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R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s M o n d a y, M a y 1 8 , 2 0 1 5 7 8 JOHN SEDLAR RETURNS TO SANTA FE Executive chef John Rivera Sedlar is returning to his native New Mexico to open his newest restaurant, ELOISA, in Santa Fe. Now serving dinner and featur- ing a stunning bar with specialty cock- tails, ELOISA presents an exquisite Latin and Southwest-inspired menu focusing on the delicacies of the Northern New Mexico region. ELOISA, named after Sedlar's maternal grandmother (in whose kitchen he spent time as a boy growing up in Abiquiu, New Mexico), "pays homage to my own grandmother, as well as all the abuelas, senoras, tias and the her- manas in the kitchen." This is the moti- vation behind ELOISA's intentionally feminine design aesthetic, reflected in the shape of the food on the plates, the round, earthy table settings, the choice of a female mixologist and the timeless met- ropolitan-inspired interiors by local designer Laura Carpenter. Additionally, a tasting menu created in honor of Georgia O'Keeffe will be served, a nod to Sedlar's great aunt who cooked for the artist for 14 years. "I am excited about coming back home to my New Mexican roots," said Sedlar. "The flavors of Northern New Mexico have had a wonderful impact on my culinary career and I look forward to bringing a fresh perspective to New Mexican cuisine." Carpenter has created a soft, neutral interior that preserves the building's orig- inal 1950s masonry while introducing modern details and uniquely architectur- al flatware by Italian designer Gio Ponti. Sedlar describes the restaurant as "a beautiful palate where guests look great and the food pops." ELOISA's menu combines small plates served tapas style, (8-$13) and larger plates (18-$31)— all of which can be shared. Many of chef Sedlar's grand- mother's recipes will be recreated, notably her Northern New Mexican lamb dishes, empanadillas and biscochitos as well as a number of dishes focused on the apricot, the tree of Abiquiu. Upon entry, guests will be greeted by a tradi- tional tortilla maker engaged in grinding masa into flour, rolling dough and press- ing fresh edible flowers like petunias, rose petals and nasturtiums into the tor- tilla to create tortillas decoradas. The prominently featured, state of the art kitchen, finished with granite, marble and white subway tiles will invite guests to watch Sedlar and his team create exot- ic dishes that juxtapose precise French cooking techniques with fresh interpreta- tions of Meso-American classics like carne adovada. ELOISA's dining room seats 120 guests inside (including the bar) with an additional 65 seats on the patio, which will open mid-May. Expect an exciting wine list prepared by General Manager Walter Gallegos, formerly of The Compound, and refreshing, delicious cocktails designed by mixologist Dede Roybal. Lunch will be served 30 days after the opening, and breakfast will eventually be served as well. Bar Alta, on the Drury Plaza Santa Fe's rooftop, is also Sedlar's domain and will have a casual dining menu and a full bar with specialty cocktails. "I am proud," says Chef John Rivera Sedlar, "to be returning home to establish a restaurant that not only pays homage to my family's heritage but also recognizes the thriving world-class destination that Santa Fe itself has become." NRA OFFERS RESOURCES ON SUSTAINABILITY The National Restaurant Association s second annual sustainability report examines environmentally stable trends and initiatives within the restaurant industry, such as food waste reduction, composting, recycling and cost-efficient energy solutions. Download a free copy of "Serving up Sustainability": www.conserv e.restaurant.org/2014Report. "Today, more than ever, environ- mental consciousness is important to restaurateurs and their guests," said Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO, National Restaurant Association. "Through increasing awareness and implementation of sustainability prac- tices, the restaurant industry is operating more efficiently, conserving more natural resources and helping improve the envi- ronment for everyone we serve. Through our Conserve program, we are working diligently to educate restaurateurs and encourage them to take action. Giving operators the tools they need to be more sustainable is the key to long-term suc- cess." Recent NRA research found that 46 percent of consumers would dine at restaurants offering sustainable or organ- ic food, and more than half of 18- to 24- year-olds want to go to restaurants that practice sustainability. Because of this, operators are seeking ways to operate more responsibly. In addition to ranking sustainability as a top menu trend for 2015, more than four in 10 professional chefs surveyed for the National Restaurant Association's What's Hot report predicted environmen- tal sustainability would be the hottest menu trend 10 years from now. "Sustainability may take more time and effort, but ultimately it's about using resources efficiently," said Jeff Clark, Director of the National Restaurant Association's Conserve program. "Businesses that squeeze the most out of what they use, whether it is electricity, water or food, can cut costs and run smarter, more effective businesses. They're better able to attract guests and retain employees, particularly among mil- lennials and members of Generation Z." The NRA says food waste reduction was a central issue in 2014, and the ini- tiative remains a top priority in 2015. "Reducing food waste doesn't have to be difficult or expensive," said Laura Abshire, Director of Sustainability Policy and Government