2007 National Restaurant Association Restaurant

2007 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show to Bring Star Power With New NRA Show Celebrity Bookstore

To: TRAVEL EDITORS

CHICAGO, Feb. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Restaurant Association today announced a new feature at its Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, to be held May 19-22, at McCormick Place in Chicago -- the NRA Show Celebrity Bookstore. Top celebrity chefs and star restaurateurs will sign their latest books and share their expertise with Show attendees throughout the Show. Attendees will also be able to browse the onsite bookstore for a full range of industry-related books, in addition to books by the appearing authors.

"Chefs and restaurateurs have more star power now than ever, as Americans discover the restaurant industry's finest through the Food Network, consumer foodie magazines, network and cable television shows, and many other channels," said William C. Anton, FMP, convention chairman for the 2007 Show, and chairman and founder of Anton Airfood, Inc. "While cooking traditionally happened 'behind the scenes,' it is now taking center stage. We are excited to feature some of the most well-known industry celebrities and provide Show attendees with the opportunity to meet them."

The full schedule of celebrity chefs and restaurateurs is expected to be finalized later this spring. To date, individuals to appear in the NRA Show Celebrity Bookstore include:
Rick Bayless: an award-winning chef and restaurateur, cookbook author, and television personality, Bayless has done more than any other culinary star to introduce Americans to authentic Mexican cuisine and to change the image of Mexican food in America. Host of Mexico-One Plate at a Time on PBS, he owns and operates two of Chicago's hottest dining spots Frontera Grill and Tobolobampo. Bayless' new book -- Authentic Mexican: Regional Cooking from the Heart of Mexico, the Twentieth Anniversary edition -- will be available at the 2007 Show.

Tom Douglas: the chef and owner of five of Seattle's most exciting restaurants: Dahlia Lounge, Etta's, Palace Kitchen, Lola, and Serious Pie. Over the course of more than 20 years, Douglas has been the Seattle chef who has helped to define the Northwest Style in restaurant and home cooking. His creativity with local ingredients and respect for Seattle's ethnic traditions helped him win numerous awards and accolades including the James Beard Award for Best Northwest Chef in 1994. Douglas' new book -- I Love Crab Cakes!: 50 Recipes for an American Classic -- will be available at the 2007 Show.

Gale Gand: the executive pasty chef and partner of the acclaimed restaurant Tru in Chicago. She is the host of Sweet Dreams, which was the Food Network's first daily show devoted entirely to baking, Gand was named Outstanding Pastry Chef of the Year by the James Beard Foundation in 2001. Gand has her own root beer company and recently launched a new line of bakeware, available on the Home Shopping Network and soon at Macy's. Gand's new book -- Chocolate & Vanilla -- will be available at the 2007 Show.

Thomas Keller: widely regarded as one of America's finest chefs, Keller is chef and owner of The French Laundry, Bouchon, and Bouchon Bakery, in Yountville, CA; Bouchon in Las Vegas, NV; and Per Se and Bouchon Bakery at The Time Warner Center in New York City. Keller is the first and only American- born chef to have two restaurants (The French Laundry and Per Se) with a three-star rating from the Michelin Guide since the guide's inception in 1900. Keller's new books -- The French Laundry Cookbook and Bouchon -- will be available at the 2007 Show.

Danny Meyer: the president of Union Square Hospitality Group (which includes Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, Tabla, Blue Smoke, Jazz Standard, Shake Shack, The Modern, Cafe 2 and Terrace 5 at New York City's Museum of Modern Art, and Hudson Yards Catering), Meyer, his restaurants and chefs have earned an unprecedented 17 James Beard Awards. Meyer's latest book -- Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business -- examines the power of hospitality in restaurants, business and life, and will be available at the 2007 Show.

Steve Raichlen: a multi-award-winning author, journalist, cooking teacher, and TV host, Raichlen is the man who gave barbecue a college education. His bestselling Barbecue! Bible cookbook series (more than 3 million copies in print) and Barbecue University television show on PBS have virtually reinvented American barbecue. Raichlen's new book -- Raichlen on Ribs -- celebrates what for many people is the most iconic and quintessential barbecue in all their global glory, and will be available at the 2007 Show.

Art Smith: a contributing editor to O, the Oprah Magazine and Oprah.com, and has appeared several times on The
Oprah Winfrey' name=c1> SEARCHNews News Photos Images Web' name=c3> Oprah Winfrey Show. He is featured regularly on television programs, appearing nationally on NBC's The Today Show and serving as a regular tasting judge on Food Network's Iron Chef America. Smith's newest cookbook -- Back to the Family: Food Tastes Better Shared with the Ones You Love -- which features recipes stress the importance of recognizing old food traditions, as well as creating new and healthier food traditions, will be available at the 2007 Show.

Rick Tramonto: the executive chef and partner of Osteria di Tramonto, Tramonto's Steak & Seafood, RT Lounge, and Tru, Tramonto has garnered international attention and a host of prestigious awards for his work at Trio, Brasserie T and his renowned four-star, Relais-Gourmand restaurant Tru in Chicago. Tramonto has a history of television work, including Oprah, NBC's The Today Show, CBS This Morning and the Food Network. Tromonto's new books -- Amuse-Bouche: Little Bites of Delight Before the Meal Begins and Tru: A Cookbook from the Legendary Chicago Restaurant -- will be available at the 2007 Show.

