august 2013

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2 • August 2013 • Total Food Service • www.totalfood.com

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Speakers from the Green

Restaurant Association, the

Environmental Protection

Agency, and the National

Football League talked to

about 50 members of the food service

and energy industries last month at

the Meadowlands Environment Cen-

ter in Lyndhurst, providing strategies

for businesses to reduce their energy

usage - and costs.

"You can find your profits in the

trash can in the restaurant business,"

said Mark D. Koeck, sales manager for

energy management company Pow-

erhouse Dynamics of Newton, Mass.

Koeck wasn't exaggerating. Accord-

ing to John Filippelli of the EPA, res-

taurants throw away approximately

30 percent of their food - around

$48.2 billion worth of food a year.

"Ninety-five percent of the waste

that a restaurant creates can be elimi-

nated, reduced, or composted," said

Michael Oshman, founder of the

Boston-based Green Restaurant Or-

ganization.

Oshman, who started the GRA in

1990 at the age of 19, spoke about his

ambitious goals to make the Mead-

owlands area a GRA-approved "Green

Dining Destination." He will be work-

ing with the New Jersey Restaurant

Association and the state Chamber of

Commerce to promote his cause and

he is seeking 4-8 restaurants in the

area to use as case studies, tracking

the benefits of environment-friendly

practices.

Most of the event's attendees were

not restaurant owners or managers.

Oshman wasn't surprised - he said

the organization is planning to re-

cruit by literally going door-to-door

and pitching the idea.

"Restaurants notoriously don't

come out of their businesses," Osh-

man said after the speakers finished

at around 11 a.m. "Because you know

what they're doing right now? They're

preparing lunch."

The GRA's guidelines urge restau-

rants to make economical decisions

about energy. Oshman said buying

specific kinds of lighting, HVAC sys-

tems and other products can help sig-

nificantly reduce both short term and

long-term costs. He also listed some

intangible benefits of helping the en-

vironment, including increased me-

dia attention, positive staff morale,

and heightened customer attraction

- a recent study found that 79 percent

of customers prefer dining at "green"

restaurants.

While many of those in attendance

represented energy companies, some

members of the food service industry

were present. Catherine Medrano,

the executive chef of the Hyatt Re-

gency in Jersey City, was there to "get

some guidance on how to go green ef-

ficiently and make the right choices,"

she said.

Oshman said buying specific kinds of lighting, HVAC systems and other prod-ucts can help significantly reduce both short term and long-term costs.

Meadowlands Restaurants Urged To "Go Green" For Super BowlWith the national spotlight soon to shine on the Meadowlands for next year's Super Bowl,

environmental organizations are working to ensure that the area is "greener" than ever.

// NEWS SUSTAINABILITY

Restaurants notoriously

don't come out of their

businesses. Because

you know what they're

doing right now? They're

preparing lunch.

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Main Office: 282 Railroad AvenueGreenwich, CT 06830

Publishers: Leslie & Fred Klashman

Advertising Director: Michael Scinto

Creative Director: Ross Moody

Contributing WritersWarren Bobrow

Wyman PhilbrookNoelle Ifshin

Andrew Catalano

Phone: 203.661.9090 Fax: 203.661.9325

Email: [email protected] Web: www.totalfood.com

Total Food Service ISSN No. 1060-8966 is published monthly by IDA Publishing, Inc., 282 Railroad Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830. Phone: 203.661.9090. This issue copyright 2013 by IDA Publishing Inc. Contents in full or part may not be reproduced without permission. Not responsible for advertisers claims or statements.Periodicals Postage paid at the post office, Greenwich, CT and additional mailing offices. Additional entry at the post office in Pittsburg, PA. Subscription rate in USA is $36 per year; single copy; $3.00. Postmaster: Send address changes

to Total Food Service, P.O. Box 2507, Greenwich, CT 06836

New York restaurant group

Fatty Crew, owner of the

popular Fatty Crab and

Fatty 'Cue concepts, has

inked a deal with Philadelphia-based

restaurateur Stephen Starr to go na-

tional. Mr. Starr, owner of Buddakan

and Morimoto, will help open Fatty

Crab restaurants in eight cities in the

U.S. and one in London.

The Starr partnership signals the

latest growth spurt in Fatty Crew's ex-

pansion of its Southeast Asian dining

concept, which aims to grow to a $60

million to $80 million company within

the next five years. Fatty Crew owns

four restaurants in New York City, one

in the U.S. Virgin Islands and a recently

opened Fatty Crab in Hong Kong.

"We traveled the country and the

world to figure out what spots we

wanted to hit next," said President Rick

Camac. "Our last stop was in Philly, the

closest city to us, and all the restaurants

I loved were Stephen Starr restaurants."

That gave Mr. Camac the idea to

reach out directly to Mr. Starr to gauge

his interest in opening up a series of

Fatty Crab restaurants together. “Very

simply, I love their operation and I love

their name,” said Mr. Starr. “We want

to be a part of their growth, and I think

with our name and their culinary cre-

dentials, we can do really well.”

Starr, who came to New York in 2006

with Morimoto and Buddakan, copies

of two of his 20 Philadelphia restaurants

will be the operator and will run the

day-to-day management. Fatty Crew

will collaborate on the dining experi-

ence and develop city-specific menus

that focus on local and seasonal ingre-

dients. Chef Zakary Pelaccio, while still

a partner in Fatty Crew, stepped out of

the day-to-day operations two years

ago to focus on his restaurant venture

Fish & Game in Hudson, N.Y., though

he may consult on new menus.

The move comes on the heels of

Starr's successful bid to handle cater-

ing at the New York Botanical Gardens.

Stephen Starr Events will start doing

the food in the cafes at the Botanical

Garden, with an emphasis on herbs

and vegetables. His company is also

dishing up lamb Tellicherry and Goan

spiced clams at Serai, the cafe in the

Rubin Museum of Art, which features

the art of the Himalayas. And he is serv-

ing Italian food at Caffè Storico at the

New-York Historical Society.

This fall, he will take charge of the ca-

fes, bars and banquet areas at Carnegie

Hall, beginning with the season’s open-

ing night, Oct. 2, when the Philadelphia

Orchestra, from his hometown, will

perform.

The first joint venture will open in

Washington, D.C., in about three to

six months. The team is seeking exist-

ing restaurant spaces, cutting down on

build-out time and expenses. Each new

eatery will cost between $600,000 and

$2 million, depending on the size and

location.

The Starr partnership is part of Mr.

Camac’s business plan to grow Fatty

Crew. He will continue to run the exist-

ing Fatty Crew-owned and -operated

stores, maintain licensing deals such as

the Williams-Sonoma Fatty ’Cue sauce

collection, develop partnerships such

as the one with Starr, continue to grow

its wholesale business with outlets

such as the Barclays Center food court

and FreshDirect, and build a new ca-

tering division.

NYC’s Fatty Crab Teams With Philly Restaurateur Starr For National Roll OutStephen Starr who imported Brooklyn BBQ king Fette Sau to Philadelphia is set to

bring another major New York restaurant concept to the Keystone State and to

outposts across the country.

// NEWS MILESTONES

Starr, who came to

New York in 2006 with

Morimoto and Buddakan,

copies of two of his 20

Philadelphia restaurants

will be the operator and

will run the day-to-day

management.


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Aseminar at the law

offices of Davis and

Gilbert LLP in New

York City discussed

just such issues.

The event was co-

sponsored by the New York State Res-

taurant Association and was attended

by a mix of real estate and law profes-

sionals as well as restaurant owners

and employees.

The ideal real estate situation for your

restaurant involves limiting the sur-

prises, said Robert Karin, a real estate

partner at Davis and Gilbert who’s

been involved in restaurant leases

for big chains, like McDonalds and

Smashburger, and high-end establish-

ments, like Marc Murphy’s Landmarc.

“When you’re developing a restaurant

those surprises can be very expen-

sive,” he said.

A restaurant’s real estate decisions

impact many aspects of the business.

“Being in the right location for that

right market you identified” is impor-

tant, said Lawrence Cohen, the hos-

pitality group leader at Marks Paneth

and Shron, an accounting firm. He

was previously the CEO of the Griffin

Group, which owned and operated

hotels, among other ventures.

“If the perfect space for your high-

end restaurant is at a mall, there’s a

miss-match of markets, said Cohen.

Identify the market and make sure the

right patrons will come to the location

you’re interested in,” Cohen said. Too

many people think, “If you build it,

they will come.”

Finding restaurant real estate is dif-

ferent than finding home properties

in many ways. When renting an apart-

ment it’s unlikely renters will gut a

kitchen, but that’s just what many res-

taurants end up doing. Find out what

the construction regulations are and

what updates you can do to the kitch-

en exhaust, electricity, and plumbing,

Karin and Cohen suggested.

Getting proper licenses might also

hold up your lease or your opening

date. Do you need to get a liquor li-

cense? This could take 3-5 months. Do

you have your heart set on an outdoor

space? Getting approval could take

“forever” warns Karin.

Both Karin and Cohen strongly sug-

gest not going into restaurant real es-

tate alone. A professional can help you

negotiate to get the lease you want and

warn you of issues before they arise.

Taiki Wakayama, the president of W

and E Hospitality, Inc, attended the

seminar. The lease negation discus-

sions were particularly helpful, he

said, because he recently spent time

working in Japan where businesses

operate quite differently. “It’s a bit

more efficient. It only takes a month

to open a restaurant,” he said. Imag-

ine that.

Contact The New York State Restaurant Associationin NYC: 212.398.9160

in New York State: 518.452.4222

www.nysra.org

The Real Deal on Restaurant Real Estate in NYCWhen finding a studio apartment in New York City can become a full-time job for home

hunters, it’s hard to imagine what finding a space to rent for a restaurant might be like. The

old adage, “location, location, location,” is, of course, important, but what about kitchen

exhaust, lease terms, and liquor licenses?

// INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE FROM

If the perfect space for your

high-end restaurant is at a

mall, there’s a miss-match

of markets. Identify the

market and make sure the

right patrons will come

to the location you’re

interested in,

The ideal real estate situation for your restaurant involves limiting the surprises, said Robert Karin, a real estate partner at Davis and Gilbert.


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It could be a listing of the specials

and prices at each table, a list of

the specials and prices present-

ed with the menu, or, finally, a

prominently displayed posting,

such as a blackboard or whiteboard,

listing the specials and prices. You will

note that verbally transmitted informa-

tion is NOT an option.

Why am I bringing this to your at-

tention again? Because I recently read

three different food critics who stated

that they cannot understand why es-

tablishments continue to NOT have

servers offer the price of the specials or

have a printed list of the specials with

prices. In fact, one critic stated that fail-

ure to do so would affect her review.

About four years ago, I brought this

consumer issue to your attention I

have asked the editor if she would pub-

lish it again. In the event it has been

your policy, for whatever reason, not

to offer this information to your guests,

you might want to reconsider.

From a reader…

“Hi, Fred, I keep getting hit with this.

Go into a family-type operation and

the wait staff begins to recite the night-

ly specials. The list goes on and on. Of

course, no one can possibly remember

all of this, so he/she leaves a card after-

ward the card contains the items and a

brief description but no prices!!!

“I understand in some high-end es-

tablishments this is protocol. At least,

that is what some knowledgeable res-

taurant people have told me. I disagree,

but okay. It’s like, if you have to ask the

price, you don’t belong in here. But now

this high-end special idea is filtering

down to the local Mom and Pop, and it

drives me wild.

“Talk to me and your readership

about this soon, okay?”

My response…

About three years ago, I conducted

a survey of a group of frequent and, I

would say, knowledgeable diners. One

of the questions I asked was, “What is

your reaction when your server de-

scribes today’s specials?” Each ques-

tion was accompanied by enough

space for detailed answers.

While the vast majority said they

were interested, 90 percent stated that

they wanted to know the price and were

annoyed if they had to ask. Other com-

ments included, “the server speaks so

fast and, as a result, it is difficult to fol-

low him or her”; “when there are many

specials and the server is describing

the ingredients, it’s almost impossible

to remember any of them”; and “if the

server has any type of accent, it be-

comes difficult to thoroughly under-

stand them.” One of the respondents

summed up the feelings of the group

as follows: “Specials should always be

accompanied by their prices and not

show up on the bill as a rude surprise.

Many restaurants print up their spe-

cials as an addendum to their menus,

which is very helpful.”

One respondent said he had to ask

for the price of desserts, which were

also recited, and the server acted like

if you have to ask the prices, maybe

you don’t belong here. I have also had

friends tell me they feel somewhat em-

barrassed by having to ask for prices;

particularly if they are with friends,

they insist on knowing how much they

are spending.

For those operators who feel that

verbalizing prices is not necessary or

is unsophisticated, think about this.

About ten years ago, in a New York

Times editorial, the industry was taken

into task about the wait staff failing to

inform guests of the prices of specials.

There was also an insinuation that per-

haps such a practice should be prohib-

ited. Certainly the last thing we need is

another law, but it does appear to be an

irritant to a majority of restaurant pa-

trons, which can be eliminated. (At the

time this article was written, the Nas-

sau/Suffolk County laws had not been

passed.)

And finally, I have been associated

with the food service industry for six

decades, and I still do not understand

why management would not have

servers include the price when verbally

presenting the specials. There is an

axiom in our industry that the first 15

minutes of server-guest communica-

tions is critical to insuring a satisfac-

tory experience for the guests, and I

might add, that includes the attitude of

the server as well. If including the price

when reciting the specials enhances

this relationship, why not do it?

I realize that many of you reading

this do not have your servers offering

prices when presenting the specials. I

would very much appreciate hearing

from you as to why. My e-mail address

is [email protected]. I will

not quote you.

In a recent column, I informed you that Nassau and Suffolk counties, both located in New

York State, had passed legislation requiring food-service operators to provide written

notice of the prices of all restaurant specials offered to their customers.

// INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE

Fred G. Sampson,President of Sampson Consulting, Inc.

[email protected]

WITH FRED SAMPSON

Re-Visiting What Seems to Be A Major Consumer Complaint

While the vast majority

said they were interested

in specials, 90 percent

stated that they wanted to

know the price and were

annoyed if they had to ask.


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With the back-

drop of a newly

renovated and

r e c h r i s t e n e d

Javits facility,

show manager Phil Robinson has

unveiled plans to recharge the 98th

annual IHMRS set will run Saturday,

November 9, through Tuesday, No-

vember 12, 2013, at New York City’s

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

“This year's show will launch our

new approach to creating a uniquely

New York experience,” noted Rob-

inson. “We have identified 6 key

themes that will enable restaura-

teurs and food service operators to

come away from the show with an-

swers that they can put to work im-

mediately to make them more prof-

itable."

"From our Locally Sourced pavil-

ion to our Grab N' Go and Gluten

Free concepts, the goal is to create a

program of cooking demonstrations,

the chance to learn from specialists

and network with fellow restaura-

teurs and even meet a celebrity sign-

ing their latest book," Robinson con-

tinued.

In addition, the show will feature

pavilions dedicated to Baking, Yo-

gurt, and Mix & Mock (beverages/

cocktails). "This new approach will

enable the show exhibitor to maxi-

mize their trade show expenditure

by laser focusing their resources on

their priority products for each of the

6 key themes that we have identified,

" Robinson added. "With everything

from the Cronut to Greek yogurt and

issues including the replacement of

room service at local hotels, our goal

was to create a new level of access for

our exhibitors and attendees."

Following the Hospitality Leader-

ship Forum, a full day of conference

and networking activities, on Sat-

urday, November 9, the IHMRS will

feature three days of exhibits of new

products and services for hotels and

foodservice properties from Sunday,

November 10, through Tuesday, No-

vember 12. IHMRS is co-located with

the 4th annual Boutique Design New

York (BDNY), featuring suppliers of

high-end, unique and innovative in-

terior design products for hospital-

ity. The combined market presents

over 1,000 hospitality industry sup-

pliers and attracts more than 22,000

trade visitors.

IHMRS is sponsored by the Ameri-

can Hotel & Lodging Association

(AH&LA), the Hotel Association of

New York City, Inc. (HANYC), and the

New York State Hospitality & Tour-

ism Association (NYSH&TA), and

is managed by Hospitality Media

Group (HMG).

// EVENTS

"Javits Is Cooking" Set To Take Center Stage At IHMRSLook for a brand new look and feel to the upcoming International Hotel and Motel

and Restaurant Show at the Javits Center in New York this November.

METRO NEW YORK FOODSERVICE EVENTS


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With multiple

rooms (includ-

ing a game

room) the sleek

space is perfect

for mitzvahs, weddings, corporate

meetings and holiday celebrations.

In a style similar to New York’s Meat-

packing District, The Studio Space

provides 3,200 square feet of ex-

posed brick walls and cement floors,

making this urban chic room ideal

for more intimate gatherings.

In 2014, the firm will be the exclu-

sive caterer and operator of these

unique event spaces. "We have de-

veloped a boutique service for The

Loading Dock & Studio Space in

which clients will be able to design

menus and decor that are reflective

of who they are; a very personalized

approach," noted the firm's presi-

dent Jim Kirsch.

Clients are often drawn to the

structure, designed by New York ar-

chitect Robin Elmslie-Osler, for its

minimalism and prefer to maintain

that feeling by using simple lounge

furniture and some lighting to create

a look that is fabulously industrial

chic. Still, there are others interested

in a truly unique ambience, like the

charity-event hosts whose theme

was “Bollywood.”

Abigail Kirsch will be taking over

for the owner of the property: Mimi

Sternlicht. Sternlicht has always

been involved in creative businesses.

She started her career as a creative

director in advertising and has been

known to attend design meetings

with her husband, Barry S. Sternli-

cht – founding chairman and CEO of

the Starwood Capital Group and cre-

ator of the Starwood Hotels. One of

her most notable contributions was

coming up with the “W” brand name

for the luxury boutique hotels.

The Loading Dock draws clients

from all of Westchester and Fairfield.

Events run the gamut from wed-

dings to corporate parties to photo

shoots and charity fundraisers. Last

year, Ridgefield High School decided

to hold its prom at the site, with 400

students attending the party.

Recently, The Loading Dock

launched Studio Space, which pres-

ents an alternative look with its ex-

posed brick walls and diminutive

size. The site is used as an add-on

to parties. If someone is planning a

wedding or a bar mitzvah and wants

to have the service on the premises,

this gives the client another room

and another feel. The intimate set-

ting is also ideal for smaller events

like Sweet 16s, Quinceañeras and

dinner parties. Recently, the locale

was used for a Jack Wills fashion

show and a Reebok exercise video.

Sternlicht opened the Loading

Abigail Kirsch Expands Empire with Stamford Loading Dock AcquisitionAbigail Kirsch Catering has announced its latest partnership with The Loading Dock &

Studio Space in Stamford, CT. Located in Fairfield County, CT, The Loading Dock, which was

designed by NY architect Jeremiah Bailey of EOA and Paula Fox Interiors, offers 10,700 square

feet of industrial, loft-like white space.

// NEWS CATERING

continued on page 69

The firm's President Jim Kirsch

Abigail Kirsch Catering has announced its latest partnership with The Loading Dock & Studio Space in Stamford, CT.


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On Saturday, July 20,

the James Beard

Foundation toasted

Andrew Zimmern,

T V- p e r s o n a l i t y,

chef, food writer

and teacher at their annual Hamptons

tasting party and fundraiser, Chefs &

Champagne® New York. Zimmern,

the creator, host and co-executive

producer of Travel Channel’s hit se-

ries, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zim-

mern and Bizarre Foods America, was

among more than 1,000 guests who

attended the benefit at the Wölffer Es-

tate in Sagaponack, N.Y. The event fea-

tured flowing champagne, the wines of

Wölffer Estate Vineyard, Stella Artois®

Belgian lager and delicious tastings

from a select group of more than 35

fine chefs, including numerous James

Beard Award winners.

