“Customization” a Food Trend I Can Live With
I tend to agree with a few of these trends. I especially believe in the customization trend. I started my business partly because I was tired of seeing the same items menus across the city. Chicken Ceasar especially. Why? I wanted to help culinary teams fine their “inner groove”.
The top five food trends according to a culinarian | QSRweb.com.
Every kitchen has a soul. It is a collaboration of many factors and each should have a unique identity. Just because some else has it on the menu does it mean you have to. I have termed this the “vanilla” factor. Kitchens as well as guests want to have their unique twist on a dish and make it there own. By developing a menu writing formula and recipe writing processes based on things a kitchen believes in and does consistently well will allow continual improvement by the kitchen. It will also allow you to easily make special requests or custom orders possible.
A kitchen should focus on producing a core group of recipes very well and then with the right guidance from the kicthen a well trained sales person should be able to easily create unique menus. The sales person can be a waiter, catering sales manager or the receptionist who is the only one office. If they understand the way menus are put together it can work. CCS is has developed a series of worksheets for custom writing menus which details cooking methods best suited for a particular protein, provides an internchangable list of seasonal sides, sauces and garnishes which can combined in any manner based on the desires of the person writing the menu item. There is no experimenting on the guests with a on-the-fly menu item because it sounds good.
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How do people really see your menus?
Menu writing is very important in todays market place. Have you every really thought about how they see the words on the menu. Words are a power medium. The wrong words used out of context can be devistating and bad for business. Everyone sees and interprets the words in a book diferently. Some guests who are detailed orientated my see a spelling mistake and become annoyed, they don’t see the great combination of flavors on the menu. They start looking for more mistakes. Are they focused on choosing dinner or commenting on your bad english. Sequencing of words is also overlooked sometimes. For example have you ever wondered about the Marinated Grilled Steak at the local bistro. Was the steak grilled first and then marinated. Well that is how it reads. Shouldn’t it really be Grilled Marinated Steak. It is the logical method of preparation.
So it is interesting to see how someone like Phil Vettel looks at a menu in the following article. Jam: Deconstructing the menu by Phil Vettel. How do your guests critic your menu. It would be an enlightening experience for a third party to review your menu and see how they interpret it. Good questions to think about.
Don’t be afraid to talk to a non-biased person to help you move forward and write great selling menus
A Catering Christmas Story
As a culinary consultant I spend many days a week in a variety of kitchens discussing ways to improve kitchen operations. Impromtu demos, menu and recipe design and coaching are always are always happening. Stepping in and out of kitchens you don’t always see immediate impact or maybe I just witness a quick fix. As we are in the height of the holiday season I visted several kitchens these past few days and was given a great gift without even unwrapping something. It was calmness, professionalism and focus. Owners, operation managers and chef’s always know this time of year is coming. They can react in several ways, lets buy everything so we don’t get overwhelmed, hire extra staff who might not be properly trained to prepare what is sold or even stop taking events as they have oversold their true capabilities.
My present was none of this. I have worked over the last year with kitchens to focus on the process of effieciencies, standardizing menus, defining roles for cooks etc and the work paid off. It is exciting to walk into a kitchen and see things being made from scratch. Trays of hand formed hors d’oeuvres not boxes being opened, The care of preparing things like this are important not only to the confidence and pride of the kitchen but the guest who can actually taste an original hand made morsel. I have nothing wrong with the companies who help the catering companies and food service operations by mass producing frozen items for the convienence. However the variety becomes limited and one is exposed to the fact that all of the companies using them start tasting the same. Where is the competitve advantage in that?
Walking in and seeing trays of hand decorated cookies made me feel warm inside and feel excited of seeing the cooks who made them smile with pride. The days that followed her where no dought going to be long, her feet will be sore from standing all day but there is honesty and truth in the 100′s of dessert trays and countless gift bags she was going to make.
