Floored! NRA Show 2009 News

Vino Cacao is coming to America

The buzz surrounding the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event is so loud it can be heard on the other side of the ocean.

Vino Cacao, the Paris-based manufacturer of chocolate Bordeaux wine and chocolate Cognac, is exhibiting at IWSB 2009. CEO Franck Maupouet, the chocolatier son of wine-grower family in France, hopes to expand distribution in the States. NRA Show's premier alcohol forum will provide him with numerous opportunities to connect with high-volume buyers from numerous industry segments.

Wine and chocolate — two products that invoke passion in all of us, right? Not only can you imbibe Vino Cacao at a cocktail party or other special occasion, but you can also infuse your culinary creations with it as well. View a menu of ideas from Vino Cacao here.

Franck, we look forward to see you in Chicago in May!

Shaking Things Up at IWSB

   

The two-day International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB) at NRA Show 2009 is the best place to connect with beverage alcohol producers from around the world and learn all about their hottest brands and labels. 

IWSB is so unique because it gives you latest on trends, pairings & recipes, mixology demonstrations, new promotional ideas, as well as the update on responsible service, all in one place. And all related to increasing the profitability of your foodservice/hospitality business.

What better place to invigorate your bar program than IWSB?

Mark your calendars! The Event takes place May 17-8, 2009 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Get Up To Speed: Participate in NRA Show 2009's Ed Sessions

 

Need one more reason to attend NRA Show 2009? We have more than 65 reasons why you should. NRA Show recently revealed its education sessions slate for this year's show. Learn to control costs, build profits and improve your operations with ideas presented by industry experts at these interactive discussions only found at NRA Show 2009, the world's largest and most comprehensive gathering of restaurant, foodservice, lodging and retail professionals.

Topics fall into five main categories: Jobs and Careers, Food and Healthy Living, Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Profitability and Entrepreneurship and Technology.

In the coming weeks we'll explore each of the above areas, and also provide sneak previews of some of the sessions themselves. 

Mark your calendar for sessions like "What’s the Secret to Providing a World-Class Customer Experience?" Others of interest include "Glocalization: Culinology to the Rescue," "Crush The Box: Creative Leadership Ideas for Developing Managers" and "How To Recession-Proof Your Business." View all of them here.

Haven't sign up for the Show yet? Register now. Want to exhibit? Get your space today!

KI Turns 5 This Year

This year Kitchen Innovations, a.k.a. KI, turns 5 years old. It's a special occasion, and one we'll be celebrating for the next few weeks leading up to the announcement of the NRA Show 2009 KI Award winners in February.

To observe this milestone, we'll feature past KI winners, find out where they are now, chat with some KI judges and highlight some of the most innovative, state-of-the-art foodservice equipment out on the market now. Oh, and there will be cake. You'll see.

In short, KI is only a baby, but we expect it to be around for a long time. In the coming weeks we'll show ya why KI!

NRA Show Exhibitor Goes to the Ball

Innovative food and beverage trends introduced at the NRA Show long have helped restaurant and foodservice operators make a splash.

One of those foods is a key cocktail ingredient at a posh inaugural event.

The Creative Coalition's star-studded Inaugural Ball reportedly will serve "Inaugural Cheer" cocktails featuring Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup. The Australian Trade Commission introduced the wildly popular Wild Hisbicus flowers at the 2007 NRA Show. Since then, American restaurateurs have been adding them to Champagne, other festive drinks and desserts.

We'll definitely be looking for other delicious food and beverage trends May 16-19 among thousands of international and domestic exhibitors at this year's NRA Show. Who knows, maybe one of them will be the hot ingredient at the 2013 Inauguration!

NRA Show and Greater Chicago Food Depository feed the children

NRA Show and the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD) have collaborated for over 20 years. Exhibiting companies at last year's NRA Show donated 116,553 pounds of food to GCFD. As one of the largest food donation events in Chicago, the NRA Show 2008 helped provide meals for 87,633 people in the Chicago area.

Furthermore, NRA Show works with GCFD throughout the year. Last week the NRA Show and National Restaurant Association Solutions offices both assisted GCFD with its Nourish for Knowledge initiative.

Nourish for Knowledge, a partnership between GCFD and Chicago Public Schools, provides take-home bags of food on weekends to schoolchildren in low-income neighborhoods. The innovative program ensures children who are eligible for free reduced-price meals have the nutritious food they need outside of school hours. NRA Show and National Restaurant Association Solutions helped prepare nearly 3,000 take-home bags of food during their day of service on Jan. 8.

After all, sharing doesn’t end just because the holidays do. For more information on how you can help eliminate hunger, visit the National Restaurant Association Community Relations Web site.

In the above photo, pictured L to R: Angelica Jackson, Tim Woods, Darlene Fournier, Willie Glispie, Janet Westfall, Debra Hayes, Derrek Hull, Leslie Kelley.

NRA Show 2009 Housing & Travel Update

You don’t need us to tell you that we 're all facing economic challenges. You can just go to Bloomberg, CNN or read your local paper  to get that sort of info. So, when you come here to Floored!, we hope to share with you some good news instead.

Well, we have some for you. Several hotels have lowered their rates to pre-2008 levels. Both attendees and exhibitors can take advantage of these discounts. For a list of hotels, visit the NRA Show 2009 Travel Desk Web site. Be sure to check back often for regular hotel & travel updates.

Speaking of NRA Show, have you registered yet? If not, do so now! Attendees, sign up here. Exhibitors, secure your space today. We look forward to seeing you in May!

Talk To Us

One of the joys of blogging is the feedback we receive about Floored!. Sometimes a user posts a comment. We're constantly looking for ways to make this blog better.

If you have any thoughts, comments, questions, etc., e-mail us at [email protected]. Tell us who you are, where you're from, why you're here, what you like or dislike about Floored! so far and/or what features you'd like to see here in months leading up to NRA Show 2009 in May.

One more thing: Before you hit that "Send" button, please read our Attendee and Exhibitor Services FAQs.

We look forward to hearing from you!

PolyScience on Today Show

NRA Show 2009 exhibitor PolyScience is everywhere lately. Case in point, PS recently made an appearance on The Today Show. Award-winning chef-slash-restaurateur-slash-author Thomas Keller shared the wonders of sous vide with host Lester Holt with the help of PolyScience's immersion circulator.

For those in the dark re: sous vide, here's a formal definition from Epicurious.com:

'French for "under vacuum," sous vide is a food-packaging technique pioneered in Europe whereby fresh ingredients are combined into various dishes, vacuum-packed in individual-portion pouches, cooked under a vacuum, then chilled. Sous-vide food is used most often by hotels, restaurants and caterers, though it's expected to become increasingly available in supermarkets.'

The circulator featured in the clip controls temperature, a very important element of successful sous-vide cooking.

To learn more about PolyScience, visit its home base on the World Wide Web. See who else is exhibiting at NRA Show 2009 too.