This special-edition flavor forecast commemorates McCormick’s 125th anniversary with predictions for such trending flavors as chamoy sauce, cassava flour and tea.

Hunt Valley, Md.-based McCormick & Company, Inc., a global leader in flavor, unveils its McCormick® Flavor Forecast® 2014: 125th Anniversary Edition.

The report, developed annually by McCormick experts around the world —including culinary professionals, trend trackers and food technologists—highlights five top food trends and more than a dozen emerging flavors that will inspire creative and delicious menu innovations for years to come. First launched in 2000, this Anniversary Edition explores how today’s unparalleled connectivity is driving faster-than-ever adoption of new trends and tastes around the globe.

“Today’s expectation when dining out is about exceptional taste experiences, so this Anniversary Edition can be an inspiration point for foodservice professionals,” says Megan Ford, vice president of sales  and marketing, US Industrial Group, McCormick & Company.

Most every restaurant will offer soup, but not every “restoring shop” will have a uniquely delicious apple soup. Says this expert, they should.

By Wendy Brannen

Did you know that restaurants and soup are synonymous? According to my favorite modern source—Wikipedia—the word restaurant, or “something restoring,” was first used in France in the 16th century to refer to a highly concentrated, inexpensive soup sold by street vendors and purported to be an antidote to physical exhaustion. In 1765, a Parisian entrepreneur opened a shop specializing in these soups, which prompted the use of the modern word restaurant.

Their histories intertwined, it seems no mistake that one is hard pressed to find a decent restaurant that does not serve soup in some form—piping hot or chilled, clear bouillon or thick bisque, vegan or loaded with savory chunks of meat. The preparation and serving choices are as diverse as, well, alphabet soup, as are the regional varieties of this comforting staple, which range from “she-crab” in the Carolina Low Country to something called “snert” served with a sausage over in the Netherlands.

So, if you are a chef seeking your own twist on a signature soup, where do you start? Might I suggest at the beginning of that alphabet soup of options? And, “A is for apple,” after all!

Videos by Ted Russin are included in a free course with 80,000 students worldwide.

Some of the biggest names in culinary science—José Andrés, Ferran Adrià, Nathan Myhrvold and Harold McGee—were joined by Ted Russin of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in teaching the Harvard University massive open online course (MOOC) “Science & Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science” last fall. More than 80,000 people around the world took the free class.

Russin developed and taped several video clips with Chef Wylie Dufresne to be used in the course curriculum. The videos show both basic and advanced applications of enzymes in the kitchen while highlighting the collaboration between chef and scientist in cooking. Students registered in Harvard’s MOOC initiative, called edX, watched the videos before taking quizzes and completing assignments about the subject material. They worked at their own pace and earned a certificate from Harvard by successfully mastering the course work.

A Q&A with Gavin Kaysen, who while young represented the United States in the Bocuse d’Or and today heads the kitchen of Café Boulud in New York City.

By Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC

The restaurant industry in the United States is enormous with 2012 sales in excess of $450 billion. There are, among the 960,000 plus operations, varying degrees of quality and commitment to excellence. There are those that disappoint, many that meet guest expectations and a chosen few that consistently exceed expectations and make those of us who choose a career in cooking, proud to be part of a club that includes those few.

Without exception, those restaurants that exceed expectations are led by a chef who is passionate, extremely confident, creative and talented. One such restaurant is Café Boulud in New York City. As part of the Dinex Group of world-renowned restaurants led by Chef Daniel Boulud, this café holds the unique position of both an extraordinary fine-dining destination and a neighborhood iconic spot to enjoy wonderful food and drink. At the helm of this truly great restaurant is a chef, and friend, Gavin Kaysen.

Chef Gavin agreed to the interview that follows, a brief summary of what makes him tick and how he is able to maintain his passion for cooking.

Sorgule:What or who influenced you to pursue a career in the kitchen?

Kaysen:Many people have influenced my career, but my grandmother was the first person I ever stepped into a kitchen with. She helped me understand what hospitality meant and how easy it can be to make people happy by breaking bread with them.

One of the most powerful techniques to help students remember what they have learned and apply it to a range of situations is the assignment to write letters to themselves.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Last month, we discussed helping students take charge of their lives by using journals. This month, we will examine the power of personal letter writing as a way to encourage recognition of what students have learned and motivate them to apply it.

Writing
Almost any kind of writing helps students improve their writing and, usually, the clarity of their thinking. Students—and professionals—who cannot write something clear are typically not able to think clearly about the topic or think about it in an organized manner. Therefore, any writing assignment that asks for careful structure and logic will make a difference in a student’s education. Simply regurgitating definitions does not make a difference. Writing research papers, creating project reports, answering essay questions on a test, preparing reaction papers and developing reflection papers all help students organize their thoughts as well as build connection among ideas. Writing assignments also improve students’ recall of information.

Writing Letters to Myself
One of the most powerful techniques to help students and trainees remember what they have learned and apply it to a range of situations outside of the classroom is the assignment to write a letter to self. At the end of a course or specific topic, ask them to write themselves a letter describing what they have learned and how they plan to use it in the near future. When they get the letter some time later, it reminds them of what they learned and what they intended to do with their newly acquired information or skills.