Rachel Litner Associates

The IACP Takes On New York

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hate to admit this but over the years I’ve only made it to one IACP conference, though I’ve been a big fan of the association forever and have always loved their content and seminars. But last week the event finally came to NYC in my ‘backyard’ –so I was psyched for the chance to return.

As I expected it was great on so many levels. Some conferences can feel stale by the second or third day or their topics are just basic and uninspired, but there was nothing plain vanilla about this one. Super knowledgeable, passionate speakers like Ruth Reichl and Marcus Samuelsson delivered fresh, surprising, and truly engaging ideas.

And on a personal note, attending felt a bit like a homecoming for me since I ran into so many friends I hadn’t seen in a while, including those from IFEC as well as the now disbanded Association of Consumer Trends (ACT) –formerly CTFI. Plus, being there really drove home the idea of the diversity of food for me. I’d be talking to a food writer, a stylist, a videographer, a producer, and an editor—each who had such different specialties, but we all connected through food.

From the lecture rooms to the hallways several common themes repeatedly popped up. The first was the impact of technology on food. Although tech has of course been huge for a while now, there's been an explosion of food apps and digital platforms in the past year. So the question on everyone’s mind was how this shift will impact the craft. The overall consensus seemed to be that as long as these new platforms help to enhance it without replacing the hands-on art of cooking and eating, they’re a great addition.

Another recurring topic, which mirrored this year’s theme, The Fashion of Food, was how food is continuing to evolve way beyond the kitchen into the worlds of fashion, theater, art, pop culture, and more. Chefs are no longer just chefs but bloggers, writers, TV stars, business moguls, and social media celebs. The industry has become one giant melting pot as food, its ambassadors, and its followers seamlessly overlap and it’s really such a great time to be a part of it all.

Even though I’ve been in this business forever and have been to countless food-related conferences and events, few have inspired me as much as this year’s IACP. And that has as much to do with the people as the presentations.

"Rita Held spotting" at Carmines

 

Me with the Cuisinart gals (from left: Mary Rodgers, Beth Gardner, Teresa Corvino & Rebecca Sullivan)                                                                                           

Cookbook author Rose Levy Beranbaum
(2nd from right) & fans

A Taste of Chicago

As always, the Housewares Show was a whirlwind of activity—great products, fun people, and of course it was all about the food. One of the biggest questions on the floor was ‘Where did you go for dinner?’ So this time around, I thought I'd share some of the experiences I had after four nights on the town with my RLA associate, Dan (and others).

We have two very different palettes (my idea of adventurous eating is ordering something besides sea bass at a seafood restaurant),while Dan has never met a piece of wild game he didn’t like!) so our choice of dishes varied. Our overall experience at each restaurant was very much the same,though.  Here’s a taste of what we each tried:

Our foodie tour started off Friday night at Le Colonial, an upscale French-Vietnamese place on North Rush Street where I had to jump right into some exotic choices. After navigating the menu I found a few things that weren’t too intimidating, and ended up with the Cha Gio (crispy shrimp spring rolls) appetizer and the Ca Hop (steamed Chilean Sea Bass) as my entrée. What struck me most was how perfectly the food matched the style and ambiance of the restaurant, which had the feel of a tropical, 1920s speakeasy. Dan went for the Ca Song (tuna tartar with wonton crisps) and the Vit Quay (ginger marinated roast duck with tamarind sauce). A decadent dessert of crème brulée ended our Asian feast with some welcome French flair.

The following night we checked out Park Grill on North Michigan Avenue, and although the food was good--especially since we were starving after so many hours working the show--I was most excited about the location. This neighborhoody spot is right in the heart of Millennium Park and the famous Cloud Gate sculpture (known by locals as “the Bean”), which I finally got to see for the first time after so many years coming to Chicago. I had a Kobe burger and fries that never tasted so good. Dan got his meat fix with a beef Carpaccio appetizer and the grilled filet mignon. Dinner ended on a sweet note with another amazing crème brulée we devoured before heading to the Park for a photo opp.

