June 14, 2012

Chef News Market Reports Food Quiz Chef and Cook's Discussion Subscription Information

	Clarified - Is foie gras fair game or foul play?
	World-famous chefs raise money for Alex's Lemonade
	California's Foie Gras Ban Will Leave Chefs and Diners Wanting. But There May Be an Upside, Too
	McDonald's Chef Slams Critics: Consumers Dictate Our Menu
	Some restaurants offer culinary closeups
	World Chefs: Saad puts global spin on familiar dishes
	Robert De Niro and Chef Nobu Matsuhisa Give Details on the First-Ever Nobu Hotel
	Chefs Honor Thomas Keller, Ripert Talks Meeting His Wife
	Fat might be the sixth basic taste
	Anthony Bourdain and Nigella Lawson to host ABC cooking show
	World's Most Celebrated Chefs Cook to Help Fight Childhood Cancer
	Taco Bell going more upscale with new chef-inspired menu introductions
	When American Chefs Cook Immigrant Food
	Schools, groups point out lack of black chefs
	Hospital food goes gourmet

Welcome New Chefs and Culinary Members!
	Jack Brown, New York, NY Joined on: Jun 14, 2012 Occupation: Chef - Executive

	Maria Lawton, Richmond Hill, NY Joined on: Jun 12, 2012 Occupation: Chef

	Michael Clotfelter, Matthews, NC Joined on: Jun 12, 2012 Occupation: Chef - Executive

	Tony Duncan, North Richland Hills, TX Joined on: Jun 12, 2012 Occupation: Chef - Executive

	Mary Foss, Austin, TX Joined on: Jun 11, 2012 Occupation: Baker

	Shayna Kileleman, Virginia Beach, VA Joined on: Jun 11, 2012 Occupation: Cook

	Jack Tom, Joined on: Jun 8, 2012 Occupation: Cook

	Christopher Wood, Winchester, VA Joined on: Jun 8, 2012 Occupation: Chef - Executive

	Reba Andrews, Chicago, IL Joined on: Jun 7, 2012 Occupation: Cook

	Michael Miller, Lodi, Wisconsin Joined on: Jun 11, 2012 Occupation: Chef - de Partie

Enhancing Your Drink Menu

By Jay Stefans

Alcoholic drinks and their non-alcoholic counterparts generally come with an appealing profit margin for bar and restaurant owners. Adding to and improving upon your existing drink menu, or creating one if you currently use just a small section of your regular menu for drinks, can greatly augment sales. Whether you hope to build on an already successful part of your business or your restaurant’s professional bar tools seem to be gathering dust in the corner, refurbish your drink menu with these useful pointers. More Than Just Drink Recipes While your drink recipes and the resulting flavors are key, the promotion methods that you use on your menu and the range and quantity of choices that you present contribute fundamentally to your success. Strike a balance between hot and cold drink choices. Include punches, milkshakes, and frozen drinks. Write mouth-watering descriptions using adjectives like “steaming,” “refreshing” and “frothy.” Take inspiration for drink names from your locale or individual culinary style. For an ultra-personal feel, name favorite drinks after family or staff members. This course of action grabs clients’ interest and often increases sales. If your restaurant carries a wine list, add several different years and brands of each of red, white, and rosé varieties of wines. Unless you employ a sommelier, make “for the most favorable experience, order with…” recommendations directly on your food menu. Another excellent technique for enhancing your restaurant or bar drink menu is to update your presentation. Serve drinks in attention-getting styles of high quality shooter glasses and other glassware. The style of your bar tools and accessories should harmonize with the atmosphere of your restaurant or bar. Personalized Alcoholic Drinks Distance your restaurant or bar from the competition by making your drinks, particularly alcoholic drinks, more vibrant and...

