They learned long ago that customers are,  for the most part, unwilling to speculate with their hard-earned dollars on menu items they aren’t familiar with.

Accordingly, many have been slow to explore and espouse the opportunities available in the Social Media arena.

Jeffrey Kingman spoke  about the possibilities at  Portland State University’s Digital Marketing Conference Ignite presentations.

(Ignite presentations explained HERE.)

See also the links to the others who spoke at the conference. They are listed below the two videos.

The possibilities seem endless, and the task daunting, but, they are indeed the future.

Let me give an example:

While in Boston with friends, doing museums, lunch time approached and one of the group pulled out her phone and asked what kind of food we were wanting.  After consensus was reached, she manipulated her phone for a minute and had a well regarded review of a nearby restaurant, directions to it, the menu, prices, and made a reservation.

If your restaurant isn’t in that loop – you haven’t a chance at that business.
FohBoh has a great community of food service professionals that I have found to be very willing to offer help and advice for those of us that want to explore social networking/marketing.

Here are a few terms with links that you will find helpful:  (if I can be helpful, just call).

SEO

Guerrilla Marketing (VERY budget friendly)

Social Media

Videos Always helpful

No attitude issues

No alcohol abuse

No drug abuse

Just a committed,  professional, culinary manager for summer seasonal resorts, ranches, and restaurants.

TemporaryChef is here.

I got a call yesterday from a restaurateur who was experiencing problems with erratic behavior by the Chef they had hired for the summer season.

I’ve also spoken with the owners of seasonal ranches and resorts,  all facing similar problems in finding reliable and knowledgeable Chefs to lead their kitchens.

The most frequent response is the desire to have a Chef that can lead and manage the kitchen, giving the proprietor, the freedom to concentrate on the rest of the business.

Other issues include the ability to administer proper ordering and portion controls to maximize profitability,  a full season commitment,  a sober  personality without drama,  and the talent to consistently produce attractive and flavorful meals.

Surprisingly, considering the consequences of an episode of food borne illness, seldom mentioned is the need for the individual to be knowledgeable about food safety, allergies & sensitivities.,

Many of these operators told me they are paying between $4oo.00 and $600.00 a week, some including room and board.

A professional Chef salary, as reported in a 2005 survey on StarChefs.com, starts at a low of $60,000 a year and tops out around $87,000.

When considering the above issues, the most important of them is that of food safety.  The result of an outbreak of food borne illness can result in a serious loss of business and a host of attendant problems.

These problems can be addressed by hiring a professional Chef that has the training and dedication to guide your culinary endeavors.  It is,  indeed,  a bit more expensive,  but,  the cost of  not having a pro can be steep.

The Chef is a key component of the over-all management team and is well worth the extra investment.

Personnel retention,   year to year continuity,   and competence deficiencies are three of the biggest issues.

TemporaryChef.com offers a solution.

1)  Reliable full season commitment.

2)  Mature career Chefs experienced in purchasing and menu management.

3)  Year to year continuity to maximize quality and  guest satisfaction.

4)  Experience with ethnic cuisines, dietary restrictions, and vegan menus.

5)  Pre-screened veteran professionals with even temperaments that will provide total professional attention to your operational needs resulting in a positive End of Season picture.

Your seasonal solution is only a phone call away.  Let’s Chat.

I recently received a gift box of some of my favorite noshes, a fantastic collection of bar chocolates and a big bag of pistachios.  The chocolates now decorate my waistline, but the pistachios……………………..they sit on my counter, untouched.   I adore pistachios but they now fill me with terror.

There have been so many outbreaks of food poisoning that prudence demands that I dump them.  Food poisoning is a problem not only for the suffering consumer, but for the food service industry, too.

Produce-related illness incidents are on the rise, with cantaloupes, nuts, tomatoes, and hot peppers being cited as the most recent outbreaks.

An MSNBC article on food safety reports that 87 million cases of illness were reported last year.

The Mayo Clinic offers a chart on food poisoning causes and the time frame for the onset of symptoms.

eMedicine also has an extensive list in an article by  Roberto M Gamarra, MD. ( scroll down about half way).

