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  • Recipes for Success: Rmgt Magazine & TCE review Culinary Best Practices for 2012

    What does 2012 hold in store? Which strategies, techniques, trends, dishes, and flavors will have the biggest impact on your kitchen operations? Rmgt.com Magazine has rounded up a stellar cast of chefs, restaurateurs and industry analysts, including The Culinary Edge’s own Aaron Noveshen, to get a sneak peek at what culinary practices are going to be hot for the next 12 months and how they can help you get a head start on your competition, wow diners and boost your bottom line.

    Aaron Noveshen, founder and CEO of the food strategy consultants The Culinary Edge, believes that chefs and restaurateurs now need to focus on what goes into food and be able to make that information easily accessible. “People are paying more attention,” he says. With mandatory menu labeling coming up in 2012 for restaurants with 20 or more locations, consumers will suddenly have a lot more information at their fingertips about what they’re eating. “The No. 1 thing people will look at is calories,” Noveshen says. “Brands are starting to articulate about what a meaningful, healthy number might be. The current magic number is 600 calories or less.” Though many restaurants will be exempted from this labeling law, it could ultimately teach consumers to expect that information at establishments of any size.

    Click here to see the Rmgt.com article »

  • Entrepreneur Magazine and The Culinary Edge shares insight on franchises and food trucks

    TCE founder, Aaron Noveshen, was recently quoted in Entreprenuer Magazine, providing his opinion on the topic of restaurant chains getting into the food truck business.

    Franchises Hop on the Food-Truck Trend

    August 2011  |  by Jason Daley

    “Ten percent of the top 200 restaurant chains will have a mobile presence in the next 24 months,” says Aaron Noveshen, co-founder of Mobi Munch, a Los Angeles-based company that helps develop mobile platforms and runs several food trucks in California.  “I can already count eight that do.”

    Even if the hipster sheen fades from the gourmet food trucks, Noveshen believes they’ll still find a customer base at colleges, corporate campuses and other areas where full-service restaurants aren’t viable.  Food trucks offer something that is always appealing: convenience.

    “People are more time-starved than ever,” Noveshen says.  “Mobile food will serve that need.  It’s a fundamental thing that never goes away.”

    Click here to see the full article in Entrepreneur magazine >>

  • In the Press: Bun Mee continues to impress

    Every single type of sandwich is delicious at Bun Mee

    July 7, 2011  |  by Patricia Unterman

    The thinking goes that if all the components in a sandwich are great, the finished product will sing. Wrong. I’ve built many a soulless sandwich using the most pristine, painstakingly sourced ingredients. No, a brilliant sandwich has a magical something that makes it more than the sum of its parts.

    Some could argue the Vietnamese banh mi might be the world’s best sandwich. A fusion of French and Vietnamese sensibilities, the banh mi starts with a soft white roll with a thin, crisp crust, filled with ever-so-lightly pickled fresh vegetables, sprigs of herbs, green chiles, mayonnaise and protein, often a combination that includes charcuterie.

    The best of them come from scruffy street stalls and carts in Saigon, Hoi An and Hanoi. Even in San Francisco, the two reigning queens of banh mi hold court at the barebones Saigon Sandwich in the Tenderloin.

    So it was with some skepticism that I stepped into the suspiciously smart Bun Mee in Pacific Heights, audaciously located a block and a half away from the king, Out the Door on Bush Street.

    From my first bite of Hanoi-style crispy catfish banh mi ($7.95), I knew Bun Mee got it: hot, crispy, juicy fried catfish, crunchy, subtly tart daikon and carrot, thin cucumber, sprigs of cilantro, slices of jalapeño and an almost unnoticeable but essential swoosh of aioli in a tender roll.

    So it went with sandwich after sandwich: the sloppy bun ($6.25) is filled with saucy chopped beef in red curry, shaved onion, garlicky aioli, a high note of basil leaves and jalapeños.

    Add a sunny-side up egg ($1.50) to this one and make sure that the person you’re sleeping next to has one too. Or, go for the luscious classic combo ($6.50) of soft pate, thinly sliced roast pork and hamlike mortadella.

    I, and everyone else, couples their sandwich with a side salad, my favorite being shredded Napa cabbage and peanut ($2.75), a moist slaw in perky ginger-lime dressing.

    Mango-sesame salad ($3.25), mostly firm cubed fruit with a sprinkling of shredded Napa cabbage, works like a fruity pickle. This banh mi and salad combo strikes me as the iconic San Francisco meal — light, satisfying, exciting, well-styled.

    The genius Vietnamese conflation of the raw and the cooked is at the heart of Bun Mee’s appeal.

    There also are substantial bamboo rice bowls ($11.95), anchored by a thick layer of garlic rice and topped with generous portions of tasty grilled meats; and light, sparkly main course salads ($9.75 to $11.95) that juggle  the same pantry of ingredients.

