Industry News for July 13, 2024

People on the Move

In a city renowned for its innovation and environmental commitment, Executive Sous Chef Brooke DiResta and Executive Chef Victor Litkewycz of Hyatt Regency San Francisco are leading efforts to transform the hotel’s culinary services, including their on-property restaurant Eclipse Kitchen & Bar and meeting cuisine, into a model of sustainability within San Francisco's vibrant dining scene. Their focus on sourcing local ingredients, reducing waste, and crafting inventive, eco-friendly menus aims to elevate the dining experience while promoting environmental responsibility. Chef DiResta actively participates in the Hotel Council of San Francisco’s Sustainability Committee, convening monthly to address waste management, reduce single-use plastics, and advocate for sustainable practices that benefit both guests and the environment. She personally visits local markets to hand-select fresh produce, ensuring quality while supporting nearby farmers and minimizing the hotel's carbon footprint. Meanwhile, Chef Litkewycz has devised a unique serving formula that optimizes portioning and minimizes food waste at the hotel’s Eclipse Bar. Together, they've implemented a comprehensive reduced waste program and integrated Orca, an advanced composting system that has effectively processed 30,702 pounds of compost this year alone. This initiative not only enhances sustainability efforts but also significantly reduces carbon emissions equivalent to 7.7 tons that would otherwise be emitted through food waste transportation and landfill decomposition.  

Culinary Canvas has invested in new culinary talent within the past year with the hiring of St. Louis’ “2019’s Best Pastry Chef” and Food Network star Tai Davis as Sous Chef. Chef Davis serves as Sous Chef to Executive Chef Todd Segneri and pastry consultant to Head Pastry Chef Laurie Lewis. Chef Davis brings 15 years of experience in food and hospitality to Culinary Canvas, with a previous focus on experiential dining, experimental and avant-garde desserts, and private, custom culinary experiences. He has previously worked in kitchens such as Tavern of Fine Arts, Element, and The Chocolate Pig, developing his craft in elevated Soul Food, French, Italian, Asian, and New American. At Culinary Canvas, Chef Davis focuses on elevating the company’s creative pursuits by consulting on recipe development, new flavor pairings, and eye-catching plating. Heading the kitchen, Chef Segneri is working to restructure the company’s menus, with Chef Davis spearheading the culinary aesthetic, or what the team considers the ‘canvas,’ and developing a strategy to elevate approachable dishes for crowds.

Accolades

McCain Foods, a leading supplier of innovative frozen potato and appetizer products, celebrated National French Fry Day on July 12th by introducing chef Dominic Zumpano as the recipient of the company’s first Service Superstar award. In partnership with McCain Foodservice Solutions, celebrity chef Beau MacMillan nominated Zumpano and his staff at The Peanut Gallery in Lake Forest, Illinois, for the award. The honor recognizes foodservice professionals who go above and beyond to serve their customers and community. MacMillan recently helped McCain recognize The Peanut Gallery for National French Fry Day during a surprise celebration at the restaurant’s Lake Forest location. In addition to delivering a one-of-a-kind fry bouquet from McCain, MacMillan presented a $20,000 reward to Zumpano and his wife, Cecilia, which is intended to help The Peanut Gallery continue its support of the community and local first responders. 

Hot Off the Presses

US Foods Holding Corp. (NYSE: USFD), one of America’s largest foodservice distributors, today announced a national partnership with the Military Family Advisory Network (MFAN) with a $250,000 monetary contribution. The collaboration is part of the company’s “Helping Communities Make It” program, which seeks to empower communities in need through hunger-relief, culinary education and disaster relief. This is the company’s first national hunger relief partnership supporting military families, a group disproportionately impacted by food insecurity1. US Foods selected MFAN based on the nonprofit’s innovative program, the MFANetwork, which connects military families to critical resources, through collaborative, impact-driven and authentic community engagements. According to MFAN’s 2023 Military Family Support Programming Survey2, more than a quarter of active-duty military families (27.7%) have experienced food insecurity and more than half (54.8%) of respondents reported moving within the past two years due to military orders. In support of MFAN’s commitment to providing convenient access points to alleviate military food insecurity, the partnership will support the following programmatic efforts:

Additionally, US Foods recently served as a premier ‘Healthy Bodies’ sponsor of MFAN’s Solutions Summit on June 27, where policymakers, military advocates, and corporate partners developed actionable solutions for the military and veteran community. US Foods has a long-standing history of supporting associates who have served or are serving our country. The company’s 7-year partnership with The Hire Purpose specifically supports the recruitment of transitioning service members, veterans and military spouses. In addition, the company’s “Those Who Serve” Employee Resource Group offers networking and professional development opportunities for veteran colleagues. 

