September 2018 Digital Issue

WORLD 

CUISINE 

Uncovering a mosaic 

of diverse flavours 

HIGH ALERT 

How to protect your 

operation from 

cyberattacks 

LABOUR 

SAVERS 

Technology is key 

for overextended 

kitchens 

PLUS 

THE 

COFFEE 

& TEA 

REPORT 

CANADIAN PUBLICATION MAIL PRODUCT SALES AGREEMENT #40063470 

F&H chats with five foodservice execs about 

what it takes to be a successful leader 

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VOLUME 51, NO. 8 | SEPTEMBER 2018 

CONTENTS 

CELEBRATING 

YEARS 

FEATURING: THE 2018 COFFEE & TEA REPORT 

FEATURES 

12 IGNITE AND INSPIRE 

A wrap-up of the 2018 WITHorg summit 

15 LOOKING BACK 

A look back at ethnic-flavour 

trends through the years 

17 HEALTHY WORKPLACE 

How to kick addictions in 

the restaurant industry 

29 

ON THE COVER 

Boston Pizza’s Jordan Holm 

18 HALL OF FAME 

This month’s instalment features 

12 iconic Canadian culinary institutions 

20 GLOBAL FLAVOURS 

Our Food File examines the 

top ethnic cuisines of 2018 

56 

20 

28 THE PANTRY 

F&H highlights jams and jellies 

that are deliciously on trend 

29 LEADERSHIP UNDER 

THE MICROSCOPE 

Top restaurant executives share their 

thoughts on what makes a great leader 

DANIEL ALEXANDER [JORDAN HOLM COVER] 

28 

37 EQUIPMENT TRENDS REPORT 

A look at why versatile tech can be the 

key to managing over-extended kitchens 

45 COFFEE & TEA REPORT 

The Canadian café segment is driven 

by demand for quality experiences 

55 STAYING SHARP 

Tips for protecting your 

restaurant from cyberattacks 

DEPARTMENTS 

2 FROM THE EDITOR 

5 FYI 

11 FROM THE DESK 

OF ROBERT CARTER 

56 CHEF’S CORNER: 

Wayne Kozinko, Hawksworth 

& Bel Café, Vancouver 

FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM 

SEPTEMBER 2018 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY 1

FROM THE EDITOR 

OPENING 

DOORS 

The concept of leadership is fluid and evolves daily, 

meaning the qualities that molded great leaders 

in the past may no longer work in today’s world. 

Furthermore, the topic of leadership continues to garner 

increased attention as market conditions intensify, 

unemployment rates decrease and challenges mount. 

Being a leader is about more than simply being the boss. It’s 

about being a visionary, knowing where your company is headed 

before anyone else does and then convincing the team what 

needs to be done to get there. Being a leader also requires the 

ability to drive results and profits through understanding marketplace 

challenges — all the while innovating the business to keep 

customers coming back. Finally, being an effective leader is also 

about providing guidance when needed. 

You can’t be successful without having a good team in place. 

With low unemployment rates, the continued challenge in this 

industry is how to attract talent. Speak to any operator and they’ll 

admit it’s getting harder to recruit, train and develop employees. 

While a burgeoning millennial cohort is ripe for the picking, 

many of them view the hospitality industry as less than hospitable. 

It behooves leaders to better understand that mindset and 

tap into this demographic to fuel success. 

Leaders will also need to find meaningful 

ways to enable women to enter the marketplace 

more seamlessly and, once in, allow them to 

move fluidly into management roles — this at 

a time when, according to the Business Council 

of British Columbia, there is a “flat-lining of 

women’s participation in the labour market.” As 

authors Denise Mullen and Kristine St. Laurent 

said in an article entitled “Why the Workforce 

Gender Gap Matters to Business,” “Women 

today are better educated than at any time in 

history and yet the participation-rate gap compared 

to men has been essentially constant for 

nearly three decades. This is surprising, given 

that higher education levels normally are associated 

with greater workforce participation and 

a steady attachment to the labour market.” 

Though women and men enter the job market 

in almost equal proportions, “there’s a dropoff 

among women in their prime working years.” Remedying 

this problem would be one of the keys to future success. A 2017 

study by McKinsey Global Institute estimates reducing barriers 

to women’s work in Canada could produce gross-domestic 

product gains of $150 billion to $420 billion over 10 years. And 

as the report says, “A dynamic economy takes full advantage of 

the available pool of talent and seeks to expand the size of the 

productive workforce. A decline in the number of labour-force 

participants — particularly of an increasingly better-educated 

cohort — acts as a brake on the economy.” 

ROSANNA CAIRA rcaira@kostuchmedia.com 

@foodservicemag 

facebook.com/foodservicehospitalitymagazine 

instagram.com/rosannacaira 

NICK WONG, LOCATION PROVIDED BY VIA CIBO 

2 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2018 FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

EST. 1968 | VOLUME 51, NO. 8 | SEPTEMBER 2018 

EDITOR & PUBLISHER ROSANNA CAIRA 

ART DIRECTOR MARGARET MOORE 

MANAGING EDITOR AMY BOSTOCK 

ASSOCIATE EDITOR DANIELLE SCHALK 

SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR JORDAN MAXWELL 

MULTIMEDIA MANAGER DEREK RAE 

GRAPHIC DESIGNER COURTNEY JENKINS 

SOCIAL MEDIA/EVENTS CO-ORDINATOR JHANELLE PORTER 

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER/U.S.A. WENDY GILCHRIST 

ACCOUNT MANAGER MARIA FAMA VIECILI 

ACCOUNT MANAGER ELENA OSINA 

ACCOUNT MANAGER CHERYLL SAN JUAN 

CIRCULATION PUBLICATION PARTNERS 

CONTROLLER DANIELA PRICOIU 

ADVISORY BOARD 

CARA OPERATIONS KEN OTTO 

CRAVE IT RESTAURANT GROUP ALEX RECHICHI 

FAIRFAX FINANCIAL HOLDINGS LIMITED NICK PERPICK 

FHG INTERNATIONAL INC. DOUG FISHER 

FRESHII MATTHEW CORRIN 

JOEY RESTAURANT GROUP BRITT INNES 

KATIE JESSOP REGISTERED DIETITIAN KATIE JESSOP 

LECOURS WOLFSON LIMITED NORMAN WOLFSON 

WELBILT MARY CHIAROT 

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH, SCHOOL OF HOSPITALITY & 

TOURISM MANAGEMENT BRUCE MCADAMS 

SENSORS QUALITY MANAGEMENT DAVID LIPTON 

SOTOS LLP JOHN SOTOS 

SOUTH ST. BURGER CO. JAY GOULD 

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS JUDSON SIMPSON 

THE MCEWAN GROUP MARK MCEWAN 

UNILEVER FOOD SOLUTIONS NORTH AMERICA GINNY HARE 

To subscribe to F&H, visit foodserviceandhospitality.com 

Published 11 times per year by Kostuch Media Ltd., 

23 Lesmill Rd., Suite 404, Toronto, Ont., M3B 3P6. Tel: (416) 447-0888, 

Fax (416) 447-5333, website: foodserviceandhospitality.com. 

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acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, 

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of the Department of Canadian Heritage. 

Printed in Canada on recycled stock.

Thank you 

TO OUR PARTICIPANTS, SPEAKERS & SPONSORS 

The second edition of the Women in Tourism & Hospitality Summit took place on June 25th at the Four Seasons Toronto. 

It was a day of engagement, inspiration and empowerment. As change continues to percolate for women across many industries, 

this year’s conference celebrated women, and men, who are making a difference in the workplace with regard to diversity, pay 

equity and sexual harassment. There may not be as many women in the upper echelon of the restaurant/hotel/tourism industries 

YET, but there is a burgeoning commitment to educate, empower, and challenge the status quo. By Uniting & Igniting women 

and men across this dynamic industry, WITH is committed to being the necessary spark to fuel the change that will 

accelerate women’s careers 

PLATINUM PRESENTING GOLD 

AWARD 

SPONSOR 

WELCOME 

RECEPTION 

BREAKFAST 

MORNING 

COFFEE BREAK 

AFTERNOON 

COFFEE BREAK 

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MONTHLY NEWS AND UPDATES FOR THE FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY 

iSTOCK.COM/HIGHGRADEROOTS [BOTTOM INSET]; SHIRONOSOV [MAIN SMOKING IMAGE]; MOUZE ART [CANNABIS GRAPHIC] 

DINE IN OR 

SMOKE OUT? 

How will impending cannabis legalization impact 

the foodservice industry? BY JORDAN MAXWELL 

A 

decline in alcohol sales, 

a shortage of real estate 

and a small pool from 

which to hire staff are key 

areas restaurant owners 

are focusing on as they look to offset 

the impact of cannabis legalization in 

Canada. Scheduled to take effect on 

October 17, operators are already contemplating 

a variety of ways to keep 

millennials coming to restaurants at a 

time when ghost (delivery-only) restaurants 

and delivery apps are becoming 

increasingly popular. 

“This will be a $5- to $6-billion 

industry with cannabis, so that will 

put more pressure on consumer 

spending and it could come out of the 

restaurant pool,” says Robert Carter, 

executive director of the NPD Group 

in Toronto. “[Millennials] represent 

the largest share of restaurant consumers 

today…so even if a small percentage 

are diverting their spending 

from restaurants to cannabis, it will 

impact business.” 

Carter says overall restaurant traffic 

has been flat, adding there are many 

It’s going to 

take years 

before cannabis 

is accepted as 

commonplace 

as alcohol is, 

where you can 

talk about it 

freely, consume 

it without 

judgment or 

fear of judgment 

from people 

and where 

people get over 

the novelty of 

it being so 

available 

CHAD FINKELSTEIN, 

DALE & LESSMANN 

reasons for people to stay home and 

order take-out rather than dining at a 

full-service restaurant. 

“The delivery aspect is going to 

benefit [from cannabis legalization] 

because people have more reason to 

stay at home,” he says. 

Chad Finkelstein, a franchise lawyer 

at Dale & Lessmann LLP in Toronto, 

says restaurateurs could find it even 

harder to retain employees as they 

migrate to the cannabis industry in 

search of more money and better 

opportunities. 

“That’s a very real risk for restaurants 

— operators are going to have a 

much harder time finding and retaining 

people,” Finkelstein says. “In light 

of increases to minimum wage, how 

much more can restaurants afford to 

pay anybody?” 

Legalization also raises liability concerns 

for licensed establishments. “If 

[a] patron, impaired by cannabis consumption, 

were served one or more 

alcoholic beverages and subsequently 

caused property damage, personal 

injury or even death, could the establishment 

that served the alcohol be 

liable?” Finkelstein questions. 

It remains to be seen how provincial 

governments will handle not only 

regulations, but also education surrounding 

edibles. Still, Finkelstein says 

there’s an opportunity for restaurants 

to capitalize in markets that allow 

alcohol and edibles to be used in the 

same location. 

In Manitoba, the PC government opted to ban the sale of alcohol and marijuana in one place, making it 

illegal in public spaces. Bill 25 was introduced to prevent smoking and vaping cannabis in outdoor public 

spaces such as restaurant patios and decks. Fines will range from $100 to $1,000. 



NORTH 44 CLOSES 

Acclaimed Toronto finedining 

restaurant North 

44 has closed. The restaurant, 

which has operated 

for 28 years, was Chef 

Mark McEwan’s first 

independent restaurant 

and helped launch what is 

now The McEwan Group. 

“I will look back on North 

44 fondly,” says McEwan. 