    The whole operation clicks. Denise Tran,  the creator and on-site presence at Bun Mee, was born in Saigon, raised in New Orleans and practiced law in Seattle. But her true love is the Vietnamese kitchen.

    She took her mother’s recipes to The Culinary Edge, a group of chefs behind the Chairman Bao food trucks, who helped her realize them for restaurant volume. I met her by chance sitting at the stainless-steel counter in front of the immaculate kitchen.

    You can tell that the cooks are pumped about working there. They know that Tran is onto something and they are part of it. You want to be there too.

    Click here to see full article in The Examiner

  • TCE client Roam Artisan Burger makes SF Eater 38

    Congratulations Roam Artisan Burgers for making the Eater 38 list!  We are so proud when our clients are recognized.

    July 5, 2011 |  by Carolyn Alburger

    It’s time to update the Easter 38, your answer and ours to any question that begins, “Can you recommend a restaurant..”  This highly elite group covers the entire city, spans myriad cuisines, and collectively satisfies all of your restaurant needs, save for those occasions when you absolutely must spend half a paycheck.  Every couple of months, we’ll be adding pertinent restaurants that were omitted, have newly become eligible (restaurants must be open at least six months), or have stepped up their game.

    This time around, after reflection and study of reader emails and comments, we’re taking out Namu and Ame.  In their places go the very reliable, very delicious Roam Artisan Burgers and Lers Ros, the Tenderloin Thai dive that’s gotten so popular it’s sprouting off a Hayes Valley branch.

    Click here to see the full article >>

  • The Culinary Edge-created recipe named one of San Francisco’s Best Cookies

     

    The Culinary Edge’s “Coconut Oreos,” one of the many menu items created for Bun Mee, was recently recognized as #1 on the list of “San Francisco’s Best Cookies.”

     

    From SF’s 7×7 Magazine:

    May 20, 2011 |  by Carolyn Alburger

     

    7×7 sent out a simple tweet on Tuesday about cookies and things got heated up pretty quickly. The baked-fresh-daily Specialty’s cookie quickly rose to the top as a crowd favorite. Not surprising, since the California chain has six bakeries in the Financial District and a Cookie Radar—making their warm blood-sugar boosters an easy work-day grab for a lot of people. But we’ve found other perfectly crispy, crumbly, gooey delights in the unlikeliest of places too. After sniffing out an array of hot contenders, multiple taste-offs and some extra time on the tread mill, here’s a baker’s dozen of San Francisco cookies worth going the extra mile for.

     

    1) Chocolate coconut from Bun Mee
    No, this restaurant isn’t only about banh mi sandwiches. They also make a little delicate sandwich cookie out of chocolate and filled with the perfect dose of sweet coconut cream. For coconut lovers like Sara, resistence is futile.

     

    2) Peanut brittle from Mr & Mrs. Miscellaneous
    This little Dogpatch shop’s handmade peanut brittle is to-die-for on its own. Swirled into fresh cookie dough, it’s deadly enough that it made this year’s Best Of list.

     

    3) Chocolate fleur de sel from Knead Patisserie
    Tucked in the back of Local Mission Eatery, this bakery feels like a secret. Here baker Shauna Des Voignes nestles thick crystals of fleur de sel into these deep dark chocolately cookies, our favorite bite in the shop.

     

    4) Oatmeal raisin from Delessio
    Take in all the mini cupcakes and beautiful cakes for a visual feast, then dive straight into the relatively humble-looking oatmeal raisin cookie. It’s buttery, slightly gooey and cinnamon-laced, as seductive as it gets and anything but pedestrian.

     

    5) Chocolate chip from Tartine Bakery
    With a fairy tale crispiness and a light texture, these are not your mother’s chocolate chip cookies.

     

    6) Chocolate-mint from Batter Bakery
    The owner is a former accountant who quit her day job to open this kiosk in the Bank of America plaza. Her chocolate mint cookie is soft, rich and chewy, refined with a light lace of cool mint.

     

    7) Circus from Goody Goodie
    Owner Remi Hayashi thought it was a good idea to put caramel corn and chocolate chips in his circus cookie. We think “good” is an understatement.

     

    8) Caramel praline from Hooker’s Sweet Treats
    Hooker’s gets the sweet-salty balance down in most of its sweets, but this handmade caramel-ridden cookie also balances crunchy and soft. One of the cafe’s freshly pulled Sightglass espresso drinks is the perfect compliment.

     

    9) Cookies and cream from Anthony’s
    Anthony Lucas’ Mission shop switches up the cookie roster daily. But his regulars won’t let him take away the cookies-and-cream flavor, specked with semi-pulverized Oreo chunks and perfect with a cold glass of Straus milk.

     

    10) Gingersnap from Miette
    A long-running Big Eat selection, this ginger cookie may look thin and unassuming, but it packs in three types of ginger for a spicy, deep punch that’s unmatched by any other. Get to the Ferry Building now and buy yourself some.

