Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/261544
R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s S a t u r d a y, M a y 1 8 , 2 0 1 3 8 0 AS: Dickies is the leading global brand of innovative and trusted workwear. The brand has an unwavering commitment and proud heritage of providing tough, quality clothing to workers for more than 90 years. RDN: What distinguishes your products from the competition? AS: What makes Dickies different is a rare blend of brand history, quality products and unmatched service. There are workwear companies that have one and a few that possess two of those qualities, but by delivering on all three we are able to give workers the clothes that get the job done from a brand they trust. RDN: What would you call the biggest recent success for Dickies Occupational Wear? AS: That would be our expanded offer- ing in key segments like chef and cook wear, footwear and juniors, along with our new embroidery service. Our food- service customer can now get a head-to- toe uniform solution from one company RDN: How did this expansion come about? AS: It was the result of ongoing customer engagement and research in order to not only deliver on, but surpass customers' expectations. That engagement and research revealed an opportunity to address these key growth areas within the marketplace, specifically restaurant workers. RDN: How has your offering for the back of the house expanded? AS: For chefs and cooks it's really about dressing them from head to toe, from our chef hat all the way down to our new slip-resistant footwear. And when it comes to the basics, like coats, shirts and pants, our new offering has simple but distinctive designs that set them apart, like useful pockets and stylish piping. RDN: Do you find that it's tough for young restaurant workers find comfort- able, fitting clothes for the job? AS: Absolutely, especially young women who can often be in their first job as a server. And that's exactly who we were targeting with our new sizing of 0-17, including fashionable options like our Juniors Classic 5-Pocket Skinny Pants. RDN: In additional to more product options, are services like embroidery important to your customers? AS: Added-value services like embroi- dery are without-a-doubt becoming more important to our customers. They want to buy their uniforms and have them brand- ed from their vendor partner. It saves money and time. We're calling this the new "My Dickies" program. Embroidery is the latest addition, but customers can also receive E-vis striping and hemming all done at our Fort Worth distribution center. RDN: What is the ultimate goal for Dickies Occupational Wear? AS: At the end of every day, it is our goal and commitment for each of our cus- tomers to look good in the eyes of their customers. I'm confident that if we con- sistently deliver on this promise, every- thing else will take care of itself. We are defined by the workers who wear Dickies, and that's something we take great pride in. For more information head to www.dick- ies.com, call 800-336-7201―or stop by booth 5060 at the 2013 NRA Show. Dickies (Cont'd. from p. 1) bottom energy feed design, using four separate magnetron heating elements, to achieve incredible speed and even heat- ing. The ultra-fast Sonic Steamer ovens can cook two full-size, 4-inch tall steam table pans of lasagna in under 20 min- utes. Six pounds of fresh vegetables are ready in just six minutes. A 1¼-pound lobster can be steamed to perfection in under two minutes. The Sonic Steamer ovens are con- structed of stainless steel inside and out, so clean-up is fast and easy. They are remarkably compact at only 26 inches wide, yet feature a large, 1.6 cu. ft. cavity. The ovens feature eight pre-pro- grammed heating pads with five power levels and three cooking stages for one- touch operation. They can be pro- grammed to shift from one power level to another automatically for two- or three- stage cooking, or to defrost and then cook foods. Eight programmable memo- ry pads with 16-memory capability let users program the ovens to defrost for one stage, cook at high power for the sec- ond stage then low power for the third stage with the press of one button. Manual single-stage heating gives the user maximum flexibility to set the oven to desired times and power levels for menus that require variation in heating requirements. The NE-2180 and NE-3280 Sonic Steamer ovens feature two easily-remov- able, cleanable air filters, a"grab and go" door handle, and a door that drops down for easy access to the cavity that also holds pans before or after cooking. The steamer ovens also feature a removable center shelf, an interior light, and can be programmed to operate with a dial timer. Users can even set the volume and length of the beep tone. The ovens are factory- set for 208V and may be adjusted to 220V – 240V. In the event of any difficulties or questions, Panasonic supports its cus- tomers with a comprehensive customer service program. Technical support is just a phone call away. From menu analy- sis to recipe development, Executive Chef Ken Megarr and a team of certified chefs and food technicians are available to