“North 44 has seen some 

incredible talent over the 

years and I have made 

many life-long friends. I 

owe North 44’s success to 

our hard-working team, 

our loyal customers and to 

the Toronto community,” he adds. “I learned a lot from North 44, but want to continue to look 

forward.” The closure coincides with several additions to The McEwan Group portfolio, including 

Canadian two outposts Trade of Ad Fabbrica 081118 HR.pdf Restaurant 1 (at 8/13/18 the TD 4:15 Centre PM in Toronto and in Thornbury, Ont.) 

and a McEwan Gourmet Grocery at the intersection of Yonge and Bloor streets. 

COMING 

EVENTS 

SEPT 27-29 Toronto Oktoberfest, 

Ontario Place. Tel: 416-540-7933; email: 

info@torontooktoberfest.ca; website: 

torontooktoberfest.ca 

OCT. 2 Restaurant Realities Redefined, 

Hyatt Regency Toronto. Tel: 647-723-7736; 

website: npdgroup.ca 

OCT 24-28 8th Annual Devour! The Food Film 

Fest, Wolfville, N.S. Tel: 902-489-4796; email: 

lia@devourfest.com; website: devourfest.com 

NOV. 30 The 30th Annual Pinnacle Awards, 

Toronto, Fairmont Royal York Tel: 416-447-0888 

ext. 235; email: dpricoiu@kostuchmedia.com; 

website: kostuchmedia.com 

FOR MORE EVENTS VISIT 

http://bit.ly/FHevents

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RESTOBUZZ 

M’Eat Resto Butcher 

Kabir Kapoor and chef Jason Morris have opened a new Old Montreal 

dining spot, Pastel. Featuring a brand new 75-seat space that has 

undergone extensive renovation, chefs de cuisine Daiki Wajima and Louie 

Deligianis will oversee the kitchen...Three former staff from popular 

downtown Montreal restaurant, Bouillon Bilk, have opened Hélicoptère. 

The restaurant, located in Montreal on Ontario East, features dishes such 

as halibut gravlax with almond and cherries, sea bass and veal dishes. 

Hélicoptère boasts a next-door café, Helico, as well, that focuses on 

coffee, pastries, sandwiches and other lunch fare...The Fortunate Fox 

has debuted as part of the newly opened Kimpton Saint George Hotel in 

Toronto... Executive chef Cam Nelson has launched his new farm-to-table 

concept, M’Eat Resto Butcher, on Toronto’s Queen St. E. During the day, the 

butcher shop will operate with Nelson at the helm, with all meat sourced 

and hand-selected locally and butchered on the premises. For lunch, 

Nelson will showcase different cuts and breads at the meat-tasting bar, 

with a daily selection of sandwiches available for dine-in or take-out. On 

weekends, M’Eat will showcase chef de cuisine Rudy Boquila’s meatforward 

brunch and in the evening there will be a selection of tartare and 

duck confit. Fleur De Sel, an award-winning, fine-dining French restaurant 

in Lunenburg, N.S., will close its doors this fall after 15 years. 

Opening a new restaurant? Let us in on the buzz 

Send a high-res image, menu and background information about the new establishment to jmaxwell@kostuchmedia.com 

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REDEFINING 

RESTAURANT 

SUCCESS 

servers. The menu serves up the classics 

including a dynamite roll, gyoza and deepfried 

squid...Regina’s last Burger Baron 

Restaurant has closed due to financial 

REVISION: 0 DATE: MAY 15 , 2018 

pressures after a 58-year run. Owner 

James McDonnell cited overdevelopment 

and higher traffic as contributing to the 

for their loyalty to the brand over the 

closure. Management thanked customers 

cider made on site. 

years... Ignite Restaurant Group is set to 

reopen former Conestogo, Ont. landmark, 

the Black Forest Inn. The European 

DOCKET: XXXX CLIENT: McCormicks COLOUR: CMYK 

smokehouse is scheduled to open in early 

PROJECT: French's Table Top TRIM SIZE: 4.625” x 7. 5” 

DESCRIPTION: Kostuch - Half Page Island Ad - ENGLISH 

2019 and will house the restaurant group’s 

BLEED SIZE: n/a 

CONTACT: Barbara MacDonald DATE REQUIRED: 2018 LIVE AREA: n/a 

Brand Culture Marketing & Promotions 

14-5250 Satellite Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 5G5 

T: 905 361 0305 F: 905 629 9305 

head office and a retail outlet featuring 

® 

On October 2, 250 industry executives are 

expected to come together for Restaurant 

Realities Redefined at the Hyatt Regency 

Toronto. The exclusive event dedicated to 

revealing deep insights and new opportunities 

for the restaurant industry 

features input from several of the industry’s 

top CEOs on topics ranging from 

financing to the impact of cannabis in 

foodervice. Presented by CWB Franchise 

Finance and The NPD Group, this fusion 

of the well-respected Canadian Restaurant 

Investment Summit (CRIS) and 

the Canadian Foodservice Summit, was 

developed in partnership with 

The Toronto Stock Exchange and 

Foodservice and Hospitality magazine as 

media sponsor. 

IN BRIEF 

Kinton Ramen has announced plans to 

expand its Montreal portfolio, adding two 

new locations in the coming months. The 

Toronto-based restaurant chain opened 

its first Montreal location two years ago 

and has since found its niche with its 

classic pork, vegetarian and chicken ramen 

dishes. The second location will open in 

September at 4090 Sainte-Catherine W, 

near Atwater metro station...The first 

bullet-train sushi bar in Calgary, Point 

Sushi, is serving up sushi in the former 

Sakana Grill space in Chinatown. The 

Japanese sushi bar features a bullet-train 

delivery system instead of restaurant 

High quality and great 

tasting products – from 

the kitchen to the 

tabletop, all in one 

convenient caddy. 

Leading brands on 

your tabletop say a lot. 

Contact us to get started. 

askus@frenchsfoodservice.ca 

www.frenchsfoodservice.ca 

1.866.428.0119 

*Reg. TM McCormick Canada. ®Reg. TM The French’s Food Company LLC. Used under licence. 



PEOPLE 

Shen Ousmand 

is the new 

chef of the 

Aga Khan 

Museum’s 

restaurant, 

Diwan in 

Toronto. 

Trained in classical French cuisine and 

North-American techniques, the Sri 

Lankan-born chef has been with the 

McEwan Group since he was a young cook 

and most recently served as executive chef 

at McEwan, running the grocery store’s 

kitchen and overseeing the catering division 

SUPPLY SIDE 

Les Agences Dinco is the new 

manufacturer’s representative in 

Quebec for KitchenAid Commercial, 

effective July 1. Les Agences Dinco is an 

independent manufacturer’s rep group 

that services the foodservice industry 

in the province of Quebec and eastern 

Ontario, providing product information, 

sales and customer support for the 

manufacturers it represents...ChefHero 

— a Toronto-based online marketplace 

that enables restaurants to purchase 

wholesale produce, meats, artisanal foods 

and supplies — has officially launched 

its first U.S. location in Chicago. The 

company secured $12.6 million in funding 

from investors, including Chicago’s 

Math Venture Partners. Users of the free 

ChefHero app also benefit from significant 

savings with group buying power, 

otherwise not available to them, and the 

ability to compare and monitor pricing in 

real time.

FROM THE DESK OF ROBERT CARTER 

EARLY 

SUCCESS 

The breakfast daypart continues to be 

a key driver of restaurant sales growth 

iSTOCK.COM/BHOFACK2 [HEARTY BREAKFAST SANDWICH ON A BAGEL] 

We’ve all heard the adage 

that breakfast is the most 

important meal of the day. 

But when life gets hectic, it’s 

often the most ignored one. 

For many of us, breakfast means grabbing 

something quick, simple and convenient during 

the morning rush — or simply skipping 

the meal altogether. 

Not surprisingly, foodservice operators 

have honed in on this dilemma. Over the last 

few years, there’s been significant innovation 

within the breakfast daypart — in many cases 

this means health-conscious, quick, convenient 

and affordable offerings. 

According to NPD’s CREST foodservicemarket 

research, breakfast traffic and consumer 

spending at breakfast have increased 

consistently over the last five years. In fact, 

consumer spending on breakfast this past 

quarter was the highest it has been since Q1 

of 2016. This growth has been 

TOP FIVE 

BREAKFAST-FOOD 

CATEGORIES 

1 Breakfast 

Sandwiches 

2 Eggs 

3 Hash Browns/ 

Home Fries 

4 Bacon/ 

Sausage 

5 Bagels 

driven mainly by quick-service restaurants 

and casual-dining establishments. 

Operators have taken 

notice of the emerging popularity 

of breakfast and are now offering a 

variety of options to cater to timestrapped 

consumers. Furthermore, 

the last three quarters have shown 

an increase in average eater checks 

at breakfast after four quarters of 

steady declines in 2016 and 2017. 

NPD data suggests that 

breakfast sandwiches are the 

top-growing food category across Canada. 

Consumption of breakfast sandwiches is up to 

700 million annually in Canada, an eight-percent 

increase over 

last year, according 

to The NPD Group. 

Many QSR operators, 

such as Tim Hortons 

and McDonald’s, 

have contributed 

to this growth, as 

they’ve continuously 

introduced 

new breakfast 

sandwiches and 

innovative spin offs 

— including wraps, 

bagels and pastries. 

Consumers are 

also showing a preference 

for “grab-andgo” 

at breakfast. Offpremise 

occasions have increased by seven per 

cent year-over-year, now making up 43 per 

cent of all breakfast occasions. 

Clearly this is another example 

of consumers taking advantage 

of innovative new products that 

are quick to prepare, easy-to-eat 

and budget friendly. 

And, finally, no discussion 

around the breakfast daypart 

would be complete without first 

touching on the emergence of 

what might be the hottest new 

trend in foodservice — all-day 

breakfast. As we’ve seen over 

the last year, this is a trend that 

many operators have embraced. And, while 

it’s too early to determine how this trend 

will impact the industry overall, we’ve seen a 

tendency for consumers to turn to breakfast 

items more often as an afternoon snack or as 

a fourth meal during the day. How will the 

growth of this new expanded category impact 

other dayparts? Only time will tell. However, 

one thing is certain — the growth in breakfast 

and its overall popularity shows that operators 

are doing their best to cater to the emerging 

demands of consumers. FH 

Robert Carter is executive 

director, Foodservice Canada, 

with the NPD Group Inc. He 

can be reached at robert. 

carter@npd.com for questions 

regarding the latest 

trends and their impact on 

the foodservice business. 



WOMEN IN TOURISM & HOSPITALITY 

Johanne 

Bélanger, 

president and 

CEO, Tourism 

Toronto, 

receiving the 

Katie Taylor 

Economic 

Empowerment 

Award 

Annual WITHorg 

summit brings 

together hospitality, 

tourism professionals 

to move the needle 

on gender equality 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARGARET MULLIGAN 

THE SECOND-ANNUAL Women in Tourism and Hospitality 

(WITHorg) summit was held June 25 at the Four Seasons 

Hotel, Toronto. More than 270 industry professionals — 

double the number from last year’s event — gathered for 

the day-long conference and workshop hybrid to share 

ideas, network and empower women to move the needle on 

gender equality in the hospitality and tourism sectors. 

Rosanna Caira 

(left) and Roz 

Winegrad, 

Marriott Hotels 

and Resorts 

Bonnie Strome, GM Park Hyatt Toronto 

Keynote speaker 

Johanna Maska, 

CEO of Global 

Situation Room Inc. 