     

    11) White chocolate macadamia nut from Bumzy’s
    A mother and daughter team run this Fillmore street shop, baking cookies by-the-sheet according to a generations-old family recipe. The subtle crunch and extra-sweet kick to their white chocolate macadamia nut is divine. And the recipe is top secret.

     

    12) Chocolate chip walnut from Mission Beach Cafe
    At this popular Mission District brunch destination, pastry chef Alan Carter bakes this classic American treat to the perfect level of crispness, so it’s still a little soft and chewy inside.

     

  • The Culinary Edge-created recipes drive sales growth at Caribou Coffee

    In 2009, The Culinary Edge began working with Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee, the second largest gourmet coffee retailer in the nation, to create a food platform that would take the chain to the next level.  It began with a breakfast sandwich platform for which The Culinary Edge developed the concepts, created and tested the recipes, commercialized for large scale production and helped implement in what are now 80% of Caribou’s stores.

     

    Now, two years later, the relationship between The Culinary Edge and Caribou continues to thrive, with the recent development of a lunch platform, featuring “Grown-up Grilled Cheeses.”  With flavors such as The Classic, The Gouda Gobbler, The Dueling Cheddars and The Cheesy Italian, the sandwiches are now in test market in Chicago and Minnesota.

     

    Read on for more information.

     

     

    From NRN:

    May 6, 2011 | By Mark Brandau

     

    Caribou Coffee credited its new breakfast sandwiches for driving a 4.3-percent increase in same-store sales in the first quarter.

     

    Caribou Coffee is exploring the lunch daypart and adding more food options after new menu items drove strong sales in the first quarter, the company told securities analysts after reporting first-quarter earnings.

     

    Chief executive Mike Tattersfield said a new line of breakfast sandwiches, which debuted in January and are now in 80 percent of stores, were the largest driver of a 4.3-percent increase in same-store sales for the quarter.

     

    “Our breakfast sandwich platform is living up to our high expectations and is a critical component of expanding our guests’ perceptions of Caribou Coffee,” he said during the call with analysts Thursday. “We now have more food offerings worthy of being matched with our consistently high-quality beverages, and expect that breakfast sandwiches will continue to be accretive to our quarterly performance throughout 2011.”

     

    During a previous conference call, Caribou had reported that food items like oatmeal, breakfast sandwiches and baked goods were achieving an 18-percent attachment rate, and Tattersfield updated analysts in the first-quarter call that the incidence of food purchases had trended upward to 24 percent of visits.

     

    “Our goal was to get to 30 percent,” he said, “so we’re getting some good traction along that way, and it’s a continual drive for us. If we focus on the right initiatives, not just in a breakfast or lunch daypart but also in snacks and other opportunities that the guest is looking for, then I ultimately believe we build to that 30 percent, but over longer than the 2011 time frame.”

     

    For the April 3-ended quarter, Caribou’s net income grew to $1.6 million, or 8 cents per share, from $500,000, or 3 cents a share, a year earlier. Total revenue rose 7.8 percent to $72.3 million, reflecting the 4.3-percent gain in same-store sales, a 30-percent increase in commercial sales to $11.7 million, and a 22-percent increase in franchise revenue. Caribou’s $3 million in revenue from 135 franchise locations took into account increased sales and royalties and 12 additional units compared with the first quarter of last year.

     

    Highlights from the call:

     

    Launching into lunch

     

    Caribou is building on investments in ovens for breakfast sandwiches by testing warm lunch sandwiches in approximately 30 stores in Minnesota and Chicago. The platform is set around a “grown-up grilled cheese” theme, and is receiving enthusiastic feedback from customers and employees, Tattersfield said.

     

    Caribou also launched in the first quarter its Northern Lites beverage line, which has 40 percent fewer calories than the chain’s regular mocha and iced-mocha drinks. Both the low-calorie drinks and the lunch sandwiches are meant to be the precursor to further expansion into dayparts beyond morning coffee, the company said.

     

    Tattersfield added that new products are on deck for summer and fall of this year. In 2012, bakery items will be a focus, specifically on indulgent items that play well in evening snack periods, he said.

     

    He said lunch sandwiches may not add incremental sales to the level of breakfast sandwiches, which benefit from Caribou’s normal traffic of habitual coffee customers. However, the lunch sandwiches are meant to be the first product in a long-term daypart expansion plan for the afternoon, he added.

     

    “We do see that the breakfast sandwiches, in the majority of our daypart when people are used to using Caribou in that way, will have a bigger component of driving more sandwich volume than the lunch,” he said. “But over time the lunch platform will start with the sandwich, but you’ll see us continue to look at bakery improvements … which will be a big part of 2012.

     

    Forward buying pays off

     

    Caribou’s coffee costs are locked in through 2011 at a 25-percent premium over 2010’s prices. Chief financial officer Tim Hennessy said a menu price increase taken at the end of last year of slightly more than 1 percent on the coffeehouse side was in line with competitors and was conducted on a market-by-market basis, chief financial officer Tim Hennessy said.

