SPRING 2018 Check out FOODFANATICS.COM for More Menu Inspiration and Spring 2018 Business Solutions
PLUS page 70
I’ll DrinkI’ll to That wines, of natural draw The
page 57
Always On MONEY & SENSE MONEY dining, perks of all-day The page 46 FOOD PEOPLE FOOD How meaningful and lasting meaningful How change can happen, change can Ending Sexual HarassmentEnding Sharing the Love of Food—Inspiring Business Success Business of Food—Inspiring Sharing the Love
page 7
FOOD
VeggingOut of the plate, of the plate, Produce nails center Produce
FOLLOW THE NEW FRESH THE FOLLOW
UPROOTED LOCAL
FOOD FANATICS LOCAL UPROOTED SPRING 2018 Check out FOODFANATICS.COM for more menu inspiration and Spring 2018 business solutions. FoodFanatics.com
MONEY & SENSE TIME WELL SPENT All-day dining makes profitable sense. 57 OUTSOURCING IS IN How external experts can lower some costs and improve operations. FOOD 62 VEG WITH EDGE Plant matter muscles its way IN EVERY ISSUE to the center of the plate. TREND TRACKER Rediscover 7 What’s hot and what’s not. 34 roots, page 7 JUST PLUCKED FEED THE STAFF The new handle on fresh. When chefs trade the big city 15 for quality of life. JOURNEY TO THE LAND 50 OF MILK AND HONEY IHELP The sweet evolution of Making the shift to single Israeli cuisine. credit card transactions. 22 64 KALE, CAESAR! PR MACHINE Switch up ingredients for Win with branded merchandise. some serious green. 65 29 BEYOND THE PLATE FOOD PEOPLE Big or small, equipment can do ORDER UP more than meets the eye. Early bird diners are a solid 66 choice for more profits. 41 ASK THE EXPERTS Advice from the street. TALK SHOP 69 Can the restaurant industry end sexual harassment? I’LL DRINK TO THAT! 46 A toast to natural wines. 70 TREND TRACKER ROAD TRIP! Give it up for Charleston, South BY THE NUMBERS Carolina, the Holy City. The lure of sustainable seafood. Be in the know
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL STRABBING PAUL BY PHOTOGRAPHY 54 72 @FoodFanatics
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CHEF AND RESTAURANT OPERATION CONSULTANT CONTRIBUTORS Steve Affixio, Tampa, FL Jeff Bland, Roanoke, VA Dwight Drake, Cincinnati Alex Kaulbach, Denver Joel D. Kent, La Mirada, CA Bo Marianowits, Corona, CA Tim Warnock, Albany, NY
PUBLISHING PARTNER Feedback We welcome your comments. Contact Food Fanatics at: [email protected] Publisher Elizabeth Ervin Contact Bite Me Media at: Bite Me Media Chief Content Officer 4407 N. Beacon St., Suite 3S Laura Yee Chicago, IL 60640 or email [email protected] Contributing Editors Unless otherwise specified, all Carly Fisher correspondence sent to Food Peter Gianopulos Fanatics is assumed for publication and becomes the copyright Contributing Writers property of US Foods. Lisa Arnett Kate Bernot Advertising Information Megan Dawson For rates and a media kit, contact Amber Gibson Jennifer Paulson at Jodi Helmer 847-268-5176 or email Roderick Kelly [email protected]. Matt Kirouac Kate Leahy Food Fanatics is the go-to source Megan Rowe for the foodservice industry and Mike Sula anyone truly passionate about food, food people and improving Cover Photography the bottom line. Issued quarterly Paul Strabbing and hand-delivered to readers, the magazine is a US Foods publication Photographers produced by Bite Me Media. Sean McGill ELEVATED MENU. For more information on the Paul Strabbing Food Fanatics program, visit www.FoodFanatics.com Prop Stylist All rights reserved. © Johanna Lowe ELEVATED PROFIT.
About US Foods US Foods is one of America’s great food companies and a leading foodservice distributor, partnering with approximately 250,000 chefs, restaurateurs and foodservice operators to help their businesses succeed. With nearly 25,000 employees and more than 60 locations, US Foods Increase your profi t potential with every plate. 80% of consumers are willing to provides its customers with a broad and innovative food offering and a 1 comprehensive suite of e-commerce, technology and business solutions. pay more for chicken and 76% are more likely to buy US Foods is headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., and generates approximately USDA Certifi ed Organic $23 billion in annual revenue. Discover more at www.usfoods.com. 2 We plumb the depths of distant waters, respectfully and meat made with No Antibiotics Ever. Elevate your menu with these powerful responsibly, to hook the highest-quality regionally sourced clean-label attributes, and enhance your signature recipes with chicken and turkey seafood. Explore your inspiration at usfoods.com, where you can be proud to serve. you can order from a selection of unrivaled specialty
products from around the world. 9300 W. Higgins Rd. Suite 500 Learn more at PerdueFoodservice.com | 855-673-4300 Rosemont, IL 60018 (847) 720-8000 www.usfoods.com 1. Proprietary consumer study, June 2017 2. Datassential, The New Healthy, April 2016 EXCLUSIVE ©2018 Perdue © 2018 US Foods, Inc. 01-2018-FOF-2018011501 BRAND Fresh Inspiration for Your Menu
Today’s diners are looking for more than just a great meal. They’re looking for local and sustainable dishes they can feel good about eating. In this issue of Food Fanatics®, we explore how the farm-to-table movement has transformed our industry, and how chefs and operators can deliver on customers’ expectations for a fresh, local approach.
Our cover story delves into the evolution of farm-to-table, and how chefs throughout the country are capturing the essence of “California-style” cuisine – epitomized by fresh, local, sustainable ingredients – and incorporating their own styles.
Vegetable-centric dishes are also edging their way to the center of the plate, and many chefs have found surprising, inventive ways to put the spotlight on beets, carrots and other vegetables instead of animal proteins. With plant-forward cuisine continuing to rise in popularity, SETTING THE STANDARD now is the time to embrace this trend.
Sometimes taking a fresh approach simply means updating a cherished classic. The Caesar salad is ubiquitous – but very versatile. FOR SUSTAINABILITY You can easily set yourself apart from the crowd by upgrading this ever-popular menu item. Take inspiration from the chefs featured in At US Foods®, we’re committed to leading the way with this issue; they’ve found ways to renew a classic while also driving the bottom line. sustainable, responsible solutions. Through initiatives like our Serve Good® program, we work with vendors to Spring is an ideal time to test new ideas on your menu and in your business, as well as take advantage of fresh, seasonal ingredients. ensure responsible food sourcing, develop products that help reduce waste and have established strict packaging I hope this issue inspires you to do just that. standards. Because we’re dedicated to serving well and serving the greater good.
Pietro Satriano President and Chief Executive Officer US Foods®
For more information, ask your US Foods representative
about our Serve Good brochure or visit usfoods.com. © 2018 US Inc. 01-2018-FOF-2018011501 Foods, Aunt Jake’s in New York City gives housemade pasta FOOD a vegetable twist by adding beets to the dough.
G2 By Chef’s Choice www.g2bychefschoice.com VEG WITH EDGE PLANT MATTER MUSCLES ITS WAY TO THE CENTER OF THE PLATE BY MIKE SULA PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL STRABBING
FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 7 If our ancestors hadn’t pappardelle, he thinks it goes best with a chicken Beet Pappardelle Paint the Plate Bolognese, which he starts by searing off garlic and Bolognese Varieties of colorful figured out how to eat meat herb-seasoned ground chicken, deglazing with white Carmine Di Giovanni, veggies can imbue wine and finishing with shallot confit, butter and Aunt Jake’s, New York striking hues and a few million years ago, pecorino cream ($16-$36). springtime charm to imagine all the benefits we’d be reaping today. Lower “It’s really bright, vibrant, made-to-order and the 350 grams durum flour even the drabbest of food costs. Greater respect for farmers. And the earthiness of the beets comes through,” he says. 150 grams flour presentations. big bonus: You wouldn’t have to cram a burger onto “Whereas if you were to pair it with a tomato sauce, 1½ tablespoons salt every single menu. the pasta wouldn’t shine as much.” 9 egg yolks These days, you can live out that fantasy, as it’s 250 milliliters beet juice BEETS become clear that guests don’t always want fat slabs Dangle the carrot 5 ounces chicken breast › Detroit Dark of animal protein front and center—not to mention Beets can be a love-it-or-leave-it vegetable, but 8 ounces chicken thigh Red: a deep, almost bacon—on every plate. love for carrots seems universal. As many chefs have 2 ounces shallots bloody, purple Instead, chefs are positioning vegetables as the learned, it can do just about anything. 1 ounce garlic › Golden: brilliant main ingredient, and often with “steak” attached to On his tasting menu at San Francisco’s 1 tablespoon salt stripes of sunshine their description (think carrot, beet or cauliflower Commonwealth, Executive Chef Jason Fox serves 1 teaspoon black pepper › Chiogga: pink and steak). They’re satisfying the growing numbers of a candied carrot jerky with coconut and kaffir lime 1 teaspoon thyme, white stripes, like a vegans, vegetarians and healthy eating omnivores pudding, and orange granita as an occasional dessert chopped Starlite mint with vegetable-centric dishes plated attractively and course. He achieves the carrot’s chewy meatiness by 1 teaspoon rosemary, bursting with flavors. soaking it in pickling lime, a treatment that works chopped SQUASH equally well with beets, sunchokes or squash. 2 tablespoons oil › Zephyr: long Get at the root “It basically helps to form a little bit of a skin on 2 ounces white wine and yellow with a Which spring vegetable has more heart than the outside so that way you can you can really cook it 1 cup rich brown green tip beets? Chioggas, Goldens, Detroit Dark Reds where it won’t fall apart,” he says. chicken stock › Round de nice: that practically bleed. At Boka in Chicago, Just like chefs who follow a whole animal ethos, 2 tablespoons butter squat and green charcoal roasted beets with pumpkin seeds, Fox believes using every part of the carrot can Chives, sage and chili with white stippling bitter greens, feta and licorice is a $23 entree, improve on an already low food cost. “We’re making flakes to garnish › Pattypan: sandwiched between roasted chicken and seared the carrot jerky, we’re pureeing it, we’re shaving starburst-shaped scallops options. it raw, we’re using the greens to make a pesto or to Combine flours and salt in in various shades Last summer, the demand for vegetable dishes was make a salad. There are so many more things you a standing mixer bowl and of green, yellow, so high that BOA Steakhouse in Los Angeles added can do with a carrot.” whisk in yolks and then and white a section for produce, offering choices such as beet Chef Tony Conte of Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana in juice to create a dough. poke with jalapenos, ginger and root chips. Darnestown, Maryland, subs carrots cut between a Roll out dough and feed CARROTS Los Angles Chef Ricardo Zarate developed 10 julienne and matchstick for eggplant in an otherwise through a pasta machine into › Atomic Red: bold vegetarian dishes for the menu at his new Hollywood traditional caponata appetizer served under burrata. pappardelle. Cook in salted color explodes onto spot, Rosaline, including a vegan tribute to the The carrots marinate for a day with golden raisins, water until al dente, about the plate Peruvian national dish, lomo saltado. capers, chili flakes, pickled jalapenos, cinnamon, 4 minutes while preparing › Cosmic Purple: “A lot of people are becoming vegetarian and white grape juice, rice vinegar and dry vermouth. At the chicken. like an eggplant with vegan—especially in the area where I am—so when the pick-up, they take on some color in the wood- an orange interior I opened I put a lot of thought into my vegetables,” burning oven before finishing with olive oil and Grind together chicken, › Lunar White: he says. fresh herbs ($13). shallots, garlic, seasonings glows like the moon Zarate marinates beets in a cumin-spiked Meat becomes the garnish on the final course of and herbs. › Solar Yellow: gochujang sauce and dehydrates them, subbing the tasting menu at Vicia in St. Louis, where Chef shines like the sun in the resulting beet jerky for traditional slices of Michael Gallina roasts and grills whole carrots, Heat olive oil in a saute filet mignon. He then stir-fries it with onions and drizzling them with a reduced pork stock and a pan until smoky and saute CAULIFLOWER tomatoes, saucing the mix with roasted tomato shower of ash made from the roots’ peels. It’s served chicken mixture. Deglaze › Romanesco: coulis and soy, vinegar, garlic and ginger, before with a family-style bowl of polenta with carrot and with wine, reduce by half, green fractals topping it off with a fried egg ($29). Chef Carmine Di beef or pork Bolognese, reduced with carrot juice add chicken stock, simmer › Purple of Sicily: When beets aren’t an entree, their juices can take Giovanni makes his and cream. to thicken and swirl in butter. vibrant like the color pappardelle with Finish with basil, chives, sage of royalty the lead. Chef Carmine Di Giovanni uses fresh cold- cold-pressed beet “If it’s edible, its usable; nothing goes in the pressed beet juice to make his guests feel a little less juice, which infuses garbage,” he says. “We’re juicing the carrot, using and chili flakes. Toss with › Cheddar: think guilty about eating pasta at Aunt Jake’s in New York. his chicken Bolognese the peels and the tops.” pasta. Makes 4 servings. beta carotene dish with a rosy pink › Kneading it into his house dough and rolling it into and a healthy edge. Snowball: creamy
8 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 9 No need to stay rooted Any vegetable can push animal protein to the side—or even off the plate—and provide a satisfying bite for your guests. Chef Philip Pretty of Restauration in Long Beach, California, always serves a seasonal sandwich for his hungry vegan guests. Made-to-order ciabatta bread is split and toasted on the plancha, while florets are deep fried in tempura batter. They’re topped with jalapenos, cucumber, carrots, basil, cilantro and parsley, as well as a lemon basil emulsion ($14). “The people that come into our restaurant understand that we get almost 70 percent of our produce from our farm and that outside of that we get everything else from the farmers market,” he says. “They see a cauliflower sandwich; they know we’re not opening up a plastic bag. We call it ‘The Trustworthy’ because it’s a seasonal sandwich that you can trust is going to change with the season.” When Chef Josh Keeler of 492 King in Charleston, South Carolina, inevitably finds himself with 10 or more varieties of squash and zucchini, he doesn’t want to muddle their different colors and subtle variations in flavor by cooking them. Instead, he looks to Italy. “We’re shaving them very thinly, very reminiscent of Italian-style crudo, and dressing it really simply,” he says. “Just a little bit of acid and really good olive oil.” Keeler’s cooks sort and slice them by size so guests can get up to five varieties on the plate, dressed with a vinaigrette made from pistachio butter, olive oil and Meyer lemon vinegar. It’s topped with shaved clothbound cheddar, microplaned pistachio, mint Cauliflower Combine flour, paprika, 4 tempura cauliflower florets and a pair of fried squash blossoms battered in tangy Sandwich with cayenne, garlic and onion and pea shoot salad. Makes sourdough starter. Vegan Lemon Aioli powders and salt; set aside. 2 servings. “I feel like vegetables have become a better selling and Pea Shoot Salad Add ice to sparkling water point than raw fish,” he says. “This whole idea of Chef Philip Pretty and whisk into 2 cups To make lemon basil aioli: using vegetables as a main course or at the center Restauration, Long Beach, seasoned flour, adding more combine 1½ cup lemon of the plate—there is definitely a perceived value California sparkling water if necessary basil, 4 juiced limes, ¼ cup involved in that.” to attain nappe consistency. coconut milk, 4 tablespoons 3 cups flour Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon smoked Remove florets from coconut cream, and salt ON THE TOP 10 CONCEPTS FOR 2018: paprika cauliflower, cut into thick to taste. Slowly drizzle in 1 teaspoon cayenne slices and toss in remaining 1 quart neutral oil while food 1 teaspoon garlic powder seasoned flour. Gently pat processor is running. VEGGIE 1 teaspoon onion powder off excess, dip in tempura 1 teaspoon salt and fry in oil preheated For the pea shoot salad: 1 cup cold sparkling water to 350 F for about 1 to combine 1 cup pea shoots, CENTRIC 1 small head cauliflower 2 minutes per side until ½ cup sliced cucumbers, VEGETABLE Lemon basil aioli, golden brown. Season with 5 sliced pickled carrots, recipe follows salt; drain on paper towels. 5 torn mint leaves, 5 torn 4 slices ciabatta, grilled cilantro leaves and 5 torn Piling locally sourced FORWARD veggies, such as 2 slices tomato To plate, place aioli on basil leaves. Season with cauliflower, onto 2 slices jalapeno both sides of ciabatta bread. salt and lime juice. a sandwich from CUISINE Pea shoot salad, Build from bottom to top Restauration in Long SOURCE: 2018 National Restaurant Beach, California, recipe follows with tomato, jalapeno, Association culinary forecast. can be an alluring lunchtime draw.
