total food sevice october 2011

88
Pg. 68 // Carlo’s Bakery Pg. 32 // Ocean City BYOB Vote Is Off in NJ for November Pg. 2 // Manhattan Based Zagat Acquired By Google Metro New York’s Foodservice Newspaper • October 2011 • Vol. 21 • No. 5 Barbara Kane Society for Foodservice Management Q&A PAGE 28

Upload: total-food-service

Post on 12-Mar-2016

233 views

Category:

Documents


6 download

DESCRIPTION

Total Food Service's October Issue featuring Buddy Valastro's bakery and an in depth interview with SFM's Barbara Kane.

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Total Food Sevice October 2011

Pg. 68 // Carlo’s Bakery

Pg. 32 // Ocean City BYOB Vote Is Off in NJ for November

Pg. 2 // Manhattan Based Zagat Acquired By Google

Metro New York’s Foodservice Newspaper • October 2011 • Vol. 21 • No. 5

Barbara KaneSociety for Foodservice Management

Q&APAGE

28

Page 2: Total Food Sevice October 2011

2 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

The founders, hus-

band and wife team

Nina and Tim Za-

gat, said they will

remain co-chairs

of the 32-year-old

company and will

use Google’s resources and expertise to

expand. “We are thrilled to see our baby

placed in such good hands and to start

today as official ‘Googlers,’” the found-

ers said in a joint statement.

Local commerce offers services such

as finding a discount from a nearby

store, or a review of a neighborhood

eatery, and the world’s No. 1 search en-

gine plans to compete in this market

against Yelp and OpenTable.

The deal, for which Google did not

provide financial information, gives it

valuable content about restaurants, ho-

tels and nightclubs that can be paired

with its popular online maps and mo-

bile search services. The 32-year-old

Zagat, which polls consumers and com-

piles reviews about restaurants around

the world, will become a cornerstone of

Google’s “local offering,” Google said.

“Google needs to provide more than

just directions to consumers seeking

information about restaurants and

other local businesses,” said Marissa

Mayer, Google’s VP of Local, Maps and

Location services.

“It’s also about getting them a sense

of the place. A sense of what to expect,”

said Mayer. “Zagat reviews, in a few

short lines and a few scores, gives you a

great sense of a place very quickly when

you’re on the go.”

The move is part of Google’s push

to adapt its online services for a world

in which consumers increasingly ac-

cess the Web on mobile phones such

as Apple Inc’s iPhone and rely on social

networking services such as Facebook

to get information from friends.

Last month, Google announced

plans to acquire mobile phone manu-

facturer Motorola Mobility for $12.5

billion. The deal, if approved by regu-

lators, will allow Google to produce its

own line of smartphones based on its

Android software.

“A reasonable person would say that

Google may never beat apple in prod-

uct design by itself. At least not for a

sustainable period of time. But Google

could better integrate content and have

that become another reason to buy

those devices,” said Stifel Nicolaus ana-

lyst Jordan Rohan.

“This underscores Google’s local and

mobile initiatives,” said Brian Pitz, an

analyst at UBS, who expected the ac-

quisition to provide a boost to Google

Maps as customers look for restaurants.

Last year, Google moved Mayer, a top

search executive, to head its local initia-

tives.

Google needs reviews and other con-

tent for its “Google Places” websites, in

part to fend off criticism. It has been ac-

cused of using comments from review

sites such as Yelp, essentially siphoning

off their readers and, more importantly,

their clicks. “Google has toned down its

borrowing of comments recently,” Pitz

said.

The Federal Trade Commission has

been looking into the issue as part of a

broad antitrust investigation, a source

familiar with the probe has said. The

move raises the question of whether the

search giant will start its own restaurant

reservation service, building on exist-

ing ties with restaurants that advertise

on it.

The shares of restaurant-booking

service OpenTable, which also pub-

lishes reviews and ratings, closed down

more than 8 percent at $57.50 on news

of the Google/Zagat deal. OpenTable

is already reeling from financial results

that have disappointed investors this

year and the departure in May of CEO

Jeffrey Jordan, who joined venture-cap-

ital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Jordan

remains chairman.

Pitz said expanding into reservations

would require extra steps such as build-

ing out reservation software and getting

restaurants to install it, as well as building

different relationships with the restau-

Manhattan Based Zagat Acquired By Google Google Inc. bought popular dining ratings authority Zagat, last month with the goal of adding a valuable brand to its content offerings and bolstering its push into the rapidly growing local commerce market.

// NEWS

“Google needs to provide more than just

directions to consumers seeking information

about restaurants and other local businesses. ”

DEALS

Page 3: Total Food Sevice October 2011

3 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Main Office:

282 Railroad Avenue

Greenwich, CT 06830

Publishers:

Leslie & Fred Klashman

Advertising Director:

Michael Scinto

Creative Director:

Ross Moody

Phone: 203.661.9090

Fax: 203.661.9325

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.totalfood.com

Total Food Service ISSN No. 1060-8966 is published monthly by IDA Publishing, Inc., 282 Railroad Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830. Phone: 203.661.9090. This issue copyright 2011 by IDA Publishing Inc. Contents in full or part may not be reproduced without permission. Not responsible for advertisers claims or statements.Periodicals Postage paid at the post office, Greenwich, CT and additional mailing offices. Additional entry at the post office in Pittsburg, PA. Subscription rate in USA is $36 per year; single copy; $3.00. Postmaster: Send address changes to Total Food Service,

P.O. Box 2507, Greenwich, CT 06836

rants. “It’s apples and oranges,” he said.

Zagat gave Google a tongue-in-cheek

rating on its home page recently, award-

ing the Internet company a maximum

30-point rating for its “local, social, mo-

bile and usefulness” categories. Indus-

try analysts regard the local, social and

mobile markets as some of the fastest-

growing areas of the technology sector.

Zagat enlisted Goldman Sachs to ex-

plore a sale as early as 2008, although

no buyers emerged in the middle of a

recession. The company might fetch as

much as $200 million, it was reported at

the time.

In late 2009 Google was in talks to ac-

quire Yelp for at least $500 million, ac-

cording to news reports at the time, but

the deal fell apart. This “iconic” pub-

lisher of restaurant reviews is “trusted”

and “well-loved” by foodies. Customers

love its “ability to innovate” and gush

over its “tremendous insight.”

BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis said

the purchase was smart. He said Zagat

is like the little brother of Yelp, the lead-

ing online review site and a pioneer in

a space that was founded in 2004. Za-

gat, based in Manahttan, covers the Tri-

State area with four different guides.

The Metro New York books include

yearly updates for New York City, New

Jersey, Long Island and Westchester/

Connecticut.

Page 4: Total Food Sevice October 2011

4 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 5: Total Food Sevice October 2011

5 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

The Ledyard, Connecticut-

based gaming facility is

the largest in North Amer-

ica, and the tribe’s debt

restructuring is the highest among In-

dian gaming tribes. Like many tribes,

the Mashantucket Pequots expanded

its casino during the credit bubble.

In April 2008, the tribe announced

plans for a new $700 million resort, the

MGM Grand at Foxwoods. But days

later, Lehman Brothers filed for bank-

ruptcy protection, and like dominoes,

financial institutions crumbled, and

the global economy sank. Struggling

to pay back its highly leveraged debt,

the Mashantucket Pequots reached an

agreement with senior lenders in Jan-

uary 2010 to extend and restructure its

debt forbearance (in which creditors

agree not to press demands for pay-

ments).

“It’s the same old story,” Joseph Kalt,

co-director of the Harvard Project on

American Indian Economic Devel-

opment,” said. “A lot of cash flowing,

tribes investing like mad and then get-

ting hit by the recession.”

Now the Mashantucket Pequot

Tribe hopes that debt can be renegoti-

ated. Under new agreement terms, the

tribe’s $1.5 billion now owed would

be restructured in obligations at fa-

vorable six percent and eight percent

interest rates with a lengthy payment

Foxwoods’ Mashantucket Pequots Near Debt Restructuring DealThe Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation plans to finalize a deal with creditors by the end of 2011 to restructure more than $2 billion in financing related to its Foxwoods Resort Casino and cut the tribe’s debt load by half a billion dollars.

// NEWS DEALS

continued on page 16

Page 6: Total Food Sevice October 2011

6 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

For the sixth year in a

row, the event wel-

comed an incredible

roster of chefs, pas-

try chefs, somme-

liers, mixologists, and

more, for three days

of networking, product demonstra-

tion, and industry exchange. It’s the

6th Annual StarChefs.com Interna-

tional Chefs Congress, an event unlike

any of its kind in the country.

For a professional chef audience,

it’s as important to address the prac-

ticalities of opening a restaurant and

outfitting a kitchen, as it is to discuss

the concepts and techniques that in-

spire industry leaders. And what dif-

ferentiates the ICC from other indus-

try gatherings is its dual emphasis on

the business and creative sides of the

industry. ICC programming spans the

gamut—from Business Seminars and

Main Stage demonstrations to Hands-

On workshops and original competi-

tions—which enables its audience to

encounter product and personality

side by side, in creative tandem.

Each year, the ICC centers on a

theme that pervades the industry,

from the back of the house to the front,

an idea that is as likely to affect multi-

unit concepts and corporate outfits as

it affects a single chef-owned start-up.

In 2009, the ICC tackled the concept of

American Cuisine; in 2010, it asked the

question “What is Creativity—an Art

or a Craft?” And this year, the ICC cen-

tered on a concept that seems at first

glance abstract, but actually goes to

the roots of the practices and profes-

sions of hospitality: The Sixth Sense.

Even if most industry professionals

don’t use the term on a regular basis,

they practice it. The Sixth Sense is sim-

ply that added value that makes hos-

pitality more than mere accommoda-

tion, and cuisine more than satiation.

And while it’s typically associated

with avant-garde chefs and high-tech

equipment, the Sixth Sense isn’t lim-

ited to conceptual or haute cuisine.

It pervades every facet of hospitality;

and the implications for the main-

stream, from products to equipment

and personal expectations, are major.

Keeping up with the tradition of

opening the Congress with a direct

confrontation with the year’s theme,

programming on the ICC Main Stage

launched a keynote discussion on the

Sixth Sense between Kim Severson of

The New York Times and American

culinary trailblazer (and conceptual

magician) Grant Achatz. A roster of

globally influential chefs, pastry chefs,

mixologists, sommeliers, and business

leaders continued the conversation

over the course of the next three days.

StarChefs.com recently launched a

preview of its 2011 ICC programming.

Among this year’s sessions were Chef

continued on page 16

Annual StarChefs.com Congress Set For NYCFrom October 2nd to the 4th, StarChefs.com welcomed more than 3,000 professionals from all corners of the food and beverage industry to the historic Park Avenue Armory.

// NEWS

“Each year, the ICC centers on a theme that

pervades the industry, from the back of the house

to the front, an idea that is as likely to affect

multi-unit concepts and corporate outfits as it

affects a single chef-owned start-up. ”

EVENTS

In his Workshop, “Top Chef All Stars” Richard Blais demonstrated the power of the Jade plancha

Page 7: Total Food Sevice October 2011

7 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 8: Total Food Sevice October 2011

8 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 9: Total Food Sevice October 2011

9 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 10: Total Food Sevice October 2011

10 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

For anyone who has a sense of

how the culinary world oper-

ates, that’s no small feat. Chef

egos can run as bold as their

food and demanding personalities are

an inescapable part the industry.

According to Ivan Ruiz, the founder

and executive director of the festival,

and owner of The Wine List of Summit

retail store downtown, when he started

the event three years ago, it was a tough

sell to lure world-class chefs. “When I

would call, they would say ‘where the hell

is New Jersey” Ruiz said. “They said ‘we

don’t want to come to New Jersey.’ It is a

negative all the way in our industry.”

How then did Ruiz, a self-proclaimed

“wine geek” convince between 34- 48

chefs, 50 Sommeliers and 60 winer-

ies not only to participate, but also to

return year-after-year? “Service,” Ruiz

said. “We have very warm hospitality

for these folks. We treat them well.”

While that may sound trite, service is

an expectation for people who lead the

restaurant industry. The Summit Wine

and Food Festival has become known

as one of the few food festivals that re-

moves the hype from a food and wine

event and focuses on the true gastro-

nomic experience. “We want the focus to

be on the chefs and their food, not on their

restaurant (or anything else),” Ruiz said.

Much of the event’s success has to do

with Ruiz’s own relationship building

and standards for success. A somme-

lier and former restaurateur, Ruiz col-

lected contacts like he collected wine

and he has a strong understanding of

how chefs and wineries can create both

gastronomic and business synergies.

As an equally impressive wine event,

the festival is attended by industry

leading Sommeliers who offer apprais-

als of wines. A positive review from top

Sommeliers can make or break a bud-

ding vintner or help re-establish an exist-

ing one with revamped wines.

The festival then becomes a destina-

tion for wineries that are looking to have

a breakout year. “We tell wineries that

when we bring in their product, it will be

sampled by 50 sommeliers and then we

have 35-40 chefs who also will try their

wine. That’s 85 potential buyers. It would

take them a whole year to visit 85 restau-

rants and they would be lucky to open

three accounts,” Ruiz said.

The three-day festival is a fairly even

blend of wine tastings and demos,

and food demonstrations and com-

petitions. The three-day program was

filled with events that range from the

educational, such as “Think like a Som-

melier,” and “The Art of Blind Tasting,”

to various cooking demos to the main

event of the three days, the “Caja China

Cookout Competition” - a cook-off that

tests chefs ability to roast pork, goat or

lamb, for example, on an open pit.

It portends to be a food and wine

experience like no other. Apparently

word of that reputation is growing as

attendance continues to increase each

year. With just over 2000 attendees last

year, up from 1,600 its inaugural year,

Ruiz welcomed well over 2,000 this year.

And of the 2000 attendees, local at-

tendance is growing as well. Ruiz said

that three years ago, the majority of at-

tendees were from New York. This year

more than 40% of event attendees were

from New Jersey.

That’s a number Ruiz wants to con-

tinue to improve as the reason he start-

ed the festival was to energize Summit

locals and attract new stores to the

downtown. “We started the festival

because we wanted to help Summit,”

Ruiz said. “In 2009 when I walked up

and down (Main Street) with council

members and the mayor, we counted

22 empty storefronts. We asked what

we could do to promote our town.”