     

    Caribou said it increased prices 8 percent to 10 percent in its consumer packaged-goods business. Further CPG price increases have yet to be determined, Hennessy said.

     

    “We’re not price leaders in CPG; we follow,” he said. “If our peers move, we’ll play that out much like this first quarter.”

     

    Caribou typically takes a small amount of price toward the end of most years, Hennessy said, and the chain would have further maneuverability later in the year if necessary.

     

    “The one benefit that we’ve been able to see is the pricing activities we’ve been able to take we’ve seen stick,” Tattersfield said. “A lot is about introducing product innovation, which consumers will continue to look at and will bring a lot of value for them. So it’s a combination. I can’t predict where the price of coffee is going to be; it’s bouncing around even today. But we plan on being very proactive as to how we manage that.”

     

    Open to accelerated store growth

     

    Caribou remains on track to open 10 coffeehouses this year, Tattersfield said, with locations in Minnesota and Chicago set to debut first. “Across our entire organization, we’re excited for this growth lever to kick in,” he said.

     

    Rents have been fairly flat this year, even at “A” locations Caribou has been pursuing, he said.

     

    “What gives us a lot more confidence is … building a pipeline for 2012 and really locking that in up front,” Tattersfield said. “We’ve said we’d like to do 20 to 25 stores next year to ultimately get us by 2013 to 8 percent to 10 percent growth on a yearly basis. We’ve been able to already lock in roughly 20 percent to 30 percent of our pipeline for 2012.”

     

    Caribou also reconfirmed its 2011 fiscal guidance of sales growth between 7 percent and 9 percent, assuming same-store sales growth of 3 percent to 5 percent. The company also set an earnings per share target of 35 cents to 37 cents for the year.

     

    Minneapolis-based Caribou Coffee operates 409 coffeehouses and franchises another 135 locations in 20 states, the District of Columbia and nine international markets.

  • The Culinary Edge chats with McDonald’s Exec Chef & Wylie Dufresne at the 2011 NRA Show

     

    Innovation. Where does it come from, what does it cause, what keeps it going. That was the overarchingtheme during the a Monday afternoon session at the World Culinary Showcase featuring leading American “molecular gastronomy” proponent Wylie Dufresne, chef and owner of New York City’s wd~50, and Dan Coudreaut, McDonald’s Director of Culinary Innovation, arguably “the most powerful chef in the world.” Moderator Aaron Noveshen, founder of The Culinary Edge asked some thought provoking questions around the topic of creativity and innovation. Read on for some highlights.

    Wylie on “molecular gastronomy”

    “Molecular gastronomy is a bad name,” Dufrense said. “We still need another name, something more delicious sounding.”

    Noveshen posed “Yumalicious gastronomy.”

    Dufrense continued, “No one asks, do you want to have Chinese, Thai or molecular gastronomy tonight?” Dufrense continued. “I think that’s a tough sell. But I think chefs have always been about playing with their food, poking at, trying to understand it in different ways, from the moment someone put a piece of meat over a fire. It’s a never-ending story because it’s about education, that means it will always endure. People talk about fads, what comes and goes, but luckily molecular gastronomy will never go away because it’s about learning, and no one is going to say learning is a fad, we need to get over that soon.

    Wylie on trends

    “We don’t’ pay attention to trends, even though ultimately we’ve become part of the trend,” Dufrense said. “Last month we put an edible egg shell on the menu. That’s definitely not the next big trend. Dan is definitely not going to figure out how to put the shell back into an Egg McMuffin. But we often look backwards in order to go forward. We hope we’re contributing to what’s next but I don’t believe we ever really know what’s next.

    Dan on McDonald’s French Fries

    “I think we got it down,” Coudreaut said. “But we have to constantly look at how do we keep that process going? How do we keep that standard a gold standard? How do we keep our processes in place to make sure it stays that way?”

    Dan on sushi at McDonald’s

    “Would you ever picture sushi at McDonalds?” Coudreaut said in response to a question about potential future products or concepts from the restaurant giant. “Would anyone ever see that? I don’t know, honestly. It could be five years from no, 10 years from now, who knows, but that’s how I view my job…you have to ask yourself why not?”

    Wylie on finding inspiration

    I love going to the grocery store and just walking through the aisles. I read labels constantly to see what’s in foods. I’m fascinated by McDonalds and how they make things and the technology that goes into that.”

    Dufrense mentioned he always carries a pad of paper and a pen around “because you never know when you’re going to have a creative movement.” At the same time, you have to have an open mind to receive that.” If the way light hitting a window makes you want to cook a certain dish, it’s the combination of seeing those bits of inspiration when they happen, he said.

    Dan and Wylie on working with suppliers

    “We’re in it together – it’s truly a partnership between supplier and company,” Coudreaut said. But, he added, not all creative products may work for McDonald’s. “If I wanted to get into a company, I would try and know their business as much as I can. As a chef I might go in their restaurant and sit and watch people in the kitchen.”

