Numi converted its tea boxes to a minimum of 85-percent, post-consumer waste, annually conserving more than 5,200 trees and reducing landfill by 334,560 pounds. Numi's redesigned tea boxes include an Eco Audit table on the bottom of the box that identifies its waste reduction. In 2004, Numi also converted all of its marketing collateral to 100-percent recycled material. From its beginnings, Numi made a conscious choice to eliminate the use of cello-wrap in its packaging and use bamboo for its merchandising.
Numi converted its tea boxes to a minimum of 85-percent, post-consumer waste, annually conserving more than 5,200 trees and reducing landfill by 334,560 pounds. Numi's redesigned tea boxes include an Eco Audit table on the bottom of the box that identifies its waste reduction. In 2004, Numi also converted all of its marketing collateral to 100-percent recycled material. From its beginnings, Numi made a conscious choice to eliminate the use of cello-wrap in its packaging and use bamboo for its merchandising.
The team earned two gold medals and one silver medal in cold food and a gold medal in hot food. Of the 32 national teams that competed, the first three overall rankings were as follows: Norway, first; Germany, second; and Sweden, third.
In the cold-food category, the team earned: gold in Category A Culinary Art—show platters, one festive cold display platter for eight, and six different hors d’oeuvres; and Category C Patisserie—one showpiece, one platter and four different exclusive desserts on plates. They also earned silver in Category B Culinary Art—one vegetarian platter as a main course for four, one three-course menu for one, and four different main courses, prepared hot and displayed cold.
During the team’s second day of competition, Oct. 22, in hot food, the team earned a gold medal. Chefs cooked in an open-to-view kitchen. Next to the hot-food kitchens was the Restaurant of Nations, a public restaurant set up daily to serve the menus of the national teams competing that day. Teams prepared 110 menus reflecting their nation’s cuisine. Menus included hot appetizers, using fish or poultry, main courses and desserts. Judges evaluated mise en place and cleanliness preparation, correct professional preparation, arrangement and presentation/innovation, and taste.
ACF Culinary National Team USA members:
- Edward Leonard, CMC, American Academy of Chefs (AAC), ACF Culinary Team USA manager and executive chef, Westchester Country Club, Rye, N.Y
- Richard Rosendale, certified executive chef (CEC), ACF Culinary National Team USA captain, executive chef/owner, Rosendales, Columbus, Ohio
- Joachim Buchner, CMC, executive chef, Chevy Chase Club, Chevy Chase, Md.
- Jamie Keating, certified chef de cuisine (CCC), chef/owner, Gourmet Events and the RiverMill Event Center, Columbus, Ga.
- Melissa K. Root, consulting pastry chef, Westchester Country Club, Rye, N.Y
- Daniel Scannell, CMC, of Miami, executive chef, La Gorce Country Club, Miami
The successful integration of the Manitowoc and Enodis foodservice businesses will create a dynamic platform for global growth. With capabilities that span refrigeration, ice-making, cooking, food prep and beverage-dispensing technologies, Manitowoc will be able to equip entire commercial kitchens and serve the world’s growing demand for food prepared away from home.
Four Star Restaurant Marketing Cookbook—Recipes for Restaurateurs provides restaurant owners and operators with proven marketing tactics in a reader-friendly format with more than 250 photos and real restaurant case studies. This recipe-format cookbook includes 100 field-tested tips, tools and tactics of successful marketing recipes, ingredients needed and directions with a tactical guide to generate trial of new guests, build frequency and loyalty of existing guests, increase awareness, check averages and sales for any restaurant.
Sonntag was appointed to the position at the 2008 NSMA Annual Meeting held during the Institute of Food Technologists Annual Meeting & Food Expo in New Orleans on July 1. The NSMA seeks to promote and continue scientific study in the food seasonings industry and improve relations between the industry, related associations, and U.S. food regulatory agencies.
Sonntag has been employed by Wixon for more than 22 years. In his role, he is responsible for Wixon’s quality, sanitation, food safety, and regulatory compliance functions. Sonntag is also chairperson of the American Spice Trade Association's Government Relations committee, a member of the American Society for Quality, and a member of the Institute of Food Technologists. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in food chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and his Master of Business Administration degree in management from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.
Going green has become a popular trend in foodservice. So far, there has been a lot of talk about using organic and local food ingredients, and organizations like Energy Star have focused their efforts on promoting the most energy-efficient equipment and advanced technologies. Meanwhile, chefs are left wondering what they can do in their day-to-day work to help the environment. The truth is that they can probably help out more than they ever thought possible, without significantly altering the quality of their cuisine or the way they run their kitchen. Using insight and advice from FoodServiceWarehouse.com’s Going Green Program, chefs can learn easy ways to avoid wasting energy, water and food. Here are the top five tips for chefs to go green:
1. Use cooking water wisely. Often, water is the most wasted resource in the kitchen. Chefs should be sure to fill pots only as high as needed for even boiling and cover them with lids to save both water and energy by reducing evaporation and cook times. Also, chefs and other workers in the kitchen should avoid dumping water down the drain. Instead, they can reuse clear water from boiling or steaming for simple cleaning tasks or soaking dishes.
