Join top hospitality and culinary leaders featured on Shari Bayer’s popular Heritage Radio Network podcast, All in the Industry, for an all-day, interactive and educational conference for, and about, the dynamic hospitality industry. Our inaugural summit, taking place Monday, January 27, 2020 at The William Vale in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, will feature informative panels, one-on-one interviews, and inspiring speakers — creating a forum for the exchange of ideas, innovation and networking opportunities. Attendees will enjoy outstanding food and drink throughout the day – including an energizing closing reception!

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NYC Officials Are Looking Into Grubhub’s Reviled Restaurant Fees

New York City government officials are now diving into the Grubhub debacle, in which several restaurants have accused the food delivery app of slyly charging fees for customer phone calls that never resulted in actual delivery orders.

City Council’s Committee on Small Business will hold an oversight hearing to investigate those fees, as well as others charged by similar apps like like DoorDash and Uber Eats — an act that could eventually lead to more government regulation.

The hearing will go down on June 27, giving local restaurateurs a chance to voice their concerns. City officials will specifically focus on how these fees and other policies are affecting NYC restaurants, especially small mom and pop shops, the Post reports.

“If we see there is abuse, or if there is a manipulation here, then it could certainly be referred to the legal authorities,” Bronx Councilman Mark Gjonaj tells the Post. The hearing’s findings could eventually lead to the involvement of the Public Advocate, the city Comptroller, or the state Attorney General, he says.

Read more here.

The Culinary Institute of America Is Starting a Scholarship in Anthony Bourdain’s Name

“The Culinary Institute of America announced it will start a scholarship in the late Anthony Bourdain’s name. It will go to one or two students a year, helping pay — fittingly — for their studies abroad. The late author and television personality graduated from the school in 1978, and worked in restaurants for decades after, a life he documented in Kitchen Confidential.

As the New York Times reports, the C.I.A. was approached about doing the scholarship by Eric Ripert, Bourdain’s close friend. He came up with the scholarship — “I thought it should be a celebration of Anthony Bourdain,” he tells the Times — after discussing ways to honor Bourdain with José Andrés, another friend of Bourdain’s, and Bourdain’s estate. After discussing the idea with the institute’s president, Dr. L. Timothy Ryan, they created the Anthony Bourdain Legacy Scholarship. How much money the scholarship will provide has not yet been determined, as the fundraising has only just begun. Ryan tells the paper of record that he hopes there will be enough money for the scholarship to be an endowment fund.”

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Bed-Stuy Gains a Mediterranean Wine Bar Serving Lesser-Seen Wines in NYC

“An ambitious wine bar is now open in Bed-Stuy with a list that covers Mediterranean territory lesser explored by New York City’s wine programs.

Five Italian friends opened Speakvino at 1063 Bedford Ave., between Greene and Lexington avenues, focusing on wines from Bosnia, Macedonia, Croatia, Morocco, Albania, Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon. There are more ubiquitous offerings too, like wines from Italy, France, and Spain.

As for food, the cuisine skews Italian with touches of Spanish and other Mediterranean cuisines. Most of the menu is comprised of preserved foods served in jars, like anchovies ($9), baby artichokes ($8), and mixed Italian mushrooms ($8). There are some small plates, too, including burrata ($14), a little gem salad with avocado and Castelvetrano olives ($11), and octopus served with gigante beans, peperoncino, and celery leaves ($13). On the more substantial side, there is a simple potato gnocchi with sage, cheese, and butter ($12), as well as a thinly sliced pan-roasted strip loin with yuzu koshu and lime ($18).”

Read more here.

How He Got 200,000 People To Buy Ugly Fruits and Vegetables

Imperfect Produce is a subscription home delivery service for "ugly" fruits and vegetables that are perfectly fine to eat.

“Four years later, Simon cofounded Imperfect Produce, a subscription-based home-delivery service for discounted “ugly” fruits and vegetables that are perfectly good on the inside, but otherwise rejected from the food supply chain for their looks.

