The 2013 initiative, which has gained much chef and operator support from states bordering the Gulf of Mexico, continues to strive to ensure sustainability of red snapper, grouper and other fish for sale in foodservice.

As part of its efforts to support sustainability practices in the foodservice industry,The National Restaurant Association recently announced it has joined Share the Gulf, a coalition of chefs, restaurateurs, restaurant associations, seafood suppliers, fishermen, consumers and environmentalists working to protect their access to fish in the Gulf states.

“The fresh, local seafood of the Gulf states is essential to the growth of the region’s economy and its varied foodservice businesses,” said Scott DeFife, executive vice president of policy and government affairs for the NRA. “We are committed to helping ensure this seafood is not only fished sustainably so its population continues to grow, but that the voices of small businesses, their employees and customers also are heard.”

The initiative, launched in 2013, aims to ensure the region’s restaurants and grocery businesses maintain an equitable share of the Gulf states’ red-snapper catch.

For those visiting Chicago for this year’s National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, mouths water and palates yearn for one of the City of Big Shoulders’ culinary claims to fame. And among pies, four take the cake.

By Marriott International, Inc.

While our restaurants at Chicago hotels offer excellent options, visitors who have the time to venture out should indulge in the original Chicago deep-dish pizza.

Like the foundation of a fine building, the crust is essential to creating a pizza that is usually 2 to 3 inches in depth. The dough contains cornmeal, an ingredient unique to Chicago-style pizza. When the crust is baked, it’s as flaky and buttery as pie crust, yet thick enough to support mounds of cheese and toppings.

With the crust firmly in place, next comes the cheese, and lots of it. Over 1 pound of mozzarella is common. Unlike other pizzas, Chicago calls for sliced cheese, not grated. Amazingly, the crust is so deep there is still room for heaps of toppings.

Perhaps puzzling to the uninitiated, the sauce is on the top of Chicago-style pizza, not on the bottom. Covering the top with a simple, chunky Italian tomato sauce prevents the cheese and toppings from burning while the pizza bakes for about 45 minutes. Rest assured it’s worth every minute of the wait!

The chancellor of Johnson & Wales University tells chefs to follow their passion to achieve success while also becoming agents of change in their industry and careers.

By Mary Petersen

Dr. John J. Bowen, chancellor of Johnson & Wales University, was the American Culinary Federation Northeast Regional Conference keynoter at the opening general session in Providence, R.I., April 12, 2014.

He began by recognizing one of his mentors, Certified Master Chef Fritz Sonnenschmidt from The Culinary Institute of America. The lesson he learned from Sonnenschmidt, Bowen said, was to find your passion and follow it, and you will be successful. 

Bowen has been with Johnson & Wales University for more than three decades. Throughout his career, his leadership has directed JWU’s success and cemented its commitment to preparing students for professional success through academics and professional skills, community-leadership opportunities and its unique career-education model. As chancellor, Bowen oversees more than 17,000 students and approximately 2,000 employees at four domestic campuses.

Though not new to the market by any stretch, flatbreads, particularly those that say “global,” are enjoying a revolution. A pastry chef-instructor at Kendall College in Chicago reports on the trend, making the case for need-to-know among culinary-arts and pastry/baking students as they embark on their careers.

By Heidi Hedeker, CMB, MA/MSW

In the realm of baked goods, flatbreads don’t have a standard definition. Wheat flour is often the main ingredient, and just as often not. Flatbreads are leavened or unleavened. No nation on earth can claim to be the origin of flatbread (although the region that includes modern-day Iraq can take some credit), and no single flavor, color or texture is shared by all flatbreads. Some breads considered flatbreads aren’t even particularly flat. Or thin.

When you think of the lifestyle trends of the last several years, today we are basically nomads. More of the foods we eat are to go, and what is more nomadic than a flatbread? The origins of most of today’s flatbreads are in early agrarian society. Foods had to be simple enough for travel. That fits with our lifestyle today, because everything we do is portable.

Technomic research reveals significant increased blueberry use across categories, suggests Gen-Y marketing opportunities.

As consumer interest in healthy dining options continues to rise, so does the presence of fruit on U.S. menus, and new research from trend-tracker Technomic shows blueberries—a fruit renowned for its nutritional profile—gaining major traction among the top 500 chain restaurants.

Overall blueberry mentions on American menus have increased 97% since 2007—a stronger growth rate than that of strawberries, raspberries or blackberries—with fresh blueberry mentions up more than 176% in the same time period.

Contributing to this growth is a combination of factors including changing consumer preferences and an evolution in the way foodservice professionals view blueberries. The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) works to influence both.