Welcome to Our Thirty Fourth Issue!
February comes from the Latin word februa, which means "to cleanse ". The month was named after the Roman Februalia, which was a month long festival of purification an atonement.
Featured Chef Jung Hyun Park
Chef Jung Dishes
Chef Jung Hyun YouTube video
Ways to Get Vitamin "D"
7 ways to reduce stress and keep blood pressure down
Let the Food be the Medicine
CHICAGO — It’s never been a secret that a nutritious diet influences general health. In decades past, however, most consumers took a reactionary approach to health needs, seeking medicine to treat specific conditions and only changing their dietary habits when faced with a direct threat to their well-being. Now, a growing proactive health movement is driving consumers to treat food as a means to prevent, manage and possibly even reverse certain conditions.
The Power of Carotenoids
Carotenoids are the yellow-orange pigments in fruits and vegetables. There are more than 600 carotenoids, of which over 450 that exist in food have been identified; these include beta carotene, lycopene, beta kryptoxanthin, and lutein. Some 50 carotenoids are converted to vitamin A in the intestine, and until recently scientists thought that the others were simply pigments that played no role in health. Recent years, however, research has shown that many of the carotenoids may have disease-preventing potential.
Foods rich in beta-carotene and other carotenoids include: Apricots, asparagus, beef liver, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, corn, guava, kale, mangoes, mustard and collard greens, nectarines, peaches, pink grapefruit, pumpkin, squash (yellow and winter), sweet potato, tangerines, tomatoes, and watermelon.
What Are the Benefits of a Diverse Workforce ?
What advantages come from having a Diverse Workforce? Diverse teams can improve the company culture. Diverse teams perform better and gives the company a more expanded talent pool and help foster innovation and more productive employees.
Team diversity refers to the differences between individual member of a team that can exist on various dimensions like, age… nationality… religious background… functional task skills… sexual orientation…and political preferences etc.
More information on “Diversity in Groups” at www.HBS.edu written by Catarina R. Fernandes and Jeffrey T. Polzer
Also a blog by Sophia Lee, Writer, www.cultureamp.com “Diversity in the workplace- benefits and challenges”. 9 minute read “Diversity and Inclusion.”
Toni Ali/HR Expert
A helpful sheet for accuracy in recipe costing/ click below
Food for Thought
The Power of Blueberries
Blueberries have powerful health benefits. They have an impressive nutrition profile, being particularly high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. Blueberries are also exceptionally high in antioxidants. In fact, they are believed to contain the highest antioxidant content of the most commonly consumed fruits. The antioxidants in blueberries may reduce the risk of chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Blueberries are also known for their powerful effects on the immune system. One study found that eating blueberries regularly may increase natural killer cells in the body. These help defend you against oxidative stress and viral infections. Additionally, the antioxidants in blueberries may have a protective effect on your brain. For example, eating blueberries has been shown to improve memory in older adults.
Click here for more information The power of blueberries
Why Hash Your Hands?
- Handwashing education has shown to reduce FBI:
- Reduces the number of people who get sick with diarrhea by 31%
- Reduces diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by 58%
- Reduces respiratory illnesses, like colds, in the general population by 16-21%
- Gloves Alone Aren’t Enough for Food Safety
- Gives a false sense of security
- Contamination of clean glove with dirty hands?
- Washing with soap and water is much more effective than washing with water alone. Soap binds to the dirt, oils, and microbes present on hands and makes it easier to wash them away. Applying soap also tends to make people scrub more thoroughly.
- Friction from lathering and scrubbing hands physically helps the soap bind to and loosen dirt, oils, and germs.
- Although the optimal length of time for handwashing may depend on factors such as the type and amount of soil, grease, and germs on hands, studies have shown that scrubbing for at least 15 seconds removes significantly more germs from hands than washing for shorter periods.
Information provided by Aminta Martínez-Hermosilla, MS
Follow these tips to prevent spread of pathogens through basic, good hygiene practices
Implement a personal hygiene program. To lessen the possibility of food handlers contaminating food, institute a good personal hygiene policies to make sure food handlers come to work healthy. Include actions such as reporting illnesses and covering wounds
Remind employees to wash their handsThis is especially important after using the restroom and after handling raw meat, seafood and poultry. Use a single-use paper towel or hand dryer, rather than any part of their uniform, to dry.
Use separate equipmentEach type of food should be prepped and handled with a separate piece of equipment. Some operations use colored cutting boards and utensil handles to help keep equipment separate.
Clean and sanitize all work surface. All work surfaces, equipment and utensils should be cleaned and sanitized after each task. Simply rinsing equipment is not enough to eliminate pathogens that can contaminate food.
hello
WHAT’S COOKING TODAY?
Apple, Corn and Raisin Flan
Method
Think Positively (Leadership)
Leaders can build accountability by spelling out what’s expected from employees in terms of results and behaviors, monitoring progress daily and applying positive and negative consequences based on outcomes, says S. Chris Edmonds. “Without consequences, clear agreements and monitoring do not ensure either results or respect,” he says.
