Before spring officially kicks in the annual food & drink rite of passage begins; a close read of the names of anointed hospitality industry leaders who are fortunate and skilled and lauded and connected enough to have their names land on the semi-finalists’ list for this year’s James Beard Awards. And then the ensuing chatter about whether those nominees are deserving and who was “robbed.”
They say, it’s an honor just to be nominated, and that’s true. In our book, everyone who makes a difference in the lives of restaurant, bar and hotel guests every day is a winner, but for now, let’s just see who the James Beard Foundation (www.jamesbeard.org) might be handing an award to on May 5th where the theme for the 2014 Awards is “Sounds of the City.”
This year’s theme explores the enduring relationship between music and food, celebrating the many ways in which the culinary community is inspired by music and the artists who create it. Music has continually played an important role in the culinary world, from inspiring chefs in the kitchen to setting the tone in a dining room and everything in between. A surprising number of chefs have crossed over from the world of music to food and even more continue to express themselves as musicians in their downtime. From Nashville to New Orleans, Detroit to Seattle, this year’s gala reception will feature chefs from some of America’s beloved musical cities creating dishes inspired by their favorite sounds, whether it’s a local musical act, special song, or impactful musician.
There’s no doubt that being nominated for a James Beard Award has an impact on careers. The James Beard Foundation holds an online open call for entries beginning in mid-October of each year. According to sources at the Foundation this year, over 38,000 entries were received, a list which the Restaurant and Chef Committee goes through to determine eligibility and regional representation. Based on the results and eligibility requirements for each award, the committee then produces a nominating ballot that lists the semifinalists in each of the 20 Restaurant and Chef awards categories, some of which include Outstanding Chef (Presented by All-Clad Metalcrafters), Outstanding Restaurant, Best Chef in ten different U.S. regions, Rising Star Chef of the Year, Outstanding Service, Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional, Outstanding Bar Program, and Best New Restaurant.
The list of semifinalist nominees is then sent to an independent volunteer panel of more than 600 judges from across the country. This panel, which comprises leading regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators, and past James Beard Foundation Restaurant and Chef Award winners, votes on specific award categories to determine Read the full article here »
Tags: 2014 James Beard Awards, Anvil, Bar Agricole, Barbuto, Barley Swine, Benjamin Sukle, Birch, Bryce Gilmore, Canon, Coi, Columbia Room, Coquette, Corey Le, Cure, Daniel Lindley, Daniel Patterson, David Wondrich, Dominique Ansel, Donald Link, Franklin Mortgage & Investment, Gabrielle Hamilton, Gautreau's, James Beard Foundation, Jonathan Waxman, Kathy Carry, Michael Chiarello, Michael Cimarusti, Michael Stoltzfus, Rogue 24, Sue Zemanick, The Bar at the NoMad Hotel, The Broken Shaker, The Dead Rabbi, The Hawthorne, Trick Dog, Tyler Florence, Williams & Graham
Posted in: Features
February 20th, 2014
On this very notable day of love it is not a who, but a what that we’ve fallen head over heels for here at INSIDE F&B. It pleases us to introduce our newest crush, The Aermate.
Much like other unassuming tools you’d toss in the drawer, this doesn’t look very impressive, but boy does it get the job done! Want to save the remainder of that bottle of wine that’s not yet turned yet you have it earmarked for the spaghetti sauce? Could only afford an inexpensive wine last trip to the liquor store but wish it could taste like it is twice the value? Have a hot date coming over in 15 minutes and you forgot to pull out the decanter? Not to worry, Aermate (www.aermate.com) to the rescue.
Introduced in November 2013, the Aermate was designed by a mechanical engineer who worked in the fields of liquids and gasses. As things like this often come to life, he and his partner, whom he met at Purdue as an undergrad, created Aermate after a conversation over dinner. Co-founder Mike Roach comments, “We created this tool to do as much work as possible with the least amount of effort, mess, and interruption of the enjoyment of wine and spirits.”