“About 70 billion pounds of food is wasted annually in the United States. It’s from homes, cafeterias, farms, restaurants, grocery store and stadiums. Almost all of it is good food,” said Simon. “We wanted to think bigger about how to fight this food waste and create a more sustainable food system that was scalable.”
Simon partnered with his friend Ben Chesler, who shared his passion for social good, and the two homed in on farms as the starting point of their food recovery and delivery service. Up to 20% of the fruits and vegetables grown on farms in America is discarded because the produce doesn’t meet grocery stores’ aesthetic standards, said Simon.
“It’s often for discoloration, scarring on the surface caused by the fruit rubbing against a tree limb or an atypical shape,” he said. “Sometimes it’s the size. We see a glut of small avocados that go to waste because consumers tend to prefer larger avocados for guacamole.”

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One of Tokyo’s Oldest Soba Shops Will Open in Flatiron This Summer

“One of Tokyo’s oldest and most venerable soba shops is heading to New York City this summer.Centuries-old Japanese buckwheat noodle restaurant Sarashina Horii — helmed by ninth-generation soba maker and owner Yoshinori Horii — will open at 45 East 20th St., near Park Avenue South in Flatiron this July. The menu will include more than a dozen noodle dishes, both hot and cold, as well as appetizers and other entrees.

Sarashina Horii is known specifically for its white noodles made using only the core of buckwheat seeds. The restaurant dates back to 1789, and its soba was once deemed fit to serve the Japanese Imperial Household. The restaurant also made an appearance in the late Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations show in Tokyo, where the food media icon calls the noodles “perfectly chewy.””

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Chelsea Market Lands a Promising New Pop-Up Vendor

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“A new pop-up space in Chelsea Market will highlight Ethiopian fast casual this summer. The NYC-based culinary training nonprofit Hot Bread Kitchen has a new pop-up space in Chelsea Market that will feature rotating menus from members and alums of its culinary incubator, which is based in East Harlem. First up is Gorsha, a fast-casual Ethiopian restaurant from Hiyaw Gebreyohannes. There is another location in DC’s Union Market, but here, the restaurant will have specials specific to Chelsea Market. There will be build-your-own bowls for around $13 with proteins like berbere chicken and braised lamb. It’s open now from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will run until October 31.”

Read more here.

Chicago’s Sputnik Coffee Boldly Grows in Ways No Roaster Has Grown Before

Sputnik Coffee Roaster Chicago

Since lifting off its launchpad roastery in the Back of the Yards neighborhood of Chicago in 2017, startup Sputnik Coffee Roasters has rapidly carved out a niche for itself with a concise product line and personable service.

In response to rocketing demand, Sputnik has now tripled its capacity with a new 15-kilo, IMF roaster and upgraded its packaging from hand-stamped craft bags to printed bags.

Starting with smaller and lower-priced retail bags of its one core blend, Sputnik’s growth also depends on the sales work of co-founder Vova Kagan. And with the recent shift from hand-stamped craft bags to printed bags, the company also adjusted its labeling to provide info in multiple different languages, reaching directly out to more people in the communities it serves.

Read more here.

Starbucks begins mobile ordering rollout in Beijing and Shanghai

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“Starbucks said it has begun rolling out its Starbucks Now mobile ordering platform to 300 select stores in Beijing and Shanghai and will expand the service throughout China over the next year.

Starbucks Now, available for Starbucks Rewards members through the company’s mobile app in China, allows customers to order their food and beverages ahead of time and pick them up in store.

“Starbucks Now represents a significant opportunity for Starbucks China to drive new, innovative customer experiences,” Belinda Wong, chief executive officer of Starbucks China said in a company release. “This builds on the latest of several digital initiatives in China, including Starbucks Delivers and locally relevant gifting and e-commerce experiences.”

Customers can use Starbucks Now to find a local store based on the mobile app’s GPS location, order food and customized beverages and make payment, with the order ready to pick up when they arrive at the location.”

See more here.