People on the Move
Centerplate, a Sodexo company and the leading hospitality partner to North America’s premier entertainment venues and convention centers, today announced Sufi Karaien as the new Executive Chef for the San Diego Convention Center (SDCC), beginning this month. Karaien previously served as SDCC's Senior Executive Sous Chef under Executive Chef Daryl O’Donnell. Since joining Centerplate in 2017, Karaien has helped lead food and beverage service for countless receptions, festivals, plated dinners and community events. Catering multi-course meals for tens of thousands of guests requires a special blend of culinary and managerial skills, and Chef Sufi ensures a careful attention to detail every step of the way.
Upcoming Events
The Private Label Manufacturers Association today announced that its annual Private Label Trade Show, taking place in-person November 14-16 in Chicago, will feature expanded participation by foodservice suppliers across all food, nonfood and beverage categories. Overall, more than 2,000 exhibitors and over 5,000 visitors are expected at the show, which has always been an important stop for manufacturers and buyers for foodservice. Among buyers from all major retail chains, you might spy representatives from some the nation’s largest restaurant suppliers on the trade show floors as well. Most, including the likes of Sysco, US Foods, Aramark, Maclean and others, have highly developed brand programs, ranging from value labels in basic food items, nonfood and takeout packaging to proprietary labels that might include proprietary coffee blends, farm raised meat and produce, craft cheese and artisan bakery items, sustainably sourced seafood, authentic Italian, Latin and Asian specialty items, and more.
Venue News
Constellation Culinary Group unveiled its latest event space in the heart of Wynwood, Miami’s arts and culture district. SGWS Wynwood is a 17,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, multi-purpose center with a focus on hospitality and education. The expansive, modern-industrial venue features four versatile event spaces for meetings and events with state-of-the-art audiovisual technology. Constellation will provide culinary offerings for corporate, culinary and social events and activations of all sizes. Guests are greeted by a stylish lobby area that leads directly into the venue’s Mixology Lounge (1,624 square feet), which features an expansive 30-foot bar with state-of-the art equipment. This space is ideal for a seated or reception-style event, as well as mixology courses, and comfortably accommodates 120 standing, 90 seated and 50 for a classroom setup. Situated on the east side of the lounge is the Demonstration Kitchen, led by Constellation Culinary Group’s exceptional culinary team. The Demonstration Kitchen, which has been fitted with Titan equipment, is a chef’s dream to provide the best-in-class dining experiences and custom-crafted menus with locally-sourced ingredients.. Whether clients are looking to host a wine or cocktail-focused dinner, chef pop-up, master class, pairing seminar, or product launch, SGWS Wynwood has access to the best beverage and culinary talent – including renowned sommeliers, mixologists, and chefs – to help curate a custom experience for you and your guests to enjoy.
Products on the Market
World Select Cuts, LLC is proud to announce the launch of its hand-crafted, premium deli meats featuring pasture-raised Australian lamb: Aussie Select™. Chefs, a demographic known for discerning palates, are always on the hunt for intriguing ingredients. We think they’ve found what they’re looking for with Aussie Select meats.
The Aussie Select product line-up currently includes:
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Agave Rosemary Lamb Ham: 100% pure agave syrup and fragrant fresh rosemary with subtle notes of nutmeg, fennel and garlic
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Lamb Pastrami: Seasoned with traditional deli flavors like coarse ground black pepper, coriander and brown sugar, then smoked with hickory and mesquite, yielding a pleasant peppercorn bite with a tender texture
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Tikka Masala Lamb Ham: Warm toasted flavor profile of classic Masala, balancing cumin, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon, cloves and nutmegs in a robust rub
SpotOn, a leader in fully integrated restaurant management platforms, today introduces SpotOn Sidekick, a handheld solution designed specifically for food trucks, pop-ups, cafes, and other mobile food kitchens. Joining SpotOn Serve in the company’s suite of handheld restaurant technology, SpotOn Sidekick allows small-scale food businesses to take orders, process payments, and print receipts from one intuitive handheld device. With this latest addition, SpotOn now offers the power and convenience of handheld technology to food businesses of all sizes, continuing its commitment to help small businesses compete and win. With more than 3 million food trucks in the U.S, SpotOn Sidekick puts the lightning-fast POS power in the palm of the business owner's hand. Offering all the functionality of SpotOn Restaurant POS that a mobile food kitchen needs into the SideKick’s 5.5-inch handheld, SpotOn now offers powerful POS solutions for restaurants and food businesses of all sizes. The new Sidekick is a portable POS solution that enables mobile food and beverage businesses to take orders in-person and online from one device and send them directly to a Bluetooth kitchen printer. The device is fitted with Wifi and 4G cellular technology, ensuring food trucks can do business anywhere.