Notable guests included Ted Allen,

multiple JBF Award-winning cook-

book author and TV personality of the

series Queer Eye and Chopped, as well

as iconic African-American restaura-

teur and lifestyle expert, B. Smith.

The James Beard Foundation’s Chefs &

Champagne® New York is considered

the East End’s premiere culinary event.

A silent auction consisting of fine din-

ing experiences, wines and spirits,

cookware, and culinary travel pack-

ages raised over $65,000 to support the

James Beard Foundation’s mission and

educational programs, including culi-

nary student scholarships and the or-

ganization's annual food conference

on sustainability, public health, and

nutrition. Silent auction items includ-

ed a chance to attend opening night of

the New York Film Festival and Dansk

Classic Enameled Cast-Iron Cookware

by Mario Batali.

Carrying on its long tradition of sup-

porting culinary education, the James

Beard Foundation was proud to an-

nounce Jhonel Faelnar of Jamaica, NY

as the 2013 Christian Wölffer Scholar-

ship recipient. Established in 2006,

the Christian Wölffer Scholarship as-

sists students in their study of food

and wine, and with this honor Jhonel

will begin the Intensive Sommelier

Program at the International Culinary

Center this fall. Also in attendance

was multiple James Beard Foundation

Scholarship recipient Christina Cas-

sel, who is pursuing an advanced de-

gree from Johnson & Wales University

with the goal of teaching.

Chefs & Champagne® New York par-

ticipating chefs included:

• Franklin Becker, Cast Iron, NYC

• Ari Bokovza and Colleen Grapes,

James Beard Foundation’s Chefs & Champagne New York Heated Up the Hamptons with Andrew ZimmernJames Beard Foundation’s Chefs & Champagne® New York Heated Up the

Hamptons with Andrew Zimmern on July 20th.

// EYE METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

Participating chefs with honoree Andrew Zimmern and James Beard Foundation President Susan Ungaro at the James Beard Foundation’s Chefs & Champagne® New York fundraiser held at Wölffer Estate Vineyard in the Hamptons on July 20, 2013. Photo courtesy of the James Beard Foundation


The Harrison, NYC

• Anthony Bucco, Ryland Inn,

Whitehouse Station, NJ

• Floyd Cardoz, North End Grill,

NYC

• Patrick Feury, Nectar, Berwyn, PA

• Timothy Fischer, Restaurant

Latour at Crystal Springs Resort,

Hamburg, NJ

• Tom Fraker, Melissa’s

• Alex Guarnaschelli**, Butter

Restaurant and The Darby, NYC

• Evan Hanczor, Parish Hall,

Brooklyn, NY

• Todd Jacobs, Fresh,

Bridgehampton, NY

• Stefan Karlsson, Fond,

Gothenburg, Sweden

• Dan Kluger, ABC Kitchen, NYC

• Matthew Lightner, Atera, NYC

• Dean James Max and Ali Goss,

Parallel Post, Trumbull, CT

• Shane McBride, Balthazar and

Schiller’s Liquor Bar, NYC

• James McDevitt, ESquared

Hospitality, NYC

• George Mendes, Aldea, NYC

• James Merker, Mile End

Delicatessen, NYC

• Ashley Merriman, The Waverly

Inn, NYC

• Eric Miller, Madison & Main, Sag

Harbor, NY

• Todd Mitgang, Crave Fishbar,

NYC

• Masaharu Morimoto, Morimoto

and Tribeca Canvas, NYC

• Billy Oliva, Delmonico’s, NYC and

Southampton, NY

• Ron Paprocki, Gotham Bar and

Grill, NYC

• Carolina Perego, Citarella and

Fulton, NYC

• Bryan Petroff and Doug Quint,

Big Gay Ice Cream, NYC

• Maricel Presilla**, Cucharamama

and Zafra, Hoboken, NJ

• Olivier Quignon, Bar Boulud,

NYC

• Michel Richard**, Central Michel

Richard, Washington D.C. and

Villard Michel Richard, NYC

• Rosa Ross; Scrimshaw,

Greenport, NY

• Alex Stupak, Empellón Cocina

and Empellón Taqueria, NYC

• John A Suley, Celebrity Cruises®

• Abby Swain, Craft and Craftbar,

NYC

• Jason Weiner, Almond and L&W

Oyster Co., Bridgehampton, NY

and NYC

• Hayan Yi, Corkbuzz Wine Studio,

NYC

• Zac Young, David Burke Kitchen,

NYC

• * * James Beard Award Winner

This year’s guest of honor announced

a charitable partnership with eyebobs,

a leading U.S. eyewear company spe-

cializing in reading glasses. In col-

laboration with eyebobs, a portion of

the proceeds from “The Zimm,” Zim-

mern’s new style of limited-edition

eyeglass frames, will be dedicated to

furthering the James Beard Founda-

tion’s mission and programs.

The event sponsors are Badoit® Spar-

kling Natural Mineral Water; Celebrity

Cruises®; Delta Air Lines; evian® Nat-

ural Spring Water; ForbesLife; Forever

Cheese; Melissa’s; Roland Foods; Royal

Cup Coffee; Skuna Bay Salmon; Stella

Artois®; VerTerra; Wölffer Estate Vine-

yard; WVVH-Hamptons TV®.

Chef John Suley’s Chilled Maine Lobster Salad with Avocado, Hearts of Palm, Compressed Pineapple, and Lemon-grass–Vanilla VinaigrettePhoto courtesy of the James Beard Foundation

(From L-R): Dan Gasby, JBF President Susan Ungaro, B. Smith, 2013 Honoree Andrew Zim-mern and 2013 Honoree Ted Allen Photo by Mark Von Holden

Participating chef Timothy Fisher’s Blue Crab with Huitlacoche and Sweet Corn Photo by Mark Von Holden

VIP after party sponsored by Empire City Casino at the James Beard Founda-tion’s Chefs & Champagne® New York fundraiser Photo by Phil Gross

https://www.eyebobs.com/


We are so excited to have you coming to New York this year. I cannot tell you. Well I, as well. There are

extra special years, our twentieth an-

niversary in North Texas was amazing,

and our Tropicana year, in Saint Pe-

tersburg when we took over Tropicana

field was an amazing year. Two years

from now our twenty fifth anniversary

is coming up. This will be the top of

the 23 years, because I keep saying to

people it's New York. And even better

it's Brooklyn. We are so pumped.

What year did this begin? And where did this whole idea come from?It started in Minnesota in 1992. A cou-

ple years before that Minnesota was

announced to be the host for Super

Bowl XXVI. The host committee start-

ed, growing and being put together

and I was asked to serve as the chair

of the restaurant committee and coor-

dinate the 3,000 restaurants in Minne-

sota. The term that the Super Bowl was

here I was going to be the president of

the Minnesota Restaurant Associa-

tion. So that kind of overlapped, and

it made sense.

So are you a restaurateur by trade? Is that your background? Oh God, that's my day job. Yes I've had

about 10 restaurants over the last 35

years. That's what I do for a living and

for the last number of years I've been

winding down the restaurants. I have

one now that's been around about 15

years and then we have a food service

operation at the Minnesota state fair

for 15 years. It allows me to pay the

bills and the mortgages. Really our

Franklin Street Bakery operation. It's

a wholesale bakery where we special-

ize in great breads and ship to over 20

states across the country through SYS-

CO, US Food Services, etc. So that's

how I make a living. This is all volun-

teer work and I'm blessed.

That's fantastic- what a great story.Well, that's why I know food service

and that's why I knew when the Super

Bowl was coming here. And I've been

involved with hunger programs for

about 10 plus years and I’m also on the

board of Share Our Strength, and on

the board of Jeff Bridges' End Hunger

Network and so the idea came to me.

Our fine dining restaurant offers dif-

ferent benefits for hunger around the

country. Wolfgang Puck has his Meals

on Wheels. And, in Chicago we have a

charitable event we send our restau-

rant to, and in Miami etc. We would

participate in different events so from

my end, I was in the business that I

knew and how incredibly charitable

the hospitality industry is and plus I

knew a lot of chefs on restaurant tours.

And it made sense to create an event.

The hip scene in Brooklyn is exactly

what we need. To make this work,

we've got to bring the kind of fresh

and youthfulness into this event after

22 years. And I can't think of a bet-

ter place to do it than Brooklyn but I

// Q&A

Wayne KostroskiTaste of the NFL Founder,Minneapolis, MN

Wayne Kostroski is set to bring the excitement of the Super Bowl's annual food service signature event: Taste of the NFL to Brooklyn in February

The hip scene in Brooklyn is exactly what

we need. To make this work, we've got to

bring the kind of fresh and youthfulness

into this event after 22 years.


mean you ask anybody on the street

and they'll tell you for 20 minutes why

they're proud to be there. And then,

you know, we've got Ted Allan who

lives there and couldn't be prouder

of Brooklyn. Andrew Zimmern spent

some of his growing up time in Brook-

lyn. One of our board members is from

Brooklyn. As I talk to more people, if

you and I aren't from Brooklyn, what's

wrong with us? It's amazing how many

people are willing to, and interested

to step up and really shine a huge

spotlight on Brooklyn. And I have to

tell you, there's very little doubt in

my mind, short of a Hurricane Sandy

coming through there's very little

doubt in my mind that this year's

event will be the largest net event,

we will top. A million dollars. We will

beat North Texas. But also, because

it's New York and you know, Bobby

Flay is on our board. And our support-

ers and people ready to go with us are

Tom Colicchio and Thomas Keller. In

New York we're doing an event with

Danny Meyer and Share our Strength

in September. We're doing something

at the New York Athletic Club in No-

vember. It's going to be a season-long

campaign to raise awareness and dol-

lars for hunger. This year Cake Boss’,

Buddy is going to make a cake of Super

Bowl worthiness.

If a New York restaurant owner or If you're a food distributor or somebody in the industry and you want to be either affiliated with the Taste of NFL, or you want to be affiliated with one of the lead up events what kind of opportunity is there to get involved, and how does one go about getting involved?To help out you know, I believe in the

hospitality industry and I believe in

this country. I mean I'm not running

for office here. But if someone identi-

fies a need to someone, that someone

will at least consider, pretty quickly if

they can help, and if they can they'll

do it, and if they can't, they can't. In

the hospitality industry, we are incred-

ibly giving. Who do you always turn to

first when someone puts on a charity?

So, we made a conscious shift about 15

years ago to really focus on our volun-

teer base being culinary schools, culi-

nary students and part of that was to

have them work elbow to elbow, plant-

ing the seed with their heroes that, you

know, you should be involved with I'm

here prepping this dish for Taste of

NFL tomorrow night or tonight. If you

are a culinary student, you know you

are helping me, thank you very much.

But let me tell you I am Bobby Flay, I

am Todd English, I am whatever and

I'm here because I think we should

be helping in our community. Now,

since we've been around for 22 years, I

run into so many kitchen workers and

chefs and restaurant people who have

said, you know, I helped out at your

Atlanta event in 1994 and now I've got

my own restaurant.

So, where do you see this 10 years down the road? God willing, nobody will be hungry anymore. But in the off chance that somebody still might be hungry where are you headed and where are we going?We really do play in the grand scheme

of things but unfortunately a pretty

small role in the cause and effect. And

really the purpose continues to be,

you know, is to spotlight the issue as

often as we can. Not only to benefit

"the event" of the kick hundred chal-

lenge or whatever but just to raise

the awareness that, you know, it's

not always checkbooks or anything

else. Look, around at your neighbor.

Hunger is an invisible issue. If you see

someone in a box under a bridge, obvi-

ously, they're homeless, I mean okay?

You get that. You see that. And, then,

when you build a house with Habitat

for Humanity or repair houses and all

those great things that happened to

you, have an end result and you look

at and say, there, now there's a house,

people can live in it. Hunger is, you

know, so tricky, so invisible.

Working together and particularly

with the chefs and the players who

could be making a lot of money sign-

ing autographs. Super Bowl weekend

and chefs would certainly rather be

in the restaurant, you know, taking

care of their guests. But they are here

so I've got to continue to find ways to

have them feel fulfilled. They have got

to find that their work is good. And a

lot of that has come through a season

long with this Kick Hunger Challenge

and other things. That they're active

in their community now, players and

chefs, through the entire season. And

this just isn't a get together party, raise

money; now we've solved the prob-

lems, see you later. And there's Tom

Colicchio's film A Place at the Table.

The part of the message, if you will, is

that he's not asking for a dime. He's

saying we need to change. Hence the

political will. We've got to, change the

visibility and the awareness of what's

going on here. And, get both sides of

the isle, and every office you can to say

locally and nationally we're involved.

It's going to be a season-long campaign

to raise awareness and dollars for hunger.

This year Cake Boss’, Buddy is going to

make a cake of Super Bowl worthiness.

Kostroski has harnessed the power of his superb management skills to keep the yearly event fresh and local


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Tools for your restaurant such

as the newest, most inte-

grated POS system, the most

expensive kitchen and bar

equipment, and even the best oper-

ating systems and procedures do not

mean anything without a well-trained

staff.

People run your business and your

business is only as good as your peo-

ple. An effective training program is an

owner’s key tool to ensure consisten-

cy in product and customer service,

which is a basic tenant of running a

restaurant.

Here are four key elements of such a program:Proper Training Materials

Codifying operating procedures so

they make sense to you is easy, howev-

er organizing and presenting the ma-

terials in a way that your staff will un-

derstand them may not be. Your staff

probably comprises a diverse combi-

nation of people from different socio-

Restaurant owners are often frustrated by not achieving their goals in relation to quality,

customer satisfaction and financial benchmarks, yet many times they have not given

themselves the appropriate tools to do so.

A Well Trained Staff is Your Secret Weapon

// FOOD SAFETY

Noelle Ifshin, President & CEO,4Q Consult ingNew York, NY

noe l l e@4QConsu l t .com

WITH NOELLE IFSHIN


http://issuu.com/action/openurl?url=http://www.wearetheone.com

http://issuu.com/action/openurl?url=http://www.nysra.org/wearenysra


Biagio Settepani began his

career at the age of 13 in a

small pastry shop in Brook-

lyn, New York, spending

his next few years learning as much

as he could. At the age of 21 he took

over the reins of Bruno Bakery, a well

known bakery and cafe in New York

City.

Since then, his dedication to excel-

lence has brought him around the

world in search of knowledge. He

has competed nationally and inter-

nationally for over a decade, earning

him several medals and numerous

accolades.

In 2001, he became a C.M.B. (certified

master baker). He now runs together

with his family, two retail shops in

Staten Island, and one in New York

City. He still finds time to share his

knowledge by teaching at various

schools to the new generation of pas-

try chefs.

You’ve been baking since you were a young teen. What was it like, starting out so young?I came to this country in 1973. I actu-

ally started working at a bakery quite

by accident! My parents wanted me

to do something with my life, not run

in the streets. So I started working in

a small pastry shop in the Bronx, and

I found I liked it.

I was there a long time. But after my

first year in college, I wanted to work

full-time. Baking was my passion. I

asked my boss and he said, “We’ll try

it for one night and then in six months

we’ll see.” It sounds funny but it really

hurt me. I stayed another four or five

months but all the time, I was looking

for my own place and finally, I found

it, a little shop in Bay Ridge, Brook-

lyn – for $19,000. My parents helped

me buy it. After I ran it for a couple of

years – doing the whole thing – bak-

ing, ordering, waiting on customers,

the books – my brother and I decided

to buy another bakery by NYU, and

we went from retail to wholesale,

where we had 140 accounts – restau-

rants and hotels and shops. And the

rest is history.

How has the business changed in the last 30 years?The mom-and-pop bakeries are pret-

ty much over. Today you can’t be just

a bakery; you also need other kinds

of food. I also believe that outsourc-

ing today is a good idea. You might be

better off in the long run, rather than

dealing with a staff, equipment, sup-

pliers.

Who would you say has inspired you most?Without a doubt, that would have to

be Robert Ellinger. I met him once at

a demonstration given by a German

company and the second time, we

took a class together in Gettysburg

and then we became friends and I

looked up to him as a professional,

more than anybody else in this indus-

try. Robert was one of those guys, if

you have a question, you just picked

up the phone and he was like a walk-

ing library. He never let his sickness

stop him, and when I have a rough

day, I think of Robert, and I stop com-

plaining.

What’s the hot, new thing today in pastry?Classical is coming back. It’s like the

fashions, you know? What’s hot today

may not be hot tomorrow, but it will

be back. Last year it was cupcakes.

This year it’s the cronut, half-cros-

sant, half-doughnut. Everyone is al-

ways looking for a new idea. But there

are no new ideas. They’re old ideas

that are renovated. Another trend is

gluten-free. We try to satisfy every-

one. We have some sugar - free items,

lactose-free, and now, gluten-free.

You became a certified master baker in 2001, and have won numerous awards in competitions. What is that like for you?Of course, it is wonderful! But you

have to work very hard, harder than

you ever thought you could, and

Biagio Settepani, Co-owner & Executive Pastry Chef at Pasticceria Bruno

// PASTRY CHEF OF THE MONTH PRESENTED BY IRINOX

Biagio Settepani is the Co-owner & Executive Pastry Chef at Pasticceria Bruno Bakery and Restaurant

The mom-and-pop

bakeries are pretty much

over. Today you can’t

be just a bakery; you

also need other kinds of

food. I also believe that

outsourcing today is a

good idea.



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As you might imagine,

fitting all that into a

venue required a lot

of space. This year

the event took up two

floors of the Javits Center as well as the

North Hall.

It was great to see the Javits take the

wrapping off of a multi-million dol-

lar upgrade of the center. For upcom-

ing exhibitors and attendees for the

IHMRS show in the fall, it will mean

a beautiful new venue to get the most

out of their fall show week.

The halls were divided into national

sections with the major food exporters

like Italy and Spain occupying large

swaths of space on the main floor,

with smaller producers like Great Brit-

ain and Morocco in relatively small

spaces.

EYE finds that the show offers a win-

dow into new taste trends and every

year more exhibitors at Fancy Food

package products for foodservice.

The show is marked by endless nib-

bling, cheese, charcuterie, sweets and

even alcoholic beverages. This year

the big trend was gluten free prod-

ucts: everything from popcorn to fro-

zen tandoori chicken was labeled as

such. There was far less discussion of

non-GMO foods, but I predict that by

next year that this discussion will be

as prevalent as gluten was this year.

There was also a lot of cheese, it was

everywhere. You could also find plenty

of domestically produced charcuterie.

Montclair chocolate master Susan

Fine of The Chocolate Path came to

the event. “I come because I’m al-

ways on the lookout for new, high-

quality products,” said Fine. “It’s also a

chance to hear the stories behind new

companies, face-to-face. You learn

things you can’t find on the Internet or

get by phone.” While Susan sampled

dark chocolates with laser focus, she

also cast a wider net in search of over-

all food trends.

EYE found that adding natural

fruit flavors, such as coconuts, pear,

pomegranate, and blood orange to

chocolate is still very much in vogue.

A bit more cutting edge were the tea-

infused chocolates, such as those pro-

duced by the Tea Room. The Califor-

nia-based company introduced their

Lapsang Souchong chocolate bar fu-

sion at the show, where it was offered

alongside their Raspberry Rooibos,

Earl Grey, and Black Masala Chai bars.

As with ice cream and other sweets,

it was hard to find a line of chocolates

that didn’t offer a “caramel sea salt”

flavor. Speaking of sodium chloride,

many companies are mixing all sorts

of flavors into sea salt. Smoked Bacon

Chipotle salt, anyone? And how long

before someone combines that with

chocolate?