                                                        The Bean in Millennium Park


Sunday’s dinner was the highlight of the trip at Girl & the Goat (Stephanie Izard's restaurant). The press around Girl & the Goat has been phenomenal and we had to book almost four months in advance, but it was definitely worth the wait. Tons of little plates kept coming all night, filled with fabulous flavors. Some of my favorites were the chickpea fritters, the roasted cauliflower with pine nuts and mint, the pan fried shishito peppers, (not to mention the Napa Chardonnay I washed it down with). Dan of course gravitated towards the stranger, gamey items like the braised beef tongue, smoked goat rilette empanadas, the whole roasted goat leg, and the crispy duck tongue – which I bravely tasted and survived! Everything was fantastically fresh and simply wonderful.

 

(L to R: Crispy Duck Tongues and Smoked Goat Rilette Empanadas)

      
(l. to r.- Confit Goat Belly and Whole Roasted Goat Leg)


Our feeding frenzy ended Monday at Crofton on Wells, where we dined with a big, lively group that went perfectly with the easy atmosphere and the enticing menu, which featured Continental-style cuisine with imaginative twists. I stayed on the simple side with an Atlantic Black Cod, as Dan finished up his fearless picks with veal sweetbreads and New Zealand Venison in a Guinness reduction. And with that, we were ready to head home happy, exhausted and definitely well-fed! After all that, I think I had cereal the next day for dinner!

A Seafood Showdown at City Crab

Although a great deal of my job and life revolves around food and housewares, I sometimes get so caught up in the work that I forget about one of the main reasons I love this business. But I was recently reminded of it again at a great event I went to last week at City Crab in New York’s Gramercy Park/Flatiron district. Sponsored by DailyCandy and Thrillist, the restaurant hosted an East Meets West Seafood Showdown where guests were able to sample a 5-course test kitchen dinner paired with wine or signature cocktails. Each course took classic seafood dishes and created an East and a West twist on them. After each round, guests got to vote on their favorites and the winners will make it on to City Crab’s upcoming new menu. These were the contenders:

• Soups: Maine lobster bisque vs. dungeness crab bisque
• Tuna “salads”: Deconstructed tuna Nicoise vs. Asian pear tuna tartare
• Mussels: Surf & Turf (pancetta & lobster) vs. Thai (Thai coconut, rock shrimp)
• Sea bass: Pan-seared vs. Asian-spiced
• Desserts: Flan vs. green tea crème brulee

 

While I admit when it comes to seafood I prefer to stick to the basics, I still loved listening as people debated their favorite dishes and compared foodie stories. Eating and sharing food with a passionate group of people is always a good thing and I really enjoyed being a part of it. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more engaging foodie events from DailyCandy and Thrillist, including the Five-Course Seafood Rematch, a follow-up to this event on April 3^rd.

                   
(L to R: Whitney Meers, DC; Julie Orchier;

Rev Ciancio, Thrillist)

Don't Make Me Choose...

So many trade shows, so little time.. .. The home and  design industry is expanding daily with more  great blogs, LinkedIn groups and webinars than ever.  And then there are the trade shows and conferences to choose from, against a  backdrop of shrinking budgets and limited time.

Sound bleak? Not really. The good news is that somewhere out there, you will find a venue that suits   your specialty with professionals to share ideas, war stories and inspire you to keep plugging away. The bad news is that you have to choose. If you are like me, there is a whole range of topics that strikes a chord and makes you want to sign up for something daily, especially if the subject matter involves trends, forecasts or social media. Well that narrows it down, right? Not so much.

There is one conference that has been on my list year after year: the Association for Consumer Trends (ACT), formerly Consumer Trends Forum). Besides the March Chicago Housewares Show, this is one venue that ties it all together for me. Experts in food, design, and the women's/mom demographic talking about new trends, surrounded by individuals who are incredibly dedicated to their craft. Some might call this shameless promotion since I'm on the ACT Board, but this is one "commercial" I'm proud to share. This year's Forum is May 6-9 in San Francisco, so check it out and take a look at the Ask the Experts teleconferences too while you're at it!

