Chef James Woznik now focuses on Malaysian cuisine at Makan, which has locations in Washington, DC and Charleston, South Carolina | Photo courtesy of Makan
This week, Restaurant Business's senior menu editor, Pat Korb, reported from Atlanta, where Menu Directions, a conference hosted by sister publication FoodService Director, had just concluded, while Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality's senior food and beverage editor, Brett Thorne, reported on events in New York City.
Because foodservice directors are responsible for dine-in service, the participants were primarily chefs from healthcare, schools, corporate cafeterias, etc., rather than restaurants. Pat reported that they were a great group, eager to share ideas. This year's strategies included using artificial intelligence in menu development and approaches to reducing waste, such as using leftover coffee grounds as part of a spice rub for roasted beets and meats.
Meanwhile, Brett attended a party hosted by the Mushroom Council, where he enjoyed cocktails, lettuce wraps, and tostadas made with a variety of mushrooms, and learned that the trade group was promoting Mushroom Monday. Pat said mushroom products were also on display at Menu Directions, where Mush Foods mixed them into beef meatballs.
Brett was also on hand for the launch of Pizza Hut's new Chicago Tavern Style Pizza, a thin-crust pizza that's actually more popular in the Windy City than the better-known deep-dish pizza.
He then interviewed Chef James Woznik of Malaysian restaurant Makan, which started in Washington DC and just opened a second location in Charleston, South Carolina. The chef talked about why he fell in love with Malaysian food, how he discovered it as a non-Malaysian, how he developed the menu for Makan, which means “to eat” in Malay, and more.
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Menu Talk is a collaboration between Restaurant Business Senior Menu Editor Pat Cobe and Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
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Pat creates and executes menu, food and beverage stories for the restaurant business and hosts the weekly Menu Talk podcast, where she delves into chefs, trends and menu innovation.
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