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Re s ta u ra n t D a i l y N e ws M o n d a y, M a y 1 9 , 2 0 1 4 2 6 CARLA'S PASTA: TRADITION, TALENT, HARD WORK AND PERSEVERANCE By Ashley Biel, Executive Assistant, Carla's Pasta, Inc. Carla Squatrito was born in Torino, Italy, and in 1978 she followed her husband to the U.S. Due to her inherited passion of Italian food, she opened Carla's Pasta Inc. Her family has been very involved over the years in the restaurant business, starting with the great grandmother. Her husband, Dominic, has been her biggest supporter. Her sons started working very young in the business. At ages nine and five, they held positions of 'do this and do that.' They are now an integral part of the business; Sandro holds position as Vice President of Business Development and Sergio as Vice President of Operations. Carla also has five granddaughters, who she hopes will follow in the same footsteps as her sons did to continue a family tradition. Through tradition, talent, hard work and perseverance, the company turned into a multi-million dollar business. Among many accomplishments, Carla has also won numerous awards through the years. This year marks Carla's twelfth year as part of the NWBOC, which certi- fies companies as woman owned and operated. This program enables Carla's to develop strategic alliances with larger companies through both public and pri- vate contracts and create opportunity for future partnerships. In 2012, Carla was awarded Premio Internazionale Piemotese Nel Mondo, which is awarded to an individual from Piemonte who has left the region and made significant changes in the world. This prestigious award is the same one given to Pope Francis in 1992. Not only has Carla changed the tradition of pasta in the U.S., but she also strives to be involved in the community. Carla and her employees have researched and put together various care packages, dona- tions and volunteering to help numerous non-profit organizations, schools, hospi- tals, emergency services, etc. Carla considers all coworkers as family. She is very thankful for the dedi- cation of the employees, whose assis- tance and expertise over the years have been essential to the company's success. Carla looks forward to the future, know- ing that with the employees' continued support, there is a bright opportunity for everybody who works hard. For more information, visit www.carlas pasta.com, call 860-436-4042 or stop by booth #707. AUTHENTIC MALAYSIAN CUISINE AT NRA SHOW An interview with Christina Arokiasamy, Malaysia's Food Ambassador to the U.S., Malaysia Kitchen Program U.S.A. RDN: Describe your role as Malaysia's Food Ambassador to the U.S. CA: It's an honor. Everywhere there are so many great talents in Malaysia. But my passion is sharing the food and the culinary culture of Malaysia, my home country, to welcoming Americans. They're ready; America is hungry for something new, and recent trends suggest they already have a taste for Malaysia. So my appointment as Malaysia's Food Ambassador to the United States is about just that – using my passion for Malaysian cuisine to inspire creativity, bring joy to others through wonderful spices and share delicious products from Malaysia in the U.S. RDN: Why is now a good time to bring Malaysian cuisine to restaurant kitchens? CA: Well, I would probably tell you it's always been a good time, but I'm biased. I think because the National Restaurant Association recently listed Malaysian food as a top trend, I think that's evi- dence that Americans want great food that is healthy and easy to make without compromising flavor. Consumers' palates are well-traveled these days, and they are expecting a unique eating expe- rience when dining out. This is where Malaysia stands out, with a variety of products that are all-natural with a per- fect blend of spices. With these products, restaurants can obtain authentic Malaysian flavors ignited with spices. RDN: What makes Malaysian cuisine unique? CA: Malaysia's history as the center of 15th century spice trading made this peninsula a unique place where cultures from various countries con- verged. A melting pot of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Nonya cultures, the cooking styles and ingredients came together to create a unique fla- vor, unlike anything you've ever tasted. For example, a crushed cinnamon stick, cloves, crushed cardamom pods, broken pieces of dried red chilles, black pepper- corns, coriander, cumin, lemongrass, galangal, ground turmeric and coconut is the curry blend that, when cooked until fragrant, ignites meat or seafood. These blends alone can add countless variations to everyday meals. RDN: How can chefs begin to