(from left) Reetu Gupta, Johanna Maska, Juanita Dickson 

(from left) Susie Grynol, Lucie 

Guillemette, Anne Larcade 

(from left) Kelsey 

Cole, Angelo Dodaro, 

Elizabeth Dunn-Boylen 

Beata Cieplik, IHG

SLUG HERE 

Michelle Dias, 

IHG (left) and 

Sabrina Bhangoo, 

Marriott Hotels; 

(below) Reetu 

Gupta leads 

a meditation 

Shelmina Abji, former VP at 

IBM and current advisory 

board member for Girl Up 

Anna Chartres, 

AccorHotels 

WITHorg’s Honorary 

Chair Katie Taylor 

Rosanna Caira 

(right) and 

Anne Larcade, 

co-founders, 

WITHorg 

Don Cleary, 

president 

and CEO of 

Marriott Hotels 

of Canada 

Lucie Guillemette 

(right) presented this 

lucky winner with two 

Air Canada tickets 

anywhere in the world 

Luncheon keynote 

speaker, Marie 

Henein, senior 

partner at Henein 

Hutchison, LLP 

Heidi Welker, 

Freeman 

Audio Visual 



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LOOKING BACK 

ANNIVERSARY 

iSTOCK.COM/HALFPOINT [BEERSTEIN GAL]; MICHAEL BURRELL [CHINESE TAKE OUT BOX]; PRESSDIGITAL [CHINESE FORTUNE COOKIES]; HELEN_FIELD [JAPANESE TRADITIONAL PAINTING]; ZOOM-ZOOM [PISA TOWER]; AHIRAO_PHOTO [RAMEN DISH]; -SLAV- [CHOPSTICKS]; 

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BRINGING THE 

WORLD TO CANADA 

Canadians’ ever-expanding palates 

have gradually grown accustomed to 

a wide range of global flavours 

BY DANIELLE SCHALK 

1970s 

1976 

As the thriving independent 

restaurant scene 

of the 1970s put increasing 

emphasis on theme 

and atmosphere, 

national themes including 

German, Japanese 

and Italian began to 

emerge as burgeoning 

specialized concepts for 

both new and remodelled 

restaurants. 

1987 

A 1987 Gallup survey found the 

vast majority of Canadians (86 

per cent) had eaten Chinese 

food in a restaurant — ahead of 

Italian (78 per cent), French (48 

per cent) and Mexican cuisines 

(40 per cent) — while 48 per cent 

identified it as their favourite 

ethnic food. 

1990 

Chinese restaurants are a 

deeply engrained part of 

Canada’s food culture. In 

1990, there were more than 

1,600 Chinese restaurants 

in Ontario alone. However, 

by the ’90s, Canadians were 

gaining an appreciation and 

understanding of the cuisine 

that moved beyond the 

superficial relationship that 

existed in previous decades. 

1980s 1990s 2000s 

By the new millennium, noodle bowls had become 

a popular comfort food among Canadians. 

Udon, ramen, pho, Pad Thai and yakisoba 

were becoming increasingly familiar and a 

low price point helped ensure 

their appeal. In fact, 

the Chinese/Oriental/ 

Stir Fry category 

was featured on The 

Canadian Restaurant 

and Foodservice 

Association’s (now 

Restaurants Canada) 

list of Top-10 Foods 

in 1999. 

2000 

By the 

year 2000, 

Thai, Indian and 

Middle-Eastern food were 

approaching the mainstream, 

while more upscale offerings 

of Mexican and Caribbean 

cuisines — which were already 

widely accepted — were 

beginning to crop up in major 

centres. At the same time, 

Malaysian, Mongolian and 

Filipino cuisine also started 

making inroads in Canada. 



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HEALTHY WORKPLACE 

BREAK TIME 

Kicking addictions in the restaurant industry 

BY SARAH B. HOOD 

iSTOCK.COM/NALIDSA SUKPRASERT 

Unpredictable schedules, night 

work, a fast-paced environment, 

unrelenting pressure and access 

to the best food and drinks: the 

very features that draw people into 

the foodservice industry are also a recipe for 

substance-abuse issues. 

“There have been a number of studies conducted 

in the U.S. and Australia [that show] 

the hospitality industry is one of the industries 

at higher risk,” says Shawna Meister, a 

research and policy analyst at the Ottawabased 

Canadian Centre on Substance Use 

and Addiction. 

“There are a few factors,” she says. “The 

hospitality industry is [made up of] shift 

work, where you do tend to see higher use of 

substances. The second important reason is 

the environment: if you’re working at a bar or 

nightclub, you’re going to be exposed to more 

substances, such as alcohol or drugs. Also 

related is the transient nature of the industry; 

it tends to have more young adults and that 

age group tends to be at a higher risk of substance 

use.” 

“It’s a place where people with issues and 

addictive personalities like to go,” comments 

Stuart Whyte, chef and owner of Edmonton’s 

Original Redhead Condiments. “It’s a highstress 

environment and, to get through it, 

sometimes people feel it’s necessary 

to indulge.” 

In 2016, Whyte created a project called 

Food for Thoughts with Dan Letourneau, 

who currently serves as chef-consultant 

at Ocean Odyssey Inland in Edmonton. 

Originally conceived to address men’s mental 

health in general, the project became a forum 

to discuss addiction and mental health in restaurants 

specifically. 

“We shouldn’t be holding people’s hands 

about these issues. We need to help guide 

them, but we also need to let them find their 

own answers, because someone else’s answers 

may not work for you,” says Whyte. “Dan 

and I both struggled with our own issues and 

we’re still battling [them]. The more I talk 

about it and make it real and almost physical, 

the easier time I have finding solutions to my 

own issues.” 

For individuals seeking help, the first step 

is “understanding what the risks are — getting 

the right information,” says Meister. 

“Often people aren’t aware of the risks or 

think they don’t apply to them. Another 

helpful tip is being with peers who are likeminded, 

having that kind of support.” 

For employers and managers, she says it’s 

about “educating their employees on the facts. 

Most businesses say if you establish a workplace 

culture where you don’t accept substance 

use, but also don’t stigmatize people 

who are affected by [it], they have the most 

success.” She notes that professional associations, 

community agencies and employeeassistance 

programs can also be helpful. 

“One of the resources we wanted to create 

with Food for Thoughts was a list that would 

be mandatory in every restaurant of all the 

addiction centres and at-cost resource centres 

for mental health and addictions and counsellors,” 

Whyte says. 

“I’m a strong proponent of communication,” 

he adds. “If you have an issue, the worst 

thing you can do is hide it.” FH 



As part of F&H ’s 50 th anniversary, we’re highlighting 50 indi 

In this instalment, we feature 12 culinary schoo 

Holland College’s Culinary Institute 

of Canada, Charlottetown, P.E.I. 

Students at The Culinary Institute of Canada use 

fresh local ingredients from the island’s farms 

and fisheries. Recently, the school earned two 

gold medals and a fourth overall placement at the 

IKA Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany. 

The Southern Alberta Institute 

of Technology (SAIT), Calgary 

SAIT began as the Provincial Institute of 

Technology and Art (PITA) in 1916. The first publicly 

funded technical institute in Canada, it was 

renamed SAIT In 1960. SAIT offers a one-year 

Culinary Entrepreneurship program. 

Canadian Food and Wine Institute 

at Niagara College, Niagara-onthe-Lake, 

Ont. 

With 40 acres of teaching vineyards, hop yards 

and organic gardens, this 40-year-old institute 

offers a variety of programs covering beer, wine 

and culinary innovation. 

Centennial College School 

of Hospitality, Tourism and 

Culinary Arts, Toronto 

Led by dean Joe Baker, the program has grown 

to new heights. The school celebrated its 50th 

anniversary in 2017 and recently opened a 

350,000-sq.-ft. hospitality centre that houses 

more than 700 students. 

Pacific Institute of 

Culinary Arts, Vancouver 

Vancouver’s leading culinary school has been 

a training ground for pastry chefs since 1997. 

Recently, the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts was 

named the Best Professional Cooking School of 

2018 by the Georgia Straight, a Vancouver-area 

publication. 

Stratford Chefs School, 

Stratford, Ont. 

Founded in 1983 by James Morris, Joseph Mandel 

and Eleanor Kane, the school ran as a private, nonprofit 

institution operating out of the kitchens of 

Rundles and the Old Prune. Last year, the school 

moved to a new facility to accommodate the 70 

students who attend its two-year program. 


viduals, companies and institutions that have shaped the foodservice landscape. 

ls producing Canada’s next generation of chefs 

Humber College School 

of Hospitality, Recreation 

and Tourism, Toronto 

This culinary school been teaching an extensive 

range of cooking, baking and management skills 

since 1982. As part of a student’s training, they 

will also work in the 120-seat Humber Room. 

Red River College, Winnipeg 

Opened in 1938, the college is known for its rich 

culture and Indigenous history. The school is 

preparing to introduce an Indigenous Culinary 

Skills Certificate in an effort to promote Aboriginal 

cuisine. Famous graduates include Gordon Bailey, 

who opened Lot 30 in P.E.I. in 2008. 

University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont. 

The School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism 

Management has a 47-year legacy of preparing 

students for careers in the foodservice and hospitality 

industry. Programs include the opportunity 

to study abroad for a semester or work for a year 

through its co-op program. 

The Northern Alberta Institute of 

Technology in Edmonton, Alta. 

NAIT opened its doors in 1962. Graduates of its 

Culinary Arts program work around the world in 

hotels, restaurants, resorts and catering companies. 

In 2009, NAIT introduced the Hokanson 

Chef-in-Residence Program with celebrity Chef 

Rob Feenie. 

George Brown School of Hospitality 

and Culinary Arts, Toronto 

George Brown’s culinary program was one of the 

first in Canada and is one of the longest-running 

— boasting famous alumni such as Mark McEwan 

and Jamie Kennedy. Its Chef’s House restaurant 

has molded and prepared students for decades. 

Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie 

du Québec (ITHQ), Montreal 

For more than 45 years, ITHQ has specialized in 

tourism, hospitality, foodservice and sommelier 

training. ITHQ is about to open the Hospitality 

Industry Innovation Centre, a research and 

development facility. 



FOOD FILE 

Authentic Middle- 

Eastern cuisine 

offers a healthy 

dining choice 

THE LATEST TRENDS 

IN ETHNIC FOODS 

UNCOVER A MOSAIC 

OF DIVERSE FLAVOURS 

STORY BY JANINE KENNEDY 


iSTOCK.COM/MILKOS [HUMMUS WITH VEGETABLES AND SEAFOOD, JAPANESE-STYLE FOOD] 

Canadians can’t get 

enough of ethnic 

foods. Sushi, spicy 

samosas and chicken 

shawarma have 

become mainstays 

in the majority of 

Canadians’ takeaway 

repertoire 

over the years. 

Robert Carter, industry analyst 

and executive director of Foodservice 

with Toronto-based NPD Group, 

maintains there are several components 

that have contributed to the 

rise in popularity of ethnic cuisines 

in this country. “Canada is an ethnically 

diverse nation and a lot of 

our population growth comes from 

immigration,” he explains. “We have 

a continued increase in different cultures 

and this plays into the ethnic 

trends we see.” 

