By Brent T. Frei

The fifth-annual Student Culinology® Competition at RCA’s 2011 conference exemplified the blending of culinary art and food science.

The student team from Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) took first-place honors, along with a $5,000 cash award and industry-wide recognition as rising stars in food-product development, at the fifth-annual Student Culinology® Competition, March 3 during the Research Chefs Association’s (RCA) Annual Conference & Culinology® Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. The award was presented at the 2011 RCA Annual Luncheon on March 5.

Each of the finalist teams representing six universities throughout North America shipped in advance a frozen Southern dessert concept featuring peaches, suitable for a family-style chain restaurant. On the day of competition, teams prepared their fresh, “gold standard” item, and in a Culinology® match test, competition judges compared each team’s plated, commercialized dessert to its corresponding freshly prepared dessert against such criteria as ingredient composition/authenticity, flavor/aroma, texture, presentation, professionalism, technical skills, safety and sanitation and overall similarity to the gold standard.

Technomic finds customization, complexity and portions driving frozen-dessert restaurant purchases.

A love affair with ice cream is perhaps just as American as that most iconic of desserts, apple pie—or even more so given the frequency with which we indulge in the creamy treat. More than half of consumers in a recent survey by trend-tracker Technomic said they eat vanilla ice cream at least once a month, and 46% said the same of chocolate.

While vanilla and chocolate dominate the ice -cream category, there are a multitude of milkshakes, sundaes, frozen yogurts, sorbets, gelatos and even tofu-based non-dairy dessert flavors that each has a special place in the hearts of consumers.

According to Mary Chapman, director at Technomic, there are several key factors when it comes to frozen desserts on restaurant menus. “Complexity, customization and portions are all very important. Operators need to differentiate their items from those offered by retailers, and they need to make the offerings available in various sizes to attract diners who are concerned with health, value, or who are simply too full to eat a large dessert.”

Healthier breakfast items are the order of the day as breakfast sales at restaurants rebound.

The most important meal of the day has been a challenge for restaurants over the past few years, faced with economic uncertainty and reduced consumer spend. In order to lure back customers to an already over-crowded breakfast marketplace, restaurant operators will need to give consumers what they want—and according to latest research from Mintel, that’s a healthy breakfast, as 66% of restaurant-goers say they are interested in healthier breakfast options.

Promisingly, Mintel’s research shows breakfast sales are expected to rebound in 2011, resulting in 4.1% growth, and the healthy-eating message is echoed by the 39% of restaurant diners who say breakfast options at their local eateries are too unhealthy. Regardless of the day of the week, two-fifths of consumers who eat breakfast out (39% on weekdays and 40% on weekends) say healthy breakfast options are the most important factor when selecting a breakfast spot.

Older Americans consume less sodium than Millennials, but all generations consume more than recommended, particularly according to the new USDA guidelines.

The updated dietary guidelines, recently released by the United States Department of Agriculture, suggest a daily sodium intake of 2,300 milligrams for the average person, and 1,500 milligrams for ages 50+, but according to a new report from The NPD Group, a leading market-research company, all generations consume above those recommendations.

Seniors, born before 1946, and older Boomers, born 1946-1955, are on average consuming 2,912 mg. and 3,199 mg. of sodium daily, respectively, according to the report entitled “Sodium Concerns and Opportunities.” While still above the guidelines, these are the lowest levels seen among the generations. These age groups, which have a higher incidence of high blood pressure and other heart-health-related issues, also commonly check nutrition labels for sodium levels in the products they buy.

By John Paul Khoury, CCC, www.preferredmeats.com, www.preferredmeatsblog.com

An interview with Jackie Lau, corporate chef of Roy’s Restaurant Group.