    Dufrense noted the importance of building relationships with farmers and suppliers at the ground level. “We can only be as good as the ingredients,” he said. “We don’t have a don’t have a product to make a bad tomato taste good. We need a good tomato to start with.”

    Wylie on a recent innovation moment

    “The other day we figured out how to deep fry mayonnaise, and we were very excited,” Dufrense said, which drew a laugh. “To be honest I thought the next call would be from McDonald’s. We have a little yellow and red phone and thought they’re going to call, but nobody called.”

    By Amelia Levin, Contributing Blogger

    Click here to read more from the official 2011 NRA show blog.

  • TCE in the Press: The Culinary Edge & Bun Mee

    The Culinary Edge and New San Francisco Restaurant, Bun Mee, Bring Diners a Modern Take on Vietnamese Cuisine

    SAN FRANCISCO, CA –  San Franciscans Have a New Place to Get Their Banh Mi Fix.

    Despite being relatively new to the sandwich scene, banh mis have quickly become the talk of the town among the foodie set—grabbing culinary headlines and stealing the hearts of sandwich die-hards. For those who may not be familiar with banh mi, it is a traditional Vietnamese sandwich featuring a Vietnamese-style baguette stuffed with tender meat, sweet pickled vegetables, cucumber, carrot, fresh cilantro and sliced chilies for a refreshing yet extremely satisfying combination of sweet, savory and spicy flavors.

    Up until recently, San Franciscans in search of a good banh mi sandwich had little in terms of options with only a few restaurants that could deliver on both quality of food and quality of dining experience. However, now, with the recent opening of Bun Mee, a new fast casual restaurant located in the bustling Pacific Heights neighborhood, banh mi fans have a new place to go to that is both clean and modern as well with food that is just plain delicious.

    So how did Bun Mee come to be? The concept sprouted from the imagination of owner Denise Tran. Having grown up with banh mis, Tran recognized that the only thing standing between the sandwich and mainstream popularity was accessibility. If she could figure out a way to take the mystery out of navigating a banh mi menu, introduce components that would be more familiar to the general public and otherwise make this ethnic specialty less intimidating to her customers, she would have a winner on her hands.

    However, the details of how to get her idea from concept to full-functioning restaurant were unclear. Having relatively little experience in the restaurant business, Tran knew that she couldn’t do this alone and would have to acquire some help if she wanted her business to be a success.

    That is when The Culinary Edge came into the picture. The Culinary Edge is a San Francisco-based culinary consulting group that has been integral in the launch of many successful local SF favorites including Roam Artisan Burger, Fraiche and the Chairman Bao food truck. It has also worked with much larger-scale restaurants including Jamba Juice, El Pollo Loco, Pei Wei Asian Diner and more. Having heard about the firm’s impressive track record, The Culinary Edge was Tran’s first choice in getting both the culinary and operational expertise that would ensure that her concept would be successful right from the start.

    The Culinary Edge worked with Tran to design the Bun Mee menu with the goal of creating items that would not only exceed customers’ expectations on flavor and variety, but would also be operationally realistic for the kitchen to create. Not only did The Culinary Edge lend its classically trained culinary staff to Tran to develop the restaurant’s recipes, but it also helped Tran think through how to best equip the kitchen, lay out the dining area, compose and train her staff, select tableware, source ingredients and work through the necessary certifications and inspections.

    On the weekend of April 1st, Bun Mee opened its doors to immediate rave reviews. Both banh mi purists and the uninitiated alike can find something delicious at Bun Mee. The menu boasts nine kinds of banh mi, including five-spice chicken, classic pate, pork belly, smoky eggplant and one even featuring sardines. Customers looking for something other than sandwiches can also pick from other menu items including an assortment appetizers, rice bowls, salads, sides and desserts.

    Bun Mee is located at 2015 Fillmore St near the intersection of Fillmore and Pine. Hours are from 11am to 10pm daily. Guests are welcome to dine in or get their food to go. Call the restaurant at 415-800-7696 or go to www.bunmee.co for more information.

     

     

  • The Culinary Edge & Pacific Catch organize SF Foursquare Day to support Japan Earthquake Relief

    This year, Foursquare Day in San Francisco will be about more than stealing mayor titles and collecting badges.

    Foursquare Day, to be appropriately celebrated this Saturday on the 16th day (literally, four squared) of the 4th month of the year, originally began as a globally-celebrated day for fans of the social media platform to come together and celebrate all things Foursquare while also checking-in with local businesses.

    This year, San Francisco’s Foursquare Day, officially hosted by Pacific Catch Restaurants, and co-hosted by local culinary consulting group The Culinary Edge, will use the holiday and power of social media as a means to raise money to support of Japanese Earthquake Relief.

