April; From the Latin word aperio, “to open” (bud), because plants begin to grow during this month.
Chef of the Month; Amanda Shulman
Chef Amanda Bios
Amanda Shulman (Class of SAS 2015) is the chef and owner of Her Place, a dinner party style not restaurant in Philadelphia. Shulman spent three months at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, while fall 2013 saw her intern at Food52 as well as visit Rome via Penn’s study abroad program; it was here where she fell in love with pasta making. In March 2014, she underwent her first ever stage at Marc Forgione in New York. Shulman ended up being offered an internship, but had already accepted a summer position at Tasting Table, after which she did another stage at Gabrielle Hamilton’s Prune. She formerly worked at Vetri Cucina, spent time cooking in Bergamo, Italy as well as Momofuku Ko and Roman’s in New York. She moved to Vegas to be the opening executive sous chef at Vetri’s eponymous spot at the Palms and then ventured to Montreal to fall in love with everything French and meaty at Joe Beef. Amanda recently moved back to Philly where she opened Her Place and is excited about the future of making Philadelphia home! She loves bread with her butter and all pickles. .
Chef Amanda Culinary Creations!
Chef Amanda in action/ click the image to watch the video
TURKISH TASTE CULINARY TOUR
Congratulations to the Culinary Ambassadors of Turkish Taste!!!
Ways to Get Vitamin D
Vitamin D is crucial for helping the body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus- both help with building bone. Here are 7 Nutritious Foods That Are High In Vitamin D
Food Links to Improved 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.
Reduce Stress & Keep Blood Pressure Down
"True North" Excerpts 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
Your Next Leadership Superpower
It’s easy, free, and requires no special equipment. Don’t underestimate the power of praise to motivate people. If done correctly, it builds social capital and even loyalty, so people will follow you even when things get tough. It may seem counterintuitive to tell an employee on a difficult day that they’re doing a great job. After all, when you’re alone at the top, no one offers such words to you. But as a leader you take the brunt of your team’s defensiveness, their worries, their insecurities, their annoyances.
A Kitchen Manifesto #1
The Spirit of Hospitality
Hospitality doesn’t start at the restaurant, hotel or airline. It start at home. In everyday life. Because is all about being hospitable.
Click Here for More Information.
Embrace Your Employees, a quote from Nadella
Sustainability; the ability to maintain or support a process continuality overtime. Essay by Chef Steve Soltz; Professor of Culinary Arts
Sustainability has become a buzzword in the hospitality industry. It means different things to different people. The dictionary defines sustainability as “the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level.” It is also defined as avoiding the depletion of natural resources to maintain an ecological balance. As in “the pursuit of global environmental sustainability” I attended a seminar many years ago at an ACF national convention on sustainable practices. I remember the presenter stating that being sustainable is great if your business can afford it. That was related to the cost of buying all the ecologically friendly packaging and service ware that was starting to hit the market. Which were, at the time, considerably more expensive than the traditional Styrofoam and paper goods.I recently attended a major event in Las Vegas. While some of the service ware was clearly made for recycling, there was no effort at the event to separate them or the thousands of plastic water bottles that were consumed……see more, click the image below.
Time is of the essence, In uncertain and turbulent times, accepting that challenge is the only antidote to chaos, stagnation, and disintegration. Times change, problems change, technologies change, and people change. Leader- ship endures. Teams, organizations, and communities need people to step up and take charge. Hungry for more, please the image below.
The James Beard "Oscar of the Food World" Click the image below to read the entire report!
Here's what bosses should say to inspire others.
5 affirming phrases that should always come out of a leader’s mouthHere’s what bosses should say to inspire others.As a Leaders, we often underestimate the power of our words in motivating people at work. However, knowing what to say and how to say things that will inspire employees is crucial.
Ways to Build Resilience
Being resilient isn’t about avoiding misfortune, but rather how we respond to it. Resilience means “doing well in the face of risk or adversity;’
Recently we’ve all needed to draw on our resilience. “We all get depleted from time to time, and the pandemic has drained the resilience capacity of nearly everyone, at one time or an other.