10 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 11 Chip away at the seasonal bounty of zucchini by slicing it thin and serving it raw. 70% OPERATORS SAY THEY'RE ADDING VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN DISHES TO THE MENU Source: Datassential 2017 Keynote Report: New Healthy
Zucchini and Squash Crudo Chef Josh Keeler Dress vegetables until just 492 King, Charleston, South coated with olive oil and Carolina season to taste with sea salt and lemon juice. 1 romanesco zucchini 1 De Nice zucchini Drizzle 4 plates with 1 tatuma squash pistachio vinaigrette. Divide 1 zephyr squash and layer the dressed 1 cousa squash squash onto each plate, Extra virgin olive oil, adding additional pistachio to taste vinaigrette. Build height by Sea salt, to taste stacking and layering the Lemon juice, to taste different squash varietals. Pistachio vinaigrette, recipe follows Garnish with mint, ½ cup mint leaves pistachios and cheese. ¼ cup pistachios, Makes 4 servings. grounded to a powder ¼ pound clothbound To make the pistachio cheddar cheese, grated vinaigrette: Puree 1 cup Meet your menu MVPs raw pistachios, ½ cup cider Shave zucchini and squash vinegar, the zest and juice Popular, poppable and profitable, Lamb Weston Tater Puffs® are perfect as a side, in a shareable appetizer, into rounds and ribbons of 2 lemons, and a pinch or topped and loaded. Plus, they make it easy to deliver all the fun and flavor your guests want now. or slice no wider than of salt in a blender until ¹⁄8-inch thick. smooth. Slowly add ½ cup Find recipe ideas and see what’s possible with Puffs at LambWeston.com grapeseed oil and ¼ cup Submerge vegetables in ice pistachio oil to emulsify into water for 3 minutes to crisp. a vinaigrette. Season to taste Drain; dry completely. with salt. n
12 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 ©2018 Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
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At Tyson Foods, we get up every day thinking about tomorrow. That’s why we are passionate about sustainably providing delicious food. We’re raising chickens with No Antibiotics Ever, adding products made with no artificial ingredients and JUST no preservatives and offering more low- sodium options. Just to name a few.
Learn more about what good food can do at tysonfoodservice.com/sustainability
PLUCKEDThe new handle on farm-to-table
48374 Tyson Red Label® All Natural Golden Crispy Tenders Chicken Raised With No Antibiotics Ever, No Preservatives Minimally Processed, No Artificial Ingredients PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL STRABBING BY PAUL PHOTOGRAPHY ©2017 Tyson Foods, Inc. Trademarks and registered trademarks are owned by Tyson Foods, Inc. or its subsidiaries, or used under license. FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 15 When chanterelles are in fresh vibe. The Miami location is similar season, they’ll find their way with gallon jugs of preserved lemons onto roasted bone marrow with pink peppercorns, stacked on shelves in the dining room, opposite page, and made acting as storage and decor. into an aioli at State Bird 4 Dishes take a similar casual approach, Provisions in San Francisco. WAYS TO HIT highlighting some of the ingredients REFRESH ON California is best known for, such as FARM-TO-TABLE avocados, little gem lettuce and walnuts. But Smillie also showcases local foods. In 1. Get more global. New York, duck from Long Island is Locally-grown chilies, such paired with local apples, kohlrabi, labneh as guajillos, gochujang and and root chips. garum can coexist in your Smillie’s approach also aligns with his pantry. home state’s fondness for lighter foods. For example, he cuts the richness of 2. Be transparent. ingredients such as short ribs by changing Consumers more than the texture and how they’re served. ever want to know the Instead of braising the meat, it’s steam- origin of their food. Share roasted, giving the beef a texture that is “a details on the menu or cross between a pastrami and a churrasco,” through your servers. Smillie says. The meat is smeared with a rich paste of black peppercorns slow- 3. Make feel-good food. cooked in olive oil, an elevated nod to the More chefs are adding seasonings of classic grilled Santa Maria local ingredients high in tri-tip. It’s sliced and served in a salad, nutrients to their menus, Farm-to-table simple, healthful, globally inspired and often little gem lettuce, instead of root such as grains and sustainably grown seasonal food that the vegetables on a platter to share between probiotics to aid digestion is fueling a new golden state laid claim to years ago—but in two for $82. and boost flavor. an image that reflects their own style, from “The short rib is not meant to be for one dimension of fresh the vibe to the menu. person. It’s to sit down and share together. 4. Keep it green. and local. And share a couple of salads, which is how Think of ways to use Call it a California revival, multi- You are your food we build that California table,” Smillie produce scraps or leftover ethnic inspired or hyper local. It’s a Chef Justin Smillie made a name for says, referring to a convivial setting that mise en place for new way of thinking about ingredients that himself in New York City under the features dishes that convey simplicity and dishes. Also educate staff has evolved since Alice Waters opened tutelage of Jean Georges Vongerichten and freshness. on composting and ask for Chez Panisse more than 40 years ago in Jonathan Waxman, among others. But ideas on cutting waste. Berkeley, California. She woke the nation when restaurant impresario Stephen Starr A localized melting pot with the premise that fresh, organic, approached him to open his own place, From Wolfgang Puck’s goat cheese locally grown and ecologically sound Smillie reached back to his roots. Growing pizza to Roy Choi’s Korean tacos, chefs in farming produced cleaner and better up in southern California, backyard grills California reach for local and sustainable tasting food. and simple, fresh produce played crucial ingredients first but have always played The seasons started to drive menus roles in many family meals. If a meal had fast and loose with cultural identity. and chefs began sourcing locally, which steak, it would be sliced to share and served Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quinonez gave rise to the farm-to-table movement. with a big green salad. Denton of OX in Portland, Oregon, can Farmers markets exploded, quadrupling The chef interprets this casual style of trace their culinary lineage back to over the last 20 years according to the eating at Upland, the concept he developed Puck. He brought Hiro Sone, a chef from USDA, a trend that has led to greater with Starr and the name of the town where Japan, to Spago. Sone met his wife, Lissa interest in fresh, local and organic foods. he grew up. Doumani, at the Los Angeles restaurant Such factors greatly influence purchasing “We wanted to have a place that people and the couple later opened Terra in St. choices, according to various surveys felt was their place, where they could spend Helena, California. That’s where the including 69 percent of consumers in a quality time,” he says. But it’s also casual, Dentons met, cooking on the line while Nielsen survey. where you can dress up or down and feel executing Sone’s blend of French-Italian- Today, the concepts of seasonal, fresh welcome. “It’s come as you are.” Japanese flavors on the menu. and locally grown is commonplace, a At the New York location, murals of “It’s utilization of more global flavor starting point that has given way to a new California produce, such as figs, artichokes profiles,” says Quinonez Denton, referring handle on farm-to-table. Chefs across and citrus along with natural oak and to how their experiences have impacted the country are zeroing in on deceptively copper accents support the casual and their cooking preferences.
16 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 17 Chicago's Farmhouse can covey their commitment to local by serving a roasted chicken grown in nearby Indiana. When they developed the menu for OX, More meatless miracles they started with Quinonez Denton’s At Big Star, music—specifically the memory of growing up eating Argentinean “Bakersfield sound” of the 1950s and barbecue in Southern California. But 1960s—was the original Golden State they also knew they wanted to highlight inspiration point. Lately, the Chicago vegetables—a departure from classic restaurant from Chef Paul Kahan’s One Argentinean barbecue, but something Off Hospitality Group has also warmed to deeply ingrained on the West Coast. Southern California’s vegetarian and The answers came in carrots prepared vegan culture. with the same respect as meat, glazed While working an event at the Coachella with maple syrup and seasoned with music festival last year, Julie Warpinski, salted pistachios, tarragon and a dab of chef de cuisine of Big Star, fell for yuba goat cheese, as well as roasted cauliflower (tofu skin), which she saw in everything florets paired with a soy-garlic golden from vegan ramen to sandwiches. raisin vinaigrette, which the Dentons say “Paul Kahan and I were looking at each tastes like a cross between Chinese sweet- other and saying, ‘Oh my god, we have to and-sour and Italian agrodolce. try this in a taco,’” she says. The yuba tacos ($3.50 each) debuted in A self-defined brand November. Warpinski treats the soybean In 2011, when Stuart Brioza and Nicole product like meat, marinating the sheets Krasinski launched State Bird Provisions overnight in a tomato-guajillo chile salsa. in San Francisco, they had no idea The sheets are seared on the plancha, whether their no-menu, dim-sum style seasoned with salt and lime juice, and then of serving ever changing small bites from sliced. For pickup, the sliced yuba is seared carts would work. They also had on the plancha again. no allegiance to a specific cuisine. They did, however, know that the basic Far from sunset tenets of farm-to-table—local purveyors, Farm-to-table will always be home such as the farmer who supplies the base for chefs; its most recent outtakes, signature state bird dish (quail), cooking from lighter cooking styles and vegetable- seasonally and acting sustainably centric menus to global mashups and (canning surplus produce and using greater emphasis on homegrown menus scraps or leftovers to inspire other dishes) continue to spread. Restaurants that share and incorporating global flavors—would a similar culture have already opened in be the cornerstone. New York at places like Dimes and Bar The lack of a menu and unconventional Bolinas, in Las Vegas at Herringbone, and delivery of the food in confined quarters in Atlanta at Muchachos. Yuba isn’t the posed challenges. But once the method only thing that Kahan’s One Off Hospitality became known, customers came has brought back from California. The specifically for their way of developing restaurant group’s newest project, Pacific and serving dishes. Today, lines form each Standard Time, is a menu inspired by— evening. what else—the West Coast. “State Bird has become a place where To Smillie, opening a restaurant ideas come from other ideas, where rabbit inspired by his home state wasn’t holes are frequently dug and explored, necessarily intentional. But it may where food is always evolving,” Brioza have been inevitable. writes in “State Bird Provisions,” a “I wanted to open something that was cookbook he and Krasinski published last central to what I like to eat. I like lemons, year. “Where we can cook whatever we avocado, nectarines with pork—beautiful, want and a fried game bird over stewed simple ingredients.” onions can share the table with soy glazed State Bird Provisions’ cast-iron quail eggs that are locally sourced play off of the restaurant’s signature sea urchin pancakes and duck liver mousse PHOTOGRAPHY BY SEAN MCGILL PHOTOGRAPHY fried game bird. with duck fat financiers.” Random House LLC. an imprint of Penguin Speed Press, Published by Ten copyright © 2017. with JJ Goode, A Cookbook by Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski Provisions: State Bird from This page: Reprinted with permission ED ANDERSON © 2017 PHOTOGRAPHY
18 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 19 Maple-Glazed Heirloom Carrots with Chevre and Truffle-Salted Pistachios Co-owners Greg Denton and Gabrielle Quinonez Denton Ox, Portland, Oregon
½ cup unsalted butter ½ cup maple syrup, preferably grade B ¼ cup water 1 pound baby heirloom carrots, peeled 2 teaspoons kosher salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground white pepper 3 ounces chevre, crumbled
¹⁄3 cup truffle-salted pistachios (recipe follows) 20 tarragon leaves Flaked sea salt
Bring butter, maple syrup, and water to boil in a large pot or pan wide enough to hold carrots in one to two layers. Add the carrots, kosher salt and white pepper and bring to a simmer. Steam carrots until firm-tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Uncover and reduce liquid to a thick glaze. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
Divide the carrots among four plates or place on one large platter. Garnish with the chevre, pistachios, tarragon, and sea salt to taste. Makes 4 servings.
