Media/Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kristin Schuetz
512/ 457-4181, [email protected]
Carly Ryan
512/ 457-4132, [email protected]
Date: June 14, 2004
DAMIAN MANDOLA, CO-FOUNDER OF CARRABBA’S ITALIAN GRILL
DEMONSTRATES TRUE ITALIAN CUISINE
At the Southwest Foodservice Expo Culinary Showcase in Houston on Monday, June 28
(AUSTIN, TX)- Damian Mandola, co-founder of Carrabba’s Italian Grill and co-star to the highly acclaimed PBS television cooking program “Cucina Sicilia,” will unleash his culinary magic on the stage of the Southwest Foodservice Expo held Monday, June 28 at 11a.m. in the Culinary Showcase. Don’t miss this unforgettable demonstration of true Italian cuisine with “Uncle Damian” as he shares his latest recipes and stories during the second largest food show in the nation.
"Food has always been a big part of my family, of my life,” said Mandola. “Sharing our recipes and stories with others is what I enjoy because people appreciate good food and the tradition behind it. The Southwest Foodservice Expo is a great opportunity for me to share something that I love with the rest of the restaurant industry."
Damian grew-up working in family-owned restaurants in his hometown of Houston. While at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, he opened a small pizzeria called Damian’s and after graduation he opened Damian’s Cucina Italiana, a fine dining restaurant, which has become a favorite in Houston.
In 1986, realizing their dream of creating a restaurant that was “not your typical Italian,” Damian and his nephew Johnny opened Carrabba’s. In 1993, a joint venture partnership was formed with Outback Steakhouse, Inc. and under the partnership, 10 locations were opened in Houston and Florida. In January 1999, OSI acquired the rights to develop Carrabba’s nationally.
On their PBS television show, “Cucina Sicilia,” Damian and Johnny combine their demonstration of Sicilian family recipes with their Texas style and humor. They also have their own cookbook titled Ciao Y’all.
On Monday, June 28, Damian will take a break from his hectic schedule as owner, author and television personality to share his passion for wonderful food and family heritage with attendees of the second largest food show in the nation, the Southwest Foodservice Expo.
To register as an attendee or member of the press, make hotel reservations and for a complete listing of events, speakers, and dates please visit: www.swfoodexpo.com or call 800/395-2872.
The Texas Restaurant Association (TRA), producers of the Southwest Foodservice Expo, formed in 1937 to serve as the advocate in Texas and the indispensable resource for the foodservice industry. As one of the largest association’s in Texas, TRA represents the state’s $27 billion restaurant industry, which is comprised of more than 40,000 locations and a workforce of over 650,000 employees. Along with the TRA Education Foundation (TRAEF), the Association represents, educates and promotes the rapidly growing industry. restaurantville.com.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kristin Schuetz
512/457-4181, [email protected]
Carly Ryan
512/457-4132, [email protected]
Date: June 4, 2004
FREE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS AT THE 2004 SOUTHWEST FOODSERVICE EXPO
Experts and Industry Professionals Discuss Industry Issues During this Year's Show in Houston - June 27-29, 2004
(AUSTIN, TX) - With prosperity comes new challenges and the restaurant industry, in its 13th consecutive year of real growth, has become more complex over the years and so have the issues restaurant owners, operators and managers face. Recent industry concerns include: How can restaurants be proactive in the fight against obesity? Is now the time to invest or sell? What can restaurants do to keep their long term employees happy? Answers to questions like these will be revealed during the professional development seminars in the Education Pavilion at the 2004 Southwest Foodservice EXPO in Houston, June 27-29.
“The professional development seminars are wonderful ways to learn from leading experts about how to better our businesses,” said Tom Kenney, 2003-2004 TRA President and JVP Outback Steakhouse. “The educational seminars and networking opportunities at Expo are invaluable.”
For a complete list of seminars, presenters and bios, please visit: https://restaurantville.com/cc/swexpo/education.cfm.
A sample of daily seminar topics include:
• KEYNOTE ADDRESS- Being Proactive in Addressing Obesity
• KEYNOTE PANEL- Are You Ready to Prosper: Is the Time Right?
• Employing Generation “Why” - Understanding, Managing, and Motivating the New Workforce
• Top Companies and What Makes Them Successful
• Maximizing Physical Location: Optimize the Potential of Your Space
• How to Keep Your Long-Term Staff Long-Term
and many more...