Knowing how much restaurants would love to turn tables and turn profits they might not otherwise see while letting a bottle decant properly Roach and his partner created this full size edition as well as a table top/personal travel size – about 5″ long that can sit on the bar in its caddy or tuck into a server’s apron pocket. Not only is it great for a quick aeration of those top end wines when you or your guest doesn’t want to decant, but also is a boon to less expensive wines sold by the glass, mellowing them out and hopefully inspiring a second glass purchase. Roach notes, ” The way you aerate something is to put as fine as bubbles as you can and you oxygenate it. The Aermate reduces waste and satisfaction in an immature product increases.”
How does the magic happen? Roach explains exactly what is going on with this thin rod and bulb, “This is the kind of unique part about it – what we’ve been able to develop is sintered metal – it’s a molding process they use with the stainless steels. the holes in that piece – it feels like a stone – the holes are each 2 microns across and these holes are thin and strong and give you the maximum amount of air pressure. It bursts so much air into the product (Aermate also works on spirits and coffee); air that is forced into the bottom of the glass or the bottle that then bounces around in the beverage and gives it as much exposure to oxygen as possible. Exposure it couldn’t get from a pouring aerator.”
Pouring profits into wine tastings is something Read the full article here »
Tags: aeration, Aermate, blender, corked, decant, decanter, Drinkwire, liquor.com, Michael Roach, skunky, vday2014, Wine
Posted in: Don't Miss
February 14th, 2014
Make gravlax the newest addition to your small plates menu
By Francine Cohen
Stop all the whining about this polar vortex repeat performance and get inspired by the culinary culture of a people who manage just fine in this weather…Swedish people.
Their classic dish, gravlax, has a place on both your Super Bowl buffet if you’re having friends over for the big game or can be an easy to prep and highly profitable bar snack that pairs beautifully with all sorts of cocktails on your menu.
Chef Magnus Lindström of Swedish Taste, Göteborg, presented this dish this past summer in the Hamptons as part of the Swedish Culinary Summer program (www.swedishculinarysummer.com/chefs) which was sponsored, in part, by Peter F. Heering / Xanté (www.xantenorthamerica.com).
Though prepped outside by the pool this is truly a year-round item that works with a variety of spirits and is sure to please guests as well as meet your food costs.
Lindstrom should know about these things; he won the Swedish Chef of the Year Award Read the full article here »
Tags: Adele Nilsson, Cherry Heering, Drinkwire, gravlax, liquor.com, Magnus Lindström, pear liqueur, Peter F Heering, Swedish Culinary Summer, Xante
Posted in: Don't Miss
January 27th, 2014
How 15 DC chefs and bartenders battled the bulge and made the world a healthier place
By Francine Cohen
Just as ubiquitous as the seasonal songs you hear in every holiday commercial this time of year is the rush for predictions, charitable donations, and resolutions that will surely make your world, and the world, a better place in the new year. 2014 will be no different.
There will always be plenty of ways that you, as hospitality industry leaders, will be asked to give. And let’s be honest, it gets a bit redundant. But it doesn’t have to be the same old same old. You probably feel like Chef RJ Cooper (www.rogue24.com) does as he remarks, “The dine around pass food over a table formula is tired, old and just cramped. A new concept of making mobile kitchens in venues so chefs can cook for 3 tables of 10 etc. would be much more fun.”
No reason you can’t have fun while doing good. Maybe this is the year it happens and you’ll be inspired to take a page out of the book of some Washington, DC based chefs and bartenders who found fun and healthy living through charity work in 2013. Last year, while supporting the American Cancer Society by co-chairing the Society’s annual signature culinary, wine and spirits event, Taste of Hope (www.tasteofhopedc.org), the Restaurateur/chef Mike Isabella (www.graffiatodc.com) rallied 15 Washington, D.C. chefs and mixologists for the inaugural Fit for Hope weight loss challenge.
