In response to President Obama's recent address at American University, Washington, D.C., on the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform, National Restaurant Association (NRA) president and CEO Dawn Sweeney issued the following statement on behalf of the NRA:
"Each day the need for immigration reform becomes clearer, and we commend the President for his commitment and continued leadership. It is absolutely critical for our nation that Congress develop a sensible immigration reform solution.
"Addressing our broken immigration system is an economic necessity for our industry as well as our country. The nation's 945,000 restaurant locations and their millions of employees have much at stake in this debate, and the consequences of failure to find a solution on this vital issue will be severe. The President has been a leading voice working to find a resolution to this crisis, and while significant areas of disagreement exist among advocates, we remain committed to the work ahead.
"We believe that a bipartisan process has the best chance of success, and it is imperative that the Congress continues to work toward a solution. The [NRA] pledges its continued vigorous support of sensible reform that strengthens our borders; provides a way for employers to hire from abroad when U.S. workers are not available; establishes a verification system that is effective, inexpensive and reliable, and does not unfairly penalize employers; and creates a commonsense solution for undocumented workers in the United States."
For more information, visit www.restaurant.org/advocacy/.
Uncommon Ground, a 19-year staple of Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood, recently earned its second 3 Star Certification from the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) for its flagship location on Clark St. Uncommon Ground's Edgewater location earned 3 Star Certification in May.
"For 19 years, we've run a restaurant that continually improves its eco-friendly performance," said co-owner Helen Cameron in a statement. "At a time in history where lots of businesses are making green claims, we're proud to be able to back ours up with a third-party certification that truly means something to our customers."
The interior at Uncommon Ground
According to the GRA's Certification guidelines, 3 Star Certified Green Restaurants must meet a minimum of 175 points within their program by implementing environmental steps that include: sourcing local foods within a 100-mile radius, using reclaimed wood in restaurant décor and furniture, collecting rainwater to water plants, creating recycling and composting programs and incorporating a significant number of vegetarian and vegan menu items. So far, Uncommon Ground in Wrigleyville has earned more than 195 points.
For more information about the GRA's Certification program, visit www.dinegreen.com.
The Austin Business Journal, Austin, Texas, presented its Green Business Award to chef Jimmy Mitchell. Mitchell, formerly of Rainbow Lodge and The Valley Oaks Food and Wine Center at Fetzer Winery, received the award in recognition of his green efforts, "From the Earth to the Table and back to the Earth" restaurant recycling program.
Less than a year ago, Mitchell hung up his toque to open Restaurant Recyclers to help restaurant kitchens in Austin recycle their cardboard, tin, glass and food waste, which he turns into compost. Mitchell says he plans to bring Restaurant Recyclers to Houston within the next 12 months.
For more information about Restaurant Recyclers or chef Mitchell, visit www.restaurantrecyclers.com.
Four of the nation's best pastry chefs have been chosen to compete in the Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie (World Pastry Cup) taking place Jan. 23 and 24, 2011 in Lyon, France.
The newly selected members of Team USA 2011 accept their award.
Team USA is made up of captain Jean-Francois Suteau, executive pastry chef of the Beverly Hills Hotel; Frania Mendivil, executive pastry chef of The Beverly Hilton; Bill Foltz, executive pastry chef of L'Auberge de Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, La.; and alternate Yoni Morales, executive pastry chef of Ark at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
Bill Foltz works on his centerpiece creation.
To make the team, competing chefs had eight hours to prepare combinations of plated desserts, chocolate (or sugar) centerpieces, ice carvings and chocolate entremets. Team USA members were reviewed by a panel of judges including Coupe du Monde founder, master pastry chef Gabriel Paillasson, Ewald Notter, Stéphane Tréand and Kerry Vincent.
"It feels amazing to be selected as captain of the USA team for a competition," said Suteau in a statement. "I know we have a lot of work ahead of us. It's an awesome challenge and I'm ready for it."
Jean Francois Suteau pipes Valrhona chocolate into molds.
The biennial Coupe du Monde is a two-day competition with teams from more than 20 nations vying for a spot in the top three to which medals are awarded.
In the eighth year of the Master Chef Competition at EAT! Vancouver, British Columbia, Nevada Cope bested 16 male chef competitors to become the first-ever female chef winner of the Black Box competition.
Nevada Cope prepares her winning dish during the Master Chef Competition*
Cope and the other chefs had 35 minutes to devise a main course only using items from the Black Box. Cope created her winning dish (pictured, below) using quail, ground pork, chorizo, turnip and Windset Farms Gusto hot peppers. As the overall winner, she received a set of chef's knives provided by Shun and the House of Knives, and a complete set of Dudson China.
