Foodservice Monthly: Sauce On the Side

Supporting IWFF Helps Cohn's Kitchen Service DC Hospitality

Todd Gray works with Reagan Center Culinary and Cohn's Kitchen

Tonight I went to the Sommelier Showdown at the Washington, DC International Food & Wine Festival (IWFF) that is taking place at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center (ITC) through February 9. Advertised was a tasting of DC chefs and that pretty much defines the ubiquitious Tood Gray of Equinox and Xavier Deshayes of the Reagan Center who delivered the tasty accompaniments to the wine and spirits around the Center’s pavilion.

While the somms (that’s the cool way to say sommeliers) were doing the blind tasting routine, I found the real action going on in the kitchen … and it wasn’t just Gray and Deshayes making it all happen. A dedicated culinary team from the Center kept the food rolling out the kitchen with full throttle assistance from the latest class of Cohn’s Kitchen. You’ve read about the training effort of Paul J. Cohn and Elizabeth B. Scott in Foodservice Monthly before. Cohn’s Kitchen is a DC based 501c non-profit whose mission is to provide restaurant and culinary job training and workforce development to under-served and underprivileged DC young adults.

Leah Cheston, Ris ... 2013 Sommelier Showdown Winner!

Founded by restaurateur Cohn and entrepreneur Scott, Cohn’s Kitchen serves to educate, empower and develop young adults in the District of Columbia as the next generation of culinary and restaurant professionals, leaders and entrepreneurs.

Assisting in the kitchen tonight (see foto above) were back row: Rashad Kemp, ITC Executive Sous Chef Craig McMullen and in the front row:
Michael Kemp, Equinox chef/partner Todd Gray, Doneisha Jackson, Kevin Kemp, Jerrod Bradford, Tytricia Hinson.

Elizabeth Scott and Cohn's Board Member Mike LaRosa

This year’s IWFF will donate a portion of proceeds from ticket sales and a silent auction to help Cohn’s Kitchen create these needed opportunities within the community.You can go to the live online auction by clicking here.

If you have an aptitude for puzzles and a love of wine, you can configure a ticket packages or sign up for a la carte events while finding more information, click onto www.wineandfooddc.com ... it is worth the effort to help Cohn's Kitchen.

Just so you know, we do have a winner ... RIS sommelier Leah Cheston beat out the other six wine experts including last year's winner Brent Kroll from the Neighborhood Restaurant Group. Other somms in the competition included Will Murck, BLT Steak; Kate Alexander, Del Frisco's; Travis Gray, Equinox; Andrew Howells, The Pig and John Coco, The Kennedy Center.

 

 

On the Menu ... To DO

*The RAMMYS ... tonight the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington will announce at a members' reception the 2013 RAMMYS theme. It will be hosted for the RAMW membership by Fujimar on 14th St and K. The annual chef and restaurant awards gala for RAMW will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park on Sunday, June 23. You should see the Tweets popping up around 6 p.m. with the unveiling ... remember last year it was Hats Off to Restaurants. What will 2013 bring?

*TONIGHT, it's on to Tony and Joe's at the Washington Harbour for the Snakehead Dinner featuring DC chefs and Hall of Fame Washington Redskin John Riggins. You can see here a promo for the event that appeared on News 8 this morning. Scott Drewno from The Source and John Rorapaugh from ProFish were on the set today with Riggo talking about tonight's guest of honor, the invasive snakehead. We talked about it recently here at Sauce on the Side. Stay tuned tonight for Tweets and instagrams from @FSM_Michael and @fotorules.

*TO DO: Make your reservation (donation) today for next week's "Turn Up the Heat" for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance. It's one of my favorite events ... an evening of delicious food on Feb. 4 at the Ritz-Carlton Washington that helps raise awareness of ovarian cancer and support programs for women with the devastating disease. Ris Lacoste (RIS) steps in to assemble the dozens of celebrated women chefs from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. It's the 8th Annual Gala highlighting the best of these chefs’ talents while raising funds for ovarian cancer. I hope to see you there.

I Get Mail ... email that is.

I receive in my meager email account mayber 400 - 600 emails a day during the week and maybe half that on the weekends ... luckily my trained filter saves me from maybe half of those ... sorry to my African money laundering friends, and no thank you to the persons wanting to share my higher credit rating with me, and no I don't want to learn another language, meet a Russian beauty or lose another pound.

The other 200 or so I actually glance at for a moment or two before deciding to delete, save for another time or actually read in real time.To my PR friends ... that's what you're dealing with here ... once I am programmed as to who sends me good information in a timely manner without wasting time on either side ... well, I read those always.

