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R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s Tu e s d a y, M a y 2 4 , 2 0 1 6 4 0 CAPTAIN KEN'S: SERVING QUALITY FOR 50 YEARS By Mike Traxler, Co-Owner, Captain Ken's Foods, Inc. Great foods often originate in unlikely places. In fact, Captain Ken Freiberg developed his famous Firehouse Oven- Baked Beans while on duty at Firehouse No. 14 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Fifty years later, this signature recipe (plus many oth- ers!) are made with the same attention to detail and commitment to quality. The story of Captain Ken's Foods' began in the summer of 1943, when Ken Freiberg joined the St. Paul, Minnesota fire department. In 1953, he was promot- ed to Captain. As was custom at most fire stations, each fireman took turns cooking meals for his fellow firefighters. Captain Ken's specialty was making oven-baked beans with bacon. Word spread, and peo- ple from the neighborhood would stop by the fire station hoping to sample some of Captain Ken's home cooked oven-baked beans. As Ken's beans grew in popularity, his fellow firefighters urged him to start a business, but Ken wasn't ready to give up life as a firefighter. In 1963, though, he used his two-week vacation to sell his oven-baked beans from a food stand at the Minnesota State Fair. The beans were a big hit! So a few years later in 1967, at age 55, Ken retired early from the fire depart- ment to start Captain Ken's Foods. It did- n't take long for Captain Ken's reputation for making quality food products to grow. Today, Captain Ken's processes and markets a diverse range of premium food products for the foodservice and retail markets. The compa- ny features a broad line of award winning chilies, made from scratch oven-baked beans (not canned!), specialty taco meats, varied flavored macaroni and cheese recipes and more. Other customer favorites include Sloppy Joe Meat Sauce, Tater Tot Casserole, Chicken Pot Pie Filling, Cheesy Hashbrown Potatoes, Spanish Rice and Home-style Chicken Chow Mein. All products are made using premium ingredients and are pre-cooked, then flash frozen to lock in freshness and nutritional value. Captain Ken's Foods is family owned and operated. Products are manufactured at the company's St. Paul, Minnesota facility, which is a USDA- and FDA- inspected and certified plant. Package types range from insti- tutional size one-gallon pouch- es to single serve containers. Products are distributed by national and regional broadline distributors. End-user operators include restaurants, cafeterias, resorts, casinos, caterers, con- venience stores, delis, healthcare facilities, schools and more. All Captain Ken's products offer quality, consistency and value. Employees take great pride in making great tasting food products and continuing the commit- ment to quality that Founder Captain Ken Freiberg started 50 years ago. Try some today and we know you'll be back! For more information, visit www.captain kens.com, call 651.298.0071, contact Mike Traxler mtraxler@captainkens.com or stop by booth #8069. QUICK FLIP PAN IS 2016 KITCHEN INNOVATION AWARD RECIPIENT The QUICK FLIP PAN by Ecomarks Plastics is a recipient of the prestigious 2016 Kitchen Innovations Award by the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show. It is a simple, yet highly effective and much needed solution to the outdated, haz- ardous, costly and inefficient current sys- tem of labeling food. It is a food storage pan that has a permanent embedded tem- plate within the walls of the pan. The QUICK FLIP PAN is made of the same food safe polycarbonate plastic material that is currently used in the industry. It shares all the same characteristics of the current industry pan such as temperature thresholds, durability, clarity and resist- ance properties, and complies with all industry standards. The differentiating factor is the embedded template. The template is permanently embed- ded during the molding process of the pan. It has partnered with DaMar Plastics out of San Diego, California. The tem- plate material is compatible with the polycarbonate pan, making its character- istics just as safe and durable. It includes vibrant industry standard day colors and pertinent information regarding the pan's content. A nontoxic wax pencil, also known as a grease pencil or china mark- er, is used to write directly on the pan over the embedded template. A simple paper towel, cloth or similar is used to wipe off the writing when the pan needs new information. The competitive advantage over the current system of using adhesive labels and regular plastic pan are as follows: The QUICK FLIP PAN provides a solution to eliminate the hazard of critical health code viola- tions due to unclean con- tact surfaces on food storage pans from leftover adhesive. This is a common problem in restaurant kitchens all over the United States. The QUICK FLIP PAN provides best