To make the truffle-salted pistachios, spread 1 cup raw shelled pistachios in a single layer in a baking dish and bake in a preheated 325 F oven until roasted, up to 10 minutes. Transfer into a bowl and add the 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and 2 teaspoons good-quality truffle salt; toss to combine and cool.
Adapted from the chefs’ cookbook, “From Around the Fire: Recipes for Inspired Grilling and Seasonal Feasting from Ox Restaurant” (Ten Speed Press, 2016). n
20 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 ❱ This isn’t a flash-in-the-pan trend, either. On The Menu JOURNEY For far too long Israeli cuisine continues to proliferate, as a Want to make Israeli flavors work on your second wave of chefs open up fast casuals, menu without reinventing the wheel? Check Israeli cuisine fine casuals and mash-up concepts from out these cool riffs. TO coast-to-coast. has been reduced to a catchall term ❱ The “Not Kosher” BBQ with pork short ribs, for Middle Eastern dishes like falafel, Staking new territory potato wedges, za’atar and labaneh THE shawarma or hummus. But the Israeli Before the awards, cookbook deals and Green Fig, New York table—the product of a multiethnic state spin-off concepts, Solomonov opened his with a population of 8.5 million people Philadelphia restaurant Zahav 10 years ❱ Grilled lamb kebab with stuffed poblano chili, LAND and perpetually moving borders—is much ago with business partner Steven Cook. kale, feta, potato and pistachio broader and more complex than chickpeas On family visits to Israel, Solomonov The Exchange, Los Angeles and spit-roasted meats. frequented the area’s spice markets, OF In Israel, regional natives and nomadic falafel stands and emerging gastronomic ❱ Shawarma fries with garlic and jalapeno tribes are joined by swaths of immigrants destinations, which helped him pick up Ray, Portland, Oregon transporting culinary influences from quirky historical culinary practices he MILK as close as Palestine and Yemen to as wanted to share. ❱ Yogurt-tahini massaged kale with cucumbers, far as the Balkans and Ethiopia. The “This isn’t a familiar cuisine, so it’s not herbs, grapefruit and crispy chickpeas country’s diverse terroir spans from the an easy cuisine to pick up,” he says. “But 27 Restaurant, Miami AND coastal Mediterranean in Tel Aviv and people are dedicated there. The Spice Trail Haifa to the lush greenery of Galilee is like the Silk Road: It’s diaspora. It was so ❱ Marinated feta with roasted onions, grapes and arid, rocky deserts of the Negev. many different things.” and poppy seed Hed: MilkHONEY and Honey Together, Israeli cuisine is more of a At Zahav, Solomonov began cooking Kismet, Los Angeles Dek: The evolution of Israeli mixed bag than most might realize. dishes that conveyed his background and cuisine Strengths lie in these differences, which memories of his time spent in Israel as well offer incredible versatility and freedom as the region’s seasonal approach. for enterprising chefs. “It’s so easy for us to roast a piece of By Carly Fisher “Everyone’s into small plates, fresh meat in beurre monte but what about eating—and Israel has all of those things,” marinating in meat and onion juices? That says Chef-owner Michael Solomonov of relationship makes me think of being on a THE the award-winning Zahav in Philadelphia. beach in Israel,” he says. “You have hundreds of different cultures Some of Solomonov’s offerings lean on in one place, so there’s always new and old, tradition, like the laffa fired in a wood- SWEET but the way that it forges ahead makes it burning oven. Others are contingent upon super exciting.” local availability: His amba, a pickled EVOLUTION Pioneering chefs such as Solomonov, condiment traditionally made with green Yotam Ottolenghi of London’s Ottolenghi, mangos, is made with persimmons. OF and Einat Admony of New York’s Balaboosta Brussels sprouts might replace eggplant have become de facto culinary ambassadors in the baba ganoush, peppered with ISRAELI for Israeli cuisine. Shareable plates packed hazelnuts and smoked shiitake. with bright, acidic preserved lemons, Pushing the boundaries of tradition CUISINE aromatic spice blends like za’atar and and experimentation helped put his baharat, and dishes heavy with seasonal restaurant and Israeli food into the TREND TRACKER BY CARLY FISHER vegetables are becoming impressive lures spotlight. "Zahav: A World of Israeli for health-conscious consumers. Cooking" has become something of Diners are hooked, as 80 percent of a culinary bible for chefs, picking up U.S. consumers are already familiar with two 2016 James Beard Awards for LAST SEEN hummus according to a June 2017 report “International Cooking” and “Book of Los Angeles is buzzing with new Israeli- Michael Solomonov, from food research firm Datassential. That the Year.” inspired openings at The Exchange, chef-owner of Zahav, learning curve opened the door for the “We’re limited in the things that are Kismet and Mh Zh. Jenn Louis is getting gives tabbouleh a seasonal riff with Israeli spice za’atar to grow 300 percent limited to us and what makes sense,” rave reviews for her Israeli joint, Ray, in asparagus. See recipe on menus over the past four years, piquing he says, “and those limitations are freeing Portland, Oregon. on page 26. 50 percent consumer interest in the dishes because that is how cuisines evolve.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL STRABBING BY PAUL PHOTOGRAPHY and flavors found on Israeli menus. I’m not trying to change things or make
FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 23 Falafel-Spiced fancy food, but I’m also not an Israeli Soft Shell Crab grandma or part of a dynasty falafel YOU HAVE HUNDREDS OF Lettuce Wraps family. I’m a chef, so I’m doing what I do DIFFERENT CULTURES IN Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja naturally—and it’s working.” ONE PLACE, SO THERE’S Shuka, New York Post-ethnic is the new authentic 2 cups chickpea flour In the never-ending search for ALWAYS NEW AND OLD, 2 tablespoons cumin authenticity, some chefs are no longer 1 tablespoon chili flakes looking to duplicate indigenous dishes but BUT THE WAY THAT IT 1 tablespoon salt rather put their own personal stamp 4 soft shell crabs, cleaned on them. FORGES AHEAD MAKES IT 4 egg whites, beaten While abroad in Israel, Chef CJ Jacobson SUPER EXCITING. Neutral oil, as needed noticed the similarities between the year- —Chef-owner Michael Solomonov of Zahav Kosher salt, as needed round accessibility to produce he grew 2 small heads of baby up with in California and the abundant bibb lettuce freshness found in the Mediterranean Tahini sauce, recipe follows and Middle East. He fuses both, along ½ cup mint leaves, with Japanese and other global flavors at More than a meal chopped his restaurant Ema in Chicago, creating Prior to opening New York’s Shuka, The Spice Rack ½ cup parsley, chopped intricately balanced dishes like white miso Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja mostly worked at Spice blending is somewhat of an art, Zhoug, recipe follows hummus with castelvetrano olives, fresno Italian restaurants. She developed an offering countless variations. Spice expert chilies and shaved celery. interest in Israeli cuisine after visits to Lior Lev Sercarz of New York’s La Boite Mix chickpea flour, cumin, “I’m not from Tel Aviv or Istanbul, so I the Middle Eastern markets of Brooklyn spice shop, is an Israeli native who has chili flakes and salt together. like the idea of using my take on it because Heights as a child and identifying made custom blends for restaurants such Dip crabs in egg whites and it’s not going to be authentic, and that’s commonalities between Israeli and Sicilian as Zahav in Philadelphia, The Exchange in then dry ingredients. Place where a lot of people go wrong,” says cuisine: big braises, chickpeas, and fresh, Los Angeles and 27 Restaurant in Miami. in saute pan heated with Jacobson. “I don’t have much allegiance to flavorful ingredients. Here’s his primer on the Israeli spice rack. oil, shell side down, for 4 Israel or North Africa or anywhere else. I She’s now committed to demonstrating minutes per side. Transfer to just like this cuisine. What I bring is more that Israeli cuisine is more than just the ❱ Za’atar: Blend of sumac and sesame sheet pan lined with paper acid, herbs, and brightness. That’s what food—it’s a different cultural experience (pictured above). Variations include a towels and sprinkle with salt. California cuisine is anyway.” eating. fine to coarse texture, toasted or untoasted Although born in Israel, Tomer “I think the way people eat hummus sesame, additions of oregano, thyme Separate bibb lettuce Blechman’s French training at the as a meal can’t be translated, but other or rosemary. leaves into cups using Culinary Institute of America in Hyde dishes have been,” she says. “As far as small two leaves. Drizzle with Park, New York, followed by gigs at Italian plates, it’s family style. When you eat out ❱ Baharat: Used for cooking meats or fish, tahini, add crab, herbs and restaurants like New York’s Gramercy in an Israeli restaurant, rarely are people with variations found throughout Israel, drizzle with zhoug. Makes 2 Tavern, Maialino, and Lupa Osteria ordering for themselves; they share.” Turkey and Morocco. Generally includes servings. Romana, have allowed him to rethink the Blechman says this is an essential allspice, cinnamon and black pepper. dishes of his childhood, which he now missing cultural component he’s brought to To make tahini sauce: cooks at Miss Ada in Brooklyn, New York. his table at Miss Ada—a play on the Hebrew ❱ Hawayej: A Yemenite blend that typically Blend 1 cup tahini with Like Solomonov, Blechman finds the word for restaurant, “missada,” the root includes turmeric, cumin and black pepper. ½ cup water, ¼ cup olive American culinary scene to be more open of which roughly translates as “bringing oil, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 to chefs hoping to take a global approach people together to the table.” ❱ Amba: Usually a blend of turmeric, green minced garlic clove and ½ to their cooking. He’s not constrained by “The name is very simple, but it stands mango powder, salt and fenugreek, with tablespoon salt. a kosher menu, which means he can baste for everything we do: bringing people additional variations; diluted with water to meats or fish with a French anise butter or together to eat and share,” he says. “There’s make a thick sauce for falafel stands. To make zhoug: Puree 2 salmon with labneh. all these little plates and pita. You don’t bunches cilantro, 2 cloves “It was always inside of me, this kind of have to wait so long for the food; it usually ❱ Shawarma: Infinite variations from savory garlic, 1 jalapeno and ¼ cuisine,” he says. “I’m not obligated just to comes as soon as you sit there and order. with cumin and turmeric to sweet and floral teaspoon ground cardamom do Israeli over here. I just get creative. I’m For me, just sharing food and bringing with allspice, clove and nutmeg. Both are until smooth. Stir in 2 open to do everything.” family and friends together is Israeli.” common, depending on the cut of meat. tablespoons olive oil.
24 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 25 Deliver a Great Impression with Quality packaging seals the deal for a great experience. Make sure your delivered food maintains the same quality your customers expect when dining in house. Sabert packaging is designed to protect and preserve the quality, taste and appearance of your culinary creations throughout the delivery process. Asparagus Tabbouleh Chef-owner Michael Solomonov Zahav, Philadelphia
2 bunches asparagus ¼ cup olive oil, divided use 3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided use Kosher salt 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 cup freekeh 1 medium red onion, diced 1 cup Bulgarian feta, crumbled 2 bunches dill, finely chopped 1 bunch parsley, chopped
Remove asparagus tips and toss with half of the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and salt. Roast in a single layer on a sheet pan in a preheated 350 F oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, slice asparagus stalks as thinly as possible into rounds; set aside.
Heat the remaining olive English Peas with Grapes, oil in a Dutch oven over Mint and Sumac medium-high heat to saute Executive Chef CJ Jacobson garlic, 1 to 2 minutes. Add Ema, Chicago freekeh and cook 1 minute, stirring to coat grains in oil. 1½ cups English peas, blanched Add 2½ cups water, bring to 1 cup grapes, halved a simmer and bake covered 6 to 8 mint leaves, chopped for 45 minutes at the same 1 tablespoon olive oil temperature as the tips. 1 teaspoon lemon Remove and fluff. ¼ teaspoon sumac Salt, to taste Combine freekeh, all of the asparagus, onion, feta, herbs Add all the ingredients together and remaining lemon juice. Seasonal peas and toss. Check for seasoning. Season to taste with salt and meet up with sumac and Plate in a shallow bowl. Makes additional olive oil, if needed. mint at Zahav. 2 servings. Makes 4 to 6 servings. n For more information about Sabert® products, please visit www.Sabert.com or contact your local US Foods representative. © 2017 US Foods, Inc. All rights reserved. 26 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 KALE,
CAESARSWITCH UP INGREDIENTS FOR SOME SERIOUS GREEN
BY PETER GIANOPULOS PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL STRABBING PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL STRABBING BY PAUL PHOTOGRAPHY
FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 29 The venerable Play with your food SER Caesar Salad Executive Chef Mike Shetsky At SER Steak + Spirits in Dallas, SER Steak + Spirits, Dallas Caesar salad Executive Chef Mike Shetsky’s dressing pulls umami notes from fish 2 cups mayonnaise sauce. Then the sauce is encapsulated 1 cup Parmesan, grated isn’t just a 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce into jiggly spheres by leaning on some simple molecular gastronomy 3 tablespoons fish sauce survivor; it’s techniques to produce a yolk-like 2 tablespoons lemon juice film around the dressing. Instead of 1 tablespoon granulated garlic croutons, bread and Parmesan get 6 grams sosa gluconolactat a conqueror. baked into Italian shortbread called Salt and pepper, to taste Ever since the mid-1920s, when Caesar sbrisolona and crumbled atop romaine 1 liter aqua panna water Cardini created his eponymous salad for leaves. Shetsky also adds preserved 5 grams sodium alginate Southern California elites in Tijuana, lemon zest, fried white anchovies and Olive oil, as needed Mexico, it has proven to be a low-cost, high- neutral-flavored pop rocks, though 1 head of romaine, cut into two price salad all-star. the latter is optional. round wedges The NPD Group’s CREST foodservice Parmesan sbrisolona, recipe follows research estimates that 85.9 million Caesar The Appeal: The sheer novelty Meyer lemon zest, to garnish salads were served as main courses in U.S. of the dish, including the fun of Fried anchovies, to garnish restaurants between September 2016 and breaking open gooey spheres of Neutral-flavored pop rocks, if desired September 2017, and it’s ranked as the Caesar dressing, has made it the most- second most popular salad in the country talked about offering on the menu. Mix mayonnaise, Parmesan, Worcestershire, according to Datassential, trailing only the “We have our servers tell guests, fish sauce, lemon juice, garlic and sosa catchall garden salad. ‘You’re going to get a nice little ‘pop’ gluconolactat in a robo coupe to make To stand out in a crowded field—and with the dish,’” says Shetsky. “It’s a dressing. Season with salt and pepper; turn a solid profit—stay true to the spirit of dish that creates a dialogue.” set aside. the salad but give it a little more love. Try upgrades such as changing up the crouton The Payoff: No one has ever Combine water and 5 grams of alginate, or spiking the dressing with some heat. complained about the $14 price then place in a shallow pan. Drop a table- Swap out romaine for kale or other greens. because diners want to say they’ve spoon of dressing into the alginate-water Rethink your cheese. Add some beer. Just tried SER’s Caesar. It’s become a mix. Let sit for 90 seconds, flip over using don’t serve a Caesar that diners can buy in bucket list offering, a salad guests a slotted spoon, and let sit for another 90 a bag or whip up at home. know they aren’t likely to find seconds. Remove sphere from liquid, rinse At Fusco in New York, Chef Scott Conant elsewhere. “We explain the process in water and store in olive oil. tosses truffled seasonal vegetables in a so they know how labor intensive Caesar dressing and rings them around it is to make the spheres and the To plate, slice romaine hearts width- burrata topped with brioche croutons. sbrisolona,” he says. “They can see wise into 1-inch slices. Place 2 spheres Chef Troy Guard of TAG in Denver dresses and taste that value.” of dressing on top of salad and romaine with togarashi vinaigrette and 2 tablespoons of sbrisolona. Garnish a thick Caesar puree before crowning his Menu price: $14 with lemon zest, neutral-flavored pop rocks mix with grated cured egg yolk, avocado Food cost: 7 percent and fried anchovies. and grilled shrimp. The great thing about a Caesar is that its To make the sbrisolona: Combine 1 cup base flavors are versatile enough to tap into flour with 1 cup grated Parmesan, whatever’s on trend, as evidenced by these 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon two riffs on the classic. kosher salt. Work in 5 tablespoons softened butter and ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil. If mix is too dry, add more oil. Place in shallow pan and bake in a preheated 325 F oven for 20 minutes, breaking up the mix into crumbles after 10 minutes.