Here is a top 5 compilation of what I took a second glance at ... today, January 17

1- Yelp convinced the mayor of San Francisco to join them in this ritual of revelation:

San Francisco Works with Yelp to Share Restaurant Inspection Scores
Today Mayor Edwin M. Lee, Chairman of the US Conference of Mayors Technology and Innovation Task Force, and Yelp CEO and Co-founder Jeremy Stoppelman announced the initial integration of city-provided restaurant health score information on the site that connects people with  local businesses. San Francisco will lead the charge on this effort to make the data more easily accessible to the public; New York City restaurant grades will also be added as business attributes in the weeks ahead.

Yelp's engineering team designed the Local Inspector Value-entry Specification (LIVES) which enables local municipalities to upload restaurant health inspection scores to Yelp's database. Philadelphia is also expected to participate along with other municipalities that adopt the new specification.

Details about and screenshots of the LIVES implementation can be found at yelp.com/healthscores.

Watch out Baltimore and Washington.

2- Dave McIntyre's WineLine: I saw the releases come out yesterday on the Virginia wine sales numbers ... but I read the details this morning in The Washington Post's wine writer's blog. Click on the link to learn from Dave that Virginia sold nearly 485,000 cases of wine in 2012 ... and "sales to distributors outside of Virginia increased by more than 24 percent in 2012, to more than 14,000 cases. This is a sign of a maturing wine industry." Check it out and if you have any questions or comments, let Dave know ... he's good at getting back to you.

3- Speaking of wine. I am on the email list for Red Red Wine Bar in Annapolis ... it's owned by Fox anchor Brian Bolter and his wife Lisa. It's a favorite of mine for a glass (or flight) of wine when in Navyville. Annapolis press has written about his plans to open a new space down the street ... not sure if DC food story chasers have paid any attention.He answered today.

Here's what Brian had to say: "The recent media reports are true: Lisa and I are beyond-words-excited to announce that we are in the process of bringing a NEW bar/restaurant to Main Street! We were approved at the first of two city hearings tonight. Another in three weeks and we will feel like we can "officially" make the announcement. However, we wanted you to hear it from the source now that the process is underway. 

DRY 85 will be a modern take on a Prohibition era speakeasy focusing on bourbon, beer and gourmet comfort food. It will reflect our design, atmosphere and menu sensibilities bringing a new, unique option to downtown Annapolis. DRY 85, like Red Red Wine Bar, will be an upscale yet casual kinda place whether you're in a suit or flip flops and shorts ... the Annapolis suit!"

Follow his twitter handle for updates @_Dry85

4- Today means I opened it today even though this UrbanDaddy report came yesterday from their HQ. DC editor Jeff DuFour is a friend and hard working reporter fighting for more than his fair share of food/hospitality scoops.

The National Edition had a report on the Vaportini ... an inhaling liquor experience. Here is how it is described and I'll let you click on the link to learn more: "Inhalable Alcohol, Take a deep breath.
Come on. Do it. With your belly, like they taught you in gym class. Awesome, you did great. Now let’s try that again... but with 100% more booze. Give a sigh of utter jubilation for the Vaportini, a curious contraption that turns any alcohol into a potent inhalable gas, available now." See if you don't agree with the closer: "This is probably getting banned in a month or two."

5- Inauguration 2013 ... tomorrow I'm going to do my mini-take on the inaguration. But let me tell you now, if you have any sense of being cool, hip ... ready to party ... you have to go to Svetlana's Brightest Young Things for the SPECIAL INAUGURAL SURVIVAL BEST WEEKEND BETS. There is nothing else to say but tomorrow I'll throw out a couple of ways to keep you fed and happy along the way on Monday. But if you're really serious, study the BYT Guide and maybe you can end up in TIME like I did in 2001.

 

 

 

 

 

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Restaurant Week Begins January 24

Once again it is time to eat your way around Bethesda!

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Restaurant Week will begin Thursday, January 24 and will end Sunday, February 3. Bethesda Restaurant Operators, in partnership with The Restaurant Association of Maryland, Bethesda Magazine, The Greater Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce and Bethesda Urban Partnership will host the 2013 Winter Restaurant Week.

Participating restaurants will feature a variety of signature dishes, chef’s tasting menus, as well as seasonal menu items. Patrons are offered a great deal with new options this year.  Restaurants are offering lunch at either two courses for $12 or $16 and dinner at two courses for $22 or three courses for $33.

FSM would like to give a big shout out to the Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM) and Bethesda Magazine who stepped in to assist after The Washington Post found it had other fish to fry and had to step away from the media gig it filled in the past. Jeff Heineman, the Grapeseed maestro made the call and RAM jumped in.

I know I'll be at Freddy's Lobster & Clams for my Restaurant Week excursion.

“I strongly encourage Marylanders to dine out at BCC Winter Restaurant Week," said Marshall Weston, President and CEO of RAM. "The area is known for a fantastic culinary scene with a great atmosphere. Those who reside or work nearby have the luxury of being close. However, it is well worth the commute or metro trip during this special winter promotion."