Read More

View updated pricing and information each week on the website for the following food-commodity markets:

Pork Commentary	View Detail
Price levels for retail cuts were mixed as there was no clear cut direction due to an array of packer supplies and buyer demand. As harvest rates scaled back slightly this week sellers had less product on inventory which lead to firmer prices for processing cuts. This caused bone-in hams and seedless bellies to advance on just a few trades while interest was no better than light to moderate. Pork trim saw price levels firm early in the session then stabilize, however a two-tiered market prevailed for the remainder of the week as some sellers had better position.
Beef Commentary	View Detail
Boxed beef cutout values were steady on Choice and lower on Select, with moderate demand and moderate to heavy offerings. As anticipated, middle meats appreciated this session, in preparation for next month’s holiday, as well as brisk clearance in the meat case over Memorial Day and continued excellent grilling weather. Most advancement was seen in the Choice rib cuts, however loin items followed closely behind. Conversely, Select and Choice chuck and round complexes depreciated this trading period. Beef trimmings trended lower throughout the week on light to moderate demand and moderate offerings. Fed and blended cattle grinds continued to decline over the course of the week. Forward negotiated sale activity was moderate with notable trades of Choice chuck rolls, priced below current spot market levels.
Produce Commentary	View Detail
Strawberries - The growing area have seen some rain which has caused quality issues with the fruit, receivers are seeing some white shoulders. Markets are Steady though. Cantaloupes/Honeydews – We are very limited on Mexican fruit due to there are very few Cantaloupes crossing. The Arizona weather is warmer which is limiting the harvest of fruit; the demand exceeds supplies. The Imperial Valley’s cooler weather impacted the lopes causing limited production. All fruit is mostly 6-9ct sizes. Honeydew’s out of Mexican is a different story, product continues to cross over into Nogales- the supply and quality are good. The Imperial Valley and Arizona have good quality & availability of honeydews. Asparagus- Very low volume due to the cold weather in Peru overall but on the larger sizes Europe is offering higher prices so the growers in Peru are opting to keep the product in Peru instead of exporting. Demand exceeds supplies, with Jumbo almost impossible to source. Tomatoes- As many growing regions on the East coast are winding down we should see Tennessee and Virginia picking up that volume. For those on the West, we are beginning to pull some Mexico as Florida is finishing up. We are seeing some increases in markets during the transitions. Pineapples- Due to the natural growth cycle the growers have to harvest earlier than expected causing some issues in its coloring, however the quality of the fruit is still very good. Grapes- The red grapes are in Nogales are lower than the Coachella market which is asking for a premium on both the Green & Red. Nogales will continue to lower their price on red; on green grapes they are limited out of Nogales. Even though schools are out for the summer, the demand continues on grapes. We should plan that product will be tight for another 4 weeks. The National Diesel Average has been recorded at $3.846 this week Produce reports brought to you by NPC Inc.
Dairy Commentary	View Detail
The cheese market price gyrations are creating more uncertainty. The trade is digesting the latest news on production trends of various cheese varieties, domestic pricing changes, and international news. Cheese production is steady to trending lower and is along expected, seasonal levels. Cheddar cheese inventory levels are adequate to higher and available for trade needs. Mozzarella holdings are often above the slowing, seasonal demand. Discounted milk offerings in the Midwest are very limited. The AA cash butter price at the CME remains firm. The cash price firmed early in the week, eased slightly at midweek and finished the week firm at $1.4175. Churning schedules across the country remain seasonally active. Cream supplies are sufficient to maintain near capacity or capacity schedules, but the surplus volumes of recent weeks have declined. In the East, milk truckload weights are reported to be declining, leading to a tightening of the milk supplies in the region. Hotter temperatures are leading to milk output declines in Florida and fewer milk loads are leaving the state to find processing homes. In the Midwest, milk production patterns are sporadic with some areas seeing an increase in output following better weather conditions, yet other areas are seeing milk declines and lower component tests.
Poultry Commentary	View Detail
Prices for whole broiler/fryers are about steady to steady overall. Preliminary majority prices in the Midwest and West are unchanged when compared to early week prices. Offerings cover the full range but are noted as mostly moderate. Retail and food service demand is light to moderate with trading usually limited to regular commitments. Floor stocks are closely balanced with many buyers purchasing hand to mouth unless enticed by discounted product. Trucking availability continues to be problematic for many. Market activity is mostly slow. In the parts structure, movement is light to moderate for late week business. Prices are trending weak to lower for bone-in breast and tenders, steady to weak for b/s breast and most dark meat items. Wings are steady and moving well. Offerings of tenders and breast items are readily available and competitively priced. Dark meat items are moderate to heavy and wings are moderate. Market activity is mostly slow to moderate. In production areas, live supplies are moderate at mixed, but mostly desirable weights.