30 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 31 Go vegan Chipotle Caesar Chef Ben Diaz, Inspired by the Caesar’s Mexican- Toco Madera, Los Angeles REPLACE AND California roots, Toca Madera in Los 1 cup organic baby kale CONQUER Angeles fuses flavors from Mexico with 1 cup Boston hydro lettuce, torn Boost profits with a health-conscious approach that West ¹⁄3 cup romaine, chopped creative swaps Coasters demand. Vitamin-rich kale 3 ounces chipotle dressing, recipe follows and Boston lettuces get tossed with ½ cup talera croutons, recipe follows a chipotle Caesar made from vegan- 1 Roma tomato, diced mayonnaise, paprika, chipotle, cumin ¹⁄3 cup white beans, cooked [ Make things saucy ] and white vinegar. Paprika-dusted 2 tablespoons spiced pepitas The Caesar dressing pumpkin seeds and croutons made from 2 tablespoons vegan mozzarella at Mr. Brown’s Lounge talera bread add extra crunch, which in Chicago is spiked Toss toss kale, hydro lettuce, romaine and dressing and give the dish “sweeter flavors that pair with a housemade divide among 2 plates. Garnish with croutons, tomatoes, well with the spice,” says Chef Ben Diaz. jerk sauce, creating a white beans, spiced pepitas and vegan mozzarella. Makes spicy Jamaican riff on 2 servings. The Appeal: It’s as customizable as the classic. a burrito, including vegan options. To make the chipotle dressing, whisk together Since the Caesar dressing is already [ Step up the croutons ] 5 cups vegan mayonnaise, ¹⁄3 cup vegan jack cheese, egg- and anchovy-free, the kitchen adds At FarmBloomington 2 ounces chopped garlic, 1 ounce pureed chipotle, cashew-based mozzarella to appease in Bloomington, Indi- ½ ounce chopped capers, ½ ounce red wine vinegar, vegan diners. For those who want to ana, Chef Daniel Orr 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, add protein, premium add-ons include cools stoneground ½ tablespoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon black pepper. sea bass, tofu or skirt steak, which can grits and cuts them increase the price as much as $9 and into squares, adding To make talera croutons, toss together 1 cup diced transforms it into a standalone lunch or a chewy texture to his talera bread with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon dinner entree. endive Caesar. salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika and ½ teaspoon ground cumin until evenly The Payoff: Not only has it remained [ Apply some fire ] coated. Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 15 minutes one of the kitchen’s most popular menu Tufts of romaine are or until golden brown. items since the restaurant opened, it roasted in a wood- also reaps big profits with its low food fired oven at Treno cost. “It’s recognizable as a Caesar, but Pizza Bar in Westmont, it feels modern and locally inspired,” New Jersey, creating says Diaz. “Diners want simple familiar a charred Caesar flavors but new ingredients.” with a smoky accent.
Menu price: $14 [ Pour some beer ] Food cost: 11 percent Chef Jay Mitchell of Tennessee Brew IT’S RECOGNIZABLE AS Works in Nashville, Tennessee, incorpo- A CAESAR, BUT IT FEELS rates the brewery’s MODERN AND LOCALLY floral 1927 IPA to the house Caesar dress- INSPIRED. DINERS WANT ing, along with beer bread croutons and SIMPLE, FAMILIAR FLAVORS shaved cured egg yolk as a way of cutting the BUT NEW INGREDIENTS. salad’s richness. —Chef Ben Diaz
32 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 33 TREND TRACKER The heat index on what’s happening
COOKIE CUTTER FAST CASUALS. No tipping Fast casuals aren’t down, but a lack of MESS differentiation could leave some operators out. Marketing: restaurants. TRY THIS INSTEAD: For those who want to AROUND Tip-inclusive bills were meant to scale up, there’s a temptation to lean toward It takes a ease the pay gap between the corporate branding. Adding a sense of front and back of the house, but personality with design, topped with unique WITH many staff members aren’t enjoying and quality ingredients, plus a build-it-yourself village. HEALTHY GETS HEALTHIER. the experiment. structure will help you stand out. Want to ensure your concept More than just a passing fad, chefs MEZCAL. TRY THIS INSTEAD: To ensure a makes an opening impact that recognize the appeal and transformative No doubt you’ve seen bottles GOLDEN STATE REVIVAL. fairer split, consider pooling tips lasts? Restaurants are beginning benefits of fresh and lacto-fermented of mezcal glowing brighter California cuisine born in the ‘70s inspires a with a weekly payout. Equitable to invest in entire marketing vegetables, unique roots and powders, than ever behind the bar, new generation of chefs across the country sharing ensures those who work teams that handle everything while they cut back on oil and sugar. as bartenders position the by redefining fresh and local. See more on from branding and strategy smoky stuff as an appealing page 15. slower nights aren’t punished, LAST SEEN: 2Nixons in Charleston, to launching forward-thinking alternative to tequila. while cultivating a team mentality South Carolina, harnesses mineral-rich campaigns. LAST SEEN: The East Coast is finally that everyone can benefit from. binchotan charcoal cooking and lacto- showing the West Coast some love, thanks fermented vegetables for a healthier take to restaurants such as Dimes and Upland on Asian-inspired flavors. opening in New York.
DOWN WITH THE BOY’S CLUB. As sexual harassment becomes a more THE RISE OF POST-ETHNIC CUISINE. pressing issue than ever, restaurants need As cultural influences converge around the world, to address the long-ignored issues of menus abandon defined labels and borders, “back of the house culture.” For a further pairing unique ingredients and techniques to discussion, see page 46. create a new wave of “multicultural” cuisines.
TRY THIS INSTEAD: Bump up your LAST SEEN: General Tso’s chicken makes a HR department, diversify your staff GRAMMABLE cameo in tacos with lettuce, carrots and wasabi and develop a protocol for creating a blue cheese at Blue Duck in Philadelphia; Opus ALL OF THE DAY AND ALL safe environment head on. If you see Co. in Seattle serves up expectation-defying fare FADS. OF THE NIGHT. something, say something. like bonito-rubbed lamb with grilled cucumber Jumping on Instagram food trends Intent on maximizing returns tzatziki and Thai basil. like mermaid toast and unicorn shakes during off-peak hours, restaurants might land you 90 seconds of internet are opening earlier and closing More than milk fame, but at what cost? later to appeal to breakfast lovers Don’t forget and late-night diners. Learn how and honey. TRY THIS INSTEAD: No matter the they do it on page 57. Nearly a decade after first making waves in the U.S., concept, make sure to have adequate about Gen X. Israeli-American cuisine is still evolving and more lighting for quality pics, use fresh The ongoing marketing wars popular than ever. Discover what’s new on page 22. ingredients with eye-popping colors, between baby boomers and and stick to what you do best. millennials and the debate on Find the LAST SEEN: Los Angeles is buzzing with new how to court Gen Z have left one flame to see Israeli-inspired openings at The Exchange, Kismet forgotten demographic prime for what’s hot. and Mh Zh. Jenn Louis is getting rave reviews for tapping: Gen X. #TrendTracker her Israeli joint, Ray, in Portland, Oregon.
34 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 foodfanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 35 STRAUSS PHOTOGRAPHY
greener pastures How grass-fed beef is better for the planet and the bottom line
SPECIAL SECTION SPONSORED BY
FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 37
STR-Adv-USF-FoodFanatics-WeBelieve_1-18_OL-p.indd 1 1/25/18 2:46 PM Grass-fed burgers SPONSORED SECTION are a No. 1 seller at Farmhouse and Farm Bar in Chicago. ENVIRONMENT IMPACTED speaks for itself The Gulf of Mexico is home to a dead zone—an oxygen-deprived area of Consistency and improved distribution Average higher water that suppresses marine life. As large as Connecticut, it’s the biggest from farms to restaurants have percentage point dead zone recorded since tracking began in 1985. Here’s a primer on its contributed to the growth of grass-fed beef. that beef dishes environmental impact and how grass-fed beef can help reverse the tide. Grass-fed burgers, however, gets the credit as the game changer. command with Midwest farm fields use large tracts of land for row crops, requiring The health benefits associated with animal welfare chemical fertilizers to grow abundantly. When heavy rainfall descends, grass-fed beef encouraged James call-outs. excess chemicals and topsoil can erode into waterways as runoff. Milkovich, the corporate director of Source: Datassential purchasing for Hyatt hotels, to start This runoff, which is rich with phosphorus and nitrate, travels to the sourcing the burgers. They’ve become Gulf of Mexico, where it pools and generates algae blooms that a huge hit with high-end travelers who deplete the oxygen levels in the water, inhibiting marine life. frequent his hotel restaurants. He conducted an experiment, placing Today, the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico is wreaking havoc on the Strauss burgers next to a more traditional Gulf’s shrimp population and other seafood, impairing the livelihood “all-natural” Angus burger on his menus. of local fishermen. “We found that the grass-fed burgers outsold the conventional one two-to-one,” Ryan Todd 100 percent grass-fed beef preserves pastureland, doesn’t require says Milkovich. Kitchen Toke chemical fertilizers, regenerates valuable topsoil, absorbs rainfall and Another plus: the Hyatt kitchen team provides a sustainable food source for cattle. found that a traditional 7-ounce burger shrank to about 6 ounces when cooked, whereas the 6-ounce of the Strauss hamburger didn’t shrink much. Today, 6-ounce Strauss burgers are a mandated product at all 130 of Hyatt’s full-service restaurants in North America and have become so popular that the chain is also or the past decade, the Strauss family its understanding of grass-fed cattle’s fields, chemicals can be carried away as integrating them at 175 other properties Fand its network of family farmers have positive environmental impact. Dedicated runoff. This triggers a chain reaction across the continent. been raising beef exactly the way nature to American-raised cattle, they believe (see sidebar) that leads to low-oxygen Initially, TJ Callahan of Farmhouse intended. No antibiotics, hormones or that if chefs and operators committed to waterways called “dead zones,” which can and Farm Bar, in Chicago and suburban fertilizers. No grains. And definitely no just one case of grass-fed beef a week, it cripple native seafood populations. Evanston, Illinois, began serving grass- feedlots. The 100 percent grass-fed cattle would create an impactful environmental Pasture-raised products, such as Strauss’ fed hamburgers for ecological reasons. are given free reign to graze on natural ripple effect. It would help preserve Free Raised grass-fed beef not only inhibit He wanted, he says, to play a small role grasses for the entirety of their days. “The thousands of acres of vulnerable pasture the expansion of dead zones, it may also in “leaving the world a little better than I only confinement we believe in is the stars land where it matters most—the upper help shrink them. found it.” above,” says CEO Randy Strauss. Mississippi watershed. This simple change This reversal is possible because properly He learned that diners hungered for The Strauss way has been winning over has the potential to reverse the damaging managed pastures don’t require large humanely raised, ethically sourced meat as restaurateurs just as simply: providing a ecological effects of chemical run-off, amounts of chemical fertilizers. When rain well, which provided a valuable competitive superior tasting product that diners see which today are harming the waters and falls on these grasses, the water is soaked advantage over nearby burger joints. value in, and more recently, satisfying the seafood population of the Gulf coast. The up, not only preventing erosion but filling Callahan was also surprised that Strauss’ public’s growing interest in transparency environmental benefits of their products up the natural aquifers beneath the land. grass-fed hamburgers tasted better than and sustainability. stay local, not half a world away. To better support farmers interested traditional burgers. “It’s a richer flavor, a Strauss partners with grass farmers “We can do an immense amount of good in returning to pasture-based raising better texture,” he says. who tend tracts of alfalfa, clover and and make meaningful change for future practices, Strauss has partnered with the Now, his grass-fed burgers are top sellers, nutrient-rich native grasses. Under their generations.”says Lori Dunn, executive Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, in part because his servers educate diners care, specific breeds of cattle—whose director of Strauss Brands. a nonprofit that educates farmers on their backstory, while encouraging them genetics ensure their all-grass diet transitioning from conventional to to order their beef a little less well done translates into well-marbled beef—are the power of grass-fed sustainable production practices. than regular burgers. rotated through different pastures, re- Conventional corn and soybean crops The hope is that this education will “When you serve a product that tastes establishing a feeding cycle that’s good require phosphorus and nitrogen to help foster positive ecological change and help good and helps make the world a better for the cattle, consumers and the earth. ensure maximum yields. When strong preserve sustainable land and family farms Dead place, you create a bond with people that’s Zone The Strauss family also has broadened rainfall sweeps over heavily fertilized in the Midwest. (tough to break),” Callahan says. PHOTOGRAPHY BY SEAN MCGILL PHOTOGRAPHY ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN TODD BY RYAN ILLUSTRATION
38 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 39 FOOD PEOPLE
ORDER UP EARLY-BIRD DINERS ARE A SOLID CHOICE FOR MORE PROFITS
BY LISA ARNETT
A WHOLLY DELICIOUS EATING EXPERIENCE SUSTAINABLY SOURCED WHOLE-MUSCLE POLLOCK
Breaded or battered. Seasoned or sauced. Fried or baked. Harbor Banks® Pressed Alaska Pollock Fillets deliver exceptional quality, consistency and versatility at a cost-effective price. Contact your US Foods® representative or visit usfoods.com to learn more.