An example of this could be the 

exponential rise in popularity of 

beloved Filipino fast-casual chain 

Jollibee, whose business model 

includes opening locations where 

large groups of Filipinos have 

immigrated. As home to the largest 

Filipino population in Canada by 

percentage, Winnipeg was also home 

to the first two Jollibee restaurants 

in Canada in 2017. In 2018, a third 

location opened in Scarborough, 

ASIAN INFLUENCE 

Japanese izakaya-style 

dining has grown in 

popularity in Canada 



FOOD FILE 

Popular 

Filipino 

dessert 

halo halo 

followed by fourth in Mississauga, Ont. 

At the opening of each Canadian 

Jollibee location, crowds — mostly Filipino 

— lined up overnight to be among the first 

to get a taste of home. Others, intrigued by 

the brand’s enormous reputation — featuring 

celebrities such as the late Anthony 

Bourdain singing its praises — wanted to 

try the food for themselves. 

Jose Miñana, JFC North America 

Ingredient 

Spotlight: Ube 

Purple yam (called ube in The 

Philippines) is a versatile ingredient 

in many ethnic cuisines, but has 

recently made waves in Canada with 

the rising popularity of Filipino food. 

Ube can be eaten boiled, baked or 

made into a variety of desserts. Its 

low-key sweetness makes it ideal 

for flavouring pastries, cake and ice 

cream. Ube is considered an essential 

component of halo halo — a 

famous Filipino shaved-ice dessert. 

group president, is genuinely delighted by 

Canada’s reaction to their restaurants. “We 

have been so thrilled by the level of excitement 

for Jollibee’s [Canadian]openings 

from Filipinos and locals alike,” he says. 

“Two months after our Scarborough opening, 

there were still lines forming outside 

the store with our customers waiting for 

over an hour just to get a taste of Jollibee.” 

The frenzied success of the Jollibee franchise 

in Canada speaks to two major flavour 

trends — incorporating snack/street food 

and the more ethnically specific “islandcuisine” 

trend, which includes the flavours 

of the Asian Southeast and Pacific islands. 

Filipino flavours such as vinegar and 

bay-laden adobo and ube (sweet purple 

yam) are significantly different in profile 

from other Southeast-Asian cuisines and, 

currently, North America can’t get enough 

of them. Popular menu items at Jollibee 

include its sweet-style ham-and-sausage 

spaghetti ($5.99); Palabok Fiesta — rice 

noodles with pork, shrimp and dried fish 

flakes ($6.99); Chickenjoy — fried chicken 

served with rice and savoury gravy 

($7.99); and the peach-mango pie ($2.49). 

There is a plan in place for Jollibee’s 

continued Canadian expansion, with an 

additional 100 restaurants slated to open 

over the next five years. Miñana maintains 

that Jollibee is very much committed to 

the Canadian market. 

“Our aggressive expansion plan across 

Canada and North America is part of our 

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overarching goal to be among the top-five 

restaurant brands globally,” he says. 

“We are continually looking at expansion 

opportunities in Toronto and Ontario. 

Cities such as Calgary, Edmonton and 

Vancouver are other areas we are exploring.” 

While Jollibee’s Filipino-comfort-food 

model has been well received, other fastcasual 

chains are incorporating more 

exotic flavours into their everyday menus. 

Carter says Canadians, in particular, are 

motivated by food innovation, which has 

encouraged many larger brands to broaden 

their flavour-horizons. 

“Now everybody’s trying to figure 

out the flavours to use to spice up some 

(existing) menu items,” he says. “It’s really 

a good-news story because these stronger 

flavour profiles are actually helping drive 

innovation in the foodservice industry.” 

INSPIRED BY DIVERSITY 

As Carter explains, it’s not just Canadian 

immigration that has made such an impact 

on ethnic-inspired food trends. He says 

Canadians from all walks of life are inspired 

by our diversity and, as a result, are more 

willing to try new foods and flavours. 

“A lot of the demand and growth is 

from the global-food awareness that’s 

taking place (in Canada),” he explains. 

“Consumers are more educated about the 

food they’re eating and they’re seeking out 

stronger flavour profiles.” 

While millennials remain the largest 

percentage of the population to dine out, 

it’s not just this age group driving the need 

for stronger flavours and new dining experiences. 

Baby boomers are just as adventurous 

in their food preferences and shouldn’t 

be overlooked by food professionals. 

“We have a much more exploratory 

demographic in the baby boomers,” Carter 

continues. “When they were younger, like 

the millennials today, they also changed 

the dynamic.” 

When Yoshinori Kitahara opened the 

first Guu Izakaya location in 1997 on 

Thurlow St. in Vancouver, locals weren’t 

prepared for such an authentic Japanese 

food experience. Now, Guu is a household 

name throughout the city and boasts an 

additional location in Toronto. 

At any of the six Guu locations, the dining 

experience is loud and fun. The food, 

which was considered strange when Guu 

first opened, is true Japanese soul food 

— perfect for pairing with cold glasses of 

Sapporo beer and shots of sake. The menu 

changes regularly, but retains street food 

and regional specialties such as okonomiyaki 

(savoury cabbage pancake, $8) and 

takoyaki (fried octopus ball, $7). 

Before 2000, izakaya-style dining in 

Canada wasn’t well known. Now, thanks 

largely to the Guu restaurant empire, izakaya 

— or bar-food-style Japanese dining 

— has become trendy and relatively common 

in urban Canada. 

According to Guu’s head of Marketing, 

Yasumi Yajima, authentic Japanese izakaya 

flavours originally took time to catch on 

with the mainstream Canadian public. 

“In the beginning of Guu’s journey to 

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FOOD FILE 

spread izakaya culture, it was not easy to 

get customers to understand exactly what 

iakaya food and culture was,” she says. “It 

wasn’t just the food, either — it was the 

way Japanese people drink sake and beer by 

sharing otsumami (bar snacks) with another 

group of people, or the next table. It’s a 

bit different from the way people drink in 

North America.” 

Yajima says Canadian multiculturalism 

and open-mindedness was a large reason 

why Guu eventually became so popular. 

“When we started, people knew what sushi, 

tempura and teriyaki were, but they had 

no idea about karaage or udon noodles,” 

she notes. 

THE STORY OF FOOD 

Guu’s popularity was the starting point for 

one of the major ethnic-food trends we see 

today. People are no longer looking 

for “Indian” food or “Japanese” food — 

they are interested in sub-categories of 

these and other types of ethnic cuisine, 

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scallops, clams and octopus 

whether it’s a regional categorization (such 

as Southern-Chinese restaurants that specialize 

in Hainanese chicken rice) or a cultural 

categorization, such as izakaya-style 

bar foods. 

Carter says this trend can be largely 

attributed to globalization and the fact 

that most Canadian citizens are now welltravelled. 

“The consumer’s understanding 

of regional cuisine is much broader than it 

used to be,” he explains. “Canadians, now, 

are much more educated and understanding 

[of new and different types of cuisine].” 

In this light, he maintains foodservice 

operators have a unique opportunity to be 

more strategic in their output. “When you 

travel around the world, you begin to see 

exactly how young our country is,” he says. 

“With continued growth from immigration, 

so many people have now put their 

stamp on Canadian culture — and today, 

above all else, people want a story along 

with their food.” 

For restaurateur Victor Bouzide, who 

founded Vancouver-based Lebanese restaurant, 

Nuba, in 2003, opening a restaurant 

was an attempt to celebrate his grandmother’s 

recipes. Middle-Eastern flavours, 

such as ras al hanout, tahini, rosewater and 

za’atar, are currently popular, but Middle- 

Eastern dishes also help maintain a healthy 

lifestyle through its largely plant-based 

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FOOD FILE 

TASTE OF HOME Vancouver’s Nuba boasts 

authentic Middle-Eastern favourites 

ingredients. There are more vegan options 

for diners who eat out at Middle-Eastern 

restaurants; while the few meat options on 

offer are generally spit-roasted or grilled. At 

Nuba, the organic produce used is sourced 

as locally as possible, 

food is made fresh to 

order and the meats 

are all hormone-free 

and halal. 

Michael Mann, 

Nuba’s head of PR and 

Marketing, believes the 

healthfulness and fresh, 

abundant flavours of 

Middle-Eastern cuisine 

is what makes it popular. 

“In addition to having 

a large, vibrant Middle- 

Eastern community in 

Vancouver, the people 

that live here lead very 

active and healthy lifestyles,” he explains. 

“Healthy eating is in the DNA of Middle- 

Eastern cuisine — many of our most popular 

dishes are vegan, vegetarian or gluten 

free — so regardless of age, taste, lifestyle, 

or dietary considerations, guests will always 

find something delicious to eat at Nuba.” 

With fresh offerings such as traditional 

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fattoush (chunky vegetable salad with 

chickpeas and pita, $13), chicken tawook 

(grilled chicken with traditional garlic 

sauce, $16.50) and malfouf (Lebanese 

cabbage rolls with minced lamb, $15.50), 

Nuba maintains a massive following of 

Vancouverites who not only care about 

their health, but about where the food on 

their plates came from. “There’s an abundance 

of great farms nearby, so it’s never 

a problem getting local ingredients to prepare 

our dishes,” Mann explains. 

Even with its modern outlook on 

Lebanese food, Nuba still treasures its 

roots and the story its food tells. “The 

recipes on our menu come from the 

grandmother of our founder and date 

back to the 1800s,” Mann explains. “Over 

time, these recipes have travelled and 

changed to become a beautiful mix of 

traditional and contemporary cuisine. 

The spirit of tradition runs deep at Nuba 

— but not at the expense of our desire to 

provide guests with new and exciting dining 

experiences.” FH 

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THE PANTRY 

Your Perfect Kitchen Partner... 

It does it all! 

Canadian jams and jellies 

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BY JANINE KENNEDY 

Combination Processors : 

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23 discs and 3 knives 

IF YOU’RE AFTER: floral notes 

TRY: Verbena Blue Jam by Tangled Garden ($12/250ml) 

Based in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, from the road 

Tangled Garden is just that — a house seemingly lost 

within a beautifully tangled garden. Venture inside for the 

many herbal-centric products on offer, including this wild 

blueberry jam with an understated floral backdrop. 

IF YOU’RE AFTER: seamless flavour-pairing 

TRY: Peach and Orange Blossom Jam from 

Kitten and the Bear ($12/260ml) 

Toronto-based Kitten and the Bear boasts many more 

impactful flavour combinations, but this one takes the cake. 

IF YOU’RE AFTER: ethnic flair 

TRY: Quince and Rose-Petal Jelly from Prince Edward Island 

Preserve Company ($8.95/175ml) 

The Prince Edward Island Preserve Company gets rave customer 

reviews for its imported and homemade boutique 

preserves. This quince and rose-petal jelly will bring an 

exotic taste of the Middle East to any cheese board. 

IF YOU’RE AFTER: 

free-from 

sweetness 

TRY: Berrylicious Jam by 

Preserved BC Sunshine 

($8.50/190ml) 

Preserved BC Sunshine makes a 

wide variety of sugar-reduced 

jams that are sold online and 

in local farmer’s markets in 

Vancouver. This particular jam 

has won awards for its great 

taste, which we don’t tend to 

associate with “low-sugar” 

jams. The company also makes 

savoury chutneys and jellies. 

IF YOU’RE AFTER: tart and boozy 

TRY: Bombe Matin from The Preservation Society 

This award-winning Québécois preserve company 

packs a punch with several boozy jam and jelly 

options, but the Bombe Matin is for marmalade lovers. 

It combines Seville oranges, whisky and locally 

roasted coffee for a surprisingly punchy spread. 

