appétit is an onsite restaurant company that provides café and catering services to corporations, colleges, universities and specialty venues in 29 states.
It's been a busy fall so far for the Idaho Potato Commission, as it unveils three new varieties of Idaho-grown potato in addition to the well-known russet: gold, red and fingerling potatoes.
Purple Peruvian fingerlings are suitable for potato salads, roasting or sautéing.
"The growing conditions in Idaho--both the rich, volcanic soil and the climate--are the best in the world for yielding great tasting potatoes with a high solids content," said Don Odiorne, vice president of foodservice, in a statement. "Similar to the russet, the new Idaho-grown varieties perform well in foodservice because of their low water content."
The waxy Cal Red variety retains its skin color well and is good for potato salad.
The breakdown of the four varieties is as follows:
- russets: Burbank, Norkotah, Ranger and Western;
- golds: Milva, Yellow Finn and Yukon Gold;
- reds: Cal Red, Red La Soda, Norland; and
- fingerlings: Russian Banana, Ruby Crescent, French Fingerling, Purple Peruvian.
The IPC also recently launched a new blog, Ask Dr. Potato where Odiorne answers chefs' questions about menuing potatoes, healthy recipes, cost-effective use of potatoes and potato leftovers. Visit foodserviceblog.idahopotato.com for more information or to ask a question.
The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is calling on cookbook authors, editors, publishers, photographers and stylists to submit their cookbooks for its 25th annual Cookbook Awards. All books must be submitted in English by Oct. 28, and for the first time, books may be entered in more than one category. Finalists will be announced by Feb. 26, 2010, and the winners will be honored at the ICAP Annual Conference, April 21 to 24 in Portland, Ore.
The judges will grant awards in 16 categories, award a Cookbook of the Year and grant the optional Gane Grigson Award and the Design Award, if any books so merit. New categories added to the awards this year are: Children, Youth and Family; Culinary History and Professional Kitchens. For more information on submission guidelines or to download an entry form, visit www.iacp.com.
The Webby Awards has kicked off its 14th annual call for entries at www.webbyawards.com. Restaurant industry Web sites can also enter in interactive advertising, mobile and video categories. The early deadline to enter work is Oct. 30. Nominees will be announced in April 2010, and winners will be honored at a gala ceremony on June 14, 2010, where they'll be asked to deliver one of the now-famous five-word speeches.
In 2009, Parish Food and Goods won The Webby Award for Best Restaurant Site, which was chosen by the judging academy, and Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill won The Webby People's Voice Award, which was chosen by the public. Parish Food and Goods' five-word speech was "Here to design you taste." Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill's five-word speech was "Thanks for pulling our pork."
"The Webby Awards gives winners an exciting a chance to have their work celebrated on a global stage," David-Michel Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards, said in a press release. "The Internet is becoming an even more integral part of the restaurant industry, and we are thrilled to honor the innovators that are leading the way."
Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by the New York Times, The 13th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from over 60 countries. Following this year's ceremony, the Webby channel was number-one on YouTube with more than 500,000 video views in its first day alone.
The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 550-person judging academy whose members include Vinton Cerf, R/GA's Chief Bob Greenberg, Virgin chairman Richard Branson, Martha Stewart, "Simpson's" creator Matt Groening, Arianna Huffington, and Harvey Weinstein.
The National Restaurant Association Education Foundation (NRAEF) named three officers to the Board of Trustees for the September 2009 to December 2010 term. William ("Bill") L. Hyde Jr., principal of Abacus and Jasper's Restaurant Group, was named the new chair of the board.
Bill Hyde, a 37-year restaurant industry veteran, takes over as NRAEF board chair.
Carlton Curtis, vice president of industry affairs for the foodservice and hospitality division of Coca-Cola North America, was named vice chair.
Carlton Curtis, the NRAEF's new vice chair, has been an employee of The Coca-Cola Co. since 1972.
And Xavier Teixido, owner of Harry's Savoy Grill, was named board treasurer.
Xavier Teixido, NRAEF board treasurer, was chairman of the National Restaurant Association from 2002 to 2003.
"As outgoing chair, I am very proud of the accomplishments of the NRAEF this past year and am pleased to announce the new officers of the NRAEF Board of Trustees that will continue to grow and build the NRAEF going forward," said past NRAEF chair Linda Bacin in a statement. "Under their experienced leadership, the NRAEF will continue to enhance the prominence of the restaurant industry through public service, education and community engagement."
The Provence Wine Council launched a new education program on Provence wines in collaboration with the Washington, D.C.-based French Wine Society, which has trained professionals in the wines of Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhone.
The education program includes:
- a 51-page self-study manual that helps wine educators and industry professionals learn the wines of Provence
- a master-level certification exam
- a series of optional, supplemental master-level classes to be taught in certain institutions throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The first chance for self-study participants to take the certification exam will be at the French Wine Society's annual conference, Oct. 5 to 7, in Washington, D.C. The Provence self-study manual and exam registration can be ordered from the French Wine Society at www.frenchwinesociety.org/site.php?page=page&id=94&ver=pro. The Provence Wine Council's 2010 five-day master-level study abroad program is open to between eight and 12 certified wine educators who have attained the certificate of proficiency. The program covers Provence's viticulture and enables wine educators to attain the Licensed Master-Level Instructor credential. For more information, contact Lisa Airey at lairey@frenchwinesociety.org.