    “In year’s past, we have celebrated Foursquare Day simply as a way to connect with fellow Foursquare users and unlock coveted badges.  However, in light of the recent events in Japan coupled with San Francisco’s close culinary ties to Japan, we felt that we had to do something,” says Chamin Mills, marketing and events manager at Pacific Catch.

    Much like last year, the San Francisco’s official Foursquare Day party will be taking place at Pacific Catch’s Ninth Avenue location with hopes of unlocking the “Super Swarm” badge. However, this year’s celebration is much bigger with an outdoor BBQ, live band, beer and wine booths and 100% of the proceeds will be donated directly to the American & Japanese Red Cross to help rebuild those areas affected by last month’s earthquake.

    To raise money, party-goers will be able to purchase food, drink, & the official “4sqdaySF” t-shirts:

    • Mahi mahi and pulled pork tacos provided by Pacific Catch
    • Beer provided by Sapporo, Sierra Nevada, Lost Coast and Lagunitas
    • Wine provided by Hahn Winery and Honig Vineyard & Winery
    • Signature 4sqdaySF “Buzz” cocktail provided by Pacific Catch
    • Kombucha provided by House Kombucha
    • Limited Edition “4sqdaySF” T-shirts provided by Pacific Catch

    Additionally, the event will feature a virtual eBay auction as well as a live raffle featuring:

    Two Virtual Auction Items:

    • A one week stay in a 2-bedroom top-floor penthouse condo at Northstar-at-Tahoe. It offers generous living space of 1,205 square feet, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a cozy great room with vaulted ceilings and picturesque mountain views, private terrace plus underground parking.  The Northstar-at-Tahoe resort itself is one of the finest year-round mountain resorts in North America.  Summer activities include mountain biking, golfing, scenic lift rides, hiking, fly-fishing and more.
    • A gourmet private 5-course dinner for eight, hosted at the state-of-the-art kitchen facilities at The Culinary Edge, prepared by the chefs at The Culinary Edge.

    Live Raffle Prizes:

    • Things to Eat:
      • Fog Harbor Fish House restaurant – $100 gift certificate
      • Pier Market Seafood restaurant – $75 gift certificate
      • Il Fornaio Italian restaurant – Two $50 gift certificates
      • Wipeout Bar & Grill – $50 gift certificate
      • Bi-Rite Grocery – $50 gift certificate
      • Bicycle Coffee – 5 pounds of coffee
      • Chairman Bao food truck – $30 gift certificate
      • Fraiche Yogurt café – $25 gift certificate
      • Bun Mee Vietnamese sandwich eatery – $25 gift certificates
      • House Kombucha – growler of kombucha
      • Pacific Catch restaurant- Two $50 gift certificates
    • Things to Do:
      • de Young Museum – 2 adult passes
      • Sunset Gym – a 1-month gym membership at
      • Fluid Yoga – 2-class, 5-class and 1 month passes
      • Le Video – rental passes
      • JC Picture This photography – 1 hour photography session
    • Things to Have:
      • Timbuk2 Bags – $250 gift certificate
      • DODOcase - premium handmade iPad & Kindle cases
      • Sports Basement - $100 gift certificate
      • 4fifteen clothing – original clothing
      • Sharon Art Studio – original art
      • Manicato band – gift basket
      • Wishbone Gifts – $25 gift certificates
      • Tutti Frutti Cards & Gifts – gift basket

    The event will take place this Saturday, April 16th, from 1pm to 5pm.  In addition to the food and prizes, the event will also feature live music provided by Latin Reggae/Salsa band, Manicato, as well as a special “Super Swarm” period between 2pm to 4pm where guests will gather to check-in with hopes of unlocking the much coveted “Super Swarm” badge.

    The 2nd Annual Pacific Catch Foursquare Day celebration will take place on Saturday, April 16th from 1:00-5:00 pm at Pacific Catch’s Ninth Avenue location (1200 9th Avenue) in San Francisco.

    To bid on auction items, starting on Wednesday, April 13th at 5:30pm through Saturday, April 16th at 5:30pm, go to eBay.com and search “4sqdaySF”.

    Check out the Foursquare Day Website and 4sqdaySF Facebook events page for more information.

    Join the conversation on Twitter by following: @4sqdaySF, @pacificcatch, and @theculinaryedge

  • TCE Provides Insight on Chain Food Trucks

    TCE founder, Aaron Noveshen, was recently quoted in the National Restaurant News, providing perspective on the recent trend of chain restaurants getting into the food truck game.

    Aaron Noveshen, a founder of Mobi Munch, a mobile food infrastructure operation that helps restaurant companies launch trucks, said his company receives calls every other day from large national franchisors looking to put their concept on wheels.

    “Six months ago I projected that 10 percent of the top 200 restaurant chains would have some mobile presence,” Noveshen said. “Now I think that number will be higher.”

    Click here to see the whole article.

  • TCE to host McDonald’s Dan Coudreaut & Wylie Dufresne at 2011 NRA Show

    The Culinary Edge is excited to finally be able to break the news of a very special event that we’ll be bringing to you this May.

