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The Kitchen Evolution
As a one of my colleagues often criticizes about the design of most kitchens in the foodservice industry … "We are still cooking in Escoffier's kitchen." What he is implying, and correctly so, is that the design of kitchens and the equipment within them has not changed much over the last 100 years or more. Escoffier could walk into a modern kitchen and feel quite at home. Consider for a moment the progress that has been made in other industries over the course of a century, and then look at our industry. Ford recently celebrated 100 years in business. 100 years ago Ford was making the Model T - and look at where they are now. A deck oven from the early 1900's look remarkably like the deck ovens we still use today. Looming on the horizon is what I believe to be the Kitchen Evolution.
Chef Paul Sorgule- CCE, CEC
Paul Sorgule is a seasoned food service professional with decades of experience as a chef, restaurateur, food and beverage manager, educator and culinary college administrator. In 1988 as a member of the New England Culinary Olympic Team he was awarded a gold medal at the Olympic competition in Frankfurt, Germany. In 2001 he was recognized by the American Culinary Federation as the Culinary Educator of the Year.
Chef Sorgule published his first book: In the Shadow of Cooks, in 2007. He resides in the Adirondacks of New York State where he works as the president of Harvest America Ventures, a restaurant and culinary school consulting business.
10 Tips
to Unleash the Potential
of Your Bake Shop
by Diane Chiasson, FCSI
Running a bakery operation takes much more than just displaying the regulars like fresh bread and muffins. As an operator, you must think of what will lure your customers into your bakery and it has to be creative enough that they will be coming for years to come. Freshness is an obvious key factor and should not be overlooked. Nothing should go on the shelves that is older than a day unless it is reduced in price. Remember, as a bakery facility, you have that fresh baked aroma, which means an increase in impulse sales, so use it to your advantage. Much more thought and work must come into play if you want your bakery operation to be a huge success.
Read more: 10 Tips to Unleash the Potential of Your Bake Shop
Restaurant Kitchen Equipment-
US vs Europe
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT: OBSERVATIONS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE POND
Every two years the North American Food Equipment Manufacturers (NAFEM) organization hosts its premier event somewhere in the United States - the NAFEM Show - where manufacturers throughout North America display the latest and greatest foodservice equipment they have to offer. On the other side of the pond, in Italy, there is another biennial event - the HOST show - where the latest and greatest European kitchen equipment is showcased, offering industry professionals an opportunity to kick the tires. This past fall, these two tradeshows were held back-to-back in Atlanta and Milan, and I was fortunate to participate in both.
Separated by less than a week, attending these two shows one right after the other highlighted clear similarities and differences between trends in the two regions. I would like to briefly address the commonalities first, as analyzing the differences is far more revealing. Generally speaking, walking around the more than 20 combined exhibit halls, just about everything I saw was familiar. There were a few new, truly innovative products at both shows, but even these were often improvements within a pre-existing category. In other words, there were some different style ranges with very unique features - but they were still ranges. Pressurized braising pans had an increased presence and seemed to be growing in popularity - but they were an improved version of the familiar piece of equipment we have been using for decades. I think you see my point.
Tribute to a Legend- Charlie Trotter
A touching video from the 2014 Pebble Beach Food & Wine Festival
Central Texas Barbecue
Barbecue is one of the most beloved food items Texas. Texas barbecue has a number of variations that range between different regions of the state. Texas barbecue can be divided into four basic regions, central Texas, East Texas, West Texas and South Texas. In the center of the state, barbecue is known for the high quality of the meat, and is considered by some to be the best barbecue in the state of Texas.
Barbecue holds a special place in the heart of the people of Central Texas. Cities like Lockhart, Taylor and Luling serve some of the best barbecue at some very famous long standing barbecue restaurants. The tradition of serving Central Texas barbecue started way back in the 19th century. Original settlers of the region from Germany and other European countries started the tradition of Central Texas barbecue. The meat markets in those periods used to serve cooked meat on butcher papers.