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Cheese is Back
By: James De Lise
An old-timer is making a comeback to the culinary scene; restaurateurs and home cooks alike are clamoring for cheese courses around the globe. As a way to extend the conversation that flows so freely towards the end of a meal while enjoying a fantastic wine, many people are augmenting - or even replacing - dessert with a cheese course. Imagine trading in your molten chocolate cake for a creamy, rustic aged stilton. You'll sit there with your friends chatting the night away while munching on the cheese, assorted dried fruit and some toast points and finishing off that bottle of wine.
The cheese course itself is very simple to prepare, simply go to your neighborhood cheese shop - or order some cheeses from a specialty shop like Murray's - and select a variety of cheeses in different textures. Pair the new cheeses with some dried dates, walnuts, grapes, and some toasted brioche and you'll be the toast of your next soiree.
Just remember, before you serve dinner to make your cheese platter to allow the cheese some time to breathe and warm to room temperature. Most cheeses will keep best if you store them in your refrigerator loosely wrapped in some parchment paper; if the cheese is extra pungent, like a blue cheese, you may choose to wrap it in parchment paper and aluminum foil.
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James De Lise is a seasoned hospitality professional whose career has spanned more than ten years. Originally from New York, he has worked and studied in Atlanta and London. James holds a degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America and is the Managing Director of
Impact Events Universal, a global event management and personal chef firm. If you have any questions for James, he can be
reached here.
Copyright © 2007, Impact Events Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Health Conscious Events
By: James De Lise
As more and more business people are realizing the importance of a healthier diet, they are shunning the fatty snack foods - like chips and cookies - that are all too common at business meetings. Not only is it important to provide a better range of food choices for these events at a health-level, it is important on a business-level as well.
More and more, I am hearing stories from clients that they went to XYZ Corporation for a meeting and were offered a very poor culinary selection. It just does not show that you, as a guest of the meeting, are valued by XYZ Corporation - after all, if they did value you, they'd want you to live longer, right?
Event planning firms, such as Impact Events Universal, that have their own culinary services division - or at least a professional chef on staff - are one of the easiest ways to get out of the rut. These firms can tailor your business meetings, as well as their menus, to offer a better, healthier selection of foods. After all, who wouldn't want a tantalizingly delicious-looking sushi platter or a fresh crab salad over a bag of greasy, salty chips?
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James De Lise is a seasoned hospitality professional whose career has spanned more than ten years. Originally from New York, he has worked and studied in Atlanta and London. James holds a degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America and is the Managing Director of
Impact Events Universal, a global event management and personal chef firm. If you have any questions for James, he can be reached
here.
Copyright © 2007, Impact Events Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Fix the Fat, Buy Local!
By: Antonio Abrantes, 11/04/07
Do you find yourself walking into the nearest chain grocery store wondering when it became acceptable for more than three quarters of the store being filled with junk food? It's no wonder why the American norm is obesity. We blame the big fast food restaurants for the growth of fat in America, but the problem is much graver than that.
Do we, as a society, need more than ten different kinds of artificially flavored maple syrup, or fifteen varieties of peanut butter filled with chemicals for our kids, or better yet over sixty varieties of sugar-laden cereal. Why not have varieties in the produce aisle? It can be excruciatingly difficult to find jicama, ginger, or even fresh basil in most of these stores.
These stores are filled with things we don't want until we see their pretty packaging; why can't we control our impulses? Simply put, marketing. Why don't we as society just know what is nutritionally right from wrong and fix our diets? Why are we so afraid of facing reality?
The alternative available us to today are farmers' markets and some independent grocery stores. While some of the items may be a few cents more expensive, it is important to support these smaller businesses that are trying to help America break out of its rut.
We can definitely live (longer) without the junk from the chain stores, buy local and help America lose some of its excess weight.
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Antonio Abrantes, known for both his culinary as well as his baking and pastry skills, is the Director of Culinary Services for
Impact Events Universal, a global event management and personal chef firm. As a Food and Beverage professional for ten years, Antonio has worked under some world renowned chefs while living and studying in New York, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal. Antonio also holds degrees from both the Culinary Institute of America and the Connecticut Culinary Institute. If you have any questions for Antonio, he can be
reached here.
Copyright © 2007, Impact Events Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Who said only Europeans drink espresso?