That New Jersey emphasis runs

throughout the event. As in years past,

Ruiz donated all event profits to the

Community Food Bank of New Jersey.

Through that relationship, the festival

gives volunteer sous chef opportunities

to students at the Food Service Training

Academy, which provides training and

employment opportunities to individ-

uals in low income communities.

Jersey Chefs Highlight Summit Wine And Food FestivalThe featured 34 chefs, about 20 of who were from New Jersey. When the Summit Wine and Food Festival kicked off last month at the Summit Grand Hotel it represented one of the most prestigious gastronomic festivals on the East coast.

// NEWS

“The festival then becomes a destination for

wineries that are looking to have a breakout year. We

tell wineries that when we bring in their product, it

will be sampled by 50 sommeliers and then we have

35-40 chefs who also will try their wine. “

EVENTS

Page 11: Total Food Sevice October 2011

11 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 12: Total Food Sevice October 2011

12 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

“All of these

new eco-

restaurants

reflect the

brand’s com-

mitment to

social responsibility and sustainabil-

ity,” said Marketing Director Eliza-

beth Stewart, who heads the Subway®

brand’s corporate social responsibility

efforts. “We have made a commitment

to make our restaurants and opera-

tions more environmentally respon-

sible. As the largest franchise chain in

the U.S., we know we can make a real

difference and are working towards

that goal.”

Leading the initiative are a pair of

newly renovated rest areas off the

Merritt Parkway in North Haven, Con-

necticut. They each include a Sub-

way® Eco-Restaurant package with

eco-elements, that operate off of a

light harvesting system through solar

panels, high efficiency air condition-

ing, and they even have environmen-

tally friendly plants that do not require

any water maintenance.

Going green is something franchi-

see Dr. Burhan Ghanayem takes very

seriously. Burhan retired as an environ-

mental health scientist, although his

passion for conservation continues.

Burhan recently opened two Eco-

Restaurants in Cary and Durham,

North Carolina, with his brother Mar-

wan. Both restaurants are recognized

by the U.S. Green Building Council

with Leadership in Energy and Envi-

ronmental Design (LEED) certification.

“I have been a customer of Subway

all my life,” said Burhan, who owns a

total of 10 Subway® restaurants with

his brother. “I love the food and the

freshness. Compare our food to burg-

ers and other fast food restaurants and

ours is a lot healthier.”

Along with the great Customer Ser-

vice experience his restaurants pro-

vide for customers, Burhan says his Eco-

Restaurants are educational as well.

Burham plans to continue building

Eco Subway® restaurants, with two

new locations already on the hori-

zon. “I actually learned so much from

building my first two eco-restaurants

that I want to make my next even

greener,” Burham said. “I really care

about the environment. If we can all

chip in, we can really make a big dif-

ference.”

LEED is a third-party certification

program for the design, construction,

and operation of high performance

green buildings. As part of their Eat

Fresh, Live Green™ initiative, the Sub-

way® brand encourages franchisees

to create Eco-Restaurants when pos-

sible. Many who cannot rebuild their

restaurants are incorporating Green

elements into their stores such as

low flow faucets, energy saving appli-

ances, motion sensor lights, recyclable

trashcans, and more.

George Estep, franchisee of the

newly opened Eco-Restaurant in Ko-

komo, Indiana, constructed a free-

standing drive-thru restaurant en-

tirely from recycled material. Estep’s

// NEWS SUSTAINABILITY

continued on page 40

Connecticut Franchisees Lead Subway Expansion Of Green Units The Subway® restaurant chain announced the opening of five new “Green” Subway® Eco-Restaurants - with more on the way - each designed with environmentally friendly aspects to reduce energy, water, and waste consumption in cost effective ways.

All of these new eco-restaurants reflect

the brand’s commitment to social

responsibility and sustainability.

Franchisees and brothers,

Burhan and Marwan Ghanayem,

stand in front of their new "Eco"

SUBWAY restaurant in Durham,

NC, which has been recognized

by the U.S. Green Building Coun-

cil with Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design (LEED)

certification.

Page 13: Total Food Sevice October 2011

13 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 14: Total Food Sevice October 2011

14 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Her work at the south

St. Louis restaurant,

with chef-owner Kev-

in Willmann, received

numerous accolades

in its first year and a half.

Fitzgerald, 28, has accepted a job

at Westchester Country Club in Rye,

N.Y., where she’ll be assistant pastry

chef. “I just wanted to learn and see

more, to better myself in this indus-

try,” Fitzgerald says, adding that her

time away from St. Louis will be tem-

porary and that she hopes to work

with Willmann again.

Farmhaus manager Eric Scholle

says the feeling is mutual. “Katie has

been an awesome, awesome part

of our team since the beginning,”

Scholle says. “We’re sad to see her go,

but she knows she always has a spot

here when she returns.”

Fitzgerald carved a reputation in

Missouri as more than a pastry chef.

Before dinner service, not only did she

ready desserts and start to get her sta-

tion organized for the next day, she also

helped other cooks break down chick-

ens and prepare pans of roast beef.

Scholle said Willmann and his crew

will pick up where Fitzgerald left off

with desserts, adding that Willmann

created the sweets at his previous res-

taurant, Erato in Edwardsville. And

just in case the Farmhaus crew has

any trouble, Fitzgerald says she threw

them a bone.

“I left them with my recipes to help

them out if they are ever in a bind.”

St. Louis Chef Set For New Pastry Post At Westchester Club

// NEWS PEOPLE

Katie Fitzgerald, the

pastry chef behind

Farmhaus’ fried apple

pie, pecan financier,

strawberry-rhubarb

empanada and other

desserts, is leaving St.

Louis to pursue other

culinary opportunities.

Page 15: Total Food Sevice October 2011

15 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 16: Total Food Sevice October 2011

16 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

time line. The tribe would make pay-

ments over extended periods; some

bondholders would not receive their

dues for up to 18 years.

The Nation has been dealing with

banks and bondholders, including

Bank of America Corp., this summer in

the hopes of sealing the deal. To swim

up their debt waterfall, the Mashan-

tuckets’ restructuring will need ma-

jor lenders to extend a total of $650

million in loans previously used as a

credit line. Meanwhile, senior bond-

holders would continue a $550 mil-

lion investment over 13 years, costing

some bondholders 65 percent of their

investment under the deal.

Other bondholders would take a 28

percent reduction in their original in-

vestment. These tiers of bondholders

would receive a security that could po-

tentially lead to additional payments

should Foxwoods’ business pick up.

The Malaysian company KienHuat,

which provided the Mashantucket Pe-

quots with their initial loan to build

Foxwoods, would receive $21 million

in the deal. But the Mashantuckets

seek to stop its $8 million yearly pay-

outs to KienHuat.

The casino’s business is also report-

edly improving since the November

appointment of chief executive Scott

Butera, widely anointed as a “turn-

around artist” for his role in leading

Las Vegas-based Tropicana Entertain-

ment, which owns nine casinos in

five states, on a restructuring of its fi-

nances and operations. Butera helped

rescue the company from Chapter 11

bankruptcy in March 2010.

Still, Standard & Poor rated the

Mashantuckets’ bonds the lowest “D”

rating.

Connecticut’s only other federally

recognized Indian tribe, the Mohegan

Tribe, which operates the Mohegan

Sun, expects to close on a deal to re-

finance some of its $1.6 billion in debt

in the next few months.

Foxwoods, from page 5

StarChefs, from page 6

Mossimo Bottura of innovative Italian

Osteria Francescana, who got to

the roots of his native cuisine, and

New York’s own Daniel Boulud, who

discussed building the charcuterie

program of his epicurean empire on

the Main Stage. Andoni Luis Aduriz

of Spain’s hyper-seasonal Mugaritz

led a Savory Hands-On demo to fol-

low up his Main Stage presentation

on “Feast and Feeling,” while Pastry

Chef and macaroon master Pierre

Hermé did the same in his Pastry

Hands-On workshop.

Beyond the big names them-

selves, workshops at the ICC once

again featured top of the line prod-

ucts. In his Savory Workshop, “Top

Chef All Stars” winner Richard Blais

demonstrated the power of the Jade

plancha; bread-obsessed Pastry

Chef Timothy Healea used a Bax-

ter Hybrid Convection Oven in his

bread workshop; Jonathan Benno

of Lincoln used the Blodgett Combi

Oven and sous vide to fuse dispa-

rate proteins; Aki Kamozawa and

Alex Talbot of Ideas in Food applied

their hyper-analysis to the art and

craft of sous vide with Poly Science

immersion circulators; Ralph Per-

azzo of Clio using Carpigiani took

soft serve, the pastry surprise of

2011, to another level; Craig Hop-

son of Le Cirque showcased Meat

& Livestock Australia’s Wagyu with

the CVap; and “Top Chef” winner

Stephanie Izard of Girl & the Goat

played with the latest refrigerated

charcuterie table from Unified

Brands.

MIX@ICC, StarChefs.com’s mix-

ology program at the Congress,

once again featured top talent from

Page 17: Total Food Sevice October 2011

17 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

behind the bar, which presented

topics and tools at the forefront of

mixology, with an emphasis on the

ICC theme. Mixology-godmoth-

er Audrey Saunders led a female

foursome on the topic of the Sixth

Sense value of the female impact

on the industry.

Crush@ICC featured seminars

led by the likes of Francois Charti-

er, who presented on his chemical-

compound-matching pairing tech-

nique (crystallized in Taste buds

and Molecules). And Master Som-

melier Fred Dexheimer, Cicerone

(Beer Sommelier) Michael McAv-

ena, and Chef Adam Fleischman

determined what pairs better with

a classic burger: champagne or

beer.

The 2011 ICC also marks the sec-

ond year of StarChefs.com’s origi-

nal competitions, the Somm Slam

and the StarChefs.com Interna-

tional Pastry Competition. Hosted

by Fred Dexheimer, the wine pair-

ing battle once again featured

eight sommeliers from around the

country, pairing Artisan Wisconsin

Cheese, and then cuisine from this

year’s featured chefs with a limited

cabinet of wines, which included

wines provided by Wine Australia.

And the 2nd Annual StarChefs.com

International Pastry Competition,

presented by PreGel, pitted pastry

chefs from across the country in a

four day battle that was uniquely

geared around the skills of the res-

taurant pastry chef. Last year’s in-

augural winner, Pastry Chef Ron

Paprocki of Gordon Ramsay at

The London, returned as a judge,

alongside Pierre Hermé, Eliza-

beth Faulkner, David Burke, Cur-

tis Duffy, François Payard, Claudia

Fleming, and Jeffrey Steingarten.

And a program of targeted Busi-

ness Seminars addressed details,

victories, and defeats behind-the-

scenes. Topics this year ranged

from a social media seminar featur-

ing Amanda Hesser of Food52.com,

a discussion on the Sixth Sense and

Kitchen Design with Jimi Yui of

YuiDesign, and a seminar on “Ho-

listic Hospitality” in Hotel Design

and Service with hospitality expert

Elizabeth Blau of Blau & Associates.

In between sessions, attendees

were able to stroll the ICC Products

Fair, which ran all day long and fea-

tured products and equipment that

led the industry in the coming year.

Page 18: Total Food Sevice October 2011

18 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Celebrated Philadelphia Chef/Restaurateur Returns To His Alma Mater

Scoop hears that Jeff Michaud, ex-

ecutive chef and co-owner of Phila-

delphia’s Osteria and Amis restau-

rants, challenged graduates of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA)

to always learn and pursue new expe-

riences. Michaud was a recent com-

mencement speaker at the CIA’s Hyde

Park, NY campus. If you think you’ve

learned everything, you have chosen

the wrong profession. Someone will

always be better, faster, smarter, and

more creative than you,” Michaud

told 61 recipients of associate degrees

in culinary arts and baking and pastry

arts. “Learn from them to better your-

self. Even the greatest chefs continue

to learn from each other.” A 1998 CIA

graduate, Michaud worked in Aspen

after completing his CIA studies be-

fore becoming sous chef under Phila-

delphia chef Marc Vetri, who would

later become his business partner.

Discovering a love for Italian cuisine,

Michaud spent three years gaining

additional experience in restaurants

in Italy. “You can’t be afraid to travel

and move away from home. Go out

into the world and experience what

is out there,” the Nashua, NH native

advised his newest fellow CIA alumni.

“Take the knowledge and experience

from the years you put in - then forget

all of that and start cooking from your

heart. Food made with heart and soul

is extraordinary.” Following his own

advice, Jeff Michaud won the James

Beard Foundation Award as Best Chef:

Mid-Atlantic in 2010, and this year,

Philadelphia magazine named him

“Best Chef in Philly.” In addition to

his successful restaurants, Michaud is

active in the effort to develop healthy

lifestyles and eating habits among chil-

dren, serving on the board of directors

of the Vetri Foundation for Children.

Bake With Jersey Cake Boss’ Buddy Valastro

Scoop hears that Buddy Valas-tro, a.k.a. the “Cake Boss,” is coming

to Staten Island on Nov. 2 at the St. George Theater to kick off his road

tour. Valastro, a fourth-generation

baker from Hoboken, is a master

baker and owner of a family-run busi-

ness, Carlo’s Bake Shop. Buddy’s also

the star of several reality shows - Cake

Boss, Kitchen Boss and Next Great Baker, to name a few. He strikes a

chord with viewers because he seems

unpretentious, very family-oriented

and approachable, a craftsman who’s

a hard worker, but a regular guy who

knows how to have fun. Among Va-

lasatro’s biggest fans in the borough

are 8-year-old twins Carmelina and Caterina Pica of Randall Manor. “I

think Buddy is very funny and very

creative,” Catarina said. “He makes

amazing cakes and some are very,

very tall and big,” her sister added. We

recently gave the twins an advance

copy of Valastro’s book, “Baking with the Cake Boss” (Free Press), due out

in November, and let them test drive

a recipe or two. The book walks the

reader through Valastro’s career, gives

us non-professionals a “pep talk” and

sets us on a kitchen tour, telling how to

create the right environment at home

for some serious baking. Recipes start

// SCOOP INSIDER NEWS FROM METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE SCENE

Jeff Michaud speaking at The Culinary Institute of America on August 19, 2011.

