New Orleans hospitality industry hosts event to benefit Typhoon Haiyan recovery

A collective of more than 40 New Orleans-area chefs and industry suppliers will come together, December 16 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, for a unique fundraising culinary experience, NOLA Chefs’ Aid for the Philippines. Designed to support the relief efforts in the Philippines following the devastating Super Typhoon Haiyan, the event will feature Philippine-inspired cuisine, dance, music and national dress.

“My grandparents were born in the areas flattened by the typhoon and I still have family and friends in the affected areas,” said Nina Camacho, event organizer. “As a local Filipina, I felt it was my responsibility to help in any way I can. The support from the culinary community, the ACF-New Orleans Chapter and the Hilton New Orleans Riverside has been overwhelmingly and incredibly generous.”

Mayor Mitch Landrieu

Event attendees will have the chance to rub elbows with Honorary Co-chairs New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Political Commentator James Carville and the Creole Queen of New Orleans Cuisine Leah Chase during the VIP Patron Party, Dec. 16 from 5:30-6:30 p.m. VIP tickets are $100 in advance at www.NOLAChefsAid.com and $125 at the door.

Restaurateur Ralph Brennan, GW Fins Executive Chef Tenney Flynn and Brigtsen’s Executive Chef and Owner Frank Brigtsen are Chef Committee Co-Chairs and have let their support and expertise in developing the event.

Ralph Brennan

“The strength of the New Orleans hospitality industry has always been an asset in times of need, whether for another member of our industry or for an entire community,” said Ralph Brennan. “And while it is our business to serve each person that visits our restaurants, it is out of genuine concern for all people that we choose to put our business aside and serve others in situations such as what has happened in the Philippines.”

In addition, the Philippine American United Council of Louisiana; Filipino American Lions Club of Louisiana; and Robert Romero, Honorary Consul General of the Philippines are supporting this endeavor. Jazz Trumpeter Duke Heitger and Friends will provide entertainment throughout the evening, while guests enjoy cultural dance and costumes by local Filipinos.

“If you are excited by adventurous cuisine like Lapu-Lapu Kinilaw, Oxtail Adobo, Tokwa’t Baboy, Lumpia or Dinuguan with Mini Puto or Lechon Baboy, you won’t want to miss this event,” said Camacho.

The main event will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $50 in advance and can be purchased at www.NOLAChefsAid.com. Tickets are $75 at the door.

100 percent of the proceeds benefits the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON) and its Typhoon Haiyan fund. 

Participating restaurants, chefs and suppliers are: ACME Oyster House, Brigtsen’s, Broussard’s, café B, Café NOMA, Chef CK’s Hot Shoppe, Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop, Charley G’s, Coca-Cola, Commander’s Palace, Community Coffee, Cook Me Somethin’ Mister, Cowbell, Deanie’s/The Red Maple, Drago’s Restaurant, Happy Kajun, Hilton New Orleans Riverside, Hyatt Regency, Jubilee Restaurant, JW Marriott, Kid Chef Eliana, Kingfish, LaBella’s Catering, Luke, Milkfish, Mizado, MoPho, Restaurant Cotton, R’evolution, Southern Eagle, The Fairgrounds, The Happy Italian, The Irish House, The Salty Swine, Three Muses, Trey Yuen, Tulane/Loyola Soxedo, Upperline, Vega Tapas, Viva La Waffle/Tsunami Sushi and Ye Olde College Inn.

Restaurant Neighbor and Faces of Diversity Awards call for nominations

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) is now accepting nominations for the two awards and will name Restaurant Neighbor and Faces of Diversity winners at a gala during the NRA’s Public Affairs Conference next April. Applications and nomination forms will be accepted online until November 18.

Restaurant Neighbor award, co-founded and sponsored by American Express, honors winners in four categories: small business, mid-size business, large business/national chain and Cornerstone Humanitarian. The award recognizes the outstanding charitable service performed by restaurant members. Each winner receives $5,000 to support their charitable giving efforts. Participating state restaurant associations select winners in their respective states who then go on to compete for the national award.
Louisiana has had two winners in recent years of the Restaurant Neighbor award--Tommy Cvitanovich of Drago's Seafood Restaurant in 2006 and Greg Reggio of Taste Buds in 2012. Cvitanovich was recognized for his efforts following Hurricane Katrina to feed relief workers in the New Orleans area. Reggio was recognized for his relief work following the tornados in Tuscaloosa and Joplin.

