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Foodstock draws 30,000 people to protest Mega-Quarry

Jordan Romoff — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:18:51 +0000

Melancthon Mega-Quarry

Water concerns and environmental risk assessments impede plans for a mega-quarry near the GTA

Ontario’s densely populated Greater Golden Horseshoe, which hugs the western tip of Lake Ontario from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to Niagara and stretches all the way to Georgian Bay and Peterborough, has less than four percent of the province’s land mass but is home to nearly a quarter of all Canadians. The region is one of the country’s biggest economic engines, with industries such as auto and steel manufacturing as well as Toronto’s diverse economy pushing urban development across agricultural and natural land. Such sprawl is often controversial. But the need for raw materials — specifically, the gravel required for road and building construction — is creating another clash between man and nature.

Click on link to read the entire article…http://tiny.cc/pspk0

Chefs, Farmers Unite for Foodstock

Jordan Romoff — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:47:42 +0000

Chef Michael Stadtlander is the driving force behind Foodstock, an Oct. 16 fundraiser in support of the movement to Stop The Mega Quarry. He’s in the potato field of Dave Vanderzaag, who is one of four farmers who didn’t sell to an American-backed company that wants to develop one of Canada’s biggest rock quarries. JASON VAN BRUGGEN PHOTO

By Jennifer BainFood Editor

Activist chef Michael Stadtländer is spearheading a farm-based food protest and hopes 20,000 people will join him.The Oct. 16 event is called Foodstock and it’s a pay-what-you-can culinary and musical rally against a proposed limestone mega quarry on prime agricultural land next to the Niagara Escarpment. The project’s opponents fear for the region’s water, farming and quality of life.

>>>Chefs, Farmers Unite for Foodstock – Toronto Star

After a Rough Night, Hotel Investors Are Waking Up

Jordan Romoff — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 16:06:16 +0000

“IS this as bad as it gets? For two years, big investors watched the implosion of the lodging industry as hotel values plummeted more than 50 percent. Now as private equity giants like the Blackstone Group and entrepreneurs like Richard Branson are diving into the sector, others are starting to think it has finally hit bottom and may be bouncing back.”

Read the complete article from nytimes.com…

George Weston Ltd. Buys Ace Bakery (foodserviceworld.com)

Jordan Romoff — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:33:44 +0000

TORONTO — Weston Foods Canada Inc. recently purchased Ace Bakery, the artisan European-style bread company, for $110 million.

“The Ace Bakery brand is known for its quality products and will complement our existing family of brands, allowing us to better serve our customers,” said W. Galen Weston, chairman and president of Weston Foods. “I would like to welcome the Ace Bakery employees into the Weston group.” Weston Foods, a subsidiary of George Weston Ltd. — one of North America’s largest food processing and distribution groups that operates the Loblaw brand of supermarkets — specializes in baked goods.

Read more…

Revamped hotels are prepped for an industry recovery (theglobeandmail.com)

Jordan Romoff — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 15:23:37 +0000

“Hoteliers aren’t exactly breaking open the champagne now that occupancy and room rates are inching up, but those who have committed to upgrades and renovations are feeling splashes of hope that their investments are paying off or will soon reap benefits.

InterContinental Hotels Group (owner of Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Candlewood Suites and others), Starwood Hotels and Resorts (Westin, Sheraton and Meridien, for example) and other accommodation interests are competing for consumer loyalty with the return of business traveller traffic during this economic recovery.”

Read more…

Behind the scenes at the French Laundry

Jordan Romoff — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:45:07 +0000

How French Laundry’s chefs reach for the stars

Sophie Brickman, Chronicle Staff Writer

San Francisco Chronicle September 12, 2010 04:00 AM Sunday, September 12, 2010

Thomas Keller, executive chef and owner of the French Laundry, twice named “the best restaurant in the world,” walked into the restaurant’s waiting room, shook my hand, introduced himself, then looked me up and down and cleared his throat.

“You’re wearing jeans.”

I instantly started sweating.

“Yes, Chef.”

“You’re not supposed to be wearing jeans. They’re not allowed in this restaurant.”

My heart pounded audibly in my ears, like some distant funereal drum procession.

“Yes, I know, Chef.”

“You know, but you wore jeans anyway.”

Click on the link to read the entire article… http://tiny.cc/h57ra

Desperate times lead to desperate untruths (theglobeandmail.com)

Jordan Romoff — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:59:41 +0000

LIAR, LIAR, PANTS ON FIRE

In the wake of the recession, more job seekers are succumbing to the temptation of embellishing their résumés to impress potential employers

“We’re not in the business of educating our clients on ethics,” said Danica Keravica, senior associate at Lecours Wolfson, a Toronto-based recruiter of hospitality executives, managers and chefs. “Our job is to source, screen and select on our clients’ behalf. Candidates who are dishonest are eliminated from our system altogether, or at least flagged that we’re not to represent them.”

Click on link to read the entire article

Food Network Expands with the Cooking Channel (nytimes.com)

Jordan Romoff — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 14:24:39 +0000

Looks like the Food Network is launching a spin off network.

“Called the Cooking Channel, it is lining up low-key programs targeted at a hipper crowd interested in the grass roots of food culture.” http://nyti.ms/cah1k0

Restaurants See Slow Recovery From the Recession (nytimes.com)

Jordan Romoff — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 21:52:39 +0000

“Restaurants all over the country are beginning to see signs of a potential recovery after a dismal 2009. Sales at some restaurants have risen in the last few months, and the industry has hired thousands of additional workers.

“There’s no question about this,” said Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst at the NPD Group, a market research firm that tracks sales at 47 restaurant chains with a total of 103,000 outlets. “There’s a recovery going on.”

Mr. Balzer said that March sales at restaurants open for at least a year were up 1 percent compared with March of last year. While that might not seem like much, it broke a string of 10 months of negative sales. He cautioned that while the sales trends were uneven across the industry, almost half the chains he tracks — mostly fast-food and family dining restaurants like Denny’s — had begun showing gains.”

Here’s the link to the entire article http://nyti.ms/9IdCTb

R&I’s Top 100 Independent Restaurants: The New Normal

Jordan Romoff — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 15:26:33 +0000

Top 100 Independent operators see a ‘new normal’ where exceptional guest service/experience is the key to driving their top-lines.

The “new normal” means doubling down on service, searching for innovative ways to market to value-conscious customers and making sure the restaurant yields every possible penny of profit.

“My sense is that our industry is confronting a new set of consumer values,” says Michael Whiteman of Joseph Baum and Michael Whiteman Co., a New York City-based hospitality consultancy. “Customers are being more selective about eating out, and it isn’t all about price.”

“The restaurants that will make the turnaround first,” he adds, “are those that nurture emotional connections with their customers rather than those that simply lowered prices.”

Read the entire article http://tiny.cc/x4sur and look at ‘The Rankings’ http://tiny.cc/mkvtj