One of the most curious new prod-

ucts were Christine Le Tennier’s “Fla-

vor Pearls.” The tiny, luminescent balls,

made of thin alginate (also known as

seaweed extract), pop in your mouth

and release powerful savory and sweet

flavors such as balsamic vinegar, truf-

fles, maple syrup, and pink grapefruit.

The strawberry and black currant

pearls would pair perfectly and look

lovely tossed into Holly’s Yankee Doo-

dle Cocktail.

Highlights From New York's Summer Fancy Food ShowThe Summer Fancy Food Show, North America's largest specialty food and beverage event,

took place at the Javits center last month. The industry-only event is a showcase for over

180,000 different food and beverage products as well as ancillary industries such as

printing, packaging, and point of sale systems.

// EVENTS METRO NEW YORK FOODSERVICE EVENTS

A large contingent of International buyers came to the Colavita booth to display their latest offerings

Jamie Wichlacz anchored Belgiosio's Javits booth


Now in its 59th year, the show is the

largest marketplace devoted exclu-

sively to specialty foods and beverages

in North America and a must-attend

event for top names in retailing and

foodservice in the U.S. and abroad.

This year’s event marked the official

launch of the Specialty Food Associa-

tion’s new brand to promote and rec-

ognize the industry: Specialty Food.

Craft. Care. Joy. The newly named As-

sociation, formerly the National As-

sociation for the Specialty Food Trade,

Inc., created, owns and operates the

Fancy Food Show.

Returning to its longtime home in

New York after two years in Washing-

ton, D.C., the show is the largest to

date, with 354,000 square feet of ex-

hibit space. More than 2,400 compa-

nies from across the United States and

80 countries and regions are present-

ing their latest cheeses, chocolates,

vinegars, oils, grains and other spe-

cialty foods at the event.

“Our show celebrates the passion

and creativity that fuel specialty food,”

says Ann Daw, president of the Spe-

cialty Food Association. “This is our

largest show ever, and center stage are

new and innovative foods and bever-

ages that come directly from people

who care about producing top-quality

food.”

Show highlights included a keynote

address on taste and innovation by in-

ternationally-acclaimed Chef Marcus

Samuelsson, owner of Red Rooster in

Harlem and The New York Times best-

selling author of Yes, Chef. He will also

present the 41st annual sofi Awards for

the outstanding specialty foods of the

year, and awards for the Outstanding

Specialty Food Retailers of the year.

A full menu of workshops and semi-

nars, including “Start-Up Sunday” for

beginning food entrepreneurs and

roundtables on the FDA’s Food Safety

Modernization Act. Cooking demos

from top chefs presented by the Spe-

cialty Food Association and Cooking

Channel, including José Andrés, Sara

Moulton, Kelsey Nixon and Roger

Mooking.

The Specialty Food Association cel-

ebrated its 60th anniversary in 2012. It

is a not-for-profit trade association for

food artisans, importers and entrepre-

neurs established in 1952 in New York

to foster commerce and interest in the

specialty food industry. Today there

are more than 3,000 members in the

U.S. and abroad. The Specialty Food

Association operates the Summer and

Winter Fancy Food Shows and pres-

ents the sofi™ Awards honoring excel-

lence in specialty food.

A donation of 150,000+ pounds of

specialty food to City Harvest was de-

livered at show’s end.

Roland Foods’ Lisa Kartzman (c) welcomed a number of guests to the firm's new booth

Many of New York's best-known res-taurant brands including La Esquina brought the flavors of their restaurants’ new retail offerings at the show

Bazzini's Nancy Friedman (R) helped buyers update their grab and go strategies

Sarabeth's Sarabeth Levine captured top honors for her new tomato soup

Sunny Kim and Josh Hodapp led a large contingent of Dean and DeLuca's NYC based buying team


Successful restaurants un-

derstand the importance

of evaluating and updat-

ing their menus based on

season, consumer appe-

tites, and simply to stay current; how-

ever, what a successful restaurant

also needs to understand is the im-

portance of treating the ‘behind the

scenes’ factors of their operations in a

similar fashion.

A restaurant requires proper man-

agement of financials (such as cash

flow, and fixed cost), payroll, comput-

er software updates, and much more.

Your overall operations and office

procedures are what will truly affect

your bottom line. There are options

available to help you properly manage

these items and make your life easier,

that you may not even be aware of un-

less you are evaluating your current

objectives and processes. It is impera-

tive to seek advice from trusted advi-

sors and professional service firms, in-

cluding payroll companies, insurance

brokers, legal and accounting firms,

amongst others to make sure you are

properly and effectively running your

business.

Below is just a sampling of the vital

aspects of your office procedures that

you should strongly monitor and may

want to consider outsourcing or pay-

ing closer attention to:

Computer Software & HardwareNew software is constantly being de-

veloped and marketed to large corpo-

rations and small businesses. There

are programs available that could

make your life easier and keep your

business running more efficiently,

and you may not even know that they

exist. Many restaurants do not con-

sider the importance of keeping their

software up to date. Choosing the

right software for your company is

important to your productivity, accu-

racy and overall bottom line. The right

software can keep all of your business

and financial data accessible and or-

ganized. When you hire an IT consul-

tant or other recognized expert, you

can gain insight into which servers,

programs and other software/hard-

ware can meet your needs and your

budget according to your business

plans. Without spending time on IT

purchasing decisions, you'll be able to

focus more on the core of your work.

It’s also of the utmost importance to

make sure that your systems are prop-

erly configured to avoid hacking or

other types of extortion – see cyber li-

ability section below for insurance to

protect against these perils.

Payroll and Employee BenefitsManaging payroll and staying com-

pliant with the Department of Labor

rules and regulations can be a time

consuming challenge. Calculating

employee earnings, factoring deduc-

tions and benefits and getting checks

out on time are just some of the as-

pects companies big and small must

abide with when it comes to payroll.

For many companies, the solution to

keep this in good order is to utilize

payroll accounting software or pay-

roll management companies. With all

of the Health Care Reform (HCR) re-

quirements being implemented, man-

aging the employment status of your

employees is more vital than ever.

Starting in 2015, a “large employer”

(defined as an employer who em-

ployed an average of at least 50 full

time employees for a calendar year)

will be subject to a penalty under the

federal HCR law if it fails to provide

minimum value health benefits to all

full-time workers. Determining full

time status is crucial and can be com-

plicated.

A full-time employee is an indi-

Keeping Your Business Ingredients Fresh, Outside of the KitchenRestaurant and food service companies should continuously be updating their office procedures the way they would treat the items on their menu.

// INSURANCE FIORITO ON INSURANCE

Bob Fiorito,Vice President of Business Development at Hub International

[email protected]

There are options available to help you

properly manage these items and make

your life easier, that you may not even

be aware of unless you are evaluating

your current objectives and processes.


vidual who is employed on average

at least 30 hours of service per week.

Proposed regulations are expected to

provide that 130 hours of service in a

calendar month would be treated as

the monthly equivalent of 30 hours of

service per week. In other words, for

a 12-month measurement period the

employer would add up all of an indi-

vidual’s work hours for 12 months and

then divide by 12. Is that number more

than 130? If yes, then the employee is

considered full time. Contracting out

your payroll management will not

only assist you with HCR compliance,

but it will free you and your personnel

up to handle other matters and help

optimize productivity.

Online Presence/Cyber Liability InsuranceAlmost every restaurant or food ser-

vice business has some kind of net-

work, database, or online presence

that puts it at risk for litigation. If you

have website content, your company

can be targeted for violating copyright

or intellectual property laws. Consider

the following scenarios: Personal and

financial information of customers

sits on your servers, and is hacked. A

company laptop that is stolen or for-

gotten in a taxi can launch a long and

costly nightmare involving theft or

extortion. An employee posting on a

blog, social media page, or discussion

forum can make your company liable

for slander or defamation. Yet many

businesses do not have insurance that

covers these risks nor are they aware if

their software has the proper malware

protection in place. As your company

grows and succeeds, savvy business

people understand that a higher pro-

file equals higher risk. Look at your

current insurance program and make

sure it matches your current needs

and has grown with you as you’ve ex-

panded or made changes. Chances

are, you have left yourself too vulner-

able for comfort in today's cyber busi-

ness world. Review your business in-

surance program with your broker to

make sure you are protected in case of

a breach – this requires an additional

cyber liability policy in most cases to

get adequate coverage for these and

other losses.

Speak with your insurance advi-

sor to make sure you have the proper

protection in place, and for advice on

consultants and procedures necessary

to make your restaurant the business

it truly is.

Robert Fiorito serves as Vice Presi-

dent, Hub International Northeast

where he specializes in providing in-

surance brokerage services to the res-

taurant industry. As a 20-year veteran

and former restaurateur himself, Bob

has worked with a wide array of res-

taurant and food service businesses,

ranging from fast-food chains to up-

scale, “white tablecloth" dining es-

tablishments. For more information,

please visit www.hubfiorito.com

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For those that don’t know you, tell us a little about your back-ground. Where are you from? Where did you study? What’s your food and wine back-ground?

I’m from Massapequa, NY and studied

at the CIA. My first job in the culinary

world was working at the take-out

counter of a Chinese place.

What led you to become a world-fa-mous Food and Wine festival orga-nizer? Tenacity.

With the thousands of New York res-taurants, how do you possibly plan all the events into four days?Strategically. We use a variety of venues

throughout the city and we’re always

on the lookout for new places. Our

program is constantly evolving until

the day our tickets go on sale.

Talk a little about the NYC Festival’s program. Is it specifically built for the city and what are some of the staple events that make it such a great event? New this year, we’ve moved our central

hub into Midtown West and Hudson

New York serves as our Headquarter

Hotel. Both new and returning signa-

ture events are taking place at new lo-

cations – with Pier 94 as the new home

of the Southern Wine & Spirits of New

York Trade Tasting presented by Bever-

age Media Group and our Grand Tast-

ing presented by ShopRite featuring

KitchenAid Culinary Demonstrations

presented by MasterCard. The adjacent

Pier 92 will host the Festival’s iconic

Blue Moon Burger Bash presented by

Pat LaFrieda Meats hosted by Rachael

Ray and Olmeca Altos Tequila presents

Tacos & Tequila hosted by Bobby Flay,

as well as new events including: Jets +

Chefs Ultimate Tailgate presented by

diet Pepsi hosted by Joe Namath & Ma-

rio Batali, and La Sagra Sunday Slices

sponsored by Time Out New York host-

ed by Anne Burrell & Adam Richman.

Who are some of the partners that help make the festival come together and how does their role help? All of our partners are important to us

in a variety of ways – starting with our

title sponsor Food Network and pre-

senting sponsor FOOD & WINE. Our

friends at The New York Times, Delta

and MasterCard, our official card, and

many others, all contribute to our suc-

cess.

Lee Schrager, Vice President of Corporate Communications & National Events at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.

// MEET THE NEWSMAKER

Lee Brian Schrager, one of the nation’s preeminent event planners and public relations experts, serves as the Vice President of Corporate Communications & National Events at Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. He joined the company in 2000 and oversees projects for the company in all 35 states in which it does business.


Strategically. We use

a variety of venues

throughout the city and

we’re always on the

lookout for new places.

Our program is constantly

evolving until the day our

tickets go on sale.


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Aduo of two of the

industry’s young

and brightest stars;

Rada Tarnovsky and

Leon Lubarsky, have

teamed up to cre-

ate Letter Grade Consulting (LGC).

The Brooklyn based firm has created

a portfolio of solutions to establish a

strategy that enables the restaurateur

to stay ahead of the strict demands of

the health department.

“A client of ours did some studies

and research and he found out that if

his A grade dropped to a B, that would

cost him roughly 30% in revenue,”

Tarnovsky explains the difference be-

tween letter grades. “The city also put

out a number stating that restaurants

that have an A letter grade have 9.7%

greater income than those who don’t,”

Lubarsky noted on statistics.

Initially, Letter Grade Consulting

based their idea off their desire to as-

sist food service establishments in

complying with NYC health depart-

ment regulations, which has become

a key element to their survival, and

ultimately a philosophy. “When we

moved our law practice to a new loca-

tion in Carroll Gardens, where we were

surrounded by restaurants, we saw the

struggles and disconnect between the

health department and restaurants.

It was a natural progression to make

a bridge between the two,” Tarnovsky

stated. With a common goal to give

the customer a “worry-free” meal, LGC

provides programs to help improve

your business. This philosophy has

spread like wild fire and seems to be

a necessity for most restaurants in the

Metro NYC area.

Earlier this month, NYC Food Ser-

vice Restaurants slapped the Depart-

ment of Health and Mental Hygiene

(DOHMH) with $150 million lawsuit

claiming that violations issued dur-

ing health department inspections

were excessive and unjust. Although

this caused revenue for the city, there

was ultimately a loss of business. Forty

restaurants filed the complaint in NY

Supreme Court claiming that the in-

spectors were not properly trained

and that most of the fines given had

nothing to do with food.

According to the team behind LGC

“Food service establishments have a

duty to serve and prepare food in an

environment that operates accord-

ing to the rules and regulations set

out by the health code. Consumers

have a fundamental right to eat food

that is free from contamination and

prepared in clean violation free sur-

roundings. The Letter Grade System’s

requirement of posting a grade in the

window has not changed any rights or

responsibilities of operators. What it

has done, is given consumers access to

information so that they are able make

informed decisions when choosing

where to dine. Although compliance

with this system is not new, or impos-

sible, it requires consistent oversight.

We strive to provide operators with

the tools necessary in order to ensure

compliance.”

LGC offers services, solutions, edu-

cation, training, attorney tribunal

representation and much more. They

serve various establishments includ-

ing corporate cafeterias, restaurant

chains, upscale restaurants, hotels,

catering companies and local eater-

ies. “We inspect for everything every

single time to eliminate error. Our

monthly mock inspections take out

the element of panic.”

Their fundamental objective is to

maintain a violation free kitchen and

testimonials prove just that. “We give

them a daily protocol to follow so they

know what to do and what to look for,”

Tarnovsky notes on the system they

established to help restaurant owners

succeed.

Letter Grade Consulting has opened

the eyes of many in the Metro NYC

area. “We believe that the system is

here to stay for all of the good reasons

of why it was implemented. We live in

an age of social media and awareness

so it is here to stay, ” Tarnovsky notes

on the increased knowledge of this

philosophy.

With similar letter grading headed

for outposts across the country, look

for LGC to become a national leader

as well in the near future.

Letter Grade Consulting Offers Solutions For Health Department Inspections’ Portfolio Of NYCA restaurant owner’s biggest fear is being shut down by the health department. With the

use of social media, public awareness of food borne illness has spread like the plague in

cyber space. In New York City, the difference between an “A” or a “B” letter grade in your

window can make or break your restaurant business.

// NEWS HEALTH INSPECTION

We strive to provide operators with the tools necessary in order to ensure compliance.


In the last couple of monthly col-

umns we addressed risk-based

systems and a general overview

of what are Prerequisite Pro-

grams (PRPs). I wrote about the two

major food safety systems for food-

service establishments, active mana-

gerial control and Hazard Analysis

Critical Control Points (HACCP).

In this column we will focus on the

later. I have found in my years of con-

sulting and operations, that HACCP

is sometimes misunderstood in re-

tail operations. In many cases it is a

regulatory requirement due to risk

level or a process that is used in a

facility. As previously stated in past

columns, the perception is that an

operator only needs a written plan

to turn into the regulatory depart-

ment so that a variance or approval

is issued to use a special process or

deviate from existing guidelines i.e.

FDA Food Code. Many operators will

reach out to a consulting company

like mine, which are specializing in

HACCP and ask two questions- How

quickly can you write a plan? - How

much will it cost?

HACCP is more than a stack of papers.

Developing a HACCP Plan & SystemBuilding on solid foundation of Prerequisite Programs to control food safety risks.

// FOOD SAFETY WITH WYMAN PHILBROOK

Wyman PhilbrookOwner of Phi lbrook Food & Beverage Consult ing And Training

phi [email protected]



Fluent in English, Italian and

Spanish, he was expected to

become a translator, but fol-

lowed his true passion and

attended the Marco Polo

Culinary Institute in Genova. Fedozzi’s

career began in the kitchens of some

of Europe’s most renowned establish-

ments including: The Savoy Hotel in

London, England; Louis XII Restaurant

in Monte Carlo, Monaco; and Grand

Hotel Park in Gstaad, Switzerland. At

Ristorante Aladino in Genova, Fedozzi

became one of the first chefs in Italy to

present nouvelle cuisine. He strives to

share his enthusiasm for taste and pre-

sentation and lives by the philosophy

that “the quality of ingredients is every-

thing and simplicity of execution is a

must.”

What inspired you to become a chef, where did you study?My parents. Watching them creating

culinary masterpieces inspired me and

introduced me to the culinary world. I

studied at the Marco Polo Culinary In-

stitute of Genova where I got a Master in

Culinary and a bachelor in Hotel & Res-

taurant Administration.

What was the transition like com-ing from Italy to the States in terms of working in a restaurant for you? I spent a lot of time working abroad

and experienced many different work

environments. It is very easy for me to

adapt to new situations and work envi-

ronments. I guess I was lucky enough

to already know the language and open

a restaurant for childhood friends in

Manhattan.

Have any mentors? What have you learned from them?All the great Chefs/Teachers I worked

with in the past, but most of all my

parents. They taught me to be humble,

to have respect for others and to work

hard.

What are a few of your favorite ingredi-ents to cook with?Most definitely, house made pasta, fresh

herbs and EVOO.

Are you using sustainable sources for your dishes?As much as I can. I have been lucky

enough to work for companies that are

very committed to sustainability and I

always try to follow those guidelines as

strictly as possible.

What advice would you give to young chefs just getting started?To really take a hard look at this profes-

sion. It is a very rewarding job but it can

be extremely difficult. They have to be

willing to work very hard if they want to

be successful.

Do you change your menu seasonally? What’s the process in developing new menu entrées? Right now I don’t. In menu develop-

ment, the most important fundamen-

tal is the study of the demographic in

which you are cooking so you may es-

tablish and build the taste for your audi-

ence. After that, the availability of prod-

ucts especially if you are using local and

seasonal ingredients is critical. Another

Executive Chef Massimo FedozziGraceful Rose, Port Jefferson, NYWhile growing up in Northern Italy, Fedozzi was intimately involved with food from a

young age. He learned about pastas and antipasti at his parents’ salumi shops in Genova

and delighted in the meals and aromas while his family gathered around the kitchen table.

// CHEFCETERA UP CLOSE WITH METRO NEW YORK'S CHEFS

Fedozzi’s career began in the kitchens of some of Europe’s most renowned establish-ments including: The Savoy Hotel in London, England; Louis XII Restaurant in Monte Carlo, Monaco; and Grand Hotel Park in Gstaad, Switzerland. At Ristorante Aladino in Genova, Fedozzi became one of the first chefs in Italy to present nouvelle cuisine.



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EYE notes that the 24th

Annual Wine, Spirits &

Culinary Celebration

& Casino Evening was

once again held at The

Lighthouse at Chelsea

Piers last month. The mission once

again was to raise money for the Nata-

lie Toedter Scholarship Fund to sup-

port students in their culinary educa-

tion — our future chefs, in cooperation

with C-CAP (Careers through Culinary

Arts Program) and culinary schools in

the New York Metropolitan Area — The

Culinary Institute of America, Johnson

And Wales, New York Technical College

and other philanthropic venues.

Attendees enjoyed a wide variety of

extraordinary food and desserts pre-

pared by leading chefs, plus fine wines

and spirits contributed by prestigious

wine distributors.

