The Culinary Insider - January 16, 2012 (Vol. X, Issue 2)

Chefs Needed for Love Your Veggies™ Lunch Break for Schools—Sign Up Extended to Jan. 27

Sign up! We need chefs to create and sell a healthy lunch item at a location of their choosing for one day during the week of Feb. 27 for the Lunch Break for Schools fundraiser. A toolkit and promotional materials will be provided. Sign up today and join Cat Cora to promote proper nutrition in schools and fight childhood obesity. Your participation will impact the future of our children. Proceeds will benefit the Chef & Child Foundation to create nutritional educational materials for ACF’s involvement in the Chefs Move to Schools program. Learn more.

A sincere thank you to the Chef & Child Committee and the following ACF chapters for volunteering and making a difference: ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter Inc., ACF Inc. Charlotte Chapter, ACF Louis Joliet Chapter and White Mountain Chapter of the ACF.


Low Prices on Apparel for 2012

Happy Chef Uniforms Start 2012 with big savings! Happy Chef has slashed prices on dozens of chef coats, hats, pants, knives, and more for the New Year. Many items are priced to sell out by next week, so buy now to save up to 60% off.


What’s in Your Wok: A Fried Rice Competition

Wok

$1,000 Grand Prize

Fried Rice is believed to have its early roots in Chinese culture, but has since gained worldwide popularity. This year, we challenge you to turn up the heat on this classic and create your own signature fried rice by competing in the What’s in Your Wok: A Fried Rice Competition, sponsored by Riviana Foods®.

ACF members are invited to submit an original recipe for fried rice made with Minute Rice, white or brown. Four competitors will be selected from each region’s submissions to compete at their respective ACF regional conference. Each regional winner will receive a $250 cash prize and will compete at the 2012 ACF National Convention, July 14–17, in Orlando, Fla., to determine which signature fried rice will reign supreme. The grand prize winner receives $1,000. Learn more, review the rules and apply by the deadline.

Riviana Deadlines to apply:
ACF Southeast Region: Jan. 27
ACF Western Region: Feb. 17
ACF Central Region: March 16
ACF Northeast Region: March 23


Save the Date!

Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education
8th-Annual Leadership Conference
June 22–24, 2012
Hosted by The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio

New presenters, themes and ideas for foodservice instructors! Highlights include:

  • Full day of Educational Best Practices
  • Trends from industry leaders
  • Included: all programming, reception, meals, InfoFair and ACF CEHs
  • Luxury all-suite Riverfront hotel @ $129/night

Visit www.CafeMeetingPlace.com for registration, hotel information, instructor scholarships and awards. Subscribe for weekly programming updates.


A Look Back at 2011—the Year of Culinary Nutrition

Children

The hype surrounding improving meals for our children at home, in schools and in restaurants is bigger than ever thanks to the White House’s Childhood Obesity Task Force and other groups. In fact, according to the Chef & Child Foundation’s nutrition survey, 100% of respondents noted the need to offer nutritious children’s menu items. This may be why the National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot in 2012” survey of nearly 1,800 ACF chefs reveals children’s nutrition to be one of the hottest trends, comprising three of the top 10 menu trends.

Read more in January’s issue of “Culinary Nutrition News,” sponsored by French’s Foodservice and provided through a partnership between ACFEF Chef & Child Foundation and Clemson University.


Grab the Power of KNOWLEDGE for YOUR CAREER

MyCulinaryCampus.com MyCulinaryCampus.com’s survey of its culinary professionals state the courses have increased their knowledge by over 30%! Increased knowledge makes you more VALUABLE and EFFECTIVE as a culinary professional. Take our 1-hour courses on Food Nutrition and Recycling in the Kitchen now and receive $40 off our 12-hour Leadership Mastery Course. Let the POWER of KNOWLEDGE work for YOU and give yourself a competitive advantage in the culinary profession.


2012 McCormick® Flavor Forecast® Goes Global for First Time

McCormick Flavor Forecast

After a yearlong process of culinary exploration, data discovery and insight development, the McCormick® Flavor Forecast® revealed a surprising finding: food lovers around the world have more in common than expected. The trends impacting food choices are strikingly similar from region to region, even though the specific foods, flavors and ingredients are uniquely rooted in local cultures. Six globally relevant trends were noted through 12 regional flavor combinations. More


Operator Innovations Awards

Operator Innovations Award from the 
National Restaurant Association The National Restaurant Association is calling on individuals from throughout the industry to nominate commercial and non-commercial operators for the first-ever 2012 Operator Innovations Awards. Winners will be recognized as leaders who transform the industry with their extraordinary creativity and commitment.

Commercial and non-commercial operators may self-nominate. Manufacturers, dealers and distributors, media and other restaurant and foodservice industry professionals are also invited to submit nominations for operators. More