MSC-C-54870 EXCLUSIVE © 2018 US Inc. 02-2018-FOF-2018011501 Foods, BRAND BY FRASER-COTTRELL PHOTOGRAPHY FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 41 or most operators, the term “early-bird diner” conjures bargain-seeking senior citizens and couples toting kids. These days another crowd is hungry for dinner while the sun’s still out: diners looking for a good meal before heading out to a play, movie or concert. “It’s a nontraditional dining hour, but I’m still paying the same amount of rent and the same amount for electricity,” says Ryan McCarthy, director of operations for Passion-Fish in Reston, Virginia, and Bethesda, Maryland. “So, it’s about trying to maximize the space that we have at all times.” Identifying pre-event diners and providing speedy service is key, but keeping pre-show patrons happy isn’t just about getting them out the door in time. Perks like parking, walk-in seating and whimsical specials can also be lucrative draws. Here are some tips on how to entertain the early-bird entertainment set. VALET’S THE TICKET
Never underestimate the appeal of easy-in, easy-out parking. In Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood, Summer House Santa Monica is a short distance to two popular theaters, Steppenwolf and the Royal George, where parking is notoriously tight. As a result, Summer House offers diners extended valet parking for $14. Guests can enjoy a meal, walk to the show and then return whenever they like, avoiding the hassle of having to park again. “As silly as it sounds, valet parking is really important,” says Corey Milner, associate partner at Summer House Santa Monica. “It’s great for guests to be able to park (once) and do many things.” SAVE SOME SEATS
Although most pre-theater diners make dinner reservations, others prefer to survey their supper options on the night of the show. To cater to the last- minute crowd, Monsieur Benjamin, a French bistro in San Francisco’s performing arts district, reserves a communal table for walk-ins and offers cocktails or quick meals at pre-booked tables, provided they Monsieur Benjamin agree to finish up by a certain time. offers a full menu at “There is a little bit of negotiating for tables,” says the bar, including Monsieur Benjamin in options that can General Manager Sue Lim. If the restaurant has a San Francisco seats double as small table booked at 7 p.m. and a walk-in party arrives at pre-theater walk-ins meals, including 6 p.m. hoping to eat before a 7:30 p.m. show, Lin will at tables reserved for shellfish, tartare later times. BY ERIC WOLFINGER PHOTOGRAPHY PAGES: BOTH plates and bone let them have the table for an hour. marrow with toast.
42 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 43 Monsieur Benjamin also serves its full menu at a standing bar, a popular perch for impromptu early birds. “People will just stand there and have some oysters, a steak tartare and a glass of wine, and that’s enough to get them to the show,” she says.
TO PRIX-FIXE OR NOT TO PRE-FIXE? The cocktail specials inspired by local Traditional pre-theater prix-fixe dinner still holds headliners moving up in some circles, but often sitting down for a three- through Seattle course meal followed by a lengthy stage performance has turned the Carlile Room into an can prove too time-consuming for theater regulars. Instagram sensation. Prix-fixe offerings never took off at Summer House in Chicago, so now the menu leans toward shareable appetizers and entrees, like spicy calamari, prime ribeye steak frites and mahi mahi tacos. Au Za’atar, a Middle-Eastern restaurant located near off- Broadway venues in New York’s East Village, offers a tweaked $29 three-course prix-fixe menu built around more manageable tasting portions. Served between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., the small-scale menu eases the navigation of the expansive Lebanese specialties. “Prix-fixe gives (diners) a better taste of this WE LOVE cuisine,” says Chef-owner Tarik Fallous. “Some dishes we don’t recommend at the same time as THE ENERGY others, and some appetizers don’t go great with some AND BEING main courses.” KIND OF WATCH THE CLOCK SHOWY. (THE Diners closing in on curtain time may need extra attention when ordering. A couple arriving SPECIALS) Taste at Monsieur Benjamin at 6 p.m. for their 5:30 p.m. TRY A THEME reservation, for example, could benefit from their RUN THE server’s advice on cooking times. The Carlile Room, located across the street from GAMUT FROM Chefs know Sterling Silver. Each cut- carefully sourced and “(We’ll say,) ‘The roast chicken or quail that’s the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, has found success hand-selected. Flavorful. Tender. Juicy. That’s Sterling Silver. cooked to order is going to take 25 minutes for with themed specials. “We love the energy and being CUTESY TO preparation. It’s going to be a little tough; are you kind of showy,” says Chef and general manager Dezi STERLINGSILVERMEATS.COM willing to wait?’” says Lim. “Then it’s up to the guest Bonow. “(The specials) run the gamut from cutesy to KIND OF to say, ‘It’s OK, I gotta have this chicken!’” kind of weird and subversive.” When “The Book of Mormon” was in town, WEIRD AND levated. THE PRICE IS RIGHT specials included a crab salad called Tabernacle E SUBVERSIVE. and plates of creamy cornflake-topped “funeral —Chef and general The movie-going crowd tends to be price- potatoes.” An Iggy Pop concert led to the creation of manager Dezi Bonow of conscious, so happy hour specials like $5 bar bites a dill and aquavit cocktail called Pumping For Dill. the Carlile Room and cocktails have been well-received at Passion Working collaboratively to create and improve Fish. To appeal to regulars, he keeps eight to nine these specials has proven to be a bonding experience cocktail choices, and rotates the 10 bar bites often. for both staff and guests. “It was like, ‘Hey, we’re “When it comes to a movie theater, people tend having fun at the same time you’re having fun,’ to always go to the same one,” McCarthy says. “We rather than ‘We’re trying to capitalize on the fact want them to form that habit, and we want that habit that we know we’re going to be busy right now,’” to include us.” Bonow says. n
44 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 © 2017 Cargill Meat Solutions. All Rights Reserved. FROM FILMMAKERS TO HIGH-PROFILE POLITICIANS, POWERFUL PEOPLE ARE BEING ACCUSED OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND, IN SOME CASES, BEING HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR BRENDAN MCGILL LYNN BOUND THEIR ACTIONS. Chef-owner of Hitchcock Restaurant Group, which Executive chef at cabaret venue/supper club Restaurateurs are no exception. On operates six restaurants in the Seattle area Feinstein’s/54 Below in New York City the heels of industry-shaking allegations Backstory: Worked his way up from a dish- against John Besh last fall, revelations washer position in Alaska to opening his flag- Backstory: Former executive chef at MoMa’s of sexual harassment leveled another ship casual fine dining spot, Hitchcock, in 2010. Cafe 2 and Terrace 5 under Union Square powerhouse: Mario Batali. Later, he expanded his portfolio to include a Hospitality Group in New York. A pattern of inappropriate behavior deli and pizzeria, while earning a James Beard was alleged by numerous women, and semifinalist nod for Best Chef Northwest. LYNN SAYS as a result, Batali stepped down from Educate, Educate, Educate day-to-day operations of his restaurant MCGILL SAYS “Considering the current climate and empire late last year. Within days, similar Watch The Kitchen Talk the fact that it is being discussed in the allegations were made against Ken “I’ve thought about ‘kitchen talk’ a lot news so much lately, we’re in the process Friedman, the restaurateur behind New more in the past few years than when I was of reminding our staff of the details of our York City’s Spotted Pig, which implicated younger. The common language shared policy, and plan to bring in someone to Executive Chef April Bloomfield for by cooks across the world is vulgarity; I retrain our staff on sexual harassment knowing about the alleged “rape room.” have cooked in kitchens from Ecuador and what to do if you feel that you are a As allegations continue to surface, to Iceland, and the jokes are ubiquitous victim or uncomfortable. operators are swiftly reacting. Tom and not PC. It’s like every object in the There are varying degrees of what can Colicchio published an open letter that kitchen is viewed in its capacity to commit be inappropriate in a work environment challenged male chefs to “do more than a sexual act. It came to my attention that a versus other environments. We think it pay lip service” to fixing the problem. The young cook wasn’t comfortable with some is a good idea to enlighten all staff management team at Chicago’s Piece Pizza references I made to an oyster’s anatomy. members about the implications of these and Brewery sent a company-wide memo ‘Labia’ is the technical term for the part comments and actions, what’s happening that urged its staff, “Please do not remain of the oyster I was instructing her not to in the world, and why we wouldn’t want it silent.” Even Batali’s namesake restaurant disturb, and, of course, I recognize the to happen to anyone here. With everything management company, Batali & Bastianich ‘joke,’ but when word made it to me that going on, it is only responsible for every Hospitality Group, said it will employ an she found it offensive, I stood corrected. If company to retrain and allow for questions independent agency for staff to report it made her uncomfortable, I was failing and discussion.” owner misconduct. as a mentor and teacher. My only goal was While operators take steps to head off to show her how to open the oyster. I think problems, it remains uncertain if they it’s what they call a teachable moment. A can reform a legacy of crude kitchen word that seems innocuous, even technical culture. A 2014 report from Restaurant in this sense, could make someone Opportunities Centers United indicated uncomfortable, and you’ve got to respect that sexual harassment was “endemic to that. Bottom line: When someone raises the restaurant industry.” The following an issue, we’re listening. Now I call it the operators seek to create lasting change. mantle instead.” BY MEGAN DAWSON CAN THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY END SEXUAL HARASSMENT? END INDUSTRY RESTAURANT CAN THE DRAWING THE LINE
46 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 47 GET THE RIGHT FIT EVERY TIME
PAUL FEHRIBACH WHITNEY ARISS JOSHUA LEWIN Chef-owner of Big Jones in Chicago Culinary director and co-owner of The Preservery Executive chef and owner of Bread & Salt US Foods s o n n c n n • n ns , in Denver Hospitality in greater Boston nd d s os s c o . ono n o ns nd oc ss d s n Backstory: Started his career in Indiana before Backstory: Opened Juliet, Bread & Salt’s first relocating to the Windy City, where he opened Backstory: Worked her way up at Whole n n s s n , permanent restaurant, in 2016 after a series of s s s, s ns nd s - o- s • n c n ss s nd co o s o n n d his Southern-inspired spot, Big Jones, in 2008. Foods and Marczyk Fine Foods before opening pop-ups in Boston, Chicago and Manhattan. Three-time James Beard nominee for Best The Preservery, a seasonal restaurant, market- d s ns n o s. o o US Foods Chef Great Lakes. place and music venue with business partner LEWIN SAYS s n od nd s o s • s s o n con n and husband, Obe, in 2016. Start A Conversation c n n s n US . FEHRIBACH SAYS “Sexual harassment is a rampant issue in Demand Immediate Accountability ARISS SAYS the restaurant industry. And as we are now “When we had an incident of sexual Establish Structure seeing daily, we aren’t alone as restaurants. harassment, the offender was ordered “As a woman in the restaurant industry It’s everywhere. Acceptance of it is to stop and did stop, and an apology was and a restaurant owner, I have always felt apparently endemic to the way business given. Nip it in the bud. It’s not hard and a strong sense of responsibility to create is conducted in this country. We want does not threaten your business. But a safe work environment for all our team to see change industry-wide, so we are the key is being available and open so members. (Recent incidents) provoked a hosting a public panel to discuss this issue that employees will feel empowered to lot of reflection on how we can do better and possible courses of action. One of the come to you if they are experiencing poor as we grow as a business. We have a zero things that I am really hoping to discuss treatment from someone else on the staff. tolerance policy, which remains the same, on that day, and in the future, is what It can make one feel weak or threatened to but we are re-evaluating our reporting people should do if they don’t know who to report incidents, so management must be procedures and making sure we identify report to or how. This could be because of very proactive in creating an environment easy, safe ways for team members to report a lack of training and communication, or in which employees know that they not issues. We are a very small team of 15, so as we are seeing over and over, because the only have the right to a safe workplace, but we don’t have an HR department, but we do harasser is your manager or the owner of a responsibility to report any incidents in have HR policies and practices.” the restaurant.” n which they or another employee’s well- being is threatened. It can be easy to let isolated incidents slip by, and we have to work tirelessly and relentlessly to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
THE KEY IS BEING AVAILABLE AND OPEN SO THAT EMPLOYEES WILL FEEL EMPOWERED TO COME TO YOU IF THEY ARE EXPERIENCING POOR TREATMENT FROM SOMEONE ELSE ON THE STAFF. © 201 US Foods, Inc. 0 -201 -FOF-201 01110 —Paul Fehribach, Chef-owner of Big Jones in Chicago
48 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 ❱On the verge of burning After leaving out from 80- to 90-hour New York, Shuai and Corrie Wang work weeks in New York found success with Japanese City, Shuai Wang and his fare in Charleston, wife, Corrie, had to get South Carolina. out of dodge. Shuai had been chef de cuisine for four years at Chez Sardine (now Bar Sardine) in the West Village, while Corrie worked long hours as a nightclub manager and then a bartender in the city’s East Village. Their careers were on track, but their lifestyle didn’t feel healthy. So in 2015, they headed south. They had planned to help a friend open a restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina, but when his plans fell through, the couple had to improvise. Three weeks after landing in a city in which they had no roots, the couple opened a Japanese-leaning food truck called Short Grain. Since then, Shuai has been nominated for a James Beard Award, appeared on Zagat Charleston’s 30 Under 30 list and landed on Bon Appetit’s Best New Restaurants list. He has also been dubbed an Eater “Young Gun.” “We moved down here because we thought it was pretty, but so did everybody else,” Corrie jokes. “We’re all moving out of the big cities because we can’t afford it. Everyone’s testing out these new places.” The Wangs moved to improve their quality of life— and they know they’re not the only ones. Chefs from New York City, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and other major dining cities are realizing the possibilities that smaller markets offer. But the restaurant business remains tough, and operating outside a major metropolis presents its own set of challenges.
