July; Named to honor Roman dictator Julius Caesar (100 BC-44 BC). In 46 BC, Julius Caesar made one of his greatest contributions to history. With the help of Sosigenes, he developed the Julian calendar, the precursor to the Gregorian calendar that we use today.
Our Chef of the Month
James Beard Rising Star/ Chef Jimmy Bannos Jr.
As a fourth generation restaurateur, he was mentored by his father, Jimmy Bannos (Chef/Owner of Heaven on Seven) and catapulted his expertise through training by nationally renowned chefs. Since opening in 2009, under the leadership of Jimmy Bannos Jr., The Purple Pig has received numerous accolades, including being named one of 2010’s “10 Best New Restaurants in America” by Bon Appétit magazine; and a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand recipient since 2011.Dubbed the “Prince of Pork” by Dana Cowin (former Food and Wine Editor-in-Chief); Jimmy Jr. brings his love for Mediterranean food to the Windy City in fun, inventive ways – at this rustic sharable plate restaurant, conveniently located on the Magnificent Mile.Located at 444 North Michigan Avenue, the restaurant offers cheese, swine and wine, among other standout dishes, showcasing the flavors of Italy, Greece and Spain.
.Chef Bannos signature dishes.
Chef Jimmy in Action
Ways to Get Vitamin "D"
7 ways to reduce stress and keep blood pressure down
Food link to better brain power
Just as there is no magic pill to prevent cognitive decline, no single almighty brain food can ensure a sharp brain as you age. Nutritionists emphasize that the most important strategy is to follow a healthy dietary pattern that includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Try to get protein from plant sources and fish and choose healthy fats, such as olive oil or canola, rather than saturated fats.
Excerpts from “True North” by Bill George
Bill George thinks that most people struggle to understand the purpose of their leadership. What purpose will it serve? In order to find their purpose, leaders must first understand themselves and their passions. Typically some of you will take months, perhaps several years to determine what you want to do, as you gain valuable work place experience. Now for some of us it takes years to find the right place to devote our passions, the purpose and the source of our leadership. I urge you periodically to ask yourself; “what do I want out of my life?” If you continue to look inwardly, your ‘internal compass’ will point the way to the purpose for your leadership, the difference that you can make in the world, and the legacy that you leave based on your internal compass, your ‘true north’. You’re prepared to succeed, to take reasonable risks, to know the great enthusiasms and great devotions, and to commit yourself to a worthy cause. This is what Bill George called the fulfillment of leadership. You cannot find that fulfillment by observing leaders from the sidelines. He says that you must get in there, get your face marred by dust, sweat and blood. That is what life and leadership are all about.
Notes from a Purchasing Pro by Robert Dennerlein.
I am excited to post my first tip, on Purchasing for Profit. It is my desire that this information will assist the industry with practical wisdom and best practices.
Quality/Cost Control/Yields: For any operation to succeed it is important to provide customers with a consistent quality at a cost that allows profitability. Your distributor can assist with both quality and cost control. Request your distributor to do food cuttings and provide yield analysis, so you can determine the actual cost of product (EP vs AP). What matters is your EP, which can be 15% higher from one label to another. For example, a #10 can of diced tomatoes may contain 15% more tomatoes than a lesser AP/quality label. If the tomatoes of the higher label were 10% more expensive you have a 5% savings by utilizing the higher-grade product due to the yield or edible tomatoes.
Robert Dennerlein, Robert is a Past President of the Las Vegas Branch many years ago, and has recently rejoined IFSEA. Welcome back Robert and thank you for allowing us to publish this edited article.
“The Beginning of Cooking as We Know It”
Hot off the Press
Leading From the Top
“Independence Day: freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed – else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
The Aegean Group and UNLV, and Las Vegas Food Project will be participating on the upcoming Las Vegas ACF National Convention .
Leading Changes and the Sense of Urgency to Adapt to Challenges
Restaurants 21/22: The Year In Review + The Year To Come (by Zagat)
The movers, shakers, thinkers, makers, and innovators in this year’s stories are engaging with a restaurant industry radically changed by the pandemic. Last year’s pivots to delivery and outdoor dining have given way to major shifts in how the restaurant business talks about itself—from labor and compensation to kitchen culture, supply chains, pricing, and customer relations. Long-held assumptions are being re-examined and sometimes discarded in favor of ideas that would have been unthinkable just two years ago. And many people who work in hospitality are finding new strength and inspiration in reconnecting with community, service, passion, and purpose at the most personal level. As different as 2021 was from 2020 in the world of restaurants, 2022 promises no letup in the dizzying pace of change. Explore the Restaurants 21/22 storytellers below
Click here for more information
IFSEA
IFSEA news
I recommend to you a wonderful time saving tool created by- IFSEA Member, Executive Chef, F&B Director Lucio Arancibia – lnfoodsys is focused on inspiring and empowering Culinarians everywhere to exceed all challenges. They have tremendous resources at their disposal, but they face an acute scarcity in one critical area: TIME. The Recipe App will produce instant results, instead of riffling through complicated steps. One framework, one process. Full Story:
A Kitchen Manifesto #1
Your Next Leadership Superpower
Chefs for Kids
Cooking a Rex Bell Elementary School
Food for Thought - Cooking with Tumeric
Helping Hand
Your Business and your community can benefit from volunteers…taking your team out of the office to volunteer in the community.
The Power of Repetition
A helpful sheet for accuracy in recipe costing/ click below
Hospitality doesn’t start at the restaurant, hotel or airline. It start at home. In everyday life. Because is all about being hospitable.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall “become a company of dwarfs”. (David Ogilvy)
. .
WHAT’S COOKING TODAY?
Recipe provided by Chef Raymond Bar CEC-CCE-ACE
Red Wine Braised Short Ribs
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.
LEADERSHIP IS NOT A POSITION OR A TITLE, IT IS ACTION AND EXAMPLE
Profiles in Leadership: J.W Marriott / Executive & Chairman of the Board of Marriott International . Below is Bill's "guideposts"
Click the image below to watch Leadership Guru, Chris Edmonds
ACF 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
Click on the image below to enlarge
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
Perspective Theories of Leadership
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
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.
Hail to the Kale!!
Click on the image below to enlarge
Late last year, we talked to dozens of chefs who predicted trends that ranged from family-style dining to tasting menus with non-alcoholic juice pairings. Of course, no one could have predicted the way 2022 played out.
Hungry for more, click below:
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.