Buddy Valastro is taking his show on the road. He was joined recently by ITW’s Tom Szafranski(L) and Michael Posternak of PBAC to celebrate his new Jersey City facility.

Page 19: Total Food Sevice October 2011

19 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

with a basic butter cookie recipe and

work up to donuts, pies, cakes and

cupcakes. The book is illustrated and

includes step-by-step photos. What

recipes would Buddy recommend

to young bakers looking to tackle his

book? “We do a mean Double Choco-

late Chip-Chocolate cookie. I mean,

who doesn’t like chocolate?” Valastro

answered. “As for a cake one, probably

just start with our basic vanilla cake.

U.S. Foodservice Donates During Hunger Month

Scoop notes that U.S. Foodservice

is raising awareness as they took ac-

tion to fight hunger in America last

month during Hunger Action Month. Several U.S. Foodservice-sponsored

activities were underway nationally

and in local divisions, which included:

The U.S. Foodservice-Atlanta divi-sion donated $25,000 to the Atlanta Community Food Bank from a re-

cent employee fundraising drive. The

Knoxville, Tennessee, division do-

nated more than 52,000 pounds of

food to Second Harvest Food Bank. The Fort Mill, South Carolina, division

donated a refrigerated van to Char-lotte, North Carolina’s, Second Har-vest Food Bank. U.S. Foodservice also

recently donated 25,000 pounds of

food to two Chicago-area food banks.

The donation was part of the com-

pany’s annual “Winning Weigh Chal-lenge,” which matches the pounds

lost by employees in food donations.”

Hunger Action Month is an oppor-

tunity to call attention to the issue of

hunger in America,” says Dave Esler, chief human resources officer, U.S.

Foodservice. “Our support of Hunger

Action Month is part of U.S. Foodser-

vice’s longstanding commitment to

strengthening communities and im-

proving lives.

Magnum® Ice Cream Continues To Take The New York Fashion World By Storm

Scoop notes - it has graced the fash-

ion pages, appeared alongside the

world’s hottest celebrities and became

a fixture among the fashion elite. Now

Magnum® Ice Cream, the super-pre-

mium ice cream synonymous with in-

dulgent pleasure, inspired the palates

of the world’s top trendsetters during

the fall’s biggest fashion event in New York. Last month Magnum Ice Cream

bars appeared at three fashion hot

spots, including: The Independent Fashion Blogger Conference, hosted

by the Independent Fashion Blog-

gers Network, where the industry’s

top fashion bloggers gathered inside

the renowned Milk Studios in New York’s Meatpacking District. Guests

stopped by the ultra-luxe Magnum & Manicures Lounge to be treated

to more than just an ice cream bar: a

custom-designed manicure inspired

by nail designer-to-the-stars, Lisa Lo-

gan, who has created two unique nail

treatments inspired by Magnum spe-

cially for the attendees. These custom

manicures were shared with Magnum

fans on Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

Lounge visitors also had the opportu-

nity to freshen up their tips at the DIY

nail bar while snacking on a treat from

the world’s most luxurious ice cream

brand. The “V Magazine” Black and White Ball, a celebration of the pub-

lication’s landmark Elizabeth Taylor - themed editorial from its September

issue, Magnum offered hundreds of

the biggest names in fashion, media

and entertainment the opportunity

to indulge in Magnum Ice Cream bars

and Magnum-inspired signature cock-

tail. “After the extraordinary reception

Magnum Ice Cream received from

fashion influencers during the Tribeca Film Festival in April, we were excited

to capture the attention of the fashion

world on its biggest stage,” said Mike Hurley, Senior Brand Manager for

Magnum Ice Cream. “As a luxurious,

indulgent treat, Magnum Ice Cream

has been embraced by our stylish fans

as the sweetest fashion accessory of

the season.”

NJPlacesToEat.com Launches New Garden State Restaurant Dining Guide

Scoop notes that a new website

launched gives New Jersey restaurant

owners a way to find new customers.

Getting listed in this restaurant direc-

tory is easy, simple, and affordable. It’s

CONNECTICUTNEW YORK

NEW JERSEY

• 181 Marsh Hill Road• 1966 Broadhollow Road • 720 Stewart Avenue• 43-40 57th Avenue• 515 Broadhollow Road• 1335 Lakeland Avenue• 650 S. Columbus Avenue• 1050 T.Busch Mem Hwy• 777 Secaucus Road• 45 East Wesley Street• 140 South Avenue• 1135 Springfield Road

• Orange, CT 06477• Farmingdale, NY 11735• Garden City, NY 11530• Maspeth, NY 11378• Melville, NY 11747• Bohemia, NY 11716• Mt. Vernon, NY 10550• Pennsauken, NJ 08110• Secaucus, NJ 07094• S. Hackensack, NJ 07606• South Plainfield, NJ 07080• Union, NJ 07083

• 203-795-9900• 718-707-9330• 631-752-3900• 516-794-9200• 631-752-3900• 631-218-1818• 914-665-6868• 856-488-4288• 908-791-2740• 201-601-4755• 201-996-1991• 908-964-5544

continued on page 42

Page 20: Total Food Sevice October 2011

20 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 21: Total Food Sevice October 2011

21 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 22: Total Food Sevice October 2011

22 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

// NEWS CHARITY

Cafe Chef Kate Orlando, of Dartcor,

the food service provider for Park Av-

enue at Morris County office campus,

challenged the award-winning Chef

James Laird, owner of Restaurant Sere-

nade in Chatham, to a throw down-style

cook-off—where a winner was not de-

termined—to benefit the Community

FoodBank of New Jersey.

“The campus at Park Avenue at Morris

County, six buildings that total 1.2-mil-

lion square feet, is considered trophy

quality property,” said Sam Buckley, se-

nior vice president for leasing agent CB

Richard Ellis.

“One of the things we do is make

things lively for the tenants by trying

to give back to the community,” Buck-

ley said. “How do you give back? Make

it interesting to come to work. Provide

amenities that attract people. This event

is for the FoodBank of New Jersey.”

Tickets to the challenge were avail-

able to all Park Avenue tenants.

“Chef Kate runs three cafeterias in

Park Avenue,” Buckley noted. “She

works for Dartcor Food Service, argu-

ably the best. The diversity she’s capable

of is simply incredible.”

Orlando, popularly known as Chef

Kate, began her career in food service

more than 25 years ago.

“I love good food. Growing up, my

mom did all the cooking,” she said. “I

knew I wanted to be in this business. I

was at Fairleigh Dickenson University

in Madison and worked at the Madison

Hotel. I went to the New York Restau-

rant School, which was part of the New

School a long time ago.”

Chef Kate has been with Dartcor for

more than seven years now. “We do

events for 2,500 people, cooking for the

masses,” she said. “I have a good team.”

Last month’s event was Chef Kate’s

first cook-off challenge.

She chose Laird as her opponent.

Jersey Chefs Go To Battle To Benefit Food Bank CharityDueling chefs battled on last month in the atrium of Park Avenue at Morris County in Florham Park.

continued on page 24

From left: Rich Uniacke, Community FoodBank of NJ; Greg Barkan, CB Richard Ellis; Chef James Laird, Restaurant Serenade; Michael Frodella, Park Avenue Club; Chef Kate Orlando,

Dartcor; Sam Buckley, CB Richard Ellis.

Page 23: Total Food Sevice October 2011

23 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 24: Total Food Sevice October 2011

24 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Laird worked in France and Italy, trained

at the Culinary Institute of America, and

held positions at restaurants such as The

River Café, Aureole and Ryland Inn. He

opened his own seasonal restaurant 15

years ago with his wife, Nancy. “I started

it when I was 10,” he said, jokingly.

Michael Frodella, a former restaura-

teur in Fairfield, served as the emcee

for the challenge. He is the executive

director of the Park Avenue Club, a pri-

vate dining club on the property whose

proceeds support 11 charities. The ac-

tual property on which the campus was

built has an interesting history, accord-

ing to Marketing Administrator Marga-

ret O’Keefe.

“This area was a farm owned by the

Sisters of Charity,” O’Keefe said. “Our

building was the original barn, which

was turned into the Park Avenue Club.

Thirty percent of the club’s membership

is concentrated in this office park.”

Three official judges were invited

to the challenge: Teresa Politano, resi-

dent critic for The Star-Ledger, Inside

Jersey Magazine and author of “Celeb-

rity Chefs of New Jersey,” which shares

stories of 22 top chefs, published in fall

2010 by Rutgers University Press.

Nate Pugliese, branch manager and

registered principal of Ameriprise Fi-

nancial, was a second judge. “We’re a

new tenant in the park,” Pugliese said.

“My girlfriend is an avid cook. You will

find my feedback very simple.”

Judi Rothenberg, lifestyle editor at NJ

Savvy Living, was the third judge. “I do a

little bit of food,” she said, “but I’m not a

restaurant reviewer.”

At 11:30 am, approximately 50 people

were seated at tables around the food

station, while many observers watched

from the wings. Buckley opened with an

introduction.

“Kate Orlando feeds 2,000 people

per day,” he said. “Chef James Laird has

been seen on Martha Stewart. Thanks

for coming. We’re going to have some

fun today.”

The challenge involved preparing a

dish using fresh salmon paired with lo-

cal ingredients. The chefs worked side-

by-side at a cooking station set up in the

center of the atrium.

Laird made a tomato salad with wa-

termelon and basil, using wild salmon.

Chef Kate made salmon and goat cheese

“truffles” on fried green tomatoes with

corn relish, using farm-raised salmon.

There was no winner—at least be-

tween the chefs. The point was to savor

the experience. However, thanks to the

event, The Community FoodBank of

New Jersey became the day’s winner,

receiving $2,000 in proceeds through

the campus ownership and individual

donations.

How do you give back? Make it

interesting to come to work. Provide

amenities that attract people. This event

is for the FoodBank of New Jersey.

Jersey Chefs, from page 22

Page 25: Total Food Sevice October 2011

25 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 26: Total Food Sevice October 2011

26 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

// NEWS EDUCATION

continued on page 40

The Culinary Institute of

America has announced the

creation of a new organiza-

tion within the college, the

Industry Leadership and Advance-

ment Division; to integrate the CIA’s

thought leadership and institutional

support initiatives. Co-led by Victor

Gielisse and Greg Drescher, the divi-

sion will be responsible for CIA in-

dustry leadership, corporate relations,

alumni relations, strategic partner-

ships, conferences, new media, and

consulting services.

“At a time of major changes within

our country and the food world we

serve, this new organization will bring

attention to the innovative programs

and thought leadership the CIA pro-

vides,” said Dr. Tim Ryan, president of

the CIA. “The Industry Leadership &

Advancement Division will more fully

demonstrate how CIA teaching and

research add tremendous value to our

industry and society.”

Victor Gielisse will serve as the Vice

President - Advancement & Business

Development for the new division. He

formerly served as associate vice presi-

dent for business development for the

college, where he directed the college’s

relationship within the food service

industry for business development

and consulting. Earlier he served as

the CIA’s dean of culinary, baking, and

pastry studies for the college’s degree

programs. Gielisse is one of 66 Certi-

fied Master Chefs (CMC) in the United

States, and holds a Bachelor of Science

Degree, a Master of Business Adminis-

tration (MBA), and a Doctorate in Busi-

ness Administration (DBA) from The

School of Administration and Manage-

ment of California Coast University.

Greg Drescher will serve in the newly

created role of Vice President - Strate-

gic Initiatives & Industry Leadership. In

his previous role as executive director

of strategic initiatives, he was respon-

Ryan Launches New Industry Leadership Division At CIAThe Culinary Institute of America has announced the creation of a new organization

within the college, the Industry Leadership and Advancement Division; to integrate

the CIA’s thought leadership and institutional support initiatives.

Page 27: Total Food Sevice October 2011

27 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Represented in Metro New York by: DMM Enterprises 111 Leunig Street South Hackensack, NJ 07606 800.243.8366 www.dmmreps.com

Page 28: Total Food Sevice October 2011

28 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

How did you get into the Foodservice Industry?I’ve always been in the hospitality in-

dustry; starting my career with Marri-

ott Hotels and moving from operations

into the supplier side of the business.

The operations experience gave me a

great perspective on how to meet the

needs of our customers. Like many in

our industry, I also changed jobs but

stayed in the business. Starting my ca-

reer at Sara Lee I learned the nuances

of coffee and then came to Ecolab to

learn about cockroaches! Needless

to say it was never boring. Staying in

foodservice for 26 years is based on

the passion we “foodies” have for our

industry. There are unique challenges

associated with foodservice that can’t

be found in any other industry. It’s

those challenges that make our indus-

try interesting!

What is your agenda and priorities for your term as incoming president of SFM?The overarching goal is to create value

for our members. Value may be differ-

ent for each member so we will focus

on building quality programming that

mixes old with new; whether it’s tech-

nology, networking or membership.

The key is to pull from the collective

energy and synergy which comes from

our members shared and mutual in-

terests and needs.

Another priority is to utilize a vari-

ety of public relation efforts to let the

foodservice industry as a whole know

about SFM and the great work they do

to educate and connect its members.

What does SFM bring to its members?SFM brings its members a unique op-

portunity to learn about our industry

through educational content and net-

working with other on-site foodser-

vice professionals.

We offer a variety of Opportunities

to share mutual challenges and work

as a team to explore a rapidly evolv-

ing business segment, onsite dining.

Members can utilize our national

conference, critical issues conference,

regional/local networking events and

our new website (offering commu-

nities for all members and a Body of

Knowledge section) offer a broader

spectrum of what’s going on in the in-

dustry.

What are your goals for the upcoming conference in Philadelphia?The goal for me personally is to lis-

ten and learn, meet as many people

as possible and truly understand the

needs of the members. As President-

elect this will help establish the foun-

dation for the future, while welcom-

ing the new, thanking those who have

been there from the beginning and

solicit as much feedback as possible.

At each conference I always set a goal

to meet at least 20 new people, intro-

duce half of those to other members,

Barbara Kane, PresidentSociety for Foodservice ManagementBarbara Kane, President of the Society for Foodservice Management (SFM) sat down with Total Food Service to discuss her extensive career in Foodservice and some of the major changes going on in the industry.