The Faces of Diversity award, co-founded and sponsored by PepsiCo Foodservice, recognizes three individuals as national winners. The award celebrates members of the restaurant industry who, through hard work and perseverance, have achieved the American Dream. Each winner will have a $2,500 NRAEF student scholarship presented in his or her name. Read more.

New Orleans Queen of Creole Cuisine Leah Chase was honored with the Faces of Diversity award in 2012. Her famed restaurant Dooky Chase is known the world over and was considered "neutral ground" during the Civil Rights Movement.

The Louisiana Restaurant Association encourages members to apply.

Oct. 2 premiere of Top Chef New Orleans

City of New Orleans and state of Louisiana are stars of Bravo's 'Top Chef' season 11 as the popular food show locates in the Crescent City

The stars have aligned for New Orleans and Bravo's Emmy and James Beard Award-winning series 'Top Chef' as it prepares to launch season 11 of the culinary competition series, and locals are being asked to tune in to help create a ratings bonanza. The New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC) is requesting that every business with a television and every person at home tune into the show on Bravo at 9:00 p.m. Central on October 2, and then throughout the season.

After bringing the show to New Orleans for its finale in 2008, NOTMC was instrumental in bringing the show back for season 11 in 2013. The show premieres on Bravo on Wednesday, October 2.

"New Orleans has always been proud of the fact that the Top Chef finale episode  in 2008 garnered the best ratings the show had ever received," said Mark Romig, President and CEO of NOTMC. "Now we have an opportunity to best ourselves and help make sure this entire season has the best ratings ever. We are urging everyone in the city to tune in all season."

Chef Michael Sichel

Fifty-three locations were filmed in New Orleans throughout the season, along with segments in nine Louisiana cities including Baton Rouge, Lafitte, Chalmette, Gretna, Harahan, Husser, Lacombe, Metairie and Slidell.

Two local chefs, Michael Sichel of Galatoire's and Justin Devillier of La Petite Grocery, were chosen to compete in a pre-premiere digital video series, "Padma's Picks," sponsored by Cigna and Available on BravoTV.com. "Padma's Picks" gives New Orleans most talented chefs the opportunity to cook their way on to the actual show. Host and Judge Padma Lakshmi visits some of the Big Easy's most celebrated establishments to find ten of the best and brightest chefs from New Orleans.

Chef Justin Devillier

"I ask every citizen of our fine city to show your pride and love of New Orleans by gathering with family and friends and tuning in to Bravo's 'Top Chef' at 9 p.m. on October 2," said Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans. "By doing so, we will help show the nation and the world that our first-class city supports this exciting program which showcases our uniquely wonderful way of life."

Many famous national and international chefs will be spotted during the season including New Orleans locals Emeril Lagasse, John Besh, Leah Chase, John Folse, Susan Spicer and others.

The show is a love story to New Orleans and gives nods and bouquets to many of the city's neighborhoods, as well as its food, architecture, music, art, and nightlife.

'Top Chef' will feature returning host and judge Lakshmi, alongside lead judge, Tom Colicchio, and series judges Gail Simmons, Hugh Acheson, and New Orleans' own Lagasse. So where will 'Top Chef' go from New Orleans for this season's finale show? Stay tuned and don't forget to watch!

Restaurateurs are a philanthropic bunch

Just about every charitable event we attend has chefs and restaurateurs participating, either by performing cooking demonstrations or serving their unique cuisine. Restaurateurs nationwide contribute an estimated $3 billion every year to causes that impact their community, according to a study by the National Restaurant Association.

To recognize those restaurateurs who have made extraordinary contributions to their community through philanthropy, the NRA is seeking submissions for its annual Restaurant Neighbor and Faces of Diversity award programs. Earlier this year, two of Louisiana’s own—Greg Reggio and Leah Chase were honored in Washington, DC during the Public Affairs Conference—for their numerous efforts to uplift those in need.

 

The Restaurant Neighbor Award was created 15 years ago to help honor restaurants in the field of outstanding community service and involvement. Ninety percent of restaurants are actively involved in community activities and this award highlights the positive contributions restaurants make in their local neighborhoods each and every day.

Four national winners receive $5,000 each to support their community efforts as well as an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. The NRA and American Express are pleased to honor restaurant companies that have gone above and beyond in giving back to their communities through the Restaurant Neighbor Award program. Each year, four national winners receive $5,000 each to continue their charitable works.

The Faces of Diversity Award recognizes the diversity of the restaurant industry and the role it plays in helping individuals achieve professional and personal success. Three individuals, who through hard work and determination have realized their dreams, are selected each year as national winners and a $2,500 ProStart student scholarship is presented in their name.

