Volume 2 / Issue 2February-March 2013

Taste

ContinuedInside...

Spring Food ShowTreasure Hunt of Values

April 10th, 2013

The value of a food show - How will you make the most out of April 10th at the Maplevale Farms show?

If you think back over the last 25 years, the value of a food show has surely changed.

The value used to be via show bucks and allowances, and they were short term.

There was a time when distributors and manufacturers actually handed out cash to customers at the booth when orders were placed. Of course, in that day and age there were far fewer rules and regulations. Very few audits were done and money was spent at the discretion of the manufacturer’s sales person.

Then came show bucks that could be managed better and needed to be redeemed as you exited the show. This was done so there was control over where the funds went. Most often the bucks became a credit to the account the product was ordered under. Later the credit to the account was delayed until the account actually took delivery of the product.

These changes came about because the spending is managed at a much higher level and the manufacturer’s sales person has controls put on them as to where, how and why money is spent.

Now that I have shared the abbreviated history of food show accounting...

NY Cheesecake 32668 2/10 inch

NY style plain cheesecake, pre-cut 14 slices.

Iced Cinnamon Rolls36730 24/6 oz.

Fully baked, thaw and serve.

Frozen Cookie Dough35550 Triple Chocolate 80/4.5 oz. Decadent chocolate chunk cookie dough with Hershey’s Kisses, semi-sweet and milk chocolate chunks.

35552 Peanut Butter Cup 80/4.5 oz.

35554 Oatmeal Raisin 80/4.5 oz. Chewy and crispy oatmeal cookie with moist, plump raisins.

Just add water. Each bag yields 1 gallon.

17338 Broccoli Cheese Soup 4/24.9 oz.

17434 Chicken Noodle Soup 4/15.4 oz.

17602 Creamy Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper 4/15.9 oz. Creamy broth with tender tomatoes, onions, garlic and delicious roasted red peppers

51244 Knorr Demi Glace 4/28 oz.

21880 Extra Heavy Duty Mayonnaise 4/1 gallon Added yolk for thicker, eggier viscosity.

51866 Creamy Pesto Sandwich Sauce 12/16 oz. Rich blend of basil, garlic, olive oil and cheese flavors.

26292 Traditional Old World Spaghetti Sauce 6/#10 Mild, thin, traditional sauce. No MSG, no trans fat.

46072 Black Tea, Herbal Variety 6/28 count Orange Gardens, Lemon Lane and Chamomile Court.

0

Thaw & Serve Muffins 12/6 oz. Made with a yogurt based batter.

36370 Banana Nut

36372 Chocolate with Cream Cheese Filling

36376 Apple Streusel

36378 Mountainberry Strawberries, Blueberries & Cranberries

2466 Maplevale Fresh Cut Beef Short Ribs .5 lb. /2.87

21731 Nugget Canola Oil .5 oz. / .03

94275 Taylor Carrots, 3/8” diced .5 oz. / .04

94841 Taylor Onions, 1/4” diced .5 oz. / .09

23049 Roland Cooking Sherry 2 oz./ .11

51244 Knorr Demi Glace Mix 1 oz. / .54

55546 FreshGour Crispy Onions 1 oz. / .28

1. Season ribs with salt and pepper.

2. Heat oil in braising pan.

3. Sear ribs in hot oil to a deep brown color. Remove and reserve.

4. In same oil, caramelize onions, carrots and celery.

5. Deglaze with redwine and reduce dry.

6. Add ribs back to pan. Add prepared demi-glace sauce to cover ribs, 3/4 of the way up.

7. Add sachet of garlic clove, peppercorns, thyme & bay leaf.

8. Cover and place into a 325oF oven. Braise for 1.5 hours or until fork tender.

9. Strain sauce and reserve.

sauce and garnish with fried onions.

T a s t eWednesday, April 10th

SPRING FOOD SHOW

W d dW d d

PRINGPRING OOTreasure Hunt

of Values

Maplevale Farms

10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.Bayfront

Convention Center Erie, PA

Continued from cover....Spring Food ShowThe intended value of food shows has changed over the years due to the changes in accounting practices.

Today food shows are designed to expose the customer to many items. The customer is able to try the product, see presentations regarding how the product should be plated and also see how profitable the product will be if/when the customer markets it at their place of business. The intention is to allow the customer to choose items that they can make money on for the future of their business.