// Q&A

Page 29: Total Food Sevice October 2011

29 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

and solve at least one current issue a

customer is experiencing.

What are the major changes that you have seen in the industry?There are so many major changes that

the B&I industry has seen in the past

10 years, but the evolving role of the

client liaison seems to be the most

impactful. Client Liaisons no longer

manage just the foodservice aspect

of their corporations. Many have in-

creased their role to include functions

such as media and AV, conference cen-

ter operations and mailroom manage-

ment. SFM therefore must evolve with

the roles of the client liaison and in-

crease our offerings to include these

different functions.

From an Association perspective I

would have to say the changes in in-

formation is sharing through technol-

ogy. In a challenging economy this

is even more important. We need to

adapt so all members have availability

to programming both in-person and

virally. The Associations that make

these changes will flourish, those that

don’t will struggle. SFM understands

the importance of diverse delivery of

content and will stay strong and con-

tinue to grow.

What are some of the common goals shared by Ecolab and SFM?Ecolab and the Society for Foodservice

Management are both organizations

with strong, diverse and passionate

cultures. They share many common

goals. Both strive to provide profes-

sional development for associates/

members through collaboration, re-

search and education. Both organi-

zations appreciate innovation and

encourage creativity. Ecolab and SFM

both care about providing value and

want to deliver the best possible expe-

rience for those they serve. There is a

strong sense of pride within both or-

ganizations, and a commitment to en-

suring that the services and products

offered contribute to the best possible

solution.

B&I seems to battle through the con-cept of “self-operated” and contracted operations... what role does each of them play?In today’s world every function of an

organization explores the trade-off of

“outsource versus insource.” Our goal

is to help all members come together

and explore the trade-offs of each.

Each member organization must do

what is best for them individually. Our

goal at SFM is to offer the tools mem-

bers need to educate both self-oper-

ators and contractors on all industry

information.

I am sure many may wonder, with an

associate member as President, how

I might view this area. I come from a

unique position in that Ecolab does

not ask for a decision to insource ver-

sus outsource. Therefore I hope to

bring neutrality to this subject and yet

create a forum to explore the consid-

erations.

Great lineup of award winners at this year’s conference, what are your thoughts on some of their accomplish-ments?I say the same thing every year, but

it’s true. We are blessed with a base of

members that truly believe in giving

back to the Association and this year

is no different. Our Spirit Award win-

ner is Damian Monticello with Blue

Cross Blue Shield of Florida. Damian

has been on our Conference Planning

Committee the past two years and will

step into the role of Conference Chair

next year in Las Vegas. He is a chef and

is also trained in event planning, so it

was a natural fit for him. His enthusi-

asm for SFM is contagious!

Andrew Shakman, President of Lean-

Path, is the recipient of the Leadership

Award. The Directors’ Award for Lead-

ership recognizes an individual whose

work on behalf of SFM and the on-

site foodservice industry has resulted

in the demonstration of outstanding

leadership qualities. The Bob Pacifico

Award is a fairly new award within SFM

(this is our 5th winner) that recognizes

an Associate Member. This year’s win-

ner is Jerry White with Plate Magazine.

Jerry has won many SFM awards over

the years, but this one holds a special

place in the hearts of anyone that was

blessed to have known Bob. Jerry fol-

lows other industry greats such as Rod

Collins, Dick Hynes, Scott Siers and

Charlene Goff. As an Associate Mem-

ber I am so proud of what all our Asso-

ciate Members do for SFM. The Rich-

ard Ysmael Award, named after one of

founding members (who touch many

members hearts over the years) is Tom

Newcomb with Corporate Dining.

Tom has offered the support of Corpo-

rate Dining each year to the incoming

President. He shows such dedication

to this Association and is truly deserv-

ing of this award.

Seems to still be a big push towards healthy eating by membership and yet many members need to appeal to a broader constituency, where do you see that heading?It’s an ever-present challenge and op-

portunity. The goal for SFM is to show

our members how to offer healthy al-

ternatives that taste great. The focus

should not be on “healthy” but on

great tasting food that just happens

to be good for you. It’s about offer-

ing a variety of options. Wellness can

be tricky; this is an excellent example

of a topic we can explore as a society

and bring together ideas from all the

members.

In today’s world every function of an organization explores the trade-off of “outsource versus insource.” Our goal is to help all members come together and explore the trade-offs of each.

Page 30: Total Food Sevice October 2011

30 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 31: Total Food Sevice October 2011

31 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 32: Total Food Sevice October 2011

32 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

// NEWS LEGISLATION

The petition calling

for a vote on BYOB in

Ocean City includes

the full text of the

proposed ordinance.

A public question on

allowing BYOB restaurants in the dry

town of Ocean City will not be included

on the ballot for the Nov. 8 election.

Proponents have withdrawn a pe-

tition that called for a public vote on

the issue. The petitioners had enough

signatures to force the binding vote in

November, but fears that a recent court

case in northern New Jersey may inval-

idate at least part of their proposal have

led them to start over.

The group will draft a new version of

a BYOB petition and seek new signa-

tures calling for a public question on

the ballot for Ocean City’s municipal

elections in May 2012, according to

Bill McGinnity, a vice president of the

Ocean City Restaurant Association.

“We don’t want people to vote on

something that’s not black and white,”

McGinnity said. “We want the commu-

nity to know that we truly mean what

we say -- that we’re trying to make it

right for Ocean City.”

Ocean City has prohibited the sale

and public consumption of alcohol

through various means since its found-

ing in the 19th century. The city has

built a reputation as “America’s Great-

est Family Resort,” and the BYOB pro-

posal has drawn staunch opposition

from many who want to preserve the

status quo.

But the restaurant owners who orga-

nized the petition drive argue that al-

lowing “bring your own bottle,” or BYOB,

restaurants could help drive visitors to

Ocean City year-round -- not just for din-

ing, but for shopping in general.

They drafted a petition in the spring

that included a proposed new ordi-

nance to regulate BYOB and replace

the local ordinance that bans it. They

successfully collected enough signa-

tures of registered Ocean City voters

(10 percent of the number of Ocean City

voters in the most recent General Assem-

bly election, in this case 498) to bring the

question to the public in November.

But while they were collecting signa-

tures, a New Jersey appeals court was

ruling on a BYOB case in Sayreville, NJ.

Sayreville passed a local ordinance that

allowed restaurants to permit BYOB.

A lower court upheld the city’s ordi-

nance, but the Appellate Division re-

versed that decision on June 13, 2011.

The decision said the state’s statute on

BYOB pre-empts the local ordinance.

The legal implications of the case are

fairly complicated, but lawyers for both

Ocean City and the restaurant owners

seemed to agree that a part of Ocean

City’s proposed BYOB ordinance (that

would regulate how much alcohol

could be brought into restaurants)

could be subject to legal challenge

based on the new precedent.

Those opinions led to the petition-

ers’ decision to start fresh. A revised

ordinance could be very similar to the

currently proposed one, according to

Jeff Sutherland, the attorney represent-

ing the petitioners. But he said the extra

time would give the petitioners a chance

to take a second look at everything.

Sutherland said the number of re-

quired signatures may change based

on turnout at the new General Assem-

bly election in November. But because

the petitioners have already collected

the names and addresses of the people

who signed the original petition, the

second signature drive could be easier.

After City Council voted on Aug. 25

not to support the proposed BYOB ini-

tiative, the petitioners legally had 10

days to withdraw their proposal.

Ocean City BYOB Vote Is Off in NJ Town for NovemberA petition calling for voters to decide Nov. 8 whether or not to allow a BYOB option for beer and wine in restaurants has been withdrawn. Petitioners will draft a new proposed BYOB ordinance and try to get another public question on the ballot in May 2012.

“The petition calling for a vote on BYOB in Ocean

City includes the full text of the proposed ordinance.

A public question on allowing BYOB restaurants in

the dry town of Ocean City will not be included on

the ballot for the Nov. 8 election.”

Bill McGinnity, a vice president of the

Ocean City Restaurant Association

Page 33: Total Food Sevice October 2011

33 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 34: Total Food Sevice October 2011

34 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 35: Total Food Sevice October 2011

35 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

The next major upgrade from Cu-

linary Software Services was released

on September 6, 2011. The increased

business building benefits and the

ability to keep up with the ever-chang-

ing foodservice industry is what cus-

tomers have come to expect from the

industry standard.

The Production Management Mod-

ule has been significantly enhanced in

ChefTec TT, particularly when used in

conjunction with CorTec, the product

used by supermarkets and other oper-

ations managing centralized produc-

tion or centralized purchasing. The

production and transfer of produced

foods using the requisition and trans-

fer capabilities of ChefTec TT is now

easier than ever.

The Nutritional Analysis aspect of

ChefTec is becoming increasingly im-

portant to food service operations be-

cause of legislative initiatives and more

nutritionally conscious customers.

ChefTec TT includes a much requested

enhancement - the ability to print the

ingredients of a purchased item in a rec-

ipe on the Nutrition Facts Label. USDA

allergen information can also now be

downloaded directly into ChefTec TT

using the Online Nutritional Analysis

Service.

Security features have been enhanced

so the ChefTec data environment is

even secure, robust, and stable.

“One of the most exciting new fea-

tures in ChefTec TT is the new Ca-

terease import that will benefit our

catering and event center customers,”

commented Bev Daniels, General

Manager for Culinary Software Ser-

vices. “The new import allows a Ban-

quet Event Order (BEO) to be directly

imported into a Production Sheet in

ChefTec so the operator knows ex-

actly what needs to be produced at

the touch of a button. Increased ef-

ficiency means increased profits and

happier customers - both critical for a

successful catering business.”

ChefTec TT also allows for Interfac-

ing with major vendors such as Sysco

and US Foodservice, QuickBooks, and

the Online Nutritional Analysis Ser-

vices which is updated as the USDA

releases new information.

ChefTec TT Releases Major Upgrades

// NEWS TECHNOLOGY

Page 36: Total Food Sevice October 2011

36 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 37: Total Food Sevice October 2011

37 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 38: Total Food Sevice October 2011

38 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

When demand exceeds the avail-

able supply of insurance, the

effect is a hard insurance market. Ana-

lysts have been predicting turn from

our existing soft market to a hard mar-

ket, characterized by higher insurance

premiums, steady rate increases and

increased difficulty in obtaining certain

types of insurance, since the economic

downturn began a few years ago. And,

while it never quite materialized over

the last few years, analysts predict that

the record breaking amount of cata-

strophic losses across the world in 2011

will likely trigger a sudden and unprec-

edented increase in insurance prices.

The aftermath of the earthquake, tsu-

nami and radioactive meltdown that

rocked the third largest economy in the

world, followed by a large earthquake

in New Zealand, as well as the unrest in

the Middle East, has created a capacity

problem in the reinsurance market.

Not all insurance products will rise at

the same pace when the market turns.

The reinsurance market will harden

sooner than the primary insurance

market, so heavily reinsured lines of in-

surance, such as excess liability or um-

brella coverage, will likely increase more

rapidly.

During a hard market, increased in-

surance premiums usually attract an

influx of investors to the reinsurance

market, eager to capitalize on higher

insurance premiums. This in return cre-

ates more competition and an increase

in capacity to keep up with demand,

eventually bringing insurance premi-

ums back down. This is usually the sce-

nario in the cycle from a hard market to

a soft market. However, in this down

economic climate laden with skittish

investors, we may not see the influx of

investor capital needed to increase ca-

pacity. The result may be a prolonged

hard market period of higher insurance

premiums, which could last much lon-

ger than previous ones.

Increasing insurance costs are a wor-

risome proposition to restauranteurs

who are already faced with a sluggish

economy. During this inevitable and

long-lasting hard market period, restau-

rants that are able to keep their insur-

ance costs down will likely fair much

better over the coming years. Here are

a few tips that you could follow now to

better prepare your business for what’s

likely to come:

• Seek out an insurance broker that

specializes in restaurants and has a very

large book of this business, which they

can use as clout when negotiating with

insurance carriers on their client’s be-

half.

• Never assume that a renewal on

your current policy is the best option.

Make sure your insurance broker has

the right relationships and expertise to

shop for the best policy at the best rate,

as well as negotiate tricky coverages and

seek out hidden credits.

Avoiding Higher Insurance Premiums// FIORITO ON INSURANCE

Bob Fioritocontinued on page 85

Page 39: Total Food Sevice October 2011

39 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 40: Total Food Sevice October 2011

40 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

restaurant also includes a large

monitor that displays real time en-

ergy usage of the restaurant, which

has turned into a customer favorite.

Among the many soon-to-open

Eco-Restaurants is the Subway®

restaurant on the University of Cali-

fornia Los Angeles campus, which

is located in the newly renovated

“Green” student center. The center

will even feature a walkable rooftop

terrace and garden.

Many more locations have incor-

porated sustainable elements, such

as franchisee Stephen Maycock’s

restaurant in Ephraim, Utah, which

now includes solar panels to gener-

ate electricity.

“Subway® brand sustainability

efforts do not end with Eco-Restau-

rants,” Elizabeth Stewart said. They

also include packaging solutions

that are functional, operationally

efficient, and cost effective. By re-

ducing the amount of packaging,

supply chain transportation is cut

back, saving fuel costs and reduc-

ing mileage and emissions. These

reductions are a result of changes

such as recyclable cutlery and paper

napkins made out of 100% recycled

material. Other efforts include the

shift from plastic menu panels to re-

cyclable paper menus, and the new

Subway® cards, which use 30%, re-

cycled plastic.

Headquartered in Milford, Con-

necticut, and with regional offices

in Amsterdam, Beirut, Brisbane,

Miami and Singapore, the Subway®

chain was co-founded by Fred De-

Luca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965.

Their partnership, which continues

today, marked the beginning of a

remarkable journey - one that has

made it possible for thousands of

individuals to build and succeed in

their own business.

Subway, from page 12

CIA, from page 26

sible for conceptualizing and develop-

ing the CIA’s many thought leadership

initiatives for the food service and

hospitality industries. Drescher was

inducted into the James Beard Foun-

dation’s Who’s Who of Food & Beverage

in America in 2005, and the following

year he was honored with Food Arts

magazine’s Silver Spoon Award. In 2007,

he shared a James Beard Award for his

work in developing the CIA’s “Savoring

the Best of World Flavors” DVD and Web

cast series. Drescher has also served on

the Institute of Medicine’s Committee

on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake,

which was mandated by the U.S. Con-

gress to make recommendations about

reducing sodium in the American diet.