.

There doesn’t seem to be any consensus on the causality of the problem. Indeed, there is plenty of speculation and finger pointing.

The bottom line is that food service operators, and retail food suppliers, are on the front line in the battle against food-borne illness as the last stop before consumption and are responding to the problem with increased ServSafe(r) training for their staff.

Art Culinaire began showcasing the visual art of talented Chefs more than 20 years ago.  There have been other magazines,  some websites,  numerous newspapers and journals, prior to, and after that.

In the opening days of 2009  Deep Plate quietly quietly launched what is, in my mind’s eye, the best media presentation of the styles and talents of Chefs to come along since then.  It focuses on the visual aspect that is first and essential to the dining experience.

As the renowned Careme’ put it,  “I want order and taste.  A well displayed meal is enhanced one hundred per cent in my eyes.”
Antonin Careme‘

The site is presented with subtlety, professionalism, and panache and provides exactly what the sub-title professes, “  Inspiration for Professional Chefs by Professional Chefs”.

Deep Plate’s “about” page explains their mission with the following:

“DEEP PLATE aspires to be an open source of inspiration for professional chefs.

Chefs now have an outlet to continuously present their culinary philosophy in new, creative ways.  Chefs are no longer limited to the resources in their current operation.

Innovate and share!

This blog will have multiple purposes:

• to be a tool to practice creative plate presentation through monthly plate composition exercises
• to be a reference for the chef community on plate presentation (e.g. use Search function for particular food presentations)
• to offer exposure to the most innovative chefs in terms of presentation

Every month, participants who register will be sent a plate, platter, bowl or other piece of china at no charge and be asked to submit their creative presentation in photo and word format.   There are no rules on type or course to be plated.  The resulting submissions will be posted.   Submissions will be categorized and made available for future reference.”

By all means check this site out.   Professional Chef, or lover of food – you will be impressed !

Susan Holaday,  Editor & Publisher of Foodservice East,  the B2B Publication of the $ 80 Billion Northeast Foodservice Industry, interviewed TemporaryChef.com founder Paul W. Green CDC and published the following article in the Spring, 2009 issue.

Chef Paul Green meets a marketplace need with a website that places “temporary chefs”

TUFTONBORO, NH – A lifelong passion for food leads to a new business opportunity in ‘retirement.

No one was more surprised  than Chef Paul  Green when his idea  for a new business venture,  Temporary Chef™, serendipitously  turned out to meet  an unfilled need in the marketplace,  providing seasoned  chefs with an opportunity for  short-term employment.

Buying the domain name,  TemporaryChef.com, which  had expired, led him down a  new path of doing a service for  senior chefs who had the desire,  skills and talent to continue  working on temporary  assignments.

A venture begun as a  search for short-term gigs of  his own, Temporary Chef led  Green, a ‘retired’ chef  who remains  passionate about food  and cooking, into a whole new  realm.  “We are a Brigade De  Cuisine of highly experienced  career chefs with proven track records in all facets of culinary  operations and management,” he explains.  “Our menu of talents  includes HACCP, menu  development, budget / P&L  management, team building  and training, multi-kitchen  operations, product development  and much more.”

“When I launched TemporaryChef in March, 2008,  it was meant to be a vehicle  for myself and two other career  chefs to pursue our deep passion for the culinary arts.  Since then it has grown to  include many   other chefs in  various parts of the world who share our devotion, including  a group who specialize in private  yachts,” Green writes.

“The pursuit of a career  in kitchens is an affair of the heart and soul.  We strive for  perfection and endlessly seek knowledge and technique.  We  have honed our skills in many  disciplines including vegan,  macrobiotics, special needs,  and a world of ethnic cuisines.   Food is in our thoughts even  as we sleep or take our leisure,  waiting for that glimmer  of idea that will become our next entrée.”

“I tapped into something  unwittingly and I think it will grow.”   Kitchens require a “tremendous amount of energy and as chefs age, they often move out.  You don’t see  too many 50-year-old broiler cooks except in major urban areas.  It’s the demands of the job.”

