Shake Shack London to Open Friday

July 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Shack Shack’s London location is set to open Friday in Covent Garden.  In keeping with their philosophy of adapting each location to its environment, the space looks slightly different from stateside Shacks, and the menu has been adapted.

While many familiar favorites will remain on the menu, Danny Meyer’s team has, as they frequently do, created some new items specific to the new location using local purveyors.  Savory items include a Cumberland Sausage, made with a rare breed of pork, and a ShackMeister Sausage, an upgraded Cumberland Sausage with cheese sauce and beer-marinated shallots.  Burgers will use Scottish grass-fed Aberdeen Angus.  They have also partnered with St. JOHN Bakery and paul.a.young chocolatier to offer some special Concretes, including the Union Shack and Drury Lane Jam.

Check out these links for a look at the space and the food.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Openings Tagged With: ,

New York Food Artisans Win Big at 2013 Sofi Awards

July 3, 2013 by 1 Comment

The Specialty Food Association posted the list of Sofi (specialty outstanding food innovation) Gold Award winners for 2013, handing out top honors to the best specialty food products from around the world at the Summer Fancy Food Show.  Celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson hosted the ceremony.

Several New York-based companies won Gold, including Chocolat Moderne (Avant-Garde Bar Blood Orange Bergamot Flavor Chocolate Bar), Tate’s Bake Shop (Whole Wheat Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies), We Rub You (Spicy Korean BBQ Marinade), Bee Raw (Manhattan Rooftop Honey Flight) and Sarabeth’s Kitchen (Legendary Velvety Cream of Tomato Soup).

See the full list of Gold winners here.

Filed Under: Events, Local Market Buzz Tagged With: ,

Alain Ducasse Expands Artisanal Chocolate Production

July 3, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Famed French chef Alain Ducasse plans to expand his Paris-based chocolate line, adding another store at the Galeries Lafayette on July 15.  He also plans to sell the chocolates online, and at his restaurants the Dorchester (London), Plaza Athenee (Paris), and Le Louis XV (Monaco).

Ducasse said he has encountered some challenges in setting up production, noting that he is only the fifth chocolate maker in France to make his own chocolate, and the first in Paris. “‘The challenge was to find the craft machines that don’t really exist anymore. It’s a different job and art to make these machines compared with the modern ones. I’m a million times smaller than Cadbury, for example,'” said Ducasse.

Ducasse has always had a passion for chocolate, having worked under renowned pastry chef Gaston Lenotre.  In fact, he noted he almost became a chocolatier early his career, rather than a chef.  He now works with chocolate maker Nicolas Berger to create a variety of chocolates and confections, from ganaches, pralines, and truffles to single-origin bars.

For the full story on Ducasse and his latest venture, click here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz Tagged With: ,