    At the 2011 National Restaurant Association Show, TCE Founder Aaron Noveshen will be hosting what is sure to be a great conversation between McDonald’s Executive Chef & Director of Culinary Innovation Dan Coudreaut and Executive Chef of New York’s WD-50 Wylie Dufresne.  Event attendees will be treated to a rare, insider’s view of how these industry juggernauts approach innovation in their respective restaurants.

    This very special session will take place on Monday, May 23rd in from 1-2pm in The World Culinary Showcase Theater.

    The World Culinary Showcase is new addition to the NRA show that will provide show attendees with a chance to learn from some of the country’s most prolific chefs and restauranteurs.  Presenters include Rick Bayless, Marcus Samuelsson and even The Culinary Edge alum and Top Chef cheftestant Tiffani Faison.  The Culinary Edge’s Coudreaut/Dufresne session will be the featured event of the showcase.

    For more information, click here.

  • 2011 James Beard Award Nominees Announced

    It’s that time of year again!

    The 2011 James Beard Award Nominees were announced this week.  There were some well-deserved nods to some of The Culinary Edge’s SF Bay Area favorites including:

    • Boulevard – Outstanding Restaurant
    • Benu - Best New Restaurant
    • Gary Danko (Gary Danko) - Outstanding Chef
    • Charles Phan (Slanted Door) - Outstanding Chef, Who’s Who of F&B Inductee
    • Daniel Patterson (COI) – Best Chef: Pacific
    • Michael Tusk (Quince) – Best Chef: Pacific
    • Richard Reddington (Redd) – Best Chef:  Pacific
    • Aaron London (Ubuntu) – Rising Star Chef of the Year
    • Thomas McNaughton (Flour + Water) – Rising Star Chef of the Year
    • Paul Kuleto (Boulevard, Epic Roasthouse, Farallon, Jardiniere, Martini House, Nick’s Cove & Waterbar) – Outstanding Restauranteur
    • Rajat Parr (Mina Group) – Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional
    • A16 – Outstanding Wine Service
    • San Francisco Chronicle (Jon Bonne & Miriam Morgan) – Food Section of General Interest Publication
    • Bar Gricole (Aidlin Darling Design) – Outstanding Restaurant Design
    • Tartine Bread, photography by Eric Wolfinger – Photography
    • Michale Chiarello’s Bottega by Michael Chiarello – Cooking from a Professional Point of View

    Congratulations to all the nominees!

    Click here to see the entire list.

     

  • “Bun Mee”, SF’s newest banh mi restaurant & TCE Partner to open soon

    Spot on with current sandwich trends, The Culinary Edge was recently brought in to help develop a banh mi shop to be located in San Francisco’s bustling Pacific Heights neighborhood.

    The Culinary Edge and owner Denise Tran tapped into Tran’s Vietnamese heritage to develop a fresh, flavorful menu, including banh mi-inspired sandwiches, appetizers, rice bowls, salads, sides, and desserts.  In addition to helping out with the menu creation, The Culinary Edge also supported Tran in finding the best of the best ingredient suppliers as well as honing her restaurant operations, setting her up for long-term success.

    A soft opening, planned for the weekend of April 1st, 2011,  will feature nine kinds of banh mi, including ones featuring exciting ingredients including five-spice chicken, classic pate, pork belly, smoky eggplant and even sardines.

    Bun Mee will be located at 2015 Fillmore St. at Pine;  415-800-7696.

    See additional coverage in:

  • TCE talks ‘food trucks’ at the 2011 Restaurant Leadership Conference

    The Restaurant Leadership Conference is the “must attend” event for top executives of the restaurant
    industry.

    At this year’s conference, The Culinary Edge founder Aaron Noveshen will be sitting on a panel discussion on the hot topic of food trucks in America:

    Restaurant trends come and go, but rarely have we seen a game-changing, transformational vehicle such as the gourmet food truck. Making headlines in almost every major publication nationwide, the food-truck phenomenon has grown from coast to coast.

    Assembling a panel of existing food-truck operators, Mobi Munch president and co-founder Ray Villaman will moderate and provide questions that reveal a behind-the-scenes look at the true potential of this new restaurant model. The panel will discuss questions regarding public/private location challenges, differences between these and brick-and-mortar operations, Twitter/Facebook marketing, city regulations and more.

    • When:  Tuesday, March 28th
    • Where:  Scottsdale, AZ

  • TCE to speak at the 2011 TOAST! Forum in Portland

    TOAST! is an exclusive half day forum designed to bring restaurant industry leaders together to discuss important topics, learn from colleagues and to develop strategies and business relationships.

    The Culinary Edge founder Aaron Noveshen will be serving on a panel discussing Non-Traditional Restaurant Growth Strategies.

    • When:  Tuesday, March 15th
    • Where: Portland, OR


  • The Culinary Edge’s Launch Party Photos are up!

