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- Some chefs have no love for Valentine's Day
While couples anticipate a fun night out on Valentine's Day, restaurant owners cringe at the thought of lost revenue -- mainly due to an abundance of tables for two instead of larger parties. Some European eateries are switching things up to try to salvage sales on the romantic night.
"The last two years, we have had a band and encourage large tables to break up the tables for two," says Rowley Leigh, chef-proprietor of Le Café Anglais in London. "It has been a lot of fun, and financially, too, it has been very jolly." The Wall Street Journal
(2/7)      
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| Culinary News |  |  |
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- Quickserve eateries experiment with high-tech cooking methods
Small, casual chains are experimenting with molecular gastronomy to entice patrons, including Sub Zero Ice Cream and Yogurt which instantly freezes its ice cream right in front of customers using liquid nitrogen.
"We had to make something that was very different, so people would come to us instead of the competition," said founder and CEO Jerry Hancock. Some high-tech methods, such as sous vide, are already considered ordinary in some chain restaurant kitchens. QSR Magazine
(2/2013)
- Chef surprises diners with savory chocolate dishes
At an experimental dinner in Portland, Ore., chef Jason French wowed diners with a chocolate-themed multi-course meal that was more savory than sweet. The most intriguing dish was roasted quail with grated dark chocolate sprinkled on top.
"It's important that people break out of the mindset of chocolate as candy. Chocolate is chocolate. If you let it stand on its own, it becomes an ingredient like cumin or butter," said French. "If you let go of what your preconception of chocolate is -- which for 99.9% of the people is a candy bar -- it becomes another culinary weapon in your larder." Bon Appétit online
(2/7)
| The Healthy Kitchen | | |
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- Southern diet is linked to high stroke risk
People who eat a classic Southern diet with plenty of fried chicken, organ meat and sweet tea increase their risk of stroke by 41%, researchers say. In a study, researchers divided diets into five categories: Southern, convenience, plant based, sweets and alcohol. They found that adherents to a plant-based diet decrease their stroke risk by 30%. National Public Radio/The Salt blog
(2/7)
| Beverage News | | |
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- Show some love for sweet white wines
This Valentine's Day is the perfect time to embrace sweet, honeyed white wines. Wines from France, Italy and Germany made with grapes plucked in late fall have the highest concentrations of sugars that will satisfy a sweet tooth. The Wall Street Journal
(2/7)
| A Side of Business | | |
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- Report: Restaurants return to more robust hiring
Restaurants created new jobs at the fastest pace in 17 years in 2012, and they're on track to see similar growth this year, according to the National Restaurant Association. The industry now employs about 441,000 more people than it did in the peak pre-recession years, while the overall economy is still about 3.2 million jobs behind. QSRMagazine.com
(2/7)
- Burger 21 aims to build on less-beefy menu
 Burger 21 serves enough red meat to live up to its name, but the growing Tampa, Fla.-based chain devotes half the menu to non-beef sandwiches, a practice that allows the eatery to win over the veto vote, said VP Dan Stone. "With so much variety, Burger 21’s offerings appeal to all audiences and ages, particularly females, who often cast the veto vote when selecting a restaurant." SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Food & Beverage
(2/8)
| Local & Sustainable Spotlight | | |
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- Restaurateur out to win more fans for herring
Herring is an often-overlooked fish that's low in toxins and high in protein, vitamins and omega-3 oils. It also has great flavor, according to Sausalito, Calif., restaurateur Kenny Belov, who has been on a 9-year mission to win more fans for the locally caught fish. "It's our duty as restaurant people to educate our customers by giving them something they're not used to seeing." San Jose Mercury News (Calif.) (free registration)
(2/6)
| CIA Offerings | | |
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Get your seat now for the 2013 CIA Worlds of Flavor Conference
The 16th annual Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival, "Kitchens Connected: Linking Emerging Appetites and Culinary Innovation in an Era of Global Flavor Discovery", will take place Nov. 14-16 at the CIA’s Napa Valley campus. Join more than 60 international chefs and experts to explore how information technology, creative processes, culinary science, and millennial appetites influence today’s food world. Read more and register today.
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Bring your career to a whole new level
Latin cuisine is one of the hottest segments of the foodservice industry. With restaurant patrons demanding both authentic and creative interpretations of the traditional foods of Latin America, the demand for chefs to be more knowledgeable than ever in these regionally diverse cuisines is on the rise. The CIA's Latin Cuisines Certificate Program will give you the edge you need to make your mark on the foodservice industry. Learn more.
| Editor's Note | | |
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Correction
An item in Wednesday's ProChef SmartBrief incorrectly stated that alcohol mixed with a diet drink is more potent than alcohol mixed with a sugar-sweetened drink because the sugar absorbs some of the alcohol. The sugar in regular soda does not absorb the alcohol but rather slows down the rate of alcohol absorption. SmartBrief regrets the error.
| Food for thought | | |
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 | If you want to make enemies, try to change something."
--Woodrow Wilson,
28th U.S. president
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