Affairs, National Restaurant Association. "Businesses that divert material from the waste stream and donate their unused food make a pos- itive impact — financially, socially and environmentally." To help restaurateurs learn more about sustainability, the NRA has pro- duced new web resources. A revamp of Restaurant.org/Conserve offers tips, tools and advice on business practices that save money and protect the environment and a new monthly newsletter high- lighting best practices, case studies, and video advice from industry experts that offer interested operators insight into sus- tainability: www.conserve.restauran t.org/Bright-Ideas. Research conducted by Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy determined how restau- rants in Durham, North Carolina, could divert material from landfills and reduce food waste throughout the city. You can see that research at www.conserve .restaurant.org/Downloads/PDFs/Reduce - w a s t e - a n d - r e c y c l e / 2 0 1 3 _ D u k e _ Report_ZeroWaste.aspx. Also available is a second report offering advice from industry experts at NRA Show 2014. "Spotlight on Sustainability" detailed easy steps restaurateurs could take to be more environmentally friendly: www .conserve.restaurant.org/Downloads/PDFs/ 2014SpotlightonSustainability.aspx. STAR KAY WHITE CELEBRATES A SWEET HERITAGE The weight of 125 years of family tradi- tion on his shoulders keeps Star Kay White CEO Ben Katzenstein moving for- ward. "No matter how tough things are, you know they were tough in the past, too," he says. "It keeps you going. It keeps you pushing.... We try to take everything from a long-term perspective, to do things the right way. We never take short-cuts: we're always looking for what's in the best long-term interest of the company. It's easier to hold on when you have all that tradition. It's a legacy. When it's gone, it's gone, and you never get it back." Star Kay White was founded by Katzenstein's great-grandfather David Katzenstein on February 14, 1890, and today, the maker of top-quality ice cream flavorings has been owned and operated by the Katzenstein family for five gener- ations. The business, originally known as Star Extract Works, was started on Manhattan Island, exactly where the World Trade Center North Tower once stood. In 2015, that seems like an odd place to start a manufacturing business, and of course, Star Kay White isn't there any more, but in 1890, transportation across Manhattan Island was horse-pow- ered, and New York still bore the rem- nants of its founding as a Dutch trading port. "At the time, it was a very logical place to be. As real estate values went up, it became a less feasible place for manu- facturing," Katzenstein says. David had three children, of whom two came into the business. "My grand- father was the youngest," Ben Katzenstein says. His great-grandfather, grandfather and father all worked for the company for at least 64 years. "My father's in his 65th year. I'm in my 31st year, so I'm still in a baby carriage around here," he says. The business thrived in Manhattan for 38 years, then moved to the Bronx in 1928, just before the Great Depression and Second World War. Star Kay White called the factory in the Bronx home for 56 years. "That building is now the home of Sarabeth's, interestingly enough. It's kind of ironic," Katzenstein says. Then in 1984, the company settled into its current home at Congers, New York, where Star Kay White occupies four buildings on about 10 acres. One hundred fifteen employees make about 40 million pounds of products a year, primarily for the ice cream industry. They're flavor- ings like whiskey caramel, sea salt caramel, graham cracker, rum raisin, marshmallow, all sorts of chocolates – with and without sugar, dark and milk, mixed with other flavorings – along with peppermint candies, buttercrunch, English toffee, chocolate almonds and chocolate-covered espresso pillows. And, yes, the plant is indeed sweetly aromatic, Katzenstein says. Star Kay White ingredients have fla- vored and helped inspire ice cream com- panies like Haagen-Dazs, Ben & Jerry's, Turkey Hill, Friendly's and many other larger and smaller ice cream manufactur- ers since their beginnings. While they grew, the flavoring company itself stayed small and nimble, with a creativity that inspires ice cream makers today as well as the stability that lets Star Kay White's customers know that the company is to be counted on. "After 125 years of hon- ing a skill, we've gotten pretty good at ice cream.... When we started the original plant, it was for the hand-crank ice cream business – we were making vanilla extract and lemon extract and peppermint extract. In those days, it was very small shops, and it was all hand-cranked." Katzenstein says. "We run a very tight ship. We deliver product on time and in full to some of the biggest food compa- nies in the United States, but they come to us because we're small and creative. Behemoth companies tend not to be cre- ative. There's something about our stabil- ity here that lets the work force be cre- ative." That stability is enhanced by a staff that includes Ben's sons Alex and Gabe Katzenstein and who typically stay with the company for the long term. "Most employees who start here wish to retire here. This is a family values-type place," Katzenstein says. "We've had many immigrants work here, and they have had a great opportunity to move up the eco- nomic chain. Many people who've come here not speaking a word of English have become American citizens, gotten mar- ried, raised their kids and sent them to college. Long-term employees' success stories; I find that the most satisfying part of my job."