ON THE INSIDE
2011 IACP COOKBOOK
AWARDS ANNOUNCED
The International Association of Culinary
Professionals (IACP) celebrated 25 years
of its Cookbook Awards at its 2011 Awards
Gala June 2 at the Paramount Theatre,
Austin, Texas, during the 33rd IACP Annual
Conference. Top honors for Cookbook of
the Year went to Around My French Table:
More Than 300 Recipes From My Home To
Yours (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010) by
Dorie Greenspan.
Dorie Greenspan’s
Around My French
Table: More Than
300 Recipes From
My Home To Yours
(Houghton Mifflin
Harcourt, 2010), 2011
IACP Cookbook of
the Year
INSIDER continued from page 9
How do you make a property unique?
In a few words—concept, cuisine, market
and price point. Of course, the menu and
the design of the restaurant set it apart,
as well. We also seek to delight and
surprise our guests. For instance, in our
new restaurant, café b, which is informal,
we use “silvermats,” which are essentially
placemats for cutlery so these items never
touch a bare table. The silvermats are
printed with whimsical messaging, such
as the origin of the pot pie, monthly events
around town or a Q&A with the chef.
How involved are you in making menu
decisions?
I consult with each team regularly to provide
guidance and direction on the culinary
concept, but it is up to the chefs to develop
the menu and put their individual stamp and
style on it.
Talk about customer service and staffing,
and how you hire to maintain excellence.
Hire and develop a management team
that is committed to guest service above
all else, and hire staff who are committed
to the same thing. Offer continuous
training so the team has the opportunity
to grow and improve. Recognize and
reward team members who live the values
of the company. Stop every so often and
have fun. We close our restaurants three
times each year—on Christmas Day, Mardi
Gras Day and for a New Orleans Saints
Tailgate Party for our staff.
after a successful career outside
foodservice, do you sometimes wonder
what you are doing in the restaurant world?
Never. I love it. It is in my blood, and I can’t
think of doing anything else in this city at
this time.
What gives you pleasure on the job every day?
I enjoy interacting with our management
staff and our customers. No matter how
you slice it, we are in the people business.
A new award, the Culinary Classics, was
created to recognize works that have altered
the way in which we think about food. The
five inaugural Culinary Classics recipients are:
A Book of Mediterranean Food by Elizabeth
David; On Food and Cooking by Harold
McGee; The Classic Italian Cookbook by
Marcella Hazan; Mastering the Art of French
Cooking (volumes 1 and 2) by Julia Child,
Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle; and Joy of
Cooking (1975 edition) by Irma S. Rombauer
and Marion Rombauer Becker.
Chefs and Restaurants Flying Pans: Two
Chefs, One World (Cabin Fever Press, 2010)
by Bernard Guillas and Ron Oliver
Health and Special Diet Essentials
of Nutrition for Chefs (Culinary Nutrition
Publishing, LLC, 2010) by Catharine Powers
and Mary Abbott Hess
Professional Kitchens Wedding Cake Art
and Design: A Professional Approach (John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2010) by Toba Garrett
To view full results, visit www.iacp.com.
Cookbook Award Winners
Baking: Savory or Sweet Chewy Gooey
Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies
(Artisan, 2010) by Alice Medrich
Culinary History Culinary Ephemera: An
Illustrated History (University of California
Press, 2010) by William Woys Weaver
Also during the gala,
IACP honored first lady
Michelle Obama with
its Milestone Award,
which recognizes her
Let's Move! campaign
and, in particular, Chefs
Move to Schools.
USDA UNVEILS
MYPLATE
On June
2, first lady
Michelle
Obama and
Tom Vilsack,
U.S. Secretary
of Agriculture,
unveiled the federal government’s new
food icon, MyPlate, which replaces the
food pyramid that was introduced in 1992.
MyPlate is aimed at helping the next
generation of consumers make healthier
food choices. The new icon emphasizes
the fruit, vegetable, grains, protein and
dairy food groups, and encourages
consumers to balance calories, increase
good foods such as fruits, vegetables and
whole grains, and reduce foods such as
those high in sodium and sugary drinks.
Learn more at www.ChooseMyPlate.gov.