A sample of featured moderators and presenters include:
• KEYNOTE SPEAKER - Susan Combs, Texas Agriculture Commissioner
• John Buchanan, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprise, Inc.
• Creed Ford III, Founder, Fired Up, Inc.
• Joseph Larry Jackson, Vice President, Outback Steakhouse, Inc.
• Xavier Teixido, former National Restaurant Association Chairman and Owner/Operator of Harry’s Savory Grill
• Alex Brennan-Martin, Co-Owner Brennan’s of Houston
and many more...
Along with the Education Pavilion, the show will feature a Culinary Showcase with demonstrations and live competitions. The Southwest Foodservice Expo, in it's 67th year, is the second largest food show in the nation attracting 1,000 exhibitors and 30,000 attendees. To register as an attendee or member of the press, make hotel reservations and for a complete listing of events, speakers, and dates please visit: www.swfoodexpo.com or call 800/395-2872.
The Texas Restaurant Association (TRA), producers of the Southwest Foodservice Expo, formed in 1937 to serve as the advocate in Texas and the indispensable resource for the foodservice industry. As one of the largest association’s in Texas, TRA represents the state’s $27 billion restaurant industry, which is comprised of more than 40,000 locations and a workforce of over 650,000 employees. Along with the TRA Education Foundation (TRAEF), the Association represents, educates and promotes the rapidly growing industry. restaurantville.com.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 24, 2004
Contact: Kristin Schuetz
512/457-4181, [email protected]
CHEFS COMPETE FOR “IRON CHEF OF THE SOUTHWEST” DURING THE CULINARY SHOWCASE AT THE 2004 SOUTHWEST FOODSERVICE EXPO
(AUSTIN, TX) -The pressure is on as chefs compete for “Iron Chef of the Southwest.” The competition, produced by the Texas Chefs Association (TCA), is judged by American Culinary Federation (ACF) certified chefs and will be held on two days, June 27 and 28, in the Culinary Showcase during the 2004 Southwest Foodservice Expo.
This competition is the only one of its kind in Texas and encourages skilled chefs from across the state to form three-person teams to race against the clock preparing a three course meal in two hours. Because the ingredients the chefs use are a mystery up until the contest begins and time is a critical factor, chefs from varying backgrounds are challenged to demonstrate quick, strategic planning and teamwork to create a meal for a panel of ACF certified judges.
“Competition is not only about pressure, but it raises the bar and forces a chef to rise to a level they didn’t realize they could achieve. It gives a chef personal insight about themselves as well as the opportunity to watch and learn while working with others,” said Pat Mitchell, TCA representative. “As a chef, I’m very passionate about competition. It forces you to work at a level of intensity you don’t see in day to day business.”
In two hours teams plan and then prepare twelve plates, which are served to eight guests, three ACF judges and one plate is left untouched for display. ACF awards the winning team with a nationally recognized medal and the title, “Iron Chef of the Southwest.” Cash prizes are awarded to the top three teams: first place receives $1500, second place receives $750 and third place receives $300.
The Iron Chef Competition fosters up-and-coming chefs, giving them a platform to showcase their talents and prove themselves among the ranks of celebrated chefs. Competitions serve as learning tools for chefs, aiding them in all aspects of their art.
In addition to the Iron Chef Competition, TCA will hold a Junior Knife Skills competition for culinary students on June 29. The top three winners will then compete in a Signature Dish competition that afternoon to determine first, second and third place. Cash prizes will be awarded: first place receives $100, second place receives $75 and third place receives $25.
The 2004 Iron Chef Competition will be held on both days, June 27and 28, from 1:30 to 5 p.m. at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. To register as an attendee or as a member of the press, make hotel reservations and for a complete listing of events, speakers, and dates please visit www.swfoodexpo.com or call 800/395-2872.
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About the Texas Restaurant Association
The Texas Restaurant Association (TRA), producers of the Southwest Foodservice Expo, serves as the advocate in Texas and the indispensable resource for the foodservice industry. As one of the largest association’s in Texas, TRA represents the state’s $27 billion restaurant industry, which is comprised of more than 40,000 locations and a workforce of over 650,000 employees. Along with the TRA Education Foundation (TRAEF), the Association represents, educates and promotes the rapidly growing industry. restaurantville.com.