Steak

Community member sweetcakes writes...

i'm not going to be a steakhouse, just a mom and pop style family place...but, i would like to offer a couple choices for steak lovers..what are the two most popular that you find? i was thinking i'd like one of them to be a chop steak. i'm not much of a steak eater myself, so not a good judge. thanks ahead for your help....

Read More

Sechuan Button

Community member Nate writes...

Has anyone ever cooked with Sechuan Buttons? I have not seen these things until last weekend at the NRA show. They are little flower buds that have an electricity like tingling feeling when you eat them. I have looked up some info about them and people use them in cocktails. I was thinking of using them in a sorbet but really want to see if I could spark up a fire of ideas from all the great chefs on here.

I'm really intrigued by the possibilities of these little guys....

Read More

Wing sauce recipes

Community member Ryan writes...

I'm opening up my first wing restaurant in the fall and need a biit of help. Originally, I was going to do a franchise but realized I want to franchise myself so I decided to go it alone. Anyways, one of my main concerns is having delicious wing sauces for the wings. My restaurant is strictly takeout/delivery (no sit down) and geared towards college kids. Any suggestions on where to find a provider to give me some wing sauce samples or how I should go about this?...

Read More

Foodies let their taste buds venture off the beaten path

Are you a foodie? Let’s examine what the word really means. Merriam-Webster defines the term “foodie” as, “a person having an avid interest in the latest food fads.” So, to set the record straight, you technically can’t be a foodie simply because you like to eat a lot. And actually, a recent USA today article, “Foodies enjoy different tastes than the rest of us,” delves further into this citing that foodies actually prefer bitter, sour and umami (savory) flavors over the typical preferences of the general population, which favors sweet and salty tastes.

As restaurant owners, what can you learn from your average foodie and how can you use this information to help your business? We already know that foodies like to try new things, and their taste buds seek unusual flavor profiles. And even more importantly, it is also a good assumption that foodies are trendsetters – making efforts to try the new and often unexplored cuisines, proudly announcing to their peers and strangers (blogging, Yelping and Tweeting are a foodie’s best friends) of the daring, exotic, and crazy dishes they’ve so bravely eaten. So look at your menu. What kind of dishes do you have that are worthy enough to entice this coveted target market?

Looking for menu ideas? Check out our list interesting ways you can add some foodie flair to your current dishes.

- Make it hot: add some spice to your menu. If you serve burgers, for example, try dishing out a spicy-style burger by incorporating some habanero or Thai chili peppers into an aioli as a unique spread. Works for sandwiches, too!

- Pucker up: twist up some menu items by adding a sour touch. Have a signature fruit cocktail? Try introducing exotic citrus fruit into it, such as yuzu, kumquats or loquats whose flavors are described as sweet and sour. Refreshing non-alcoholic sour beverages using these ingredients also work well.

- Bitter is better. Try creating a kale salad with your chef’s special house-made vinaigrette. Bittermelon soup would be sure to awaken anyone’s tastebuds. And if baking’s your specialty, create an intense bitter dark chocolate cake topped, topped with chocolate covered coffee beans – a real gourmet treat.

- The fifth taste: Umami. These flavors can be achieved by utilizing various ingredients such as soy sauce (don’t forget miso), fish sauce, fermented veggies (think kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut), mushrooms, cheese, seafood, beef, and pork. Check out StarChef.com’s list of top umami-rich ingredients for more ideas. Imagine the multitude of ways in which you can integrate these items into your current dishes.

Originally published May16, 2012 at
Read More

The Food Quiz has is brought to you by Culinary Specialty Produce, a specialty produce broker that scours the world for the very best in specialty produce. Contact them at 908-789-4700 or by sending an email to info@culinaryproduce.com.

ChefMix is published weekly. For advertising opportunities, please visit ReachOperators.com.

ChefMix, by Foodservice.com
5025 N. Central Ave, Ste 104
Phoenix, Arizona 85012
Ph: 602-381-FOOD