The CIA is pioneering new research,

international programs and other lead-

ership initiatives in the critical areas of

health and wellness, sustainability and

food ethics, world cuisines and cul-

tures, and professional excellence and

innovation. The Industry Leadership

and Advancement Division is respon-

sible for directing these programs and

gaining the institutional support they

require, and it will drive the expansion

of thought leadership in these areas

through its annual conferences. These

include the Latin Flavors, American

Kitchens and Healthy Flavors, Healthy

Kids conferences at the CIA’s San An-

tonio campus, as well as the renowned

Worlds of Flavor International Confer-

ence and Festival held annually at the

CIA at Greystone in St. Helena, CA.

Planning is now underway to bring

two of the CIA’s strategic initiatives—

Worlds of Healthy Flavors, which is held

annually in collaboration with Harvard

School of Public Health, and the Worlds

of Flavor International Conference &

Festival - to the CIA’s Singapore campus

in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Page 41: Total Food Sevice October 2011

41 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 42: Total Food Sevice October 2011

42 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

never been easier to get new patrons

into your establishment.

NJPlacesToEat.com is an online

restaurant dining guide dedicated to

the restaurants in New Jersey. It’s the

perfect way for restaurant owners to

get exposure and find new custom-

ers. Every restaurant can use more

business so why not get listed in the

best restaurant directory in the Gar-

den State? It’s convenient and afford-

able. At just only $99 your restaurant

will be published in NJ Places To Eat for an entire year, that’s less than $10 a

month. You can’t beat it! When patrons

who’ve visited your restaurant join NJ

Places To Eat they’ll have the opportu-

nity to rate and review your restaurant.

Those who have never been to your

restaurant will now be introduced to

your restaurant through NJ Places To

Eat. Your restaurant is guaranteed to

continually get new business just from

being listed. The directory is dedicated

to helping New Jersey restaurants in-

crease sales and helping NJ residents and tourists finds new eating experi-

ences. That’s why they encourage their

restaurant owners to provide their

readers with discount coupon codes to eat at their restaurant. This also

entices new customers to visit their

restaurant and it gives them an easy

way to track patrons who visited their

restaurant sent from NJ Places To Eat.

Schlossbach Bails Out Of Race In 11th

Scoop hears that restaurateur and

political neophyte Marilyn Schloss-bach has quit the race for one of two

state Assembly 11th-district seats in

Trenton. Schlossbach, owner of Pop’s Garage in Shrewsbury and a slew of

restaurants in Asbury Park, saw some

of her Asbury Park restaurants dam-

aged by Hurricane Irene, prompting

her departure from the race. “My ef-

forts at this time must be focused on

the health of my business, and pro-

tecting the jobs it has created,” she

noted. Among the restaurants she

owns with her husband, Scott Szeges-ki, are Langosta Lounge and a second

Pop’s Garage, on the boardwalk; Trin-

ity and the Pope, offering Cajun dishes

in downtown Asbury; the Dauphin Grille, a seafood spot in that city’s

Berkeley hotel. Her departure leaves

fellow Democrats Vin Gopal, who is

also seeking an Assembly seat, and

Ray Santiago, the slate’s state Senate

candidate, with a hole in the roster.

// SCOOP INSIDER NEWS FROM METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE SCENE

from page 19

Page 43: Total Food Sevice October 2011

43 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Landmark NYC Restaurant Serendipity 3 Is ‘Calling All Spirits’

Scoop says internationally re-

nowned psychic-intuitive-medium

Char Margolis led a seance to contact

the spirits of Serendipity past. The

landmark NYC restaurant, founded

in 1954, has been fodder for celeb-

rity gossip dating back to Cary Grant

and Grace Kelly, who were there on

a tryst, to Andy Warhol using the res-

taurant as his living room. Margolis hoped to reach the many bold-faced

names that frequented the restaurant

including Warhol, Elizabeth Taylor, Clark Gable, Dennis Hopper, Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, John Lennon, John Kennedy Jr., Jackie O and many more.

The event, which took place on Sep-

tember 15th - the restaurant’s 57th an-

niversary, attracted family members,

co-stars, and other people connected

to the stars to help make contact with

the departed spirits. In addition to the

guests, Serendipity had many celeb-

rity artifacts that helped act as con-

duits to reach the spirits. Items such

as Andy Warhol’s signed life insur-

ance policy, Clark Gable’s GQ Award, Jimmy Cagney’s SAG card, Mae West’s signed movie contract, an auto-

graphed photo of Marlene Dietrich, and an original Marilyn Monroe Look Magazine newsstand poster were on

display at the restaurant, all courtesy

of Gotta Have It! “Serendipity hosted

this seance to commemorate our 57th

anniversary. What better way than to

celebrate with all our guests from the

57 years in business, past and present,

on earth or beyond.”

Smith And Wollensky Plays Mad Libs With Marquee

Scoop asks, “Have you always

wanted to make like Elaine, Rao or Boulud and have your name

printed on the marquee of a res-

taurant? Well, now you can and you

don’t have to worry about all the

trouble that comes with it (people

begging for reservations, bribing

waiters, etc.). For the month of Oc-

tober, Smith & Wollensky is becom-

ing (Your name here & Wollensky)

on their outside sign. Just like Mad

Libs! Your name can fill in the blank,

and also be printed on matchbooks,

cocktail napkins and the servers’

jackets. All you have to do is take an

online pledge professing your love

to the eatery and make a reserva-

tion during the month of October.

Good way to impress your parents

when they come into town, espe-

cially if you are asking them to bor-

row money.

Page 44: Total Food Sevice October 2011

44 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 45: Total Food Sevice October 2011

45 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 46: Total Food Sevice October 2011

46 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

// TABLE TALK CHEFS ON THE MOVE

Will Guidara to Release The Eleven Madison Park Cookbook On November 11, Eleven Madison Park Chef Daniel Humm and the restaurant’s

General Manager Will Guidara will release The Eleven Madison Park Cookbook. The book carries extra weight (both figuratively and literally—it’s nearly 400

pages) seeing as mere months after the book’s release the pair will tackle their next

challenge — opening NoMad, their second restaurant just blocks away.

Humm and Guidara of Eleven Madison Park discuss the impact of a four-star

review on book deals, the continued evolution of EMP and how the restaurant

almost changed directions in the middle of the recession. EMP Executive Chef, Daniel Humm said: “Actually, for us to do a cookbook the way we wanted to do

a cookbook, it was kind of difficult for us to find a

publisher. Especially in the beginning, as we were

still under the radar. Publishers were interested

in us cooking at home, or something like that, but

that’s not what we wanted. We wanted a true ex-

pression of what Eleven Madison Park is. So we had

a good idea of what the book should be for about a

year before we actually signed the deal. When we

got Four Stars [from the New York Times] there

were a lot of people who were interested, but be-

fore, it was difficult.” “It also captures the time when it all kind of started. We

have a team that’s amazing and the last five years is when we’ve all sort of come

together. I think this book captures very accurately a moment in time.”

The Market at Hartford 21 launches a Guest Chef SeriesThe Market at Hartford 21 launched

a Guest Chef Series last month and

will host interactive events featuring

demonstrations and tastings through-

out the fall. Things kicked off on July

19 with a visit from Hunter Morton,

an Emeril Lagasse protégé who got

his start at New Orleans’ Nola and

currently mans the kitchen at Max

Downtown. Morton revealed some of

his resto’s most exclusive recipes and

served “the perfect summer appetiz-

ers.” Tyler Anderson, a former winner

of Food Network’s Chopped and Executive Chef at The Copper Beech Inn, hosted a long, sample-laden

demonstration in July. At the conclu-

sion of each tasting, attendees were

given hard copies of the day’s recipes

and a host of other useful tips. Six

years ago, Tim George Jr. was working

for a Manhattan restaurant that was

catering a function at a sports-car

race at Lime Rock Park in Connecti-

cut. As George recalls, the head chef

harshly criticized him, in Italian, for

altering a recipe. So George, then 24,

took a break to watch sleek Ferraris

conquer the racetrack. “When I saw

the cars speed on the track with no

police officers, I said to myself, ‘This

is what I need to be doing,’ ” George

said. George, who grew up on the

Upper East Side of Manhattan and in

Rye, N.Y., was no stranger to sports

cars. Tim George Sr. said that when

his son was 15, the police caught him

and a friend on a joy ride in his white

Corvette. Tim Jr. liked what he saw at

Lime Rock Park in 2005 and decided

to enroll in racing school. He raced

sports cars (and still does), but he is

focused on climbing the ranks of

stock-car racing and driving in the

Nascar Sprint Cup Series, which does

not attract many drivers from the

New York City area.

Pressler New Chef at Hung Ry’s Schwarz Not Returning to Crow’s NestWeilan Mark, Hung Ry’s general man-

ager and one of its owners, tells us that

Andrew Pressler is the new chef at the

almost-year-old restaurant. His résu-

mé includes stints at Fatty ‘Cue, where

he was the opening chef de cuisine,

and La Mangeoire, where he worked

with Christian Delouvrier.

Rumors in the Hamptons states that

Jeff Schwarz, a Wall Streeter who

turned chef and yogi, will not be back

in the kitchen at the Crow’s Nest in Montauk next summer. The rumor is

that he was unable to make the kitch-

en profitable. Schwartz will return to

New York to open a new location of his

Montauk-based Love: A Yoga Studio

this fall.

Page 47: Total Food Sevice October 2011

47 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Delicious Recipes from a Busy Kitchen Chef Nicole Straight knows some-

thing about timing – both in the kitch-

en and out. Her second cookbook, More Time to Eat! Delicious Recipes from a Busy Kitchen, has just been

published to coincide with her ap-

pearance on an episode of celebrity

chef Rocco DiSpirito’s new hit show,

“Rocco’s Dinner Party.” She has also

appeared on Good Morning Con-necticut, CBS News, and is a regular

contributor to the popular local food

guide www.CTBites.com.

Carmellini to Open The Dutch

Connolly parts ways with Bobo

Benihana’s closed for Renovation

Serafina Boys moving to Meat Packing District

Andrew Carmellini is opening a Mi-

ami Beach branch of the SoHo restau-

rant the Dutch, and he calls it “kind

of a homecoming.” “My dad is from

Miami and it’s always been my second

home,” he said. “My grandfather ran

clubs and hotels and my grandmother

still lives there.” Mr. Carmellini and

his partners, Josh Pickard and Luke Ostrom, will run the Florida restau-

rant, which will be in the W Hotel on

Collins Avenue, replacing Solea, the

hotel’s original restaurant. Its opening

in mid-November is planned to be in

time for Art Basel. “I never thought I’d

be taking the Dutch on the road,” he

said. “I was thinking more Italian, but

the hotel wanted the Dutch.”

The wildly expanding Serafina boys are at it again. Following reports that

they are taking over the space that

housed Tom Valenti’s West Branch

© Jacque Burke

on Broadway, and moving Sera-fina on 61st into their former Gei-sha space, Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato have confirmed they will

also be opening an outpost in the

meatpacking district. The duo has

just signed a lease on a space at the

corner of Ninth Avenue and Little West 12th Street, directly across the

street from Pastis. The new restau-

rant, slated for a late fall opening, is

tentatively titled Serafina Non-Stop, because they hope to keep it open

24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“We’ve missed being in lower Man-hattan since we closed our Lafay-

ette location a few years ago,” says

Granato, “We can’t wait to bring our

Serafina energy back downtown.

Patrick Connolly, the chef for the

last three years at West Village res-taurant Bobo, has parted ways with

the restaurant. We hear that the de-

cision was a mutual one between

Connolly and Bobo owner Carlos Suarez, and Suarez concurs, stat-

ing, “It’s been an amazing three years

working together and we felt that it

was just time for us each to move on.

We’re very excited about what we have

planned here at BOBO and I’m excit-

ed to see Pat go on to do great things.”

Even though we thought part of Benihana’s charm was the feeling that you just

walked into 1983, the eatery’s grills are going dark for a spell so the Midtown branch of the national chain can renovate. The restaurant closed on Septem-

ber 4th for a makeover – it will take over the first floor of the building that it

occupies, adding a sushi and cocktail bar that will provide a draw for Midtown drinkers. The second-floor dining room will get a décor spruce up, along with

an improved ventilation system and additional private dining areas. SITE, the ar-

chitecture firm that designed the original Shake Shack is behind the redo. Expect

the Japanese resto to reopen sometime in December.

Page 48: Total Food Sevice October 2011

48 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 49: Total Food Sevice October 2011

49 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 50: Total Food Sevice October 2011

50 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 51: Total Food Sevice October 2011

51 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 52: Total Food Sevice October 2011

52 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 53: Total Food Sevice October 2011

53 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 54: Total Food Sevice October 2011

54 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

What are the highlights of what can only be called a brilliant career?Satisfying my customers and work-

ing with tremendous co-workers and

industry people. Most of all it is the

lasting relationships that were cre-

ated working with all of the above.

One key factor for me was develop-

ing great relationships with factories.

This led to better pricing which in

most cases turned into better deals

for my customers. In 53 years, I wrote

$153 million of business, something I

am particularly proud of.

How would you describe your sales style and how did it enable you to be so very successful?Service... service.... service. Deliver-

ing merchandise on time, doing what

you say you were going to do and give

the customer proper pricing. I am

also convinced that the key to sell-

ing is the ability to purchase product

properly. The needs today are really

the same as they were when I started:

fair price with great service.

What/who brought you into the in-dustry?I came from the Army and had no

idea what I was going to do. So I went

to an employment agency that sent

me to a famous restaurant called

Longchamps Restaurants in the City.

They had a chain of eight restaurants

in New York. One day a salesman

walked in from Elaine Products who

I was buying from and suggested that

I move into sales so I went to Elaine,

where I did everything from working

in the warehouse to purchasing.

How has the industry changed?Without question, the biggest change

has been the growth of imported

product. Keep in mind that Homer

Laughlin is probably the only remain-

ing manufacture of china in the U.S.