Nevada Cope's winning dish: Roasted quail with sunny side up quail egg, butternut squash purée and Grand Marnier demi with sautéed purple kraut and crescent vegetables.*
Cope graduated from the Culinary Arts program at the Art Institute of Vancouver in 2006 and is currently a full-time cook at both the Coast Coal Harbor Hotel and La Vallée at The Executive Hotel.
EAT! Vancouver is Canada's largest food and cooking festival, which saw over 38,000 visitors in 2010. The festival will return to the Vancouver Convention Centre, June 10 to 12, 2011. Visit www.eat-vancouver.com for more information.
*Photos courtesy of Derevko Photography.
On July 17 Farmer Lee Jones of The Chef's Garden and his team will host the 2010 Food and Wine Celebration to support the Veggie U Children's Program. Veggie U is a nonprofit organization at the Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan, Ohio, aiming to combat the rising epidemic of childhood obesity through fostering a connection between educational, nutritional and agricultural goals.
Chefs prepare food at the 2009 Food and Wine Celebration
The Food and Wine Celebration is an annual benefit featuring gourmet cuisine prepared by chefs from all over the country, wines from top vineyards, cooking demonstrations and an exclusive silent auction. It takes place from 5 to 9 p.m. on the grounds of the Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan. For more information, visit www.veggieufoodandwine.com/2010/.
Guests mingle and sample wines during the 2009 Food and Wine Celebration
Chef Mackenzie Arrington, Maine Lobster's Chef of the Year, was selected by governor John Baldacci to represent the state at the sixth annual Great American Seafood Cook-off event in New Orleans on Aug. 7. Arrington is also the chef of Morrison's Maine Course in Portland, Maine.
Arrington (pictured, left) will compete against other top-level chefs from around the country, preparing sustainable seafood dishes for the title of King of American Seafood. As the chefs are asked to use the seafood that best represents their state, Arrington will prepare North Atlantic red crab. His assistant at the cook-off will be his mother, Margaret Salt McLellan, who also is a chef at Morrison's Maine Course.
The Great American Seafood Cook-Off is supported by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association, audited by the National Fisheries Institute and endorsed by the National Restaurant Association. The Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board and the Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) will host the event in conjunction with the Southwest Airlines Gulf Coast Seafood Pavilion during the LRA Foodservice Expo in New Orleans.
Charles Negaro, founder of Chabaso Bakery in New Haven, Conn., will ride in the 31st annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge on Aug. 7 and 8 to benefit cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The Pan-Mass, also called the Jimmy Fund, is a three-day, long-distance cycling event that has raised more money than any other athletic fundraiser in the country.
Charles Negaro trains for his Aug. 7 ride for charity
Negaro, who will be 69 when he rides this year, participated for the first time six years ago and repeated the effort three years in a row. "A very close friend of my family had been diagnosed with cancer," he said in a statement, "and her treatment was centered on the Dana-Farber Institute. The care she received for more than eight years until her death was effective, extraordinarily warm and compassionate. It provided her with a rewarding quality of life through those years, and provided her family and friends with the value of her treasured presence every day."
Chabaso Bakery also is a sponsor of the event and will provide more than 2,000 Roasted Garlic Stix and 1,000 Olive Oil Ciabatta Stix to the pre-race dinner ceremonies. An additional 3,000 Stix products will be used for sandwiches the following day during the event.
For more information about the Pan-Mass Challenge, visit www.pmc.org.
Two out of every five children in the United States (40.7 percent) between the ages of 5 and 13 are currently obese or overweight, according to research by the Datamonitor Group. That number is expected to reach 43.4 percent by 2014.
According to the 2008 National Poll on Children's Health, 30 percent of parents with overweight or obese children do not set limits on TV, video games or computer games for their kids. Parents of overweight or obese children were also more likely to rate neighborhood safety and lack of opportunities for physical activity as top health concerns for kids. Additionally, research shows that children in the Americas between 5 and 13 consume confectionary snacks at more than twice the rate of the overall population (per capita).
Datamonitor is a provider of independent data, analysis and opinion across industries that include consumer markets, healthcare and sourcing. For more information, visit www.datamonitor.com.
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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.
In response to President Obama's recent address at American University, Washington, D.C., on the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform, National Restaurant Association (NRA) president and CEO Dawn Sweeney issued the following statement on behalf of the NRA:
