#LRAEXPO14: Your Weekend Planner

Celebrating its 61^st year, the Louisiana Restaurant Association’s Foodservice & Hospitality EXPO, is August 2-4, 2014 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center in Hall I. The EXPO is a one-stop shop for all your restaurant needs—whether they are products, services or education and is a must for restaurant owners, managers, buyers, hotel food and beverage directors and chefs. It’s the only place in Louisiana to gain valuable industry knowledge and shop hundreds of companies under one roof.

Join 2014 National Restaurant Association Chair Ken Conrad, owner of Libby Hill Restaurants in North Carolina, as he addresses the crowd and cuts the ribbon during the Opening Ceremony, Saturday, August 1 at 10:45 a.m. in the Hall I foyer.

2014 NRA Chair
Ken Conrad

“I’ve visited New Orleans five times or so and I am looking forward to my trip for the EXPO,” Conrad said. “I own seafood restaurants and coming to a great seafood city like New Orleans is a wonderful treat for me and my family.”

As the EXPO opens (at 11 a.m.), crowds pour onto the show floor just in time for the Great American Seafood Cook-Off (GASCO) opening celebration. Attendees will hear the sirens, which signals the start of a mini-parade complete with a marching band, Mardi Gras Indians and mini-floats, which traverses one end of the show ending at the GASCO stages in Hall J. Nineteen chefs, including New Orleans’ own Aaron Burgau of Patois Restaurant, will compete for the title of King or Queen of American Seafood. GASCO is produced by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board and sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“Having GASCO as part of the LRA’s EXPO demonstrates our industry’s commitment to promoting not only Gulf seafood, but all domestic seafood as a center of the plate staple in Louisiana and beyond,” said Stan Harris, LRA President/CEO.

Be sure to make some time to expand your knowledge of leading restaurant industry trends, issues and best practices in the third annual IDEA ZONE. On Saturday, express sessions cover topics such as: grow your restaurant brand/concept; top tax benefits that exist for restaurant owners; promoting profits and preventing loss behind the bar; and what can I really charge my employees; and more.  On Sunday, you’ll have the chance to learn about: updates on the Affordable Care Act; how to price a menu for off-site catering; food allergies: myths busted; and more. Monday’s IDEA ZONE features the LRA Self Insurer’s Fund annual safety seminar and beef flavor fundamentals.

During the EXPO, the 2^nd Annual Farm to Table International Symposium takes place and LRA members receive discounted admission to attend numerous sessions examining “The Process.”  The symposium, produced in partnership with the SoFAB Institute and the LSU AgCenter, brings together the leading practitioners in the growing farm-to-table movement to explore the cultivation, distribution and consumption of food and drink sourced locally while presenting the opportunity to connect consumers, chefs and producers.

To maximize your EXPO experience, be sure to take a few minutes to map out your journey by creating your Personalized Show Guide. This feature allows you advance review of all the exhibiting companies, some longtime favorites and more than 50 new companies, you’ve never seen at the show before.

We can’t wait to see you in New Orleans this weekend! If you haven’t registered, click here.

Thank you to this year’s Platinum Sponsors!

Heartland Payment Systems, Louisiana Cookin’, Capital One, Republic National Distributing Company, UnitedHealthcare, Glazer’s of Louisiana, Louisiana Restaurant Association Self Insurer’s Fund and the LRA Education Foundation.

Gold Sponsors—Midlands, Generations Hall & Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses; and Silver Sponsors—Fisher & Phillips, LLP; Johnson, Johnson, Barrios & Yacoubian and Hailey, McNamara, Hall, Larmann & Papale, LLP.

IDEA ZONE at the #LRAEXPO14: Rest your feet, gain some valuable insight

With all the excitement that’s in store for you at the Louisiana Restaurant Association's 61^st Louisiana Foodservice & Hospitality EXPO, we urge you to pace yourself. You’ll be doing a lot of walking, but we’ve got a solution if you need a little time out from all the show floor happenings—the IDEA ZONE. While taking a seat, you’ll gain expert insight into running your restaurant more smoothly and legally in some cases.

Now in its third year, the IDEA ZONE was designed to offer restaurateurs, quick, informative express presentations right on the show floor. Here’s the Sunday line up of topics for your consideration as you map out your itinerary for the EXPO.

