These remarks were written to introduce the keynote speaker at a trade show.
Chairman's intro. for Anthony Bourdain
Hello and welcome to the New England Foodservice & Lodging Expo. My name is Dave Celuzza and I'm the Chairman of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
I am very pleased to present the keynote speaker this year, Anthony Bourdain. Anthony hails from New York City. He studied at Vassar College and graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. He has run the kitchens of New York's Supper Club, One Fifth Avenue, and Sullivan's. He is currently the executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles and lives in Manhattan with his wife, Nancy.
In the mid-nineties, Anthony took what he knew from his experiences in the kitchens of New York and wrote a couple of crime novels. But he's probably most famous to fellow restaurateurs for his expose of New York restaurants called, Don't Eat Before Reading This which appeared in the New Yorker in 1999. This served as the basis for his best selling 2002 book, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. This book is a humorous description of all of the back of the house drama that customers never see, but that we all have to deal with at one time or another. It's not always very pretty, but there's never a dull moment, that's for sure.
After writing this book, Anthony traveled the world seeking out "extreme cuisine" to make a 22-part series for Foodnetwork. This led to his next book, A Cook's Tour: In search of the Perfect Meal. His latest work, published in the fall of 2004, is the Les Halles Cookbook. This book is a guide to the strategies and techniques of classic bistro cooking that contains more than 100 recipes from the restaurant. And of course it has that signature Anthony Bourdain humor.
When I read Kitchen Confidential, I could swear this guy must have been standing right behind me sometimes over the years as I learned the restaurant business. I think every restaurateur will identify with something he has to say. He is capable of taking on many roles: mystery novelist, television star, executive chef, and cookbook author. But no matter which role he takes, he's always entertaining. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our keynote speaker, Anthony Bourdain.
Chairman's intro. for Keynote Panel
Good afternoon and welcome to the New England Foodservice & Lodging Show. My name is Dave Celuzza and I'm the Chairman of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association. I've been a member of the MRA for many years and I've come to this tradeshow just about every year. And I have to say that every time I find new products, make new friends and associates, and learn something new that will help me save some money or run my business more efficiently. This year is no exception.
As restaurateurs, we care very deeply about the health and welfare of our customers and employees. When we open our doors to customers, its like we're opening our homes to guests. We want everybody who comes over to feel welcome, happy, glad they came, and sure they'll come again. Part of ensuring that pleasurable experience is providing a safe place to enjoy it.
Food safety is paramount to this industry and the MRA has been very proactive in educating members and the public about this issue. Today, we will be hearing a keynote panel presentation called Food Safety Sells from three industry experts. This panel includes Roger Berkowitz from Legal Sea Foods, Ming Tsai from Blue Ginger, and Dr. Walter Willett, world-famous nutritionist. These three will cover a lot of ground addressing the impact of issues like food safety, nutrition, and food allergies in the restaurant industry.
Roger will discuss Legal's commitment to food safety and how it has affected his business, branding, and overall success. Dr. Willett, author of the best selling book, Eat, Drink and Be Healthy, will discuss the importance of nutrition and give you some quick pointers on eating healthy. Then, the MRA's 2005 Restaurateur of the Year, Ming Tsai, author of cookbooks Blue Ginger, Simply Ming, and Ming's Master Recipes, will address the issue of food allergies and how to create recipes, menus and management systems to meet this emerging challenge of serving food safely to those with food allergies.
Now I'd like to introduce Roger Berkowitz of Legal Sea Foods to get things started.
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