January Named for the Roman god Janus, protector of gates and doorways. Janus is depicted with, two faces, one looking into the past, the other into the future.
Our Chef of the Month
Chef Thomas McNaughton
Chef Thomas McNaughton took his first job at a restaurant at age 14 as a dishwasher, but he quickly fell in love with the energy of the restaurant kitchen and the craftsmanship of cooking. He studied at the Culinary Institute of America, worked at some of San Francisco’s top fine dining institutions and traveled through Europe, training under renowned chefs in France, Germany, and Italy.McNaughton returned to San Francisco to be the chef at flour + water, which was nominated as Best New Restaurant by the James Beard Foundation in 2010. The chef, who has been nominated as a James Beard Rising Star Chef multiple years in a row, went on to open a number of other successful San Francisco restaurants, including Central Kitchen and Salumeria. His newest project, Café du Nord, opened in June, and serves food and cocktails with live music in a historic San Francisco space..
. .Chef thomas signature dishes.
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 / click on the image below to read this important article
Your Next Leadership Superpower
From the White House / Putting More Plant Based Options On The Menu - Webinar
Join Chef Andrew Zimmern, White House leaders, Chef Amanda Cohen of Dirt Candy, Chef Nina Curtis of Plant'ish & Co., and the James Beard Foundation, the Plant Based Foods Association, the Independent Restaurant Coalition, and the Environmental Working Group to learn more about adding plant-based options to restaurant and cafeteria menus Wednesday, November 2
In uncertain and turbulent times, accepting that challenge is the only antidote to chaos, stagnation, and disintegration. My point is, in challenging times, it can be tempting to shoot out as many arrows as you can, to increase the odds of hitting your target. But that’s a sure way to waste time and resources, with no guarantee of hitting the mark.
Instead, remember the winemaker: Focus your resources on those grapes that will give you the best wine, nurture them, and prune away the rest. The second reason we’re growing against the wind is because we keep reinventing ourselves.
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
A Kitchen Manifesto #1
Food for Thought - Beets, Read this for Inspiration!!
Las Vegas Chefs for Kids events
• Chefs For Kids is our flagship program that aims to eliminate malnutrition and hunger through targeted education, awareness, and example. Throughout the year our chefs volunteer to serve hot, nutritious meals to more than 10,000 kids in at-risk elementary schools.
For more information please click here Chef4Kids
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
failure isn’t fatal, but failure to change might be.
We Believe self-acceptance and personal growth combined with honesty and loyalty give man the inner peace and strength necessary for success and happiness. That character, faith and integrity are the foundations for greatness and the man who doesn’t stand for something will fall for anything. Zig Ziglar . (David Ogilvy) . .
WHAT’S COOKING TODAY?
Recipe provided by Chef Raymond Bar CEC-CCE-ACE
Apple and Corn 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.
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
Hail to the Kale!!
Click on the image below to enlarge
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.
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!
Goodness!!
Avocado oil; this silky fruit oil helps fight joint condition and promoted soft skin.