New USDA guidelines lower pork cooking temperature by 15 degrees Fahrenheit, to the delight of chefs and consumers throughout America.

New cooking guidelines from the nation's food-safety agency confirm Pork Checkoff research that shows pork can be consumed safely when cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F, followed by a three-minute rest time. The guidelines were announced in May by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).

The Culinary Institute of America launches Healthy Flavors, Healthy Kids, a national culinary leadership initiative.

A White House chef and a USDA official were among the many children’s nutrition, school foodservice and culinary leaders who presented at the CIA's Healthy Flavors, Healthy Kids National Leadership Summit at the college’s San Antonio, Texas, campus May 11-13.

Healthy Flavors, Healthy Kids, an invitation-only event held in conjunction with the National Restaurant Association, brought together 200 diverse professionals from around the country, including Sam Kass, assistant White House chef and senior policy advisor for healthy food initiatives, and Dr. Janey Thornton, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. Attendees discussed and debated a wide range of issues impacting the quality and flavor of foods for children.

By Chef Colin Roche, MBA, CEC, CCE, FMP, CHE

Plants often have beautiful colors that add interest and appeal to meals. Their pigments, however, are affected by acid and alkaline, so care should be taken to cook them properly.

Here is an experiment you can do in your culinary labs to show students the effects of acid and alkaline on vegetable pigment.

The Lesson: “Alkalis / Acid Experiment” 

Directions: Break the class into groups and have them gather the following vegetables. (Instructor should demonstrate how to prep each product.)

Disparate mindsets of post-recession consumers will shape restaurant-industry recovery and growth, reports NPD.

Consumers are of two different mindsets when it comes to spending—those who cannot spend freely and those who can—and the dichotomy between these two mindsets will shape the restaurant industry now and into the future, according to new foodservice market research by The NPD Group, a leading market-research company.

The recently-released report, entitled “The Changing Consumer Mindset: What it Means to the Restaurant Industry,” shows the broad-reaching effects the recession had on consumer behavior and thinking and the difference between consumers who are more cautious and control their spending and those who are optimistic and feel economically stable.

By John Paul Khoury, CCC, www.preferredmeats.com, www.preferredmeatsblog.com

Now at Tyler Florence’s Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco, Thiemann thrives on energy and is having fun.

From a kid playing drums in a Sacramento band to just over a decade later being Tyler Florence’s chef de cuisine at the Wayfare Tavern in San Francisco, Mike Thiemann’s journey has been a series of choices that he felt driven to make. He took time out of his schedule to explain:

What drew you to the industry and why become a chef?
Well, it was 1995 and I was a just a kid playing drums in a band when I got a job at Greta’s Café in Sacramento. What a great job, I learned so much under Greta. I started washing dishes and then ended up in the deli, then baking, making soups, etc.

This is where I learned to sweat off mirepoix, and making soup from scratch, building flavors. It was great, like school really, I mean this is how anyone really learns. I was there for five years, until 2000 when the place was sold to Chipotle’s.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Activities, books and conferences are just three ways to spark your own learning and experience personal and professional growth this summer.

Last month, we discussed using field trips and site visits effectively, and now that the summer months are here, it is time to consider how we replenish our information bank, our instincts and our personal and professional insights. We will discuss the ABCs and the DEF’s of professional development, this month the ABCs—activities, books, and conferences—and next month the DEFs. What better time to think about your professional development when so many of our students are graduating and moving into new phases of their lives. A great time to consider new beginnings in our lives and what we can or want to do to make these new beginnings grow and prosper!

By Kim Reddin, courtesy of the National Onion Association

Onions provide color and texture to a dish, but their flavor is what really makes them irresistible and virtually irreplaceable in the kitchen. From raw to caramelized, the flavor of an onion has many layers.

Onion Production
Commercially grown in 20 states from coast to coast, onions are the third-largest fresh-vegetable industry in the United States; Idaho-Eastern Oregon, Washington and California are the leading production areas.  The National Onion Association estimates that fewer than 1,000 U.S. farmers plant more than 142,000 acres of onions each year. Americans consume nearly 20 pounds of onions per capita annually.

Flavor Factors
Onion flavor is determined by many factors including genetics, planting location, soil and temperature.  While compounds such as sugars and organic acids can contribute to what people taste, a special class of biologically active organosulfur compounds is what actually give onions their distinctive flavor and aroma.

By Anselm Doering

Commercial oven cleaners contain some of the most toxic chemicals found in any restaurant kitchen. What works just as well and is safe on the environment? This tip and nine more will help you be more ecologically and even economically sound.

Coke and Pop Rocks can kill. Elvis is coming back. And green cleaning a restaurant is burdensome, expensive and less effective than the traditional toxic approach.

I cringe each time I hear this. The green-cleaning myth, that is. Elvis, I’m not so sure. He may indeed be alive and well and living in Las Vegas.

But, when it comes to green cleaning restaurants, there are many quick, simple, environmentally preferable procedures that SAVE money and IMPROVE cleaning. Immediately.

Here are 10 easy and effective ways to improve green cleaning at your restaurant:

Maple Leaf Farms is calling for entries for The 2011 Discover Duck™ Chef Recipe Contest now through August 5, 2011. Open to professional chefs and culinary students, the contest challenges entrants to create up to three original recipes that showcase duck in creative ways. Professional and student-chef recipes will be judged in separate categories, each with their own cash prizes.

“The possibilities are endless with duck. It’s so versatile,” said Maple Leaf Farms Marketing Manager Cindy Turk. “This contest gives chefs a chance to use their culinary creativity. We look forward to seeing a lot of innovative and inspired recipes.”

Recipe entries must include a Maple Leaf Farms duck product and may be submitted for any menu part. The recipes will be judged according to originality, flavor, simplicity (easily sourced ingredients and ease of preparation) and accuracy of the recipe ingredients and method.

Sullivan University’s National Center for Hospitality Studies (NCHS) will honor Chef Walter Bundy of Lemaire Restaurant, located in the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va., with the prestigious Distinguished Visiting Chef award on Thursday, May 19. As recipient of the award, Bundy will present on-campus cooking demonstrations in addition to a question-and-answer session held exclusively for Sullivan University students.

Designed to connect today’s aspiring culinarians with industry leaders, The Distinguished Visiting Chef Series has been recognizing three top chefs annually since its inception in 1988. Bundy will be the 40th recipient of the award, joining an impressive roster of chefs that includes Bob Kinkead, Emeril Lagasse, Louis Osteen, Rick Tramonto and Marcel Desaulniers.

“We are honored and excited to welcome Chef Bundy to Sullivan University and to present him with the Distinguished Visiting Chef award,” says Tom Hickey, director of the NCHS. “He brings an innovative and modern style to traditional Southern cuisine, and I look forward to our students having the opportunity to experience his approach to cooking firsthand.”