Restrictions may apply. Please call individual restaurants for restrictions, menu options and reservations.

To view a list of participating restaurants click here.

TODAY: John Snedden Named FSM Foodservice Leader of the Year ... and more

*John Snedden Named FSM Foodservice Leader of the Year: Foodservice Monthly (FSM) celebrates our 12th year of publishing by honoring our 2013 Foodservice Leader of the Year John Snedden, owner of Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Company.

Learn why when you Download FSM ISSUE 0113.

*TWO for Number 2 as Port City Celebrates its Second Anniversary: Bill Butcher, owner of Port City Brewing Company, located at 3950 Wheeler Ave in Alexandria, Va., will celebrate on Friday, February 1 their second anniversary. Port City has brewed a strong, dark ale to warm beer lovers against the cold. The second anniversary ale is a very limited Smoked Imperial Porter, called TWO. Port City Brewing Company’s second anniversary celebration will take place in the Tasting Room on Friday from 3 to 9 p.m.. TWO will be tapped at 3 p.m. sharp. A draft 10-ounce pour will be featured for $5, and ½ gallon growler bottles will be priced at $19, with a refill for $14.  The Borinquen Lunch Box Food Truck will be on hand starting at 5 p.m. for hungry patrons. 

*Tom Sietsema Announces William Morris Appointment as Top Chef at Vermilion in Old Town: We already know that Tony Chittum is leaving Vermilion to open the Neighborhood Restaurant Group's Iron Gate Inn in Dupont Circle ... now we know his replacement will be William Morris according to Tom Sietsema at the Washington Post.

*D.C.’s Top Chefs Lend Culinary Skills at 15th Annual St. Jude Gourmet Gala: Today's updated press release for one of the hottest culinary charity tickets in the winter fundraising season
touts over 40 top DC chefs at the annual St. Jude Gourmet Gala ... my count of restaurants listed gets the total closer to 75, but let's not quibble over numbers: this is a must have ticket for a great cause.
 
Date:               Tuesday, February 12
Time:              5:30 – 9:30 p.m.
Location:       National Building Museum, 401 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

 

 

CALL FOR RESTAURANTS: 10th Annual Blue Jeans Ball

 

2012 Blue Jeans Ball

Good friend of Foodservice Monthly and our restaurant world Mitch Berliner is looking for restaurants to participate in The Capital Area Food Bank's (CAFB) 10th Annual Blue Jeans Ball ... their major fundraiser for the year. Mitch is a man of many hats (many of them philanthropic) including the Central Farm Markets and a favorite of charcuterie fans MeatCrafters

 

Restaurants need to sign up now to take advantage of all the publicity that goes with the participation ... there's nothing wrong with a little good news out there about what a giving group of people that restaurateurs and chefs are.

Mitch tells FSM that here's the deal:

10th Annual Blue Jeans Ball

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Marriott Wardman Park Hotel

Washington, D.C.

6pm – 10pm

Now you just bring a dish you want to showcase and the hotel supplies the rest ... tables, linens, plates, silverware, etc.

To get on this prestigious list of restaurants you can contact Mitch Berliner directly at 301-440-8496 or berinermp@aol.com. For the restaurant sign up: Download BJB-Restaurant-Participation-Form_2013

I know Del Frisco’s Grille and the Occidental Grill & Seafood have already signed up ... be the next in line to give!

The Capital Area Food Bank

• Distributes 30 million pounds of food annually, half of which is fresh produce; 84,000 pounds of food daily and 500,000 pounds each week.
• Serves 478,100 people in the region struggling with hunger.
• Delivers 70 fresh produce drops each month to 40 sites in low-income neighborhoods.
• Spends 92 cents of each dollar raised for food distribution, transportation and programs.
• Provides nutrition and education training to more than 1,000 adults and children annually through CAFB programs.

 

What I Learned on Twitter Today … plus one thing I figured out all by myself

* Brittany Garrison … @britgarrison shared the New York Times Travel link on DC … Travis Croxton and the Rappahannock team have a pretty cool thing going over at Union Market … check out DC #44

* Tom Sietsema … @tomsietsema endorses Derek Brown’s 90/10 rule. So do I

 

 

* Jess Blumberg … @baltimoremag has found the best Ravens bar in Denver in case you’re there for the game this weekend.

 

* Missy Frederick … @Eater_DC tells me things I only wish I knew … if you’re in NYC next week, stop by and see Bryan Voltaggio cooking at the James Beard House.

