dried sumac, powder and graphic

Chef’s Spice Rack: Sumac

Sumac is a shrub that grows in subtopic and temperate climates, which produces clusters of red/burgundy colored fruit.

gazpacho soup wine glass entree

Summer Food Service Recipe: Gazpacho

Whoever said summer is not soup season has clearly never experienced Gazpacho. This vibrant refreshing soup is well known in Spain, parts of the Mediterranean and other areas of the world that boast a subtropic/tropical climate.

oranges and peels, waste-not want-not graphic

Feelings on Peelings

There comes a point when we as restaurateurs need to evaluate all aspects of every product used within our business. This holds an important value when many kitchens produce a plethora of menu items from scratch…

panzanella bread salad

Panzanella Bread Salad

Summer is upon us and so to is the transition from slow cooked heavy braised foods of winter, to the fresh vibrant colored dishes of Summer. One of our favorite summer salads is the panzanella…

za'atar spice blend, powder and graphic

Chef’s Spice Rack: Za’atar

Also know as “zaatar” and “zahtar” this Middle Eastern herb mix is comprised of a mixture of dry basil, thyme, oregano, sumac and sesame seeds…

kitchen scale with graphic

To scale or not to scale?

Gain tighter control of your costs by practicing good scaling. Allowing your scale the opportunity to eliminate guesswork will help keep profit where it belongs… within your operation.

maine sea salt crystals

Chef’s Pantry: Maine Sea Salt

For naturally enhanced flavors, add Maine Sea Salt Co. products to your repertoire. Their Maine-made sea salts are unrefined, dried by the sun and hand harvested…

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Naked Cob… Corn off the Cob

Although the corn kernels have been stripped away, the naked Cobb can still provide many layers of flavor. Personally, I’ve always used two easy fail-safe methods to extract every bit of flavor from the cob that can be used in other culinary preparations.

pork puffs, chicharrones

Chef’s Pantry: Pork Puffs

Airy, Crunchy, puffy morsels of porkliciousness. Pork rinds, pork skins, chicharrĆ³ns are a fun on-trend item to incorporate into your menu.

cheese curds

Chef’s Pantry: Cheese Curds

A cheese curd is essentially the cheese solids that remains after being separated, or cut, from the whey in the cheese making process. Cheese curds as we know them are a young un-aged, unformed cheese…

waste-not want-not graphic

Scrape It, Don’t Scrap It!

It’s safe to say we have all witnessed containers brought to the “dish pit” with a substantial amount of product remaining within the holding vessel. Although the remnant may appear to some staff as minimal, and not worth the time and effort to scrape the container, in my opinion it’s a wasteful practice…

broccoli stalks, waste-not want-not graphic

Vegetable Stalks, More than Stems

For many operators, cauliflower and broccoli stalks are looked upon as waste, using only the florets while discarding the stalks and leaves is a common practice…

turkey bacon egg sandwich

Fire Braised Turkey Sandwich

Warm Fire BraisedĀ® Turkey breast, pecan wood smoked shoulder bacon and a medium-boiled egg on herb focaccia with a luxurious maple feta dressing.

pickled onions

Chef’s Pantry: Pickled Onions

Refine your red onions. This easy method will add both flavor & visual stimulation to your garnish station; without adding significant cost to your dish.

poutine potato cups banner

Poutine Potato Cups

This recipe captures the wicked-craveable flavors of a French-Canadian classic. That of course, is the cheese curd covered and gravy smothered French fry dish known as poutine. This poutine dish however is prepared uniquely, in a fried potato cup.

roasted tomato soup

Roasted Tomato Bisque in 4 Steps

We all grew up with tomato soup firmly established as comfort food item, a cold day offering, or as an easily prepared dish to serve when life was too busy for cooking. Tomato soup is a staple offering that can be easily morphed from old-school ordinary to a crown jewel in your soup arsenal.

spaghetti squash banner

Chef’s Pantry: Spaghetti Squash

When cooked, the flesh of this unique squash can be forked away from the shell in strands similar in appearance to spaghetti. Spaghetti squash is an amazingly diverse eat that will without a doubt invoke your own creative twists.

frittata, waste-not want-not banner

Give your Leftovers a Frittata Facelift

Frittatas are an egg-based Italian dish similar to an omelette or a crustless quiche, baked with additional ingredients such as cheese, vegetables, cooked meats and herbs – making them an extremely versatile way to reinvent leftovers…