Cirque is Back and Better than Ever

By Alexa Olvany – April 20, 2022

With the National Restaurant Association show just around the corner, we could not be more excited to connect with our industry colleagues and friends after a two-year conference and in-person event hiatus. NRA presents one of the largest gatherings of top foodservice innovators from around the country and provides an unparalleled opportunity for collaboration, inspiration and fun!

CSSI will be hosting their annual Cirque event on Sunday, May 22, and this year will be the best event yet! We’ve rented out the entire restaurant at TAO, a landmark building in Chicago that’s home to some of the city’s hottest events. We are thrilled to be able to share this one-of-a-kind experience with our operator community and manufacturer sponsors. This year, we’ve pulled out all the stops for Cirque Bazaar, from innovative Pan-Asian culinary bites and show-stopping specialty beverages to jaw-dropping entertainment––this event will be like none other.

All operators, both in the commercial and non-commercial space, are invited to join. We have an amazing lineup of sponsors such as Avocados From Mexico™, General Mills, Royal Cup® Coffee and Tea, TiNDLE ™, Lee Kum Kee, Aspire Bakeries and Kent® Precision Foods Group. All are eager to showcase their product innovation at the most delicious and exciting networking event of NRA weekend!

We look forward to seeing you all in our hometown of Chicago next month. Make sure to check out all the action-packed fun in our Industry Dish event recap coming out in June.

black and white headshot of thomas talbert

Alexa Olvany
Associate Account Director, Enhanced Experiences

SUNDAY MORNING SCONES

February 28, 2023
March 1st, 2023 We’re thrilled to introduce the newest addition to our culinary family: Chef Steve Madonna. Formally trained in both Italy and the United States, as well as having worked for Wolfgang Puck, Chef Steve brings an extensive set of connections and culinary knowledge to our already stacked chef roster. Featured in this month’s issue is one of Chef Steve’s favorite recipes for making memories at home with your loved ones.

Chef Austin’s Pumpkin Pie Milk Punch

October 19, 2022
October 19, 2022 Pumpkin pie is a nostalgic menu item and my personal favorite when it comes to fall and winter menus, as it goes hand in hand with a traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. We elevate the nostalgia by turning this must-have holiday dish into a clarified cocktail that leaves your taste buds as curious as your eyes. We get adventurous as we replace expected visual elements with an ice-cold glass of clarified liquors infused with pumpkin pie. This cocktail defies all visual expectations, while leaving your sense of smell and taste immersed in a seasonally nostalgic experience.

The Great Canadian Snack Game

October 19, 2022
October 19, 2022 Canada is well known for many things. Hockey, snow, maple syrup, and a few other stereotypical but somewhat accurate concepts may immediately come to mind. What you may not know, though, is how invested we are in the snacks that we consume. Compared to the U.S., sure, we are no match for the quantity and variety offered in the land of the free, home of the snacks. However, what we know in our hearts is that Canada has a long-standing, tried-and-true, flawed, yet beloved top-notch snack game. I’m talking about comfort foods that have become so integrated and so established that they are classified as cult-favourites—and no, I did not spell favourites incorrectly. You are about to see a lot more of the letter “U” in this article. Sorry! The great Canadian snack game is easy enough to understand. You think of a flavour and either slap it on a potato or pair it with chocolate. Snacking has always been a huge part of Canadian food culture, but it is only going up from here. To put it lightly, the past few years have been tough on everyone around the world, and Canadians have chosen to increase their spending on snacks by 67% as an indulgence or, personally, as a coping mechanism. In no way, shape, or form am I claiming to be a culinary expert somehow employed in the field of Finance, but I have eaten a lot in my life and right now, I’m the best and/or only Canadian guide you’ve got. Let’s get into the details:
Show More