Floored! NRA Show 2009 News

The Ultimate Party to Fight Childhood Hunger

 
We know a thing or two about hosting a great event. After all, the entire restaurant and hospitality industry has been coming together at the NRA Show for over 90 years...hello!

When we learned several of the NRA Show and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event's trendsetting chef, restaurant and mixologist participants will be out in full force at Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation® Chicago on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at the Ravenswood Billboard Factory, we hungered for more scoop.

Here's the skinny, more than 40 of Chicago’s hottest chefs, restaurants and mixologists will donate their time, talent and passion to serve up sensational dishes, drinks and other delicious delights in an effort to raise money needed to support Share Our Strength’s mission to end childhood hunger across the United States, Canada and abroad.
 
The National Restaurant Association’s NRA Show partner the Greater Chicago Food Depository will be one of the area charities to benefit from this year's event. Exhibiting companies at NRA Show 2009 donated food that provided nearly 50,000 meals to the 600 GCFD member pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, day care centers and senior living facilities across the Chicago area. Additional charities that will benefit include the Illinois Hunger Coalition and the Near North Health Service Corporation.

It’s not too late to purchase tickets to Taste of the Nation® Chicago. For more information about a Taste of the Nation event near you – there are more than 45 events across the United States, Canada and Mexico – or to get involved, visit www.tasteofthenation.org.

Elegant & Easy Late-Summer Menu

 
Are you looking for a simple yet impressive menu for late summer?  We’ve got four amazing recipes (and a cocktail too!) prepared by trendsetting chefs who participate in a big way at their industry’s "main event," the annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show. Get ready to entertain friends and family with these delicious dishes that not only look beautiful but are fun to prepare.

Blogger's Note: Scroll to the end of this article for full recipe(s) details.

Cocktail: Lemon-lime Sangria – fruity and refreshing.

Starter: Avocado-Mango Salad with Fresh (or Blue) Cheese, Bacon and Toasted Pumpkinseeds is the perfect late summertime salad by Chef Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and XOCO restaurants. 

Main Course (option 1): Summer Tomato Spaghetti by Chef Marcus Samuelsson of Aquavit and C-House restaurants offers a palate-pleasing burst of flavors.

Main Course (option 2): Halibut with Celery and Coriander Relish by Chef Erick Williams of mk the restaurant features a winning combination of fresh cilantro, parsley and basil – a delightful complement to halibut.

Dessert: Hand Formed Pear Tarts with Almonds and Cinnamon by pastry chef Gale Gand – adults and children alike will delight in preparing this quick and easy dessert.  

Stay tuned for news regarding which star chefs will be appearing at NRA Show 2010, May 22-25, at Chicago's McCormick Place.

Food + Beer = Profits

 
Although the topic was pairing beer with food, it's clear the expert panelists at this year's International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB) education session were also teaching operators how to invite a third element to the table: profits.

The demand for beer is up, Stephen Beaumont, writer, World of Beer, observed, and diners hesitant to order a $40 bottle of wine are increasingly likely to order a $20 bottle of domestic or imported craft beer to enhance their dining experience...and then order a second bottle because they feel they are being frugal. Now is the time for restaurateurs to learn how to market beer pairings, increasing the customer experience and the bottom line.

As the panel discussed the ins and outs of food pairings, IWSB attendees were offered three ideas to whet their appetite.

Capturing Wind In A Beer Bottle

 
Ah, the sights, sounds and smells of Memorial Day weekend (that unofficial start to summer) from concerts, festivals, parades and, oh yeah, barbecues. And what complements your favorite holiday BBQ edibles to nosh more than beer.

With food and beer alcohol pairings on the rise*, 2009 International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event exhibitor New Belgium Brewing Co. really does put “new” back in all-things beer, food, flavor and fun (responsibly, of course). Are you still searching for the perfect beer and backyard barbecue recipe pairing? Check out New Belgium’s “fat” –- yes, these guys and gals are the makers of Fat Tire ale -- menu of pairing suggestions to make this Memorial Day a frothy splash.