The 12-week challenge kicked off on June 24th and culminated on September 24th at Taste of Hope. According to the Society, the latest recommendations for adults call for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week, or an equivalent combination, preferably spread throughout the week.
Faced with an invitation to support a new (to DC) charity event they turned what could have been just another “let me show up and park myself behind a white tablecloth draped 6 ft. long table and hand out food and drink while smiling and promoting my restaurant/bar” experience into something much more personally meaningful- for them and the charity they supported. While dropping pounds, each participating chef and mixologist was also charged with raising a minimum $2,500 during the 12 weeks and many turned to Read the full article here »
Tags: American Cancer Society, Anthony Acinapura, Art and Soul, Art Smith, Azur, Brasserie Beck, Bryan Voltaggio, Chauna Bryant Pilates, Columbia Room, Del Campo, Derek Brown, Drinkwire, Eat Good Food Group, Eat the Rich, Family Meal, Frederick de Pue, G, G Grab and Bo, Graffiatok, Jason Yoo, Kapnos, liquor.com, Lunchbox, Marjorie Meek-Bradley, Matt Hill, Maziar Farivar, Mike Isabella, Mockingbird Hill, Monica Pampell, Peacock Cafe, PentaFit, Pizzeria Orso, PX, Range, Restaurant Eve, Ripple, RJ Cooper, Rogue 24, Ryan Wheeler, Scott Drewno, Shannon Overmiller, Society Fair, Southern Art, Table Fifty-Two, Tabnle, Taco Bampa, Taste of Hope, Taste of Hope DC, Team Yoo Sport Taekwondo Chauna Bryant, The Daily Meal, The Majestic, The Passenger, The Source by Wolfgang Puck, TNT, Todd Thrasher, Victor Albisu, VOLT, Will Artley
Posted in: Features
January 3rd, 2014
Judging Panel Announced For James Beard Foundation’s 2014 Restaurant Design Awards
New York, NY (December 19, 2013) – The James Beard Foundation is proud to announce a distinguished panel of jurors that will serve as the judging authority for the 2014 Restaurant Design Awards. This panel invites restaurants, architects, interior designers, and graphic designers to submit their projects for consideration for the 2014 Restaurant Design Awards. The distinguished 2014 jury includes Kristina O’Neal, partner of the James Beard Design Award-winning firm AvroKO in New York City; Clive Piercy, the founder and Creative Director of the Santa Monica, California-based air conditioned design, and a James Beard Design Award nominee in 2012; Los Angeles restaurateur Caroline Styne, a 2012 James Beard nominee for Restaurateur of the Year; Adam D. Tihany, widely regarded as one of the world’s preeminent hospitality designers and an early pioneer of the restaurant design profession; and Marion Weiss, cofounder of WEISS/MANFREDI Architecture/Landscape/Urbanism in New York City, and the Graham Chair Professor of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Restaurant Design Awards were established by the James Beard Foundation in 1994 and have become highly coveted by visionary designers nationwide. “The design of a restaurant is absolutely essential to the overall experience,” said juror Adam D. Tihany. “It is the first impression, a direct extension of the chef, his food and personality. Together, the partnership between design and cuisine create what we understand as dining today.”
Any restaurant or design project that was completed or redone in North America since January 2011 is eligible, and the deadline for entry is Monday, January 20, 2014. The Restaurant Design Awards are comprised of two categories, Restaurants of 76 seats and over; and Restaurants of 75 seats and under. Architecture, Interior Design, Graphic Design, and all other design aspects of a restaurant will now be considered comprehensively in each submission for restaurant design. “The JBF Design Awards signify our commitment to honor all aspects of the culinary industry,” said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. “The judges will be looking for candidates where excellent design is an integral part of the restaurant’s overall concept.” All those interested in submitting projects for consideration should visit awards.jamesbeard.org/ for the complete guidelines. The nominees will be announced at a Nominees Breakfast in Chicago in March, with the winners named at the Awards Ceremony on May 5, 2014.
