CHICAGO Four restaurant chains have joined a landmark New Orleans eatery, a university dining service and a chef from contract-feeding giant Aramark Corp. in being recognized for their outstanding menu development work with 2008 Nation’s Restaurant News MenuMasters Awards. In addition, Roger Berkowitz, president and chief executive of the pioneering Legal Sea Foods Inc. seafood dinnerhouse chain, has been selected as the 2008 inductee into the MenuMasters Hall of Fame.
Sponsored by Ventura Foods LLC, the MenuMasters Awards honor excellence and innovation in culinary research and development. The awards will be presented during ceremonies at the Drake Hotel here on May 17.
The winners are Burger King, Commander's Palace, Maggiano's Little Italy, O'Charley's, Red Lobster and the University of Connecticut's Department of Dining Services. Paul Carr, senior director of culinary for Aramark, has been selected as the Chef/Innovator.
The categories of competition and the winners within each are detailed below.
Best Menu/Line Extension: Red Lobster, the flagship casual-dining brand of Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants Inc., is the winner in this category for its Expanded Fresh Fish Menu. Updated daily, the menu features selections flown in from nearby waters to ensure freshness. Favorites include Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout and tilapia. Accepting the award for the 678-unit chain will be senior executive chef Michael LeDuke, who developed the expanded menu in close cooperation with John Fadool, senior vice president of culinary, and Kent Wilson, senior vice president of marketing.
Best Menu Revamp: O'Charley's takes the prize in this category with seven new menu offerings that the Nashville, Tenn.-based chain called Flavor Road Dishes. Each of these items, including a cedar-planked salmon, a chopped salad and a New York pizza pie pasta, were added to the menu as limited-time offers. Most now have been placed on the regular menu, including a tasty dessert bag full of cinnamon sugar doughnuts. Stephen Bulgarelli, the vice president of culinary development who spearheaded the new menu drive, will be accepting the award for the 240-unit O'Charley's chain.
Best Single Product Rollout: Maggiano's Little Italy, a Dallas-based member of the Brinker International Inc. family, wins this award for its braised beef cannelloni, which features fresh pasta stuffed with braised beef and asiago and parmesan cheeses. Described by reviewers as a "really yummy, craveable dish," this winning entry is enhanced by meat that is braised for tenderness and then finished under the broiler to produce some crispy bits. Corporate chef Keith Brunelli will be accepting the award for the chain, which has 42 locations in 22 states.
Best Limited-Time Offer: Burger King won this award for its homestyle melt sandwiches. Introduced in October 2007, the sandwiches exceeded forecasts and increased store sales, traffic and tickets during the six-week LTO period, according to the chain. The sandwiches, which were both built on sourdough bread, included a bacon double homestyle melt, which was made with two flame-broiled burgers topped with bacon; and a honey-butter melt, which was made with sausage, egg, cheese and honey-butter sauce. Accepting for the 11,100-unit chain will be Adam Tabachnikoff, senior manager of global product marketing.
Best Independent Operator Menu: This award goes to Commander's Palace, a New Orleans landmark since 1880. The nationally renowned establishment dates back to 1974, when Ella, Dottie, Dick and John Brennan took over personal supervision of the restaurant. The menu at Commander's Palace has thrived under such celebrated chefs as Paul Prudhomme, Frank Brigtsen and Emeril Lagasse. Shaping the menu today is executive chef Tory McPhail, who will be accepting the award.
Healthful Innovations: The winner in this division was the Spa Foods Menu from the University of Connecticut's Department of Dining Services in Storrs, Conn. Inspired by the menus of some spas and health-oriented resorts, the university's culinary team created healthy, nutritional foods with flavorful combinations. Spa Foods feature fresh ingredients with meat or fish, whole grains and beans. Every item is made daily in the university's food production kitchen and then delivered to the five university cafes, the Café Co-op and two convenience stores. Dennis Pierce, director of dining services, will be accepting the award.
Chef/Innovator: This honor goes to Paul Carr, senior director of culinary for Philadelphia-based contractor Aramark. In addition to directing all culinary research and development for a team of 10 R&D chefs at Aramark Innovative Dining Solutions, he also acted as key culinary liaison to 26 chefs during the company's International Guest Chef Exchange program. With more than 20 years of experience, Carr's culinary insights and expertise have led to the development of two award-winning programs. These include Club Fast-Track, a limited-time promotion, and Real Food on Campus, which delivers the latest food trends in a mode that fits the needs of college and university students. Carr is a 1985 graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY.
Hall of Fame Inductee: Roger Berkowitz began working in his family's fish market in Cambridge, Mass., at the age of 10. He learned every aspect of the business, beginning as a fry cook at the family's Inman Square location. Under his leadership for the past 30 years, Legal Sea Foods has emerged as one of New England's most powerful restaurant companies, with more than 30 upscale seafood restaurants up and down the East Coast. As the Hall of Fame inductee, Berkowitz joins a select group of that includes Bert Cutino, Emeril Lagasse, the late Warren Leruth, Richard Melman, David Overton, Jacques Pépin, Paul Prudhomme, the late Harland Sanders, Jasper White and Martin Yan.
MenuMasters Award winners are selected by the editors of Nation's Restaurant News.