New confections and snacks offer a reliable barometer of consumers’ evolving flavor demands and food choices, as revealed at the 2012 Sweets & Snacks Expo.

Fun fruits and shared sweets, foreign flavors and healthy snacks are emerging as the trends to meet the ever-evolving appetites of consumers. The 2012 Sweets & Snacks Expo, which began on the last day of this year’s NRA Show in Chicago, featured new products from more than 560 companies leading the industry with the new flavors that meet consumers’ tastes.

It’s barbecue season, after all. Here are 10 tips from an educator and registered dietitian to make dishes served at the time-honored American backyard celebration both delicious and more healthful.

By Renee Zonka, RD, CEC, CHE

At the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts in Chicago, one of the biggest trends we see in healthy eating among Americans is a desire for “better for you” dishes. Foods can be mouth-watering and satisfying, yet with lower saturated fat, calories or sodium or more dietary fiber—or all of these.

Barbecuing is an excellent opportunity to serve more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, leaner meats and antioxidant-rich seafoods—because virtually everything tastes better when cooked outdoors.

Here are 10 easy, delicious ideas for “Building a Better-for-You Barbecue”:

As foodservice operators and food manufacturers aim to remove trans fats and reduce saturated fats from foods, functionality and taste will remain the top priorities. This means that ingredient companies must provide more than simple drop-in solutions to solve food-industry problems. Research, education and culinary support are essential for food companies to offer healthier products. To develop a new product or improve the nutrition profile of a customer’s favorite food, companies can now look to ingredient partners for culinary resources and expertise.

There are many different ways that healthier options can be made available to students in school cafeterias. It is up to culinary educators to take action and make these changes happen.

By Jenni Schouppe

Trying to offer more healthy options and choices for school lunches has become a hot topic across the country. The big question has become: How can schools do this with the amount of money and funding they receive to run their foodservice? What can we do as educators to help make this change?

As childhood obesity rises in this county, it has become imperative that more healthy choices be made available to students in the school foodservice. To make this happen, it is also imperative that staff, students and families become educated in how to make this happen.

Giuseppe Ricciardi took a big risk by opening a second operation next to the longstanding Fairfax favorite he’d owned since 1994. But that bet, like his other restaurant ventures, is paying off.

By Lynn Schwartz

We all know the daunting facts—a large percentage of restaurants fail in their first year and for those that do make it, longevity is rare. So most chef-owners who operate a thriving business count their lucky stars and don’t mess with the concept. Many might duplicate a successful model in another city, but few would risk competing with their own restaurant by opening a second location nearby.

Continuing the theme of “connecting” from last month, this month Dr. Mayo asks us to consider the value of the four Ps.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Last month, this column explained ways to help students connect with their peers and industry professionals. This month, we will talk about connecting students with ideas and best practices, a critical aspect of teaching the culinary arts.

The challenge of connecting students to ideas is a continuing one for most of us who teach culinary students. It is something we all like to see happen and work hard to make occur; sometimes it seems easy, but often it is a continuing experiment. One way to think about what you can do is to consider four strategies: Parallel, Promotional, Practical and Provocative.

Here are the first five of 10 critical things you must teach your students if you truly want them to earn gainful employment.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

I am a firm believer that we must not only teach our students technical skills, but we must also teach them jobs skills and life skills. If they can’t get a job, can’t keep a job or can’t manage their lives, then they will be doomed to failure even if they have the cooking skills of Escoffier. This month and next month I am writing about how to teach your students to find a job.

I realize that it might seem an odd time to be publishing this article since for many of you the academic year just ended. However, for most of us, teaching our students how to find a job needs to be worked into our curriculum on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Below are five points to be included in your curriculum. The remaining five will be published next month.

Thai Fresh Pea Soup is merely one delicious creation that capitalizes on the fresh bounty of the season.

In 1970, the first Earth Day was organized to promote environmental awareness and encourage stewardship of our natural resources. That first, massive grassroots movement by student demonstrators, schools and communities began with Senator Gaylord Nelson’s efforts to put environmental concerns on the political agenda.

More than ever, Americans today are making smarter choices to help keep Mother Earth “green.” The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is teaching the next generation of chefs to be stewards of the environment. The college’s green initiatives were recently featured on public radio’s Living on Earth. You can listen to the segment online here.

Now is a great time to “go green” in the kitchen. As our thoughts turn to gardening and farming, it’s time to turn over a new, green leaf. Farmers' markets are putting out their crops of the season.

The California Raisin Marketing Board’s (CRMB) fifth-annual America’s Best Raisin Bread Contest is now open, and all industry professionals and student bakers are encouraged to enter their most mouthwatering masterpieces in one or all of the three categories of this competition: Artisan, Commercial and Breakfast. All eligible contestants are:

• Bakers and research & development staff of commercial baking companies
• Craft bakers and retail shop owners/managers
• Certified baking teachers
• Students in accredited baking programs
• Bakery technicians at bakery supply wholesalers, flour milling companies and other allied bakery ingredient suppliers
• 18 years or older

Entries are accepted through July 15, 2012. Contest application, rules and additional details are available at www.loveyourraisins.com. The contest features two divisions, professional and student.

“This competition celebrates the creativity of both seasoned professionals and rising stars in the baking world, while highlighting the versatility of California Raisins as a flavor-packed ingredient,” says Larry Blagg, senior vice president of marketing for the CRMB. “The contest is an ideal way to showcase the endless varieties of delicious bread products that can be made from world-renowned California Raisins.”

Preliminary contest judging will take place in August. A total of 36 finalists will receive a complimentary trip to the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kan., October 11-13, 2012, where they will bake their formulas before a panel of distinguished judges from both the artisan and commercial baking industries. A total of 12 winners—nine in the professional division and three in student division—will be selected.

Winners will be selected based on their formula’s taste, appearance, originality and value. The California Raisin Marketing Board seeks to encourage the use of healthy ingredients. Formulas that feature 100% whole grains and/or gluten-free ingredients will be awarded in each division.

In addition to industry-wide recognition, winning bakers will receive a five-day California educational vacation with visits to The Culinary Institute of America and Yosemite National Park.

Photo: Luminita Cirstea was a recent co-grand-prize winner in “America’s Best Raisin Bread Contest” thanks to her entry, Raisin Rye Bread.

Focused on excellence in culinary education at all levels, Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) College of Culinary Arts is now offering a Certified Master Chef Preparation Program for full-time faculty and academic staff. This new program prepares qualified LCB employees to sit for the Certified Master Chef (CMC) exam—the industry’s highest level of achievement. Not only will the program provide an opportunity for staff to expand their skill set, but those who successfully complete the program will be able to gain recognition for their achievements from the American Culinary Federation.

“Le Cordon Bleu is dedicated to offering the highest level of support and development for our staff,” said Edward Leonard, CMC, vice president and corporate executive chef of Le Cordon Bleu. “The program will help our staff master their craft and demonstrate their vast industry experience and credentials to our students.”

The CMC certification is the most rigorous professional certification granted to U.S. chefs, requiring 130 hours of instruction, menu preparation and timed cooking tests leading up to an eight-day exam. Certified Master Chefs must possess advanced professional culinary skills, kitchen safety and sanitation knowledge and have mastered cooking techniques.