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FOODSERVICEANDHOSPITALITY.COM

CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME OF CANADA’S BEST EMPLOYERS 

BY DENISE DEVEAU 

A great leader creates and nurtures other leaders, possesses a clear vision, is courageous, has 

integrity, honesty, humility and clear focus. The following interviews with foodservice leaders whose 

companies made the Forbes Canada’s Best Employers List for 2018 showcase their thoughts on 

leadership qualities, industry challenges and the ways they continue to grow and develop their 

leadership skills. Here are a few of the highlights of what they had to say. 

iSTOCK.COM/GUSTAVOFRAZAO 



President, Boston Pizza International 

Jordan Holm joined Boston Pizza 12 years ago 

and took on the role of president in 2017. A firm 

believer in leading by example, his career path 

includes positions in all aspects of the restaurant 

industry — from dishwashing and pizza delivery, 

to executive roles. 

What are your strengths as a leader? 

If there is one element I learned in all the jobs 

I’ve had over the years, it’s the importance 

of communication. You need to have a clear vision 

of what you are trying to achieve and be consistent 

in communicating it throughout your organization. 

What are some of the major 

challenges foodservice operators 

are facing today? 

The industry today is much more hectic and people 

are much more critical than ever before. Guest 

expectations are changing very rapidly, whether 

it’s service methods, guest-facing technology 

solutions or culinary trends. The biggest challenge 

is trying to stay ahead of the rapid pace of change. 

Managing margins and labour costs is another. 

How are you continuing to grow 

and develop as a leader? 

A lot of my personal growth comes on the job. 

I really enjoy problem solving with colleagues. 

Beyond that, I like to join peer groups to discuss 

the challenges facing our industry, as well as talk 

to front-line staff across Canada to understand 

floor-level challenges. 

How do you keep employees 

motivated? 

It starts with listening and understanding what 

they’re looking for in their careers. We can then 

provide the right skills development to help them 

meet their career goals. Restaurant staff should 

have the opportunity to develop the way I did. 

We also encourage community engagement as a 

way to bring staff —corporate and franchisees — 

together to make a difference in people’s lives. 

What advice would you give someone in 

a leadership role for the first time? 

Find your own style of leadership that suits your 

personality and vision. As a leader, you need to 

know what works for you — and you have to feel 

comfortable and right when you do it. 

DANIEL ALEXANDER [JORDAN HOLM] 


LEADERSHIP PROFILES 

Dale Wishewan’s career 

path has been an eclectic 

mix of engineering, 

sports and tech sales. He 

applied his diverse skills 

to an entirely new field 

when he founded Booster 

Juice in 1999, which has 

grown to 370 stores 

and counting. 

How would you describe yourself 

as a leader? 

I consider myself to be a very hands-on person. 

However, I don’t believe in micromanaging, but 

in encouraging others to have the comfort 

[level] to make decisions on their own. I used 

to work in tech sales and a big part of that was 

customer service. From those days, I learned 

the importance of finding the best way to 

communicate a vision with others. 

What challenges are affecting 

the foodservice industry today? 

The biggest challenge, from my perspective, 

is how much the mobile world is changing 

our business. Also, there’s a different mentality 

with the current workforce entering the 

industry. As operators, we need to provide more 

freedom to people because they are more 

connected than they have ever been. 

How do you develop and 

grow as a leader? 

I try to surround myself with individuals who 

have also grown big organizations, or are well 

respected in their communities. There are 

always good growth lessons to be learned. I 

also read books about successful managers. 

What is the most common mistake 

that leaders make? 

Not being adaptable enough to change. You 

always have to have your finger on the pulse 

of what’s happening around you so you don’t 

become stagnant and can stay relevant. 

President and CEO, Booster Juice 

BOOSTER JUICE [DALE WISHEWAN] 

What is your 

biggest achievement? 

That I have hired many people in Canada and 

provided many opportunities for our franchise 

partners to grow personally and financially. 

When we started, the juice- and smoothiebar 

category didn’t even exist in Canada. Just 

knowing we grew a new category here is a 

big achievement. 




This year, White Spot celebrated 

its 90th anniversary. 

Warren Erhart has been a 

big part of the iconic organization’s 

successful journey, 

having joined in 1990. Given 

its lengthy history, Erhart 

says the focus today is on 

remaining relevant through 

continuous improvement. 

President and CEO, White Spot Restaurants 

How would you describe 

your leadership style? 

It’s very much a servant-leadership approach. You 

need a certain type of humility to be in the service 

business. As a leader, my job is to serve first and 

act as a role model — and never ask for something I 

wouldn’t do first. 

Who were your mentors? 

My mother always said whatever you do, leave 

things better than you found them. My father 

believed there’s no substitute for hard work. I apply 

that combination of thinking to what I do. On the 

business side, I would say George Tidball, who founded 

Keg Restaurants. He always talked about the guest 

experience and had a strong influence on my 

career growth. 

What challenges are facing 

your sector today? 

I see two. One is the people side and the need to 

build, attract and retain great teams and individuals. 

The other big challenge is the speed of change, from 

technology to grocery stores turning into competitors. 

We’re facing incredible competition and changing 

needs from both the staff and guest points of 

view — we have to learn to adapt to that. 

How do you motivate your employees? 

Personal development is critical for all of us, as people 

are always looking for ways to improve their resumés. 

I live by the philosophy of lifelong learning, so every 

year we try to look back to see what we did for ourselves 

and our peers in that area. It’s also 

important to keep a finger on the pulse of what 

different people are saying — from webinars to conversations. 

Sometimes I like to sit in on lunchroom 

discussions with millennials, which is a lesson in 

learning unto itself. 

What legacy would you like 

to leave your company? 

I would like to look back at my life’s work here and 

believe it was worthwhile, that I enjoyed it and that 

I made a difference. 

DEREK FORD [WARREN ERHART] 

32 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2018 


President, Joey Restaurant Group 

Al Jessa has been a key player in the successful 

expansion of the organization, which now manages three 

brands and a total of 37 restaurants. Jessa believes an 

important aspect of leadership at Joey is creating a vision 

that’s bigger than where the company is right now. 

What are the most valuable qualities 

you demonstrate as a leader? 

One is giving lots of space for people to communicate. 

At the same time, I give myself the freedom to say 

what has to be said. I don’t hide the tough issues and 

work on creating an environment where people don’t 

need to feel threatened. I also don’t ask anyone to do 

something that I wouldn’t do myself. 

What is the biggest challenge 

facing leaders today? 

Getting the right talent. With so many great companies 

and great jobs, there’s a lot of choice for people 

out there. Today, they are picking us over them. 

When we interview people, they have researched our 

programs, the education we offer and our reputation — 

they know more about us than we do about them. 

What are you most proud of? 

In 2005, we created a vision to reach the top of the 

industry and reorganized ourselves to accomplish 

every aspect of that by 2010. We did that. We have 

now created another future plan to become iconic in 

the hospitality industry. We’re not there yet, but are 

working on that, redoing everything around our 

service, food programs and recruitment. 

How do you motivate your employees? 

One thing we do every year is have everyone write 

down what they want to accomplish in their future 

career. As executives, we have to understand what it 

would take for them to realize that goal and provide 

the support they need. 

DEREK FORD [AL JESSA] 

What are you doing to ensure the future 

success of your organization? 

My goal is to transfer what has been done over the 

last 25 years to the future leadership. When I leave, 

I want to make sure I set up the building blocks for 

even bigger success. My attention is on transferring 

knowledge and growing the pipeline. 




President, Earls Restaurants 

What other strengths are 

important for you as 

a leader? 

Leaders need to have humility 

in order to learn that we don’t 

have all the answers. I’m the 

kind of leader who knows a company 

does best when its people 

accomplish more. So, my job is 

figuring out how my people can 

be better than me. The key to 

that is finding the best in them 

and unlocking it. 

If you ask Mo Jessa what the most 

valuable qualities he demonstrates 

as a leader are, he would point to 

two things: his ability to communicate 

and a passion for the industry. 

Jessa has a long history in foodservice 

at all levels, having started 

as a dishwasher and prep cook 

30 years ago. 

What is the biggest 

challenge facing 

leaders today? 

The pace of change. The entire 

industry is being disrupted in 

front of our eyes, so you have 

to accept that every day will be 

different. Keeping the status quo 

is the most dangerous place to 

be, because standing still equals 

death in the business now. 

Thinking about how to remain 

relevant is what keeps me up 

at night. 

How are you continuing 

to grow and develop 

as a leader? 

I always challenge myself to 

learn, whether it’s reading books 

or talking to people out there 

that I need to know about. It’s 

also about letting go of assumptions 

and taking risks. We’ve 

done quite a few experiments 

that haven’t always worked, but 

experimentation builds resilience. 

You have to know how not 

to take failures personally and 

use them as a means to grow. 

What advice would 

you give other leaders? 

The biggest challenge for any 

leader is not to be the star of the 

show, otherwise you diminish 

what others can do. If a leader 

can conquer that by giving credit 

where it’s due and providing 

opportunities for people to make 

mistakes without bringing them 

down, those people can then 

become great future leaders. 

DEREK FORD [MO JESSA] 

34 FOODSERVICE AND HOSPITALITY SEPTEMBER 2018 


BECOME AN 

EMPLOYER 

OF CHOICE 

NEW BEST EMPLOYER AWARD PROGRAM 

FOR THE CANADIAN FOODSERVICE INDUSTRY 

Foodservice and Hospitality magazine is proud to announce the “Employer of Choice” 

Award —the industry's only national “Made-in-Canada” best employer recognition for the 

foodservice industry. 

This award program helps address some of the major challenges facing the foodservice 

industry today – attracting, retaining and inspiring top talent. 

Along with stiff competition, the seasonal nature of the industry and timetable scheduling 

make it even more challenging to hire and keep staff. To reverse these trends, employers 

need to start developing “employer-of-choice” strategies that, not only attract and retain, 

but also engage their workforce. 

WHY BECOME AN EMPLOYER OF CHOICE? 

Promoting an industry wide employer-of-choice brand that focuses on improving engagement 

and retention sends a positive message to future employees, suppliers, partners and 

customers. Simply put, it’s just good for business. 

Foodservice and Hospitality magazine, Canada’s leading national foodservice industry 

publisher, has partnered with CCEOC Inc. to bring this unique award to the market. Winners 

will receive their awards at a special event and will be profiled in a future edition of Foodservice 

and Hospitality magazine. There will be additional recognition through web exposure, 

social media and e-newsletters. 

REPORTING 

Whether an organization wins the award or not, detailed reporting is available to help management learn 

more about what they are doing right and focus on the key areas that need improvement. Using the survey 

data to develop improvement initiatives will help create a more engaged workforce and a more loyal customer 

base. The Foodservice and Hospitalty Employer-of-Choice award program helps employers to position 

and brand themselves in the market to attract the type of employee that best fits into their organization. It 

provides the opportunity to get the recognition they deserve and build a more profitable business. 

Are you an Employer of 

Choice? To find out, here’s 

what you need to do: 

Three-Step Process: 

1. Register online at: 

http://ccemployerofchoice.com/FSHEOC.html 

2. Fill-in and submit the Company Profile 

3. Complete the Employee Commitment 

Survey 

Organizations eligible to take part must 

meet the following criteria: 

• Compete in the foodservice industry 

• Have a physical presence in Canada 

• Have 20 or more full-time employees 

• Have been in business for a minimum 

of one year 

• Private or publicly traded company 

• Government, NGO or non-profit 

To learn more or to register, please call 416-886-7007 

or go to http://ccemployerofchoice.com/FSHEOC.html 

THERE IS NO COST TO PARTICIPATE. CALL TODAY.