Secondly; the internet has had a huge

impact. But I’m a believer that noth-

ing ever takes the place of a personal

relationship in serving a customer.

The downside of imported products

has been the service that used to

come with selling decorated china.

The salesperson today doesn’t have

the knowledge of how to sell better

hand blown glass. It’s strange, you

go to a fancy restaurant today, where

you will see a mix of a very expensive

decorated serving plate combined

with the cheapest possible imported

china. In many cases broadline food

houses have gotten into tabletop

and they don’t have the commitment

or mind set towards training that is

needed, so they sell the cheap stuff.

It’s also pretty amazing to see the gen-

trification of the Bowery with fancy

condos and restaurants.

Give me your thoughts on life with the Balters? What made the rela-tionship work for so long?Once they realize a salesperson

knows what they are doing it is a very

easy place to work and grow. There is

no big chain of command. One of the

strengths of Balter has been the in-

dependence that you are given. I did

most of the buying. Because of the

size of our super jobbing business, we

also have a tremendous advantage

with the size of the inventory that we

carry. So our street customer benefits

from pricing. But the relationships

we have built go beyond the size of

the inventory. They are very much

built around the loyalty that we show

our factories. I also can’t say enough

Stu Levitt Celebrates 53 Years in the Foodservice IndustryTotal Food Service sits down with the great Stu Levitt to discuss a few highlights and experiences of his 53 year career in Foodservice.

// LEGENDS 53 Years with Stu Levitt

Page 56: Total Food Sevice October 2011

56 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

I am also convinced that the key to selling is the

ability to purchase product properly. The needs

today are really the same as they were when I

started: fair price with great service.

about the support staff that is there.

I have worked side by side with this

staff for 20 plus years.

You worked with many reps and manufacturers....who is in the Levitt “Hall of Fame?”Bryan O’Rourke at Cardinal, Chip Little from CLV, Steve Bauer from

PBAC, Jim San Fillipo from Oneida

and Jim O’Neill from O’Neill. Each

of these guys has gone above and

beyond to help us do a great job for

our customers. On the customer

side John O’Neill at Patina, Dick Cattani Restaurant Associates and

Diana Bisson from Foxwoods and

Lisa Bannis at Mohegan Sun. Great

customers are all about being tough

and demanding but they are always

respectful.

Are more chefs involved in buying today and what impact has that had?They are more involved in purchas-

ing than ever and more creative.

There’s been a huge impact from the

number of chefs that have trained

overseas. They want to bring things

they’ve seen there, that may or may

not make sense in New York. Many

of the trends like square plating have

come from chefs. A chef certainly

has a better sense of presentation for

what he or she is creating rather than

a Food and Beverage Manager.

What does the future hold? What are your plans? Can you really un-plug?At 72, a little consulting, certainly

some travel that we have wanted to

do. Of course I will enjoy a bunch of

grandchildren. I’ve made so many

friends so I’ll be around.

Page 58: Total Food Sevice October 2011

58 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

MERRICK, NY-EYE notes that there

was an overwhelming outpouring of

love and affection from family, friends

and business associates to celebrate

the 80th birthday of the incomparable

Joe Lehr. The industry legend was fet-

ed by guests who took the floor to talk

about the Glissen Chemical chief who

has touched so many through his bril-

liant 60 year tenure. Among industry

leaders who spoke glowingly of Joe’s

guidance to both old and new mem-

bers of the food service industry was

Restaurant Depot’s Clark Pager. Kudos

to Mr. Lehr’s daughters Jodi, Kim and

Toni who came together to plan a truly

memorable event. EYE notes that the

night truly represented what makes Joe

Lehr unique as his genuine love for all

created a once in a lifetime memory.

80th Birthday for Industry Legend

// EYE INSIDER FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

The birthday boy welcomed a number of guests including TFS co-publisher Fred Klashman

(L to R) Restaurant Depot’s Debra Pager, Jerry and Naomi Cohen and Kim and Rob McKeown of Lehr McKeown Marketing.

The Glissen Support Team and the firm’s New England Rep Tom Vajcovec (3rd from right) celebrated with Joe Lehr (L)

Joe Lehr welcomed longtime friends Bobbi and Al Green of New Jersey’s E&A Restaurant Supply. Bobbi and Joe Lehr shared the evening with a number of notables including grandson Richie Ryan

Page 59: Total Food Sevice October 2011

59 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 60: Total Food Sevice October 2011

60 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

// NEWS EDUCATION

continued on page 85

Saladworks Chairman

and CEO John Scardap-

ane developed the con-

cept while working as a

chef at a southern New

Jersey country club. He took the

idea to the Cherry Hill Mall in New

Jersey and was told, “a salad-only

store would never survive.” The mall

later agreed to the store, but with

the provision he added sandwich-

es to the menu. After one month,

the salads were selling so well, the

sandwiches were dropped from the

menu. A year later, Scardapane’s

shop was the highest-grossing ten-

ant in the food court, ahead of na-

tional burger and pizza chains.

Today, that small store in a mall

food court has evolved into Salad-

works, the nation’s largest fresh-

salad concept. “Our main goal

was, and still is today, to provide a

meal that is healthy, quickly acces-

New Jersey Club Chef Celebrates 25th Year of Saladworks Concept It started as a simple idea: provide fresh, healthy, made-to-order, entree-sized salads as

an alternative food offering for customers on the go.

“I think we’ve achieved

and exceeded this,

offering sizable salads,

sandwiches and wraps

with ingredients that

are chopped fresh daily.”

Page 61: Total Food Sevice October 2011

61 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Steve Getman, a veteran

equipment and supply exec-

utive has joined Restaurant Depot. The Long Beach, NY

native will serve as a sales executive in

the cash and carry giant’s Garden City

store. Getman, who graduated from

Nassau Community College worked

for many years at the family’s restau-

rant supply store in Lynbrook, New

York. Working in conjunction with his

Father, the legendary Abe Getman, he

assisted a wide diversity of customers

that ranged from restaurants and delis

to nursing homes and locals. For many

years, Getman has served his commu-

nity as a volunteer fire fighter.

Restaurant owners and op-

erators looking for new tech-

nology solutions to man-

age both front and back of

the house operations will find them at

the 2011 International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show® (IHMRS), with the

launch of the i.Menu Expo. Hosted in

partnership with i.Business Magazine,

the i.Menu Expo will showcase devel-

opers of iPad and Android tablet apps,

accessory manufacturers and hardware

vendors, who will demonstrate the lat-

est menu and back-end office solutions,

including cost-effective ways to improve

productivity and bottom lines. “The

i.Menu Expo will be a great addition to

the IHMRS, as the restaurant industry’s

most influential marketplace,” said Car-mine DeSanto, founder and publisher

of i.Business Magazine. “This is the only

dining tablet menu technology expo,

created exclusively for restaurant own-

ers looking to meet experts in the field,

learn about dining tablets and embrace

the latest technology.” The i.Menu Expo will take place on the IHMRS exhibit

floor, November 13-15, 2011, and will

feature live demonstrations. The special

focus area will complement the hun-

dreds of technology resources show-

cased throughout the 3-day market. To exhibit in the i.Menu Expo, contact

Carmine DeSanto at 855-296-2928 or [email protected].

McDonald’s New York Tri-State area restaurants

launched a new Happy Meal last month in sup-

port of the company’s recently an-

nounced “Commitments to Offer Im-

proved Nutrition Choice” which strives

to help customers – especially children

and families – make nutrition-minded

choices whether visiting McDonald’s or

elsewhere. “We’re proud to be among

one of the first regions in the country to

debut the new Happy Meal,” said Ma-son Smoot, Vice President and General Manager, McDonald’s New York Metro Region.

The new Frankies 570, offers

punches like sister restau-

rant Prime Meats, they’ll of-

fer pitchers of cocktails. The

pitchers will change with the seasons

but the initial offerings include an Ap-erol Cooler, an Americano Royale, and a Basilico Spritzer. They cost $36 a

piece and yield six glass fulls.

Indian diners, meet Sirio Maccioni – the famed New York restaura-

teur just opened a branch of his Le Cirque restaurant in the country’s

capital. Judging by the images from the

Leela Palace Hotel New Delhi (Cirque

is on the 10th Floor), the eatery doesn’t

share a lot of design elements with the

New York original. Many menus have

made the voyage east, but Maccioni has expanded his vegetarian offerings

to fit with the diets of many Indian din-

ers. In addition to India and New York,

Le Cirque also operates an outpost in

Vegas, and has partnered with Holland America Cruises to bring the brand to

the seven seas.

US Foodservice hosted a Food

Show last month at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. Food and music never

sounded better as the event included

music legends like the Black Eyed Peas. Patrons were able to take advantage of

their Rock’N Deals, taste new items, saw

the latest trends and learned how to add

some specialty items to their menus.

Many attendees raved about the oppor-

tunity to see the display of Rock ‘N Roll

memorabilia.

// QUICK BITES Metro New York’s Expressway for Foodservice News

Page 62: Total Food Sevice October 2011

62 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Armonk, NY---- EYE had a truly

eye-opening experience with a trip

to H. Weiss to tour Blodgett’s Mo-

bile Kitchen and Show room. EYE

was overwhelmed with the passion

that the Blodgett duo of Doug Tait

and Chef Tim Klauder brought. EYE

found Pitco’s new spinning frying

technology to be fascinating as the

industry searches for healthier fry-

ing options. “The goal with spin fresh

is to eliminate up to 30% of the oils

from a fry”, Tait explained.

EYE kudos to the duo of Ed Pecinka

and Cliff McTavish from Blodgett’s lo-

cal reps Pecinka Ferri, who are con-

stantly on the lookout to create enegy

savings solutions for Tri-State deal-

ers, consultants and their end-user

operator customers. The NEW Hy-

drovection™ oven by Blodgett unites

hot air cooking with moisture to pro-

duce a quality product faster than

Blodgett’s Mobile Kitchen and Show Room Tours Metro New YorkArmed with the latest in technology from the always innovative Middleby Corp unit, the 53

foot touring showroom once again brought cutting edge technology.

// EYE INSIDER FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

Pecinka Ferri’s Ed Pecinka co-hosted the Truck Tour

Blodgett Executive Chef Tim Klauder

welcomes the TFS Team

Chef Tim Klauder worked with many of Metro New York’s top consultants and dealers including

Westchester based Clevenger Frable

Page 63: Total Food Sevice October 2011

63 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

standard convection ovens. Among

local chefs untilizing the technology

is Chef Gavin Kaysen Executive Chef

Café Boulud, New York.

EYE found Blodgett’s extension of

the firm’s Combi-line on target. “Look

in a market like New York, a lot of

chefs want control. That’s what these

new models enable,” noted Pecinka

as he demonstrated the new BCM Se-

ries. The H. Weiss stop was the first in

a trio of demonstration days that saw

the truck make stops on Long Island

and in New Jersey at Robert Wood

Johnson Hospital. EYE is keeping an

eye on Blodgett and Pitco in ‘12 for

creative innovations to bring to local

kitchens.

Blodgett’s Hydrovection technology took

center stage

The knowledgeable Doug Tait fielded the Mobile

Kitchen’s guests queries

Pitco’s Spin-Fry made its New York Area Debut

888-531-CHEFwww.iceculinary.com

Pastry & Baking arts

Classes

Call For Upcoming Class

Schedule

Pacinka Ferri’s Clint McTavish detailed many of

Blodgett’s latest innovations

Page 64: Total Food Sevice October 2011

64 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Adam HalbergBarcelona Wine Bar & Restaurants Fairfield, Greenwich, New Haven, South Norwalk, Stamford, West HartfordWith a growing passion for American

ingredients and Mediterranean sensi-

bility, Adam traveled to Maine to work

at James Beard winner Melissa Kelly’s

seaside Italianate restaurant Primo.

This was followed by seven years in

Boston, consulting for popular restau-

rant/caterer Bakers Best and running

restaurants for both Laura Brennan

and James Beard winner Michael Schlow. Each year that he helmed Schlow’s Via

Matta, that restaurant was recognized as ‘Best Italian’ by Boston Magazine.

Before leaving Boston, Halberg also oversaw the opening of the giant bohemian

eatery and live music venue The Beehive. In Connecticut, Halberg has found his

place overseeing the kitchens for the Barcelona Restaurant Group, developing a

strong group of creative, collaborative chefs for a local bar and dining institution.

Lisa Schroeder Mother’s Bistro & Bar, Portland, OR As passionate about slow-cooked pot roast and home

made ravioli as she is about a perfectly seared foie

gras. Lisa Schroeder is a mother, grandmother, a

cookbook author, chef and restaurateur devoted to

providing better-than-authentic renditions of tradi-

tional home-cooked favorite dishes in her Portland

restaurant, Mother’s Bistro & Bar. Back in 1992, while

simultaneously working full-time in marking, catering

on the side, and raising her daughter, Lisa realized that there were no places that

served the kind of food she would make if she had the time. Lisa saw what the

world really needed was a place which served “Mother Food” slow-cooked dish-

es such as braises and stews, made with love. From that moment on, Lisa was

determined to open such a restaurant, and she spent the next eight years work-

ing toward that dream.

// FOODCENTRIC TOP CHEFS SHARE THEIR FAVORITE FALL DISHES

Calamari About 90% of the squid you eat in restaurants was received by the kitchen in

cleaned, frozen blocks. Commercial squid is actually a commodity product which

is shipped around the world. The “cleaning” process can be unappetizing with

whiteners (yes, sometimes even bleach products) being used.

At Barcelona, we have long been committed to buying fresh “dirty” squid at all of the

restaurants, and a long train of cooks have spent many hours over the years peeling

off the outer skin and pulling out the cartilidge and ink sacks. It’s a tedious, messy

job, but buying fresh ensures us the best tasting - and best textured squid around.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup We get more recipe requests for this soup than any others. People just love it! Its

light, silky texture makes it an elegant way to start a meal, and it’s perfect for fall and

winter, when butternut squash and apples are at their peak and most affordable. The

hardest part of making this soup is peeling and seeding the squash and apples.