The deadline to submit your Restaurant Neighbor and Faces of Diversity nominees is  January 7, 2013.

Talkin' 'bout my generation

Meet the “millennials.” They care about where that chicken laid those eggs.

Millennial diners think beyond taste when spending their
restaurant dollars.

There is a new crop of customers in town and they are a demanding lot. These diners are socially conscious, environmentally aware and they appreciate a good meal—made from locally-sourced ingredients, of course. They may not be rich, but they dine out more than any other age group. Meet the “Millennials.”

Born roughly between 1978 and 1994, a member of the Millennial generation ranges between a high school senior about to head off to college to young professional, out of school with a career, just starting a family. Their parents and grandparents are Baby Boomers, 78 million of which will begin to retire in droves in the next 15 to 20 years.

While Millennials may not have a large amount of disposable income, they eat out far more than generations before them. They were raised on Chicken McNuggets and Subway sandwiches; restaurant meals after church on Sundays. Fifty years ago, for the average American, restaurants were for special occasions, maybe two or three times a year. Now, according to the National Restaurant Association, people under the age of 25 spend nearly 48 percent of their food budgets eating away from home.

Millennials care about more than just how the food tastes. They are seeking to patronize businesses that care about the world at large. Restaurants can attract these diners by honing in on three specific brand metrics*:

• Social responsibility-Is the restaurant's practices good for the environment? For its employees?
• Food quality-After taste is considered, a millennial diner will ask, Where is the food coming from? Is it local/sustainable? Is it organic? Were the animals treated in a humane way when they are alive? They gravitate to terms like grass-fed beef and cage-free eggs.
• Community involvement-Does the restaurant give back to the community? Are they involved with local charities?

All three of these things should be considered when trying to attract the Millennial diner. They are the future of restaurants—both its employees and its customers.

Meet the Millennials

There are many, many restaurants across the state incorporating these three principles already. We can’t go to a restaurant (from a neighborhood place to a chain) that isn’t touting local ingredients. This is something Louisiana has been doing well before it was trendy.

As for community service, restaurateurs are some of the most philanthropic people out there, always giving back to their communities. (Read stories on Leah Chase and Greg Reggio who were both recently honored nationally.) If these practices are publicized to Millennials, they will keep coming back.

*Brand metrics sourced from Chicago-based industry consultant Technomic.

Queen of Creole Cuisine Leah Chase, receives national American Dream Award

Seeing Mrs. Leah Chase in action at Dooky Chase restaurant is quite amazing. Recently celebrating her 89^th birthday, Chase has an oral history of events unlike any you will find in text books. Often, when the Louisiana Restaurant Association staff stops by the restaurant, she’s either in the kitchen, hard at work preparing gumbos, crawfish etouffee, fried chicken and catfish and an array of traditional Creole delicacies she’s been soulfully preparing for some 70 years.

Chase was honored by the National Restaurant Association April 17 in DC as one to celebrate for achieving the American Dream in the restaurant industry.  Overcoming extreme obstacles through the Civil Rights Movement, many people of different ethnicities found solace, a hot meal and kind words at Leah’s Dooky Chase Restaurant.

Leah Chase and daughter Stella Reese
following Chase's American Dream
Award acceptance speech April 17.

“We’ve come such a long way in this country,” said Chase in her acceptance speech. “I have always followed my father’s advice, ‘Pray, work and do for others,’ in that order and it’s never failed me.”

During her career, she has fed U.S. Presidents, dignitaries and served her community on countless boards to further education, arts and the restaurant industry. She’s come to the aid of others during their time of need and the industry has rallied around her during her time of struggle.

“Katrina really did a number on the restaurant and the community that surrounds it,” she recalls. “The number of restaurateurs, chefs and companies that came to my aid was truly remarkable. There’s no way I’ll ever be able to repay them for their generosity and kindness.”

U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond presented Chase with the American Dream Award at the Gala during the 2012 NRA Public Affairs Conference. In addition to the award, a $2,500 scholarship was given to a student in her honor.

“Look at Cedric,” Chase said during her speech. “I’ve known him since he was a little boy and it’s amazing to see the success he’s had with helping the people of New Orleans be heard in Washington.”

Her tell it like it is style has only gotten more pointed as she’s gracefully aged. During a call with NRA Senior Director of Community Relations Alyssa Prince following the evening’s events, she laughed as she shared Chase’s comments during the Gala rehearsal.

“We were on stage and I asked her if she’d like a podium, a handheld or a lavaliere microphone,” said Prince. “She looked at me seriously and said, ‘what’s all the fuss? It’s not like I’m giving a sermon’.”