Elizabeth (Beth) Johnson has joined the National Restaurant Association as executive vice president for public affairs. She most recently served as acting undersecretary for food safety at the USDA.
Johnson assumes a key leadership role for an association representing the nation's second largest private sector employer, an industry with more than 13.1 million jobs, nearly one million restaurant and foodservice locations, and generating annual sales of more than $558 billion. In her new position, Johnson will oversee government affairs, public policy and communications for the 89-year-old organization.
In addition to her service as acting undersecretary for food safety, Johnson, a registered dietitian, was deputy chief of staff and senior advisor at the USDA. She joined the department in 2002 after nearly four years at Fleishman-Hillard Inc., where she was a vice president with clients in the food and agriculture arena. Her previous experiences include positions as a senior professional staff member at the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; a nutritionist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and a research dietitian at USDA. Johnson also worked at the National Cattlemen’s Association as associate director for food policy.
Johnson holds a BS in Dietetics from Ball State University and an MS in Nutrition from the University of Maryland.
Dorthe J. Schechter passed away Nov. 29, after a two-year battle with breast cancer. She was marketing manager at Norseland Inc. for 7 years and managed the Norseland partner brands, like Jarlsburg and Boursin. Dorthe's career in the specialty cheese industry spanned more than 20 years, working at both Arla and Tholstrup prior to Norseland. She leaves behind her loving, Jay, and daughters Anneka and Katrine. For those who wish to make a donation in remembrance, Dorthe and her family did much to support the Breast Cancer Research Fund. Please check "yes" where the site says "I am making this donation as a tribute."
In 2009, some of the nation's most recognized chefs will once again band together on a national tour to fight childhood hunger in America. Share Our Strength's A Tasteful Pursuit, presented by Lexus, a national touring dinner series, will make stops in the nation’s top culinary cities. The series will launch on Jan. 26, 2009, at the prestigious Lever House in New York City. Other tour stops include Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Cleveland, Dallas, Nashville and Palm Beach. Funds raised from the dinner will support Share Our Strength, a national organization working to make sure no kid in America grows up hungry.
A Tasteful Pursuit's founding chef and now the executive chef of the Lever House, Bradford Thompson, will be this year’s national spokesperson. Thompson will participate in events throughout the season. An award-winning chef and a strong advocate for Share Our Strength, he has been honored as one of Food & Wine Magazine's Best New Chefs of 2004, and was the recipient of the prestigious James Beard Award: Best Chef Southwest in 2006. In 2005, Share Our Strength honored him as its Outstanding Chef of 2005, for his extraordinary contributions to Share Our Strength and his efforts to ending childhood hunger in his community.
The 2009 tour features chefs from across the nation, including:
- Daniel Boulud, Café Boulud, Palm Beach, Fla.
- Charlie Palmer, Charlie Palmer Steak, Washington, D.C.
- Terrance Brennan, Artisanal Bistro, New York City
- Stephan Pyles, Stephan Pyles Restaurant, Dallas
- Michael Symon, Lola Bistro, Cleveland, Ohio
- Jacques Torres, Jacques Torres Chocolates, New York City
- Tyler Brown, The Capitol Grille at The Hermitage Hotel, Nashville, Tenn.
- Jody Adams, Rialto, Boston
- Gordon Hamersley, Hamersley's Bistro, Boston
- R.J. Cooper, Vidalia, Washington, D.C.
- Michel Richard, Citronelle, Washington, D.C.
For information on upcoming events, visit www.ATastefulPursuit.org.
The competition is underway again to honor companies and chefs among the foodservice industry’s top produce performers in the United Fresh Research and Education Foundation’s Produce Excellence in Foodservice Awards, sponsored by Pro*Act.
Winners will be honored in each of five business categories: Fine Dining Restaurants, Casual and Family Dining Restaurants, Quick Serve Restaurants, Business in Industry/Colleges and Hotels/Healthcare Operations. Nominations must be submitted before Feb. 15, 2009, and a nomination form is available online at theUnited Fresh Produce Association Web site.
Either individual chefs or companies can be nominated. Winners will be selected based on examples of how nominees incorporate fresh produce into menu development, use protocols for correct storage and handling of produce, and build an overall positive dining experience featuring fresh produce. Winners will be selected by a panel of United Fresh member representatives focused on excellence in the foodservice sector.
The five winning chefs and their corporate executives will receive complimentary airfare, two nights hotel accommodations and registrations to the United Fresh show, April 21 to 24, 2009, in Las Vegas. The winners will receive their awards at the Annual Awards Banquet Thursday evening, April 23. The chefs will also participate in United Fresh’s convention education program to share their views on produce trends in foodservice.