The health care law implementation deadline is right around the corner and the Affordable Care Update kicks off the Sunday series at 11:30 a.m. What’s on the horizon as it pertains to the healthcare law? Do you know? Are you sure? If you aren’t or need a refresher, UnitedHealthcare’s Kimberlee Vandervoorn and BancorpSouth’s Scott McKnight will school you on the latest deadlines and regulations and how you can prepare for the newest effects on your business.

The Catering Coach Sandy
Korem presents How to
price a menu for off-site
catering, Sunday, Aug. 3
1:45 p.m. in the IDEA ZONE.

Are you in the market for new restaurant equipment? If the answer is yes, stop by the IDEA ZONE at 12:30 p.m. for Energy efficiency for your restaurant with Frank Johnson, PhD of the Gas Technology Institute. Dr. Johnson will give you a quick historical overview of and the drivers behind the development of appliances for commercial foodservice facilities. By installing more efficient appliance, you’ll also learn how efficiency can help you save time AND money. Who in our business can’t use more time and money?

More and more restaurants are tapping into the catering business because it’s a great way to add a lucrative profit stream to your existing restaurant business. The Catering Coach Sandy Korem brings you her 20 years of expertise in the 1:45 p.m. session How to price a menu for off-site catering. Korem will help restaurant owners learn the ins and outs of pricing a catering menu for off-site events. These tips will help you immediately generate money through catering.

Up next is a topic that’s becoming more and more relevant in this day in age—Food allergies: myths busted. The number of Americans affected by food allergies is estimated at 15 million and that number is trending higher every year. Dining out can be a challenge for them and their families and friends. National Restaurant Association’s David Crownover will bust those myths for you and share the benefits of the ServSafe Allergens online training resource so you and your staff can serve this guest population safely and earn you their repeat business. Read more about the benefits of ServSafe Allergens training in our article, Serving guests with food allergies safely can grow your business here.

Locally-sourced ingredients topped the list of the 2014 NRA Chef’s Hottest Trends Survey. With the rise in beef prices due to drought conditions in the West and Midwestern U.S., we bring you the session Keeping Louisiana cattle and beef local. Anne Babin and John Lalla of Natco Food Service Merchants will share their business experience and led an open discussion with local ranchers who are passionate about bringing you the best Louisiana genetics, which guarantees you the highest quality steaks.

Located at the end of Aisle 100, the IDEA ZONE is located conveniently next to the Community Coffee trolley and features seating and high boy tables in the back for your convenience. Of course, we don’t expect you to spend your day listening to presentations, but hopefully, you’ll find one or two that can help you become an even more successful restaurant owner. Plan to grab a cup of joe (or a cocktail from one of our exhibiting beverage companies) and pull up a seat!

To attend sessions in the IDEA ZONE, you need to register to attend the EXPO. LRA restaurant members receive four complimentary admissions to the EXPO and registration is easier than ever before here. 

IDEA ZONE at the #LRAEXPO14: Do you know what you don’t know?

To be successful in the restaurant business, you have to know a lot about a lot of things. From one moment to the next you transition from human resources professional to purchasing guru, chef to manager, bookkeeper to plumber, and then on to a myriad of your other unofficial job titles in role as owner, manager and/or chef. Running a restaurant requires that you be a “jack of all trades,” but hopefully a master of some.

The IDEA ZONE, back for its third year at the Louisiana Foodservice & Hospitality EXPO, August 2-4, 2014 at the Morial Convention Center, is a series of complimentary, expert express presentations designed to deliver pertinent, relevant and timely need-to-know information for restaurateurs.

Saturday’s IDEA ZONE series begins at 11:45 a.m. with So…you want to grow your restaurant brand/concept? What is really involved in taking a restaurant brand/concept from one or a handful of locations to be ready to expand regionally and nationally at a rapid pace and still maintain consistency, quality and profitability? Together, LSU alumni Brent Bueche and Scot Byrd of BBI Architects in Baton Rouge will teach you the basics of a successful restaurant brand/concept, how to analyze regional markets and growth patterns, understand how design reinforces the brand and improves the customer experience, and restaurant prototype standards and scalability.

Following at 12:45 p.m., David Kusher of Kushner LaGraize LLC hosts Top tax benefits that exist for restaurant owners that most restaurant owners don’t know about and miss every year. There’s not a person on the planet who wants to pay more in taxes and right now, that could very well be you.