Green, a former sociology  major in college with a minor in psychology, grew up  with a love of food  instilled  by a grandmother who made  her own noodles and baked  breads.  “She let me knead the bread,” he recalls, “and I fell in love with the smell of the  yeast and how it changed as the bread baked.”

Later, in college, he “discovered  the benefits of having a  date over for a well prepared  meal with nice  music playing  and a good bottle of wine.”    Meeting a French chef, he asked to work in his kitchen free and quickly got a taste  of what the industry was all about.  The experience led him to  Chicago, moving up the career  ladder and eventually becoming  executive sous chef at the  95th floor restaurant at the  John Hancock Tower. “It was a constant learning, growing experience. I love food, the  chemistry of it, and exploring  new flavor sensations that  make your mouth dance.”
Older chefs, he says, are  “looked at askance by the industry,  but operators need the expertise, maturity and talent they bring.  I’m having success  placing chefs with seasonal resorts,  or they can fill in while someone is looking for a new  full-time chef when someone leaves suddenly or is fired.”

Temporary situations can work well, Green points out, noting that his first client, a  high end restaurant at a resort,  could not find a chef in  the “limited labor pool” where  it was located.  “I sent a guy  who’d been an executive chef at a Northeast resort and they  almost immediately switched him to manage eight  operations and teach ServSafe to its entire staff, raised his weekly salary and gave him a stipend so his wife could visit.

I’m filling a need.”

You’ll enjoy the Whitstable website, too.

I suggest that the internet is our window and we can shout out by sharing Beale’s sentiment,  “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this any more“.

Under that category I offer this:

The Peanut Corporation of America hasn’t had a smooth road in the legume processing business.  According to information in Wikipedia the company has had other problems in the past.   Dan Chapman and Margaret Newkirk at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote about PCA’s CEO  Hugh Parnell and his rise as a goober businessman.

Parnell had been serving on the USDA Peanut Standards Board until he was removed by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last Februrary 5th.  That same day the USDA banned PCA from all federal government contracts and subcontracts.

President Stewart Parnell has been summoned to appear in front of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Wikipedia also lists several comments from public officials in its article as follows:

• “This company had no conscience in its production practices, sales and distribution. That they would knowingly ship products tainted with salmonella to our nation’s children almost defies belief.” – U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)^[12]

• “I’d like to see some people go to jail. This was a company that should have shut things down immediately.” – Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.)^[48][49]

• “The actions by the Peanut Corporation of America can only be described as reprehensible and criminal.” – Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.)^[50][51]

• “They tried to hide it so they could sell it. Now they’ve caused a mammoth problem that could destroy their company – and it could destroy the peanut industry.” – Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin^[51]

• “We’re going to be doing a complete review of FDA operations. At a bare minimum, we should be able to count on our government keeping our kids safe when they eat peanut butter. That’s what Sasha eats for lunch. Probably three times a week. I don’t want to worry about whether she’s going to get sick as a consequence of eating her lunch.” – President Barack Obama^[52][29]

• “This is a clear and unconscionable act by one manufacturer.” – American Peanut Council statement^[33]

NO SIR !!  None of the above.

Winter is for TODDY ! That delectable liquid curative that warms the insides and spreads its restorative goodness throughout the body and leads one to a zen-like serenity.  Add a good book, a well crafted fire, and that’s what winter is for.

I am an avid ginger fan so when I spotted the Tracy Howard rendition on his blog, Imbibe Unfiltered,  I was delighted.  It features  Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur,  a first rate Cognac infused with baby ginger and ginseng.

Way back when trains were powered by steam and passenger airplanes had propellers,  we were given a bit of this elixir to deal with colds and flu.  It was basically hot water, lemon juice, honey, and some sort of whiskey.  There was always a pinch of cayenne pepper.  Slept well and sweated out the bugs.

There are infinite recipes for Toddies so you can fill your wintery days with experiments.   DrinkStreet has a great discussion on the very subject.