2. Watch out for wasted heat. When opening the kitchen, chefs and kitchen workers do not need to turn on all the cooking equipment right away. Since most equipment requires less than 30 minutes to preheat, and steamers and fryers rarely need more than 15, chefs should make sure this equipment is not left idling unnecessarily. They could take other small steps, like boiling liquids at the lowest setting that will maintain the boil. Once a liquid is boiling, it cannot get any hotter without vaporizing. Chefs should also experiment with cooking full loads, as well as turning off the oven during the last few minutes of baking, since the chamber will retain heat and the food will still cook. Some recipes actually call for this method.
3. Keep composting and recycling bins nearby. By keeping the composting and recycling bins right next to the food preparation area, chefs can practically eliminate waste in their kitchen. Almost all food scraps can be composted, and much of the packaging can be recycled. As they prepare dishes, chefs should keep the bins as close as possible to make recycling convenient, although they should check with local health codes to learn about any regulations on the proximity of waste receptacles to exposed food and food-contact surfaces.
4. Choose your equipment carefully. As they create or alter recipes, chefs should try to develop the most efficient cooking methods possible. Microwaves, steamers, griddles and fryers are generally more energy-efficient than ovens, broilers, woks and open-burner gas ranges. Chefs could use an energy-efficient grooved griddle instead of a broiler to sear meat or vegetables and achieve similar grill marks, or use a braising pan instead of an oven to wet-roast meats. Chefs can also conserve energy by taking advantage of their most versatile equipment and reducing the need for other pieces of equipment to be left idling throughout the day. For example, a braising pan can be used to sauté, simmer, boil and hold warm foods, and a steamer can cook just about anything that does not require browning or a crust.
5. Be mindful of the whole kitchen. One of the easiest ways chefs can save energy in the kitchen is to pay attention to all equipment. They should watch for doors left open on refrigerators, freezers, ovens, and warming and holding cabinets. An open lid on a prep table can increase electricity consumption by up to fifty percent, so chefs should always make sure that the lids on food wells are kept closed. They can also be mindful and save energy by checking for, and turning off, unused sections of steamers or fryers, or keeping an eye out for worn-out seals or parts in their equipment.
For all chefs, the quality of the cuisine is of the utmost importance. Thankfully, the final dish does not have to suffer in order for it to be eco-friendly. By implementing a few of the above tips and guidelines from FoodServiceWarehouse.com’s Going Green Program, chefs can help the environment without sacrificing their art.
In the challenge, schools, hospitals, workplace cafeterias, and restaurants competed with each other in delivering the most creative and pervasive promotions of whole grain foods during the month of September, which is Whole Grains Month. To be eligible, each foodservice operation had to offer at least one whole grain choice daily.
Winners:
- Fine Dining: Fair Hill Inn, in Elkton, Md.
- Fast Casual/Family Dining: Boloco
- Quick Serve: Papa John's
- Healthcare: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
- Workplace: Restaurant Associates at Morgan Stanley
- K-12 (small schools): Mattawan, Mich. (run by Chartwells)
- K-12 (medium schools): Newtown, Conn. (run by Chartwells)
- K-12 (large schools): Norfolk, Va. (independent)
- Other: Compass Group, for its 2008 National Nutrition Month Campaign called "Whole Grains 3.0"
Bell is principal of Lisa Bell & Associates, which specializes in designing new construction and renovations, as well as facility equipment audits in the health care and assisted living facilities. She has more than 27 years of experience as a consultant.
Galvin is principal/CEO of Galvin Design Group, which specializes in development of independent and theme restaurants, theme parks, hotels, schools and entertainment venues. He started his career with Darden Restaurants and Hard Rock Café before launching his own firm. Galvin has received many accolades for his designs over the past 25-plus years. In addition, he serves as an instructor at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management in Orlando, Fla.
Share Our Strength, a national organization working to make sure no kid in America will grow up hungry, will use funds raised from this campaign to help:
- increase participation in school food and nutrition programs across the country;
- develop more community gardens, food banks and food pantries;
- improve access to fresh produce;
- promote use of federal child food and nutrition programs (e.g. food stamps, school breakfast, etc.); and
- advocate for stronger child food and nutrition-related programs nationwide.
The second annual Great American Dine Out is set for Sept. 20 to 26, 2009. Registration is open, and restaurants are already signing up. For more information on how to get involved, visit GreatAmericanDineOut.org.