If you’ve ever seen an episode of Jon Taffer’s Bar Rescue, you’ve seen the worst of the worst in terms of lost profits behind the bar. At 1:45 p.m., John Carter of Bevintel, the world’s number one on-premise liquor inventory control system, brings you Promoting profits and preventing loss behind the bar. Carter will give you valuable tips on preventing loss and adding five or more points to your bottom line through inventory control and promoting profits in restaurants and bars. Your time at this session could be money in your wallet.

Up next at 2:45 p.m. is Online marketing recipe book for success, by Fishbowl’s Joe Gabriel. In today’s ever-changing landscape, restaurateurs now have to add another title to their resume: “Online Marketer.” Gabriel will go over the five easy steps to be successful in building an online presence, managing it and engaging your guests to drive sales.

Michelle Anderson,
Fisher & Phillips, LLP

And finally, a topic that we get calls about from members all the time—What can I really charge employees? LRA General Labor Counsel Michelle Anderson of Fisher & Phillips will share the legal perimeters regarding deductions for uniforms, breakages, misorders and tools of the trade. Restaurateurs, you’ll also get the run down on the tip credit, services charges and how to avoid wage and hour litigation. 

The IDEA ZONE is located at the end of Aisle 100, conveniently located next to the Community Coffee trolley and features seating and high boy tables in the back for your convenience. Of course, we don’t expect you to spend your day listening to presentations, but hopefully, you’ll find one or two that can help you become an even more successful (and legally compliant) restaurant owner.

To attend sessions in the IDEA ZONE, you need to register to attend the EXPO. LRA restaurant members receive four complimentary admissions to the EXPO and registration is easier than ever before here. 

Thank you to this year’s Platinum Sponsors!

Heartland Payment Systems, Louisiana Cookin’, Capital One, Republic National Distributing Company, UnitedHealthcare, Glazer’s of Louisiana, Louisiana Restaurant Association Self Insurer’s Fund and the LRA Education Foundation.

Gold Sponsor—Midlands, Generations Hall & Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses; and Silver Sponsors—Fisher & Phillips, LLP and Johnson, Johnson, Barrios & Yacoubian.

Got answers? We have a crowd

Are you an expert in your field? Do you have information that you just KNOW will help restaurant owners? Can you offer advice or a service that is timely and current?

If the answer “yes” applies to those questions, then the Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) invites you to submit a proposal to speak in its Idea Zone at the 61^st Annual Louisiana Foodservice & Hospitality EXPO, August 2-4, 2014. The EXPO is held at the Morial New Orleans Convention Center.

Idea Zone sessions will take place all three days of the EXPO, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. (2 p.m. on Monday) and has previously featured speakers expounding on topics such as health care reform, culinary trends, special dietary needs, profitability and social media. We also saw big crowds at food/beverage product launches and chef-led presentations. Sessions should be no longer than 30-45 minutes in length. See last years line-up. 

To be considered, e-mail the following to Erica Burns, eburns@lra.org: your name, biography, business name, suggested title of Idea Zone session and a short, two-three sentence description of proposed session. Sessions will be reviewed and approved by a committee of restaurateurs. The LRA does not pay speaker fees.

La. Foodservice & Hospitality EXPO kicks off Saturday with "A Toast to Talent"

The Louisiana RestaurantAssociation (LRA)’s premier foodservice event, the Louisiana Foodservice & Hospitality EXPO, will turn 60 this weekend, August 3-5, 2013 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, Halls I-J, with an estimated 11,000 attendees. The EXPO is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, the EXPO is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The EXPO, themed “A Toast to Talent,” is the largest, most comprehensive industry event in the Gulf South region and this year will be no exception. Companies will be exhibiting in more than 400 booths, featuring a wide range of industry products and services. The EXPO will feature an environment where attendees can network and promote their businesses.

The EXPO’s exhibit space has been sold out for nearly two weeks, with more than 80 new exhibiting companies.

2013 NRA Chair
Phil Hickey

The Opening Ceremony, Saturday morning at 10:45 a.m., will feature special guest, National Restaurant Association Chair Phil Hickey, and a “toast” to more than half a century of bringing together restaurateurs and suppliers for the ultimate shopping and educational experience.

A much-lauded feature of last year’s EXPO will return—the IDEA ZONE, where express presentations will be made all three days of the EXPO, will cover emerging trends, best business practices and professional development. Timely sessions of note include “Healthcare Reform: What You Need to Know and Do,” Saturday, August 3 at 1:45 p.m.; “Top 5 Things Restaurants Should Know About Gluten-Free Menus,” Sunday, August 4 at 11:30 a.m. and interactive fun during “Sparkling Wines- Not Just for Celebrations,” Sunday, August 4 at 3:45 p.m. and “Bayou Rum Revives Tradition of Louisiana Rum,” Monday, August 5 at 12:45 p.m.

“The EXPO is a must for restaurant owners, managers, buyers, hotel food and beverage directors and many others. It’s the only place in Louisiana to gain valuable industry knowledge and shop hundreds of companies under one roof,” said Stan Harris, president & CEO of the LRA.

The 2013 EXPO will once again be the venue for the Gulf Coast Seafood Pavilion and the Great American Seafood Cook-Off (GASCO), both celebrating its 10^th year and hosted by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board (LSPMB) and sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). On August 3, 16 chefs from across the nation will compete, using domestic seafood from their home states.

The Great American Seafood Cookoff
celebrates 10 years, August 3 in conjuction
with the Louisiana Foodservice & Hospitality EXPO!
GASCO is sponsored by NOAA.

 
In May, Chef Cody Carroll of Hot Tails Restaurant in New Roads, with assistance from his wife, Chef Samantha Carroll, was crowned King Louisiana Seafood during the Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off. He won the right to represent the state in the national competition. This year’s emcees will be Cory Bahr, executive chef and winner of the 2011 Louisiana Seafood Cook Off; Martie Duncan, chef /“Food Network Star” finalist and “Martie Knows Parties;” and Ewell Smith, executive director of the LSPMB.

The GASCO is open to the public and tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the door. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $5 at the two New Orleans area Whole Foods locations—Veterans and Arabella Station—and Whole Foods Baton Rouge. Opening ceremonies begin at 11:30 a.m. and closing ceremonies will be at 4:30 p.m.

PLEASE NOTE: While the GASCO is open to the public, the Louisiana Foodservice & Hospitality EXPO is for foodservice industry professionals, at least 18 years of age, only. Security personnel will be onsite to monitor event barriers. Registered EXPO attendees will be allowed access to both events.

LRA Chair David Hearn wants to see you at the EXPO!

It’s that time of year again! I’m pleased to announce that the Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA) will celebrate the 60^th Anniversary of the Louisiana Foodservice and Hospitality EXPO, August 3-5, 2013. To commemorate this incredible milestone, this year’s theme is “A Toast to Talent,” and we’ll pay tribute to our industry’s leaders throughout the weekend. 

For three days, our industry has the run of Halls I-J of the New Orleans Convention Center to shop hundreds of product and service companies waiting to share their ideas, innovations and information. The EXPO is designed specifically for our industry to help you become a more profitable and efficient operator. It is one of the best benefits of your LRA membership.

Chef Cody Carroll
competes in the
Great American
Seafood Cookoff
August 3.

Back for the second year is the Idea Zone, located right on the show floor. These express presentations will provide you with valuable information to help you become more profitable, success and inspired. Topics range from perfect pairings of beef and wine, health care reform, building guest loyalty, gluten free menus, sparkling wines and turning menu favorites into healthy options and others. On Monday, the LRA SIF will host its annual Safety Seminar for those workers’ comp participants needing to meet their annual safety dividend criteria.

Chef Cody Carroll of Hot Tails Restaurant in New Roads will represent Louisiana in the Great American Seafood Cookoff. Read about his education, influences and Louisiana seafood inspired dish in the upcoming issue of A La Carte magazine and here at the LRA Blog.

The LRA Education Foundation will host its annual “Five Star Futures Gala,” Saturday, August 3, at 7 p.m. at the Hilton Riverside. Special guests NRA Chairman Phil Hickey and this year’s Restaurateur of the Year will join guests in honoring this year’s deserving recipients of more than $50,000 in culinary and restaurant management scholarships. Purchase your tickets here!

I look forward to seeing you in New Orleans the first weekend of August.

 

Ps. Book your room at the Headquarter Hotel, the Hilton New Orleans Riverside before July 10 and receive the special $94 rate with the code LRA EXPO. Call 504-561-0500.

A 1,725 gallon cocktail for Mother Earth

360 Vodka Got Down to Earth once again at Tales of the Cocktail 2012

For the fourth consecutive year, 360 Vodka made sure the biggest and best drink to come from the world’s premier cocktail festival went to Mother Earth.  The world’s only sustainable vodka was poised to quench her thirst this year by ensuring the 14,000 lemons and limes along with hundreds of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables used throughout the five-day cocktail extravaganza, were given back to Mother Earth and not to the trash cans.