Culinary Canvas, a premier creative catering and events company in St. Louis, announces its expansion into venue management services with exclusivity at Barnett on Washington. The event services company adds to its current portfolio of venue real estate: Smith & Company and The Noble. The new partnership with Barnett on Washington marks the company’s transition to venue management capabilities with full operations, including catering services, event design, and consultation, in tandem with the current venue team. The expansion of Culinary Canvas’ management portfolio brings its exclusive venue list to three, focusing on reclaiming noteworthy and historic spaces in St. Louis. Exclusive venues have access to full event and catering capabilities through Culinary Canvas with plans to continue expansion in 2025. The caterer will host a free celebration event for the partnership with Barnett on Washington with “Midsummer Night’s Dream” on Wednesday, July 17, from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. This announcement comes on the heels of the renovation of Culinary Canvas’ venue, Smith & Company, in 2023, which the company owns and manages, along with The Noble in South City. Culinary Canvas and venues are operated by New + Found, the St. Louis-based development group behind notable destinations like City Foundry STLand Angad Arts Hotel. New + Found specializes in breathing new life into old projects and helping to restore historic properties. The venues under Culinary Canvas’ portfolio aim to approach this same vision by focusing on careful restoration, such as the rehabilitation of The Noble to its former Art Deco glory and modernization in the culinary experience offered with innovative and vibrant menus. As managing operators of Barnett on Washington, Culinary Canvas’s team will work alongside the venue’s established team, serving as a liaison for the space, spearheading culinary experiences, event design, staffing, and client consultation for corporate and private events, weddings, fundraisers, and more. Barnett on Washington is a 103-year-old Spanish-Mission-style venue with room for 160-335 guests, depending on room style and set-up. Venue amenities include a full bar, a private cigar lounge, bridal and groom suites, two outdoor patios, valet parking, and more. The new operational partnership will kick off with a free celebratory party, open to the public with an RSVP, on Wednesday, July 17, from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m., at Barnett on Washington. Under the theme “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the party will encourage those attending to come in costumes inspired by Shakesperean-esque style for a night exploring the twinkling patio and venue space. Culinary Canvas will showcase new culinary talent, Tai Davis, with a live cooking experience. The team’s menu will include dishes and themed cocktails such as caviar-topped fried potatoes, jalapeño-watermelon salad, open-face muffulettas with olive aioli, French 75-inspired champagne snow cones, and specialty cocktails. Vendors on-site include tarot card readings, circus entertainment, body art artists, live music from DJ Cole Coleman, venue decorations and design provided by Decorum, and more.  

The World Food Championships (WFC) announced that they have partnered with the American Culinary Federation (ACF) to bring another dimension to their judging process with the addition of ACF-certified judges. ACF judges will serve as Master Judges, roaming the Kitchen Arena to watch the competitors for technique, process, organization, and many other key metrics of success. Additionally, an ACF Judge will be included at every table in the judging room in Indianapolis, Indiana during the competition from November 8-12.  ACF judges will complement and enhance The World Food Championships’ own proprietary judging methodology, E.A.T. (Execution, Appearance, and Taste), by adding another layer of sophistication and enhanced certification. All judges for 2024 will be required to attend Food Champ University, which is scheduled to be held onsite in Indianapolis on Friday, November 8th, 2024, where judging criteria will be outlined and reinforced. Since its debut in 2012, WFC has amassed a tremendous worldwide following, providing a one-of-a-kind culinary experience at its events, as well as numerous live and made-for-TV shows. In addition to popularizing competitive cooking, the WFC platform has had an undeniable impact on the food industry, facilitating the creation of more than 10,000 new dishes and supporting communities via partnerships with various local non-profits, charities, and food banks throughout the United States. In short, the WFC platform has given birth to “Food Sport” by providing a level playing field, a fair judging system, innovative culinary programming, ambassador opportunities, TV visibility and a process that allows talented culinary teams to compete in ways never seen. The 2024 World Food Championships will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 8-12, with qualifying events being conducted throughout the year.  

Food manufacturing facilities and food importers can now benefit from three new services introduced by J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. to help ensure compliance with the industry’s complex regulations and standards. These requirements include those set by organizations such as the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and even state and local agencies.  J. J. Keller’s three new onsite food safety consulting services include:

These new services join a comprehensive suite of consulting services offered by J. J. Keller, a leader in safety and regulatory compliance for 70 years. The company’s expertise ranges from food safety to transportation, workplace safety, environmental compliance, hazardous materials, human resources, healthcare and more. 

Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa, an award-winning resort in Bonita Springs, near the city of Naples, has received certification by the Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants program. To receive the certification, the resort’s restaurants must follow certain eco-friendly criteria that helps to keep oceans and beaches plastic free. The resort’s Tarpon Bay restaurant, Tanglewood – A Southern Kitchen, and Mangroves Bar have been certified as Ocean Friendly Restaurants. The certification requires that restaurants follow several criteria including: only providing reusable foodware for on-site dining; paper straws are provided only upon request; they do not use any Styrofoam or other expanded polystyrene foam; proper recycling practices are followed; and single-use utensils or straws are provided only upon request for to-go orders. Restaurants must also meet at least three of the program’s opt-in criteria which ranges from composting efforts and energy efficiency efforts to providing vegetarian and vegan food options on a regular basis. The Ocean Friendly Restaurant criteria was developed based on research and studying best practices from the Surfrider Foundation’s Rise Above Plastics program. Volunteers analyzed data from Surfrider beach cleanups to identify the top items collected that originated from restaurants. Industry experts, academics, local governments and members of the business community also guided the criteria. For a full list of the criteria for Ocean Friendly Restaurants, please visit https://www.surfrider.org/programs/ocean-friendly-restaurants. In addition to being a part of the Ocean Friendly Restaurant program, Hyatt Regency Coconut Point has several eco-friendly programs in place. The resort features mobile entry through the World of Hyatt app helping to reduce the number of plastic key cards, and the resort features filtered water refill stations throughout the property to encourage reusable water bottle use. The resort also operates under Hyatt’s “Food. Thoughtfully Sourced. Carefully Served.” philosophy which ensures seafood is sustainably purchased from responsible resources, and offers several plant-forward menu items in its on-site restaurants and catering menus.  

Products on the Market

Better Earth Compostable Packaging, a leader in 100% certified compostable foodservice packaging solutions, is announcing their B Corp certification. This prestigious accreditation underscores Better Earth’s dedication to transparency, social and environmental leadership, and regenerative circularity within the restaurant and food service industries. As part of the B Corp Certification, Better Earth will donate a portion of profits to initiatives that promote regenerative agriculture, waste reduction, and carbon drawdown. They have also restructured their business to become a "Public Benefit LLC," formally incorporating their social and environmental mission.