Yes - there are still allowances on many items and some show buck deals still available, but those are short term deals that go away after the show ship period.

When you attend a food show do you have a plan for the day?

allow them to give you meaningful feedback when looking at new items?

orders for your every week items? This will enable you to spend more time at the show looking for ways to improve your bottom line.

contribution to your profit? Are they too expensive, are they difficult to prepare, are they inconsistent?

on your menu, become part of a seasonal menu or even a daily special?

These are just a few suggestions as to how you could spend your day.

The show theme this year is “Treasure Hunt of Values”. In addition to allowances and show bucks, we will have specific booths that will have serving and recipe ideas to show you the value of specific items. Their destinations will be on a treasure map that you will receive at registration. We will also be holding drawings throughout the day, where customers that win will have the opportunity to take a turn in a money machine where they can grab all the cash they can in a fixed amount of time.

We truly appreciate your business and are proud to have you as a customer.

Short Ribs Food Cost 3.96

Menu Price 12.99

Gross Profit 9.03

Food Cost 30.5%

55546 Lightly Salted Crispy Onions 6/24 oz. Sweet, natural onion flavor from premium onions adds rich flavor and crunch to salads, casseroles and hamburgers.

44958 Asiago Cheese Ciabatta Croutons 3/2.5 lb. Croutons made from rustic ciabatta bread and featuring a blend of herbs and spices with asiago cheese.

44968 Seasoned Homestyle Croutons 5/2 lb. Large, homestyle cut.

46678 Non Dairy Creamer 2000/2 gram

Parmesan Cheese Packets 47794 500/3.5 gram Sweet & Low Packets 47902 2000 count

ll CC 55//22 llbb

hh

3166 Black Gold Sirloin Steak 32/6 oz. USDA Choice sirloin steak marinated in black gold seasoning.

3442 Top Round Cap Off, cooked rare 14 lb. average Whole beef top round, dry pack.

3446 Top Round Cap Off, cooked medium 2/7 lb. average

oven roasted in bag to medium.

3480 Oven Roasted Top Round End Cap Off 8/1.5 lb.

Cooked to medium.

14950 Ground Beef Taco Meat with Chicken 4/5 lb. bags Fully cooked, great for tacos, nachos, chili or as a pizza topping.

16402 Sloppy Joe Sauce with Beef 6/5 lb. Fully cooked, ground beef in sauce.

16680 Old Fashioned Meatloaf, cooked 2/5 lb. Seasoned with mild spices, bread crumbs and oats. Heat & serve.

5160 Hickory Smoked Bacon 15 lb. Natural hickory smoked, flat packed, homestyle bacon, 18/22.

5244 Hickory Smoked Bacon, cooked 300 count Fully cooked, regular slice bacon.

14880 3/8” Cooked Bacon Pizza Topping 2/5 lb. Fully cooked, bacon pieces for pizza topping, salad bar or use as an ingredient.

3442

14950

16680

Aaron Barnes, Corporate Chef with Chef John Yulich

Spring is quickly approaching, and the combination of cabin-fever and special occasions will soon draw families out for brunches and buffets. It is not too early to begin planning your Easter and Mother’s Day offerings. Over the past few years there has been an increase in the number of people wishing to indulge in a meal away from home on the holidays. From the customer’s point of view, there will be less mess and more time to spend with family and friends. One of the easiest things we can do to please our customers is to offer a buffet that is full of the foods that people love. You want to make sure that you are pleasing your guests while also making a profit for your establishment. Ahead are a few simple ideas that will not only make your event look good, but will generate profits.

At first glance, you want to capture the attention of your guest and create a memory. Visual appeal is very important. Start by lining your table with decorations that match the theme. This will look much better than a table lined with only chaffing dishes and decorations will fill space that might otherwise be left empty. A little pizzazz can go a long way on a buffet line. Use extra linens to fluff and garnish around your buffet items and accent your featured items. Also use elevations to display your food and draw attention to items. Doing this achieves two things. First, it gives an impression of height, making the buffet look more full. Secondly, it saves time on clean up and helps keep stains off of the nicer linens you might have lining the buffet tables.