For one night only, the wonderful

creations of the chefs of some of the

finest restaurants included: Philip De

Maiolo - Pier 60 Chelsea Piers, NYC;

Kirk Avondoglio Perona Farms, NJ;

David Burke David Burke's, NJ, NYC,

Chicago, LasVegas; Ikuo Kamata Chez

Kama, Great Neck, NY; Sani Hebaj Mar-

riott New York Downtown, NYC; Randy

Zablo Foremost Caterers, Moonachie,

NJ; Uwe Toedter Columbia University;

Armando Monterroso New York Mar-

riott Marquis; John Halligan Park Steak

House, Park Ridge, NJ; Michael Lomo-

naco Porterhouse, NYC; Ben Pollinger

Oceana Restaurant, NYC; Mark Arnao

Ritz-Carlton Central Park, NYC plus

many more in one place at one time.

Uwe Toedter stated, “We have come

together to enjoy a selection of deli-

cious foods prepared by some of New

York’s finest chefs and some chefs who

have joined us from far away. Here you

may sample great food, paired with an

assortment of fine wines and spirits —

all at one place under one roof — sup-

plied by our local distributors. This

generosity is for one purpose only —

to raise money for the Natalie Toedter

Scholarship Program. We are most

proud to see the dedication, encour-

agement and support from the chef

community and our suppliers at this

evening’s event. We are excited to share

the extensive list of generous prize do-

nations from New York landmark ho-

tels and superb restaurants and many

friends and supporters from around

the country. We aim to make tonight’s

event memorable for all — our chefs,

suppliers and supporters, and most of

all you, the guests and friends of Es-

coffier! Although we can look back on

a very successful year, this year will be

even more rewarding. Our aim is to

preserve and continue the dream of

Natalie Toedter with the scholarship

in her name that will make a dream

become reality for another young stu-

dent. We can do this only with your

support, and we appreciate all of your

continued assistance. The funds raised

this evening will go toward the Natalie

Toedter Scholarship Program to assist

deserving students pursuing careers in

the hospitality industry in the New York

metropolitan area. Keep in mind that

‘the students of today will be the chefs

of tomorrow!’

We wish to extend our sincere thanks

and appreciation to the talented chefs,

wineries, spirit sponsors and all the

other participants in this evening’s

festivities. Last, but certainly not least,

we extend our heartfelt appreciation

to you, our guests, for supporting the

efforts of Les Amis d’Escoffier of New

York and the Natalie Toedter Scholar-

ship Program!”

Uwe Toedter, who served as execu-

tive chef at the New York Hilton and

Columbia University established the

scholarship for young women interest-

ed in pursuing a career in the hospital-

ity industry, in memory of his daughter

Natalie, who passed away unexpected-

ly of heart failure at the age of 21."Nata-

lie's dream was to be in the hospitality

industry," Toedter explained.

24th Annual Wine, Spirits & Culinary Celebration & Casino EveningNew York Cooks For Natalie, Benefits The Natalie Toedter Scholarship Foundation

// EYE METRO NEW YORK'S FOODSERVICE EVENT COVERAGE

(L to R) Joseph Manfredi & Carmine A. Marletta

(L to R) Rossano Philip, Sylvestry K., &Nick Eltz (L to R) Uwe Toedter, Jens Stumpf, Kurt Keller, Philip De Mailo


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Connecticut Chef and Res-

taurateur, George Pasto-

rok, has earned a great

reputation in the Nutmeg

state for offering mouth-

watering offerings at rea-

sonable prices over the years with in

smaller towns where great restaurants

are hard to come by. His most popu-

lar restaurant operation was a high-

end steakhouse out of Newtown, CT

called G.P. Cheffields. Though the

very successful steakhouse has been

closed for quite sometime as George

Pastorok left the foodservice indus-

try to focus on his insurance busi-

ness, he still had a passion to get back

into the foodservice industry. George

partnered with his brother Gregory

to open a new pizza establishment

called GG’s Wood Fire Pizza.

What or who inspired you to become a chef, any culinary training?I had many sources of inspiration

that led me to become a chef, well the

obvious answer coming from an Ital-

ian family, my mom and grandmoth-

er, but there are more influences such

as, Pacelli’s Bakery or Frances Pastry

Shoppe, going to Sorrento’s Market

and Venetian Gardens, or into a base-

ment of a home that was converted

into a small restaurant where Nonna’s

and Zia’s would be making macaro-

ni, sauce, tying and frying braciole,

pressing pizzelle’s.

There I found people to be so happy,

and never did I encounter someone

that was cooking not to be in a good

mood and it was obvious they loved

what they were doing.

My love and passion for food came

from working alongside my grand-

mother, her sisters and my mother,

helping roll pasta, stuff and cut ravi-

oli, rolling meatballs, and frosting

cookies. This led me to Johnson and

Wales in Providence R.I, where I stud-

ied Culinary Arts and Business. Back

in the 70’s and 80’s JW was not only

teaching you how to cook, but how to

run a business. They were not look-

ing to compete with the other schools

that pumped out chefs with no idea

how to run a kitchen.

After closing G.P. Cheffields and leaving the food industry for some

time, what brought you back?After selling G.P. Cheffields to the Vaz-

zano’s in 2003, I went on to sell food

for Dairyland The Chef’s Warehouse

for a couple of years. This education

on the road opened my eyes to many

different styles of restaurants; in my

travels I saw the true business side of

running a restaurant. I absorbed all

the management styles and buying

procedures from some of the great

restaurant owners in CT. So when I

made my mind up that I was going

back to the food industry I pulled on

all the resources I had obtained dur-

ing my stint at Dairyland and worked

on a concept that I knew would make

both me happy cooking and be eco-

nomically prosperous in today’s mar-

ketplace.

Why a pizza establishment so close to the ever popular New Haven Style pizza locations rather than another upscale restaurant?Opening a Pizza parlor, I love that

phrase, just reminds me of going to

the old Jennies on Grant St. or Jerry’s

Pizza in Bridgeport CT. When my

brother Gregory and I decided we

were going to do a Pizza Parlor so

close to two of the most famous piz-

za parlors in the country, we weren’t

worried but the people around us

were.

I felt that if we could make our piz-

za with the same passion from our

high end dining establishments, and

use the best ingredients available

we could be successful wherever we

opened.

You’re using a Mugnaini 160 oven imported from Italy? How was the decision made over some of the other popular ovens in the market?Using the Mugnaini oven from Italy

was a great choice of oven for us. We

had looked at others but kept coming

back to the Mugnaini. My first en-

counter was when my friend Gianni

Strano from Brewster NY had one in-

stalled at his home. It made delicious

pizzas and when we made our way to

Mario Batali’s Tarrytown location and

the Westport spot we knew we had

found our oven. At that point we real-

ized we could bake the style of pizza

we wanted to make in the Mugnaini.

In your opinion, is there a differ-ence in using wood or coal as a heat source for your oven?Using wood has made a difference

in our pizza that you can’t get us-

ing a coal-fired oven. The high heat

and flame results in a charring of the

George Pastorok, Co-Owner of GG’s Wood Fire Pizza, Milford, CT

// MEET THE NEWSMAKER

GG's Wood Fired Pizza restaurant owners George Pastorok (R) and his brother Gregory (L), pose with their Italian brick oven in Milford, CT.

PIZZA


dough that imparts the flavor of the

seasoned oven floor and the wood

we burn. The double fermentation

process we use to make our dough

allows the dough to fully cook in the

short amount of time it spends in the

oven. This process makes our pizza

more digestible and does not leave

you with that feeling of stuffiness af-

ter polishing off a pie by yourself!

Your main focus is pizza, any other menu items?Our main focus is pizza; it truly is the

star of GG’s. We have also developed a

wood-fired chicken wing that is deli-

cious and already has its own follow-

ing of wing connoisseurs. Our wings

bring back memories when we all ate

chicken with the skin on.

The oven chars and crisps the wings

and gives them an off the grill taste,

but does it in minutes as we put

them directly over the burning wood.

We also have beautiful salads, all of

which can be ordered family style for

the table. The same goes for our pasta

dishes.

My fourteen-year-old daughter

Belle makes our cavatelli, which she

learned to make beside my mom. All

our desserts are made here at the res-

taurant. We have a great Italian cook-

ie plate, a bungalow cake inspired by

one of my mentors Dominic Picarazzi

of Frances bakery, and also make the

sorbets and plan on having Italian Ice

for the summer months. We also have

a great local source; Bucks Ice Cream

here in Milford for salted caramel and

vanilla bean ice cream.

You play a key role in marketing the restaurant. What are some of those responsibilities and how important are they for running a successful res-taurant? Using Groupon, Facebook, etc.?

My brother Gregory has really opened

my eyes to the value of social net-

working and the Internet to market

our establishment.

Right now we are relying on a lot of

word of mouth to spread the word of

our opening, but we also use Face-

book and Twitter to talk about spe-

cials we have or upcoming events.

We would like to have our website

be a place where people can find out

about upcoming events, as well as

be interactive and a place where we

can all chat about what’s going on.

We are also marketing the restau-

rant through our local presence with

school groups and sports teams.

What are a few of your most essential ingredients for a great pie? Where are you sourcing your ingredients?Our pizza ingredients are fresh and

simple. We use San Marzano toma-

toes from Italy, imported Buffalo

mozzarella as well as our own fresh

mozzarella. We also make our own

sausage and use a pepperoni made in

Seattle that we slice ourselves.

We use the Mugnaini oven to wood

fire the onions, peppers, tomatoes

and vegetables we use as toppings.

Our clams come in daily right off a

boat that goes out of Devon CT. The

time we spent over the years in fine

dining has taught us using the high-

est quality ingredients and treating

food with respect will yield a great

product.

Our idol Dominic Demarco of Di

Fara’s in Brooklyn extols this philoso-

phy as you watch him make each pie,

hand grating the Grana Padano, tear-

ing at the buffalo mozzarella and clip-

ping the fresh basil as his pizza leaves

the oven. I use Dairyland- The Chefs

Warehouse as my lead purveyor, and

my salesperson Tim Mullen is an ex-

chef who always points us in the right

direction when choosing a product

for the menu.

Work with any local CT consultants and dealers for seating, kitchen equipment and installation?

Since coming back to CT in 1986 and

opening our first CT restaurant we

have developed some great relation-

ships within the food industry.

So when I decided to jump back in

this time, we had a readily available

stream of purveyors, printers, archi-

tects, and construction guys we have

used in the past. We have had a rela-

tionship with Warehouse Store Fix-

tures in Waterbury since 1986 when I

dealt with Oscar Silverman, a man of

great integrity who has since passed.

His son’s David and Roy have taken

up his passion and compassion for

their clients, and David helped us in

the early design stages and supplied

us with all of our kitchen equipment.

Creative Wholesale Meat in Fairfield

CT owner John Cuddy has been with

us since 1996, John’s knowledge of the

wholesale meat industry is second to

none.

The restaurant industry has a broad range of foods, what’s your buying approach?All of our relationships over the years

have made buying an easy task. You

still will need to know the market and

have multiple purveyors for items

that define your menu to keep every-

body on their toes. I always try to buy

the best quality ingredients for the

restaurant, and not all are the same,

for example you can buy hundreds

of great extra virgin olive oils from

all over the world, but if I need one

to dance a peppery dance on your

tongue, I will find the right one.

In your opinion, what’s the biggest changes you’ve seen in the restau-rant/pizza industry whether good, bad or both?One of the big changes I have seen

I felt that if we could make our pizza

with the same passion from our high

end dining establishments, and use the

best ingredients available we could be

successful wherever we opened.



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Marsal Teams With Jersey Pizzeria To Anchor Expansion Scoop says for Ray Daruku, the chal-

lenge of growing his Ray's Traditional

pizza empire has been to find an oven

that would enable each of his units to

maintain the quality of the original

pie. So when it came time to add his

latest in Hillside, New Jersey to res-

taurants in Rochelle Park and Creskill,

Daruku turned to Marsal Ovens. In

the world of pizza ovens, Marsal &

Sons Inc. has been offering premium

quality ovens for over forty years. They

refer to themselves as “The new stan-

dard in the pizza industry.” For Ray’s

traditional pizza, this stands true.

Having been in the business since

1999, Ray’s Traditional only uses the

best. Having been in the industry for

a decade, he has encountered many

ovens and has found that “Marsal’s ov-

ens are just the best. With consistency

and everything. Just the best.” The SD

series commercial deck ovens have a

two-inch-thick cooking surface and

an exclusive left-to-right burner sys-

tem, ensuring that every pie has part

of the burner system directly under-

neath it. “When you put the pie in the

oven, you don’t even have to move it.

The consistency is perfect,” Ray noted.

Even heat distributions is what allows

for this consistency.

NYC’s ICE Hosts Pastry “Oscars”SCOOP says “Who are the best pastry

chefs in America today?” Every year

Dessert Professional magazine cel-

ebrates the Top Ten Pastry Chefs in

America with an awards ceremony at

the Institute for Culinary Education

in New York City. But while the chefs

themselves get the honor, attendees

- mostly industry professionals get

to sample desserts from all 10 pastry

chefs. While it's relatively easy and

convenient for the NYC pastry chefs

to create desserts for the 300+ guests,

there's always chefs who travel to NYC

and have to sort out a kitchen in which

to make their desserts. Sometimes this

proves a challenge. One of this year's

Top Ten is Roy Shvartzapel, from

Houston, Texas. Currently working

on the opening of Common Bond, his

new bakery in Houston, Shvartzapel

// SCOOP INSIDER NEWS FROM METRO NEW YORK’S FOODSERVICE SCENE

For Ray Daruku, the

challenge of growing

his Ray's Traditional

pizza empire has been to

find an oven that would

enable each of his units

to maintain the quality

of the original pie.

The Garden State's Ray's Traditional Pizza chain has built its new menu around the flexibiility

of the Marsal oven

New Yorkers topped the 2013 Pastry

Awards at ICE


connected himself to a commercial

kitchen in Queens, NY, where he spent

a week creating an array of pastries for

the crowd, and a few cakes that were

"just to be displayed." Then tragedy

hit the morning of the Awards, an as-

sistant at the kitchen where Shvartza-

pel was working managed to spill the

entire speed-rack full of 20 trays of

pastries, sending 500 individual petits

gâteaux tumbling to the ground.

Paramus Lands First Shake Shack In JerseyScoop sees that Shake Shack, the su-

per-popular burgers, hot dogs, fries,

and milkshake restaurant that has

drawn lines of customers everywhere

is now opened, from Manhattan to

Washington, D.C. to Istanbul, and is

coming to Paramus.

Edwin Bragg, director of marketing

and communications for Shake Shack,

confirmed what has been rumored

around Paramus since April - that the

borough had landed New Jersey's first

Shake Shack location. Shake Shack

will move into the space formerly oc-

cupied by the Stacks pancake restau-

rant. Workers are gutting the interior

and beginning the remodeling proj-

ect. Bragg said the Paramus Shake

Shack is scheduled to open in the

fall. The Shake Shack chain was born

in 2001 when New York restaurateur

Danny Meyer opened a hot dog stand

in Madison Square Park in Manhattan

to help raise funds to restore the park.

The stand was an instant hit, attract-

ing long lines of patrons, and by 2004

it had moved into a permanent loca-

tion in the park, and had expanded

its menu to include burgers, fries, and

ultra-rich shakes.

The chain now has more than 30 loca-

tions in the United States - including

the Mets' Citi Field - and in foreign cit-

ies, including London, Dubai, and two

locations in Istanbul. Meyer's Union

Square Hospitality Group also oper-

ates fine-dining restaurants in New

York City, including the Union Square

Café and Gramercy Tavern.

Shake Shack is the latest competitor in

the burger and milkshake category to

enter the North Jersey market, follow-

ing rapidly expanding chains such as

Smashburger and the Sonic drive-in

restaurants. Shake Shack falls into a

category that food analysts call "better

burger" - restaurants that feature 100

percent Angus beef, and hormone-

and antibiotic-free meats.

In A Twist, Manhattan Bar Is Served ‘On The Rocks’SCOOP sees that a new Midtown bar

Minus5, it’s not just manners that

compel patrons to use a coaster. With-

out one, their glasses, made of ice,

might fuse with the bar, which is also

made out of ice.

The same goes for the walls, the

shelves, even the chairs. The bar’s

co-founder, restaurant and entertain-

ment entrepreneur Robert Sabes, is

betting his ice bars are the next hot

trend. He opened the first two Ameri-

can Minus5 locations in Las Vegas in

2008. Last month, Minus5 Manhattan

opened the doors into its 23-degree

Fahrenheit interior. (That’s minus 5

degrees centigrade, hence the name.)

Inside the bar, a New York motif is

etched into the icy walls: the Manhat-

tan skyline; the Brooklyn Bridge; win-

try trees that are meant to evoke Cen-

tral Park; and a carving of the Statue of

Liberty.

There’s also a “boardroom” for busi-

ness-inclined New Yorkers, with ice

benches covered in faux deerskin. Mr.

Sabe was so convinced ice bars were

the next big thing, he and co-owner

Danny Meyer is set to open a Shake Shack unit in Paramus

Without a coaster, their

glasses, made of ice,

might fuse with the

bar, which is also made

out of ice.

The Shake Shack chain

was born in 2001 when

New York restaurateur

Danny Meyer opened

a hot dog stand in

Madison Square Park in

Manhattan to help raise

funds to restore the park.

continued on next page

CONNECTICUT NEW YORK

NEW JERSEY

• 181 Marsh Hill Road• 91 Brainard Road• 566 Hamilton Avenue• 15-06 132nd Street• 1966 Broadhollow Road • 720 Stewart Avenue• 43-40 57th Avenue• 1335 Lakeland Avenue• 650 S. Columbus Avenue• 305 S. Regent St.• 777 Secaucus Road• 45 East Wesley Street• 140 South Avenue• 1135 Springfield Road

• Orange, CT 06477• Hartford, CT 06114• Brooklyn, NY 11232• College Point, NY 11356• Farmingdale, NY 11735• Garden City, NY 11530• Maspeth, NY 11378• Bohemia, NY 11716• Mt. Vernon, NY 10550• Port Chester, NY 10573 • Secaucus, NJ 07094• S. Hackensack, NJ 07606• S. Plainfield, NJ 07080• Union, NJ 07083

• 203-795-9900• 860-549-4000• 718-768-0555• 718-762-1000• 631-752-3900• 516-794-9200• 718-707-9330• 631-218-1818• 914-665-6868• 914-935-0220• 201-601-4755• 201-996-1991• 908-791-2740• 908-964-5544


Craig Ling put three years and more

than $5 million into the Manhattan

bar, which is at the Hilton on Sixth Av-

enue. Minus5 was a tough sell at times

when seeking out locations, said Mr.

Sabes.

Nobody in the U.S. has heard of the

likes of an ice bar. He and Mr. Ling,

who opened the first Minus5 locations

in Australia and New Zealand, finally

talked the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las

Vegas into housing the first American

location. Messrs. Sabes and Ling are

“in expansion mode” with Minus5,

said Mr. Sabes. They’re looking at loca-

tions in Washington, D.C., Miami, Chi-

cago and San Francisco among other

cities. Minus5 Manhattan’s $20 cover

charge comes with a borrowed parka

and gloves. For a little more, patrons

get a faux fur coat, or, as part of a VIP

package, a signature Russian-style hat.

Minus5 Manhattan fits about 50 or 60

patrons, most of whom stay in the

frigid temps for somewhere around

45 minutes. In Las Vegas, though, said

Mr. Sabes, a group of Canadians took

it upon themselves to set a record and

stayed in the bar for six hours.