2020 Culinary Forecast
Do you have the skills to make a great coach?
- Hire the right fit for your open position
- Allowing this new employee(s) to adjust to your company culture
- Seeing their potential
- Begin grooming them to take positions that are higher than yours in the industry
- Be open to their ideas
Quote's
That will help you stay ahead of the game.
Plan for the future, because there is where you are going to spend all your life. Mark Twain
Lead On!
Participative Theories of Leadership
Participative Theories of Leadership are considered by some to be an ideal style of leadership because they consider input from others. Leaders utilizing this type of theory tend to encourage both contributions and active participation from other group members. In turn, this allows the other group members to feel more relevant and committed to the direction the leader has chosen to go. The only real caveat here is that the leader maintains the right of what input to allow from the other group members.
For more information regarding the Participative Theories please visit: Behavioral Leadership
It has been my observation, over the years, that many leaders rank low on empathy. They understand it intellectually, they just don’t pay enough attention, ask the right questions or comprehend that it is not just about what your colleagues think, but about how they feel. To be an effective leader you need to do more than just manage the bottom line and watch the numbers like a hawk. Obviously that may be necessary, but so is offering suggestions, being supportive, being a source of creative ideas, helping your people think through their roles and helping them make the best use of their time. In fact, that is precisely what the best leaders do.
As you think about how you exhibit genuine empathy here are five questions for you to contemplate. For more information visit: patrickmckenna.com
Culinary Corner
Form the American Culinary Federation, your chance to create spectacular dishes and contribute with inspirational new ideas.
Click below for more information:
The 2016 Menus of Change Annual Report was released at the fourth annual Menus of Change leadership summit on June 14. It includes an analysis of issues at the convergence of public health, the environment, and the business of food, plus and updated Dashboard of how the food and foodservice industries have progressed—or not—since last year’s report was issued.
The World Culinary Arts Video Series
Read more and enjoy the videos at: Amazing video library from The Culinary Institute of America
La Finestra: Trends Spotting
Just like fashion, food trends come and go in the blink of an eye. Every year, we see a rise in these fads that inevitably affect the way we eat and plan our meals. From superfoods to juice cleanses, the modern dining pattern has undeniably been influenced by the presence of a health-conscious effort, which we see continuing into 2020.
Learn more 2020 Food trends according Chefs
If you’re feeling forgetful, it could be due to a lack of sleep or a number of other reasons, including genetics, level of physical activity and lifestyle and environmental factors. However, there’s no doubt that diet plays a major role in brain health.
The best menu for boosting memory and brain function encourages good blood flow to the brain — much like what you’d eat to nourish and protect your heart. Research found the Mediterranean Diet helps keep aging brains sharp, and a growing body of evidence links foods such as those in the Mediterranean diet with better cognitive function, memory and alertness
Learn more by visiting: Types of Foods to Help Boost Your Memory
Meeting the Demand for Safe, Natural Products
Lately, while shopping at my local grocery store, I have noticed the increasing number of food products marketed as organic or preservative-free. More and more, consumers are demanding green labels and ingredient lists they can understand. Yet food safety — preventing food spoilage and contamination from microbial pathogens — must remain a top priority for food producers. The food safety industry faces many challenges if it is to transition away from the use of refined chemicals toward more label-friendly preservatives.
By Suzanne Osborne, PhD
Wednesday, 30 April 2014
Hail to the Kale!!
Kale is one of the cruciferous vegetables, cancer fighters full of fiber and antioxidants. great addition to salads or you can bake it with a spritz of extra virgin-olive oil and sea salt for a crispy potato chip alternative.
2020 Culinary Forecast
Nutrition, Eat Better
Salt, Consuming the right amount, Most Americans consume more sodium than is good for their health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Learn more!
8 Tips For Avoiding Gluten Cross Contamination – PrimoHealthCoach
▪ Oils that have been used to deep fry battered foods will contaminate foods like French fries. Use separate oils, and ask the chef when dining out if the same oil is used for battered foods.
▪ Cutlery, utensils and potsand pans must be thoroughly cleaned before cooking gluten-free to avoid cross-contamination.
▪ Toasters and ovens that have been used for glutenous breads can contaminate gluten-free breads. At home try to keep two separate toasters.
▪ Grills and barbecues can easily cross-contaminate foods if not properly cleaned. Many sauces used to barbecue have gluten.
▪ Sifters used for both glutenous and gluten-free flours will cross-contaminate. At home if you use both types of flour, keep separate properly labeled sifters.
▪ Your mayonnaise, peanut butter jar, jams and jellies are easily contaminated when making sandwiches.
▪ Glutenous flours have a tendency to stay airborne for some time after use. Cooking in a kitchen shortly after preparing foods with glutenous flours is risky for the sensitive person. Because of this I find it very hard to believe that you can get a truly gluten-free pizza from a pizza restaurant that makes regular pizza as well.
▪ Any foods not prepared in a gluten-free facility, including your own home, runs the risk of getting cross-contaminated.
Goodness!!
Avocado oil; this silky fruit oil helps fight joint condition and promoted soft skin.