To produce the NRA Show Celebrity Bookstore, the Association partnered with Chicago-based Barbara's Bookstore, whose original store opened in 1963 and who now operates in the Chicago metropolitan area, Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Minneapolis. One of Chicago's most successful bookstores, Barbara's focuses on hand-picked book selection, knowledgeable service, and author events. For more information, visit http://www.barbarasbookstore.com.

Now in its 88th year, the annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is the Western Hemisphere's largest single gathering of restaurant, foodservice and lodging professionals. As the industry's premier business venue, it offers attendees the best opportunities of the year for networking and exploring new trends, as well as insight on myriad industry issues via seminars and special events. The 2006 Show hosted 73,500+ attendees from 110 countries, and a record-breaking 2,080 exhibitors in 600,000+ square feet of display space. The 2007 Show is set for May 19-22 at McCormick Place in Chicago. For more information, visit the Show Web site at http://www.restaurant.org/show.

The National Restaurant Association, founded in 1919, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which is comprised of 935,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a work force of 12.8 million employees -- making it the cornerstone of the economy, career and employment opportunities and community involvement. Along with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to represent, educate and promote the rapidly growing industry. For more information, visit our Web site at http://www.restaurant.org.

SOURCE National Restaurant Association

Breakfast food at hotel restaurant buffets

Breakfast food at hotel restaurant buffets

No matter where you are in the world, the breakfast food offered in hotel restaurants is often anything but innovative and imaginative.
How often have you got the end of the breakfast buffet and thought ‘what looks the best’ instead of ‘I can’t make a decision, a little bit of everything!’.

In Australia, boring breakfast buffets can be blamed on major hotel chains standardized their offering for breakfast buffets at their properties. Their aim was to ensure that the breakfast buffet served in Brisbane was the same as the one in Melbourne and in Adelaide. This sounds comforting to guests, but in reality it comes down to increasing their buying power.

For example, the more restaurants are buying the same products the bigger the group discount. This move didn’t really allow the chef much scope and imagination, but like most things in hotels these days it’s about dollars and cents instead of consumer selection and satisfaction. So what should a breakfast buffet at a hotel include?

Every restaurant breakfast buffet should have standard offerings such cereals, sliced fresh fruit, fresh juices, pastries for the continental breakfast and egg, bacon and sausages for the hot breakfast. But standard items don’t have to be boring. Why not try a different style of bacon like Applewood Smoked Bacon or even different sausages like chicken and Mintbush.

Apart from the standard items there are many ideas that you could use to enhance your breakfast buffet. If you currently don’t offer an egg station, seriously consider it. There is nothing worse than scrambled eggs from the buffet or waiting ten minutes for some fresh ones from the kitchen especially when they are in a rush. Guests not only like fresh eggs but will also enjoy the showmanship that comes from serving from a live cooking station. You will also be able to offer fried eggs, scrambled and omelets.

Depending on the room available around the buffet, you may also be able to offer guests fresh pancakes, flapjacks or waffles. They use relatively the same mixture and once again the product is being cooked live and not taken out of a packet. It will give your buffet a real value added feel to the guest.

Instead of offering canned peaches or pears, why not stew your own fruits? It doesn’t take much to put a sugar syrup together with vanilla beans pods or for a twist from the usual try add lemon myrtle as the fruits cool. You can even rotate the offering of stewed fruits depending on what is seasonally available.

Particularity in Australia and other western countries, there is a increase of tourists and corporate travelers coming from Asia, so as such it might be worth considering an innovative product like a noodle bar to the buffet. A basic offering could include a selection of fresh egg, rice, or bean noodles plus a few condiments like choi sum, bbq pork, duck and shallots with a fresh master chicken stock. Guests simply choose what they wish then you make the bowl of noodles once again right in front of them. This concept could be developed further: instead of using a boiler, why not do a fresh wok dish? If you have a spare bain marie dish on the buffet, why not create a number of international dishes that are available for breakfast in different countries such as beef rendang, congee, miso soup or rice noodles. Do a little research on your guests, find out where they are from, and then rotate these dishes accordingly.

Instead of using pre-made jams in jars, why not make your own jams and conserves. This gives you the opportunity to be innovative with unique flavours such as blackberry pear or apricot vanilla to name a few. If you are able to find them from the markets, an interesting addition could be a rack of honey directly from the beehive. Other non-standard breakfast items like fresh Australian farmhouse cheeses or Tasmanian smoked salmon are always popular. Why not even try lightly house smoking your salmon with paperbark.

An important ingredient of any breakfast buffet is espresso coffee and freshly brewed teas. So many restaurants offer brewed coffee that smells like coffee yet tastes like crude oil. It does take more staff to offer espresso coffees, but it’s often the little things that make a big difference, like the smell of fresh espresso coffee wafting throughout the lobby area. Guests will also appreciate unique tea blends that are packed full of freshness instead of stale tea bags which are often over-brewed.

As breakfast revenue is often in-line with the hotel’s occupancy, an increase in breakfast revenue is often difficult. To overcome this and increase revenue, why not have the sales team put together a promotion for the hotel’s local corporate clients, encouraging them to have early breakfast meetings. Maybe you could offer the breakfast buffet with endless espresso until 12pm, encouraging them to stay in the hotel longer to do business. There are endless ideas.

If you are looking for more breakfast ideas or suggestion to enhance your hotel’s breakfast buffet, why not get a copy of my Australian Menu Planning Guide.