The committee overseeing the awards process is made up of architects, curators, interior designers, and graphic designers who are experts in the field; it’s this committee that has chosen the jurors who will judge this year’s entries. This year’s committee includes James Biber, principal of Biber Architects in Read the full article here »
Tags: 2014 James Beard Awards, Adam Tihany, Aidlin Darling Design, air conditioned design, Architecture & Design, AvroKo, Biber Architects, Brooke Hodge, Caroline Styne, Chee Company, Chee Pearlman, Clive Piercy, David Darling, Dung Ngo, Glen Coben, Hammer Museum, James Beard Foundation, James Bears 2014 Restaurant Design Awards, James Biber, Juvia, Kristina O'Neal, Marion Weiss, restaurant design, Susan Ungaro, University of Pennsylvania, Wiss/Manfredi
Posted in: Features
December 20th, 2013
How the 86 Co. Gave Bartenders Just What They Asked For
By Francine Cohen
You may know them for their big win in the best new product category at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, or (depending on whether you gained access or had drinks graciously ferried outside to you while waiting on line before being turned away) love them/hate them for their brand’s Tales debut party, The Bare Knuckle Brawl. But do you really know the 86 Co. and their line of spirits?
Unlike many other brands that start off with a product or a marketing plan, the pros behind the 86 Co. (Malte Barnekow, Simon Ford, Jason Kosmas, Kris Roth, and Dushan Zaric) started with goals and a bunch of questions. Kosmas explains, “You need to be able to get great spirits at an honest price. That’s part of the equation. We don’t want to re-teach people how to make drinks. What we did want to do when creating our spirits was to make them be plug and play and have bartenders use our spirits. We want them to be inspiring, which is why they are spirit driven.”
The focus on being spirit driven, and higher proof than some competitors, was all to make bartenders happy. Despite the reality that they’d be facing higher excise taxes, the 86 Co. team made a conscious decision to satisfy the bartender’s need for an impressive ABV number. Says Kosmas, “They think that people’s experience is based on the spirit straight out of the bottle. But it is not until you mix with it that you get the impression of what the spirit does. So we used mixed drinks as a benchmark and a we ended up with a tequila that is so full of agave, rum that is sugar cane; they are all very stereotypes and exaggerated stereotypes. And all highly viscous. It was about producing a tool for bartenders.
Creating precisely the right tools was the first order of business as Ford explains how they arrived at the profile for each brand, “We started with what we wanted the liquid to be before we went into it [production].”
In part the success of the company’s product line (Aylesbury Duck Vodka, Caña Brava Rum, Ford’s Gin, and Tequila Cabeza) has as much to do with the combined spirit wisdom and bar experience of the brand’s principles, as it does the input and needs of the greater Read the full article here »
Tags: 86 Company, Aylesbury Duck vodka, Cana Brava, Drinkwire, Dushan Zaric, Ford's Gin, Jason Kosmas, kris Roth, liquor.com, Malte Barnekow, Simon Ford, Tequila Cabeza, thedailymeal.com
Posted in: Features
November 4th, 2013
How the US government’s shut down is wreaking havoc with the spirits industry
By Francine Cohen
Think that just because you’re not one of the 800,000 “non-essential personnel” furloughed during the government shut down this week that you and your hospitality/liquor industry brethren and the customers you serve won’t feel the sting? Think again.
While you’re all still expected to be at your job as normal, and it doesn’t seem evident that anything much has changed on a day to day basis, OND sales numbers, product innovation, and revenue (brand and tax revenue) is going to be down this year. Not to mention the possibility of product shortages. There’s no telling yet just how hard we’ll be hit. But it’s certain you’ll see the impact in some way.
Though it is highly unlikely you’re in the same boat as Allison Evanow of Square One Organic Spirits (www.squareoneorganicspirits.com) and Brian Facquet of Prohibition Distillery (www.prohibitiondistillery.com), two craft distillers in the delegation organized by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (www.discus.org) to present their handcrafted products to VIPs at Berlin’s Bar Convent next week who were just notified that the venue had changed from the American Embassy to the Berlin Hilton thanks to our legislators not coming to consensus, the impact of this government shut down won’t go unnoticed.