One of the main advantages of offering a buffet is that you can control the menu. It is a great way to utilize left over items in a soup, salad, display or entree. Be creative and keep the occasion in mind when writing the menu. Don’t forget to offer a few choices that children will enjoy. Home style favorites such as house made mac & cheese, pizza and baked chicken are popular choices.

As you set up your buffet, arrange your items in groups beginning with the least expensive to prepare. Soup and salad are a great place to start. Be sure to leave room for plates and dressings. Set dressing bowls on larger doily lined plates for a more upscale look, that also fills up empty spaces. Next, look at your main food selections. Are the breads, vegetables, and starches more toward the beginning of your buffet line? They should be placed close to the front because they are lower cost items that fill the plate quickly, leaving less room for the higher cost items which should be arranged toward the end of your buffet. chicken and pasta are generally less expensive main dishes and should follow your starch and vegetables. Next should be your seafood option and lastly beef.

Hors d’oeuvre themed parties are also popular. Most often, these parties utilize an entire room or multiple rooms and require more set up and planning. Stations are the most cost effective way to set up a party of this scale. Set up the most expensive items at the furthest station. Assemble cold items together at a central focal point in the room, whether it is against a main wall, or on a fluffed table in the middle of the room. If there are cheese and cracker displays, lay out the crackers on the fluff itself to make the table appear more full. Set up displays on tiered platforms to give height and a balanced look to everything. If a carving station is used, make sure all sauces are clearly labeled with buffet card indicators and that the carver knows what type of protein it is that they are serving. Your flow of food should be fairly similar to a typical single location buffet. Try to keep similar items together, if there is a mashed potato bar, you don’t want to make your guests travel over to the cracker station to get their gravy. Simple things that we sometimes forget are what make or break many businesses. These are just a few very simple and cost effective ways to please your guests while increasing your bottom line.

New at Maplevale Farms These great items are now available to order!

2512 Holten USDA Choice Beef Stew Meat

4538 Holten Breaded Pork Loin Fritter, 3-5 oz.

7570 Pierce Sweet Heat Chicken Dip-Stix

7572 Pierce Chicken Cheese Dip-Stix

8606 IceFrs Skinless/Boneless Cod Fillet 12-16 oz.

13294 Kraft Velveeta Cheese Spread

22120 Kraft Blue Cheese Dressing, YES pack

22264 Kraft Golden Italian Dressing, YES pack

22302 Kraft Ranch Dressing, YES pack

22634 Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette, YES pack

26154 Armano Tomato Garlic Pesto Sauce

26156 Armano Basil Pesto Sauce

26158 Armano Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Sauce

26160 Armano Southwest Chipotle Pesto Sauce

26162 Armano Roasted Garlic Pesto Sauce

37496 Max Wholegrain Cinnamon Pancake, IW

37498 Max Wholegrain Blueberry Pancake, IW

38058 BKChef Premium Buttermilk Biscuit

48294 Ritz Cheddar Crackerfuls

55546 FrshGr Lightly Salted Crispy Onions

87284 Intercon Oven Genie Cleaner

87292 Intercon Super Spray Degreaser

87294 Intercon Cyclone Blue Degreaser

87980 Intercon Oven Genie Degreaser

87998 Intercon Scale X-Treme De-limer

88094 BluePlanet Glass Cleaner

88512 Intercon M-800 Pot & Pan Detergent

89426 Intercon Laundry Detergent

QR Codes-Adapted from Operator’s Guide to Digital Media

A QR Code (short for Quick Response) is a barcode that can be scanned by a smartphone and linked to digital information. A QR Code is a two-dimensional image that can hold thou-sands of alphanumeric characters of information. Using a camera-enabled smartphone, customers and potential customers can be directed to digital information of your choosing.

The process of creating QR Codes is free and very simple through the following websites:

QrStuff.com

Qrcode.kaywa.com

Delivr.com

Visit one of the above websites and follow the instructions to copy and paste the website (or input the information) that you would like people to be directed to. Download or print your QR code, then add it to your carry out menus, table top advertisements, newspaper advertisements, etc.

A QR Code allows a vast amount of information to be shared in an interactive way. Your audience can use their smartphone to scan the Code you have created with their QR reader. Use the code to direct people to your website, a map of your location, contact information, special offers, photos, your facebook page, and on and on.

Most of the QR Code generating websites also offer analytical data for a small fee if you choose to subscribe, but there is no charge to just generate a code.

Spring Food Show at the