First King of Crawfish event a success

Crawfish is all the rage as evidenced by the onslaught of events honoring the beloved Louisiana mudbug. The Louisiana Restaurant Association Greater New Orleans Chapter held its first King of Crawfish competition, a tasting event featuring notable restaurants serving their signature crawfish dish, at Generations Hall, May 8, to benefit the LRA Education Foundation. During the event, attendees sampled an array of dishes and voted on which one they thought should reign supreme.

Nearly 500 fans of Louisiana’s favorite crustacean were salivating over Galatoire’s crawfish risotto, Fulton Alley’s crawfish tater tot, Katie’s Restaurants’ crawfish beignet, Semolina’s crawfish cakes, Ma Momma’s Cornbread, Chicken and Waffles’ crawfish cornbread and Barcadia’s fried crawfish tails over spoon bread, just to name a few.

“This was a great event and I’m definitely in for next year,” said Michael Sichel, Galatoire’s Executive Chef. “Everyone was so happy and it benefiting culinary education made it even more rewarding.”

Katie's Restaurant Crawfish Beignet, an
overstuffed beignet filled with Louisiana
crawfish, jalapeno peppers, onions and
three kinds of cheese, fried then topped
with a jalapeno aioli. Served on the
restaurant's menu daily. 

After the tickets were counted, the clear crowd favorite was Katie’s Restaurant led by Sous Chef Jonathan Laugand, who took home the title with the restaurant’s crawfish beignet. As event chair and LRA GNO Director Stanton Ripp announced Katie’s as the winner, the team was elated and the crowd cheered. Katie’s beat out Café Giovanni, who placed second with an Italian crawfish mole over creamy grits and Semolina’s who placed third, with a made-to-order crawfish cake with micro greens.

“It was a great time,” said attendee Meg May. “The cuisine was great and the LRA did an awesome job.”

Guests also had a selection of libations to enjoy courtesy of MillerCoors, Abita Beer and Glazer’s of Louisiana brands Pyrat Rum, 2 Gingers Irish Whiskey, Lunazul and Crown Royal XO.

The proceeds from the event benefit the LRA Education Foundation, which awards annually culinary and hospitality management scholarships, $60,000 this year and nearly $200,000 since 2009. The LRAEF also administers the Louisiana ProStart program, a two-year restaurant management and culinary arts curriculum in more than 45 high schools statewide for juniors and seniors. 

To see what you missed, visit the event's marketing sponsor, Where Y'at Magazine's Facebook page to view event photos here. 

Lt. Governor to address LRA members of the Bayou Chapter Tuesday

You may have seen the great news last week—Louisiana set a tourism record with 27.3 million visitors in 2013. Thanks in part to the success of the Super Bowl and other events held last year, travelers spent a total of $10.8 billion enjoying our riches of indigenous cuisine, accommodations and attractions.

National Tourism Week was last week and as Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne toured the state, he shared the message far and wide that Louisiana is the place to come and have the time of your life. Tourism creates jobs for Louisiana residents and also has a positive impact on the state’s economy.

The LRA Bayou Chapter will host its May membership meeting on Tuesday, May 13 at The Foundry in Thibodaux, where Lt. Governor Dardenne will be the featured speaker.

As the Lt. Governor, Dardenne heads the Dept. of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, which includes State Parks, the State Museum System, the State Library, the Arts, the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board and Volunteer Louisiana.

To attend, contact Courtney Waguespack at cwaguespack@lra.org. 

Serving guests with food allergies safely can grow your business

Food allergy training has never been more important. More and more Americans are plagued with food allergies—15 million and growing every year. While there have been no reported deaths linked to food allergies in Louisiana restaurants according to research by the Louisiana Dept. of Health and Hospitals (DHH), the need for more front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house staff to have the proper training will only become more necessary in the coming years.

Increasingly restaurants are becoming more aware of the potential for gaining new diners by offering gluten free menu options. Some even take the extra step of asking if any guests have food allergies when taking reservations or the server will ask the question when greeting a table of guests for a meal. But there is still room for improvement in communications between the front-of-the-house and the back-of-the-house to ensure that a guest actually is served a meal free of gluten or other foods a guest may have shared they are allergic to during the ordering process.

“Having taken ServSafe Allergens, I’m much more educated and aware of the challenges facing those with food allergies, especially one of my co-workers,” said Wendy Waren, VP of Communications, Louisiana Restaurant Association (LRA). “In one case, my co-worker actually had to send back her entree because the garnish was flash fried. It’s something as small as the garnish that could have made her sick.”

That’s why the National Restaurant Association launched ServSafe Allergens. In partnership with the Food Allergy Research and Education Institute (FARE), the NRA’s ServSafe Allergens product is an online, interactive, 90-minute training course to assist restaurateurs and foodservice personnel in understanding and communicating the risks associated with serving guests with food allergies. The course is available in English and Spanish and is just $22 and can be accessed here. 

“I’m allergic to gluten and dairy,” said Olivia Watkins, Communications Director, DHH. “While dining at a restaurant recently, the server was able to answer my questions regarding menu items that did not contain gluten; however, she missed the mark on the dairy. The first bite of my dish tasted way too good and as my throat began to tighten, I knew that it had been made with butter.”

Recognizing the importance of serving guests with food allergies safely, the DHH included ServSafe Allergens as criteria for a restaurant to be designated a Well Spot as part of the Well-Ahead Louisiana campaign. Well-Ahead is a voluntary program promoting voluntary changes without imposing new taxes and creating new rules. Well-Ahead promotes and recognizes smart choices in the spaces and places we live and work every day, and dining out in restaurants play a significant role in how we enjoy our lives here in Louisiana.

“There are a number of restaurants that I can dine out at that can accommodate my gluten allergy,” said Sandy Riddle, EVP of Expositions, LRA. “I do have to really pay attention though to what is actually served. Thankfully, my husband and friends keep a close eye on my plate too.”

Riddle recently visited a chain restaurant that promotes that they cater to diners with celiac disease. However, during the ordering process, the server was unfamiliar with the gluten-free menu, as was her co-worker. Her and husband decided to pass on the restaurant as she felt it wasn’t worth the risk. There are huge online networks of people with celiac disease and other food allergies that commonly share information about those restaurants able to successfully accommodate these special needs. In Riddle’s experience, if the staff had been properly trained to handle her request, they would have gained her repeat business.

In a recent email to the LRA, a woman wrote that she was on vacation in New Orleans for the Jazz and Heritage Festival and unfortunately had to cut her trip two days short. Why? She has celiac disease and dined at a New Orleans restaurant, where the server assured her the meal she was being served was free of gluten. Unfortunately it wasn’t and she got sick as a result.

ServSafe Allergens is voluntary in the state of Louisiana; however, in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, allergens training is required for individuals in foodservice. The LRA strongly encourages restaurants to take advantage of ServSafe Allergens, not only to serve their guests safely, but gain new and repeat business.

The LRA exists to help its members—the cornerstone of their communities—build customer loyalty, rewarding careers and financial success. By accommodating guests with food allergies, this is just one way restaurants can build customer loyalty. 

The 411 on hiring minors in Louisiana

As summertime approaches, teenagers across Louisiana will be seeking positions in Louisiana restaurants and other businesses. It is estimated that more than 60,000 minors are employed in the state of Louisiana, representing just three percent of the total workforce of 1,885,310 according the 2013 Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates for Louisiana.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission has a two-part process for employing a minor as outlined below under Employment Certificates.

Employment Certificates (work permits)

• All minors under the age of 18 MUST obtain an Employment Certificate before beginning employment.
• An “Application for Employment” form MUST be completed by the prospective employer, signed by a parent or guardian and presented to an Authorized issuing officer of the parish.
• Once the minor has been issued the employment certificate (work permit), they are to provide the employer with the original document to keep on file. 

