And the Winner is...
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Working in the culinary world, I am afforded with some great opportunities. The best part of my job is that one day I am sitting in the 15th row at Chicago’s Mayor, Rahm Emanuel’s Inauguration and the next I’m back in the kitchen test tasting. This week was the prime example of such, and is why I am always saying “there’s never a dull moment”.
I was recently approached by the National Restaurant Association and asked to be an expert judge on their panel for The Innovative Food and Beverage Award. Different manufacturers submitted their newest food or beverage that they felt qualified as most innovative. If you are familiar with me or my blog, you know that I am constantly seeking to reinvent myself, my business, and live by my motto “reuse, reinvent, and recycle”. This is the greatest lesson I learned from my great grandfather Herman Berghoff. Helping create gluten-free menu items in the Restaurant such as Whitefish with Basil Relish and Sautéed Spinach, is just one example of my business changing with the times to meet the needs of our customers. So when the NRA felt I was qualified to help decide which product was the most innovative, I was truly honored!
I spent days in the Berghoff kitchen tasting and studying everything from flavored milk straws to pizza. I not only judged the food and beverages on taste, but on their packaging, nutritional information, shelf life, and ingredients. There were products with bio-degradable packages in an effort to help reduce waste, or fresh baked treats with personal messages inside. The creativeness and innovation goes on and on. Together as judges we collaborated our ideas and have chosen a winner to be announced at the 2011 National Restaurant Association Hotel-Motel Show, early next week. The show takes place at McCormick Place beginning Saturday and running until Tuesday. Stay tuned for the winner…