    The Culinary Edge The Culinary Edge The Culinary Edge

    This past February, The Culinary Edge threw a party to celebrate moving into our new office. A fantastic time was had by all.  Many thanks to those of you who were able to come, and for those of who missed it,  you were with us in spirit!

    See all of the pictures on our Facebook Page.

  • The Culinary Edge to present at the 2011 RCA Culinology Conference

    If you plan on being at this year’s RCA Culinology Conference this weekend (March 2-5, 2011), make sure you check out The Culinary Edge’s education session on Saturday morning:

    From the Test Kitchen to the Executive Suite: Practical Solutions for Product Development Success

    Decisions in the board room concerning product development are made with brand reinforcement and company profitability in mind. Oftentimes, R&D solutions are tactical and require a philosophy and process that better account for the big picture pain points and market drivers. This presentation will teach you how to think like the leaders of your organization, to inspire them with your ideas, and to have more long lasting successes with your product development process.

    Jeff Decker, Chef/Project Manager, The Culinary Edge
    Eric Stangarone, Executive Chef, The Culinary Edge

    For more information, check out:  http://www.culinology.com/annualconference/program

  • The Culinary Edge lends its mobile food truck expertise in the SF Gate

    The Culinary Edge’s own Aaron Noveshen shares his thoughts on the mobile food market in San Francisco:

    While the Bay Area is growing in terms of numbers and locations of food trucks, it has a ways to go to catch up with Portland and Seattle and, particularly, Los Angeles. Besides being bigger and more mobile, L.A. is “more truck friendly” than the more regulatory-restrictive San Francisco, says Aaron Noveshen, founder of San Francisco restaurant consultancy the Culinary Edge. Noveshen, who also owns the four Pacific Catch restaurants in the Bay Area, is a partner in L.A. company Mobi Munch, which describes itself as the “first scalable mobile food truck infrastructure in gourmet street eats.” Among its properties: Chairman Bao and LudoTruck, a mobile fried chicken outlet created by celebrity L.A. chef Ludovic Lefebvre.

    Click here to see the full article.

  • The Culinary Edge has moved offices!

    The Culinary Edge has officially moved into our new home.  Please be sure to take note of our new address.

  • The Culinary Edge at the International Boston Seafood Show

    Hear it from the experts! Come see The Culinary Edge as we host an educational session featuring executive leaders from some of the country’s most successful and influential seafood restaurants, including McCormick & Schmick’s and Captain D’s, as we discuss the topic of Innovation.  The Culinary Edge’s own founder and president, Aaron Noveshen, will be moderating this session on Monday, March 21st from 2:00-3:30 pm EST.

  • Pacific Catch awarded funding

    TCE’s sister-company, Pacific Catch, secures a $4 million funding round led by Pacific Community Ventures

  • TCE Trend Watch: DIY Beer Kits Gain Popularity

    TCE called it—the DIY trend continues to gain traction….now with beer-making kits made specially for small homes

  • Rave local and national reviews of The Culinary Edge’s own Chairman Bao food truck in San Francisco

    Read about what people are saying!

  • Chairman Bao to be at San Francisco’s Bizarre Bazaar

    Couple delicious buns and holiday cheer at this weekend’s Bizarre Bazaar at the Fort Mason.  Chairman Bao will be serving up hot, tasty buns and more on Saturday & Sunday from noon to 4pm.

  • The Culinary Edge’s Stephen Goldmann gives his tips on how to successfully incorporate global flavors into your menu to enhance your brand

    The Culinary Edge was recently featured in Flavor & the Menu’s Fall 2009 edition, sharing his thoughts on global flavors in a piece titled “The Flavor Payoff”.  

  • Freshens, a TCE client, discusses the recent refresh of its smoothie and frozen yogurt brand

    Freshens, the smoothie and frozen yogurt chain, has revived its brand with a new all-natural yogurt and smoothie line, formulated by The Culinary Edge.

  • The Culinary Edge talks about “the morning meal” in National Restaurant News

    In its larger article titled: “The Most Important Meal”, the National Restaurant News explored how many restaurant chains are now viewing the morning daypart as vital to future growth and have expanded their menus and operating hours.

  • Fraiche, a Culinary Edge client, is featured as a leader in the yogurt trend

    In the back hallway at Fraiche, the Palo Alto yogurt shop, Patama Roj slowly pushes open a door to reveal a miniature dairy plant.

  • The Culinary Edge recognized for role in Damon Restaurants’ recent turnaround

    Nation’s Restaurant News, in a larger article about branding, “Companies strike up the brand to win over new, loyal customers”, reports that “Ten years ago, the Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index found that price-value, service, food and food quality, and fun were the factors that drove brand loyalty in the restaurant category.

  • The Culinary Edge’s restaurant, Pacific Catch, featured in iPhone launch commercial

    The Pacific Catch restaurant in Corte Madera scored a marketing coup when Apple chose to feature its sister restaurant in San Francisco in an ad for the new iPhone.

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