Who's News in Catering for June 18, 2022

Hot Off the Presses

Entertaining in South Florida is a getting a dose of old school New York City Chinese nostalgia with a gourmet twist thanks to Royal Palms Dim Sum Club, a new catering company, which Queens-born and bred Chef Robbie Richter launched May 27. The menu features such American Chinese classics as King Yum shrimp toast, Pullman loaf packed with shrimp mousse; classic egg rolls; and crab rangoon. Dim sum—in the form of shrimp siu mai, pan fried dumplings,  and congee—is also showcased, as well as large-format Cantonese classics like steamed seasonal fish with black bean sauce. The Royal Palms Dim Sum Club menu pays tribute to Richter’s BBQ background with spare ribs as well as char siu with gai lan, a slow roasted 48-hour marinated pork shoulder with Chinese broccoli. It also honors a Catskills classic: The Chinese roast pork sandwich. Richter’s DIY Chinese Roast Pork Sandwiches à la Herbies, consists of a platter of roast pork, toasted garlic bread, along with classic condiments: hot mustard and duck sauce.

The Massachusetts-based event facility, Lombardo's Meetings & Occasions and Vincent's Nightclub housed at 6 Billings Street in Randolph, MA, Lombardo's To Go catering in Norwood, MA, Bardo's Bar Pizza in South Boston, and the Lombardo's retail division which currently produces Lombardo's sausages with other products currently in R + D; has officially launched Lombardo's Hospitality Group (LHG) unifying all silos of the Lombardo family businesses. Lombardo's Hospitality Group (LHG) is a full-service hospitality company which includes: restaurants, catering, event services and consultation, entertainment services and consultation and retail product offerings. Owned and operated as a private holding by the Massachusetts-based Lombardo family, the company began in 1927 in East Boston, MA with the opening of Liberty Market, marking nearly 100 years of serving the communities in which it operates. For more information on Lombardo's Hospitality Group (LHG) please visit: https://lombardoshospitality.com. 

SAVOR, the culinary division of the world’s leading producer of live-event experiences, ASM Global, has joined with World Young Chef Young Waiter (YCYW) to bring the renowned service competition to the United States for the first time. Now in its 43rd year, Young Chef Young Waiter—featuring a panel that includes The French Laundry’s renowned restaurateur Thomas Keller—is the premier competition promoting hospitality as a career choice. SAVOR is calling on the best of the best in the service industry from all over the country to register for the YCYW competition, with the chance to compete in the live round taking place at the Long Beach Convention Center Sept. 19 and 20, 2022. The winners of the American leg of the competition, as well as the winners from several international competitions taking place around the world, will have the opportunity to compete in the finals being held Nov. 15-17 in Monaco.  

Chefs and waiters throughout the U.S. under the age of 26 are asked to visit https://youngchefyoungwaiter.com/usa-california/ to enter online now through Aug. 31, 2022. A panel of high-profile service industry veterans, including Keller; award-winning chef Adam Sobel; and Michael Brennan, president of Specialty Restaurants Group, will help narrow down the entries to a short list of 20 finalists—10 chefs and 10 waiters—who will battle it out in the two-day live finale and awards party at the Long Beach Convention Center. The two winners of YCYW United States will take part in the World Young Chef Young Waiter Final in Monaco!  Entry is free for chefs and waiters residing in the U.S. who are 26 years old or under by Aug. 31, 2022. Entrants can take part if they are currently employed in the role of chef or waiter and have been employed for three (3) years or more in the hospitality profession (including those who may be temporarily unable to work or have been furloughed from their present roles).  

Fronted by Michelin-starred Aussie chef and LA-based restaurateur Curtis Stone as US co-founder, Gathar is a private chef and catering platform offering one-of-a-kind dining experiences where highly skilled chefs come to you. Perfect for date nights, dinner parties, corporate events, weddings, and more, Gathar, which has already taken off in Australia, now lands in the United States, kicking off first in the Los Angeles market with plans to expand across California and other US locations in the coming months.  How it works is simple. Customers of Gathar simply choose or create their desired menu and the Culinarian (cook, chef, or caterer) arrives with everything needed to cook, serve, and clean up afterwards. A dedicated Gathar concierge takes care of every delicious detail from start to finish, so all hosts need to do is handle the invites.  

Ghost Financial, a comprehensive financing and business services platform for ghost kitchen operators, by ghost kitchen operators, today announced the launch of the first-ever online learning and community platform for prospective and existing ghost kitchen operators, called GhostU. GhostU will provide industry-leading insights that enable success and profitability that were previously unavailable to the market. GhostU’s initial 12 episode video masterclass will cover essential, industry-specific topics on how to start a profitable ghost kitchen operation in 60 days — including, but not limited to how to boost your restaurant to the top of the delivery apps, building targeted advertising campaigns, developing viral menu items, selecting your kitchen provider, negotiating with your ghost kitchen landlord, how to secure financing, how to hire cooking staff, and more. In addition to the 12 episodes detailing how to create a profit-generating asset, GhostUMasterclass includes step-by-step worksheets and three-month access to the Ghost Kitchen Community, another first-of-its-kind, where ghost kitchen owners can interact, share their wisdom and experience, along with accessing interactive workshops, Q&A sessions, and more.  

Products on the Market

Vegan food manufacturer Upton’s Naturals is bringing quick-cooking, seitan meat substitutes to fast casual restaurants nationwide. Made in the USA with vital wheat gluten and clean, quality ingredients, the company’s pre-seasoned, plant-based offerings require little-to-no-prep and work in a variety of recipes. From their vegan version of a kosher beef frank that can be topped with fixings and seitan strips for sandwiches to their chorizo for tacos, bacon for BLTs, and gyros for Mediterranean dishes, each high-protein, low-fat (no oil!) foodservice item is also 100% vegan, CRC Kosher Pareve, Certified Plant Based,contains no GMO’s, and is free of the cholesterol associated with meat.  

Chef Jen Peters launched The Good Flour Co. to share her gluten-free, allergen-free and additive-free flours with lovers of good food everywhere. Chef Jen’s ready-made flour blends contain nutritionally dense superfood grains like millet and buckwheat, and take out the guesswork for home cooks seeking substitutions for traditional wheat flour. The Good Flour Co.’s products make it possible for those with gluten intolerance to safely indulge in delicious homemade bread, pasta and pancakes; battered chicken, fish and tempura; and even vanilla bean cake.The Good Flour Co.’s gluten-free products are also GMO-free, allergen free and contain ingredients with the highest nutritional content available. For more information, please visit www.goodflour.co.  

La Brea Bakery, North America’s No. 1 artisan bread brand, announced a number of advancements to its sandwich carriers for the foodservice industry. 

La Brea Bakery’s new and improved sandwich carriers include the following: