Do you have a mentor? Are you a mentor?

By Wendy Waren, VP of Communications, Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA)

Wouldn’t it be an absolute dream if every LRA member had a mentor and was a mentor? Think of what we would learn about others, ourselves and our business. Consider how your outlook on your career, relationships and the world around might improve and evolve.

We have so much to learn from each other and so much wisdom to impart on someone else—no matter our experience.

I was raised by my grandparents. My grandfather owned a small business and my grandmother did his books. He was always working, even on the weekends. He was compassionate and always helped others. That work ethic and tireless commitment to being the best person he could be really set a strong example which has shaped my entire life. He was my first mentor.

Michael Gulotta is chef de cuisine at August Restaurant.
 

This morning, I read an interview on Swallowfood.com with New Orleans Michael Gulotta, chef de cuisine at August Restaurant. Gulotta shared how working for celebrity chef John Besh has really shaped his career and outlook on the culinary profession. The following statement really stood out to me:

“The difference between a kitchen manager and a true Chef mentor is that the latter challenges his employees to be better people, to read voraciously, to take the menu home and look up everything they don’t know, to exercise and stay healthy, to treat their teammates with respect and act with professionalism at every moment of the day, even when they are not on the clock.”

Holly Goetting is Executive
Chef at Charley G's in Lafayette.

The LRA has been telling the story of individual transformation through mentorship for a couple of years now. The cover of the Spring 2012 A La Carte magazine featured Holly Goetting who attributes her success to the power of mentorship. Many of our members like Nina Camacho with Jazzmen Rice and Tom Pyburn with Emeril’s Home Base mentor students in the LRA Education Foundation administered ProStart Program.

As we roll into 2013, surely the majority of us have let those resolutions fall away for the most part. But every day is an opportunity for us to be better than we were yesterday. Are you surrounding yourself with positive and supportive individuals? Do you foster those individuals? Do you share what you’ve learned with others who may benefit from your experiences?

Got an hour a month? Mentor a ProStart class in your area. Need a mentor? Check out a LRA Chapter meeting.

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?

Dishing with ProStart Mentor: "The Rice Lady"

Over a BBQ Shrimp poboy at the Mid City neighborhood joint Luizza’s By the Track, Jazzmen Rice Director of National Events Nina Camacho dishes about her love of the industry and how she found herself promoting a strain of rice developed in Louisiana.

Nina Camacho, or “the Rice Lady,” as she is affectionately referred to by those in the restaurant industry, has spent the last three years promoting Jazzmen Rice, a variety of exclusively-designed aromatic rice developed by the LSU AgCenter. With a background in the grocery business working for Proctor and Gamble, Camacho was tapped to take the brand to a larger audience through retail channels which include many Louisiana restaurants.

Lake Shore High School ProStart student proudly show
their Jazzmen Rice courtesy of mentor Nina Camacho.

The LRA Education Foundation has tapped her as a mentor for the Louisiana ProStart Program to share the basics of rice preparation and how to select a grain that complements their culinary creativity.

“My favorite thing about being an LRA member is being able to mentor ProStart students,” said Camacho. “The students are so eager to learn, are a captive audience and are interested in how to properly prepare rice, a base for many of their dishes.”

Since last fall, she has made appearances at five different ProStart programs and she feels strongly that working with young culinarians is seeding loyalty for Jazzmen Rice for years to come.  

“A person’s opinions and preferences are being determined in high school,” Camacho added. “I have the chance to share the whole story of a product I truly believe in and they are so receptive.”

She also takes her program to Nicholls State University’s John Folse Culinary Institute each semester, as well as Louisiana Culinary Institute, Delgado Community College's Culinary Arts and Hospitality program and soon-to-be presenting to student in the UNO School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism.

“It’s a really great experience to work with high school students that have an interest in pursuing a career in the restaurant industry,” she said. “For only one hour of month, you can show your passion for your restaurant or supplier business. It is really worth it to grow the awareness of the industry as a career path.”

If you or someone you know in the industry is interested in inspiring the future of Louisiana’s restaurant industry as a mentor of the ProStart program, please contact ProStart Coordinator James Blanchard, at (504) 454-2277 or jamesb@lra.org.

Best Chefs of Louisiana benefits Children's Hospital

It’s known far and wide that chefs are a charitable group, and that fact was made loud and clear at the American Culinary Federation’s Best Chefs of Louisiana event, April 16. Generations Hall was packed with industry professionals and the public alike, sampling cuisine like Café Adelaide Chef Barbato’s seafood salad with lemon and parmesan short bread, Ye Olde College Inn Chef McGehee’s Boudin stuffed chicken breast  and 5 Fifty 5 Chef Quitney’s  Bananas Foster poboy with a scoop of ice cream.

“I need to take a picture of this to share on Facebook,” said Lauren Thom, owner of Fleurty Girl. “It was my favorite dessert of the whole event.”  

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
Po Boy by Chef Mark Quitney.
Photo courtesy of Frank Stansbury.

Her Facebook status with the photo, “Bread Pudding po-boy. My favorite dessert at the American Culinary Federation’s ‘Best Chefs’ event tonight in NOLA was shared by 30 individuals, amassed 224 likes and 45 comments.

Event organizer Nina Camacho’s involvement stems from her industry connection as the National Events Director of Jazzmen Rice. She quickly realized that joining the industry’s trade associations was where she needed to be to help further the reputation and brand of her product.

 “Working with all these philanthropic chefs, restaurant owners and industry professionals to create a special event that benefits such a wonderful cause is truly rewarding,” said Camacho.


Event organizer Nina Camacho, Chefs Mark Quitney
and Paul Prudhomme, April 16.

Everyone was in great spirits given the specialty cocktails, one in an apple shaped sippy cup with a straw. Every step throughout the event offered one more bit of a chef’s specialty and also something just for the event.

Le Meritage Chef Farrell’s short ribs, Grill Room Chef Dzejak’s seared loin of Nimin Ranch lamb, St. Charles Hospital Chef Guillot’s crawfish enchiladas with tasso and crawfish cream sauce and Restaurant R’evolution Chef Lusk’s blue crab pho were hits of the event. K-Paul Louisiana Kitchen Chef Paul Prudhomme was roaming around the event and provided each guest with a signed copy of Kitchen Expedition.

Proceeds from the event benefited Children’s Hospital, the only full-service hospital in Louisiana exclusively for children.