On February 25, the halls of one of the biggest buildings in the world brimmed with activity as the best in the food industry came together to support the 7th Annual For the Love of Chocolate Foundation Gala. As star chefs served delicious morsels in the myriad showrooms of The Merchandise Mart in Chicago, models strutted in edible couture, a dance party gained momentum, and crowds gathered around a 9.5-by-6-by-5-foot replica of Chicago’s Cloud Gate covered entirely in Jelly Belly® Jelly Beans and Chocolate Dips®.

Do you want to teach your staff or students about a specific area of the professional kitchen? Are you looking for a comprehensive yet concise resource? If so, the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) latest series, National Apprenticeship Training Program for Cooks, and its accompanying CD-ROM resources, is for you. Compiled and published by American Technical Publishers (ATP), the 10 modules are available for $25 each, with a 25% discount for purchases of five or more. A compiled textbook, containing content from each of the modules, is also available for $80.

The series outlines culinary techniques that have been validated by the culinary industry and sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Labor and the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF) National Apprenticeship Committee. Each month, ACF will highlight a new module on its website, www.acfchefs.org

The recent Farming for the Future Conference promoted new ideas and learning to the benefit of all.

By Jamie Moore

I recently organized the 2012 “Sustainability in the Food Service Industry” pre-conference sessions at the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s (PASA) 21^st-annual Farming for the Future Conference, which brought together more than 2,000 farmers, processors, consumers, students, environmentalists, business and community leaders and chefs.

These sessions, which placed both noncommercial and commercial foodservice professionals in the same room as farmers, are an important step in understanding each other’s needs and challenges. As a PASA board member, I created “Sustainability in the Food Service Industry” in 2011 to give local producers a forum to introduce their products to chefs primarily from Parkhurst Dining (a division of Eat’n Park Hospitality Group). From there, our chefs took what they learned to new levels.

Kraft Foodservice offers its top 12 trend predictions for 2012

The chefs at the Kraft Culinary Centre pulled from their industry experience, culinary savvy and uncanny intuition. The result? Twelve insightful predictions on what will shape foodservice in 2012.

1. Customization Reigns
Freeman Moser III, senior executive chef
Customization allows you to create a unique interaction with your diner. I saw Pine & Gilmore deliver a lecture years ago about mass customization, where they stressed the need in recognizing that customers are “markets of one.” That resonates deeply in today’s foodservice culture. Fast casuals are succeeding here: Panera Bread’s “You Pick 2™” is a great example of allowing diners to choose their experience.

Current and emerging trends as revealed at the 20^th-annual Catersource Conference & Tradeshow in Las Vegas last month.

Courtesy of Olson Communications

Catersource is the leading catering-specific tradeshow in the United States that features food, equipment, serving ware and professional services. Caterers can see creative concepts and new, money-saving resources as they network with foodservice experts and industry leaders.

The conference is also marked by exclusive events such as the culinary challenge tabletop competitions, catering-excellence achievements and the coveted CATIE (Catered Arts Through Innovative Excellence) awards.

Here are highlights of the 2012 conference and trade show, Feb. 26-29, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Restaurants show big growth in demand for soup and salad menu items, finds Technomic.

Away-from-home soup and salad purchases are on the rise, as consumers seek light, healthy and affordable fare. A variety of portion sizes featuring soup/salad options on different areas of the menu allows consumers to tailor their meals specifically to their needs. Whether it’s a cup or bowl, side or entrée, 61% of consumers now order soup at least occasionally during restaurant visits, up from 52% just two years ago. Salads have grown even more; nearly half of consumers now order salad all or most of the time, compared to 34% a year ago.

Italian is so mainstream it might as well be considered American cuisine, reports Mintel. Meanwhile, growing interest in genuine ethnic fare aligns with a broader consumer trend, “The Real Thing.”

Ethnic food preparation and consumption has been on the rise over the past several years and, according to Mintel’s latest research, it will continue its growth. But what’s most important to consumers when it comes to their favorite ethnic fare? Authenticity. Two-thirds of Mintel respondents who eat ethnic food at home say authentic or traditional flavors is the most important factor when buying or eating ethnic food.

Charles Carroll’s proven techniques on how to retain staff and build an all-star team.

Courtesy of Kraft Foodservice

Finding and maintaining good kitchen staff are two major pain points for operators today. Although there's no silver bullet, Charles Carroll, CEC, AAC, believes he has the right formula. He’s on a mission to share that formula, to share his remarkable success in his own professional kitchen. Indeed, he boasts a retention rate that stays close to 95%. “If we lose someone, it’s because they’re moving on. They’re taking the next big job. I can’t remember the last time someone just quit,” says Carroll. When not running the brigade at the esteemed River Oaks Country Club in Houston, he tours the country and the world, delivering motivational speeches to restaurant organizations, culinary schools and dining operations, calling on industry folks to wake up to a brand-new day in employee management. He preaches about team building—about how the secret to staffing success lies in caring for the employee’s individual success.

If students can think of networking as a process of giving, not taking, it can be less overwhelming for them and often interesting and even positive.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

At this time of year, students who are looking for summer jobs or permanent jobs at graduation are probably involved in networking, a great way to meet people, expand connections, find jobs and increase professional connections. However, some students are scared to network, some don’t understand it, and some have no experience, while others are excellent at it. This column might provide some advice for the first three groups and a reminder to the fourth group. As a faculty member, you are probably good at it; maybe this column will help suggest some new ideas.

March is National Nutrition Month. And as the general rules of nutrition keep changing, students are mentally tuning out. Here, Chef Weiner explains how to emphasize the first four of 10 unchanging basic facts.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

Culinary teachers at all levels tend to be uncomfortable teaching nutrition because:

• we are expected to be experts in the field, but have spent very little time being trained about nutrition,

• when we started cooking, “healthy food” was basically food that people wouldn’t want to cook or eat, our students have heard so much about nutrition and obesity they mentally turn off when we start talking about “healthy,” and
• most importantly, THE RULES KEEP CHANGING. Just when I figured out how to use a “pyramid” they switched me to a “plate.”