About the Texas Chefs Association
The TCA is a sub-chapter of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), which is made up of chefs across the nation. The Texas Chefs Association (TCA) is a professional, educational and fraternal association of chefs and cooks and purveyors dedicated to the advancement of the culinary profession. The Association was founded in 1958. The TCA plays a big part in continuing education and certification for chefs and helps chefs to professionalize themselves and increase the standards of all foods served.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kristin Schuetz
512/457-4181, [email protected]
Date: May 3, 2004
TEXAS BEEF COUNCIL PRESENTS ULTIMATE UMAMI- THE FIFTH TASTE
At the Southwest Foodservice Expo Culinary Showcase in Houston on Sunday, June 27
(AUSTIN, TX)- If you were asked how many tastes the human tongue can detect, you would probably answer, “four”-salty, sweet, bitter and sour. The Texas Beef Council (TBC), host of the Sunday Culinary Showcase during the 2004 Southwest Foodservice Expo, has invited three celebrated Texas chefs to demonstrate the fifth taste-umami.
A Japanese word, umami is difficult to translate, but some describe the taste as savory, pungent and meaty. Umami is sometimes associated with a feeling of perfect quality in a taste, or of some special emotional circumstance where taste is experienced. At the Culinary Showcase, TBC along with three Texas chefs will demonstrate how restaurants can use umami to their advantage through flavor profiling and with innovative beef dishes that customers will crave.
Chef Kent Rathbun of Dallas’ Abacus and Jasper’s and David Bull, Executive Chef of the Driskill Grill in Austin, join Chef Tiffany Collins, Culinary Director of the Texas Beef Council to showcase the elusive and savory characteristics of umami.
"As a chef it’s important to me to understand the how's and why's behind great cuisine and why things taste good,” said Chef Bull, voted Top 10 Food & Wine Chef in 2003. “Umami is an explanation worth the research that can allow chefs to better understand mentally, physically and emotionally why food tastes the way that it does."
Although umami was first identified 1,200 years ago by Japanese cooks, it was not until 1907 that chefs were able to isolate glutamate and other substances to convey the distinct flavor. Most Americans do not recognize it when they eat it, but protein-rich foods like steak, seafood, aged cheeses, mushrooms and tomato juice all have umami components.
The Texas Beef Council Culinary Showcase will be held June 27, 2004 from 11-11:30 a.m. at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Photos of the demonstrating Texas chefs are available upon request.
To register as an attendee or as a member of the press, make hotel reservations and for a complete listing of events, speakers, and dates please visit www.swfoodexpo.com or call 800/395-2872.
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About the Texas Restaurant Association
The Texas Restaurant Association (TRA), producers of the Southwest Foodservice Expo, formed in 1937 to serve as the advocate in Texas and the indispensable resource for the foodservice industry. As one of the largest association’s in Texas, TRA represents the state’s $27 billion restaurant industry, which is comprised of more than 40,000 locations and a workforce of over 650,000 employees. Along with the TRA Education Foundation (TRAEF), the Association represents, educates and promotes the rapidly growing industry. restaurantville.com
About the Texas Beef Council
The Texas Beef Council is a non-profit organization charged with the promotion and marketing of beef and other beef products in Texas. TBC is funded by the beef checkoff program, a $1 per head assessment on the sale of cattle. Checkoff dollars are used to increase beef demand through programs of promotion, research and education. The organization is directed by a 20-member board of cattlemen, representing the state’s 140,000 beef producers. www.txbeef.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 14, 2004
Contact: Kristin Schuetz,
512/457-4181, [email protected]
TEXAS AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER, SUSAN COMBS, TO DELIVER
KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT 2004 SOUTHWEST FOODSERVICE EXPO
“Being Proactive in Addressing Obesity,” Houston-June 28, 2004
(AUSTIN, TX)- Lawsuits suggesting the food industry should be held accountable for selling products that contribute to the rising number of obese Americans have prompted change in restaurants across the nation. While some try to place the blame on restaurants, the food industry is making great strides in the fight against obesity by working with communities and government agencies to find solutions to the obesity epidemic. Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Susan Combs, who has embarked on a crusade to put an end to childhood obesity in Texas, will deliver the keynote address to the Texas foodservice industry on Monday, June 28 at the 2004 Southwest Foodservice Expo in Houston. Commissioner Combs’ address will share how restaurateurs can be proactive in addressing obesity.
“I do not subscribe to the fact that people can sue McDonald’s because they are overweight,” said Combs. “However, restaurants can respond to the issue by providing additional information that lets consumers make their own choices.”
