Gold Medal Classroom

Mar 28, 2024, 11:43

Classic Cocktails Make a Menu Comeback

Tuesday, 02 October 2012 15:57

food1_oct12In the height of the sweltering summer, some seasonal, fruity favorites have fared well, while others are falling from favor.

 

If you want to know what cocktails people are ordering in bars and restaurants, you don’t need to look any further than an episode of “Mad Men.”Classic cocktails are mixing things up on the drink menu this year. According to new research from Mintel Menu Insights, cocktails that are described as “classic” on menus have increased by a whopping 76% since 2009. Popular retro drink, the Manhattan, has seen a 35% increase on menus since 2009, while the Gimlet is up 63%, Sazerac is up 57% and the Side Car has jumped 50%*.

“Bartenders and cocktail geeks are taking a very academic approach to mixing drinks, and many are learning the history and the evolution of iconic cocktails,” says Kathy Hayden, senior foodservice analyst at Mintel. “This approach combines with better ingredients, some nostalgia for a time when people had time to enjoy cocktails and cocktail parties and widespread interest in ‘cocktail culture’ to boost interest in the classics.”

Among survey respondents who have ordered a drink at bars/nightclubs, 54% ordered a beer in the last three months, making it the most widely accepted alcoholic beverage. Cocktails also have a high incidence of use, however, with 44% of people saying they’ve ordered one in the same timeframe. A new cocktail claim making its debut on menus is “skinny.” In 2009, there were zero reports of the skinny claim and in Q2 2012, Mintel Menu Insights tracked 110 items boasting this descriptor.

Mayo’s Clinic: Using Social Media in Our Classrooms

Tuesday, 02 October 2012 15:55

fredmayoTwo effective strategies to consider are blogging and discovering, or instant research.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

 

Last month, we talked about expanding our connections to colleagues, industry partners and other professionals. This month, we will start the first of three columns on ways that students connect using social media, beginning with using social media in our classrooms.

Social Media
There are lots of ways to look at social media and a myriad of definitions available. After all, our students use a range of software programs to communicate, contact and contribute to discussions. They use Google, Google Alerts and YouTube for research purposes; they have RSS feeds and Mashups; they also thrive on a lot of time with Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Tumblr and Foursquare, among many others.

50-Minute Classroom: Capitalize on Boards, Commissions and Associations

Tuesday, 02 October 2012 15:53

weinerMyriad resources for training DVDs, posters, booklets and even free guest lecturers are there for the taking.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

“Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is knowing to keep it out of a fruit salad.”

Texted to me by my daughter at college on October 25, 2011.

It’s been a year since my daughter texted me that quote, and it still amazes me how often the difference between knowledge and wisdom hits me between the eyes. One recent example was at CAFÉ’s Leadership Conference this past June in San Antonio, while I was leading a roundtable discussion on the 50-Minute Classroom. One member of the group posed the question of what outside resources were available (for free) that she could use in her classroom. Two members of our group were representatives of the Idaho Potato Commission. They said that they would be happy to provide her with booklets, charts, displays for her classroom all about potatoes, and would even arrange a guest speaker.

Green Tomato: An Outlet for Farmers, Chefs and Artisans

Tuesday, 02 October 2012 15:50

green_oct12The City of San Diego opens a much-wanted Public Market.

By Candy Wallace

Talk the talk about providing outlets for citywide farmers’ markets so residents can source healthy food and eat fresh AND go one step further and walk the walk by starting a public market. VERY BIG DEAL!!

The City of San Diego just received a delicious gift that will impact not only the food community itself, but all of the residents who take advantage of the newly opened San Diego Public Market.

Lesson Plan: Wild, Natural & Sustainable Alaska Seafood

Tuesday, 02 October 2012 15:42

lesson_oct12Did you know that a whopping 95% of all wild salmon is harvested in Alaska? From black cod to king crab to sockeye salmon, here’s a primer on Alaska’s sustainable finfish and shellfish for the classroom.

Courtesy of Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute

Since admittance into the Union as the 49th state in 1959, Alaska has served as a model of fisheries management around the globe. One reason for this is that Alaska remains the lone state in the nation with a constitutional mandate stipulating all fish “be utilized, developed and maintained on the sustained yield principle.” Effective, precise management ensures Alaska’s fisheries are productive, sustainable, clean and healthy—as mandated by the Alaska state government.

Wild-caught Alaska salmon, whitefish varieties and shellfish mature at a natural pace, and swim freely in the pristine waters off Alaska's rugged 34,000-mile coastline. Alaska harvests more than 56% of all seafood caught in the United States, and if it were a country, Alaska would rank ninth in the world for seafood production. Alaska pollock is the largest food fishery in the world, and 95% of all wild salmon is harvested in Alaska.

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