“We recognize that collecting the otherwise wasted produce from Tales of the Cocktail 2012 and converting it into rich, healthy soil wasn’t the most glamorous role to play at Tales, but in our quest to leave the smallest footprint on earth, we believed this was one of the most important and rewarding roles we could play, and one we were delighted to lead,” said Vic Morrison, VP Marketing for 360 Vodka.

360 Vodka supplied green compost bins to all Tales of the Cocktail event sites where mixologists discarded their used produce, napkins, egg shells, vegetable peels, herb stems, seeds, pits, fruit peels and more.  Each compost bin featured instructions on what could be converted to compost and 360 Vodka ambassadors were on-site throughout the event to answer any questions.  

For four years, Tales of the Cocktail has partnered with
360 Vodka and Holly Grove Market to compost the
discarded produce, napkins, egg shells, vegetable peels,
herb stems, seeds, pits, fruit peels and more.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without our partner Holly Grove Market and Farms who do an outstanding job every year of collecting the compost bins each night, delivering it to their farm and converting the contents into rich compost to grow more local produce,” added Morrison.  “It truly comes full circle!”

Spearheading a composting initiative that embodies the sustainable practices 360 Vodka values is one of the many green initiatives the company is committed to in order to live up to their reputation as the World’s Greenest Vodka. 

Tales of the Cocktail celebrated its 10^th Anniversary in July, themed “Aged-Well.” Founder Ann Tuennerman spoke of the partnership between the cocktail festival and 360 Vodka at the Louisiana Restaurant Association's 59^th Annual Louisiana Foodservice and Hospitality EXPO on August 12 in the first Idea Zone, a series of presentations aimed to help restaurateurs become more profitable and efficient.

Ann Tuennerman
Founder of Tales of the
Cocktail, a five-day
cocktail conference in
New Orleans every July.

“We measure our success in garnishes,” said Tuennerman. “Although we still have challenges recycling glass in the New Orleans market, composting our used produce and recycling the thousands of card board boxes is something we feel is important to our community and we aim to be a positive example for other event producers.”

Along with Chef Haley Bittermann of Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group and Johnny Blancher of Ye Olde College Inn, the three panelists shared their efforts in the area of conservation, sustainability, reusing and recycling.

LRA VP of Communications Wendy Waren refills her used 360 Vodka bottles with filtered tap water to avoid throwing them away. Another great way to reuse the bottles she's discovered is to use them to make cellos and infusions with fresh Louisiana produce like figs, strawberries, blueberries and Meyer lemons and gift them during the holidays.

The Gulf Coast's premier restaurant show opens Saturday

New Orleans is home to great restaurants, exciting attractions and beautiful hotels and this weekend, the city plays hostess to restaurateurs, hoteliers and service companies in town from near and far.

Special guest to open the
Louisiana Foodservice EXPO
is Roz Mallet, the
first African American woman
to chair the National Restaurant
Association.

Every August, the restaurant and hospitality industry heads to the Big Easy for a weekend of business and pleasure for the Louisiana Foodservice and Hospitality EXPO.

Joined this year by special guest, Roz Mallet, National Restaurant Association Chairwoman, the 59^th EXPO, or the LRA show as it’s commonly referred to, kicks off Saturday, August 11 at 10:45 a.m. at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center.

As thousands from the industry usher in another EXPO, several hundred companies will be waiting to greet them and share products, services, innovations and ideas as the three-day show gets underway.

Stan Harris, President/CEO of the
LRA and former restaurateur shares
the value of attending the 59th
Annual Louisiana Foodservice &
Hospitality EXPO.

“There’s a lot to see and learn at the EXPO and I recommend attending for more than one day,” said Stan Harris, Louisiana Restaurant Association President/CEO. “With more than 400 companies, 67 of them new exhibitors, even if you’ve attended in the past, this is a new EXPO.”

One of the new features of the EXPO is the IDEA ZONE, a series of express sessions, most of which only last 30 to 45 minutes. This provides attendees with an educational reprieve from walking the show and take away tips and techniques to help them become more profitable in their operations.