practice measures for con- sumer safety. The QUICK FLIP PAN embedded template is reusable for the lifetime of the pan, allowing establishments to significant- ly reduce or eliminate the expense of labels saving hundreds up to thousands of dollars every year. The result is an increased bot- tom line by way of cost savings. The QUICK FLIP PAN is more functional, resulting in less labor hours, less frustration and improved operational efficiency. Its reusable utility is used with a non-toxic grease pencil as opposed to an ink pen or sharpie. It has the capa- bility to be used under wet conditions and even sub- merged in water. The QUICK FLIP PAN includes the same sizes and depths as the current standard pan: full, half, 1/3, 1/6, 1/9 and is compatible with cur- rent standard lids and drainage shelves. This allows an establishment to only have to replace its food storage pans while saving money on lids and drainage shelves. The embedded template size is sig- nificantly larger than any current label in the market, making writing much easier and with better visibility. It is also cus- tomizable to fit the client's needs. For more information, visit the KI Award Pavilion in the South Hall, booth #2440 or in the Lakeside Center booth #10446. NOT YOUR AVERAGE PIE: HOW TO GET A SLICE ABOVE YOUR PIZZA COMPETITION Pizza is everywhere. It's so loved it could practically be its own food group. With the ever-insatiable demand for the beloved Italian pie, there comes an almost equal number of pizza establish- ments. So here's the real challenge: how can a pizza operation stand out? For starters, you could choose pre- mium toppings with authentic Italian taste, like Fontanini. Its wide variety of pizza toppings ensure your patrons get exactly what they are looking for, from the best tasting pizza to the best value in town. Made from high quality beef and pork products, along with signature spice blends, Fontanini pizza toppings come in a variety of shapes, sizes and appear- ances to customize your pizza experience even more. Fontanini Hand Pulled Style ® Toppings have the look of raw bulk sausage without the work. This easy-to- apply, pizzeria-ready product is made from a deluxe meat block and course ground for distinct eye appeal. For a scratch-made look, try Fontanini's Old Italian Neighborhood Toppings, which have an irregular, non- uniform appearance, making it an ideal pick for authentic but unique pies. Add great flavor to your pizza with Fontanini's Random Chunk-Flat Bottom Toppings. These square and rectangular "pillows" are made from an extra lean meat block and a gentle meat handling process that allows the meat to "plump" when it cooks while forming an outer, crispy texture. Fontanini's Nugget Formed Pizza Toppings are made from whole muscle cuts for a juicy bite. Because of their uni- form appearance, these nuggets are easy to portion-control. For healthier options, try Fontanini Chicken and Turkey Toppings, made from all-natural, non-injected chicken or poultry – a great way to put a new twist on the classic pizza. Fontanini's signature Mamma Ranne's Meatballs and House Recipe Pepperoni are some of Fontanini's most classic and popular pizza toppings, along with its Raw Bulk Italian Sausage Pizza Topping. Fresh-frozen and easy to use, Fontanini Raw Bulk sausage is just like the meats the first pizzerias used in Italy, and continues to be a staple of the Fontanini line of prod- ucts. Be sure to also try Fontanini's all natural and chorizo toppings – great for limited time offers and daily specials. For a full list of Fontanini's authentic, sig- nature meats and for recipes visit www.fontanini.com or call 800.331.MEAT. See new menu concepts from Fontanini at the NRA Show, booth #3201. SANTA CRUZ ORGANIC LAUNCHES NEW PEANUT POWDER Santa Cruz Organic ® brings new innova- tion to the pantry staple with the release of Santa Cruz Organic Peanut Powder. Available in two delicious varieties – Original Peanut Powder and Peanut Powder with Milled Chia Seeds. The new peanut powder offerings also have a re- sealable pouch, making storage easy. Substitute traditional peanut butter with Santa Cruz Organic Peanut Powder in smoothies and favorite peanut butter recipes. With at least 80 percent less fat and 65 percent fewer calories than natural organic peanut butter, Peanut Powder is an option for those looking for delicious peanut flavor without all the fat and calo- ries of traditional peanut butter. Santa Cruz Organic Original Peanut Powder variety also has 7g of protein per serving, and is a tasty addition to any balanced meal. All Santa Cruz Organic products are Certified USDA Organic and Non-GMO Project ® verified. The suggested retail price of Santa Cruz Organic Peanut Powder is $6.49 – $7.49. Santa Cruz Organic Original Peanut Powder and Santa Cruz Organic Peanut Powder with Milled Chia Seeds join more than 60 Santa Cruz Organic products; all made with Certified USDA organic ingredients.