 

On my own I learned PAUL will open its first French Bakery in Tysons Galleria on Monday January 14 … PAUL was founded in 1889 in Lille, France by the  Holder family and has continued baking bread in the traditional manner for over 120 years. I was there when Paul opened its first DC location on Pennsylvania Ave (I can show you with my blog post) and I had the opportunity to learn some bread making skills from David Dequeker, the company’s chef boulanger et patissier. Any Paul opening is a good thing!

RAM Hosts Compliance Seminar at Taste of Maryland

Melvin Thompson speaks to RAM Allied members.

It's not as easy as just opening your doors and serving food and beverage in a restaurant ... my Washington readers are fully aware of how government and regulators can be your partners. Wherever your restaurant is located, it would be wise to see if you have a strong association to watch your back ... politically. 

 In Maryland at the Restaurant Association of Maryland ... they have one of the best in Melvin Thompson, senior vice president of government affairs and public policy. Melvin will be a speaker at the seminars held in Annapolis at the Loews Hotel as the Maryland legislators go back to work in 2013. His talk on Legislative Update & 2013 Maryland General Assembly Session Preview is one that should not be missed. Before the reception at 5 p.m. on January 21, it would be productive to sit in on one or more of the seminars.

With new laws and more regulations, you have questions and the Restaurant Association of Maryland (RAM) wants to make sure you have the answers. 

• Did you know that most restaurant workers are not exempt from overtime law?

• Did you know that tipped employees must be notified if a tip credit is used to cover a portion of their minimum wage?

• Is your business required to offer health care under the new federal mandate? 

Attend the RAM pre-event seminars at the Taste of Maryland Legislative Reception on January 21 in Annapolis. Seminars are included in event ticket price. This seminar will be extremely helpful to owners, managers and accounting staff.  Seminar space is limited.

Register today at www.thetasteofmd.com or call 410-290-6800.

2 – 4 p.m.
Avoiding Labor Law Violations and Employee Lawsuits
Presenters - Franklin & Prokopik, Attorneys at Law; Monitor Liability Managers, LLC
Protect your business from a significant increase in wage/hour audits and employee lawsuits by learning how to avoid the most common and costliest
management mistakes.

New Health Care Law – What Does It All Mean?
Presenter - Kelly Benefit Strategies
Learn the basics about the new law, what it means for your business and when to start making critical decisions.

4:15 – 4:45 p.m.

Legislative Update & 2013 Maryland General Assembly Session Preview
Presenter – Melvin Thompson, RAM Senior V.P. of Government Affairs & Public Policy

5 – 7:30 p.m.

Taste of Maryland Legislative Reception

Enjoy signature tastes from Restaurant Association of Maryland member restaurants as you join fellow hospitality and tourism members, as well as public officials at the most celebrated legislative reception of the year.

The Taste of Maryland will feature an open bar with products from MillerCoors and complimentary wines provided by the Maryland Wineries Association. In addition, the event will showcase samples of signature dishes and tantalizing desserts from participating RAM members.
 

Source: Laura Kimmel, Restaurant Association of Maryland

Wildfire Celebrates FIVE Years in Tysons ... Happy, Happy!

Wildfire McLean at Tysons Galleria is turning five at their Virginia location and they are offering their guests Jan, 6 - 12 special menus and opportunities to win "birthday" presents ... from Widlfire to you.

The week kicks off Sunday, January 6 from 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. at the Tysons Galleria Mall Center Court. Join them for live music and mini birthday cupcakes plus you'll get a coupon for an individual birthday cake at your next visit to Wildfire.

All week long, they will feature a Birthday Three-Course Lunch Menu for $20.07 in honor of the opening year. This menu will include your choice of soup or salad, a main course with choice of side, and a birthday themed dessert like a Red Velvet Cupcake. In addition, the restaurant will be offering Birthday Cake Pancakes during the weekend brunch. 

Enter for your chance to win a different grand prize each night from the birthday grand prize drawing, with prizes like dinner for two at Wildfire plus a pair of movie tickets, a one-night stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner or two seats on Wednesday, January 9 at the Simply Bubbly event, featuring a custom Four-Course Menu with sparkling wine pairings. 

End the celebratory week at Wildfire by dining on Saturday, January 12 when a portion of the day's proceeds will be donated to Food for Others. 

To make a reservation or for location information, call 703-442-9110. 

BREAKING NEWS: Foodservice Continues to Add Jobs To Economy

The New York Times just issued a Breaking News Alert that 155,000 jobs were added in December. That's a number that some could say is slow growth, some say steady ... you can interpret in any number of ways depending on your politics. But what jumped out here from my point of view is the role of our industry in the makeup of the economic report: "The biggest gains were in health care, food services, construction and manufacturing ..." As we report on the trends, openings, chefs, social media ... all the scoops you read about as we follow the food trail, it is important to keep in perspective that we are key players in the economy and are a force to be reckoned with in the fiscal, social and political arenas.

That said, the food still has to taste good and the service needs to be spot on.