This is a bust time for many catering compaines but they are doing great. Why? Because they saw the need to start looking at their opeations earlier in the year and look at the needs of the future. They needed support and guidence not someone to do the work. They wanted to take ownership of their buisness and work with a coach and mentor. I loved going into these kitchens and spedning time with all of the cooks teaching them new things. They may have looked disinterested at times as they went through a demo, cooler conversation or a random sanitation inspection of their work station. However it”s paying off now even if they don’t relize it at the start of a midnight shift
Thankyou all for making my holdiays special.
Planning a New Year’s Eve Menu
I write and develop a lot of menus over the course of a year. From small little snacks to elaborate menus for a fundraising gala based on a specific theme. After all these years some of the questions I ask myself when thinking about what to serve are instinctive and come very natural to me. I want to stop for a minute and take some time to write down the process I go through when putting together a menu. In this case it was putting together a menu for new year’s eve for my family and best friends.
I break down the menu writing process into several steps:
- Inspiration or Directive
- Research and Experience
- Selection of Ingredients
- Adaptation and Natural Flow
- Execution
The process started with a vision of a 10-year-old girl who would be there for the evening. She said “can we make home-made pizza?” Great, that starts the process. A direction, a request or need. Immediately I start thinking about homemade dough. Next I consider the fact that there will be a diverse group of ages at the party and it’s also New Year’s Eve. (more…)
Organic farming may be outgrowing its ideals
I started my working career on a organic farm at the age of 11. I undertsand how hard it is to maintain a stocked shelf of ripe and ready produce even during the growing season. I worked on a small 1 acre farm that was completley organic for its time in the mid 70′s. Natural fertilzers made from animal manure and cut nettles were part of our watering supply once a week to help restore the soil. Hand harvesting and pest control by walking the fields with a small can where we would deposit the the bugs we picked of the leaves. However we only sold what we where able to pick that day. If we couldn’t dig carrots then we didin’t sell them and if the tomatoes were still green then no tomatoes. Things were as they should be. We picked local and seaonal products when they were supposed to be served. It tasted better and it was nourishing to the soul. (more…)
Simplify and Focus Your Menus for 2012
One of the reoccurring themes that I see for 2012 is a trimming down of complex menus and simplified dishes. This is not a reinvention of the “comfort food” trend that always shows up on top 10 lists. This is the creating of great food that is made from seasonal ingredients using classical and trusted techniques in a reasonably priced format. The ideology behind the Gastro-Pub is on trend and has been the favorite of the chef for years. If chefs spend hours creating expensive masterpieces on a plate in their restaurants or at lavish events, why do we find them noshing on roasted bone marrow, artisan sausages and honest burgers after their shift? We like the purity in these dishes. The chef in the attached article articulates his feelings well in this article.
This simplifying of menus/dishes should be taken seriously especially for the caterer. Simplified service, great food, reduced staffing and less rentals has been the cry of our customers over the last year. Why don’t you look at your menus and think “less is more”. Re-define your menus and think simple seasonal foods and great service. Like I wrote before. There is something thought provocative about serving pub food at a wedding and social event. The real identity of the customer will really show through by writing a menu that is a reflection of the host and not succumbing to whats best for the masses. Not everyone in the world wants another slice of tenderloin and chicken combo. Think differently. Let us know your thoughts!
A fine-dining chef turns his skills to gastropub fare – Related Stories – ProChef SmartBrief.
Reducing Food Waste During the Holiday Season
I think the foodservice industry as a whole can use these tips for the holiday season. A little thought can go a long way. Think of this as a small way of preserving our future. Take a read and think about how much food can you really put on a standard 9″ Buffet Plate.
Reducing Food Waste During the Holiday Season.
A Catering Christmas Story
As a culinary consultant I spend many days a week in a variety of kitchens discussing ways to improve kitchen operations; impromptu demos, menu and recipe design and coaching are always are always happening. Stepping in and out of kitchens you don’t always see immediate impact or maybe I just witness a quick fix. As we are in the height of the holiday season I visited several kitchens these past few days and was given a great gift without even unwrapping something. It was calmness, professionalism and focus.Owners, operation managers and chef’s always know this time of year is coming. They can react in several ways, lets buy everything so we don’t get overwhelmed, hire extra staff who might not be properly trained to prepare what is sold or even stop taking events as they have oversold their true capabilities.
My present was none of this. I have worked over the last year with kitchens to focus on the process of efficiencies, standardizing menus, defining roles for cooks etc and the work paid off. It is exciting to walk into a kitchen and see things being made from scratch. 
Trays of hand formed hors d’oeuvre not boxes being opened, The care of preparing things like this are important not only to the confidence and pride of the kitchen but the guest who can actually taste an original hand-made morsel. I have nothing wrong with the companies who help the catering companies and food service operations by mass producing frozen items for the convenience. However the variety becomes limited and one is exposed to the fact that all of the companies using them start tasting the same. Where is the competitive advantage in that?
Walking in and seeing trays of hand decorated cookies made me feel warm inside and feel excited of seeing the cook who made them, smile with pride. The days that followed her where no doubt going to be long, her feet will be sore from standing all day but there is honesty and truth in the 100′s of dessert trays and countless gift bags she was going to make.
This is a busy time for many catering companies but they are doing great. Why? Because they saw the need to start looking at their operations earlier in the year and looked at the needs of the future. They needed support and guidance not someone to do the work. They wanted to take ownership of their business and work with a coach and mentor. I loved going into these kitchens and spending time with all of the cooks teaching them new things. They may have looked disinterested at times as they went through a demo, cooler conversation or a random sanitation inspection of their work station. However it’s paying off now even if they don’t realize it at the start of a midnight shift
Thankyou all for making my holidays special.
Minimize your catering menus.
Fewer dishes on your menu done extremely well has always been a trade mark of great restaurants who flurish in good times and bad. As the economy as weeded out the operations with massive menus, smaller operations with clearly focused menu programs continue to succeed. Adding dishes to your menu just to get more customers can be very hazardous. If your menu is not focused on a theme or particular style you begin to create long term problems. When Tex-Mex cuisine started gaining popularity everyone jumped on the band wagon and quesadillas sprang up everywhere. Now they have become so common everyone thinks they need to have them just because. Break the mold and only have them on the menu if you can make them special and perfect everytime. If you don’t they can no longer give you competitive advantage. Think aboutyour menus, do you need to have that manny items?
For caterers, extensive menus for your clients doesn’t make sense anymore. A printed menu is an illustration of what you are and your style. Most of the caterers in competitive markets are custom driven, so why have them. Develop a system where you build an open forum with the culinary team to function in that manner. Smaller lists of seasonal of a la carte building blocks of proteins, side dishes etc that the sales team can build upon shows adapability and allows your team to sell proven menu items. Customized Culinary Solutions has developed a sales matrix program that allows for those situations. As described in the following article about smaller one dish eateries as a restaurant trend today, we all know they will the be wants of our catering clients next.
One-dish eateries: Simply delicious – USATODAY.com.
Scotch Whisky and Shortage Feared As Asian, Latin American As Water Demand Soars – NewsOXY
Bar managers beware. If you are responsible for a bar program, you may want to think about some changes. I enjoy a single malt as much as the next but the price may soon be out of reach. American small batch bourbons are a great alternative. These artisan distillers are bringing the craft out of the woods and into the mainstream. So think Kentucky mash next time you stock the bar.
Scotch Whisky and Shortage Feared As Asian, Latin American As Water Demand Soars – NewsOXY.
About Us
John Reed is a professional chef with over 30 years experience. John has extensive knowledge of culinary techniques, ethnic cuisines, food history which he applies to present day menus by using strong organizational skills, leadership, problem solving and the appropriate use of technology. His understanding of the culinary arts comes from experience in the following: A la carte Dining, Off-premise Catering, Corporate Dining, Conference Catering, Hotel Foodservice Connections
The Stew – chicagotribune.com
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