SPRING 2008:

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FOUNDERS Michael C. Wigell David J. Stafford OUR TEAM David J. Stafford Principal (503) 598-8500 david@flavor-online.com Cathy Nash Holley Publisher/Editor-In-Chief (207) 865-4432 cathy@flavor-online.com Kathy Hayden Managing Editor (207) 318-9202 hayden@flavor-online.com Linda Skinner Associate Editor (207) 865-4432 lskinner@maine.rr.com Sharon Pieniak Art Director Bluecat Media sharon@bluecatmedia.com Tom Lenberg Vice President of Sales & Marketing (312) 953-2407 tomlenberg@aol.com Robert C. Stafford Director of Sales (360) 815-5889; rcstafford@gmail.com Lisa Stafford Director of Business Development (503) 598-8500 lisa@flavor-online.com Dea-Anna Johns Office Manager (503) 598-8500 djohns@mediaunltd.com   THE FLAVOR EXPERIENCE 2008 www.flavorexperience.com Sharyn Iler, BSI, Managing Partner 888-EVENT-29 sharyn@bsiconferences.com Flavor & The Menu is published five times a year by Media Unlimited, Inc. 7150 SW Hampton St. Suite 206 Tigard, OR 97223 (503) 598-8500 (503) 387-5305 fax EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD JAMES CASSIDY Corporate Chef Ram International, Lakewood, WA ROBERT DANHI Chef/Owner Chef Danhi & Co., Los Angeles AL FERRONE VP Food & Beverage Hilton Hotels Corp., Bevery Hills, CA DIANE FOX Principal Food Beat, Inc., Wheaton, IL STEVEN GOLDSTEIN Partner The Culinary Edge, New York, NY ROSS KAMENS Executive Chef Noodles & Co., Boulder, CO GERRY LUDWIG Corporate Consulting Chef Gordon Food Service, Grand Rapids, MI BILL MAIN Principal Bill Main & Associates, Chico, CA RON PAUL President Technomic, Inc., Chicago, IL Media Unlimited, Inc., also publishes the California Foodservice Sourcebook, www.calfood.com

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

Today’s consumers are in dire need of a great meal out, a break from the doom-and-gloom economic news on the television and the spinning numbers at the gas pump. Given the current economy, some diners are cutting back on spending, but no one wants to cut back on enjoyment. This presents a unique challenge as well as a great opportunity.

Now, more than ever, it’s time for innovation at all levels in the foodservice industry. Progressive operators and manufacturers are rising to the challenge of increased food and energy costs as they provide diners with great meals at prices that don’t overwhelm.

Inventive chefs are doing more with less, and consumers appreciate their efforts. Mimis Cafe reinvented a comfort classic with its Meatloaf Ciabatta. T.G.I. Friday’s “Right Portion, Right Price” menu is on track, offering entrées like a 6-ounce Petite Filet, a better fit for most wallets. Chefs are menuing proteins in clever new ways, on skewers and kabobs or via other smaller bites that deliver great, affordable flavor. And they’re adding value through subtle but inventive means, highlighting comforting descriptors such as braised, rich and succulent on the menu to connote indulgence and satiety.

A recent Bravo TV “Top Chef” challenge gave contestants a $10 budget to create a nutritious, flavorful meal for a family of four (and one palatable enough to impress Tom and Padma). The winning recipe was stir-fried whole-wheat noodles with chicken, edamame, bok choy and cilantro. Runners-up ran the gamut of comfort foods, with variations on mac–and-cheese, fried rice and one-pot chicken meals.

Most of the world’s great cuisines have been built with economy in mind. The finest restaurants in the country get top dollar for so-called peasant foods, which traditionally have been the diets of poorer farmers and working-class people. And American comfort foods have taken on upscale permutations of their own.

These variations of “security-blanket cuisine” typically involve utilizing lesser cuts of meat and other inexpensive ingredients, like those cold-storage stalwarts carrots and potatoes. Incorporating inventiveness and skills passed down through generations, and distinctions from family to family, these meals are often slow-cooked and lovingly prepared with wonderful flavoring agents, providing great flavor and satisfaction.

Menu-development innovators who tap into consumers’ quest for flavor and satiety despite tightened budgets will not only survive economic hardships but will thrive.

And we’ll all be richer for it.

Cathy Nash Holley
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

p.s. As always, I welcome your feedback; e-mail comments to cathy@flavor-online.com.