Who's News in Catering for September 25, 2021

Hot Off the Presses

The Sodexo Group reaffirmed its ambition in the world of sports, events and hospitality and created a unique global brand Sodexo Live! in order to unify and leverage all of the Group expertise across the world in this sector. The excitement of a game, the buzz of in-person networking at an industry conference, or a family outing in a museum are all opportunities to live extraordinary moments and create unforgettable memories. With a unique expertise acquired over 20 years around the world, Sodexo Live! offers clients its know-how in hospitality and culinary excellence to create tailor-made offers and transfix places and events. Sodexo Live! will continue to deploy its expertise in major venues and events in order to reveal their full potential and enrich the live experience of their audiences.  

Parts Town, the technology innovator and market-leading distributor of OEM foodservice equipment parts, today announced the launch of its Parts Town Marketplace. Through the new e-commerce Marketplace, customers will have access to a one-stop shopping experience for OEM foodservice replacement parts, items and products across a variety of new categories, rather than having to visit multiple websites to find the parts and equipment they need. It also provides an opportunity for sellers to leverage the brand recognition, site traffic, e-commerce platform and marketing expertise of PartsTown.com to reach an expanded customer base. In addition to foodservice parts and products such as smallware, tabletop and light equipment, the new Marketplace will also offer parts and other related products from adjacent market sectors including HVAC, janitorial, water filtration, technician supplies and residential appliances. The Marketplace currently includes over 23,000 residential appliance parts from brands such as Whirlpool and Frigidaire, as well as 6,000 janitorial and sanitation products.  

Nestlé Professional USA announces a partnership with the World Resources Institute (WRI) to bring more climate friendly meals to consumers in foodservice settings. A WRI initiative, Cool Food Meals menu certification provides consumers a quick and easy way to spot low carbon dishes when shopping or dining out, helping facilitate a shift toward more plant-forward diets that are better for the climate. The Nestlé Professional Cool Food Meals available at out-of-home dining locations will incorporate award-winning, plant-based proteins from Sweet Earth Foods, a Nestlé Professional brand. The agreement with WRI will give Nestlé Professional customers access to scores of pre-certified recipes featuring climate-friendly, plant-based ingredients from Sweet Earth, including the Awesome Burger, Awesome Grounds and Mindful Chik'n. Foodservice customers will also be able to design their own plant-based recipes for certification using those Sweet Earth ingredients.  

Alan Berg has just finished his next book, “Why are they ghosting me? 9 reasons why they don’t reply to your emails and messages – and how to fix them?” Berg is currently doing pre-sale on the book, and is offering free shipping to Catersource readers! Just use Coupon Code ‘catersource’ during checkout at www.ShopAlanBerg.com before September 30th, 2021.

Products on the Market

There’s a new player in the US spirits market and it’s entering the States strong. Truly unique, made from ingredients that can only be found in just one place in the world, Organika vodka is an ultra-premium spirits brand that has courage engraved into its creation. Created by the Khuzin family, Organika vodka has been donating at least 1% of their profits to the WWF, the Siberian Tiger Foundation, and more.  

Dishcraft is a robotics company focused on solving the labor and sustainability challenges facing foodservice operators. Given the current labor shortage in hospitality, and Dishcraft's sustainability angle (they use less water, use reusable plates to cut down on waste and reduce emissions). The company's core service is Dishcraft Daily, a reliable, eco-friendly daily dishware delivery service that provides high quality, sanitized, reusable dine-in dishware and to-go containers to foodservice operators, including corporate, hotel, and hospital cafeterias. 

Cut steps and dramatically reduce prep time with the Vitamix XL®, a large-capacity commercial machine that allows the blending of multiple batches or bulk quantities of key menu items at once. This powerful countertop blender lets you blend up to 24 8-ounce servings at one time, making it a versatile time-saver for preparing large quantities of smoothies, soups, sauces, batters, dessert fillings, and more. The XL is equipped with a powerful 4.2 peak-output horsepower motor for dependable, heavy blending in a fraction of the time. Its 1.5-gallon container features a low-profile, removable plug lid for ease in adding ingredients while blending. Features like variable speed control and pulse work together to help chefs and kitchen staff customize blends and achieve precise textures. For blending smaller batches, the unit also comes with a 64-ounce container. 

Steeped Coffee, a Certified B Corp, was announced today as the NEXTY Awards Winner for ‘Best New Product’ for its French Roast Fair Trade Organic Breakwater Blend. Steeped Coffee was honored as the ‘Best New Tea or Coffee’ by the coveted NEXTY Awards, announced at the annual Natural Products Expo East in Philadelphia. Steeped is showcasing its revolutionary single-serve Steeped Brewing Method and Guilt-Free Packaging™ in Booth No. 1214 at the expo Sept. 23-25. Brewed similar to tea, fully compostable Steeped Packs require no machines or specialty brewing equipment and are quickly becoming the sustainable standard in single-serve coffee. Nearly 600 products competed in the NEXTY Awards this year. The program recognizes the pinnacle of excellence in the natural products industry, highlighting brands and products that inspire a healthy, sustainable future for people and the planet.  

People on the Move

Mercer Culinary is excited to introduce Carrie McDonald, who will be stepping into the role of Director of National Accounts, effective Monday, September 20, 2021. Carrie is the complete package with years of experience working in the foodservice E&S industry. Previously, Carrie held the position of National Account Manager at San Jamar (CFS Brands). Throughout the course of her career, she has worked in sales focusing on National Accounts for companies such as Mozo and Libbey, as well as Rep Source where she has experience working on the representation side. She has been able to gain valuable connections with distribution, large end-users and chain accounts, making her a tremendous asset to our organization. 

Venue News

The Inn at Millrace Pond will soon be unveiling a ground breaking new addition, which will serve as the crowned jewel to complete the venue's new, unique and elevated destination wedding experience. Tucked away in the beautiful and scenic northern New Jersey countryside, The Inn at Millrace Pond has been bringing a touch of rustic charm to locals and visitors alike since 1769. You should know that we're no stranger to history -- prior to opening as a bed and breakfast, our property was home to a Moravian Grist Mill, and a staple in the Hope community.