Page 65: Total Food Sevice October 2011

65 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Margherita AloiIl Palio, Shelton, CT Margherita Aloi was born on a vine-

yard in the Piedmont hills of north-

western Italy, in the small town of

Tucci. Her father, Aloi Giovanni

Luigi, was a winemaker producing

Dolcettos, Barberas, Nebbiolas and

Margherita began, at a young age, to

learn about and revel in the excite-

ment of cooking and entertaining. It

is from these humble beginnings that

Margherita rose to nationally promi-

nence, one of only four women to

hold the title of Celebrity Chef in Za-

gat for five years straight.

Thomas HenkelmannThomas Henkelmann Restaurant and Homestead Inn, Greenwich, CTThomas Henkelmann is a chef

and owner with his wife Theresa of

Thomas Henkelmann Restaurant

and Homestead Inn since 1997. For-

mer Executive Chef of “Maurice” at

the Parker Meridian in New York City,

Chef with Auberge d’I’ll in Illhausern,

Alsace, France with Paul Haeberlin,

and Aubergine in Munich, Germany

with Ekhard Weitzigman.

Salvatore Scognamillo Patsy’s Italian Restaurant, New York, NYSalvatore (Sal) Scognamillo is a co-

owner and third generation execu-

tive chef of the world-renowned Pat-

sy’s Italian Restaurant, the original

family owned and operated Italian

restaurant at its only Manhattan

location, 236 West 56th Street on

Manhattan’s West Side. Founded in

1944 by Pasquale “Patsy” Scognamil-

lo, Patsy’s has been in its current the-

ater district location (in the building

just next to the original site) since

1954. Trained by his father, Joe, and

his grandfather Pasquale “Patsy”

before him, Sal Scognamillo has

maintained the same level of com-

fort and quality that made Patsy’s

Gargenelli Dish

Nantucket Bay ScallopsServed in a potato basket with

fingerling potato puree and sur-

rounded by beets both red and

golden served with beet coulis

and a delicate horseradish sauce.

It represents the best of Autumn

in New England. Perfect for fall and

winter, when butternut squash and

apples are at their peak and most

affordable.

Tortellini with PumpkinA seasonal pasta consisting of a

very large tortellini stuffed with

pumpkin and spices in a sage

butter sauce.

Are you a Chef?If you would like to be featured in an upcoming Food Centric Column, please email your photo, bio, and culinary dish to [email protected] for consideration.

famous over 67 years ago.

In 1985, upon his father’s retirement

from the kitchen, Sal assumed the

position of executive chef. Since tak-

ing over the kitchen at Patsy’s, Sal

has continued to prepare the original

Neapolitan recipes that his grandfa-

ther cooked before him. Over the

past 26 years, he has overseen the

expansion of Patsy’s empire to

include jar sauces, prepared foods,

oils and vinegars and the best-selling

Patsy’s Cookbook: Classic Italian

Recipes from a New York City Land-

mark Restaurant.

In over 26 years as executive chef, Sal

has had the opportunity to prepare

meals for many of Patsy’s most well

known customers including Frank

Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Tony

Danza, Jennifer Lopez, George Cloo-

ney, Diddy and many more. In June

2008, Patsy’s opened their second

and only other location in The Atlan-

tic City Hilton Casino. Patsy’s was,

and remains a family restaurant. Sal

co-owns the restaurant with his

father Joe and cousin Frank DiCola.

Page 66: Total Food Sevice October 2011

66 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

// NEWS MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

While Imperial and

Burke will con-

tinue to operate

under their re-

spective names

and managerial staff, the combined

businesses are expected to generate

in excess of $250 million in annual

revenue and operate from more than

a half million square feet of distribu-

tion space.

“We are excited to welcome the

Burke Supply team into the fold,” said

Robert Tillis, CEO of Imperial. “With

the addition of Burke’s experienced

and knowledgeable sales force, the

combined company will be able to

provide a broader range of products

and services, as well as increased dis-

tribution solutions to our valued cus-

tomers.”

“This is about creating critical mass

as a result of huge consolidation for

both our customers and vendors,”

Tillis explained. “So the Burke acqui-

sition enables us to add buying pow-

er to reflect those changes to have a

more national presence, “ he contin-

Jersey Based Imperial Bag & Paper Co., LLC Acquires Burke SupplyImperial Bag & Paper Company, LLC , the largest single-location food service distributor in the United States, announced September 1st the acquisition of Burke Supply Co., Inc. Located in Brooklyn, NY, Burke is a leading Metro-New York distributor of innovative janitorial and chemical supplies, cleaning products, paper goods, safety supplies and industrial packaging.

(L to R) Robert and Jason Tillis

Page 67: Total Food Sevice October 2011

67 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

ued. “If you look at Imperial, we have

carefully consolidated the best of 11

of the smaller companies with 8000

sku’s.“ We need that level of extensive

inventory so that when a salesper-

son walks in the door, there’s always

an innovative new idea. We want our

customers to know that either Impe-

rial has it or can get it.“

“We use the line all the time: ‘It’s

not what’s your price, its what’s your

cost. For instance, our premium con-

tainers might cost you a little more up

front, but will generate twice as much

profit in the end. An end user has no

problem spending that little extra for

a product in a premium container.”

Jason Tillis, President of Impe-

rial added, “Our acquisition of Burke

supports Imperial’s strategy to re-

main the most responsive provider

of packaging, janitorial and shipping

supplies to customers throughout the

tri-state area.”

“Burke’s strengths will enable us

to build the “jan-san” side of our

business. The Burke sales team ac-

tually runs seminars for their cus-

tomers. Jan-san customers require

more training than food service. They

also want to know the specifics of

the product. So it enables us to get

away from selling a commodity and

they want to know that a garbage can

liner isn’t going to leak and that the

chemicals they buy are going to strip

the floor properly. The potential for

cross-polination for us with food ser-

vice and jan-san, is simply over the

top.

“We look forward to partnering

with the management team at Im-

perial,” said Stuart Berkowitz, Presi-

dent of Burke. “We’re happy that our

customers can expect the same great

service, while enjoying a more diverse

line of products.”

“Imperial will continue to look for

other strategic acquisitions that will

continue to expand our business,”

noted Robert Tillis.

Founded in 1935, Imperial is known

for its excellent service and quality.

Imperial offers a superior selection

of paper, packaging and janitorial

products, and is committed to think-

ing outside the box, consulting with

customers to satisfy their current and

future needs. Imperial also provides

nationwide service to chain restau-

rants and national retailers.

Burke is a premier distributor of

innovative janitorial, chemical, food

service and packaging supplies, as

well as cleaning products, paper

goods, safety materials and indus-

trial packaging. Burke is committed

to pairing high-quality products with

excellent customer service, while

maintaining low costs.

“This is about creating critical mass as a result of

huge consolidation for both our customers and

vendors,” Tillis explained. “So the Burke acquisition

enables us to add buying power to reflect those

changes to have a more national presence...”

Page 68: Total Food Sevice October 2011

68 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Buddy Valastro’s Approach:Our goal with the new Lackawanna

Center in Jersey City was to create a

production facility with offices and

headquarters to support our growth.

As the business continues to grow, I

consider Lackawanna a prime space

to effectively carry out the 24/7 op-

erations of Carlo’s Bake Shop. It will

enable us to broaden our creativity

and increase production while creat-

ing hundreds of new jobs. It’s a dream

come true. This enables us to make

my Dad’s dream come true of bringing

Carlo’s to a national level, Buddy will

also implement a new cross country

shipping system from this new location

to give fans a taste of the Hoboken bak-

ery year-round. My goal for the design

was beautifully executed by Gary Ben-

sky of Clevenger Frable LaVallee Inc.

We wanted state of the art equipment,

from professional-grade mixers to

large scale ovens and industrial refrig-

erators. We worked closely with a team

than included Brian Doyle from BRC

Equipment Supplies and Tom Szaf-

ranski from ITW (Illinois Tool Works)

to accomplish that goal. From a design

standpoint, we worked with a top notch

architect in Richard Lewis. We wanted

to be able to have a private setting to

host the bakery’s many designer cake

consultations. In some cases we are ac-

tually having four meetings at a time.

The space is also designed with two

classrooms that will be open to the pub-

lic: a Hot Foods Room with 16 stove-top

burners and a Pastry Room with baking

and decorating stations. In addition to

OwnerBuddy Valastro, PresidentThe Cake Boss Inc. Hoboken, NJ

Kitchen ConsultantGary Bensky, Project ManagerClevenger Frable LaVallee Inc.White Plains, NY The ArchitectRichard Lewis, PresidentRichard H. Lewis & AssociatesNew York, NY

Equipment ManufacturerTom Szafranski, PresidentITW Food Equipment GroupTroy, OH Equipment & Supply DealerBrian Doyle, Project ExecutiveBRC Commercial KitchensElmwood Park, NJ

Carlo’s BakeryLackawanna Building

Jersey City, NJ

Page 69: Total Food Sevice October 2011

69 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

culinary classes, the kitchen will be used

for catering purposes and our full-time

chef will prepare lunch for employees.

The Pastry Room will also serve as the

backdrop for the construction of large

scale cakes, while major cake decorat-

ing takes place in the nearby Finishing

Room. We also challenged Richard to

give us the ability to have visitors view

finished cakes and those in the works

through large windows around the pe-

rimeter of the Finishing Room. Finally,

with an eye towards the not to distant

future, we wanted Lackawanna to be

able to support the revamping of our

bakery’s e-commerce site, www.car-

losbakery.com, to accommodate or-

ders from around the country. I can’t

say enough about what a great job our

team did of accomplishing these goals

to make this a reality.

Gary Bensky’s Approach:Well, we were actually recommended

to Buddy by Baxter, because he uses

Baxter ovens. Foster(Frable) and I went

for the interview, met Buddy and we

just hit it off from the day we met. We

were all speaking the same language.

Buddy has an incredibly infectious per-

sonality and he’s amazing to work with.

I think Buddy found that our indepen-

dence was important, we don’t buy

equipment or sell equipment. We’re

purely consultants. Our goal is always

to be the client’s advocate in the design

process with a client that is as busy as

Buddy.

We knew that we would be able to

help him because, we had just done an-

other large bakery in the Bronx which

was about 40,000 square feet. When we

began two years ago, it was uncertain as

to which way his business may develop.

Buddy knew he would like to open ad-

ditional bakeries, and also to support

the existing bakery. His big problem

with the existing bakery in Hoboken

was the very small production area. His

people were on top of each other and

couldn’t produce anywhere near what

they required. They were working al-

most three full shifts to be able to pro-

duce what they needed for the bakery.

So one of the first goals of our new

design was to be able to meet his pro-

duction requirements and streamline

to two shifts. A big part of his business,

as you can see from the TV show are

The Valastro clan paid homage to their new Lackawanna commissary with a special cake depicting the landmark site.

“I went for the interview, met Buddy and we

just hit it off from the day we met. We were

all speaking the same language. Buddy has

an incredibly infectious personality and he’s

amazing to work with.”

Page 70: Total Food Sevice October 2011

70 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 71: Total Food Sevice October 2011

71 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

the large unique cakes for events. We

needed to design with an understand-

ing of the architecture of these huge

cakes, and how to make them stable

enough to able to travel. There’s a big

challenge in getting many of the cakes

from the work area to a table 3 or 4 feet

away. In the case of Buddy’s cakes, they

are structurally sound. These cakes in

many cases need to travel cross coun-

try. For instance, they baked a cake for

Hobart for the NRA Show in Chicago

which they drove all the way from New

Jersey to Chicago which left and arrived

in perfect condition. One of the priori-

ties was to create a finishing area in the

design that is unusually large to allow

them to work on many of these cakes

simultaneously. With this much prod-

uct, we required a special approach to

walk-ins. The walk-ins have a 60 inch

automatic door, so that they’re able to

get these huge cakes that are a work in

progress in and out of the cooler. We

also customized them with special win-

dows in the side of the finished cooler

to support tours of the facility and the

potential for creating a retail opera-

tion in the new building. In addition to

that, we created 2 beautiful classrooms

there. One is a hot food classroom, and

one is a bakery classroom. Buddy and

his team will be teaching as well as hav-

ing some name guest chefs come in to

do specialty classes as well.

His commitment to his own people

was a big part of the thought process

with employee showers and a gym for

them. This project enabled us to under-

stand the special needs of bakeries rela-

tive to space allotment for shipping and

receiving, production, and finishing.

We also now have a working knowledge

of some of the larger pieces of equip-

ment required for baking in such large

volume.

Our approach was to get a feel for the

flow. The flow is in a U shape in this fa-

cility. It starts with delivery and moves

directly into refrigerated and dry stor-

age. Then comes the production area,

where they’re doing all of their batters,

cakes, cookies, pies as well as danish,

laminated dough’s and puff pastry. It’s

pretty amazing to see the production

of thousands of cannolis. The “U” is

completed with ware washing and the

finished cooler, where they’re working

these massive specialty cakes.

I can’t say enough about BRC’s per-

formance on this project, it was abso-

lutely amazing. It’s the best installation

I’ve seen in 12 years since I have been

here at CFL, they did an amazing job.

ITW provided the new facility with a full suite of innovative baking and cooking solutions.

Page 72: Total Food Sevice October 2011

72 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

They practically lived there and gave

special attention to Buddy.

Richard Lewis’ Approach:Gary Bensky brought me in because

we had done several commissary kitch-

ens with Gary and other kinds of proj-

ects with him over the years. I have also

done many commissary kitchens and

giant industrial bakeries before I even

met Gary including a bakery I did for

Zabar’s.

He has long been credited with

bringing good bread to New York. I

then did a bakery for Keith McNally of

Balthazar for Phillip Kirsch and then

Tom Cat Bakery. So I’ve been able to de-

velop some very unique expertise. What

makes the design of a bakery unique is

the very large size that you are design-

ing for.

This requires a lot of space to be al-

located for the racks and of course prep

and storage whereas in food service,

everything is super tight. In a bakery,

you need a lot of room for when bread

comes out of the oven to let it cool

down.

My role in this project was to take

equipment specs from Buddy and Gary

and then the needs of the mechanical

engineers and create a base plan and a

flow and then to design all of the non-

kitchen areas including office space.

My focus with the cooking and storage

areas was to be involved in making sure

that everything’s meeting the code.

I was very concerned with the

amount of work load and stress that the

operation will have on the structure.

With a bakery there is heavy equipment

including heavy rolling carts and mix-

ing bowls that are constantly crashing

into things. With that much stainless

steel, you need wall bumpers on every-

thing and you need really solid, floor-

ing. The flooring is a huge investment

in these facilities because there’s just so

much water and washing that requires

industrial strength. Keep in mind this

building was at one time a central fa-

cility for the railroad. So on the ground

floor where we are, there are thick

concrete floors. We had to do a lot of

trenching for the plumbing. Although

there are two or three different options,

and I prefer using quarry tile floors be-

cause it is indestructible in terms of the

hardness.

The quarry then requires the use

of epoxy grout to give you the flexibil-

ity down the road to make changes. A

bakery also has very unique mechani-

cal needs. There’s certain rooms where

humidity needs special control. All the

walk in boxes have special low temper-

ature and specific humidity. We dealt

with the high volume water demands

by putting a water tower on the roof

with the ability to pump water through-

out the facility. Our final consideration

was to create a design for Buddy’s TV

studios. That required extra wiring and

lighting that ended up being added to

the original plan. This project was all

Nor-Lake worked closely with BRC’s design team to create walk-ins that were both highly functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Page 74: Total Food Sevice October 2011

74 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

about what great teamwork can ac-

complish.

Brian Doyle’s Approach:Clevenger Frable LaVallee brought

us in and Buddy and I hit it off. We told

him how we attack a project and how it

was important to us for him to be happy

and to meet what Gary’s vision was.

This is Buddy’s life and with so many

of his family members involved, this

is an extension of his family. That’s the

emotion and passion he wanted to see

as well and that this was not just anoth-

er job. He definitely wanted to see that

we had the same passion as he did.

One of the challenges with the proj-

ect was to also share his vision on sev-

eral different levels. Buddy’s visions in-

clude the on-going growth of specialty

cakes which include everything from a

wedding cake to a space shuttle cake

and then growth of internet sales and

of course the retail operation which

has exploded from his TV popularity.

Years ago my very first job was in a fam-

ily owned bakery, so I had lots of hands

on experience with Hobart’s mixers. I

needed to keep in mind that this was

very different from a traditional retail

bakery.

We needed to create capacity for

the volume on the hot side to produce

but you also need to have the capacity

to store them properly before the fin-

ished product gets to the end-user. We

worked closely on the walk-in boxes to

create 24 feet of window as you’re walk-

ing by to look at the cakes. Our concept

was customers who visually were eating

with their eyes.

In many cases the customer is an

event planner and a bride. So we need-

ed to create the right type of consulting

suite. A key to the success of this proj-

ect was the commitment from the ITW

team led by Tom Szfranski and their lo-

cal rep PBAC. It started with us continu-

ally answering the key questions; How

and where am I going to store all this

product? Does he have enough prep

area to keep up with the demand? Do

we have the right balance of prep and

storage production?

So the goal was to enable him to

have all of his mixes and batches and

then deposit them onto a conveyor or

if he’s doing cannolis, send them eas-

ily to a high capacity cooking area.

The flow then continues with a pair of

The goal of the new facility was to maximize volume production with Buddy’s signature quality

The legendary Hobart mixer line was at the top of Buddy Valastro’s wish list for the bak-ery’s new commissary.

Page 75: Total Food Sevice October 2011

75 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

mixing kettles, from there the product

is frosted and cooled in a blast chiller,

and then stored in one of the walk-in

boxes. The product is then decorated in

the decorating room which we built out

with seven stations. Six of the stations

have two people working on marble

counter tops. What an incredible expe-

rience to be challenged by somebody as

gifted as Buddy.

Tom Szafranski’s Approach:I don’t watch a lot of TV, however I

happened to catch an episode of the

Cake Boss where Buddy Valastro and

his team were visiting Disney World. He

enters one of Disney’s many commer-

cial foodservice kitchens to create a few

masterpiece cakes and he notices they

have Hobart mixers! He then comments

how relieved he is to see them and what

a wonderful job they do and needless to

say, that caught my attention!!

Since that time, Buddy has become

a great friend and partner to Hobart.

His newly finished Hoboken facility

is stocked with Hobart mixers, Baxter

ovens and proofers, Traulsen Refrig-

eration and Vulcan cooking equipment.

Buddy’s goal was to find equipment

and ingredients that would enable him

to focus on a “back to scratch” bakery

strategy. He told us that’s what differ-

entiated our products; our investment

in quality and consistently reliable

products, which is what he does in his

bakery business every day! It is a very

unique project and we are very proud to

be able to contribute to his overwhelm-

ing success. Buddy also worked with

consultant Gary Bensky of Clevenger

Frable LaVallee Inc. and our dealer ,

Brian Doyle of BRC, all of whom did a

phenomenal job on this high profile

project. Additionaly PBAC also played a

key role in supporting CFL and BRC in

bringing this project from conception

to completion.

Buddy also made a recent appearance

at the Hobart booth during the National

Restaurant Show in Chicago, featuring

a creation of cake in the life size form of a

Hobart 80 quart mixer! He shared his ex-

periences to a packed house of excited

fans. People just love him and enjoy meet-

ing him, taking pictures and receiving

autographs. He also met Selena, a Make-

a-Wish child and her family who came to

the Hobart NRA booth. He sat down with

her for probably 20 minutes and she was

just mesmerized by his caring and friendly

demeanor. At a recent Make-A-Wish event,

we raffled off a Hobart mixer and VIP passes

for a meet and greet at one of his upcom-

ing presentations. It’s a great story – Buddy’s

a sincere individual and we respect him

both personally as well as professionally.

We have been happy to support his com-

mitment to “back-to-scratch” baking and

providing differentiated quality products.

“As the business continues to grow, I

consider Lackawanna a prime space to

effectively carry out the 24/7 operations

of Carlo’s Bake Shop. It will enable us

to broaden our creativity and increase

production while creating hundreds of

new jobs. It’s a dream come true.”

Page 76: Total Food Sevice October 2011

76 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Chefs Jean-Georges Vongerichten

and Andrew Carmellini, restaurateur

Drew Nieporent and Aquagrill’s chef

and owner Jeremy Marshall, will each

create exclusive offerings as part of

the new MSG Signature Collection.

The MSG Signature Collection will

debut in November and December,

following the reopening of the Gar-

den in late October, after extensive

summer construction that repre-

sents the first phase of the three-year

Transformation project.

In addition to the MSG Signature

Collection, food offerings throughout

the arena will be upgraded as the

transformation continues, with items

from restaurants Carnegie Deli and

Hill Country Barbecue. There will also

be additional food items including

Healthy Food, Gluten Free,

kosher offerings featuring Carlos &

Gabby’s, desserts from Magnolia

Bakery, sushi and the Garden Mar-

ket, which will provide a wide variety

of arena favorites, including pizza

and hot dogs. “In addition to ensuring

that Madison Square Garden remains

THE destination for historic, unfor-

// NEWS MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

Manhattan’s Top Restaurateur Highlights MSG TransformationThe Madison Square Garden Company has announced plans to bring some of the biggest names in New York food to the world’s most famous arena as part of its historic transformation.

Page 77: Total Food Sevice October 2011

77 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

gettable sports and entertainment

for generations to come, our trans-

formation is also designed to ensure

we become a destination for some

of the very best food in the city,” said

Hank Ratner, president and chief ex-

ecutive officer, The Madison Square

Garden Company. “Along with signifi-

cantly enhanced menu options and

upgrades for all of our food offerings,

we’re proud that some of the best

chefs and restaurateurs in the world

will offer exclusive items as part of

our Signature Collection, which will

only be available to fans attending

our events.”

Debuting in late November, Daily

Burger from top restaurateur Drew

Nieporent will feature several special-

ty hamburgers and cheeseburgers,

while Sausage Boss, by award-win-

ning chef Andrew Carmellini with his

partner Luke Ostrom, will showcase

an Italian link sausage and cheese

bratwurst sandwich. In December,

world-famous chef Jean-Georges

Vongerichten, along with partner

Phil Suarez, will open Simply Chick-

en, offering a grilled organic chicken

sandwich, chicken hot dog and sliced

chicken salad. Jeremy Marshall, from

top-rated Aquagrill, will open Lobster

Shrimp Roll by Aquagrill at several

locations also beginning in Decem-

ber. Fans will be able to easily identify

each MSG Signature offering through

distinctive branding and signage.

In addition, the arena’s 20 new

Event Level Suites set to open this

October, as well as the 58 new Madi-

son Suites that are expected to debut

for the 2012-13 season, will feature

new menus developed in conjunc-

tion with Mr. Vongerichten, including

a number of items from his various

restaurants. Additionally, items from

Mr. Vongerichten’s restaurants as well

as select items from the MSG Signa-

ture Collection will be available at the

Delta SKY360 degrees Club.

Each MSG Signature Collection

participant is excited to bring his

acclaimed culinary expertise to the

iconic Madison Square Garden Are-

na, particularly as part of its historic

Transformation:

“Simply Chicken is our vision of a

great option for Garden fans: at the

same time healthy and delicious;

both familiar and uniquely excit-

ing; affordable yet made from all or-

ganic, locally sourced ingredients.

Just as MSG is reinventing itself to

cater to the needs of the modern

sports fan and concert-goer, Simply

Chicken reflects how people are eat-

ing today. Each item on the menu

features modern and eclectic twists,

prepared with equal attention to our

customers’ cravings and their desire

to eat healthily. We are honored to

be launching this addition to our cu-

linary repertoire inside The World’s

Most Famous Arena,” said Chef Jean-

Georges Vongerichten and partner

Phil Suarez.

Page 78: Total Food Sevice October 2011

78 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Call Vic Rose: 732-864-2220

“As longtime sports fans and New

Yorkers, we couldn’t be more excit-

ed about contributing to Madison

Square Garden’s transformation and

breaking out Sausage Boss by Car-

mellini. We are in great company.

Think of it as a nightly party at the

world’s premier sports and entertain-

ment venue, and we’re bringing the

sausages,” said Chef Andrew Carmel-

lini and partner Luke Ostrom.

The MSG Signature Collection menu

will include the following exclusive

items: Simply Chicken (Jean-Georges

Vongerichten) - Chicken Hot Dog with

Kim Chee and Spicy Mustard; Sliced

Chicken Salad, Carrot- Miso Dressing;

Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Asian Pears,

Thai Mayonnaise (Housemade Pickles,

Basil, Potato Chips). Sausage Boss (An-

drew Carmellini) - AC’s Italian Link Piz-

zaiola and Sweet Peppers; Cheese Brat-

wurst Weinkraut and Mustard. Daily

Burger (Drew Nieporent) - Daily Burger

with Cheese and Bacon & Onion Jam;

Daily Burger with Green Tomato Rel-

ish; Daily Burger; French Fries. Lobster

Shrimp Roll by Aquagrill (Jeremy Mar-

shall) - Lobster Shrimp Roll on Toasted

Split New England Roll.

Andrew Carmellini is a Manhattan-

based chef and restaurateur who first

made a name for himself as Daniel

Boulud’s chef de cuisine at Café Boulud.

Six years, two James Beard Foundation

awards and a spot on Food & Wine’s

Best New Chef roster later, Carmellini

opened an upscale Italian restaurant

in Madison Square Park winning three

stars from The New York Times, and

one from the Michelin Guide. He is cur-

rently the chef and owner of Locanda

Verde and The Dutch, two hit restau-

rants that continually enjoy popularity

and praise. Up next, he will open an en-

core to The Dutch in Miami Beach, FL.

Jean-Georges Vongerichten is one of

the world’s most famous chefs, but his

skills extend far beyond the kitchen. A

savvy businessman and formidable res-

taurateur, Jean-Georges is responsible

for the operation and success of a con-

stellation of three- and four-star res-

taurants in The United States, Europe,

and Asia. His collection of restaurants,

along with his long-time partner Phil

Suarez, includes Jean-Georges, Perry

St, Spice Market, Mercer Kitchen, JoJo,

Nougatine at Jean-Georges, Terrace at

Jean-Georges, ABC Kitchen, and The

Mark in New York City; Prime Steak-

house in Las Vegas; Cafe Martinique

and Dune in Paradise Island, Nassau,

Bahamas; Lagoon in Bora Bora; Jean-

Georges Shanghai in Shanghai; and

Market in Paris.

The Carnegie Deli in midtown

Manhattan was opened in 1937 ad-

jacent to Carnegie Hall. Now in the

third generation of owners, the deli-

catessen is among the most visited

restaurants of its type in the city, ac-

cording to the New York Convention &

Visitors Bureau. USA Today has called

the restaurant the “most famous” deli

in the United States. It is operated by

Sandy Levine, whose business card

indicates he is the “MBD” = Married

Boss’s Daughter, namely, Marian

Parker.

MSG, from page 77

Page 79: Total Food Sevice October 2011

79 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 83: Total Food Sevice October 2011

83 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

Page 85: Total Food Sevice October 2011

85 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

sible and delicious,” said Scardapane.

“I think we’ve achieved and exceeded

this, offering sizable salads, sandwich-

es and wraps with ingredients that are

chopped fresh daily.”

SaladWorks, from page 60 Fiorito, from page 38

• Re-examine your classification

codes for your workers’ compensation

policy.

• Continually reevaluate if your ex-

isting insurance policy is still right for

your restaurant’s needs. There could

be changes you’ve made that will affect

your premium.

• Implement a formal safety program

and raise safety awareness to minimize

claims. A good claims history can dras-

tically reduce your workers’ compensa-

tion costs.

• Examine a limited benefit medical

plan as an alternative to more costly

health coverage.

For more tips and information on

how to navigate through the coming

hard market, please contact Bob Fiorito

at 212-338-2324 or via email at robert.

[email protected].

Robert Fiorito, serves as Vice Presi-

dent, Hub International Northeast.,

where he specializes in providing insur-

ance brokerage services to the restau-

rant industry. As a 20-year veteran and

former restaurateur himself, Bob has

worked with a wide array of restaurant

and food service businesses, ranging

from fast-food chains to upscale, “white

tablecloth” dining establishments. To

learn more about Bob, please visit www.

hubfiorito.com.

Page 87: Total Food Sevice October 2011

87 • October 2011 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com