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EQUIPMENT 

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The link between the 

equipment capturing the 

imagination and investment 

of the current crop 

of operators, and the 

rationale to support it is 

strong. The restaurant 

environment is saddled 

with the dual challenge of 

both a scarcity of labour 

and specialized food-preparation 

skills, says John 

Placko, culinary director at 

Modern Culinary Academy 

in Mississauga, Ont. “It’s 

hard to run a business 

when you have these problems. 

But I’m always pushing 

people to see there’s 

equipment out there to 

help overcome them.” 

The kitchen of chef 

Placko’s Bar 120: Cuisine 

Transformed, his restaurant 

at Toronto Pearson 

International Airport, is 

one such shining illustration. 

In this “plug-andplay” 

space, an array 

of modern foodservice 

equipment sidesteps the 

call for a bloated staff with 

sophisticated culinary 

talents. “Today, you can 

put a complex menu into 

an environment where 

you don’t have a highly 

trained chef,” Placko says. 

“All the equipment is built 

for a reduced skillset and 

reduced labour. Everything 

runs on the press of a button 

and the kitchen needs 

just a single cook.” 

Take the TurboChef, a 

centrepiece at this tribute 

to molecular cuisine (the 

first such restaurant in a 

North-American airport) 

and a standard in Subway 

and Starbucks locations. 

Chefs prepare crispy 

chicken wings and macand-cheese 

flatbread in this 

INDUSTRY DARLING Sous-vide cooking is a tried-and-tested method 

that continues to be a mainstay in restaurants 

convection-microwaverapid-cook 

oven that’s 

attracted foodservice buzz 

for its speedy usefulness. 

SOUS-VIDE 

RESURGENCE 

Next on the list is sousvide 

— a consistent darling 

of the restaurant kitchen 

that sees chefs submerge 

foods in plastic pouches 

or glass jars in a water or 

steam bath where temperatures 

are tightly controlled. 

The cooking method, 

which first hit the scene 

in the 1970s and was the 

subject of a brief revival 

in the mid-1980s, is now 

in an explosive popularity 

curve. That, says Placko, 

is because its consistent 

performance relieves chefs 

of the unpredictability of 

their humanity. “If you 

have someone highly 

skilled, cooking chicken 

breasts every day, there are 

going to be times when 

they’ll over- or undercook 

them. With sous-vide, it’s 

just time and temperature. 

Low skill can always produce 

a perfect product.” 

Sous-vide cooking — 

once the exclusive domain 

of high-end restaurants but 

now with a broader cooking 

base appreciative of its 

reliably accurate results — 

uses an immersion circulator. 

With this smart device 

that clips to the side of a 

water-filled cooking vessel 

and heats it to — and 

holds it indefinitely at — a 

precise, controlled temper- 

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EQUIPMENT 

TOO HOT TO HANDLE 

The Hotmix PRO 

(below) blends 

and chops with 

blades that can 

run at 16,000 RPM; 

TurboChef oven 

(top right) 

ature, chefs get enhanced 

flavour and texture retention. 

They also get longer 

shelf life for a product, 

because it’s vacuum-packed 

and cooked under pressure 

— a particular advantage 

for the accessibility of preprepared 

food ready for a 

quick finish in a sauté pan 

or immersion bath. 

NEED FOR SPEED 

The only downside of 

the immersion circulator 

— whose application 

extends across vegetables 

and proteins — is its cooking 

time. Chefs bypass that 

with another kitchen novelty: 

the combi-oven. This 

versatile kitchen piece can 

duplicate what’s done in 

the immersion circulator, 

but in larger loads and in 

a third to half the time. The 

kitchen staff at Bar Isabel 

in Toronto used to prepare 

beef tongue pastrami in an 

immersion circulator — 

then it discovered it could 

do the same thing in a combi-oven 

in half the time. 

The Hotmix PRO is 

another multifunctional 

device that’s taken the 

modern restaurant kitchen 

by storm. This stainlesssteel 

marvel and its upto-3,000-watt 

motor not 

only blends but chops with 

blades that can run at 16,000 

RPM. More than that, a 

built-in heating/cooling system 

cooks and freezes foods 

at temperatures between 11 

and 374° F. 

Similarly, glass chillers 

reduce food temperatures 

rapidly, plunging products 

from 160° to 40° F in 90 

minutes — thus retaining 

its structure and nutritional 

value without compromising 

exposure to bacteria. A 

glass chiller at Credit Valley 

Hospital in Mississauga, 

Ont., means staff can serve 

oatmeal prepared three days 

earlier and feel confident of 

its freshness. And banquet 

halls use the equipment to 

cook the food for a Friday 

banquet on a Tuesday and 

slash staff requirements on 

the big night. 

Finally, Bar 120’s kitchen 

hums with the Control 

Freak — an induction 

cooktop from Californiabased 

PolyScience Culinary 

with a probe that’s fairly 

new to the market and 

has chefs psyched. With 

this pro tool, chefs get 

unprecedented control of 

their cooking temperatures, 

salvaging delicate sauces 

and stocks requiring lowand-slow 

attention from 

ham-fisted supervision. 

The Control Freak saves 

chefs from babysitting their 

pastry (or eggs, custard 

creams or anything else that 

requires close monitoring) 

with an induction table 

that not only scrutinizes the 

reaching of a certain temperature, 

but follows chefloaded 

instructions (hold 

it, increase it, decrease it), 

freeing up staffers. 

THE AGE OF THE 

HIGH-SPEED OVEN 

The same trend of integrated 

equipment is afoot 

in quick-service restaurants, 

where the dual challenges 

of labour costs and 

speed of service have set 

the tone for a long time 

— especially for operations 

with high-volume

EQUIPMENT 

ALL IN THE FAMILY A few of the Merrychef lineup of high-speed ovens 

lunches or drive-thru traffic. 

Everyone’s looking for 

solutions to speed up that 

pathway of customer. Enter 

the high-speed oven. 

“I’ve seen more and 

more of these,” says Rudi 

Fischbacher, associate dean 

for the School of Hospitality, 

Recreation and Tourism 

at Humber College. “They 

cook well, finish well and 

give food a nice crunchiness. 

They’re faster than combiovens 

and very versatile. 

And they’re small units, so 

they integrate into the 

kitchen nicely.” 

From TurboChef to 

Ovention to Merrychef, 

these high-speed wonders 

cook as quickly as a microwave 

but finish with the 

crispiness of a convection. 

They’re programmable, 

ventless (so kitchens don’t 

need ventilation hoods) 

and designed for pushbutton 

simplicity. You 

can’t burn food on them 

because they cook and 

release themselves on a 

timer. And you can cook a 

fully dressed pizza in four 

minutes — an impressive 

time savings compared to 

the traditional 15 to 20. 

In existence since 

the early 1980s with the 

Amana Jetwave, a flush of 

rapid-cook ovens crowds 

a very big market today, 

everyone with their own 

mousetrap. All are the 

“They cook 

well, 

finish well 

and give 

food a nice 

crunchiness. 

They’re 

faster than 

combi-ovens 

and very 

versatile” 

— Rudi Fischbacher, 

Humber College 

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EQUIPMENT 

“The plan 

is to have 

ideas they 

can make 

more money 

on, such 

as appetizers 

they 

wouldn’t 

have got 

the sale 

on before” 

— James Keppy, 

Maple Leaf 

Foodservice 

products of a techno boom 

and today’s options are 

ergonomic sensations with 

smaller footprints (so they 

can be stacked and occupy 

less space), built-in Wi-Fi 

and touchscreens so operators 

can load their own 

food photos to make it easy 

for employees to operate, 

regardless of their language. 

And these high-speed 

wonders are a boon to the 

deep-fry haters, for the 

alternative to the grease 

bath they offer so many 

food products. “As new 

franchisees open up, they 

might be able to avoid 

having a fryer in their 

operation,” says James 

Keppy, corporate chef for 

Mississauga, Ont.-based 

Maple Leaf Foodservice. 

And the quality might 

improve because a fryer 

can often darken a product, 

especially as the oil 

gets older; these ovens produce 

consistent product. 

“There’s a peace of mind 

to that,” says Keppy, who 

makes regular high-speedoven 

presentations to restaurants 

with Maple Leaf 

chicken products, along 

with French fries, potato 

wedges and mozzarella 

sticks. And, because these 

appliances are oil-free, they 

also spell the end of oil 

burns and the quandary of 

what to do with waste oil. 

What’s more, your 

food retains the integrity 

of its yield. “A prime rib 

in a normal oven might 

shrink by 20 per cent 

in three hours; in these 

ovens, you might lose just 

10 per cent,” 

says Michael 

Hodgson, 

director of 

Culinary 

Development 

at the 

Charcoal 

Group, based 

in Waterloo, 

Ont. “So they’re expensive, 

but you could see a return 

on investment of 10 per 

cent on all your beef.” 

Additionally, these 

kitchen newcomers inspire 

menu innovation for the 

wide net they cast over 

culinary novelty. “The 

plan is to have ideas they 

can make more money 

on, such as appetizers they 

wouldn’t have got the sale 

on before,” Keppy says. “It 

might be a pizza place that 

OLD-SCHOOL COOKING 

Despite all the technology 

available in today’s restaurants, 

some chefs prefer to 

return to traditional cooking 

methods such as charcoal 

can now offer wings; it 

opens more doors.” 

Owners at the 

Burlington, Ont., 

Beertown, which the 

Charcoal Group opened 

in November 2017, with 

a Merrychef as the cen- 

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AMANA ® XPRESS IQ OVEN 

trepiece of the kitchen, 

designed the menu to take 

advantage of the technology. 

They cut their flatbread 

so it would fit inside the 

ovens and the restaurant’s 

spinach dip and nachos are 

Merrychef regulars. Nachos 

that took eight minutes 

in a convection oven are 

ready in 45 seconds — 

and as hot and crispy as 

their predecessors. 

The company plans to 

update all of its Beertown 

kitchens with Merrychefs 

on the strength of research 

showing the Merrychefequipped 

kitchen is 

25-per-cent faster than its 

three siblings. “We’ve been 

very, very happy with it,” 

Hodsgon says. “Thanks to 

it, customers think we’re 

fast and good.” 

KILLING THE PIVOT 

Innovation is also stirring 

the POS piece. New 

kitchen display systems 

send orders from servers to 

all corners of the kitchen, 

eradicating the convention 

of a chef calling orders to 

the grill and dessert stations. 

Designed to encourage 

dining-room turnover 

and rationalize labour 

throughout the kitchen, 

these smart systems triage 

the food orders, sending 

them to monitors at corresponding 

food stations and 

staggering production. 

“They’re lifesavers,” 

says Scott Davidson, 

vice-president, Culinary 

Development for 

Burlington, Ont.-based 

restaurant-consulting 

group Crush Strategy, 

Inc. “They create a calmer 

culture in the kitchen. And, 

if your kitchen’s organized 

and streamlined, your food’s 

coming through hot and 

fresh — and an extra turnand-a-half 

in a 200-seat dining 

room is big dollars.” 

While the POS systems 

aren’t new (American fastfood 

restaurants had them 

in place a decade ago), 

they’re now expanding to 

bigger operations in the 

U.S. such as Applebee’s and 

the Cheesecake Factory. 

Davidson feels there’s a 

threshold to the size of 

the business that can use 

a system like this, suggesting 

it should be generating 

between $500,000 to 

$1 million in food sales a 

year to justify the upfront 

investment. “The systems 

were expensive,” says 

Hodgson, whose Beertown 

concept employs them. 