Bubby’s To Pull Off Soda-Fountain TakeoutScoop hears that The Meatpacking

District is going to get a little more

wholesome this fall. Bubby’s, which is

slated to open just its second US store

in that neighborhood the first week in

September, will include a takeout area

with an old-fashioned soda fountain

shop. "Like the iconic Tribeca original,

made famous by glamorous diners

like John Kennedy the new location at

71-73 Gansevoort St. will be open from

6am to 4am daily," Chef/Owner Ron

Silver said. In the morning, the 2,800

square-foot restaurant will offer coffee

and pastries from a takeout window

along with cold-pressed juices. That

will morph to sandwiches and picnic

lunches for the High Line crowd dur-

ing the day and burgers and fries for

the late nightclub crawling crowd. The

restaurant will have 85 seats in the

dining room, and a coffee and soda

fountain takeout spot in the back. The

soda fountain shop concept will allow

Bubby’s to “showcase things that are

hidden in the basement in Tribeca,”

like the way the restaurant makes its

own soda and pies about 10 pies now,

and they change seasonally.

New Jersey’s Local Smoke BBQ Sets Sights On National TitleScoop notes that Local Smoke BBQ,

a team with a restaurant in Cook-

stown, took the New Jersey barbecue

championship at the recent event in

North Wildwood last month. The team

states: We are a competition barbecue

team specializing in the art of smoking

chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder and

beef brisket.

We've represented New Jersey at con-

tests all over the country including

Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Geor-

gia, Nevada and in almost every state

from Virginia to Vermont. We have col-

lected over 100 awards including three

NJ State Championship titles. High-

lights include 1st place in Ribs against

488 teams at the American Royal

BBQ contest in Kansas City (which

is known as the World Series of BBQ)

and 1st place in Brisket at the National

BBQ Festival in Douglas, GA.

The New Jersey State Barbecue Cham-

pionship, a three-day open-air festi-

val featuring championship barbecue

competition; live cooking demonstra-

tions, special displays, and food and

beverage vendors to satisfy every taste

and appetite.

The Anglesea Blues Festival℠ featured

both national and regional blues

musicians and was held in conjunc-

tion with the New Jersey State Barbe-

cue Championship. Throughout the

weekend, free live entertainment was

featured as well as additional acts in

neighboring establishments.

The championship competition is

sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbe-

cue Society (KCBS), the world's largest

association of barbecue enthusiasts.

Over $10,000 in cash and prizes were

awarded at the 2013 New Jersey State

Barbecue Championship. The com-

petition was officiated by representa-

tives of KCBS and a panel of volunteer

Bubby’s in The Meatpacking District will include a takeout area with an old-fashioned soda fountain shop.

The team states: We are

a competition barbecue

team specializing in the

art of smoking chicken,

pork ribs, pork shoulder

and beef brisket.

The Garden State's local Smoke BBQ Team have set their sights on a Na-tional Championship

http://issuu.com/action/openurl?url=http://www.protekny.com


judges, many of whom are certified in

the art and science of judging com-

petitive barbecue. The Grand Cham-

pion of the New Jersey State Barbecue

Championship℠ is eligible to compete

in the invitation only world champi-

onship, the American Royale, held an-

nually in Kansas City, Missouri. In ad-

dition, the New Jersey State Barbecue

Championship is one of an elite group

of qualifying events for the World Food

Championships, entitling our Grand

Champion to compete in the World

Food Championships in Las Vegas, NV

where the total prize purse is $300,000.

Pizza professional Agron Dushaj is

utilizing the latest from Long Island

based Marsal ovens to maintain the

very highest quality of pizza baking at

the Garden State’s newest location in

Hillside, NJ.

Meat Man Pat LaFrieda Jr. Writing Double-Cut Memoir and CookbookScoop looks forward to superstar meat

purveyor’s Pat LaFrieda’s book, cur-

rently billed on its Amazon page in

the leanest possible way as Untitled

Cookbook Memoir. What kind of liter-

ary debut can we expect from the guy

who took the hamburger-eating world

a major step forward with LaFrieda's

custom Black Label Blend?

Grind on and find out. There will be

"frenching, rolling and tying," appar-

ently, in addition to meat-buying tips

(which include "inexpensive and un-

usual cuts"), and then more advanced

home butchering techniques. Pat Jr.'s

family narrative will weave through

the pages like a larding needle, telling

the story of how the company "used

passion and hard work to build an un-

paralleled meat empire." There'll also

be "100 gorgeous coffee-table worthy

photos of meat," and additional reci-

pes from the kitchen at Raoul's and all-

stars like Jimmy Bradley, Josh Capon,

and Lidia Bastianich. The publisher is

keeping mum for now on whether the

book, which comes out May 6, 2014,

will also include specs on how to make

your own Black Label blend at home.

DiCarlo Family Feted At Long Island GalaScoop notes that the Family Service

League is pleased to announce the

Scoop looks forward to superstar meat purveyor’s Pat LaFrieda’s book, currently billed on its Amazon page as Untitled Cookbook Memoir.

There will be "frenching,

rolling and tying,"

apparently, in addition to

meat-buying tips (which

include "inexpensive and

unusual cuts"), and then

more advanced home

butchering techniques.

http://issuu.com/action/openurl?url=http://www.cheftec.com


success of the Summer Gala, an an-

nual Hampton’s favorite, which took

place last month under the grand tent

on The Great Lawn in Westhampton

Beach. The festive South Beach atmo-

sphere combined with so many FSL

supporters made this a truly special

event.

A wonderful evening for a great cause!

The Gala co-chairs, Linda Bohlsen

and Scott J. Skorobohaty, helped cre-

ate an extraordinary evening. Donald

Eversoll received the Fay J Lindner

Humanitarian Award and DiCarlo

Food Service received the Corporate

Leadership Award. Barbara Page re-

ceived the Vaughan Spilsbury Family

Advocacy Award and New York State

Senator John J. Flanagan received the

Government Leadership Award.

The 500 guests enjoyed delicious hors

d’oeuvres, cocktails, dinner, followed

by dancing and shopping for unique

designer gifts and services at the auc-

tion. All proceeds from the Gala sup-

port the programs and services that

the agency provides for 50,000 indi-

viduals and families in need each year.

Founded in 1926, FSL is a Long Island

based non-profit human services or-

ganization providing the region’s larg-

est safety net for over 50,000 people in

need.

Services are provided through more

than 50 different programs, in over 22

Long Island locations, all addressing

some of the most prevalent and press-

ing human needs in our communities.

FSL delivers tangible help and crisis

intervention across a broad spectrum

of service areas including counseling

to children, families and adults who

suffer with emotional problems, de-

velopmental disabilities, alcohol and

substance abuse, domestic violence,

child abuse and at-risk youth as well

as many training and job develop-

ment programs.

NYC’s Smoking Ban Marks 10th AnniversaryScoop says smoky restaurants and of-

fices and even smoke-filled bars, bus-

es and trains are mostly a historical

image in New York as the state marks

the 10th anniversary of its landmark

indoor smoking ban, which advocates

say saved thousands of lives while

most of its opponents' worst fears

blew away. Few measures in Albany

changed life in New York more.

The law relegated most smokers out-

doors while relieving nonsmokers

from facing secondhand smoke every

day at work. "The passage of New York

Michael and Teresa DiCarlo with Mr. and Mrs. Vincent DiCarlo

John DiCarlo Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Wagner, Mr. and Mrs. John DiCarlo Sr.

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State's Clean Indoor Air Act was a his-

toric moment for public health," said

Blair Horner, Vice President of Advo-

cacy at the American Cancer Society

Cancer Action Network. "In 2002, the

average New York bar or restaurant

was essentially a hotbox of deadly

carcinogens. For hospitality workers

clocking an eight-hour shift, this was

an incredibly dangerous situation. In

the decade ending in 2009, smoking

among New York adults declined from

22 percent to 17 percent. The share of

smokers seeking to quit increased to

65 percent, from 54 percent,” Horner

said.

But before that, it cost jobs and busi-

nesses, said the Empire State Restau-

rant and Tavern Association, which

sued the state over the ban on behalf

of restaurant and bar owners who

were "petrified by the law."

But not for long. "People lost their jobs

and lost their businesses," said asso-

ciation Executive Director Scott Wex-

ler. "But in the long term, it did not

have the impact the industry feared.”

For 18 months after the law was en-

acted, business dropped off and bars

and restaurants closed or cut jobs as

smokers stayed home or went to pri-

vate clubs and fraternal groups.

Wexler said restaurants saw a 3 to 4

percent loss of business, while bars

saw an 18 percent decline and the as-

sociation lost 20 percent of its mem-

bership. Today, few owners complain

unless they are in direct competition

with private clubs or bars without out-

door patios where smoking is allowed.

Business returned quickly, but most

operators didn't get the bump in busi-

ness that anti-smokers predicted.

Several operators did say new custom-

ers were attracted by the smoke-free

environment. "On the restaurant side

of the business, our members are now

saying the things the anti-smoking ad-

vocates said they would experience:

It's nice going home not smelling of

smoke, it's cheaper to keep the restau-

rant clean and they don't know how

they worked in a smoking environ-

ment before," Wexler said.

In 2002, the average

New York bar or

restaurant was

essentially a hotbox of

deadly carcinogens.

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“The Tri-State Food Expo will

be the first of its kind to ex-

clusively serve the growing

food service and retail food and bever-

age markets across New Jersey, western

Connecticut and the New York region

including New York City, Long Island

and those counties bordering northern

New Jersey,” said Bob Callahan, show

director. “The early response from ex-

hibitors, buyers, and the region’s trade

associations has been very positive, ex-

ceeding our expectations.”

Building further interest in the event,

is Diversified’s recently confirmed part-

nership with the New Jersey Restaurant

Association (NJRA), an association rep-

resenting more than 23,000 eating and

drinking establishments in the Garden

State. The NJRA’s restaurant and vendor

members will benefit from the partner-

ship in special attendee pricing, and ex-

clusive exhibit space access at the Expo.

“This show is unique and more af-

fordable than most trade events, as we

will provide booth furnishings for ex-

hibitors, saving them the expense and

inconvenience of bringing them,” said

Mr. Callahan. “Holding the event in the

Meadowlands Exposition Center also

gives us the flexibility to keep visitor

and exhibitor costs down. In addition

to the turnkey booth package, the facil-

ity offers easy access, inexpensive hotel

accommodations and ample parking.”

The Expo will be open to qualified re-

tail and foodservice trade buyers. Buy-

ers must be affiliated with food service

establishments, institutional dining, re-

tailers or retail food service. Exhibitors

will include food and equipment man-

ufacturers, manufacturing agents and

suppliers, food and equipment distrib-

utors, dealers, brokers and traders. The

Tri-State Food Expo attendee registra-

tion will be available in June 2013. For

additional information on attending,

visit www.tri-statefoodexpo.com. For

information on exhibiting your prod-

uct or service, contact Harrison Hines,

[email protected], (207) 842-5664

New Tri-State Food Expo for Food Service & Retail Market to Debut October 2013The Tri-State Food Expo (tri-statefoodexpo.com), a new trade show for the burgeoning New

York/New Jersey/Connecticut tri-state food service and retail food industry, will debut at the

Meadowlands Convention Center in Secaucus, New Jersey October 1 – 2, 2013.

// NEWS TRADE SHOWS

http://www.tri-statefoodexpo.com/

mailto:[email protected]

http://issuu.com/action/openurl?url=http://www.tri-statefoodexpo.com


http://issuu.com/action/openurl?url=http://www.apwwyott.com


http://issuu.com/action/openurl?url=http://www.jaderange.com


The national chain's new loca-

tion, at 136 Washington St.,

is just a stone's throw from

where it was before the Twin

Towers fell.

The new Morton's sits in front of

the National September 11 Memo-

rial & Museum and across from the

W hotel, giving it access to hoards of

tourists. Tilman Fertitta, chairman of

corporate parent Landry's Restaurants,

who made an appearance at the recent

grand opening, has lightened up Mor-

ton's design since he bought the chain

in 2011.

The split-level space with a ground-

floor lounge is decorated primarily in

black, but Mr. Fertitta installed a glass

façade. The lower-level dining room,

with surprisingly low ceilings, seats 92.

Decor aside, the chophouse is likely to

be embraced by the expense-account-

toting finance types who will fill the ris-

ing towers in the neighborhood.

Morton's The Steakhouse (formerly

Morton's of Chicago) was founded in

1978 by Arnie Morton and Klaus Frit-

sch. Today, there are 76 locations in the

chain. Morton's locations are deco-

rated with a similar style, concept and

decor. Approximately 80% of the busi-

ness for Morton's is based on business

expense accounts, with an average

guest bill being $88. 80% of the entrees

ordered are beef, while that total makes

up 38% of the restaurant's overall sales.

In December 2011, Morton’s Restau-

rant Group, Inc. announced that it had

signed a definitive agreement with Fer-

titta’s wholly owned company Fertitta

Morton’s Restaurants Inc. an affiliate of

Landry’s, Inc., whereby Feritta, through

an acquisition subsidiary, acquire all of

the outstanding shares of Morton’s for

a 34% premium.

In 2012 Fertitta was one of 21 new-

comers to the 2012 list of the World’s

Billionaires. Ranked at number 854

with a net worth of $1.5 billion.

Fertitta was raised in Galveston,

Texas, and attended Texas Tech Uni-

versity and the University of Houston

where he studied business administra-

tion and hospitality management. He

showed an entrepreneurial streak even

in college when he started his own firm

focused on marketing and sales and,

after college, development and con-

struction.

From there, Fertitta began building

homes while selling Shaklee vitamins

on the side. He moved full-time into

foodservice in 1986 working as a real es-

tate specialist for Landry's. It was only a

few short months before he bought the

chain. Initially, he was not the largest

advocate for Landry's as a restaurant,

but agreed that they had great food. He

saw potential, and knew he could make

it his own. In 1988 he became the sole

owner, buying out the Landry's broth-

ers and other investors. After some early

troubles, Fertitta expanded the chain to

include nearly a dozen restaurant chains

and individual entities.

Referred to by Forbes as The World's

Richest Restaurateur, Fertitta is an ex-

tremely successful businessman. He

attributes his successes to the priva-

tization of his restaurants, ensuring

he could invest in any properties he

thought suitable. He believes it is not

necessarily the quality of the food

served at a restaurant that brings in

the money, but the location. Placing

most of his restaurants on the coast,

he realizes that people want to enjoy

seafood, by the sea. But his restaurant

success does not end there; he has

also acquired the well-known Rainfor-

est Cafe, which earned him the title of

“a brash, arrogant, bargain-basement,

bottom-feeing acquisition nemesis.”

Words spoken by the previous owner

and founder of Rainforest Cafe.

Along with his business savvy, Fer-

titta is known for his cutthroat atti-

tude. He focuses on companies that

are going under, that he knows need

his help to get on their feet, purchases

them and makes them his own. Taking

ownership of every restaurant on the

Kemah Boardwalk in Texas, he turned

the small shrimping attraction into

“the Land of Landry's”, into a popular

theme park.

As the economy improves, Fertitta

is seeing fewer chances to make his

moves. He has turned his attention to

casinos, an industry which he is already

both familiar, and successful with. Pur-

chasing the Trump Marina in Atlantic

City, New Jersey in 2011, he rebranded

it as the Golden Nugget Atlantic City.

He has plans to renovate and rebrand

another property in Biloxi, Mississippi

as a Golden Nugget.

Fertitta now operates 56 brands and

421 locations. He owns the Golden

Nugget Casinos, Houston's Kemah

Boardwalk, the Tower of the Americas

in San Antonio and the San Luis Re-

sort in Galveston. Using Landry's as his

crutch, he entered into the restaurant

world as an investor and has come out

a complete success.

The new Manhattan outpost is

10,500 square foot Morton’s which

is being managed by Kimberly Ge-

herin, has a bar on the street level and

the main dining room and boardrooms

on a lower level. The restaurant’s wine

list includes entries at over $5000 a bot-

tle and introduced “power hours” that

feature $6 plates between 4:30-6:30 pm

and after 9 pm.

Morton’s Returns To Manhattan After Long AbsenceIn yet another sign of a reviving downtown, Morton's The Steakhouse reopened at the World

Trade Center last month after more than a decade's absence from the neighborhood.

// NEWS RESTAURANTS

The National Chain is yet another milestone in the Renaissance of the Financial District


http://issuu.com/action/openurl?url=http://www.culinarydepotinc.com


Do you support the culture of fin-ing that has existed under the current administration?I do not support a culture of

targeting small businesses and en-

trepreneurs who are trying to create

economic industries and jobs that are

vital to the city’s economy. Fines only

impose a monetary punishment to

those who have not obeyed the rules

and regulations. Fines should not be

seen as a revenue generator for the

city, and the city should not be bal-

ancing its budget on the back of small

business owners. Instead, we should

be doing everything we can to foster

and support our small business. They

are critical to our economy and pro-

vide accessible jobs.

A better approach to supporting small

businesses that usually obey the rules

is to enforce the rules on those that

do not. Those who do not are usually

just a handful of bad apples and en-

forcement can be done in a rigorous,

frequent manner with the coordina-

tion of multiple agencies and com-

munity groups. Agencies need to go

back to the basics of education before

enforcement. As mayor, I would direct

personnel from the Department of

Small Business services to work with

business owners and help them come

into compliance. Through coopera-

tion we can support business and en-

sure that restaurants are safe and fol-

lowing health regulations.

How would you enhance or reform the Department of Small Business Services

and/ or the Small Business Acceleration Team?The Department of Small Business

Services could be enhanced through

the expansion of its Business Out-

reach Team. If the city wants to truly

help businesses succeed, they need

to be available for businesses when

they need them and on their time.

The Business Outreach Team could

use more experienced field staff who

can spend more time out in the field

reaching out to business owners and

listening to their needs and bringing

much-needed resources and services

directly to them. The truth is, business

owners usually do not have the time or

money to travel to an agency or center

to get help, let alone pay fines. Busi-

ness owners are usually found in their

place of business, and that’s where the

department needs to start providing

assistance.

How would you work with borough presidents to ensure restaurants have a fair hearing at the commu-nity boards?

Having been a borough president, I

know this process all too well. And hav-

ing been a district manager of a local

community board, I know the head-

aches that businesses go through and

the terrible experience that they usually

have with the city bureaucracy–waiting

for permits, certificates of occupancy,

waiting for sign-offs on licensing, the

multiple agencies they often have to go

through and of course the economic

impact on their businesses and the

economy in general. Having said that,

I would commission my team–my five-

borough team–to work on two levels

with the borough presidents. One to

give regular briefings and presenta-

tions on all of the business services we

provide and the polices behind them to

borough boards. The other would be to

dispatch a local team from the borough

Business Solution Centers to each of the

community boards on a regular basis.

We need to make government more

user-friendly. This is not about the gov-

ernment’s convenience. It’s about the

convenience of the citizenry and busi-

nesses of New York.

Do you support the culture of fining that has existed under the current administration?I recently heard a story of a small busi-

ness that got fined something like

$14,000 for some items associated with

a toy gun. It was a little package that

had a badge, a toy gun and some other

things for kids. It cost the guy about $65

to buy a small case of these toys and

rather than the city coming in and say-

ing look I am going to give you a warn-

ing, you can’t sell that item because they

don’t have the bright orange cap on the

front. The city rather than saying this is

a problem you have to stop, they fined

him thousands of dollars and now the

guy has to go hire a lawyer to try to bring

that back down. At the end of the day,

it practically puts him out of business.

These are hand-to-mouth businesses.

They are stretched financially. Every

penny counts. The city should not be

in the business of punishing small busi-

nesses like restaurants. They should be

in the business of helping them to get

through difficult times and comply with

the rules. The city government works for

the businesses and not the other way

around. The city should not be using

small business as its ATM.