January 5, 2008

I kicked off the New Year in Costa Rica and am savoring every minute of it. Everything I’ve heard about land preservation and the natural beauty of the country is true. About 27% of the land here is registered as preserved, which is one reason Costa Rica has such a huge variety of wildlife and plant species (including bamboo and teak trees, my favorites). Being a coffee lover, I had to check out a coffee plantation while driving from San Jose to Arenal, and we found a great place in Naranjo called Espiritu Santo. Our guide, Hugo, gave us a lively tour of the 600-acre plantation, which is part of a coffee farmer’s co-op with more than 2,500 members. It was clear from the start Hugo had a deep appreciation for coffee that goes way beyond the taste. His respect for the land on the plantation and the selection process of the berries (coffee actually originates from a fruit berry) spoke volumes about the art of growing coffee.

There is way too much information to include in one post, so below are just some of the highlights from Espiritu. Feel free to ask for any details — I’m happy to share! And one unrelated warning for decaf coffee drinkers: be prepared to drink decaf tea in Costa Rica. You’ll be hard-pressed to find decaf coffee in a lot of places.

·         As I mentioned, the origin of coffee is actually a fruit, specifically a red berry, which contains one or two seeds that have a sweet taste.

·         Coffee beans are originally green before they are roasted, since the seeds are green.

·         The overall process of producing coffee beans is about three to five years - from the time the seeds are planted to the time the coffee beans are sold at retail. 

·         Why does a plantation like Espiritu make such great coffee? According to Hugo, Mother Nature plays a big role in growing high quality coffee beans. The key ingredients are elevation, sun, water and soil, all of which are in abundance at Espiritu.

Since most of us can’t just pick up and take off for Costa Rica to get a great cup of java, go for the next best thing, order the coffee online at www.espiritusantocoffeetour.com . 

We Need Local Joints More Than Ever:

I love this line from Gregory Rodriguez, the Los Angeles Times: “We have so few opportunities in our lives to encounter people who aren’t just like us.” In a December 12^th article taken from The Week, Rodriguez laments about a recent report indicating that cafes and coffeehouses are “struggling to survive in these hard times.” He builds a case for why cafes, bars and diners are essential gathering places for people to get outside the box and move beyond their comfort zone. 

 

 

December 18, 2008

All is not gloom and doom. Wine accessories and fine quality wines are in abundance this season.  In Tara Weingarten’s 12/22 story in Newsweek, she toasts to the wide range of good deals for premium wines, and reports recent sales increases of value wines (under $9).

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/tipsheet/archive/2008/12/13/a-toast-to-the-slump.aspx

December 17, 2008

One of the greatest things about the food industry is that it triggers so much passion in people. Start talking recipes with a complete stranger, and before you know it, the conversation moves to family traditions, good wine and the Food Network. Not to mention kitchen design, local farm markets, and inevitably, the environment.

As a food professional, I’m constantly amazed by the diversity of the business, the products and the people. As an information junkie, I’m overwhelmed by the bottomless pit of data, trends and stories out there that relate to food. And then there’s the moms market, a whole world unto itself.

Here’s one story that got my attention in the past week, driving home the need for the food industry to pool resources in today’s economy:

Food Banks Forced to Partner with Farms, Fishermen:

In the face of higher food costs and a worsening recession, food banks are seeing a big drop in critical donations from traditional sources.  As a result, they’re building new alliances with farmers, supermarkets, and schools for support. This is a huge issue and the resources of food companies are needed more than ever. A December 10^th  New York Times article reports that food banks are preparing ready-to-eat meals, opening their own farms and partnering with institutions like local supermarkets to help gather and process food. Pantries, which distribute the food donated to food banks, are also acting as “social service clearinghouses,” handing out information about screenings for breast and cervical cancer. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/us/10foodbank.html?_r=l&pagewanted=print

 Forbes.com reports another important story about this from AP: http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/12/13/ap5818062.html