At the inaugural Menus of Change™ summit co-presented by the CIA in June, experts in foodservice, health science and social change presented information on topics relevant to what today’s health- and environmentally conscious consumers expect from corporations, foodservice operators and business leaders.

Attendees at the inaugural Menus of Change™ leadership summit, which opened June 10 in Cambridge, Mass., are examining the future of food and the challenges facing our country in terms of health, healthcare and our food systems.

Co-presented by The Culinary Institute of America and Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Department of Nutrition, the Menus of Change program and accompanying annual report (www.menusofchange.org) provide a “GPS” for today's foodservice executives at a time when the food industry is being reshaped by concerns about obesity and healthcare costs, how food is produced and sourced, and declining global resources.

“It has been exciting to see the leaders from different sectors—foodservice, the environment, nutrition science and business—interact with such drive and commitment,” says Dr. Tim Ryan, CMC, president of the CIA. “Menus of Change is helping them find common ground at the intersection of some of the most pervasive issues that face our industry and our world, and we are setting a meaningful course of action toward solutions.”

Emmi Roth USA announces winners of the Grand Cru® Recipe Contest for culinary students, held in conjunction with CAFÉ.

Emmi Roth USA, a leading provider of specialty cheeses based in Monroe, Wis., recently announced the winner of its Grand Cru® Recipe Contest for Postsecondary Culinary Students. The contest, presented in conjunction with CAFÉ, challenged culinary students to create a unique and flavorful recipe highlighting Roth Grand Cru, a classic Alpine-style cheese.

Alex Hartfelder, 21, of Brentwood, Tenn., submitted the winning recipe—Grand Cru Pistachio Crisps with Spicy Red Pepper Jelly (pictured). As a second-year student at Nashville State Community College, he has been cooking since age 10. Hartfelder will soon realize one of his longtime culinary dreams and use the $1,000 prize money for travel to an internship in Italy. 

The winning recipe was inspired by his father’s favorite holiday cheese straws, which Hartfelder traditionally prepares using cheddar and walnuts. After sampling Grand Cru, the smoothness and earthiness of the cheese inspired him to re-conceptualize his cheese-straw recipe as a savory cracker with Grand Cru and pistachios, rounded out with homemade pepper jelly. Emmi Roth USA judges were impressed with the sophisticated combination of sweet, savory and spicy flavors, praising the buttery texture and the Grand Cru flavor that comes through in the cracker.

In 2013, bright flavors, “free from,” healthier horizons and the “new” convenience took center stage at the biggest foodservice tradeshow in the nation, held in Chicago in May. And are advances in ordering technology taking the “personal” out of service?

Courtesy of Olson Communications

The recent National Restaurant Association (NRA) Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show in May, like every year, provided a lot to be excited about. The show brings together operators across all segments of the industry. While talk among attendees focused on a number of the events away from McCormick Place, the NRA Show exhibit hall still delivered the latest products, flavors, equipment and technological advances.

The show featured several themes that are evident of the industry’s issues, challenges and trends. These themes could be found throughout the show floor and included healthy eating, beverages and flavor bursts.

Healthful and Uncomplicated Flavor
Complex, yet uncomplicated, was the flavor theme common to many new products. Preparations seen at the show in culinary demonstrations and around trendy Chicago restaurants that were a hit during the show featured simple ingredients, nothing fussy or overdone.

The iconic chef led top staff, purveyors and protégés in Sense of Urgency.

Expecting a cooking demonstration from one of the world’s greatest chefs, students at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) instead were treated to something completely different from Thomas Kelleron May 13.

The college hosted Thomas Keller Day at its Hyde Park, N.Y., campus with a keynote address from Keller and breakout sessions covering various restaurant business topics.

The day was scheduled to conclude with a “culinary presentation.” Instead of a traditional demo, however, Keller made his stage debut, leading his celebrated restaurants’ top staff members, including Eli Kaimeh ’00 of Per Se, purveyors and celebrated protégés such as Grant Achatz ’94 and Jonathan Benno ’93 in a one-act play.

“You often hear it said that restaurants are like theater, with a front of the house, a behind-the-scenes crew, a colorful cast of characters, a creative script,” Keller said. “Today we thought we’d take it literally.”

Sense of Urgency was the result—a performance developed by Keller’s team that portrays an evening of service at The French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., and named for the wording on a plaque that hangs under the kitchen clocks in all of Keller’s restaurants. The French Laundry is a Michelin Guide three-star restaurant that was honored as the World’s Best Restaurant by U.K.-based Restaurant magazine in 2003. “We observe the process of execution and the importance of relationships between the purveyors, farmers, and craftsmen of the products these chefs will use to serve their guests,” explains the playbill.

Nearly 1,000 CIA students attended the performance and hundreds more participated in the earlier presentation and breakout sessions, which were simulcast to the college’s campuses in Texas and California. Twenty lucky students were selected to have lunch with Keller.

Photo:Playbill for Sense of Urgency, a one-act play by Thomas Keller—featuring Grant Achatz, Jonathan Benno and others—that debuted at The Culinary Institute of America during Thomas Keller Day at the college’s Hyde Park, N.Y., campus on May 13, 2013.Courtesy ofCIA/Phil Mansfield.

Seventh-annual awards focus on thought-leadership values and why food matters.

The seventh-annual Leadership Awards—the Augies—from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) were presented to four individuals who exemplify, in spirit and deed, the CIA’s four core value pillars:

• Honored for his dedication to professional excellence and innovation: Daniel Humm, executive chef, Eleven Madison Park and The NoMad Hotel, New York City

• Honored for creating restaurant menus that promote health and wellness: Clifford Pleau ’81, corporate executive chef, Seasons 52, Orlando, Fla.

• Honored for his contribution to the understanding of world cuisines and cultures: Rick Bayless, chef/owner, Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and Xoco, Chicago