Do you know a chef who is a leader in the foodservice industry? An inspiration and mentor to others? An innovator in cuisine, techniques, management style and dish applications? A steward of community tenets?
Then nominate that chef for Chef Magazine's 2009 Chef of the Year!
Fill out the form online. Or if you prefer a PDF that you can print off and fill out by hand, e-mail lgriebeler@talcott.com, then send your materials to Chef of the Year, Chef Magazine, 20 W. Kinzie St., Suite 1200, Chicago, IL 60654, by Sept. 25. The finalists will be announced in the November/December issue of Chef, and the winner will be profiled in the January 2010 issue. Chef Magazine will also make a $500 donation to the winner's charity of choice.
Businesses are increasingly becoming victims of "friendly fraud"--fraud carried out by customers to get items free of charge. The Better Business Bureau warns small business owners to be on the lookout for “friendly” fraud and offers advice on how to protect against this growing online threat.
According to the Wall Street Journal, many companies--for example, the travel site Expedia--are currently seeing up to a 50 percent spike in friendly fraud since October 2008. The most common types of friendly fraud involve cases in which a customer falsely claims they:
- never received an item ordered online;
- received the wrong item ordered online; or
- had their credit card stolen and were charged for items they didn't order.
The customer then demands a refund from the business. When "friendly fraudsters" are unable to coax reimbursements from a business directly, many then issue chargebacks to their credit card companies. Creditors will investigate the situation, asking for the business owner's side of the story before deciding whether or not the business is at fault.
Defending a business against friendly fraud is no easy task, but there are steps to take. The BBB offers the following advice to small business owners:
- Verify the buyer's billing address before sending merchandise. Some retailers require that the billing and shipping address match before fulfilling an order. However, some businesses have found that simply paying for an Address Verification Service, which confirms that the billing address matches the address associated with the credit card, is sufficient.
- Use a shipper that tracks delivery. Some shipping firms provide tracking information and signature confirmation. Such information can help shed light on whether or not the customer really didn't receive the goods.
- Deactivate or deny access to products. For retailers that do not ship tangible items, but rather items such as downloads or access to sites, a plan for denying access is both prudent and practical.
- Clearly state your return policy on your Web site. This includes any product guarantees, time restrictions, condition requirements or fees--such as for restocking.
- Be prepared to make your case to the credit card company. Staying organized and presenting a solid case--including records of delivery or reimbursement and your return policy--in the face of a chargeback will assist the credit card company and increase your chances for a favorable resolution.
- Analyze sales records. This can help you identify consumers who charge back items on a regular basis, enabling you to decide whether or not to stop doing business with them.
For more advice on defending your small business from fraud, visit www.bbb.org.
SPONSORED POST
Who knew the center of plate could be such a lonely place? A new website called www.grilledandlonely.com, that's who.
Ostensibly a way for "centers to find their true sidemates," Grilled & Lonely lets foodservice operators search for recipe ideas to accompany grilled proteins according to compatibility factors like snuggling, commitment, or a fresh start. You can also "speed date," instant random pairings, and there's a section of success stories called "happily menued after."
As if that weren't fun enough, on Twitter, you can also solicit grilled relationship advice from Mr. Lonely Grill (@mr_lonely_grill), who offers entertaining responses like "don't blame the potato" and "all steaks fall for asparagus at some point." Mr. Lonely Grill is, of course, also there to help you solve your center of plate pairing woes.
The site and tweets are sponsored by Bush Brothers, the good people behind Bush's Best® Baked Beans, the number-one brand of baked beans in the country. So it's no surprise the sides on Grilled & Lonely are bean-based. Sides that incidentally look pretty good.
The site was created for Bush Brothers by Marlin and The Alchemedia Project, both based in Springfield, Mo.
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.
Purple Peruvian fingerlings are suitable for potato salads, roasting or sautéing.
The waxy Cal Red variety retains its skin color well and is good for potato salad. 
The International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) is calling on cookbook authors, editors, publishers, photographers and stylists to submit their cookbooks for its 25th annual Cookbook Awards. All books must be submitted in English by Oct. 28, and for the first time, books may be entered in more than one category. Finalists will be announced by Feb. 26, 2010, and the winners will be honored at the ICAP Annual Conference, April 21 to 24 in Portland, Ore.
The Webby Awards has kicked off its 14th annual call for entries at www.webbyawards.com. Restaurant industry Web sites can also enter in interactive advertising, mobile and video categories. The early deadline to enter work is Oct. 30. Nominees will be announced in April 2010, and winners will be honored at a gala ceremony on June 14, 2010, where they'll be asked to deliver one of the now-famous five-word speeches.
Bill Hyde, a 37-year restaurant industry veteran, takes over as NRAEF board chair.
Carlton Curtis, the NRAEF's new vice chair, has been an employee of The Coca-Cola Co. since 1972.
Xavier Teixido, NRAEF board treasurer, was chairman of the National Restaurant Association from 2002 to 2003.
The Provence Wine Council launched a new education program on Provence wines in collaboration with the Washington, D.C.-based French Wine Society, which has trained professionals in the wines of Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhone.