A free web-based tool for nutrition educators shows how to “upgrade” favorite meals by changing the type of meat and poultry, side dishes and condiments to decrease fat and calories in breakfast, lunch and dinner menus.

Courtesy of the National Turkey Federation

As a nation, we are experiencing an epidemic of obesity. Today, an estimated 32.7% of U.S. adults 20 years and older are overweight, 34.3% are obese and 5.9% are morbidly obese, resulting in approximately $147 billion in direct and indirect healthcare costs annually. And because there is a strong correlation between obesity and such co-morbid conditions as Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancers, these costs are expected to double every 10 years. More problematic is the escalating rate of childhood obesity and the potential consequences for increased prevalence of chronic disease in future years.

Students dazzled editors representing some of the food industry’s most prominent publications at the 2011 Chefs of Tomorrow™ media dinner held at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Washington in Arlington, Va., on November 9 during the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) Conference.

The elegant, multicourse dinner in the school’s public fine-dining restaurant, Culinaire, featured innovative use of products from companies represented by Chicago-based Olson Communications, a full-service agency that specializes in delivering innovative marketing-communication strategy to its portfolio of select food-industry clients.

The Culinary Institute of America has announced the creation of the role of provost at the CIA. As the senior academic administrator of the college, the provost is vested with oversight of education, research, accreditation, continuing education and food and beverage operations at all CIA campuses. The provost will report to Dr. Tim Ryan, president of the CIA.

In making this announcement, Ryan also announced that Mark Erickson, CMC, vice president-dean of culinary education at the CIA, will take on this new role effective January 1, 2012. An honors graduate of the CIA Class of 1977, Erickson also holds a bachelor of science degree in restaurant & hotel management from the University of New Haven and a master’s in business administration (MBA) from Marist College. Erickson was a member of the gold-medal-winning United States Culinary Olympic Teams in 1980, 1984 and 1988, and part of the U.S. team that won the 1985 Culinary World Cup.

Kendall College School of Culinary Arts student Tayler Moore, a 20-year old sophomore pursuing his bachelor’s degree in culinary arts, won an all-expenses-paid weeklong trip to experience the foods and flavors of Taiwan in the first cookoff of its kind at Kendall College on Dec. 12. The competition, hosted by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Chicago, highlighted the official launch of Taiwan’s Government Information Office’s multilingual Web site (http://taiwanfoodculture.net) celebrating Taiwan’s diverse foodways. Moore’s winning dish featured a chicken thigh fabricated to resemble a lollipop.

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) proudly announced last autumn that NRAEF ProStart alumna Jazmin Eck was awarded a full scholarship to California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, where she planned to begin her education in September. Eck was chosen for the scholarship while attending the 25th Annual NRAEF Salute to Excellence awards held on May 21, 2011, in Chicago.

“The ProStart program unites industry and the classroom to create life-changing opportunities for students,” said Lynette McKee, executive director of the NRAEF. “This was brought to life at Salute to Excellence when Jazmin networked with key industry leadership from across the country and received this incredible opportunity to further her education and career development with our partners at Le Cordon Bleu.”

High-school students seeking assistance with the rising cost of culinary school are in luck. The American Academy of Chefs (AAC), the honor society of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), the nation’s largest professional chefs organization, and The Chefs Academy (TCA), an ACFEF-accredited program in Indianapolis, are pleased to announce four new scholarships available for students accepted to TCA, totaling $5,000 over four years.

“ACF is thrilled to be working with TCA to provide scholarships that will help mold tomorrow’s culinary leaders,” said Rajeev Patgaonkar, CEC, AAC, ACFEF AAC Scholarship Committee chair. “This partnership shows that TCA is dedicated to helping students achieve their goals. We hope that high school students will look into the scholarship requirements and submit their applications by the April 30 deadline.”

Women Chefs & Restaurateurs’ 2011 Educator of the Year acknowledges that any chef can serve virtually anything any time of year. But what have we sacrificed? Today’s culinary student is caught in the middle.

By JoAnne E. Cloughly

Some people say the Farm to Table movement is past tense. On the contrary, it is running full swing. When you think about what Farm to Table means, logic tells us that it means bringing fresh food from the farm to the dining table. It means supporting our local producers—the small family farm, the beekeeper, the rancher, the vineyards and much more. The results are keeping these businesses “in business” and, in exchange, being the recipient of the freshest products possible.

Mintel predicts five foodservice trends that will shape restaurant menus in 2012.

Competition in the foodservice industry is always fierce, and restaurant chains are constantly jockeying for business, money and attention in an overcrowded marketplace. In 2012, however, five trends outlined by Mintel Menu Insights will shape how operators appeal to their customers with regional and imported menu options, double-sided menus, customization and time-intensive preparation methods.

Eric Giandelone, foodservice director at Mintel, notes the following: “Our trends are designed to give both restaurant operators and food suppliers a thorough understanding of what’s coming in the foodservice industry. Our trends are based on original consumer research, developments among restaurants and trends observed in other industries. Our goal with these trend predictions isn’t merely to identify what’s going to happen, but to deliver a roadmap on how to take advantage of these trends.”

Despite little change over 20 years in the healthfulness of the foods we consume, more Americans rank their diets worse. Are we more receptive today to dietary guidance?

The obesity trend is significantly influenced by socioeconomic factors, such as income level and race/ethnicity that create complex questions for the food industry. There remains a clear relationship between household financial resources and diet perception: People who rate their diets as “excellent” tend to come from households with greater financial resources than those who rate their diets as “poor.”

Technomic finds ample growth opportunities for restaurants serving the first daypart.

While breakfast sales have grown steadily for restaurants, retailers and suppliers over the past few years, consumer data shows that the market is not yet saturated and there are still plenty of opportunities within this category. Technomic estimates the breakfast segment accounts for 12% of the total restaurant industry, generating around $42 billion in annual sales.

Breakfast patronage is up at foodservice locations, particularly fast-food restaurants, where 46% of 1,500 consumers surveyed now occasionally purchase weekday breakfasts compared to just 33% in 2009.