Maybe it’ll be noticeable bare spots on your shelves because imported products are tied up at port. That’s a problem that Lizzie Asher, President of Macchu Pisco (www.macchupisco.com), is presently facing. Or maybe you’re a retailer awaiting holiday VAPs to fill your shelves in one of the busiest selling seasons of the year and those new products simply aren’t available. Producers who live and breathe for those on and off premise account sales are certainly feeling it now. Jason Johnstone-Yellin of Single Cask Nation (www.singlecasknation.com) notes, “Single Cask Nation has product sitting at the Glenfarclas distillery that cannot be imported before TTB approval is received. Further, our US-sourced Chanukah releases are delayed while we wait to Read the full article here »
Tags: Allen Katz, Allison Evanow, Anchor Distilling, Bootlegger 21 NY Vodka, Brian Facquet, Congress, DISCUS, Drinkwire, Gable Erenzo, Glenfarclas, government shut down, Huffington Post, Jason Johnstone-Yellin, Karl Du Hoffman, Kings County Distillery, kitten with a whip, Leopold Brothers, liquor industry, liquor.com, Lizzie Asher, Macchu Pisco, Nicole Austin, North Shore Distilling, NY Distilling Company, NY State Distillers Guild, Prohibition Distillery, Single Cask Nation, Sonja Kassebaum, Square One Organic Spirits, Todd Leopold, Tuthilltown
Posted in: Features
October 4th, 2013
Exploring Differences Between Macerations And Infusions
By LeNell Camacho Santa Ana
Photo courtesy of Charles Steadman
Head scratching and head spinning often results when the question arises about the difference between maceration and infusion. Chefs and bar pros often give different answers. Pull out good ole Merriam-Webster and the head scratching continues. Maceration is defined as “to cause to become soft or separated into constituent elements by or as if by steeping in fluid; broadly: steep, soak.” Merriam-Webster tells us that the verb infuse means “to steep in liquid (as water) without boiling so as to extract the soluble constituents or principles.” Are we clear, yet?
Posing the question to Executive Chef Jeffery Hansell helped clarify. Chef Hansell’s recently taken the helm at Birmingham’s Veranda on Highland restaurant (www.verandaonhighland.com). His background includes NOLA’s Commander’s Palace (www.commanderspalace.com) and Lüke (www.lukeneworleans.com). He also worked under chefs Ryan Hardy and Robert McCormick at Montagna at the Aspen, Colorado luxury ski resort Little Nell. He admitted that even chefs don’t have a crystal clear delineation between maceration and infusion.
In his mind, maceration often involves fruit in a decomposition process usually in its own juice, such as the crushing of grapes in the fermentation of wine. He always thinks of infusion as flavoring oil, alcohol, or other liquid with herbs, spices, fruit, or various other products. “I start with an infusion every day…in a French press,” he joked.
All joking aside, some argue that maceration is simply cold infusion or subtle heat infusion and perhaps more time-consuming. Some alcohol control boards argue that maceration involves alcohol instead of water in the making of cordials and liqueurs.
Basically, maceration involves soaking food in liquid to infuse flavor. An infusion is a very simple chemical process when botanicals release their active ingredients easily in some sort of liquid like water, oil or alcohol and may or may not involve some sort of heat. The botanicals are typically dried herbs, flowers, fruit or vegetables.
Still confused?
When we stuff strawberries into a bottle of tequila, we infuse the tequila with strawberry flavor. The softened fruit macerates. In making a mojito, we muddle mint in a rum drink. The rum is infused by the mint. The mint is macerated.
Got it?
Tags: Brennan, Chef Jeffery Hansell, Commander's Palace, Drinkwire, infusion, LeNell Camacho Santa Ana, liquor.com, Luke, maceration, muddle, soak, sous vide, steep, Veranda on Highland
Posted in: Features
August 28th, 2013