Even if you consider yourself resilient, you may need a booster dose in especially hard times. To build resilient, the experts suggest the following;
Nurture relationships; Set up and maintain a support network before you need it. The Science of Resilience and the True Path to Success. When adversity strikes, a supportive friend with good listening skills can make a big difference. And if you want your friends and family to support your resilience, remember to support theirs too.
Find a sense of purpose; “When somebody needs you, you just cope with stress that much better,” Ungar says. Your sense of purpose doesn’t have to come from school or work; it can also come from hobbies or volunteer projects, like growing a backyard vegetable garden or cleaning up litter in a neighborhood park.
Food Fanatics
SHARING THE LOVE OF FOOD; INSPIRING BUSINESS SUCCESS
Food Fanatics® is a movement of food people and culinary experts who share their love of food to inspire business success. Our one-of-a-kind magazine features cutting-edge culinary expertise, the latest concepts and trends in the food scene and game-changing solutions for operators. It’s all designed to help you stay in the know, increase sales and grow your business. Click here to download a copy of the magazine
MISE EN PLACE
Learning by Doing / click the image below to read the entire doc.
In the food industry, we’ve had a particularly tough time due to the recession, labor issues and rising costs. If you choose to see operating problems as people failures, you virtually guarantee that no one on your staff will ever tell you about an operating problem! In n order to excel in your work, in your life, or as a leader, you need to commit to continuous learning. Many leaders know this, but many more are missing the opportunities for powerful learning that will really help them get ahead on their goals. Start with your commitment and then, step-by-step, move into action. Learning is an essential component of leadership, but not learning experiences are equally powerful. When we stop learning, our brains start deteriorating, as do our leadership capabilities. The “head” in leadership entails a relentless thirst for knowledge, not only in our field of specialization but the peripheries as well. Sometimes, seeking knowledge in a completely unfamiliar field gives us that “aha” moments we have. Learning by choice means understanding exactly what you need to learn in order to achieve your vision. Try this simple exercise to sharpen your approach to leaning. Think about your vision or an important goal. Brainstorm. What do you need to learn in order to achieve this vision or goal. Choose one area in which to focus }out learning, and choose the one that is likely to have the biggest impact. Ask yourself, “What’s the most powerful way I can learn in this area to get the best and fastest results!” .”
Here is a Valuable Report on Cost Control, Highly Recommended!
It’s critical that restaurants are consistently capturing ingredient cost updates. Too many operations jump straight to inventory or recipe software as a fix-all for cost control.
These tools are critical, but they’re only as impactful as the data that powers them. Invoice line-item details, in particular, are of utmost importance for costing data.
Controlling your restaurant costs — food, dry goods, labor, and more — is essential for tracking and maximizing profitability across your operation. Precise cost control empowers you to forecast future profits, set goals, and plan for growth.
This Restaurant Cost Control Guide brings all of these factors together to show you how you can control the controllables across your entire restaurant operation. Download today to learn how to take control of your restaurant costs.
Who Knew?
Before filling your measuring cup with honey or molasses the next time you make cookies, line it with flour. The ingredients then pour out easily, and make cleanup a breeze.
Grandma was right, to keep a pot from boiling over, stick a toothpick between the lid and the pot, Other tricks include placing a wooden spoon across the top of the uncovered pot or rubbing butter around the inside lip of the pot,
Try adding a cup of water to the bottom of the broiling pan before cooking a roast. It’ll make the roast more tender, and absorb smoke and grease.
Zig Ziglar Motivational Speaker
- The deepest ocean – the tallest mountain, the most powerful animal cannot believe. Only man can believe. The height of man’s success is determined by the depth of his belief.
WE BELIEVE the immutable laws of the universe positively state that man reaps what he sows. That opportunity carries responsibility, example is the best teacher and fair play seeks what is right – not who is right.
WE BELIEVE sweat on the brow from honest labor is one of life ‘s most glorious sights and to show your fellow man the dignity and value of work is to increase his stature and self-worth. That real satisfaction comes from total effort fully expended in quest of a worthy ideal.
\VE 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.