What’s on the menu? Developing a menu in small town Narrowsburg, New York, isn’t like planning a menu in Brooklyn. “We knew that this town needed a restaurant, LESS IS THE NEW MORE but we weren’t quite sure how people were going to respond,” says chef Paul Nanni, who co-owns When chefs trade the big city for quality of life The Heron in Narrowsburg with his partner, Marla Puccetti. Nanni had worked at Aquavit and Maggie BY KATE BERNOT Brown in New York City, while Puccetti was an Curate brings the look and tastes of a tapas bar to executive producer for TV shows. The couple left the Asheville, North Carolina. city in 2011. PHOTOGRAPHY BY EVAN SUNG BY EVAN PHOTOGRAPHY
50 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 51 IT’S A SAFETY NET FOR YOU. IF Their restaurant has a core menu of about eight dishes, but Nanni has gradually worked in more THINGS DON’T WORK OUT, THE adventurous offerings, such as tripe, tongue and BANK HAS MORE THAN JUST octopus. Customers are on board when such Chef Katie Button ingredients are prepared perfectly and sold YOUR BUSINESS TO LEAN ON. purchased the building confidently by front of house staff, Nanni says. that houses Nightbell in THAT TO ME WAS THE BIGGEST Asheville, North Carolina, Sourcing, however, can be tricky. Narrowsburg is giving her a safety net, surrounded by farms that supplement what Nanni BENEFIT TO MOVING. while urbane dishes like can grow in his home garden, but finding purveyors mushroom pate from —Chef Katie Button, Curate The Heron, bottom, for specific ingredients took time. have wooed diners in “Coming from the city, you get a delivery every Narrowsburg, New York. day,” Puccetti says. “Up here, the delivery schedule is crazy. The reps for beer and stuff don’t come around Make an investment at all.” “I envisioned success as having a restaurant that Making phone calls and personal visits to local was profitable and enough to give our family a salary farms has helped. But for Indian spices, the couple that we can live on and enjoy,” says Button, whose drives two hours back to the East Village to see their BRIGHT LIGHTS, SMALL CITY Heirloom Hospitality Group also owns Nightbell in spice guy. Restaurateurs who have made the move Asheville. She’s been either a finalist or semi-finalist For Curate, chef Katie Button had to ask suppliers for James Beard awards on numerous occasions and to carry certain products, such as iberico de bellota Eric Patterson and Jennifer Blakeslee named a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2015. and boquerones for her Spanish tapas restaurant in From Las Vegas: Chefs at Andre’s Part of securing that success was the result of Asheville, North Carolina. She does the legwork to To Traverse City, Michigan: Co-chefs and co-owners of The Cooks’ House purchasing the building that houses her restaurants. find the importer, then tells the distributor. Recent acclaim: Awarded Wine Spectator Award of Excellence (2014-2017), “It’s a safety net for you. If things don’t work out, But chefs considering a move to a smaller city published Cooks’ House: the art and soul of local, sustainable cuisine (2009) the bank has more than just your business to lean shouldn’t assume that their customers will be on,” she says. “That to me was the biggest benefit unadventurous or averse to new ingredients. Vivian Howard to moving.” “We can be as creative as we want. People are From New York City: Intern at wd~50 and chef de partie at Spice Market After stints at El Bulli, Jean Georges and Bazaar there to eat your cooking; you don’t have to stick to To Kinston, North Carolina: chef-owner of Chef & The Farmer and Boiler by Jose Andres, Button says owning the building this rigid menu,” says Short Grain’s Corrie Wang. Oyster Room more than makes up for what she misses about “There’s a lot more creativity than a smaller scene Recent acclaim: Named a James Beard Foundation Award semifinalist for Best Chef larger cities. allows for.” Southeast five consecutive times (from 2011 to 2017); Howard’s ‘A Chef’s Life’ TV show “I miss all the possible things to do, even though won a Peabody Award in 2014, a daytime Emmy in 2015 and earned her a James you maybe never did them all,” she says. “In fact, I Staff it up Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Personality/Host in 2016 did really little because I was always so busy.” Small towns can make for a thin labor pool, but they can also tend to yield a loyal staff. Ryan Poli Embrace community “Very talented cooks are hard to find,” says Shuai From Chicago: Executive chef-partner, Tavernita Group; executive chef at Perennial The most common and perhaps least tangible Wang. “Everyone’s trying to open a restaurant here, and Butter benefit that chefs cite in moving to smaller cities is so they’re offering really competitive rates, starting To Nashville: Chef at the Catbird Seat the cooperative nature of the industry. Relationships people off at $16 an hour. Small businesses can’t keep Recent acclaim: Named to Wine Enthusiast’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants, Standout can pay off when the unexpected happens. up with that kind of thing; big restaurants with a lot Tasting Menu Experience (2016); The Diners Club 50 Best Discovery Series When the computer system at Button’s of money behind them can.” restaurants double-booked a private party room, she The current staff is solid, but labor for front and Joe Kindred immediately called neighbor John Fleer of Rhubarb back of house has been their primary struggle, says From San Francisco: Delfina then to Chicago’s Tru and The Pump Room restaurant. His private room was empty, so he Nanni and Puccetti. To Davidson, North Carolina: Co-owner-chef of the Kindred hosted the party, supplied two servers and allowed Nanni’s brother moved from Detroit to work at Recent acclaim: Named to Bon Appetit’s Best New Restaurants list (2017), Wine Button to walk her food down the street to Rhubarb. The Heron, and the restaurant takes chances on Enthusiast’s 100 Best Wine Restaurants, New and Noteworthy (2016) “Make friends. Go be a regular at a couple places in younger, less-experienced servers. the city,” says Shuai Wang. “When it comes to small “They’re the best ones because you can get them Cara Stadler towns, you have to come really humble and not with before they have bad habits,” Puccetti says. “It’s been From Shanghai: Opening chef at 12 Chairs and Gordon Ramsay Au Trianon in a big city attitude.” exciting to see kids experience some of our food. Versaille, France “We’ve seen some big names come down and leave They try chicken liver mousse for the first time, or To Brunswick, Maine: Chef at Tao Yuan within the year because they didn’t check their ego lamb. You see them taste it, love it, and then when Recent acclaim: Nominated for James Beard Foundation Award Rising Chef of the at the door,” Corrie Wang adds. “You came for a they’re servers, you hear them talking about it.” Year (2017), named a Food & Wine Best New Chef (2014) reason, right? So just be nice.” n
52 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 53 FOOD FANATICS ROAD TRIP! Get a mouthful from our resident expert THE HIGHLIGHTS
James Beard Foundation recognized Brock with the Edmund’s Oast Edmund’s Oast Brewing Co. Best Chef Southeast award. To experience this chef’s Brewing Co. Sure, you can go Edmund’s Oast restaurant or Edmund’s Oast Exchange, but here you can range, visit McCrady’s, Husk and Minero; the latter @edmundsoast shows Brock also can do Mexican. sample a crazy number of beers and well- executed everyday foods, from a housemade hot Don’t think you can just check out Brock and dog to a wood-fired veggie gyro. be done with the forerunners of Charleston’s restaurant renaissance. Others include Mike Lata’s Fig, a bistro take on Southern ingredients and the Halls Chophouse Ordinary, his ode to seafood. Lata’s executive chef at Got meat on the brain? It’s no wonder with all Fig, Jason Stanhope, should get credit, too. Like Lata the fuss over vegetables and focus on seafood and Brock, he also won a James Beard Best Chef in the coastal community. Chef Matthew Niessner will do right by you. Southeast award. Southern-inspired cooking, though, isn’t the only food that thrives here. Amalia Scatena at Cannon The Macintosh Green is proving that local ingredients also play well Resist the urge to comment on how Jeremiah with Mediterranean cuisine, while Michael Toscano Bacon’s last name makes him a natural chef. knows southerners and tourists equally dig Italian Just focus on your plate: local ingredients at the food. Both are transplants. hands of a native trained at Per Se, Le Bernadin and the River Cafe, all in New York City. The dining scene has gotten so big that restaurants have crossed the bay to Mount Pleasant, creating its own enclave of must-visit restaurants, from Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog Barbecue Grace & Grit and Nico to Shellmore—all seafood- Did you think you could eat your way through The Macintosh centric spots. Charleston and not try barbecue? You have @macintoshchs Be sure to visit some stalwarts. For the last 33 many choices, but you’re sure to go right with this pit master’s namesake joint. years, Hannibal’s Kitchen in Charleston’s Eastside neighborhood has been serving straightforward local fare, such as crab rice and fried whiting, while Page’s Okra Grill Bertha’s Restaurant has been cooking traditional Just two words: Redneck Rolls. Imagine the soul food for 39 years in North Charleston. signature wood-smoked barbecue with pimiento Charleston cheese fried in a spring roll wrapper. Wherever you go, take a few minutes to ask about Give it up for the Holy City. The restaurant the secret to the restaurant’s popularity and success. You’ll leave with a true sense of Southern hospitality Waffle House scene is on fire. along with inspiration to apply insights back home. n Dotted across the southern landscape, this chain is a must visit during the third shift. Growth in the tech sector, a spike in quality Southern ingredients and the laid-back appeal of this historic city has sparked a burgeoning dining scene that extends beyond its downtown arteries. More than a dozen chefs have migrated here while food critics nationwide have anointed Charleston, South Carolina, as one of the most exciting food destinations in the country. When you head to this peninsula, it’s important to check out old and new FOOD FANATICS to fully grasp Lowcountry cuisine, from its humble beginnings to modern Jason Scarborough is interpretations. You’ll taste the influences from the early settlers of Europe, a Food Fanatics chef West Africa and the West Indies, and classic dishes or renditions inspired by for US Foods based Rodney Scott’s them, such as shrimp and grits, okra soup and Lowcountry boil. Add seafood, in Columbia, South Whole Hog including blue crab, boiled peanuts, pimento cheese and whiting fish to the list of Carolina, who has a soft Barbecue what you’ll encounter on menus. spot for hard working, @rodneyscottbbq Sean Brock deservedly gets the credit for drawing the spotlight to Charleston, committed people first at McCrady’s and then for developing a farm dedicated to preserving serving excellent food. heritage seeds. Honoring and elevating the roots of Southern cooking has served Find him on Instagram as the backbone of Husk, the restaurant he opened in 2010, the same year the @chefscarborough ILLUSTRATION BY TIM MARRS
54 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 55 MONEY & SENSE AY DI -D NI L TIME TO N L MA G KE A P R O
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© 2018 Cargill All Rights Reserved FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 57 A single menu that pairs well with alcohol—like the matzo ball caldo, fried chicken sandwich and bone marrow Bolognese at June’s dinner, Trademark Taste offers a single all- All Day in Austin—can day menu of steaks, seafood, sandwiches keep check averages and salads. During lunch, a special high all day and night. $21 three-course prix-fixe special gets WE HAVE FOUND WAYS TO CONNECT WITH Manhattan’s business crowd in and out EVERY TYPE OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND DO A the door quickly, while providing value in a city known for high-ticket dining. To cater PRETTY GOOD JOB OF KEEPING THEM HAPPY. to guests visiting during a sporting event —Sean Dillon, In Good Company’s director of operations or concert at Madison Square Garden, the kitchen stays open until 11 p.m. A single kitchen fills orders for both Grind and Taste, along with room service orders, which puts cross-training to use. Food runners can handle room service orders, while pastry chefs can fill in on the line as needed. Between the peaks, the staff has a chance to restock and reset. The approach is faring so well that Sean Dillon, In Good Company’s director of operations, says the concept of Trademark could be replicated anywhere. “This concept has the ability to fit in a small boutique hotel or large-scale standalone venue,” he says. “We have found ways to connect with every type of demographic and do a pretty good job of keeping them happy.”
Create a boozy diner One of McGuire Moorman Hospitality’s latest creations, June’s All Day in Austin, Texas, may be a true first: a wine bar- cafe hybrid that pairs eclectic all-day offerings with wines and cocktails curated by restaurant namesake and master sommelier June Rodil. True to its name, June’s All-Day stays ith snacking becoming its own meal Think like a hotel, operate like a hybrid open from 8 a.m. to basically midnight category and restaurants popping When In Good Company Hospitality opened Monday through Friday, acting as a one- up as makeshift offices and social Trademark Taste & Grind in Manhattan’s Executive stop shop. Breakfast until 11 a.m. Light gathering spots, the appeal of all-day Hotel Le Soleil in 2016, it didn’t function like a lunch in the afternoon. Craft cocktails or a concepts is growing. If time is money, typical hotel restaurant. It operated as a hybrid glass of wine after work. And dinner when then keeping your kitchen closed for coffee bar and New American restaurant that the sun begins to go down. But to reduce breakfast, midday snacks or even late- focused on serving two things diners crave all day food waste and allow for more flexible night bites may be leaving potential long: good coffee and classic comfort food staples. kitchen scheduling, June’s offers only a profits on the table. From 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., the concept’s boutique single menu. In a 2017 Datassential study that asked coffee bar, Trademark Grind, pairs daily pastry respondents what college-town concepts interested selections with brews from Four|Coffee. Down the Brewing memorable coffee from Trademark Grind, them, 41 percent chose 24-hour diners and 30 hall, Trademark Taste, In Good Company’s 84-seat (top), can lure caffeine-seekers all day, while percent selected late-night dining options. Add New American restaurant, serves a full breakfast transforming the mood of a space with smart lighting strategies and a carefully curated beverage list can customers’ growing interest in breakfast after 11 until 11 a.m. in an intimate, clubby space, which generate repeat business, as evidenced by the a.m. and the rationale to extend your hours becomes draws in the power breakfast crowd, hotel guests constant traffic to June’s All Day in Austin, which rather compelling. Three operators share their and tourists alike. keeps things sunny in the morning (middle) and appropriately atmospheric at night (bottom). formulas for success. Instead of creating a division between lunch and
58 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 59 “Our spaces rely on easy walkability and succeed in historic established neighborhoods,” says General THREE WAYS Manager Alice McGinty. But unlike a traditional TREND TRACKER TO ALL-DAY cafe, June’s highlights its beverage list, which hits PROFITS every price point from inexpensive draft beers to pricey bottles of wine. Menu staples such as smoked salmon Nicoise salad, bone marrow Bolognese and LAST SEEN Adopt multiple matzo ball caldo upend tradition and were created Perla in New York City went from nighttime personalities. specifically to pair with Rodil’s beverages, instead of hotspot serving Italian fare with hip-hop in the Neighborhood the other way around. background, to an all-day neighborhood cafe hangout, a takeout In terms of logistics, the front- and back-of-house opening at 8 a.m., replete with comfy sofas, full spot, power lunch staff is roughly divided into a.m. and p.m. shifts. “We dinner menu and wine bar. destination or a train our staff to ensure guests at all price points and romantic dinner occasions feel well provided for,” McGinty says. “We option? An all-day have many guests who visit our restaurant more restaurant might need than once a day or a few times a week.” to take on all those roles to attract a Sometimes, it takes a neighborhood steady flow of traffic. Beloved Atlanta Chef-entrepreneur Shaun Doty didn’t commission a feasibility study when he Take small, opened his first Bantam + Biddy, a casual family- manageable bites. style diner that dishes up chef-caliber roasted Try debuting with chicken and classic Southern blue-plate specials. He breakfast and lunch, simply saw a need, and filled it. adding dinner service Two B+Bs later, with a fourth on the way in later. “Open with what Chattanooga, Tennessee, Doty says looking out you can manage,” for gentrifying neighborhoods with a dearth of says Stephen Lipinski, affordable, dependable eateries is a good place to president of Stephen start. Whatever the location, it’s critical to give Lipinski Associates diners “a lot of reasons to go there,” especially if you in Ithaca, New York. stay open from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. “People will come in Unlike many old-school diner operators, Doty with expectations, and understands the value of saving customers time. His they don’t care if it’s takeout menu includes convenient $52 family meal your first day or week.” packages, which come with a whole roasted chicken or meatloaf, sides and iced tea. Beware of all-day Reconfiguring the all-day diner model to fit breakfast. Consider modern tastes, he provides guests the flavors and how all-day breakfast personal attention they expect, along with money- profits match up with makers like a full-bar, espresso drinks and gluten- your price points on free options. “It’s a convivial, accessible, all-day the lunch and dinner meeting place that I see as an amenity for the menus. “If you need neighborhood,” Doty says. to run a $35 check His biggest challenge is staffing, specifically average at dinner, finding enough team members who are willing to and you sell breakfast start early. Fortunately, servers have learned how for $9, you’re giving to quickly cover large stations and hustle to earn up too much margin,” healthy tips, which average about 80 seats and rely Lipinski says. on high volumes to profit. When one Bantam + Biddy proved too casual for an affluent neighborhood, he replaced it with The Federal, a pocket-sized bistro and traditional At Trademark Grind & Taste, American steakhouse that’s open virtually all day, an ever-evolving list of pastry selections and clever cocktails closing only a few hours to reset the tables. “I’m very has made the Hotel Soleil an all- committed to the idea of all-day (dining),” he says. n hours destination in Manhattan.
60 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 he difference between a decent The results were positive, but pricey. OUTSOURCING and a robust profit is often finding “The decision to outsource was simple efficient ways to tackle non-food math,” he says. “As we grow, we might take matters that eat up so much time (social media and marketing) in-house, YOU HAVE TO and energy. but for now, we’re a small company, and it If your staff is constantly pulled makes more financial sense to outsource.” UNDERSTAND YOUR Taway from their stations to handle busy Outsourcing social media and other work—whether it’s managing payroll and marketing duties, however, don’t negate all STRENGTHS AND IN preparing tax returns or cleaning the of an owner’s marketing responsibilities. restaurant and managing social media—it’s The agency that’s hired can only promote WEAKNESSES AND worth considering outsourcing. what it knows, so you’ll need to devote time “Outsourcing frees up time to focus our and effort to sharing information, such as WHERE YOU CAN INVOICING attention on our core business: making events and promotions. great food and providing great service,” It’s also important that you are in control BENEFIT FROM says Chip Ladigo, owner of a Tacos 4 of the voice of your business. That tone Life Grill franchise in Concord, North and voice must be consistent to what the OUTSIDE EXPERTISE. Carolina. “If there is a cost-effective option outsourcing produces. —Doug Roth of Playground Hospitality in Chicago to outsource things that are outside that Oftentimes it’s worthwhile to pair staff focus, it makes good business sense.” with your outsourcing. Hiring external companies is not a Determine which up-and-coming magic bullet for cutting labor, but it offers manager or servers are adept at Instagram, significant advantages. Facebook or Twitter and develop a plan to work with the outsourcing firm. CLEANING Management still needs to direct the plan LET SOMEONE ELSE WORRY ABOUT LIABILITIES ➜ but setting expectations is paramount. Hiring professional cleaning crews at his If managers enjoy handling social media Tacos 4 Life franchise offered the bonus of but may not be the savviest marketers, reduced liabilities, says Ladigo. “Yes, we it might be worthwhile to bring in a could clean our own windows, but from a marketing coach to keep you up to date on ACCESS EXPERT KNOWLEDGE ➜ safety standpoint, do I want staff climbing trends and best practices. Some outsourcing needs are more obvious 12-foot ladders? It’s smarter to outsource than others, says Doug Roth, founder and the job to someone who is bonded and president of Playground Hospitality in insured,” he says. HAPPY STAFF, HAPPY CUSTOMERS ➜ Chicago. An accountant who understands The peace of mind also led Ladigo to hire Kevin Jennings credits outsourcing the tax code, for example, can help reduce an outside company to handle his human his cleaning crew for low turnover at his tax liabilities or offer support during DIGITAL MARKETING resources needs. “Someone who knows Denver restaurant, Avelina. an audit, while HR companies ensure their stuff is managing our paperwork and “Servers don’t want to do that kind of paperwork is compliant with federal and monitoring (Affordable Care Act) laws work,” he says. “It would be way more state guidelines and provide access to to make sure we’re in compliance,” he work for me to talk servers into dusting, comprehensive training programs. says. “We’re not in the HR business; their vacuuming or mopping the floor—and Roth worked with a national hotel chain expertise gives us checks and balances, so making sure it was done right—than that wanted to reduce average ticket times we stay in compliance with the continual hiring a cleaning crew. It makes ours in one of its restaurants from 35 minutes changing of laws and regulations.” servers happier.” to 10 minutes. Boosting efficiency required Beyond the hard sell on unsavory busy investing in new kitchen equipment— work, asking servers to take on cleaning and an expert who could make the right How external experts can SHARE DIGITAL MARKETING ➜ duties can dig into their take-home pay. In recommendations. When Ivan Iricanin opened Ambar in Colorado, servers must clock out and clock “When you want to operate at a high level lower costs, boost morale Washington, D.C. in 2012, he hired an back in when roles change, earning the of efficiency, you need to outsource other in-house social media coordinator to state minimum wage instead of the more tasks,” says Roth. “You have to understand and improve operations shoot photos and craft posts for Facebook, profitable combination of an hourly wage your strengths and weaknesses and where BY JODI HELMER Twitter and Instagram. plus tips. you can benefit from outside expertise.”n
62 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 63 iHELP Be efficient and tech savvy at the same time PR MACHINE Sharp ideas to get butts in seats
credit card numbers are manually keyed in—a slightly higher rate that’s applied to offset the risk of How It Works fraud or a lack of funds. The Good For restaurants on a wholesale or cost-plus pricing Batch processing is part Say It model—which is a more cost-effective option for of a larger system that co-founder Arsalun Tafazoli says. “It’s a mid- to high-volume restaurants—net effective ensures restaurants get worthwhile opportunity to be creative with rates range from 2.75 percent to below 2 percent paid for a credit card the brands and carry out their stories in depending on volume and customer demographics. transaction. Here’s how unique ways.” Batch it works, according to with Swag Making the shift to single Restaurants pay three fees to accept payments Merch can make you by card, according to the National Restaurant Raymond Siffel. Take-home F&B credit card transactions Association. Besides processing fees, merchants pay bigger and better There’s no better restaurant branding BY RODERICK KELLY interchange fees (adjusted every April and October) 1. When a credit or BY AMBER GIBSON exercise than giving diners a taste of your and assessments directly to the card brand. debit card is used in a concept that they can store in their own Before closing for the night, the task of sending POS system, it receives pantries. Whether it’s a housemade hot credit card info to a processor for remittance awaits. Unexpected bonuses bank authorization sauce, secret hot cocoa or Bloody Mary mix, To eliminate the drudgery, some operators have Thanks to savvier processing, operators get the that money is available these items keep memories of past dinners adopted single-batching—often set up automatically benefit of more than just streamlined accounting, and the card is in estaurants are figuring out what Wear what you sell alive. San Francisco’s Presidio Social Club in POS systems—to run at the end of the day or up to says Raymond Siffel, managing partner for Calibr good standing. concert and theater promoters In Orlando, Florida, the wait staff at sells made-to-order bottled cocktails for three times throughout the day. If you haven’t made Merchant Solutions LLC. have known for a long time: Pizza Bruno dons limited edition T-shirts guests to take home, including a barrel- the switch, saving time and money should get you to “It’s already adding more value by providing 2. At the end of the Themed merchandise is as designed by local artists. aged negroni, cosmopolitan, boulevardier reconsider. Here’s why. critical data metrics that restaurants can use to day, all credit card much about marketing as it is Predicting sizes that people will want and Old fashioned. The restaurant also improve their top and bottom lines,” he says. transactions are profitability. can be challenging, especially with limited- offers branded T-shirts, pint glasses and Save some steps Those data figures can include the number of batched and sent to Operators are moving run items. The popular shirts, however, sunglasses, but it’s the take-home cocktails Switching to single-batch transactions was a game dishes served, cost per item, as well as the most- a processor. Rbeyond the requisite T-shirt, generating tend to sell briskly, which allows Zacchini that guests get most excited about. changer for 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Kentucky. and least-popular menu items. Additionally, most revenue from all types of branded gear, to give away odd sizes at special events as Ways & Means Oyster House in For more than 30 years, General Manager Lindsey deposit setups are now on a gross monthly system 3. The processor while turning customers into walking free promotional offers. Huntington Beach, California, offers a Ofcacek says the restaurant used an outdated card where the processor invoices the restaurant at the contacts each bank brand promoters. Diners now can buy collection of private-label items on its reader that proved to be a major headache and waste end of each month rather than the more archaic way and requests payment, knit ski caps from Philadelphia’s Federal Offer something unique menus, including best-sellers like oysters, of time for servers. of deducting fees from each transaction. which is made to Donuts, bandanas from Mighty Quinn’s Make the merchandise fit your wine, rum and beer. “The card reader was in the attic, so our five By charging on a gross monthly basis, restaurants a Federal Reserve Barbecue in New York and Asia, and brand. Breakfast Republic in San “We had a huge fear that they would be servers would manually write down all the costs of can reconcile their payments with the transactions, account of the candles and apothecary sets from Dimes Diego, California, is known for its perceived as house items and therefore the meals, pull out a calculator to add them up and more easily, which all adds up to more money in your restaurant’s bank. in New York City. quirky decor, including egg-shaped less desirable,” says owner Dena Mathe. then run up 12 stairs to the attic to get authorization pocket faster. n But before you slap your logo onto a cap, seats and whisk-styled light fixtures, Carefully choosing high-quality local and later process the final bill,” she says. 4. The processor think strategically. Success lies in coupling which is why curiosities like bacon artisan partners, like Santa Monica In August 2016, the restaurant shifted to iPads and sends the batched creative merchandise with smart brand socks stamped with “I ❤ BACON” and Brewing Co. and Papa’s Pilar Rum, have Square, a credit card processing and POS system. funds to the Federal positioning. #BREAKFASTREPUBLIC are a huge hit. proven that’s not the case. The change streamlined service and lowered costs. Reserve and marks “It has (also) helped us tremendously on “We pay no annual fee and a 2.75 percent flat them for deposit into Put it all on the table social media,” says owner Johan Engman, Let them steal transaction fee. It’s a time saver for the servers who the restaurant’s deposit Kiira Mancasola of San Francisco-based whose coffee cups regularly make cameos Sometimes the most marketable items can process all transactions on the floor and not account at its bank. design firm Puccini Group has helped with in Instagram posts. are the ones customers steal. A stolen curio have to go up and down stairs,” says Ofcacek. branding efforts for everyone from the can be a priceless conversation-starter— 5. The restaurant’s Four Seasons and Aviara to the Waldorf Let them order from home provided they are inexpensive to replace. Pay to play bank sweeps the Astoria Chicago. To maximize authenticity, Hospitality group CH Projects sells The “hardcover book” check-presenters While batching is convenient, it’s not without Federal Reserve she says guests should use items during the irreverent merchandise with hand- at The Big Four in San Francisco were its flaws. Mainly, problems may occur between account several times meal that they can purchase, such as oyster drawn graphics for its 11 San Diego-based pricey to replace. “But it was an indication the card authorization and the payment period if a a day and collects shuckers or salt-and-pepper sets. concepts through an online store. Oyster- we were on the right track,” Mancasola transaction is not batched on the day the purchase whatever money is “These elements bring your story centric seafood destination Ironside Fish says. The Puccini Group took the idea to a was made. That said, most transactions usually go in the account. This together,” Mancasola says. “The branding & Oyster and Polite Provisions, each have San Francisco concept, Tratto, and created through without a hitch. usually occurs within within the restaurant supports theatrical their own cheeky stickers and T-shirts, inexpensive branded notebooks for people Processing rates can also vary. Square, for 24 to 48 hours from elements, such as the uniforms, cuisine, along with ceramic tiki mugs, coloring to draw in or write a note in when the check example, advertises a 2.75 percent flat rate on each the time of purchase menu design and service style. The full books and skateboard decks. is dropped. “We were thrilled to see how swipe, dab or tap. But the service charges a 3.5 and is credited to the concept has more power than the sum of “We try to speak to the brand without quickly these books filled up. And if one percent rate plus 15 cents per transaction when restaurant’s account. its parts.” having to be blatantly promotional,” goes missing, it’s inexpensive to replace.” n
64 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 65 The wood-burning oven at Coco Pazzo in Chicago, opposite page, has uses far beyond pizza. LOOKS CAN BE
DECEIVING Technology and innovation are ROBOT COUPE 2 poised to transform restaurant Gadgets that chop, slice, dice and puree kitchens, but the wizardry of have flooded the market, but chefs remain robots or smart equipment loyal to the Robot Coupe, an industrial food processor that debut in the 1960s and doesn’t mean abandoning the can withstand heavy use. It also reduces tried and true. injuries: Accidental cuts from chopping Embrace the new, but don’t think with knives are no longer a problem everything can be solved or improved with for Chef Cameron Thompson, culinary the latest gadgetry. Here, restaurant chefs director of Farm Burger, a grass-fed, locally and other experts share their favorite sourced burger chain with nearly a dozen equipment that lends itself to consistency, locations. “It’s the one piece of equipment saves time, reduces labor and gives their that pays for itself in a week,” he says. menu an edge. Chef Chintan Pandya of innovative Indian restaurant Rahi in New York City, agrees, “Once I found this machine could process five to 10 pounds of onions in SOUS VIDE 10 minutes, it has been saving me labor After several years as the on-trend way for years.” to turn out a dish, cooking sealed food immersed in a water bath has become commonplace in innovative kitchens. Its WOOD-BURNING OVEN most significant contribution, however, has More than a decade ago, wood-burning been large volume. Proteins can be cooked ovens became a game-changer for making sous vide and immediately served or seared pizza. Today, they can also give other off in minutes and then leave the kitchen. dishes similar wood-charred flavor and “A smaller labor source is where reduce cooking times thanks to their we’re headed today,” says Jason Wilson, high temperatures. executive chef of Millers Guild and the “We roast cauliflower, asparagus, and Lakehouse restaurants in the Seattle carrots for the pasta sauce. The hot fire area, as well as culinary director of the takes out the step of blanching that prep El Gaucho Hospitality Group. “The cooks used to spend time on and gives it BIG OR SMALL, EQUIPMENT CAN DO MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE thought is that you will always need better flavor,” says executive chef Federico creativity. But if your human messes Comacchio of Coco Pazzo in Chicago. up on cooking anything, that product is “Fish like branzino can cook in the fire in automatically lost.” under five minutes.”
FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 67 Food Fanatics chefs and Restaurant Operation ASK THE EXPERTS Consultants help fix everyday industry issues.
PROBLEM: Small doughnut shop is losing $5,000 per month.
SOLUTION: Close at 3 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. because sales did not offset labor costs.
BENEFIT: PEPPER MILL Eliminated monthly loss and provided the owner If there’s an overlooked gadget in the two to three additional hours a day to spend on other kitchen, it’s got to be the pepper mill, the matters such as social media and its new breakfast tool reminiscent of the old school tableside offering, “Would you like freshly ground sandwiches. The shop was in the black for the first pepper on your dish?” Dissing it, however, time in six months. is shortsighted. “Dump the standard cracked black pepper and repurpose it for spices such as coriander, star anise, pink peppercorns, larger coarse kosher salt, fennel seeds, dried herbs and any other variety of spices Problem: Product waste Problem: Your menu Problem: Diners complain Problem: Staff hates Problem: Delivery that can be ground,” says Bo Marianowits, from making protein bars has become too big about prices. working brunch. services mess up orders. a Food Fanatics chef who oversees in disposable aluminum to manage. Solution: Explain that Solution: Entice staff to Solution: Do whatever restaurants for US Foods. pans. After baking, workers trimmed the bars and then Solution: Reduce the quality food is not cheap, volunteer for the shift you can to satisfy the packaged into individual number of total menu especially beef and by rewarding servers customer and accept containers. items according to seafood. Explain where with prime shifts and blame by comping GAS COMBI-STEAMER bestsellers and items that the food is from and any stations later in the week. an order or offering a Solution: Bake in single- are tied to your brand. special measures that Give cooks a get-out-of complimentary item on OVEN, GENIUS T MODEL serve containers. Make use of cross utilizing growers and purveyors cleanup pass for each the next visit. Make sure “Don’t forget about quesadillas, It’s easy to laugh at infomercials ingredients in more than are using to produce a brunch shift worked. Use your system allows for FISH SPATULA enchiladas and flipping tortillas on the demonstrating devices that can do just Benefit: No trim loss or one dish. superior product. Tell them remaining ingredients from the promo code. Be The tool is designed to easily slip under griddle,” Drake says, not to mention about anything, but some high-tech repackaging required, to watch the new Netflix the prior night’s dishes for super nice. and flip delicate fillets of fish. But the fish handling grilled cheese, lifting lasagna out equipment can come close. The Eloma which saves 16 hours Benefit: Eliminating series, “Rotten.” brunch specials to reduce spatula has many other uses. Imagine a of a pan or sliding tiramisu from a dish. defrosts, poaches, stews, steams, bakes, of labor per week and items can help you focus morning prep. Benefit: You’re short-order cook, who is a marvel to watch. roasts and grills, reaching over 600 an additional savings on business growth and Benefit: You bring building customer Give him or her a fish spatula and it could degrees, according to Timothy J. Warnock, of $8,000 each year on dishes that perform. It also customers into the Benefit: Incentivize loyalty in an ever- up their game in terms of pancakes, french MICROPLANE a Food Fanatics chef based in Clifton Park, disposable baking pans. reduces the number of fold and deepen staff and presumably increasing take- toast and eggs. Also try it for poaching: It The microplane has changed “the way New York. It has 2,300 computerized hands that touch the plate, brand awareness. engender happier workers. out space. n lifts foods efficiently out of water. we grate, grind and garnish like no other settings for all kinds of combination while keeping food costs “This tool has saved a lot of money over piece of equipment,” says David Phillips, cooking techniques, he says. more consistent. the years,” says Dwight Drake, a Food executive chef at Copeland Oaks, a senior “I can call it on my cellphone and give Fanatics chef who assists restaurateurs on health care facility in Hanoverton, Ohio. it cooking instructions from anywhere. menu planning and operational efficiencies Originally considered as a zester, chefs find Its design is for multi-language kitchens in Cincinnati. “The thicker, bulky spatula its use extends far beyond citrus. where it uses pictures instead of words. will cut into the flesh or leave half of the His list for the microplane include whole And it can cook one and a half times faster Send your challenges, comments and suggestions to [email protected]. most important flavored part of the fish spices, hard cheeses, chocolate and any than a convection oven and three times Got a question for the experts? stuck to the bottom of the pan. “ solid that can be grated. faster than a conventional oven,” he says. n
68 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 69 The word “natural” gets producers. These wines tend to yield wild, your distributors to bring you samples earthy and brambly flavors thanks to the or make sure your rep tells you when a slapped onto everything unfiltered live yeasts inside the bottle, representative from certain wineries or which boast a funk not dissimilar from winemakers is coming into town,” she says. from eggs and dairy to soft another trending beverage: kombucha. drinks and ice cream, so “Typically, they have a stronger ‘yeasty’ Closing the Deal element. They also tend to have lifted fruit Despite all the unfamiliar terminology, it’s no surprise the term profiles and a pleasant funk that balances weaning customers onto natural wine has been growing on wine that out,” says beverage director Matthew doesn’t have to be a hard sell. At Mabel Dulle of two-Michelin-starred Lazy Bear Gray, Martinik finds that natural wines lists around the world. in San Francisco. “They evolve from the from cooler climates pair well with the Unlike conventional wines, natural first sip to the last. The most interesting spicy, pickled and fermented dishes found winemakers adhere to non-interventionist element of wine is that it is a living, in Chef James Rigato’s tasting menus. production methods that eschew evolving thing.” “I find that once people try these wines, chemicals, sulfites or filtering so that the Just because a wine is labeled “natural” they are more interested in them and may inherent characteristics of the grapes truly doesn’t guarantee consistency and quality. then seek them out,” she says. “I tend to shine. For fermentation nerds who were It remains a nuanced term, requiring do it as a by-the-glass special or use them early adopters of sour beers or shrubs, this careful vetting of trustworthy producers on the tasting menu, and then maybe on a could be the next beverage money maker. and distributors. But there are a handful of guest’s second visit, they will buy a bottle.” According to a 2015 report from Nielsen, common traits you can count on. Dulle of Lazy Bear also slides it onto the 65 percent of wine drinkers aged 21 to 34 “Everybody has their own definition for pairing menu and offers it by the glass but expressed interest in natural wines. what that means,” Ganzer says. “I have doesn’t specifically call it out to customers. A stateside boom has prompted the five tenets: I don’t think you can call it “The most important standard that arrival of specialty natural wine bars like (natural) without organic or biodynamic must be met is that the wine is good. If that Four Horsemen in Brooklyn, New York, farming, hand-harvesting, indigenous stipulation isn’t met, then I really don’t Terroir in San Francisco, and cameos yeast, no additives to the actual juice and care about how it was made,” Dulle says. n BOTTLED IN NATURE at concepts like the Italian restaurant very low sulfur.” Alimento in Los Angeles or the cross- Unadulterated wines cultural Entente in Chicago. So why is Do Your Homework natural wine suddenly so hot in the states? Diving into small-production natural are making headway. When you think about the back-to-nature wines does demand extra research, as a lot SIP ON THIS You can, too. philosophy that has popularized grass- can go wrong—even if you source from an Sommelier approved natural wines to check out. fed proteins and local produce at farmers’ established producer. BY CARLY FISHER markets, it’s not a far stretch. Yields can change annually; poorly JAUMA: South Australian producer just “Some people just want to drink packed imports can damage the quality outside of Adelaide, farming organically something that hasn’t been tainted,” en route; and once on-site, active yeast in without sulfur and secondary fermentation says Caleb Ganzer, managing partner the bottle makes proper storage even more in the bottle. A little cloudy, unclarified, at Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels in important. “You can’t leave it out at room funky and fun. New York City and founder of Vknow, a temperature,” Ganzer says. “You wouldn’t wine education app. “Natural wine is that want to keep fruit on your counter, so you DOMAINE DE L’HORIZON: Small producer in movement in a nutshell.” should refrigerate it.” French Catalonia in Calce, working with Ganzer admits entry-level natural wine indigenous grapes and minimal sulfur. What exactly is a “natural” wine? can be more expensive than generic labels, Brambly and juicy with fresh flavors that Stemming from a long-ingrained but not prohibitively so. “You can still find make great entry-level wines. farmhouse winemaking tradition in great bottles around $10, so they’re not by southwest France that dates to the turn any means out of reach,” he says. CASA CATERINA: Biodynamically farmed of the 20th century, natural wine became Regular tastings with a trusted and wild yeast fermented grapes a full-fledged movement in the late ’80s distributor and staff education are key from Lombardy, Italy, with a focus on largely due to French pioneer Jules to ensure the product lives up to your sparkling wine. Chauvet, a renowned wine maker and standards. Lindsay Martinik, sommelier at taster with a background in chemistry. Mabel Gray in Hazel Park, Michigan, says ERIC TEXIER: Minimalist winemaker from Today, natural wine is being produced getting feedback from industry friends is Brezeme in northern Rhone in France in regions throughout Europe and as far key. “Buy a few bottles and test them with produces a unique portfolio that runs the as Australia, Africa and South America, as the staff, chef and cooks. Take a bottle gamut in terms of offerings. well as by a handful of emerging domestic home and eat different things with it. Ask
70 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 FoodFanatics.com | FOOD FANATICS 71 BY THE NUMBERS Play these numbers for a bigger payout OCEAN VIEWS
Does sustainable seafood matter to diners? Only 16 percent of consumers and 21 percent of operators consult sustainable seafood guidelines before purchasing. But prognosticators believe it’s just a matter of awareness and education before it becomes as important to diners as locally grown produce and product. You decide. CATCHING QUALITY SIGN OF THE TIMES Growth of environmentally friendly WILD AROUND THE WORLD terms on seafood menus CAUGHT SEA LEVELS Sustainable seafood know-how LOCAL 122% increase LINE- CAUGHT Consumer knowledge LINE-CAUGHT Very knowledgeable 188% increase NET- CAUGHT FARM- Somewhat knowledgeable RAISED
SUSTAINABLE Not very knowledgeable More than 300% increase WILD-CAUGHT Not knowledgeable at all More than 300% increase FISH OUT OF WATER Operator Knowledge Very knowledgeable *Growth from Preferred origins among diners 2007 to 2017. Somewhat knowledgeable
TROLLING TO SEE Not very knowledgeable What operators seek... Harbor Banks® brings a complete selection of the best wild-caught Not knowledgeable at all and farm-raised fish and seafood to your kitchen. Expect consistency, ILLUSTRATION ROB WILSON ILLUSTRATION quality and integrity from Harbor Banks, including many products within 36% 21% 39% 55% our Serve Good® program. Contact your US Foods® representative or Want sustainably Ask whether it’s Consumers Shows sourced locally caught want the info operator visit usfoods.com to learn more. cares about sustainability
SOURCE: 29% 20% 43% Datassential Inquire about Ask is it dolphin Conveys higher Keynote Report mercury levels safe?...and why? quality on Seafood 2017. EXCLUSIVE
© 2018 US Inc. 02-2018-FOF-2018011501 Foods, BRAND 72 FOOD FANATICS | SPRING 2018 US Foods® Customer Jennifer Gillie – owner NanaTaco Durham, NC
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