Adolfo Carrión, Jr.,Independent Mayoral Candidate

John LiuDemocratic Mayoral Candidate


How would you enhance or reform the Department of Small Business Services and/ or the Small Business Acceleration Team?

Small businesses have been operat-

ing in a constant state of crisis for too

long in this city. In neighborhoods like

mine in Bay Ridge, they not only serve

the community, they employ it and of-

fer their services and space to help

schools, nonprofits, and other commu-

nity groups. It's time for them to have a

Mayor that helps them in return. Many

small business owners are immigrant

entrepreneurs. As an immigrant my-

self, I want to ensure that all city agen-

cies that work with small businesses are

culturally and linguistically competent.

I'll also drag them into the 21st century

by bringing permitting and licensing

online, making applications easier and

processing time faster so that business

owners aren't forced to sit in limbo and

lose money while bureaucracy muddles

along.

How would you work with borough presi-dents to ensure restaurants have a fair hearing at the community boards?In every neighborhood that I visit, at

least one restaurateur tells me they just

aren't being heard. They feel shaken

down and then ignored by their govern-

ment. That's just not right. I'll have an

open line of communication with bor-

ough presidents and encourage them

to give restaurant-owners and associa-

tions a seat at the table when important

restaurant-related policies are being

considered.

Do you support the culture of fining that has existed under the current administration?Absolutely not. Health and safety rules

are, as the name suggests, meant to

protect the health and safety of custom-

ers and employees. They are not meant

solely as revenue generators for the city.

Under my administration, inspectors

would operate under a "warn first, help

second, fine third" approach. If an in-

spection turned up violations, owners

would be given a warning and helped to

understand how they can bring them-

selves up to code. They would be given

a period to correct the violations, after

which, if they have not done so, they

would be fined appropriately. Instead

of "dine and dash," we've been practic-

ing "fine and dash." That's not how you

protect the public or encourage small

businesses to improve.

Sal AlbaneseDemocratic Mayoral Candidate

How would you enhance or reform the Department of Small Business Services and/ or the Small Busi-ness Acceleration Team?

I would put as much of the permit pro-

curement process as possible, and all

information important to restaurants

just starting up, online in an easy to

understand format. For example, pro-

motion of the map of new restaurants

must be improved and the informa-

tion included on it needs to be en-

hanced to provide such information

as type of cuisine.

How would you work with borough presi-dents to ensure restaurants have a fair hearing at the community boards?I would have a representative from

the Mayor's Office at each commu-

nity board meeting with instructions

to work with the district managers

and board members to overcome any

obstacles that may come up for a pro-

posed restaurant. My representative

would make it known that he/she will

remain after the meeting to listen to

any objections from the community

so that my office may expeditiously

respond to them, as well as any allega-

tions that the proposal is not receiving

fair treatment from the community

board.

Do you support the culture of fining that has existed under the current administration? No. I would eliminate quotas that help

to drive the inspectors' pens and make

certain that restaurants are not looked

at as ATM's providing revenue for the

city. Summonses should only be is-

sued for serious violations. The city

should work with the restaurateur to

eliminate lesser problems without a

fine.

How would you streamline the permit process for restaurants, alcohol licenses? I would put as much of the permit

process as possible online with easy

to understand instructions in several

languages.

Erick SalgadoDemocratic Mayoral Candidate

For complete interviews and access to more NYC Mayoral Candidates, visit us at www.totalfood.com/nyc-mayoral-forum


How would you enhance or reform the Department of Small Busi-ness Services and/ or the Small Business Acceleration Team?

I will end the excessive fines and fees

on our city’s small businesses. The

city's current quota system is out-

rageous–and it will end when I'm

Mayor. Small businesses aren't ATM

machines for city revenue; they help

us create jobs and develop communi-

ties.

How would you work with borough presi-dents to ensure restaurants have a fair hearing at the community boards?Restaurants should not be punished,

lose their liquor licenses or be shut

down. I will work with all parties

involved, including borough presi-

dents, to ensure that restaurants are

given a fair hearing before commu-

nity boards.

How do you clarify for restaurant owners the regulations that pertain to them? It’s impossible to learn a lesson from

getting punished without know-

ing what you are getting punished

for. In regards to restaurants–and all

other businesses, for that matter–I

will work to make our city’s rules and

regulations easier to understand as

Mayor. That way, a business can do

things right the first time–saving time

and money.

Do you support the culture of fining that has existed under the current adminis-tration?

As Mayor, I will ensure that the city

stops nickel and diming business-

es through aggressive fines. These

last 12 years have shown that fining

doesn’t teach businesses anything,

especially when they are fined for

violations they did not know even ex-

isted. We need to reform the current

system and eliminate excessive fines

on businesses.

What are your views on the paid-sick leave legislation? Do you see any other wage/hour legislation coming?I am a staunch supporter of paid-sick

leave. We should no longer force par-

ents to choose between holding their

jobs and caring for loved ones–paid-

sick leave legislation is an excellent

way to ensure just that.

Bill ThompsonDemocratic Mayoral Candidate

How would you work with borough presidents to ensure restaurants have a fair hearing at the commu-nity boards?

Both community leaders and business

owners must be involved in a conversa-

tion about how we can grow local econ-

omies while protecting the public’s

health. As Mayor, I will work with bor-

ough presidents to develop an open di-

alogue between restaurant owners and

neighborhood leaders about defining

a fair set of criteria against which the

development and management of res-

taurants can be judged by community

boards. I will also work with borough

presidents on the development of eco-

nomic development hubs that will help

businesses navigate regulatory rules,

comply with wage and labor laws and

avoid consumer and health violations.

How would you enhance or reform the De-partment of Small Business Services and/ or the Small Business Acceleration Team?The Department of Small Business

Services must work more closely with

community-based organizations to

increase knowledge of services. SBS

currently dispenses services through

brick and mortar centers that place

the onus on businesses to seek out

help. The agency should partner with

cultural, religious and community-

affiliated groups to disseminate infor-

mation about the programs it offers. I

believe that SBS should change its cur-

rent outreach strategy by increasing the

amount of resources allotted to reach-

ing immigrant businesses at their place

of business. A targeted campaign that

goes from business to business will be

a more effective means of reaching im-

migrant businesses, many of which do

not have a history of seeking out ser-

vices at government centers.

Bill de BlasioDemocratic Mayoral Candidate

For complete interviews and access to more NYC Mayoral Candidates, visit us at www.totalfood.com/nyc-mayoral-forum

Tyler Pager is a free-lance writer based in West Harrison, New York. He is a rising freshman at North-western University's Medill School of Jour-n a l i s m . H e w a s

named the 2013 New York State Journalist of the Year by the Journalism Education Association. His work has been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Daily Caller and The Daily Northwestern.


Producing these piec-

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Cookies – Delicious Decorating for

any Occasion. Garrett's work has ap-

peared on national TV and in count-

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was named one of the 10 best cake

artists in the U.S. In 2011, her book

Wedding Cake Art and Design – a

Professional Approach received an

IACP award in the "Professional

Kitchen" category.

An ICE Pastry & Baking Arts gradu-

ate, Elisa Strauss founded Confetti

Cakes in 2000 after her study at ICE,

as well as Vassar College and the Art

Institute of Chicago. Her creations

have made numerous appearances

on TV (Today Show, Sex and the City,

The View, Martha, Food Network's

“Extreme Cake Challenge” where she

won the grand prize), and countless

publications (InStyle, Martha Stew-

art Weddings, Marie Claire, Seven-

teen, Elle, Vogue, Modern Bride, New

York magazine, BRIDES, Elegant

Bride, The Knot) and in 2008 was

selected as one of America’s Top Ten

Pastry Chef’s in Pastry Art and De-

sign.

Elisa’s first book, The Confetti Cakes

Cookbook, is in its sixth printing,

and her second book entitled Con-

fetti Cakes for Kids was released

in the Fall of 2008. Program Start

Date: 8/16 Schedule: 1:00-5:00pm,

Mon-Fri Duration: 240 hours over 12

weeks Tuition: $13,653.93 Financial

Aid: Sallie Mae loans may be avail-

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Approved as licensed program by New

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This program is not within the scope

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continuing education.

New ICE Program Highlights the Art of Professional Cake DecoratingTheir ever-increasing public profile and place in our celebratory rites have created

a booming business trend within the culinary world.

// NEWS EDUCATION

ICE's Techniques and Art of Professional Cake Decorating was developed for anyone with an interest in pursuing a rewarding career in cake decorating.

ICE's Techniques and Art of Professional

Cake Decorating was developed for

anyone with an interest in pursuing a

rewarding career in cake decorating.


There’s a certain sense of

pride you should have if

your boss has assigned

a server-in-training to

you. It means that you’re

doing your job well and are capable of

showing someone else the ropes. So

take a moment to congratulate your-

self: you are a great server! But what

happens when you’re unsure of how

exactly to train someone? You may

have been doing the job for so long

that you know everything as if sec-

ond nature, so teaching someone else

without forgetting something can be

a little nerve wracking. Some restau-

rants have a strict training policy, but

others kind of just throw you into it, so

be prepared no matter which category

your job falls into.

Of course, there are a few things to

keep in mind when training: does

the person you’re training have expe-

rience…or not? At first, I would sug-

gest treating each new employee as if

they’re learning for the first time and

work from there. The more experi-

ence you see, the less you’ll be teach-

ing about how to be an actual server

and the more you’ll be teaching about

the working system of your particular

restaurant. Either way, here are a few

8 tips on how to train a new waiter/

waitress.

TIP #1: Get OrganizedThere are so many things that need

to be taught that some of us don’t

even know where to begin. If

you have enough notice from

your boss on when the first

day of training is, take some

time before then to make

a list of everything that

needs to be shown to the

newcomer. What’s

the first

thing you want to show them? What

are the most important things that

the trainee should memorize? What

do they need to learn first in order to

learn the way the restaurant is run?

Here’s an example of a list of priorities,

starting with the first day of training:

• Menu Knowledge

• Wine List Knowledge (if appli-

cable)

•Floor Plan Knowledge (table

numbers, bar area, sections,

etc.)

• Tour of the res-

taurant (so the trainee

knows where everything

is: bathrooms, stock

rooms, fridges,

stations, etc)

• How

to

clock in and clock out

• Cleaning tasks and side works

• Tables (presentation, cleaning,

preparations, etc)

• The “running” system of the

restaurants (how to run drinks

from the bar, salads, soups, hot

food, etc)

• How to greet customers

• How to take orders

• How to ring up the orders (POS

System)

• Any steps of service (check backs,

recooks, how to handle any com-

plaints, etc)

• Serving coffee and dessert

• Presenting the check

• Closing duties

• Closing cleaning tasks and re-

stocking

• Sales report at the end of the shift

• Rules of the restaurant

Make sure you follow a certain

schedule so that their training makes

sense. You don’t want to start show-

ing them how to take orders if they

haven’t even begun to memorize the

menu (although, in my opinion, the

trainee should have at least 85% of

the menu memorized by their first

day of training. Tip of the Day: Learn

Your Menu.) Following your list of

priorities will help you make sure you

didn’t skip a step.

TIP #2: ShadowingA very important step. Have your

trainee “shadow” your every move.

Before they even take an order, have

them watch every step you take. Tell

them to note how you speak with the

customers, your tone of voice, your

facial features, your posture, etc. Ev-

ery little thing is important and if your

restaurant has a way of presenting

specials, up-selling promotions, or

even describing the catch of the day

The Waitress has been working in the food and service industry for over 8 years having

experienced the restaurant business from several different angles. Her experience is

anything from hostess to waitress and expeditor to floor manager which has inspired her

to share her personal advice for servers everywhere and her thoughts on the restaurant

business. She uses her everyday experiences to gather ideas for her blog, 'The Waitress

Confessions.' To contact The Waitress or to read her blog visit thewaitressconfessions.

wordpress.com or follow her via Twitter: @WConfessions

// THE WAITRESS CONFESSIONS WITH THE WAITRESS

8 Tips On How to Train a New Waiter/Waitress


make sure that your trainee knows the

proper way to do these things. Con-

sistency is very important in the res-

taurant business.

Also, when it comes time to picking

up the speed and running drinks and

food, it’s important that your trainee

recognizes the pace of your particu-

lar restaurant and learns how to keep

up with it. At a quickly paced restau-

rant, the last thing you want is for your

trainee to get stuck in 2nd gear when

they should be shifting it up a few

notches. Tell them to keep up with

you and that you want them 2 steps

behind at all times.

TIP #3: Answer their questionsNo matter how naive the question may

seem, just answer it in a polite way. It

may seem like common sense to you,

but remember that every restaurant is

different and they just want to know

how things run at their new place of

work. The more questions they ask,

the better. Take note, however, if they

are asking the same questions over

and over. They are there to learn and

soak up as much knowledge as they

can, but if they can’t retain any of the

things you are teaching them, it may

be a red flag.

TIP #4: Ask questionsThis is the best way for new servers

to learn, especially when it comes to

learning the menu. Ask them to de-

scribe certain dishes for you. If they

stumble or come out with a wishy-

washy description, show them the cor-

rect way of describing the restaurants’

meals and tell them to practice. Ask

them to name all the beers the restau-

rant offers on tap. They may respond,

for example, like this “Uh…Heinek-

en…um, Guinness….” so be prepared

to show off a little and show them how

you list off all the beers. Asking ques-

tions before customers get a chance

to ask them is the best way for them

to be prepared when it comes time for

them to take orders. Feel free to ask

questions out of the blue and don’t be

afraid to put them on the spot. During

a rush, they’ll need to be prepared so

catch them off guard so when the time

comes they aren’t flailing for answers.

TIP #5: Role playPretend you are a customer and go

through a dry run of taking a table’s or-

der. Have them come up to you (pre-

tending to be a customer) and act out

a service. If you think it’s silly…well it

is a little. But it’s the best way for you

to get an idea of how they will be once

faced with real customers. Remem-

ber, they will be practicing on your

tables, so you want them to make as

little mistakes as possible. A dry run

will help you to correct any bad habits,

mistakes, and allow you to make sug-

gestions. Also, it will give the trainee a

chance to get out their nerves before

heading over to their first table.

TIP #6: Shadow themOnce the training has been done and

you are ready to see them in action, let

them take the reigns for a while. In-

form them that they will be handling

everything from A to Z and you’ll be

following them to make sure that they

are serving the guests properly. Be

ready to jump in when they aren’t

sure and take mental notes on any-

thing that they are doing that doesn’t

meet your restaurant’s standards. At

the end of the day, go over what they

need to work on, point out any strong

points or things that they did perfect-

ly, and ask if they have any questions

or comments about how they believe

their service was.

TIP #7: Give them spaceIf your trainee is catching on quickly

and is starting to really get a feel for

the job, give them a bit of space. Back

off and let them take the wheel for a

bit. See how they do on their own. Let

them make a few minor mistakes so

that they will learn (while making

sure it doesn’t affect your customer’s

dining experience of course). Make

a few comments here and there such

as “Hurry it up a bit” or “You forgot

to order their drinks” and ask a few

questions to help guide them such

as “What are you forgetting on that

table?” or “What’s your priority right

now?” But other than that, pretend

that they are working alone. It’s the

best way for you to see if they are ca-

pable of handling the job and the best

way for them to get a real sense of

what is expected of them.

TIP #8: Teach them how to Spoil Their CustomersEvery restaurant has a different way of

spoiling their customers. Whether it

be offering a drink on the house for a

regular customer or going above and

beyond the steps of service, there are

always ways that you can teach some-

one how the restaurants’ customers

prefer to be served. Your trainee may

have worked at a previous restaurant

that wasn’t as keen about giving good

service as you, so make sure they live

up to the standards of the restaurant.

Now you’re all set for the basics of

training a new waiter/waitress. Of

course, there are so many other little

details, but this will help give you an

overview of what to do and tricks on

how to get the best out of your trainee.

http://issuu.com/action/openurl?url=http://www.marsair.com


It has an existing customer base

in the region, including clients

from Delaware, Maryland, New

Jersey, New York, Pennsylva-

nia and Washington, D.C. The

new warehouse, like its existing coun-

terpart in Southfield, Mich., will be

serviced from Restaurant Equippers’

200,000-sq.-ft. distribution center in

Ohio.

“The Greater Philadelphia store will

provide tremendous opportunities

not only to expand our presence in the

region, but also to deliver our brand

of service and product offerings to a

broader base of customers looking for

a reliable supplier,” said Restaurant

Equippers President Larry Dach.

"Demand from current customers

on the East Coast, plus the potential

sales growth from new customers, con-

vinced us that a brick-and-mortar store

made sense," Dach noted. "When we

look at Philadelphia, we already have

10,000 customers and we mail more

than 100,000 catalogs to potential cus-

tomers within 100 miles of this loca-

tion."

"We stock absolutely everything a

restaurant needs at low warehouse

prices," added Howard Task , the firm's

Vice President. "Customers literally

drive away with any and every item

necessary to open their doors. "Our

customers know, if you need 40 chairs

quickly, if you need freezers, refrigera-

tors, you name it, 99 percent of it we'll

have in stock. Just bring your truck in

and you can drive it away."

The store has opened in The Point, a

former multiplex movie theater site at

NJ 38 and NJ 70 in Pennsauken near the

NJ Turnpike, I-295, and the Ben Frank-

lin Bridge to Center City Philadelphia.

"We're a warehouse store. We have low

prices on restaurant equipment, and

we have restaurant supplies," Dave

Kelly, the chain's marketing director,

said.

Why Pennsauken? "We have a strong

client base there now with our cata-

logue and our direct mail and our Web

site," said Kelly. "We have clients in

Philadelphia, New York, Maryland. We

have clients in Western Pennsylvania

who drive to our Columbus store. So

we looked at markets in the East," and

Philly was central, and affordable.

Restaurant Equippers has created a

much talked about strategy that blends

on-line retailing with "bricks and mor-

tar." "We successfully operate three

channels that provide restaurant oper-

ators with flexibility and convenience.

We operate a robust web store, mail 3.2

million catalogues annually, and with

the addition of the New Jersey store

the company now has three warehouse

stores open to the public,” Task contin-

ued.

In each of its channels, Restaurant

Equippers has focused on customer

service. "We understand that many

restaurateurs do not want to spend

thousands of dollars online for refriger-

ation and cooking equipment without

talking to a professional that can assist

them with their needs,” Dach added.

"All of our associates have restaurant

experience - from owning an indepen-

dent restaurant to managing a major

chain restaurant to working in the back

room or as wait staff. We also have con-

tinuing education classes at each store

throughout the year. When we talk

with our customers 99% of the time the

#1 reason they tell us that they shop

Restaurant Equippers is the knowledge

and friendliness of our associates. I am

very proud of our store associates."

With stores in Ohio and Michigan,

Restaurant Equippers, owned by the

children of founder Morris Dach, op-

erates some of "the largest restaurant

equipment warehouses in the coun-

try," says Brandon Anapol of Metro

Commercial Real Estate, who negoti-

ated the lease for the chain. The Point

was represented by the Glimcher

Group Inc.

"We are the fastest growing mass

merchandiser of restaurant equipment

and supply in the country," added Task.

"But we never forget that our success

has always been the ability to work one

on one with every customer.”

Restaurant Equippers Brings Dynamic New Approach to E&S with Debut Of New Jersey Store

// NEWS DEBUT

Restaurant Equippers opened its third warehouse store last month in Pennsauken, NJ.

With 20 percent of the US population within two hours of the store, the Columbus, Ohio-

based company has brought its special approach to Equipment and Supply with its

40,000-sq.-ft. store in Pennsauken, N.J.