“I’m particularly excited about the Fish of the Gulf session with Chef Brian Landry and the Charcuterie Showdown with Cochon Butcher’s Ian Barrilleaux. The wine aromas class with the Windsor Court’s sommelier Sara Kavanaugh should draw a great crowd too,” said Harris. “With a lineup that runs the gamut from the science and secrets of selecting and cooking rice to hearing from one of New Orleans’ most notable chefs on plating techniques that wow, and many others, the IDEA ZONE has something for every restaurateur.”

The Louisiana Restaurant Association booth design mirrors
that of an art gallery, staying true to the EXPO,
"Art of Hospitality," theme. Images featured are courtesy
of award-winning photographer David Gallent.

The LRA booth has been relocated to the head of the 1300 aisle and designed to resemble an art gallery, staying true to the show’s theme the “Art of Hospitality.” Included in the LRA booth are ServSafe, the LRA Workers’ Comp program and Office Depot.

Another feature of the EXPO is the addition of a hospitality suite on the show floor in the form of a tour bus. Under the title of “PAC the Bus,” contributors to the NRA Political Action Committee will have access to the amenities of the bus—libations and cuisine—during EXPO hours.

On Saturday, the Great American Seafood Cook off will determine the King or Queen of American Seafood and in Louisiana, we are rooting for Keith and Nealy Frentz from Covington’s Lola Restaurant. In its 9^th year, the goal of the Cook-Off is to promote the use of domestic seafood, which in Louisiana, we realize is vitally important to the economy.

If you are in the restaurant or hospitality business, can you really afford to miss this show? Shopping hundreds of companies on your own would take a lifetime. The LRA offers it to you all under one roof!

67 days until we meet in New Orleans for EXPO!

For the past 59 years, the Gulf Coast region’s restaurant and hospitality industry professionals convene in August at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center for Louisiana Foodservice and Hospitality EXPO. This year’s show is August 11-13, 2012 and promises a wide spectrum of companies under one roof that service all aspects of restaurant and hotel operations.

Forty new companies have signed on so far and a host of familiar companies are also on board for EXPO shoppers.  With nearly 450 booths representing more than 300 companies, you couldn’t possibly research and contact all of them with your busy schedule, so we’ve done the work for you. All you have to do is attend the show!

An exciting new feature of the EXPO this year is the Idea Zone.  Designed with your itinerary in mind, these sessions and presentations are 30 to 45 minutes, so to not take you off your shopping path for too long. Here’s a preview of what you can except on Saturday, August 11 in the Idea Zone, located on the Show Floor at the end of the 100 aisle.

Rice, Rice Baby kicks off the Idea Zone Saturday at Noon with LSU Ag Center Rice Specialist Dr. Johnny Saichuk and “The Rice Lady,” Nina Camacho of Jazzmen Rice. The two will reveal the science and secrets to selecting the best grain of rice for any dish you can dream up!  Following the presentation, Louisiana ProStart students will use the cooked rice in a specially prepared dish for attendees to enjoy.

One of the hottest young chefs in New Orleans right now—Borgne’s Executive Chef Brian Landry—will present Fish of the Gulf: Catch it, Scale it, Prepare, Conserve it! with Ocean Conservancy’s Jeff Bargar. Landry will explain how he determines which Gulf fish to serve and Bargar will identify fish at risk of overfishing and overpopulation. ProStart students will assist.

Back by popular demand is What’s the profitability in various cuts of beef? presented by the Louisiana Beef Industry Council. This session will examine the cuts of beef, preferred cooking methods and temperatures and which cuts are more popular and profitable.

Another EXPO favorite is the session Increase your check average with dessert and coffee pairing. Would you like dessert or coffee? is often heard at the end of a restaurant meal. How about we phrase that differently? Would you like a delicious slice of our house made banana cream pie or a frothy café au lait?” Which one would produce more results? Community Coffee’s Brian Girardot and Louisiana Culinary Institute’s Chef Christina Nicosia will provide insight to help you move more dessert and coffee pairings.

Finally on Saturday, Zatarain’s Robert Debert will use his “passion for flavor” to inspire you with Spice it up with Zatarain’s! Create dynamite sauces and more! Debert will share a variety of seasoning blends of the parent company McCormick—the world’s largest seasoning producer—to give you countless applications to spice up your own signature dishes.

Idea Zone sessions are complimentary with your EXPO admission.  To get a head start on your successful Louisiana Foodservice and Hospitality EXPO trip, visit the Louisiana Restaurant Association's EXPO page to explore the companies you will see on the floor, chart your course and create your itinerary.

We’re looking forward to EXPO! Are you?