Hours of Employment

Minors 14 & 15 years of age MAY NOT

• Work more than 3 hours on any day during which school is in session
• Work more than 18 hours during any week school is in session
• Work more than 6 consecutive days in one week (Employer work week)
• Work more than 40 hours in any week
• Work more than 8 hours in any day.
• Minors 14 & 15 years of age, who HAVE NOT: graduated from high school MAY NOT:
• Work between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.; except from June first through Labor Day at which time the permissible hours are extended to 9 p.m.

Minors 16 years of age, who have not graduated from high school MAY NOT:

·         Work between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. prior to the start of any school day.

Minors 17 years of age, who have not graduated from high school MAY NOT:

·         Work between the hours of Midnight and 5 a.m. prior to the start of any school day

Break Requirements:

ALL MINORS MUST have a 30 minute uninterrupted break period within every 5 hours of employment. ALL MINORS SHALL RECEIVE AN EIGHT REST BREAK AT THE END OF EACH WORK DAY, BEFORE THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE NEXT DAY OF WORK.

Occupations permitted for 14 & 15 year-old minors

• Office and clerical work
• Cashiering and sales
• Price marking, assembling and packing 
• Bagging and carrying out in grocery stores 
• Errand and delivery work by foot or public Transportation 
• Clean-up work and ground maintenance (No power mowers) 
• Kitchen work and dishwasher 
• Car washing dispensing gasoline, and courtesy service 
• Cleaning vegetables and fruit, wrapping and stocking 
• Commercial Sales 
• Golf Caddy

Note: When a routine minor labor law inspection is conducted and violations are detected a re-inspection will be allowed as long as there is no evidence of hazardous / prohibited employment or editing of minors time records are identified. If there are no additional violations identified during the re-inspection, the first inspection would serve as a warning, and the employer will not incur penalties.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission state-mandated Louisiana Minor Labor Law Placard posting can be downloaded and printed here. 

Chef Robert Irvine: Make healthful choices easy for kids

With more than 25 years of experience in the culinary profession, Chef Robert Irvine has cooked his way through Europe, the Far East, the Caribbean and the Americas. Today he is host of The Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible and Restaurant ExpressTV shows. The author of two cookbooks, Mission: Cook! And Impossible to Easy, Irvine, also a spokesman for Sysco Corp., is passionate about providing more healthful kids’ meals. A champion of the National Restaurant Association’s Kids LiveWell and Kids Recipe Challenge initiatives, the celebrity chef will participate in the World Culinary Showcase at NRA Show 2014 in Chicago, May 17-20.

How is the restaurant industry doing in offering more healthful choices for children? Kids’ nutrition continues to be a top trend in the industry. There’s increasing interest from restaurant operators and chefs in serving better-for-you kids’ menu items, for business reasons and because they are truly concerned about what children are eating. It’s great that an increasing number of quick-service and fast-casual restaurants are coming up with kids’ meals that are lower in calories, salt and fat, and higher in nutrition. I think we’d all be surprised at how often kids really like the better-for-you options.

What should restaurateurs focus on when creating healthful menu options for kids? Let’s face it, kids gravitate toward what they know and like and that oftentimes means foods that aren’t the best for them. So the idea is to take popular foods, but make a few important tweaks to enhance the nutritional value and control the calories. The key is to develop dishes that aren’t necessarily labeled healthy, but are nutritious, appealing and delicious.

Why are the Kids LiveWell and Kids LiveWell Recipe Challenge programs integral to providing more nutritious kids’ options? Restaurants participating in the NRA’s Kids LiveWell program make it more convenient for busy parents to identify dining locations that offer healthier, more nutritious meals. That’s what’s great about the program.

Where do you see this movement headed? What would you like to see? Behaviors change slowly, so we can’t just make this about pleasing Mom and Dad. Kids need to be engaged in the process, too. They’re good learners, but you have to make it fun for them. Their education needs to include food lessons as well as information about exercise. There seems to be an education void about these topics at home and at school. To fill that void you’ve got to make it a priority and you’ve got to make it fun. I think the focus on healthier eating and lifestyles, including kids’ nutrition, will continue to be top trends, so restaurant operators and chefs who anticipate and meet this growing interest among their patrons will see the payoff. It’s great when doing the right thing can grow business and customers.