(L toR) Scott Sugarman (Family Member), Larry Dach/Restaurant Equippers President, Pennsauken Township Mayor Rick Taylor, Debbi Dach Sugarman (RE Vice President) Jim Ellis, Pennsauken Chamber of Commerce President


Dock in 2007 when she couldn’t find

just the right setting for her son Will’s

bar mitzvah back in December 2007.

The Greenwich resident was looking

for something cool, something styl-

ish—a Connecticut venue that felt,

well, more like a SoHo loft.

For Abigail Kirsch the entry into

Connecticut marks yet another

chapter as one of the legendary suc-

cess stories in Metro New York food

service. It was the mid-sixties when

Abigail Kirsch started a cooking

school in the basement of her home.

A few years later, when success man-

dated a move to a storefront, Abi-

gail’s husband Bob sold his business

and joined her to co-found the ca-

tering business. Their son Jim joined

his parents full-time in 1980 and

they never looked back. The family

partnership expanded to include Ali-

son Awerbuch, who joined the com-

pany in 1984 and took over culinary

leadership from Abigail in 1990.

What started as a small business

serving predominately Westchester

and Fairfield Counties quickly ex-

panded to include Manhattan and

the entire tri-state area. In 1990 the

Kirschs opened Tappan Hill Man-

sion and began operating their first

exclusive venue. Since Tappan Hill,

the family has added The New York

Botanical Garden, Pier Sixty and The

Lighthouse, and Stage 6 at Steiner

Studios to their exclusive venue

portfolio. The business also operates

cafes as part of its venue operations

and caters major sports events.

Today Abigail Kirsch, Catering

Relationships is recognized as the

market leader for excellence in the

greater New York metropolitan area.

At the core of its success is an ob-

sessive commitment to perfection.

The Kirschs recognized early on that

their business was only as success-

ful as their last event. With this focus

as a cornerstone, all associates work

in unison to provide extraordinary

guest experiences.

It’s great that you have volunteers. How many work the festival and what are some of those roles? In 2012, more than 1,600 volunteers

donated over 11,000 hours of time to

help us produce the Festival. They

work in a variety of roles, including

event registration, logistics manage-

ment, sponsorship assistance, market-

ing, and more.

What hunger-relief programs benefit from the festival? To date, the Festival has raised more

than $6 million for our beneficiaries

Food Bank For New York City and Share

Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry cam-

paign.

This is the festival’s 6th year. What made you feel there was a need for the 1st festival and how has it evolved?

There was nothing like it on such a large

scale – we bring together that great mix

of pop culture and white tablecloth

lifestyle experiences so that there really

is something for everyone.

What does the NYC Wine and Food Festival experience entail?

We have 100+ events over the four days

– from grand walk-around tastings and

late-night parties, to intimate dinners,

educational seminars and brunches –

so the experience can be whatever suits

you.

What are the most challenging issues when creating a festival of this magni-tude? Aligning all of the elements – venue,

event theme, talent, and sponsors – to

create the best experience possible.

Whether you’re a foodie or a foodser-vice professional, is there a learning experience to take away from this event for everyone? We hope the learning experience is

packaged in with the fun – whether

it’s tasting a new wine or spirit, seeing

a new product, meeting your favorite

chef, or discovering a new restaurant/

venue.

Newsmaker, from page 36 Abigail, from page 18

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Jersey Artisan Spirits also has

plans for a whiskey and pos-

sibly a vodka to join their ex-

pressive rums. But first, what

makes artisan rum an impor-

tant purchase? Perhaps it is the na-

ture of the craft itself. And the fact it’s

from New Jersey!

Busted Barrel comes in a hand-

some bottle somewhat shaped like a

pot still. A pot still is just that, shaped

like a pot! A column still is shaped

like a tall column. Each has very

specific tastes that come from deep

within. I love a pot still for the deep

flavors that are unlocked through the

slower distillation process. Column

stills although visually exciting are

different beasts entirely. They offer

a different flavor profile. I like them

both equally for each of their flavors.

The technology is primitive and it’s

also high tech. Distilling is an art like

brewing beer, baking bread or roast-

ing coffee. It’s only hindered by a lack

of space and spending power. It’s not

inexpensive to distill; you must have

a good source of liquid capital.

It’s not at all far fetched to imag-

ine distillation an applied art. Busted

Barrel Rum is made with care at an

old Curtiss-Wright hanger in Fair-

field, New Jersey. This is a part of New

Jersey that is off the beaten path. The

hanger has magnificent trellis work

that binds the curved ceiling to the

walls. The floors are poured concrete

and it’s obvious from the outset that

this building was constructed for

building aircraft. It looks like it could

survive a direct hit from a bomb. Set

off the main drag you might mistake

it for a hanger left over from the Cold

War and the nearby Fairfield Airport.

The small pot still drips out a pre-

cious amount of distillate every few

minutes or so, filling a large carboy

with life giving fluids. It’s very im-

pressive to watch.

Brant Braue and Krista Haley are

the gregarious owners of Jersey Arti-

san Distilling. They are in synch with

each other and the workings of this

fledgling distillery. Their rum is their

life with Krista filling out her days

as an attorney. Brant is an engineer

charged with the constant experi-

mentation and implementation of

the distillery systems. There is always

something to do in a distillery and

being charged with the ultimate re-

sponsibility of the safety of the still

and that of his neighbors, Brant is hy-

per vigilant to this task. Recent fires

at Tuthilltown Distillery in Gardiner,

NY stand as a striking reminder that

good practices must remain at the

forefront of the distilling industry.

The rules are so old, yet in the eyes

of the regulators, everything is brand

new and open to new scrutiny. Fortu-

nately industry publications such as

Distiller Magazine and the American

Distilling Institute take some of the

arcane and give new clarity to this

very new industry with roots dating

back thousands of years.

Rum is a marvelous creature when

made well. It can be slurped with

cola, imbibed straight with coconut

water ice in a daiquiri with fresh lime

juice, woven into a mint julep with

mint and lime simple syrup or even

used to marinate chicken and fish

as they do in the Caribbean Islands.

Rum used to be the most valuable

currency of the Colonial era and it

was once used as a means of trade

between New England, New Jersey

and the southern reaches of the Ca-

ribbean.

Busted Barrel Rum, now available

in New Jersey with New York and

Connecticut on the radar, is world-

class rum. The light rum is reminis-

cent of Rhum Agricole (Agricultural

rum from Martinique) in nose. The

color is crystal clear and the nose

// MIXOLOGY WITH WARREN BOBROW

Metro New York MixologyBusted Barrel Rum is a magnificent creature. Produced

with love from Louisiana cane molasses, Busted Barrel is

made by the first distillery in New Jersey since Prohibition.

Warren Bobrow

Warren Bobrow is the cocktail writer for

Williams-Sonoma, Foodista, Voda Maga-

zine and the 501c3 not for profit Wild River

Review/Wild Table, where he also serves as

an editor. www.cocktailwhisperer.com

Rum is a marvelous creature when made well.

It can be slurped with cola, imbibed straight

with coconut water ice in a daiquiri with

fresh lime juice, woven into a mint julep with

mint and lime simple syrup or even used to

marinate chicken and fish.


is pure cane with dried leather and

stone fruits predominating the long

finish redolent of citrus skins. Busted

Barrel is also aging their dark rum

in small charred oak casks, each

charged with the task of bringing the

powerfully untamed white rum into

a softer state of affairs. I enjoy the

caramelized nut aromas and freshly

cut pineapple nose of this rum. It’s

fabulous in a punch or simply with

a squeeze of lime and a dollop of

cane sugar syrup. If I was to suggest

a punch for this highly expressive

rum I’d suggest the rum version of

my Tales of the Cocktail/ Whiskey

Luau punch. I made this drink with

rye whiskey but rum would work per-

fectly and deliciously.

I call this punch the Anstruthers

Tricklet after the antagonist doctor

in Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel:

Treasure Island. The good doctor was

known to blast the minds of his sail-

ors with their daily punch and this

one certainly will not disappoint. I

would highly suggest getting a gang

of your friends together because this

recipe will erase the minds of lesser

folks.

As in all my cocktails you can cut

the ingredients down in amounts,

but you must NEVER skimp on the

ingredients. You MUST use freshly

squeezed juices. There really is no

excuse for using frozen concentrates.

I’m sure this makes the juice mar-

ket very nervous, but for my drinks I

must insist on the very best! And be-

sides if you are entertaining, doesn’t

it make sense to use the very best you

can afford? I think so. As my friends

at Employees Only in New York City

do, fresh ingredients always, and

great ice, and great glassware, it’s all

meaningful. I think it’s important to

be the best you can be when it comes

to what we eat and drink. That’s why

we are in this business. It’s eating

AND drinking that makes the world

go around!

Anstruthers Tricklet Punch

Ingredients• 1 Bottle Busted Barrel

Dark Rum

• 2 Bottles Busted Barrel

Light Rum

• 1 Quart Freshly Squeezed

Orange Juice

• ½ Quart Freshly Squeezed

Lime Juice

• ½ Quart Freshly Squeezed

Lemon Juice

• 2 – 750 ml. bottles Wilkes and

Wilson Lime, Mint Simple

Syrup

• 4- 750 ml. bottles Perrier Spar-

kling Natural Mineral Water

• 2 Quarts sweetened Coconut

Milk

• 1 Quart Monin Peach Puree

(all natural from France)

• 20 drops Fee Brothers West

Indian Orange Bitters

• 10 drops Peychaud’s Bitters

Preparation1. Place a large hunk of ice in a

punch bowl

2. Add all liquid ingredients

3. The punch will appear to be

“broken” from the coconut

milk, but worry not; the solids

will attach themselves to the

ice rendering the punch nearly

crystalline.

4. Stir and serve. Will serve about

fifty.

I call this punch the Anstruthers Tricklet

after the antagonist doctor in Robert Louis

Stevenson’s novel: Treasure Island. The good

doctor was known to blast the minds of his

sailors with their daily punch and this one

certainly will not disappoint.

Busted Barrel Rum, now available in New Jersey with New York and Connecticut on the radar, is world-class rum. The light rum is reminiscent of Rhum Agricole (Agricultural rum from Martinique) in nose.


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important parameter is food trends. At

my current restaurant after taking all

of these items into account we have a

menu of items that does not change

throughout the years. We do offer a vari-

ety of specials to showcase seasonal in-

gredients and offer regulars something

new if they are interested in venturing

outside their “usual” order.

On the equipment side, do you have pieces of equipment that you like to use that makes your job easier in preparing dishes?Old style Chefs will probably say your

hands and a good knife are enough, but

I welcome any piece of equipment that

saves me time without sacrificing qual-

ity. Why knead by hand when I can use

an electric mixer?

The restaurant industry has a very broad range of foods, what’s your buy-ing approach? Do you go out to bid on

a regular basis or do you look for loyalty from vendors?I believe 100% in loyalty. I prefer to pay

more for a better quality ingredient from

a vendor that I trust.

The restaurant business can be fierce on Long Island, especially during the sum-mer season. How do you compete?Price and quality. Lately, quality seems to

be slipping in vendors and in other res-

taurants and we refuse to let that happen

here – I do not give up! Price is also a driv-

ing factor for many people when choos-

ing a restaurant and we believe some

people are willing to pay more for a bet-

ter product of higher quality. It’s also al-

ways necessary to find new ways to reach

new customers and increase revenue.

What roles does the vendor community on both the equipment and food supply side play?Extremely vital – without quality control

in both those areas I cannot be my best.

I refuse to stand for anything less and

therefore we are always seeking qual-

ity vendors (who we remain loyal to) for

both our equipment and food supply.

There’s always talks of healthier eating, are your customers looking for that at your locations, and if so, how do you ca-ter to the growing demand?Again, it depends on demographic.

Younger customers are more prone to

look for healthier eating options. It is

very easy to cater to them; just eliminate

all the unhealthy ingredients, something

we did for centuries in Italy with the

Mediterranean diet. We have all the tools

in place to prepare a healthier version of

our dishes.

Do you feel that the restaurant industry suffers too much from Zagat, Yelp, and other consumer review sights? Are con-sumers depending too much on reviews?I don’t particularly like Yelp; anybody can

write anything about anybody – whether

they have been to the restaurant or not.

It’s entirely possible a competitor put a

bad review up to try to steal customers.

Zagat it is just too political.

I do place a lot of relevance on some food

blogs that I believe have both authority

and followers. Those writers tend to be

credentialed and have more knowledge

and experience when it comes to critiqu-

ing restaurants.

Whether good, bad or a mix of both, what are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen in our industry over the years? Definitely guests are more informed

about food and wine. Our profession

changed enormously in the past thirty

years. The profession and particularly

chefs have been elevated and some

turned into stars, and this is thanks to the

media and most of all the Food Network.

Fresh ingredients are more available,

accessible and more affordable than in

previous years. I only wish we trained

our young chefs better and there was a

stronger mentoring process.

Chefcetera, from page 40


It is a well-thought out preventive

system to address possible hazards

that is built on the Prerequisite Pro-

grams (PRPs) we addressed in previ-

ous columns. The plan and system

needs to be developed by members of

the company because after a consul-

tant completes his part in assisting

with its creation, the company needs

to implement and maintain it. Before

taking the first steps in developing a

HACCP plan a company should as-

sess the effectiveness of their PRPs.

Are they complete? Is the operation

implementing them as written? Are

they effective in addressing the areas

they apply to?

The preliminary steps of developing a

HACCP plan are:

Assemble the HACCP Team- The

team should consist of employees

who have skills and knowledge of

different areas in the food produc-

tion process. Each member can con-

tribute and verify what happens in

their specific area. One member is

designated as the HACCP Coordina-

tor and should be trained in HACCP.

A member who is part of manage-

ment can address issues of expenses

and commitment. Many companies

hire a consultant to guide the team or

bring them in even earlier to assess

the existing PRPs.

Describe the Product or Process & its DistributionBased on what is being produced a

description can be a specific item

or similar items that are essentially

produced the same way such as NO

Cook, Simple Cook (prepared cooked

& served) or Complex Cook (pre-

pared, cooked, cooled, reheated and

served) The description should be

very detailed about packaging, label-

ing and distribution.

Describe its Intended Use & Consum-

er- Is the product ready-to-eat? Does

the product need to be refrigerated or

reheated? Will the product be served

to a segment of the population that

has a reduced or compromised im-

mune system? (i.e. the young, elderly

or sick).

Develop a Flow DiagramDocument each step of what hap-

pens to the ingredients and packag-

ing from the time it is received until

it is shipped or served. Think about

storage, preparation, cooking, cool-

ing reheating, holding, packaging

and shipping. Include all variables

that happen sometimes but not al-

ways. The diverse knowledge of the

team assists in ensuring an accurate

picture of the process.

Confirm the Flow Diagram On-Site-

Take your documented Flow Dia-

gram and follow the actual process to

determine if it is accurate or whether

something has been missed.

When these preliminary steps are

complete you have your team estab-

lished with accurate product/process

descriptions and flow diagrams. The

principles of developing a HACCP

plan can now be started.

The Seven Principles of HACCP are:

Conduct a Hazard AnalysisUsing the process steps outlined in

your flow diagram systematically

look at the ingredients, packaging,

equipment, use by consumer and

process to determine if a Hazard

(Biological, Chemical or Physical) is

possible at this step. Determine the

likelihood of the hazard happening

based on your PRPs in place, history

in your company or similar business-

es and the most current scientific

information. (i.e. Will not happen -

Philbrook, from page 39

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Very likely) Based on history and sci-

entific information also determine

the severity and consequences if the

hazard did occur. (i.e. Minor injury,

Hospitalization or Death)

Determine the Critical Control PointWhen a significant hazard is identi-

fied, it must be controlled somewhere

in the process. The essential point

where the hazard is prevented, elimi-

nated or reduced to an acceptable

level is the Critical Control Point. A

Control Point is where the hazard

can be controlled but is not the es-

sential point. Example: Refrigeration

is a Control Point for raw chicken but

the Critical Control Point is cooking.

In Ready-to-Eat (RTE) food refrigera-

tion is the Critical Control Point.

Establish Critical LimitsCritical Limits (CLs) are the param-

eters used to determine if the Criti-

cal Control Points is “in” or “out” of

control. We know that according to

the FDA Food Code, chicken must be

cooked to 1650 F for 15 sec. This is a

critical limit in our CCP for cooking

chicken. Besides time/temperature,

other CLs are water activity, pH, line

speed etc. CLs need to be measurable

or visually confirmed. The screen for

physical hazards is in place or it is

not.

Establish Monitoring ProceduresThe CLs need to be checked to insure

the CCPs are in control so a method

must be established to monitor them.

The procedures should outline how

it is monitored, how often and by

whom. Monitoring is documented.

Establish Corrective ActionsWhen monitoring determines that

the CCP is not under control; a pre-

determined action must be imple-

mented and documented. Corrective

Action brings the CCP back under

control and addresses how to han-

dle food product that was produced

since the last time it was under con-

trol. All deviations should be investi-

gated to determine the cause for the

loss of control so it can be prevented

in the future.

Establish Verification ProceduresVerification is made up of two parts-

Verifying and ValidatingThe best way to remember the dif-

ference is- Verifying is ensuring that

you are doing what you say you are

doing and Validating is ensuring that

what you are doing is effective. When

a supervisor conducts a check of

monitoring records or a 3rd party au-

ditor checks your HACCP system that

is verifying. When a lab confirms that

there are no food-borne pathogens in

your food product that is validating.

Establish Record-keeping and Doc-umentation ProceduresMonitoring, Corrective Actions,

Verification as well as the HACCP

plan and all changes need to be

documented. The records provide a

history of how your HACCP plan is

working and will indicate issues of

concern that need to be addressed by

management.

The HACCP plan is an evolving docu-

ment that needs to be assessed and

updated whenever there is a change

with product, ingredient, packaging,

process, equipment or in science.

The HACCP Plan and all PRPs make

up your HACCP System. The parts all

work together to prevent and/or con-

trol hazards of concern.

Next month we will discuss what

happens in a Food-borne Illness

(FBI) Outbreak.

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It does not work that way and

that is why many business own-

ers stop their marketing efforts

because it does not work.

Marketing should be fun, and run-

ning a business should be FUN. The

definition of a business- “Commer-

cial profitable enterprise that works

without You”- Fun. If your business is

not this it is a JOB- “Just Over Broke”

not Fun. Here is how to make Your

business FUN.

Marketing is not an expense; it is an

investment and needs to be treated as

an investment. This means you must

track your results and know the return

on investment for each strategy. This

is my first clue of whether you are

running a business or a job. successful

entrepreneurs test andmeasure, others

do not.

Too many business owners say it is

too hard to track, I can’t do it, I don’t

know how to do it and there is not

enough time to do it.

Here is how you can make market-

ing fun and profitable: KEEP SCORE!

Every game or sport you play you keep

score and it is fun when you win. This

is the same with your business. Here

are some things you want to keep

score of: #new customers, # repeat

Customers, average $$ sale, Average #

people per group (Restaurant), Cost of

Acquisition, # of cars in parking lot vs.

# customers in same period, Lifetime

value of customer (How much $$$

spent in a year), # times a repeat cus-

tomer returns. These can be tracked

by averages, some will be high and

some low, You want to know the aver-

ages. This information helps you plan

your marketing.

Marketing is being creative in ideas

not just dollars spent. Ask yourself

“What do people know us for” and

“What is our WOW factor?”

Here are some samples of fun cre-

ative WOW factors:

1. A downtown restaurant has a

relationship with a women’s

clothing store across the street.

Every day at lunch someone from

the women’s clothing store will

model an outfit walking through

the restaurant, fifteen minutes

later she returns in another outfit.

It becomes a fashion show. The

restaurant’s customers love it;

the restaurant loves it and the

women’s clothing store benefits.

