Joe Ferri's Blog Posts Tagged 'Joe' (6)

I was reminded how insular the foodservice equipment and supplies industry can be when I went to a recent meeting. While attending the SFM’s workshop for vendors, I noticed that all talk centered around the procurement of comestibles. Supply chain management for the foodservice contract management firms revolves around their food buys. The purchasing by these largest of end-users pay scant attention, if any, to E&S specifications.

Although this is a mostly proper strategy for…

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A spider is, in and of itself, an unusual thing to deliberately add to a foodservice establishment.   What bugs me is when there are several different “species” on the menu…

Spiders, Spatulas and Speed racks, oh my!  What images do they convey?  If you’re a baker, (AKA a “Dough Hoe”) they might conjure up visions of the fryer skimmers, icing knives and sheet pan racks. A restaurateur could easily imagine them as table bases, burger turners and liquor bottle holders.

Another…

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Is it an impulse or a compulsion that makes you want to eat that soft pretzel? Or is it simply the tangy mustard pumped onto it? Displayed food must look its best when laid out for speed and convenience, even for captive audiences at arenas, stadiums and outdoor entertainment venues.

No matter whether concession fare is pretzels, hot…

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Stay in this business long enough and you’ll end up speaking Kitchen-ese.

For example:



“I need a grill.”

“A griddle or a char broiler?”

“Just a grill.”

“Upright, range-match, counter model or free-standing, flat-top or grate-top, what length, on casters or legs, cast radiants, cast grates, what grid spacing, chrome or cold roll steel, round or scround, grooved or flat, safety pilots, piezo or…

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What are we doing for dinner tonight? It was Friday, in Lent, and we couldn’t have meat.



Trader Joes provided the whole wheat pizza dough, but we needed a topping worthy of the Ruffino Reserva Ducale Chianti Classico that would be opened.



I recalled reading somewhere that traditional Neapolitan pizzerias (“VPN”’s) don’t use what we call “mozzarella” at all. In Italy that cow’s milk cheese is known as fior di latte. Real mozzarella there is all made from buffalo… Continue

Fun in the Foodservice Business.

I've always seen myself as capable of having fun specifying and selling foodservice equipment. Recently, though, I thought that I'd lost my way. A dear friend of mine, who will be retiring in just 28 days reminded me that, just like me, he's still enjoying himself.



How can this be? With less than a month to go? Still flying out to buying group conferences. Still getting home late from meetings. Still in… Continue