BEST SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE FOR 2014
REAL Certification
Chef Max Knoepfel, Executive chef at the Music City Center in Nashville, is setting a new standard in the convention industry, with the venue becoming the first convention center in the nation to be Responsible Epicurean and Agricultural Leadership (REAL) certified by the U.S. Healthful Food Council this spring. Key factors in the Music City Center's REAL certification include Centerplate's use of local produce, sustainable sourcing and offering healthful menu options for consumers. The MCC donates all leftover food to various local nonprofit organizations, such as the Nashville Rescue Mission. During their first fiscal year of operation, the Music City Center kitchen donated 29,190 pounds of food to help those in need. The kitchen also started a composting program for back-of-house kitchen scraps to decrease the amount of waste sent to the landfill. Since starting the program in January, the kitchen has composted eight tons of food waste.
BEST NEW CONCEPT IN FOOD AND DRINK FOR 2014
The Local Detroit Experience
Levy Restaurants' Tony Thomas, Dir.of Operations, Joseph Nader, Exec.Chef, and the Detroit Lions collaborated with local eateries to bring the Detroit dining experience to the stadium's elite club level. 2014 marks the first season Ford Field will have an exclusively-local club level for fans to enjoy. Six stands and four portables have been converted to Detroit concepts, completing a $750,000 transformation. Each concept offers guests the ultimate local experience by showcasing unique flavors and incorporating ingredients found nearby in Michigan. Local eateries involved include Corridor Sausage, Sugar House, Russell Street Deli, Mercury Burger, Slows Bar BQ, Bigalora Pizza, American Coney Island, Zingerman's and Good People Popcorn.
BEST NEW MENU ITEM FOR 2014
Surf and Turf Burger
Executive Chef Rich Kalman of Ovations Food Services introduced the Surf and Turf burger this season at PPL Park in Philadelphia. The $12 item is a combination of land and sea in which Chef Kalman piles a half-pound premium Black Angus burger with homemade beer-battered jumbo shrimp on a Brioche bun. The meat is topped with thinly-sliced dill pickles and drizzled with a spicy Creole Sauce.
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Ad Deadline: September 26, 2014
Rich DiGiacomo, Northeast and Western U.S., International
310.429.3678 rich@venuestoday.com
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207.699.3343 jim@venuestoday.com