“But worth it. They spread 

labour costs out.” 

REMEMBERED ROOTS 

But as much as the equipment 

in foodservice kitchens 

is advancing quickly 

into the future, there’s a 

segment that’s reaching 

into the past, too. Many 

chefs are keen to revert 

to more natural cooking, 

with charcoal or wood, 

and the romanticism tied 

up with it. From replacing 

the old diner lines with 

equipment and personnel 

pressed against one wall 

with island suites where 

chefs face each other à la 

“Ratatouille” (a movement 

spearheaded by French 

Laundry’s Thomas Keller 

and picked up by Toronto’s 

Il Covo, Grey Gardens and 

the Toronto Yacht Club, 

among others) to wood 

ovens that cook more than 

pizza, the old is rubbing 

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© 2018 ACP, Inc. 


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EQUIPMENT 

shoulders with the new in 

the contemporary kitchen. 

“I’m seeing a lot more 

old-world-style cooking 

that doesn’t require 

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for Toronto’s King Street 

with Stainless 

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taste the best.” 

It’s why, when Gentile 

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ovens that can cook the 

entirety of the menu. Also 

on the books: a new oven 

that accommodates “stick 

cooking,” a traditional 

method from the whitewashed 

hill towns of Puglia, 

Italy where meat is heated 

vertically next to charcoal. 

The original restaurateurs 

of Italy “didn’t cook with 

immersion circulators, 

sous-vide cookers and fancy 

combi-ovens,” Gentile says. 

“They cooked simple food 

on gas, fire, wood grills — 

and the food was amazing.” 

Still, this chef is not 

averse to the virtues of 

kitchen-based technology. 

When the original Buca 

gets renovated early next 

year, it’ll feature a number 

of innovations, including 

a grill and a smoker, a curing 

room and a fermenting 

chamber that can track 

meat temperatures, humidity 

and pH levels. 

“Everyone’s scrambling 

right now because margins 

are so thin in the restaurant 

business,” Davidson 

says. And the increase in 

minimum wage in Ontario 

didn’t help, squeezing an 

anticipated 10 per cent on 

the dollar closer to seven 

or eight per cent. 

The result, says Placko, 

is a restaurant environment 

characterized by squeezed 

labour and skillsets. “Being 

able to employ and pay 

multiple skilled people 

in an establishment has 

become a little impossible. 

So you shift your money 

from the labour component 

to purchasing equipment 

up front that will save 

ongoing labour costs in the 

long run.” FH 


POURING FOR PROFITS 

The Canadian café segment 

continues to be driven by 

demand for quality experiences 

BY DANIELLE SCHALK 

iSTOCK.COM/CHOREOGRAPH 

When looking for 

their next caffeine fix, 

Canadians expect more 

than just a good cup of 

coffee or tea. Today, customers 

are putting greater 

value on the overall café 

experience — including 

atmosphere, innovation, 

quality and variety. 

“Everybody is expanding 

what they do, offering new 

dayparts, new flavours, new 

experiences — competition 

is getting much tougher,” 

says Stephen Gray, national 

Business Development 

Director, Canada at Floridabased 

Monin Gourmet 

Flavourings. 

During a session at last 

year’s Canadian Coffee 

& Tea Show in Toronto, 

Gray pointed to beverage 

customization and limitedtime 

offers as important 

differentiators — which are 

especially popular among 

millennials — with more 




BEVERAGE EVENTS A 

proliferation of alternative 

brewing methods have come 

to light 

complex and layered flavours 

being a key area of interest. 

According to Restaurants 

Canada’s Foodservice Facts 2018, 

traditional brewed hot coffee was 

the most ordered beverage in 

Canada in 2017 (excluding tap 

water) — making up 37.1 per 

cent of all beverage orders. In 

fact, three of the top-five beverages 

on the report’s “2017 Top 

Beverages” list were coffee-based 

drinks, with hot specialty coffee 

and iced/frozen coffee making up 

8.2 per cent and 5.3 per cent of 

beverage orders, respectively. 

Although regular drip coffee 

remains significantly more 

popular than specialty beverages, 

interest in diverse beverage occasions 

is driving a wide range of 

specialty offerings. 

“Millennials suffer from a 

wonderful affliction called flavour 

distortion and what they like 

[now] is not what they want at 

lunchtime, is not what they want 

at dinner and is certainly not 

what they want for tomorrow,” 

Gray adds. 

This is an important factor 

in the growth of iced beverages. 

“[We’re] seeing more emphasis 

on iced-espresso drinks, iced 

pour-overs and iced flash-brewed 

drinks,” says Graham Hayes, 

account manager, Toronto and 

head technician at De Mello 

Palheta Coffee Roasters — a 

Toronto based café and roaster 

that boasts more than 100 wholesale 

clients. 

Hayes also notes that desire for 

variety and increased education 

levels surrounding coffee have 

been key drivers behind specialty 

roasts — including single-origin 

and small-lot coffees. 

“People are demanding better 

roasted coffee,” agrees Jeremy 

Ho, co-founder of Calgarybased 

Monogram Coffee. “For 

far too long, the industry didn’t 

give credit to people’s palates… 

They’ve developed a better 

knowledge of what kind of good 

quality is out there and they’re 

demanding that from cafés.” 

More than a Pick Me Up 

In foodservice, as well as many 

other industries, there has been 

increasing focus on offering 

customers not just products but 

experiences. The coffee-and-tea 

segment is no exception — as 

seen in the proliferation of 

alternative brewing methods, as 

well as unique blends and smalllot 

offerings. 

“It’s all about the experience… 

what we’re seeing, especially in 

the millennial category, is they 

want an experience and they’ll 

pay for it — so don’t be afraid 

to work that in your favour,” 

says Gray. 

Starbucks is a prime example 

of a player that has embraced the 

experiential element of coffee — 

evident in the continued expansion 

of its Starbucks Reserve 

Bar concept. The company also 

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took things a step further when 

it opened the Visitor Centre at 

Hacienda Alsacia — a working 

600-acre coffee farm in Costa 

Rica that has served as a global 

R&D facility since 2013 — earlier 

this year. 

“Much like the premium retail 

experiences we are designing 

around the world, the Visitor 

Center at Hacienda Alsacia is a 

fully immersive space and now, 

for the first time, Starbucks is 

connecting our customers to 

the entire coffee ecosystem, from 

seedling to the craft of brewing,” 

Howard Schultz, Starbucks executive 

chairman said in a 

press release. 

Visitors can tour the space on 

their own or with a guide, discovering 

hands-on experiences in a 

coffee-seedling nursery, a greenhouse 

with new disease-resistant 

coffee varietals, coffee fields with 

ripe cherries at harvest, as well as 

a wet mill and drying patio. 

Those operating on a much 

smaller scale, such as Monogram 

Coffee, are embracing this trend 

by creating a distinctive café 

experience that emphasizes quality 

and innovation. 

As Ho explains, he and his 

partners, Ben Put and Justin 

Eyford, “came together to start 

Monogram because we had the 

belief that coffee should inspire 

wonder and warmth.” For the 

Monogram team — which operates 

three cafés and a roastery 

facility — that means pushing 

the envelope on its café experience, 

roasting style and drink 

offerings while still offering an 

approachable, service-driven and 

community-focused setting. 

Monogram creates a unique 

guest experience through offerings 

such as a self-serve coffee 

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Meanwhile, Wilbur Curtis offers a versatile, 

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baskets, as well as other pour-over equipment. 

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bar featuring hot coffee on tap, a 

by-the-cup coffee list and a guestroaster 

program dubbed Atlas. 

“We’ll have one or two guest 

roasters from around the world 

every couple of months,” explains 

Ho, including rare competition 

lots that its customers wouldn’t 

usually have the opportunity 

to taste. 

Though recent years have 

seen the “coffee-theatre” concept 

— with its specialty equipment 

and brewing methods — have a 

“moment,” Ho and Hayes both 

note this fad is fading into the 

background of the café experience 

and becoming more of a 

niche offering. 

“A couple of years ago, there 

was a focus on pour-overs and 

siphons — slower brewing methods,” 

explains Hayes. “But, recently, 

you don’t see any of that stuff 

around [Toronto]…There’s been 

a movement away from slow-bar 

methods and more towards better 

quality espresso and coffee.” 

Ho notes that the concept 

is still important to the segment, 

but “there’s less showcasing of 

the brewing method and more 

of a [focus] on the actual coffees 

themselves — which is a good 

evolution.” 

However, these slow-bar brewing 

methods are taking off within 

the realm of home use. Hayes 

notes that, often, the customers 

who still order items such as 

pour-over coffees tend to be those 

who use this method at home. 

“They want to know how the 

professionals do it,” he explains. 

It’s also worth noting that 

traditional coffee preparations — 

especially espresso-based beverages 

— have always had a certain 

theatrical element to them and 

many cafés/coffee shops are leaning 

into this part of the experience. 

“At a coffee bar, the espresso 

machine is very central, because 

it’s fun to watch,” says Hayes. 

“Now, a lot of the cafés are 

designed to reduce barriers to 

having relationships with the 

baristas, instead of highlighting 

only the brewing method,” adds 

Ho. “There’s a lot of espressomachine 

companies trying 

to produce more low-profile 

machines so there is greater 

opportunity to engage with baristas 

and service staff.” 

Trending Tea 

Foodservice Facts 2018 also lists 

hot tea and iced tea among the 

most-ordered beverages in 2017, 

representing 4.8 per cent and 

three per cent of beverage orders, 

respectively. The report pointed 

to “specialty iced tea” — such as 

Straddling the divide between 

coffee and tea is cascara — the 

dried, pulped flesh/fruit of coffee 

cherries. Often prepared 

like an herbal tea, the likes of 

which have long been popular 

in countries such as Yemen and 

Ethiopia, cascara imparts sweet 

and tart fruity flavours. Cascara 

is considered an antioxidant-rich 

superfood and offers caffeine 

levels similar to that of black tea. 

Though still largely unknown to 

Canadian consumers, it is making 

inroads, with many Canadian 

specialty-coffee roasters offering 

the product. Starbucks also 

began offering a cascara syrup 

in 2017 and has since released 

several menu items featuring 

the flavour. 

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Thai-style and southern/sweet 

iced tea — as one of 10 up-ancoming 

trends identified by 

Canadian chefs. 

Toronto-based Tea and Herbal 

Association of Canada president 

Shabnam Weber agrees that 

iced tea is a key opportunity for 

growth — especially given its 

ubiquity in the U.S. “Consumers 

are always looking for something 

new and different and, for 

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Blossoming 

Rose Tea 

Latte from 

Starbucks 

[Canada], the iced-tea market 

tends to be part of that.” 

Weber notes that the specialtytea 

industry has changed 

significantly since the dawn of 

the new millennium — when 

most consumers had yet to be 

exposed to tea varieties beyond 

category stalwarts, such as 

English breakfast, Earl Grey, 

chamomile and peppermint. 

“We’ve seen this transition to a 

far more sophisticated customer, 

within the industry at large and 

that’s going to continue,” she 

adds. “I don’t think we’ve reached 

the tipping point at all — there’s 

still loads of room for growth in 

the market.” 

This is especially true when 

considering the health-andwellness 

cachet the beverage 

carries, positioning tea beverages 

as healthy alternatives to many 

heavily sweetened drinks. 