This news item was mentioned in People & Places (page 8) of the February 2009 issue of Chef Magazine.
The National Restaurant Association's (NRA) "What's Hot in 2009" survey of American Culinary Federation chefs is the industry's leading culinary forecast. This marks the third annual survey of ACF chefs. More than 1,600 professional chefs nationwide ranked nearly 210 culinary items as a "hot trend," "yesterday's news" or "perennial favorite."
The full survey can be viewed here, but the top 20 are listed below.
What’s Hot: Top 20 Trends
1. Locally grown produce
2. Bite-size/mini desserts
3. Organic produce
4. Nutritionally balanced children's dishes
5. New/fabricated cuts of meat (e.g. Denver steak, pork flat iron, bone-in Tuscan veal chop)
6. Fruit/vegetable children's side items
7. Superfruits (e.g. acai, goji berry, mangosteen)
8. Small plates/tapas/mezze/dim sum
9. Micro-distilled/artisan liquor
10. Sustainable seafood
11. Nutrition/health (e.g. low-fat, reduced sodium, antioxidants, high-fiber)
12. Gluten-free/food allergy conscious
13. Non-traditional fish (e.g. branzino, Arctic char, barramundi)
14. Artisanal cheeses
15. Exotic fruit (e.g. durian, passion fruit, dragon fruit, guava)
16. Culinary cocktails (e.g. savory, customized to specific dishes)
17. Micro-vegetables/micro-greens
18. Organic wine
19. Dessert flights/combos/platters
20. Free-range poultry/pork
In your opinion, what food trends will be hot in 2009? Tell us about it in the comments section.
Chefs Collaborative, a group that champions local and sustainable food, has named Bruce Sherman, chef/partner of North Pond restaurant in Chicago, as chair of its Board of Overseers. Sherman, who has served on the board since 2005, brings extraordinary talent and commitment to his new role. Sherman was honored by Food & Wine as one of America’s “Best New Chefs” of 2003; and in both 2007 and 2008, he was nominated by the James Beard Foundation in the “Best Chef: Great Lakes Region” category. In 2008, Share Our Strength named him “Most Sustainable Chef” at the Chicago Taste of the Nation event.
The Chefs Collaborative board has also appointed two new members. Thom Fox is executive chef of Acme Chophouse in San Francisco, a restaurant that highlights his passion for local and sustainable ingredients. Chad Pawlak is president of Grass Point Farms, in Thorp, Wis., the first and only nationally distributed grass-fed dairy company.
The Uncle Ben’s Kids Cafe opened at the Marillac Social Center Sept. 9 in Chicago. The Marillac Kids Cafe, which aims to serve 12,000 meals to children each year, is part of a multiyear partnership between Uncle Ben’s and Feeding America, the nation’s largest charitable hunger relief organization. Rick Bayless, chef-owner of James Beard award-winning restaurant Frontera Grill, made a special appearance, conducting a cooking lesson and serving food to the 50 children who regularly use the facility.
Nine-year-old Keshawn Tiggs tastes the festive rice salad made by chef Rick Bayless at the Uncle Ben’s Kids Cafe opening at the Marillac Social Center, Chicago.
(Photo credit: Uncle Ben’s/Brian Kersey)
Looking for a green way to increase check averages? Appeal to environmentally conscious customers with the eco-initiative One Bottle = One Tree from Trinity Oaks Vineyards, out of St. Helena, Calif. For every bottle (four glasses) of Trinity Oaks wine sold, the company will plant a tree in collaboration with Trees for the Future. Program support includes the Web site with a rolling ticker of trees planted, a ticker widget adaptable for partner restaurant Web sites, certificates of achievement and corks that display the message, "You just planted a tree." The program runs until June 30, 2009.
This month, Bombay Club in Washington, D.C., is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The restaurant (from restaurateur Ashok Bajaj) is well-known as power-dining location, showcasing authentic Indian fare in the nation's capital. With this important birthday, Bombay Club is unveiling a new 24-seat private dining room and an inviting new bar and lounge, designed by Harry Gregory of London-based ARA Design. A new menu by executive chef Nilesh Singhvi has also been unveiled. Bajaj opened Bombay Club, which is situated steps from the White House, in 1988 as D.C.’s first sophisticated Indian restaurant. Over the years, it has served many presidents, celebrities and dignitaries, including President-elect Barak Obama. (Photo credit: Michael Colella)
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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.