New Belgium Brewing gets high marks from us for becoming the first wind-powered brewery. Kudos to these brewmasters for their trailblazing efforts to go and grow “green.” Learn how you too can help the planet.

For starters, trade in your car, tap the inner-cyclist in you and hit the Tour de Fat trail blowing into a city near you soon. Find out this year’s schedule. We look forward to welcoming everyone to Chicago, July 11th (who knows, perhaps Portland, Ore. too, August 15th).

If you’re in search of a frenzy of flavors and taste pairings beyond beer, scope out these other food-alcohol match-ups.

Source: National Restaurant Association's "What's Hot in 2009" chef survey

Bits & Bytes Heard at NRA Show 2009

We have you covered on things overheard from the show floor at this year's NRA Show and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event.

Restaurant and hospitality industry operators consistently reported NRA Show 2009 was the place to find solutions and inspiration in this economy.

• "This is the place to come and see everything in one shot.” -Robert Forrester, Restaurant Industry Solutions
• “I’ve already found some ideas that I’m going to take back and take a very serious look at.”
  - Kim Lopdrup, Red Lobster
• “When you come here, you come to be inspired.” -George McNeill, Ritz Carlton Hotels
• “Look at this, it's great! Even in this ‘recession,’ this place is doing well. It's good to see this many people at this year’s NRA Show.” -Ming Tsai, chef/owner of Blue Ginger in Wellesley, Mass.
• “Now more than ever is the time to get busy on our business. We can't shut our doors. At this point, it’s all about the competition and staying ahead and this [the NRA Show] is a great resource.”  -David Starr, operating vice president of restaurants, Bloomingdale's
• “Within the restaurant industry, it is about creating brand differentiation for your customers. In other words, what will make your restaurant and brand stand out from the competition. The National Restaurant Association show provided this year’s attendees with strategic insights into achieving that brand differentiation - a critical must-have in today’s environment.” -Bill Whitman, Jr., vice president of communications, McDonald’s USA

POM Wonderful's Secret Plan for Immortality

The folks at the POM Wonderful booth admit that drinking their pomegranate juice will not let you live forever -- but they have to think about it first. A few weeks after an advertising campaign centered on their 100% juice allowing you to “Cheat Death” was banned in the U.K., POM’s Jeff Garcia is more focused than ever on the positive health benefits of the fruit’s polyphenal antioxidants.

“We’re taking the power of those natural antioxidants and offering them in different forms,” Garcia said. That's thanks to POMx, the compound of extracted pomegranate antioxidants offered in pill form, which the company adds to some of its tea blends and now combines with its caffeinated energy drinks.

Talk about Hitting the Sweet Spot

We were expecting something tasty when we wandered up to the DRY Soda Co. booth at NRA Show 2009 this morning, but we weren't anticipating something this unique: a list of natural ingredients that tops out at four, a delicious wallop packed into only 45 calories per 12-ounce bottle and its own list of recommended food pairings. We’d say that cucumber soda never sounded or tasted so good, but that would imply that we had tasted cucumber soda before.

The Seattle-based DRY produces a growing line of lightly sweetened, all-natural sparkling beverages created with adult palates, healthy lifestyles and calorie-conscious consumers in mind. In fact, these bubbly bottles come with an adjective for everybody: all-natural, caffeine-free, vegan, gluten-free, sodium-free, kosher, delicious... take your pick.

Sharelle Klaus, Dry Soda founder and CEO, began the company when she was pregnant and missing the added dimension a complementary glass of wine can bring to a good meal. Her products' flavors, such as lavender, lemongrass, rhubarb and cucumber (making its debut at NRA Show 2009), were created with food pairings in mind.

"We need to have a modern way to think about soda," Krauss said. Restaurants throughout the Northwest agreed, picking up the sodas first, followed by grocery stores and boutiques across the United States and Canada. DRY's elegant bottles were added to Starbucks stores throughout the Northwest last week. Klaus attributes the company's success to an increasing demand for a non-alcoholic beverage that can be consumed on its own, paired with food (DRY offers cards with pairing suggestions) or used as a premium mixer. "You have to be open to what the customers are needing. They were asking for it."