“Looking at the industry, we’re 

seeing more non-coffee drinks 

sold at coffee shops than there are 

coffee drinks,” adds Gray. “We’re 

talking about handcrafted sodas, 

teas, lemonades and flavoured 

waters — health-conscious offerings 

you can use to set yourself 

apart from the competition.” 

He also notes the growth of 

non-coffee beverages is largely 

due to the fact consumers are 

making purchases at cafés during 

all dayparts. 

“As an industry, when we 

start to talk about [tea] in different 

formats, it simply increases 

the number of times during a 

day that [people are] consuming 

[tea],” says Weber. However, 

overall, she says there is still “a lot 

of room for growth within the 

foodservice sector” when it comes 

to tea offerings and how they are 

delivered/presented. 

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away-from-home channels 

for a closing consideration 

of US$7.15 billion. Starbucks 

will retain a significant stake 

as licensor and supplier of 

roast and ground coffee and 

other products going forward. 

Additionally, the deal will see 

Starbucks roasts become 

available for Nestlé’s Nespresso 

single-serve capsule systems. 

The agreement, which does not 

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DE MELLO PALHETA 

Recognizing the opportunity 

tea presents, Starbucks has 

continued to focus on beverage 

innovation in what it has characterized 

as “the growing tea and 

refreshment category,” releasing 

several new tea-based beverages 

in Canada within the last year. 

Perhaps the most unique is a pair 

of Cold-Foam Tea Lemonades. 

The cold-foam element is created 

by blending non-fat milk 

— infused with Teavana Passion 

Tango herbal tea — until smooth. 

The brand also launched a 

line of Teavana Tea Lattes made 

with whole-leaf micro-ground 

tea (served hot or cold), as well 

as a new collection of Teavana 

Wellness Teas featuring fruit 

flavours and spices. The lineup 

includes an updated take on the 

chain’s popular honey-citrus 

mint-tea beverage — the Teavana 

Citrus Defender, which features 

the new Defense Wellness Tea, 

steamed lemonade, hot water 

and honey. 

Mainstream Game 

Although the county’s biggest 

players in the coffee-shop segment 

remain constant, according 

to a Maclean’s survey released in 

October 2017, the largest coffee 

chain — Tim Hortons — 

is no longer Canada’s favourite. 

Instead, McDonald’s/McCafé 

claimed the top spot, followed 

by Second Cup and Starbucks, 

with Tim Hortons ranking fourth 

overall. 

Recognizing the importance of 

atmosphere to the overall coffeeshop 

experience, Tim Hortons 

has embarked on a nationwide 

restaurant-revitalization program. 

In March, the brand unveiled its 

new “Welcome Image” design, 

The coffee segment has always boasted a theatrical element 

intended to improve the guest 

experience. As part of the new 

image, updated restaurants will 

feature natural-looking exteriors, 

contemporary design, brandinspired 

artwork and open-concept 

seating areas. 

“The expectations of our 

guests are evolving and as 

Canada’s most iconic brand, so 

must we,” Tim Hortons brand 

president Alex Macedo said when 

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announcing the new design. 

“Together with our restaurant 

owners, we’re focused on taking 

Tim Hortons to new heights.” 

The brand and its restaurant 

owners are set to invest $700 

million to convert the majority 

of Canadian locations to the new 

image over the next four years. 

This summer, McDonald’s 

Canada announced plans to 

open additional locations of its 

stand-alone McCafé concept. 

Spurred by the positive reception 

received by its original two 

locations — which opened in 

Toronto in 2015 — the company 

currently has two new franchised 

Toronto street-front locations in 

the works. 

“The McCafé locations are 

a winning offering with our 

guests. That’s why I am thrilled 

that we’re doubling the number 

of them this year with plans to 

build even more down the road,” 

says John Betts, president and 

CEO of McDonald’s Canada. 

The first of the new McCafé 

locations opened this summer, 

with the second set to launch 

before year end. 

Toronto-based Second Cup 

kicked off the year with a commitment 

to eliminate artificial 

COLD BY DESIGN Starbucks 

cold-foam-topped cold brew 

McDonald’s/McCafé 

claimed the title 

of Canada’s 

favourite 

coffee shop in 2017, 

dethroning 

Tim Hortons 

colours and flavours, preservatives 

and high-fructose corn 

syrup from all beverages on the 

company’s menu. As of May, the 

brand had achieved 85-per-cent 

compliance with its new Clean- 

Label standard. 

This spring, the company also 

introduced new flavours (Salted 

Butterscotch and Almond Milk 

Mocca) to its line of Flash Cold 

Brew drinks, which has been 

identified as a key growth category 

for the brand. In fact, the 

line was identified as representing 

more than 20 per cent of 

the brand’s cold-beverage sales, 

in season, in the company’s Q1 

2018 report. 

Starbucks also grew its icedbeverage 

offerings, with launches 

including a lineup of cold-foam 

iced beverages. “We’re looking 

at cold beverages not just as 

an analog to hot,” says Jennica 

Robinson, product developer for 

Starbucks R&D. “We’re creating 

specifically for cold.” FH 


TECHNOLOGY 

How to protect against cyberattacks 

BY ANDREA VICTORY 

iSTOCK.COM/MADROLLY 

From mom-and-pop operations to 

large conglomerates, no restaurant is 

immune to the threat of a cyberattack. 

The impacts are real and can be 

devastating. However, regardless of 

the size of the restaurant, owners and operators 

can take steps to protect against cyberattacks 

and security breaches. 

Here are several expert tips from Dr. 

Satyamoorth Kabilan, security expert, Cyber 

Security Centre, The Conference Board of 

Canada, to help you safeguard your business. 

UNDERSTAND WHO IS AT RISK 

Everyone processing or storing information is 

at risk from cyberattacks. Threats and attacks 

using spyware, phishing, hacks and ransomware 

are looking for business data, customer 

data, email addresses and passwords, creditcard 

numbers and even an employee’s personal 

information. 

FIND OUT WHERE YOU ARE VULNERABLE 

Kabilan notes cyberattack risks vary by the 

size of the restaurant and the types of data 

collected and used. “First,” he says, “ask yourself, 

‘how much personal data do you hold?’ 

That’s usually a very big target. Secondly, 

‘what happens if my system goes down or is 

compromised? What would I do, how long 

can I survive, and is my business still viable?’” 

ELIMINATE BAD PRACTICES 

An old PC running Windows 7 with personal 

employee information might not seem risky, 

but it’s one of the worst offenders. Similarly, 

keeping a file with logins and passwords for 

staff to access accounts and platforms poses 

a risk. Even using the same email address 

and password to login to numerous accounts 

is a no-no. Get a new computer, create 

separate logins for all users and use a 

password manager. 

UPDATE, UPDATE! 

Updates fix vulnerabilities and protect against 

new threats. Kabilan stresses the importance 

of updates and urges restaurant owners not 

to use an outdated version of any software or 

operating system. “One of the biggest things 

we always advise, no matter what size the 

organization, is to patch and update. It’s a simple 

thing to do — no matter what size [your 

operation is] — and will help protect your 

organization from a cyberattack,” he says. 

DON’T TRUST EMAIL 

Although spam filters work to eliminate much 

of the obvious junk, emails impersonating 

an honest source (such as a boss or financial 

institution) are commonly used to extract 

information or plant malicious code. Don’t 

open attachments, follow links to websites, 

or transfer money unless you’re confident 

in the authenticity of the request and the 

source. Additionally, train all staff to do 

the same. 

KEEP YOUR WI-FI SEPARATE 

Unknown users on your Wi-Fi pose yet 

another risk to data stored on your network. 

Create individual Wi-Fi access points for 

each segment: one for guests, another for 

your POS and another for office admin. 

INSTALL A FIREWALL 

A firewall is a network-security system that 

uses pre-set security rules to control and 

monitor the flow of traffic. It’s installed 

to read data coming into the network and 

encrypt data going out, providing yet another 

layer of threat protection. 

BACK UP YOUR DATA 

Backing up is more than a best practice. In 

the case of a ransomware attack, the threat is 

null if there is a recent backup. FH 



CHEF’S CORNER 

BALANCING ACT 

Seasonal ingredients and simplicity are the 

secrets to Wayne Kozinko’s artful creations 

BY JESSICA HURAS 

As pastry chef at Vancouver’s critically 

acclaimed fine-dining restaurants, 

Hawksworth and Bel Café, Wayne Kozinko 

aims to strike a balance between classic and 

modern with his culinary style. “Like the 

rest of the menu, the flavours are a bit all over the map,” 

Kozinko says of the influences shaping the desserts, 

sweets, breads and pastries he creates. “I wouldn’t say I 

follow the trends.” 

The Edmonton-born chef knew from an early age that 

he was destined for a career in the kitchen. “I remember 

baking with my mom on the weekends — probably as 

young as five or six,” he says. “In high school, I was one 

of two guys in the [home-economics] class. I didn’t do 

so well in the sewing, but I did great in the cooking [portion] 

and I thought ‘maybe this is my future.’” 

Kozinko graduated from North Island College’s 

Culinary Arts program and completed a culinary apprenticeship 

at Vancouver Community College before joining 

the team at Diva at the Met within the Metropolitan 

Hotel. After cooking savoury at Diva for a few years, a 

First food 

memory: 

“Mom’s apple pie.” 

Favourite 

ingredient to 

cook with: 

“Peaches. 

Beautiful peaches.” 

What do 

you cook 

at home? 

“My family says 

I don’t bake 

enough at home. 

Anything on 

the barbecue 

is great.” 

position opened up in the pastry 

kitchen and Kozinko threw his hat in 

the ring. “I’d always been interested 

in [pastry] and toyed around a little 

[with it] while I was doing savoury,” 

says Kozinko. “I always felt that’s 

where I would end up.” 

Chocolatier Thomas Haas came 

on board soon after as Diva’s executive 

pastry chef, inspiring Kozinko 

to stay in the role longer than 

planned in order to learn from 

the renowned chef. Kozinko cites 

pastry-competition victories with 

Haas and his team, such as wins 

at the 2001 National Pastry Team 

Championships — where he took 

top honours in four categories — as 

some of the highlights of his career. 

Kozinko then spent several years 

as pastry chef at Vancouver’s Yew in 

the Four Seasons Hotel, before taking 

the helm of the pastry kitchen 

at Hawksworth in 2011. “I’m really conscious of not 

under-doing the plates, but not over-doing them either,” 

Kozinko says, adding each dish typically incorporates four 

or five flavours at most. 

He strives to keep the menu seasonal. “In the summer, 

it will always be different berries; later in the summer, it’s 

yellow stone fruits; into the fall, it’s apples, pears; and in 

the winter, it’s usually citrus, nuts and different types of 

chocolates,” he says of the menu’s ever-changing emphasis. 

Kozinko likes to experiment with different textures and 

temperatures, as well as with adding savoury ingredients 

to his sweet dishes. The dessert menu at Hawksworth features 

spring-pea ice cream with matcha and lime ($14); 

crème fraîche with pistachio, rhubarb and strawberry 

($14); and candy-cap ice cream with toasted white chocolate, 

toffee and walnut ($14). 

Kozinko is now also overseeing the pastry team at Bel 

Café’s second location, which launched in June of this 

year. He says opening his own restaurant may be in the 

cards one day but, for now, he’s happy with the creativity 

his role at Hawksworth allows him. FH 

DEREK FORD [WAYNE KOZINK] 


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www.meiko.ca

BUILT BY 

IN KENTUCKY 

Behind every Jackson dishmachine is 

a person that believes in quality. 

Watch their story at jacksonwws.com 

RackStar ® Series Conveyors

September 2018 Digital Issue

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