WE BELIEVE
FOOD AS MEDICINE, THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET
What Foodservice Operators Can Expect in 2024 A Must Read
The Benefits of Chicory Root
Chicory root fibres are prebiotics; they are a superfood that can positively support peoples microbiota & overall health. Facing almost a tidal wave of prebiotic-labelled products on the market, when looking for true prebiotics you can come across a variety of ingredients using the term “prebiotic” without the necessary scientific backing.
A substantial amount of clinical evidence depicts chicory to be anti-diabetic, immunomodulatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant, anthelmintic, and prebiotic. In addition, chicory has been shown to promote good digestion, to regulate appetite, and to decrease the risk of gastrointestinal diseases
THE HEALTH BENEFITS IN OUR INGREDIENTS ARE EXPONENTIAL BUT THESE ARE JUST A FEW..Sweet Potatoes.
Sweet potatoes are nutritious, antioxidants, packing a good amount of vitamin A, vitamin C, fiber and manganese into each serving. They also have anticancer properties and may promote immune function, gut health, support healthy vision, may enhance brain function, and other health benefits.
Hungry for more, click the link below
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/sweet-potato-benefits#nutritional-value
the very thing that makes a complex kitchen environment work is the same thing that drives non-culinary folks away from professional chefs. Everything has a place, and everything is in its place, is a mantra that becomes an obsession with cooks and chefs. It is the very act that allows cooks to push through the chaos of a restaurant kitchen day with military precision and awareness of looming uncertainty.
ABOUT ME
PAUL SORGULE is a seasoned chef, culinary educator, established author, and industry consultant. These are his stories of cooks, chefs, and the environment of the professional kitchen.
Sustainability - how to practically implement it into your food business Click the image to view the PDF file
Right now the food industry is battling twin challenges – to produce more food, while improving environmental impact. With 60-70% of the world’s ecosystems degrading faster than they can recover, the global food system is severely off course. The question is, how do you practically measure the sustainability of your supply chain? This whitepaper explores how building a more sustainable supply chain starts with having the right tools in place to collect, measure and report on the sustainability of products in your supply chain.
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
Repetition has a bad reputation, We tend to think of it as dull and uninspiring. But this perception is wrong. Repetition is the single most powerful lever we have to improve our skills, because it uses the built-in mechanism for making the wires of our brains faster and more accurate. Embracing repetition means changing your mind set; instead of viewing it as a chore, view it as your most powerful tool. As the martial artist and actor Brace Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced ten thousand kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick ten thousand times.”
A Helpful Sheet for Accuracy in Recipe Costing:
Quotes of The Month
What advice do you have for upcoming Culinary entrepreneurs? I would tell them to conquer their fears. You are only as good as you believe you are. Believe in yourself. Mistakes are part of the game. But if you don't play, you will never win.
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.
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.
What's Cooking Today?
Recipe provided by Pastry Chef Patricia Nash Olympic Gold Medalist
Warm Chocolate Decadence, Pistachio Crumble, Strawberry Lime Essence
o 1 ea. Warm chocolate decadence round, 4 oz
o 2 oz Strawberry lime thyme essence, in glass carafe, poured tableside
o Pinch Maldon Salt on warmed decadence
o .25 oz Pistachio Feullitine Crunch, left side top of decadence
o 2 ea. Blackberries
o 4 ea. Blueberries
o 4 ea. Kiwi slices, ¼ slice
o 4 pc Strawberry
o 1.4 oz Strawberry ice cream, oval scoop, top flattened for garnish
o 1 ea. piped cracker garnish on top of strawberry ice cream.
Yield 1 portions/ portion size 8.5 oz. / Calories per serving 1498
Allergen Details; nut, dairy, gluten
Strawberry Lime Essence4 pt. Strawberries, 6 ea. Limes; 2 c. Sugar; 1 gal Water; .25 oz Thyme sprigs fresh Method: quarter strawberries into a hotel pan, add juice from limes, sugar and water, cover with foil, baked about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until strawberries flavor is leached out into water, do not stir, want the liquid as clear as posible, stirring will breakdown the berries and it will cloud the liquid, strain, do not press the berries. Pour over 2 oz. of fresh thyme while hot let steep, you want a very subtle thyme flavor, adjust sugar, cool, into qtrs. container, lid, and freeze what is not needed.
Chocolate Pipe Cracker1/2 c + 2 T AP flour; 2 ea. Egg whites; 1.33 oz Butter; 2 T Cocoa powder.Method: put melted butter and eggs white into a Vitamix, add flour and cocoa powder, blend until smooth, while butter is still warm pipped onto a silpat over template, baked at 325 F degrees until golden brown.
Chocolate Decadence 2 lb. Butter; 2 lb. Chocolate chips; 16 ea. Eggs; 1 lb. Sugar.Method: melt butter, chocolate chips. Whisk eggs and sugar, combine until emulsified, parchment lined sheetpan, spray rings (chocolate crumb base optional)
Pistachio Feuilletine Crunch 1 lb. Pistachio, roasted and chopped; 1 lb. Feuilletine; .25 oz Pistachio paste; 1 oz. Milk Chocolate Couverture.Method: melt chocolate, add to pistachios, Feuilletine and pistachio paste to make crumble.
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 Title, it is an Action & Example
Profiles in Leadership: J.W Marriott / Executive & Chairman of the Board of Marriott International . Below is Bill's "guideposts"
Were written on separate sheets of stationery. There were 15 of them.
1. Keep physically fit, mentally and spiritually strong.
2. Guard your habits-bad ones will destroy you.
3. Pray about every difficult problem.
4. Study and follow professional management principles. Apply them logically and practically to your organization.
5. People are No. 1—their development, loyalty, interest, team spirit. Develop managers in every area. This is your prime responsibility.
6. Decisions: Men grow making decisions and assuming responsibility for them. a. Make crystal clear what decision each manager is responsible for and what decisions you reserve for responsible b. Have all the facts and counsel necessary-then decide and stick to it.
7. Criticism: Don’t criticize people but make a fail appraisal of their qualifications with their supervisor only (or someone assigned to do this). Remember, anything you say about someone may (and usually does) get back to them. There are few secrets.
8. See the good in people and try to develop those qualities.
9. Inefficiency: If it cannot be overcome and an employee is obviously incapable of the job, find a job he can do.
10. Manage your time: a. Short conversations—to the point. b. Make every minute on the job count. c. Work fewer hours—some of us waste half our time.
11. Delegate and hold accountable for results.
12. Details: a. Let your staff take care of them b. Save your energy for planning, thinking, working with department heads, promoting new ideas. c. Don’t do anything someone else can do for you.
13. Ideas and competition: a. Ideas keep the business alive. b. Know what your competitors are doing and planning. c. Encourage all management to think about better ways and give suggestions on anything that will improve business. d. 1). Spend time and money on research and development.
14. Don’t try to do an employee’s job for him—counsel and suggest.
15. Think objectively and keep a sense of humor. Make business fun for you and others.
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:
Culinary Competitions Calendar
Menus of Change
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
Top Substitution Foods At-A-Glance
Click 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 2024.
Foods for Your Brain
Plenty of health fads go like this: Flashy food gets a publicist, becomes famous overnight, and disappears forever. Then there are the legit healthy heroes—the less-hyped-yet-hard-working kind that go about quietly for years before finally getting their moment.
And let’s not forget the salad-bar staples that are forced into the spotlight when new research surfaces, highlighting yet another health benefit. Even the fittest bodies can have a hard time keeping up. Here are the ones you should get to know: Matcha, Sea Buckthorn, Beets, Maca.
Learn more by visiting: The New Health Foods: What to Eat Now
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
In and Out
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.
Restaurant Culinary Trends 2024
Culinary Forecast
Comfort foods, from soups and stews to stuffed vegetables, will be a common theme on menus in the year ahead, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2024 What’s Hot Culinary Forecast. The association compiled insights from a survey of 1,500 culinary professionals to identify trending dishes, ingredients and flavors. . Hungry for more, click below: 2024 food trends predictions.
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.
Green Goodness!
Avocado oil; this silky fruit oil helps fight joint condition and promoted soft skin.
