By Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE

Kendall College and NRA Conserve are founding sponsors of the International Foodservice Sustainability Symposium.

For the last few years, you’ve heard me talk about sustainability as a journey, mostly comprised of baby steps, and the opportunity, every once in a while, to take a giant leap. That’s what’s happening with the first-ever International Foodservice Sustainability Symposium (IFSS), May 24-25, 2011, immediately following NRA Show 2011.

By Jamie Leeds

The president of Women Chefs & Restaurateurs calls on us to acknowledge the achievements of women culinarians and hospitality professionals in recognition of National Women’s History Month.

In 1987, Congress declared March National Women's History Month. A special Presidential Proclamation annually honors the extraordinary achievements of American women. The National Women’s History Project (www.nwhp.org) based in Santa Rosa, Calif., has declared 2011’s theme “Our History Is Our Strength.”

Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) was founded in 1993 by Lidia Bastianich, Elka Gilmore, Joyce Goldstein, Johanne Killeen, Barbara Lazaroff, Mary Sue Milliken, Anne Rosenzweig and Barbara Tropp. WCR’s mission then and now is to promote and enhance the education, advancement and connection of women in culinary and hospitality fields. We offer a variety of networking, professional and support services—including a vibrant scholarship/internship program that creates opportunities for future and established professionals to gain needed or desired skills at home and abroad.

Lovers of ethnic foods are exhibiting a greater taste for exotic flavors.

Consumers love tickling their taste buds with Italian, Mexican and Asian cuisines—so much that all three have become so mainstream, they’re hardly considered ethnic anymore. According to Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD), however, lesser-known ethnic fare has enjoyed robust product growth in recent years, as ethnic-food lovers and their palates are hungry for more exotic ingredients and flavors.

Retailers continue to expand prepared food offerings while gaining ground on restaurants.

Consumers taking part in a recent survey conducted by Chicago-based trend-tracker Technomic say they are sourcing prepared meals from a wider range of retail foodservice operations than they were two years ago, many times at the expense of restaurants. Traditional supermarkets, convenience stores and mass merchandisers have been able to grow their share of the food-away-from-home market as they expand their foodservice platforms and build upon consumer desire for convenience, quality and variety of offerings in retail locations.

Chefs desire global cuisines, whole grains, versatility and U.S.-grown.

According to proprietary research conducted by the Arlington, Va.-based USA Rice Federation among 500 chefs and operators, U.S.-grown rice usage continues to trend upwards on menus because of growing demand for ethnic cuisines, increased appeal of whole grains, rice’s versatility and chef/operators’ support of America’s farmers and the economy. Nearly 90% of chefs and operators report that they currently menu rice, and more than half say their usage of rice will increase in the coming year.