Klaus says the NRA Show was a no-brainer to debut some of her newest products: "[The NRA Show]  was great for us last year." Judging by the crowd lining up for sips of the drink at Booth 1161W this morning, the public's thirst hasn't been quenched yet.

G’day at the Aussie Pavilion

 

Australia is building a reputation in the U.S. as a source of unique premium gourmet foods and beverages, and a trendsetter in world-class international dining. Must-sees in the Australia Pavilion include fully traceable certified “clean green” southern rocklobsters from sustainable Australian fisheries, “off-the-bone” ham that provides superior flavor and texture, including award-winning cheeses, olive oils, and biodynamic/organic wines.

Many foods and beverages produced with Aussie know-how are wheat and gluten free; kosher and halal certified; and sought after around the world for superior taste, quality and variety of unique applications. A number of “Mod-Oz” products and concepts are endorsed by world-renowned food authority, David Rosengarten, Australian celebrity chef/restaurateur, Luke Mangan, and local celebrity chefs/restaurateurs Art Smith and Frank Brunacci are putting Aussie cuisine on the map.

Also, renowned US-based Aussie chefs Sally James and Jon-Antony Sinclair—along with Chicago’s own Frank Brunacci of the famed Trump International Hotel & Towers Chicago’s Sixteen—will prepare a vast array of “Mod-Oz” culinary creations using fresh Australian ingredients in the live Breville Demonstration Kitchen at the Australian Pavilion located in the South Hall, Level 3, booth 1612 at NRA Show 2009.

Stay tuned for more country pavilions news as we travel the world in four days at NRA Show 2009.

Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before: Beer is Good, You Betcha

Pity the poor Minnesotan.

We estimate that less than three minutes elapsed between our arrival at the booth of Cold Spring Brewery and overhearing a Fargo joke directed at these rural Minnesotan brewers. One can only imagine how many times that particular tragicomedy played out over the course of the day. Luckily, Mike Feldhege from Cold Spring has a good nature to complement his good beverages.

They've been brewing at Cold Spring since 1874 (you might have encountered their products under the former name of Gluek), so they probably know what they're doing. In their first year at the NRA Show, they are showing off their new Spiker Ale, a bourbon-aged Imperial stout that's as smooth as it is strong (kind of like the silhouette of John Henry on the bottle). Right now you can only find it in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and California, but Feldhege reports that with all the distributors and intrigued customers who have crowded their booth today, it won't stay that way for long. "We are real happy so far," he says of the NRA Show. "People are giving good feedback."

Besides Spiker Ale and five other beers, Cold Spring produces mineral water, fortified fruit beverages, hard lemonade and more energy drinks than anyone else in the United States.

If you can't make it up northwest of Minneapolis for a brewery tour, try the next best thing and visit Cold Spring's booth for something refreshing. They're just just one of the 142 beverage exhibitors at NRA Show 2009, but probably the only one who will laugh at your Fargo joke as if they hadn't heard that one before. 

And the "Hot Chef" Is...

  
Kristina Vanni. She was selected the second annual NRA Show Hot Chef Grilling Challenge winner by YouTube™ users. Vanni will receive a trip to NRA Show 2009 in Chicago, May 16-19, and a cooking demonstration in the Culinary Scene area. She'll join celebrated chefs including Rick Bayless, Stephanie Izard, Marcus Samuelsson, Chris Cosentino and Radhika Desai –- stay tuned for more Culinary Scene action in tomorrow’s Floored!

Vanni's winning YouTube video featured a delicious maple-Dijon glazed grilled Arctic char with a cucumber, fennel and radish salad, grilled bread cheese with cloudberry preserves (to die for!) and a lingonberry-cardamom martini. You’ve gotta try making these recipes for yourself…we did...amazing!

Kudos to her for utilizing so many of the Association's What’s Hot in 2009 chef survey food and beverage trends (blogger's note: the latest food and beverage trends will be showcased on this year's NRA Show and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event show floors).

Be sure to catch Vanni’s cooking demonstration on Tuesday, May 19 at 1:30 p.m. in the Culinary Scene.

If you’re not yet registered for NRA Show 2009, get on it now!