incorpo- rate Malaysian cuisine onto their menus? CA: I'd say start with a popular dish. My personal favorite is the Malaysian Chilli Sesame Prawns. It requires no special kitchen equipment and can be made to order very quickly. Another traditional Malaysian favorite is Laksa, a rice noodle soup dish made with ginger flowers, lemongrass, galangal and tamarind seafood stock. The Laksa tastes sensa- tional. Both are perfect as starters and illustrate why Malaysian cuisine provides such an enticing experience. At the Malaysia Kitchen U.S.A. booth at the NRA Show [booth #9674], you will experience a variety of food products that will deliver these authentic Malaysian flavors. Malaysia Kitchen for the World (MKP), a program under Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), is the gateway to making Malaysian products and cuisine accessi- ble to everyone by providing information and all-natural food products that come straight from the source. For more infor- mation about the Malaysia Kitchen Program USA, visit the website at http://malaysiakitchen.us or stop by booth #9674. MICROBULK: THE REFRESHINGLY EASY BEVERAGE CARBONATION SOLUTION MicroBulk from Airgas National Carbonation just makes more sense. MicroBulk and cylinders will pro- vide you with quality beverage CO2 from Airgas National Carbonation. Transitioning from cylinders to MicroBulk is like moving from a flip- phone to a new smart phone – it's much more convenient and just makes more sense. To top it off, there is a 30 percent reduction in CO2 usage when you com- pare MicroBulk systems to cylinder usage. Airgas National Carbonation has a dedicated team of more than 200 associ- ates focused on understanding and meet- ing your needs. Its beverage CO2 expert- ise, backed by more than 20 years of experience, is delivered by more than 160 trucks across the country. Airgas will custom tailor a solution for your bar or restaurant, including CO2 and nitrogen gas blenders for draughts, or it can provide turn-key installations that are ready for use. Once you're up and running, its telemetry units provide remote readings of tank levels and a 24/7 call service allows you to contact Airgas at any time. Most importantly, MicroBulk is a safe choice. Safety is the No. 1 priority at Airgas. CO2 monitors – developed by Airgas Research and Development – contribute to customer site safety. With a thorough traceability program, it can provide product integrity. MicroBulk CO2 provides a hands-off solution for cus- tomers. No changing or moving cylin- ders! No running out! No brainer! Choose MicroBulk from Airgas National Carbonation today for refreshingly easy beverage carbonation for your bar or restaurant's tomorrow. For more information, stop by booth #1449. SAVE YOUR RESTROOM HARDWARE WITH THE HARDER LOCK FLUSH VALVE LOCK It seems people will do just about any- thing for money – even if it means steal- ing toilet parts from restaurants. Thefts of restroom parts from restaurants are on the rise across the country. With the price of copper and brass at an all-time high, more and more restaurants are reporting robberies of their plumbing hardware. The thefts typically involve flush valves and handles, toilet parts and motion con- trol sensors that trigger toilets and urinals to flush. While some of these parts are relatively inexpensive, automatic flush- ers can be quite pricey, costing several hundred dollars. Many of the thefts take place during business hours in only about three to five minutes, even when other people are in the restroom. Thieves have become so efficient that they can strip a toilet or uri- nal of its pipe and flush valves with only a concealed wrench. Skillful thieves can be in and out without leaving a drop of water on the floor. The Harder Lock flush valve lock helps prevent this crime. Its unique hinged col- lar closes securely around a toilet or urinal's compression nut, creating a barrier to tools. Its inconspicuous design allows the lock to blend with your fix- tures. The built-in key feature makes The Harder Lock easy to install and remove. It is made of heavy-duty aluminum, fits on the coupling nuts of most brands of toilet and urinal flush valves and includes two keys and a hex wrench. To learn more about The Harder Lock flush valve lock and many other cost-saving devices for your restaurant, stop by the FMP booth #3840. FMP stocks a full line of plumbing and rest- room hardware along with 15,000 other parts and accessories, fea- tured in their user-friendly catalog and website. To follow up after the show, visit the FMP website at www.fmpon- line.com or call 800-257-7737. For more information, stop by booth #3840, visit www.fmponline.com or call 800-257-7737.