2. A deli has an artist come in once

a month and does caricatures of

best customers, which are dis-

played in the store. People always

tell others did you see my picture

in …

3. A restaurant owner every week

selects a hair salon to deliver afree

lunch with a variety of samples

and gives each hairdresser a one

free meal to come to the restau-

rant. Where does news spread

faster facebook or the hair salon?

4. A restaurant has a popular health

club across the street. They have

an owner of the health club, who

is also a nutritionist; work with

the chef to create the “XYZ Health

Club menu “specifically designed

to continue healthy habits outside

of the gym.”

5. A restaurant teaches all employees

to know the names of any repeat

customer, and have one employee

say hello to that person at some

point during the meal. I call it

the norm factor from the show

“CHEERS.”

6. A discount is determined by the

weight of one person in a group.

This will attract big eaters.

7. In all the restaurants I have eaten

in over the years only one server

asked me for my card and sent me

a Thank You note to ask for him

the next time I return. I will never

forget and have returned many

times.

8. A restaurant has cooking classes

on traditionally slow nights.

9. Give a VIP card that gets you dis-

counts at other local businesses.

10. Be known in title and deliver the

goods “Gigantic sandwich shop,”

Belly Buster…

11. Every time the receptionist places

a lunch order for their company

the restaurant gives her a lunch

for Free or something extra. When

people ask her where they should

order from today what is her

answer?

Here Is How Your Marketing Can Be Fun And ProfitableEveryone is looking for that one marketing strategy that will get their business to the level of

revenue & profitability that they always dreamed about.

Marketing is being creative in ideas, not

just dollars spent. Ask yourself “What

do people know us for” and “What is

our WOW factor?”

Tom MaierPresident Action Business Coaching NEShelton, CT

tomma ie r@act ioncoach .com

// BUSINESS COACHING



Set Up An Outdoor Dining AreaOutside is a classic family

favorite. Who doesn’t like

sunshine joined by a fa-

vorite entree! Create a fun

outdoor dining area using the good

old basics like tables, chairs, and a

friendly staff! Customers will stay

longer ordering drinks enjoying the

summer breeze.

Have A Summer Themed Promotion, Switch Up Your MenuSunny Saturday Brunch, or Summer

Fest Chicken night, choose a holiday

or theme that reminds customers

that summer dining isn’t restricted

to their at home grill. Be purposely

colorful and make these themes pre-

sentable. Take pictures and showcase

these themes on table tents. Switch

up the menu as well. Add summer fa-

vorites such as salads, berry themed

dishes, and cold fun drinks to entice

your customer’s summer taste buds.

Reach Out To Local BusinessesHave a volunteer, the over eager

waitress, or even the staff member

that enjoys to go above and beyond

reach out to newly engaged, new

grads, or any local businesses and

organizations that are celebrating

any milestones. When reaching out,

boast about your fabulous menu,

and what your business can do to

make their big day special.

Join In At An Outdoor FestivalThere are a ton of outdoor festivals,

and what do all festivals have in

common…FOOD!

Join in at a local popular festival and

offer sampling, or tasting portions at

a lower cost. Place an energetic staff

at your booth, and the customers

will definitely follow up with you at

your restaurant. Don’t forget to col-

lect customer’s information, while

handing out coupons that will get

them to visit you at your restaurant.

Don’t Forget Great Customer ServiceWinter, summer, spring, or fall cus-

tomer service is what is needed all

year round. In the summer more

people are dining out, and a new

crowd can be overwhelming. Keep

in mind that your dish is what sells

them, but your service is what keeps

them coming back. Get your staffed

prepped and prepared for whatever

crowd may come in.

Ola Ayeni is the founder of Dining Di-

alog and myeateria.com. eateria™is

a whole new way for restaurant, food,

and hospitality businesses to interact

with their customers based on their

on-the-go lifestyle. eateria™utilizes

the best combination of email, social

media and text message marketing.

A place where everything is unlim-

ited. For restaurant marketing tips,

visit our eateria™blog at eateria.org/

blog/.

5 Must Do's This Summer To Expand Your Restaurant’s Profit

// RESTAURANT MARKETING

Ola Ayeni, Founder of Dining Dialog & myeateria.com

[email protected]

WITH OLA AYENI

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since I came back to the biz is the

availability of produce items that

were once specialty items. Ten years

ago to get baby arugula you had to or-

der days in advance.

Prices still knock me off my feet and

during the last ten years in the private

sector I would shake every time I had

to buy meat, fish and liquor at retail

prices and I still do when checking

invoices. Food is very expensive and

as a chef and owner you must be very

careful how you utilize your ingredi-

ents to be most cost effective and at

the same time please your diner by

giving a perceived value.

I believe that some of the changes in

restaurants in CT have been for the

good; places like Plan B have raised

the expectations in food quality and

service in so called chain restaurants

and I see that many of the big chains

are following suit in raising their

quality.

As for the pizza industry the chains

will always affect the marketplace

and set the price bar. Patrons will al-

ways have their “go to” place and this

is where GG’s Wood Fired Pizza would

like to fit in. As we plan to grow, de-

velop our menu, add locations we

want to be that neighborhoods “go

to” place. A place where consistency

is key, all around in the high quality of

the food, atmosphere, value and the

friendliness we pride ourselves on.

Looking into your crystal ball, where do you see GG’s in 5 years?"I don't know what my title or where

GG’s will be in five years. The goal is

to be three deep by the end of 2016,

but I'd love to think I'll still be grind-

ing it out in the kitchen to please the

public, taking on responsibility and

continuing to learn, to teach and to

contribute to the success of our em-

ployees."

Newsmaker, from page 47 Pastry Professional, from page 30

along the way, you have to help the peo-

ple around you. When I am the captain,

I’m the production guy, the food guy,

because that’s what I do. When I do a

competition, I pick people for what they

are good at – good at chocolate, good at

sugar. We work together as a team and

winning is the reward!

What would you tell young people want-ing to start out today?You have to sacrifice. You have to be will-

ing to work hard. And you need to move

around a little, so you get lots of experi-

ence. You may have to work as an ap-

prentice for two years – with no financial

backing. But you have to do it. You have

to love it and be willing to do whatever

you have to, to get where you want to be.

Nothing good comes without work!

You’ve said baking is your passion. But how do you square passion with profit? One thing you never do is compromise

quality. And when I create something, I

try to stay true to my roots. Use the top-

quality ingredients, and if the price has to

be a little higher, then that’s the way it has

to be.

What’s ahead for you?My daughter just graduated from col-

lege, a marketing major. So my future

would be to expand the life of what I’ve

created, bring it into the future with my

kids. We have our two locations in Sam

Allen’s, and our original shop is in the

Village, 506 LaGuardia Place. And I also

want to give back, to teach the new gen-

eration of pastry chefs.

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The quickly expanding

burger brand, through

the leadership of local-

ly-based development

agents Anthony D’Amore

and Thomas Mascia, will open one lo-

cation in the next 120 days in Garwood

with plans to add 140 jobs throughout

Union County, Garwood, and Clark,

New Jersey by the end of 2014.

“MOOYAH is a tremendous fam-

ily brand. We want all families to enjoy

outstanding service with quality prod-

ucts every day. The freshness of our in-

gredients is a key driver to bringing po-

tential franchisees into the MOOYAH

family,” said D’Amore, Development

Agent for the state of New Jersey, not-

ing that the brand celebrated a ban-

ner year in 2012 with double-digit unit

growth. “We are looking for great ser-

vice-minded franchisees who are team

players with a passion for the brand.”

MOOYAH is initially focused on

opening a flagship location in Union

County, New Jersey, prior to expanding

like a bubble throughout surrounding

areas. This development strategy was

first established in Dallas, in which

MOOYAH boosts 22 locations.

“Paired with our strong North Ameri-

can growth, including our recent 50th

restaurant opening milestone in the

United States, strong and targeted in-

dividual market development is in-

creasingly a large part of our strategic

expansion plans,” said Michael Mabry,

Director of Franchise of MOOYAH

Burgers, Fries & Shakes. “We want to

ensure our business model can finan-

cially succeed in different market sce-

narios and secure consistency across

the network. Paired with the local

developer, we have the ability to pen-

etrate a market with someone embed-

ded within the local business commu-

nity.”

MOOYAH saw tremendous growth in

the last several years, expanding from a

Texas brand into an emerging national

player and leader in the growing better

burger segment of fast casual dining.

The brand is currently in 10 states. In

2013, MOOYAH plans to continue ex-

pansion and grow internationally, to

total nearly 70 restaurants.

One way MOOYAH is able to differ-

entiate itself is through the flexibility

in its menu, including the launch of

its better-for-you, Under 600 Calories

menu, designed to support the taste

desires of females and the health con-

scious consumer.

“MOOYAH began as a simple con-

cept revolving around friendly people

serving the freshest, most delicious

burgers, fries, and shakes available.

As our brand continues to expand, we

are evolving that concept to include a

wider array of choices to appeal to ev-

ery guest’s individual tastes and favor-

ites,” said Bill Spae, MOOYAH’s CEO

and President.

Additionally, its family friendly en-

vironment helps MOOYAH standout

above its competition.

“MOOYAH prides itself on being

a family friendly business, from the

Guests we serve to the franchisees who

open restaurants with the goal of run-

ning them with people they consider

family. We designed the restaurant con-

cept with family in mind so everyone

would feel welcome and comfortable,”

said Alexis Barnett Gillette, Director of

Marketing.

Growing Fast Casual Chain Targets State of New Jersey as Key Development Focus; Plans to Add 140 Jobs Over Next Two YearsMOOYAH Burgers, Fries & Shakes Targets Opening Two Restaurants in New Jersey in

2013. MOOYAH, a fast casual, “better burger,” fries and shakes chain, recently

announced a focused growth plan targeted in New Jersey.

// NEWS CHAINS

“We want all families to enjoy outstanding service with quality products every day. The freshness of our ingredients is a key driver to bringing potential franchisees into the MOOYAH family,” said Anthony D’Amore, Development Agent for the State of New Jersey.

MOOYAH prides itself on

being a family friendly

business, from the Guests

we serve to the franchisees

who open restaurants with

the goal of running them

with people they consider

family.


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Ifshin, from page 29

economic backgrounds and cultures

with varying levels of education; ad-

ditionally, research shows that people

learn in three very distinct ways: visu-

ally, auditorily or tactilely. A training

program that takes all of these factors

into consideration should include: job

specific written manuals (perhaps in

more than one language), demonstra-

tions and/or illustrated step-by-step

procedure instructions, and hands-on

or role-playing exercises.

Validate & Reinforce Your TrainingTo validate the efficacy of your train-

ing you must quiz, test and confirm

that the information has been learned

and absorbed. It is also important for

managers to reward and reinforce

the “good behaviors” done on the job

- those that follow operating proce-

dures as trained, as we discussed in

our blog Keeping Employees Happy

at Work – Happy Employees Part 2.

Through reinforcement, you will dis-

cover who needs more training, how

effective your training is, and perhaps

what changes need to be made to your

program.

Train Your TrainersMany restaurants often make the mis-

take of assigning their best employees

the task of training new staff without

taking the time to instruct them on

proper training techniques and meth-

ods. Just because an employee is good

at what he or she does, does not mean

that he or she can teach someone else

how to do it. Your trainers must be

fully inoculated with company culture

including policies, procedures and

daily work tasks, as well as customer

service values; they must have a com-

plete understanding of the written

manual for the job they are training;

and they must be taught how to im-

part information in the way you want,

so that training is consistent.

ABT – Always Be Training!Training should be ongoing, not lim-

ited to the initial on-boarding pro-

cess, and incorporated into the daily

routine of your operations. As we

wrote in our blog Are your Pre-Ser-

vice Meetings a Waste of Time?, there

is an opportunity every day to share

new information and keep your staff’s

knowledge up-to-date. Work closely

with your managers on what needs to

be retrained, as they should be most

aware of how policies and procedures

are being followed by their direct re-

ports.

A well-run restaurant can survive

without the newest technology or the

latest equipment. However, it can-

not succeed without people trained

to execute your vision, product and

service ideals. If you do not invest the

time and energy to have a full training

program, hitting your business targets

becomes increasingly difficult. As an

owner or operator, a well-trained staff

– from your Executive Chef to your

Bussers – is your primary and most

valuable tool.

Don’t know where to begin? Ask your-

self, do you have operational guide-

lines in place so you can be as profit-

able as possible?

4Q Consulting can develop custom-

ized operational guidelines and train-

ing programs to meet your needs:

Email us today for a free business con-

sultation at www.4qconsult.com.


Anthony Mulé & Dennis Soriano, Waste to Water/BIO-EZ in Wethersfield, CT

What led to the creation of BIO-EZ? Mulé: The BIO-EZ sys-

tem was created in Ko-

rea to address a drastic

reduction in landfill

space. Waste to Water purchased the

intellectual property from the Korean

designers after a disappointing launch

of the Korean made units. These units

do the job of a typical garbage disposal

while using approximately 1/10 of the

water and produce an effluent more

easily treated at treatment works than

a garbage disposal’s product.

How does BIO-EZ work?Soriano: BIO-EZ has truly revolution-

ized food waste disposal by basing

it on the principle that waste should

be dealt with at its source. As waste is

generated, it is placed into the Bio-Ez,

which completes the decomposition

process automatically with the addi-

tion of bacteria. There is no residual

food waste to remove. The machine

creates a liquid that sends it back into

the eco system with a fully biodegrad-

able liquid.

Why Bio-Ez instead of composting? Soriano: Composting is great for the

environment. However, composting of

food waste in NYC has the same limi-

tations as traditional hauling. Food

waste has to be stored on site and

hauled by diesel trucks to a facility li-

censed to accept food waste, the clos-

est to NYC is currently Delaware, these

trucks create green house gas emis-

sions. The use of 1 BioEZXL eliminates

1.5 Municipal Solid Waste trailers from

the roads each month.

How much energy is required to run the unit? Mulé: The units use surprisingly little

electricity. About 4.7 KWH per day.

Who will service the unit? Mulé: Waste to Water is part of a na-

tional service cooperative that guar-

antees a service technician within 60

miles of a placement and a 24 hr. re-

sponse time.

What impact will installing Bio-Ez have on those horrible smells?

Mulé: BIO-EZ is designed to handle

food waste at its origin. Since the food

waste is not left to putrefy, the smell

along with the cost for the hauling will

simply go away.

Sounds great to be able to dump a liq-uid. What exactly is in that liquid? Soriano: The liquid is a high strength

“gray water” that contains micro nutri-

ent and organic matter that is perfectly

suited for treatment by municipal wa-

ter treatment facilities.

How much can we expect to save? Soriano: It’s a huge cost savings in that

we eliminate equipment rental, haul-

ing and landfill charges. Keep in mind

that in NYC traditional hauling charges

can be as much as $85-$100 per ton.

Our units can operate at around $58

per ton without accounting for the

cost of the employee. Since the use of

our unit is no different than the use of

a garbage compactor, I think the labor

is negligible.

Will the unit help us get rid of the flies we have? Soriano: Flies are attracted to putrefy-

ing waste. The unit will deal with the

majority of your food waste without

an offending odor that can attract flies

and vermin.

How much waste do we need to be generating for Bio-Ez to make sense? Mulé: Waste to Water is currently

manufacturing units that can handle

between 350-2000 lbs per day. R&D is

working towards a smaller model for

under counter use in smaller venues.

Besides the bottom line, what other impact can BIO-EZ have?Soriano: We’re creating a better envi-

ronment and also from an economic

standpoint we’re eliminating mate-

rial going into landfills and we’re also

eliminating one and a half trucks per

month. We’re helping to reduce the

carbon, gas and contribute positively

to the environment.

What role will M. Tucker play in the process?Soriano: We like to work with M. Tuck-

er because they already have a well es-

tablished relationship with the people

we’re trying to reach also a trust factor

and we can prove to them this is what

we say it is. They carry with them their

excellent reputations and the trust fac-

tor between buyer and seller that’s rep-

resenting a new product.

// MEET THE NEWSMAKERS

BIO-EZ is designed to handle food waste at

its origin. Since the food waste is not left to

putrefy, the smell along with the cost for the

hauling will simply go away.


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This is extremely important

for local restaurants, who

haven’t had the highest of

success rates over the past

decade. This money saved

returns to cities in the form of supplies

purchased, wages, new jobs, and profit

for other local businesses.

Identifying the need for consumer ed-

ucation of the importance of shopping

locally coupled with the growing trend

of businesses buying local, software

company Sage is currently embarking

on a 16-city nationwide decked-out RV

tour where top executives are meet-

ing with their small business custom-

ers in order to show appreciation and

spread the message of shopping locally

throughout American cities.

Sage, a leading provider of business

management software and services for

more than six million small to midsized

businesses worldwide, is continuing its

16-city, 50-day Sage Listens RV Relay,

which included a stop in New York City

and New Jersey last month.

In addition to hosting two special

events, Sage executives met with sev-

eral customers in the New York City

metropolitan area. The Sage Listens RV

Relay team met with Garden State MLS,

a residential property listing company

with the most comprehensive property

listings in North Jersey, prior to hosting

a lunch for New York City-based Net@

work, a Sage business partner, near Bry-

ant Park. Executives also hosted a cock-

tail reception at Westminster Hotel in

Livingston, N.J, for numerous Sage cus-

tomers and Livingston, N.J.-based SWK

Technologies, Inc., a Sage partner.

“As one of the leading metropoli-

tan areas in the country, and perhaps

the largest, New York City either serves

as home to many existing small busi-

nesses and entrepreneurs or as an at-

tractive lure for entrepreneurs aspiring

to launch new businesses,” said Brad

Smith, Executive Vice President, cus-

tomer experience, Sage North America.

“We’re proud to support our New York

City and surrounding area customers in

their success and excited to meet with a

few of them over the next two days.”

Sage Brings RV Tour to Metro NYC to Promote Local DiningIf $100 is spent at non-local businesses and restaurants, only 43 of those dollars are returned

to the city. For every $100 spent, the amount of money the city saves really adds up!

// NEWS LOCAL BUSINESS

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12. A new restaurant puts an offer on

Facebook that anyone who comes

in for the first time his or her meal

is Free. Their facebook grows by

thousands and so did their busi-

ness in just a month.

13. True Story – My friend was at a

restaurant where he knew the

owner. It was a slow night about

four people at the bar. Snooky

from The Jersey shore stopped in

on her way to an appearance and

had dinner in the back room with

her group. She tweeted that she

was having a great dinner at the

restaurant located at xxxx. Within

the hour it was five deep at the

bar. I don’t get it but it works.

14. I know a Dentist with $100,000’s

worth of state-of-the-art equip-

ment and everyone knows him

for the Cappuccino machine and

the three sugar free blueberry

muffins he gives you when you

leave. You can only see him by

Referral Only.

Many people say, “I am not that

creative or I could never think of

these ideas.” Wrong, there is a simple

process you can follow to create these

ideas. You need to spend time working

ON the business not just In the busi-

ness. Not every idea will work, that is

why you are testing and measuring all

your strategies.

Marketing is Simple not Easy. You

need to commit your time and not all

the time but $$$. Even when it makes

sense to outsource some of your

marketing (example Search Engine

Optimization, website…), I want my

clients to know the fundamentals on

building a Marketing plan that is FUN

and Profitable.

Tom Maier runs a Business Coach-

ing firm, which is part of ActionCoach

Business Coaching, the World’s #1

business coaching firm. If you have

any questions or want more informa-

tion contact Tom at 203-763-4005 or

email [email protected].

His website is www.actioncoach.com/

tommaier.

Maier, from page 79

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Call Vic Rose: 732-864-2220

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august 2013

Documents

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