You will be participating in a live demo/presentation at NRA Show 2014 in Chicago on May 17. What is your goal? I’m on a mission to help kids eat well and get healthy – it’s one of the best and most important things I do as a chef. Families are busy and oftentimes convenience takes the place of healthy eating, but it doesn’t have to. You can still eat out, but make smarter, healthier choices. The NRA’s Kids LiveWell program promotes that mission – helping to educate families about good nutrition and eating well, while helping restaurants easily incorporate nutritious, kid-friendly recipes into their menus. Getting that important message out and having some fun working with creative, delicious recipes, is a win-win for me.

Louisiana’s Culinary and Management ProStart teams head to Nationals

Lakeshore High School's ProStart
team will compete in the NRAEF
Culinary Competition at 11:20 a.m.
Sunday, May 4. 

Watch the action live online at www.nraef.org

The 2014 National Restaurant Association Education Foundation ProStart Invitational will take place May 3-5 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Louisiana’s Lakeshore High School ProStart team will compete in the culinary competition on Sunday, May 4 at 11:20 a.m. and Hammond High Magnet School will compete in the management competition on Monday, May 5 at 10:15 a.m.

Hammond High Magnet School's
ProStart team will compete in the
NRAEF Management Competition at
10:15 a.m., Monday, May 5. 

For team supporters that are unable to travel to Minneapolis, the NRAEF will be live streaming the entire culinary and management competitions, as well as the Awards Dinner!

Live streaming will begin each day when the first culinary team starts their 60-minute cooking portion, and will end when the last team plates their meal. Management coverage will begin with the first team’s presentation and remain on throughout the day to capture all team verbal presentations. The Awards Dinner coverage will begin at approximately 7:30 p.m. on Monday. 

The live stream can be accessed at NRAEF.org. 

Senator: Key health care change is win-win

U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) told an audience of National Restaurant Association members that changing the Affordable Care Act’s definition of “full time” from 30 to 40 hours would benefit both restaurants and their employees.

Donnelly, lead co-sponsor of the “Forty Hours is Full Time Act,” with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), made the comments in a speech Wednesday during the NRA’s 2014 Public Affairs Conference. The legislation aims to bring the health care law more in line with workplace realities, he said. The 30-hour definition could limit opportunities and flexibility for employees and make running a business “endlessly more complicated” for employers accustomed to a 40-hour workweek, he said. Employees, Donnelly said, will benefit from a 40-hour work week through the opportunity to work more hours, earn more money and gain more experience.

“We have an opportunity to step up and make things more simple, in a bipartisan way,” Donnelly said. “It’s our job to provide certainty. If it’s going well for [businesses], it’s going well for the country.”

Donnelly’s speech helped kick off a day in which nearly 700 restaurant professionals made visits to their members of Congress to discuss health care, immigration reform, taxes and other legislative issues that affect restaurants. He encouraged restaurant operators to address the health care law’s full-time definition during their visits.

“Tell [members of Congress] that 40 hours is full-time,” Donnelly said. “Ask them what a full-time workweek was when they worked in the private sector. If they say 30 hours, it wasn’t really a full-time job in the private sector.”

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) also spoke to conference attendees on Wednesday and thanked restaurant operators for helping to bring problems with the 30-hour full-time definition to the attention of Congress.

“We heard from everyone in your industry on how [the 30-hour full-time definition] was hurting people,” Cantor said. “I thank you for doing it, because it’s important.” In March, the House of Representatives passed the “Save American Workers Act,” which changes the health care law’s full-time definition to 40 hours.

“We took up that bill in the House and passed it, premised on the notion of an America that works for everybody,” Cantor said. “There are too many people who don’t have a job to go to, or who don’t have the skills to rise in an industry. We want people, such as you, to put capital to work to create these jobs.”