Jackie Lau began as a pastry chef at Roy’s Restaurant in Honolulu, her first job out of culinary school. She quickly mastered Hawaiian fusion cuisine and became chef de cuisine; later, Roy Yamaguchi sent Lau to open his restaurants in Japan and Guam. Lau has participated in many prestigious culinary events including the Aspen Food and Wine Festival, The James Beard House and The World Gourmet Summit. She has had the opportunity to cook with some of the best chefs in the world, including Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck. Lau was featured on the TV series “Great Chefs of the World.” Here is her story:

What drew you to the industry and why become a chef?
Well, I‘ve actually always wanted to be a chef; in fact, I told my folks when I was 4 years old that I wanted to be a chef! I am from a Mexican/German background and was raised on excellent food, especially Mexican fare. I grew up on a farm in California’s central valley outside of Merced. We raised a lot of our own food, always had people over, everyone in my family loved to cook—food and hospitality was really an integral part of my everyday life from early on. This farm lifestyle also really prepared me for the restaurant business in that it was a lot of work, so you get used to working hard, but also raising your own food gets you used to a certain elevated quality of product, which translates well into the restaurant industry, especially when you are focused on quality fine dining.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

A variety of review techniques can help students excel.

Last month, we discussed teaching seminar classes; given the time of year, this month we will talk about review sessions. In some ways, it would be nice to assume that we do not need to organize review activities for our students, and sometimes we don’t need to do it. Some of them are very capable to study and remember material without our help, but many students are not used to or skilled in reviewing material for tests and preparing for other demonstrations of knowledge.

Class Review
In class, there are a number of activities that we can use to help students review materials. One involves making a list of key words or terms and then calling on a student to define the word and apply it to an industry situation—using an example not in the reading—and then calling on a second student to accept the response or correct it. Calling on the second student keeps everyone alert since he or she might be called on in either capacity. An addition to this activity involves calling on a third student to explain the significance of the term or concept. Using the application and significance approaches pushes students to expand their thinking and ensure that they really understand the key ideas or techniques in the course.

By Wendy Gay, CHE

More diners demand that their tea service show an understanding of style and quality. Good news is that programs are now available for training and credentialing.

A significant trend in dining today is the re-emergence of the popularity of tea. Tea is no longer just the stuff of grandmothers. Million-dollar deals are now being consummated over afternoon teas in some of the nation’s top hotels.

Not just an alternative to coffee, tea can claim health benefits such as vitamin content and high levels of antioxidants and polyphenols, and has a history as medicine. Everywhere you look, people today are drinking more tea.

The CIA launches a free online learning module on the food and wine of one of Italy’s undiscovered food frontiers.

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) has introduced "The Food and Wine of Apulia, Flavors from Farm to Table" online learning module on the college's www.ciaprochef.com Web site.

"The Food and Wine of Apulia, Flavors from Farm to Table" is a free online resource that explores the cuisine of Apulia, on the southeastern tip of the Italian peninsula. Apulia, or Puglia, is a long, slender region with more than 500 miles of coastline and a rich agricultural heritage that includes lush olive oils, artisan breads and cheese and great wines. It is considered Italy's richest area for fruit and vegetable production.

Packed with cooking demonstrations and in-depth interviews with leading chefs and food authorities, as well as recipes to download, “The Food and Wine of Apulia: Flavors from Farm to Table” is a virtual tour of one of Italy's undiscovered food frontiers. Featuring some of Apulia's most renowned chefs and food artisans and illustrating iconic dishes from the region, segments include Expressive and Essential: Extra-Virgin Olive Oil; Fresh from the Gardens of Peppe Zullo; A Lesson in Orecchiette with Pietro Zito; Bread from the Wood-Fired Ovens of Apulia; The World Class Wines of Apulia and many more.

"The Food and Wine of Apulia: Flavors from Farm to Table" is presented by Regione di Apulia and can be found at www.ciaprochef.com/apulia. It was produced by the CIA New Media group, which has been honored with two James Beard Awards for Best Video Webcast.

By Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE

Kendall College and NRA Conserve are founding sponsors of the International Foodservice Sustainability Symposium.

For the last few years, you’ve heard me talk about sustainability as a journey, mostly comprised of baby steps, and the opportunity, every once in a while, to take a giant leap. That’s what’s happening with the first-ever International Foodservice Sustainability Symposium (IFSS), May 24-25, 2011, immediately following NRA Show 2011.

Chicago-based Kendall College School of Culinary Arts and the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ) based in Annapolis, Md., are accepting applications for the 2011 CAFÉ/Kendall Green Award. In its third year, it is the first-ever national award to recognize secondary and postsecondary culinary-arts and baking/pastry programs for their commitment to sustainability. In addition to the award, the winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize plus complimentary registration to the 7^th-Annual CAFÉ Leadership Conference, June 23-25, in Providence, R.I.