Your #LRAEXPO14 experience: Save the best for last on Monday

There’s a lot to do in New Orleans the first weekend of August. If you want to revel in the city’s activities over the weekend, make plans to hit the 61^st Annual Louisiana Foodservice & Hospitality EXPO on Monday, August 4, 2014. The show opens an hour earlier at 10 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m., so you have five hours to shop hundreds of booths and if you are an Louisiana Restaurant Association Self Insurer’s Fund for workers' compensation plan participant, you’ll have the opportunity to get in your annual safety seminar.

Starting at 10:30 a.m. right on the show floor in the IDEA ZONE, LRA SIF VP of Loss Prevention Victor Balbuena, will give you the information you need to know to understand the new requirements of the Globally

Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). The changes cover more than 43 million workers in the more than five million U.S. workplaces, including restaurants. All LRA SIF members must attend at least one safety seminar or webcast annually to receive dividends. Your EXPO show badge gains you admittance to the EXPO and the seminar.

At 11:45 a.m., make plans to attend Beef Flavor Fundamentals in the IDEA ZONE. Historically, this IDEA ZONE session is standing room only as EXPO attendees flock to hear and taste delicious beef. Chef Dave Zino, Executive Chef of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, will share the latest beef industry news, show you why your customers crave beef and why it should be front and center on your menu.  

Chef Dave Zino hosts
Beef Flavor Fundamentals
August 4, at 11:45 a.m.
in the IDEA ZONE.

Chef Zino is frequently seen on television, heard on the radio and quoted in print, and has appeared on Food Network’s “Unwrapped,” where he revealed tips on how to make the perfect burger.

Traditionally a lighter attendance day, you won’t have to fight the barrage of attendees as you would on Saturday and Sunday. Monday is also the day the serious buyers roam the show floor and many exhibitors are making the best deals to entice customers.

Register today to attend the EXPO here. One pass gets you in the EXPO all three days. LRA restaurant members receive four complimentary passes, which includes IDEA ZONE sessions, viewing the Great American Seafood Cook-Off on Saturday. 

Discounted admission to the 2^nd Farm to Table International Symposium is available for LRA members here with the codeF2TLRA. 

It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. Wait, it’s both of those things

By Wendy Waren, LRA VP of Communications

Summer is here in Louisiana and the temperature is inching its way past the 90s, and still not nearly as hot as it’s going to be in a month or two from now (like you need a reminder). I believe it was the summer of 2012 when a road near the Louisiana Restaurant Association’s headquarters in Metairie buckled from the intense heat and my husband’s steering wheel in his Ford Explorer melted.

 

Speaking of humidity, I read this really interesting article in The New York Times, 3 Ways Humidity Exerts Its Terrible Control Over You, about how humidity impacts our behavior and mood. Apparently, humidity makes us forgetful. Participants in a study had a hard time remembering a series of numbers when it was hot outside. Well, my memory isn’t so good anyway, but with this oppressive heat, I could care less about a series of numbers.

Another way humidity takes its toll on the human body? It makes us lethargic. It zaps our energy. This is a really good explanation for why I struggled to keep my eyes open the other evening and fell asleep on the couch at 7:45 p.m. Lastly, the third point, which I can’t imagine is a bad thing for anyone, humidity make us less anxious. Who among us couldn’t stand to be less anxiety-ridden? In the safety realm though, humidity can weaken alertness. 

The LRA Self Insurer’s Fund (LRA SIF) for workers’ compensation receives a handful of calls annually from plan participants reporting employee heat stress. LRA SIF VP of Loss Prevention Victor Balbuena says it’s probably pretty common, given the type of businesses in the program, but likely, these employees are replenishing their fluids and resting or going home after a heat stress episode.

“Headache, dizziness, fainting, weakness, wet skin, irritability, confusion, thirst, nausea or vomiting are all symptoms of heat stress,” said Balbuena. “Drinking lots of water, at least one pint per hour, wearing light-colored, breathable clothing and taking frequent rest periods in the shade or air conditioning is highly advised.”

It is also a good idea to be sure that your kitchen exhaust fans and supply air systems are working properly as well. The same goes for your line and walk-in refrigeration systems. A little preventative maintenance can save a lot of dollars in lost inventory and frustration.