answer customers' questions. Panasonic is committed to providing its customers with the highest reliability and after-sale customer service. When need- ed, the company's national service net- work will provide on-site service any- where in the United States. The Panasonic Test Kitchen website (pana- sonic.com/cmo) offers recipes, service and sales locators and FAQs, and pro- vides customers with real-life industry "success stories." Panasonic (Cont'd. from p. 74) RDN: What do you like the most about the sous vide style of cooking? JW: Incorporating sous vide into the menu at Crush allowed me more flexi- bility, creativity and control in my kitchen than I thought possible. I can rely on perfect preparations, time after time, which affords me―and my kitchen―more time to focus on menu development, creative pairings and impeccable presentations. RDN: Why would you recommend sous vide to other chefs? JW: Sous vide is the only cooking technique to offer kitchen staffs exact- ing control over their menu's texture, taste and the time it takes to prepare. Vegetables remain bright, crisp and nutrient rich―even after hours in a water bath. One of the most advanta- geous reasons to incorporate sous vide cooking into a kitchen is that it allows chefs to stop methodically watching the clock. Foods are nearly impossible to overcook with sous vide which gives kitchens freedom from the absolute no- margin-for-error timing requirements of almost every other traditional cook- ing method. RDN: What about navigating food safety regulations, such as HACCP? JW: Historically, there has been confu- sion around the safety of this technique, but cooking sous vide is absolutely safe. The objective of a Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan is to create and confirm a set of guidelines that will ensure foods are cooked and stored safely. HACCP fusionchef (Cont'd. from p. 1) plans are needed for a variety of reasons in a kitchen setting and are notably not unique to sous vide cooking. RDN: One of the great things about my work with fusionchef™ by Julabo, is that they are the first―and only―sous vide equipment company to offer HACCP planning and consulting services to help ensure kitchens meet compliance stan- dards. Our consulting program takes the guess work out of compiling the plan, determining sous vide best practices that will adhere to HACCP guidelines and staff training. RDN: Having used all of the major brands manufacturing sous vide equip- ment today, why do you prefer fusionchef by Julabo? JW: The fusionchef equipment is designed and manufactured by Julabo, a company with longstanding global lead- ership in fluid temperature control sys- tems. Hands down it out-performs any other sous vide equipment I have used in my kitchen. The fusionchef immersion circulators bring water to temperature more quickly than any other equipment on the market, which means I can add frozen, chilled or freshly sealed bags into the same bath and never worry about fluctuations in temperature impacting my final product. Additionally, fusionchef offers the highest level of precision tem- perature control and effectively heats the largest bath size in the industry – features that afford me unparalleled flexibility in where and how I incorporate sous vide into my cooking. Learn more about fusionchef by visiting us online at www.fusionchef.us, visit booth 1852 at the NRA Show, or call 877- 436-CHEF. restaurant owners process their used cooking oil into the highest grade of biodiesel for less than $1 per gallon, they have the potential to realize up to $3 per gallons savings on their regular diesel fuel, and we all enjoy the 90 percent reduction in CO2 emissions that comes from substituting biodiesel for diesel." As interest in the field of environ- mental sustainability continues to influence everything from college endowments to executive compensa- tion, the buying public is also increas- ingly thinking about sustainability. With a gourmet biodiesel solution, Springboard Biodiesel helps its cus- tomers compliment (or launch) sus- tainability initiatives and distinguish themselves from their competition while profiting from it! In a competitive market place, proactive green initiatives will help you build and maintain customer loyalty and Springboard Biodiesel (Cont'd. from p.4) help build upon the local, community experience many of our restaurant cus- tomers seek to grow," Roberts said. "If you can do that while simultaneously saving/making money, there isn稚 a rea- son not to explore how Springboard biodiesel can help you get started. Springboard Biodiesel won a 2012 Kitchen Innovations Award for its BioPro 190EX and was recently endorsed by the Green Restaurant Association. Located in booth 989, Springboard will provide you with a free analysis of your biodiesel-making opportunity and help you determine how good the Gourmet Biodiesel solu- tion may be. The company's website is well-stocked with case studies, testi- monials and biodiesel-specific infor- mation. Notable videos we recommend include: "The Warren Buffet of Biodiesel" and ways that you can "Be Like Sam." For more information visit Springboard Biodiesel in booth 989.