Commissioner Combs’ believes the answer to obesity lies in educating both parents and children. Her commitment to Texas schoolchildren’s well-being has already produced critical policy changes in schools to improve childhood nutrition.
According to Commissioner Combs and the Department of Agriculture, obesity in children has doubled over the past 20 years, and today about 20 percent of American children are obese, which represents approximately 800,000 Texas children, more than the population of Austin.
Commissioner Combs' knowledge and understanding of agricultural policies and issues is deep-rooted in both her professional experience and a personal interest in ranching. Combs was the first woman elected to serve as Agriculture Commissioner for the State of Texas in 1998 and her service in this role resulted in her recent re-election to a second full term.
Who: Susan Combs, Texas Agriculture Commissioner & Keynote Speaker at Southwest Foodservice EXPO
What: Key Note Address: “Being Proactive in Addressing Obesity”
Where: Education Pavilion, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston
When: 12:15-1:15 p.m. Monday, June 28, 2004
To register as an attendee or as a member of the press, make hotel reservations and for a complete listing of events, speakers, and dates please visit www.swfoodexpo.com or call 800/395-2872.
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The Texas Restaurant Association (TRA), producers of the Southwest Foodservice Expo, formed in 1937 to serve as the advocate in Texas and the indispensable resource for the foodservice industry. As one of the largest association’s in Texas, TRA represents the state’s $27 billion restaurant industry, which is comprised of more than 40,000 locations and a workforce of over 650,000 employees. Along with the TRA Education Foundation (TRAEF), the Association represents, educates and promotes the rapidly growing industry. restaurantville.com.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: March 31, 2004
CONTACT: Kristin Schuetz, 512/457-4181, [email protected] or
Carly Ryan, 512/457-4132, [email protected]
SOUTHWEST FOODSERVICE EXPO IS THE 2ND LARGEST FOOD SHOW IN THE NATION
June 27-29, 2004 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston
( AUSTIN , TX ) - Hospitality hiring managers say hiring is up, according to a recent Careerbuilder.com survey, which indicates restaurants, a huge portion of the hospitality industry, are optimistic and looking to invest. Whether they’re hiring employees, building, expanding, redecorating or revamping, hopes of prosperity are high in the foodservice industry making this a prime time for industry professionals to connect and network. What better place than at one of the nation’s most revered food shows; the 2004 Southwest Foodservice Expo is the Real Deal!
The Southwest Foodservice Expo, produced by the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA), is the 2nd largest food show in the nation and provides an opportunity for industry professionals throughout the $50 billion southwest foodservice market to meet one on one. Highlights include:
- Three days of free professional development seminars paneled by nationally recognized industry leaders
- Over 1,000 exhibiting booths and 30,000 attendees
- Keynote Speaker Texas Agriculture Commissioner, Susan Combs
- Keynote Panel featuring foodservice industry authorities discussing “Are You Ready to Prosper: Is the Time Right?”
- Iron Chef Competition produced by the Texas Chefs Association (TCA) and judged by certified American Culinary Federation (ACF) chefs
- Daily Culinary Showcases featuring top chefs and cooking demonstrations
- VIP luncheons created by select chefs featuring classics with a twist
“The Southwest Foodservice Expo is an exclusive occasion for vendors and restaurateurs to gather under one roof, discover new products, identify problems and offer solutions,” said Tom Kenny, 2003-2004 TRA President and Joint Venture Partner, Outback Steakhouse Central & West Texas. “The professional development seminars are wonderful ways to learn from leading experts about how to better our businesses and continue growth.”
This year press releases and media updates will be included in a media section of the show’s Web site, https://restaurantville.com/cc/swexpo/mediaoverview.cfm. You will find event updates and information as well as an easy way to register to receive a complimentary press badge. If you would like to cover the Southwest Foodservice Expo in Houston please fill out the registration form available online and fax back by May 28, 2004 . Of course, you will also be able to register on site with the proper credentials.
The expo will run for three days, June 27-29, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston . Visit www.swfoodexpo.com or call 800/395-2872.
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he Texas Restaurant Association was formed in 1937 to serve as the advocate in Texas and the indispensable resource for the foodservice industry through enhanced programs and services. Today, as a leading business association, TRA represents the state's $27 billion restaurant industry, which is comprised of more than 40,000 locations and a workforce of over 650,000 employees. Along with the Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation, the Association represents, educates and promotes the rapidly growing industry.