By: Antonio Abrantes, 11/04/07
It used to be thought only Europeans could hold down a cup of espresso in the morning or as an afternoon drink. We all love those sugary drinks from Starbucks or Dunkin' Doughnuts, but espresso can be so much more refreshing on those cold mornings - and better for your diet, too. Thanks to the Starbucks phenomenon, it is okay to drink this once shunned, "it's too strong" coffee drink. What most people do not understand is that, espresso is made from the same beans of the ever-popular coffee; however, it is ground finer and brewed with significantly less water.
In order to make the perfect espresso you have to start with great beans. Personally, I recommend Illy coffee - the medium roast - it is widely available in specialty kitchen stores or even specialty grocery stores, or directly from Illy's website. The majority of home espresso machines now accept pods - this makes it much easier to make a great cup of espresso without having to grind, and pack your own coffee.
You can tell the perfect espresso apart by its hallmark crema on top - which is light colored, creamy foam. Espresso is always best served with a small piece of lemon rind. Simply stir the rind around in the espresso and remove to eliminate some of that bitterness - you definitely don't need to add sugar. All that separates this from the perfect day is a small shortbread cookie or some biscotti.
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Antonio Abrantes, known for both his culinary as well as his baking and pastry skills, is the Director of Culinary Services for
Impact Events Universal, a global event management and personal chef firm. As a Food and Beverage professional for ten years, Antonio has worked under some world renowned chefs while living and studying in New York, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Portugal. Antonio also holds degrees from both the Culinary Institute of America and the Connecticut Culinary Institute. If you have any questions for Antonio, he can be
reached here.
Copyright © 2007, Impact Events Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Too Busy To Cook?
By: James De Lise
Busy business people around the world are sacrificing their personal time to keep up with their demanding jobs. It is no wonder that many individuals buy ready-made meals. But is this the best choice? Certainly it is not the healthiest option, with all of the preservatives found in these frozen 'delights.' Are we doing ourselves any favors by consuming them? Not really, according to several studies - including one by the European Commission - some preservatives are shown to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer in adults and hyperactivity in children.
According to a recent CNN article, more and more individuals are hiring personal chefs - not just executives, doctors, and lawyers, but more and more of the rest of us - school teachers, court reporters, et cetera - in order to cope with their busier days.
Personal chefs do not have to be expensive, usually they cost about the same as going out to eat at a nice restaurant - only the menu is customized for you, you do not have to go out, no waiting for reservations, and you aren't expected to tip.
With the new levels of personal chefs available to us, you can have someone prepare meals fresh three times a day, or simply come by once or twice a week, preparing freezable meals that you can easily reheat.
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James De Lise is a seasoned hospitality professional whose career has spanned more than ten years. Originally from New York, he has worked and studied in Atlanta and London. James holds a degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America and is the Managing Director of
Impact Events Universal, a global event management and personal chef firm. If you have any questions for James, he can be reached
here.
Copyright © 2007, Impact Events Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Airline Food Becomes Cuisine?
By: James De Lise
Little did American Airlines know when they began serving meals on their DC-3s in 1936 that they were going to give rise to the most hated - and welcomed at the same time - product for travelers across the globe. For some, airline food is the ubiquitous retrieve they look forward to - simply breaks up the monotony for those long haul flights. For others, it's a loathsome occurrence they must endure - it is not like they can easily bring and cook their own food at 30,000 feet.
From barely recognizable meat loaf to the vegetarian meal you ordered only because it sounds safer, airline food came from pretty abysmal beginnings. Now with celebrity chefs teaming up with airlines the tides are gradually turning. With food scientists developing ways to ensure that the change in taste with the pressure and altitude is accounted for, airline food as become a thing to look forward to for the right reasons.
The only thing holding the industry back at the moment is the buy your own onboard "sandwiches" and "salads" - I'm not entirely convinced that you can call them sandwiches or salads due to their sad lack of quality. It's time for all of the airlines to jump on the bandwagon of a few and turn airline 'cuisine' around.
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James De Lise is a seasoned hospitality professional whose career has spanned more than ten years. Originally from New York, he has worked and studied in Atlanta and London. James holds a degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America and is the Managing Director of
Impact Events Universal, a global event management and personal chef firm. If you have any questions for James, he can be reached
here.
Copyright © 2007, Impact Events Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
