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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.

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.

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:

By Tim Bade – August 24, 2022 Recipes are like songs. They define moments, set the mood, and the favorites always create lasting memories. The best chefs and culinarians have found their go-to recipes and built thriving businesses around them over the years. Like music, recipes can be reborn, changed, and remixed. Perhaps it’s a new twist on an old favorite or combining a new trend with a classic twist. A great recipe is about creativity and originality, and the best can stand the test of time. But in foodservice, many of the best recipes are lost. They are invented by culinarians in the kitchen, often on the fly. Sometimes they are written on napkins, sticky notes, or filed away in the recesses of computers. They’re not always documented and stored in a manner that makes them easy to locate. Just think of all the recipes you’ve written over the years. Wouldn’t it be great if you could go back and dig through them, restore them, and even update them with new and different ingredients? That’s why we created Whipstir™, an easy and intuitive recipe database built for the way culinarians work. Entering a recipe in Whipstir™ is fast and easy, and having the database password protected ensures your recipes are safe and secure. With Whipstir™, you’ll never worry about losing new ideas and tried and true recipes again––now that’s music to any chef’s ears. The Whipstir™ database allows you to search, filter, and find recipes and share them with others on your team. The built-in workflow management system is ideal for collaborating in real-time from different locations. Easily create new collections to help organize your recipes into categories and download or email them directly from the interface. Whipstir™ was designed for chefs by chefs to store and protect your best culinary masterpieces. After all, your job is to imagine and create what’s next in the kitchen. Leave the rest of the work to Whipstir™! You can learn more about Whipstir™ and schedule a free demonstration at whipstir.com .

July 18, 2022 July is here, and that means sunshine, outdoor grilling and fun gatherings with family and friends. For me, fresh watermelon is one fruit that always screams summertime. It can be incorporated into a wide range of sweet and savory dishes, but one of my favorite applications for watermelon is showcasing its brilliant flavor through beverages. My watermelon margarita is so simple to execute yet warrants one insanely delicious cocktail. I leave the artificial-tasting bottled mix behind and allow the authentic flavor of watermelon to shine through. The bright citrus notes complement any tequila blanco but be careful––these pack a punch! You know what they say, one tequila, two tequila, three tequila floor!

June 23, 2022 Today, kimchi has become a popular side dish and can be found in various recipes from traditional to fusion, but this wasn't always the case. As a kid, I remember my friends finding something off-putting about it, and they would tease me for eating it. The bold flavors and smells associated with Korean food led to many odd looks at the lunch table. Seeing kimchi become a craveable staple on so many current menus has made me feel proud of something that used to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed. For AAPI Heritage Month, I was honored to do a fun cooking demo of a simplified kimchi recipe and a pork and kimchi mandu. I wanted to showcase an example of one of the endless ways you can use kimchi. Making mandu, or Korean dumplings, is something my family does as a tradition on New Year's Day. We would all get together to make dumplings and then add them to a soup called Tteok Mandu Guk. There's nothing like ringing in the new year with a delicious bowl of comforting soup. There was a lot of pressure in my house to make nicely formed mandu. As my mother and grandmother would say, "if you make ugly mandu, you will have ugly children!" My mom makes the best-looking dumplings, in my opinion. Making kimchi and mandu is the most fun when surrounded by family or the people you love. It's a great activity for those days when it's too hot to be outside or on a relaxing rainy day. I hope you enjoy making these delicious Korean dishes as much as I do!

Cirque Bazaar 2022 By Alexa Olvany – June 23, 2022 The foodservice event of the year may be over, but our new business connections have just begun! After a two-year hiatus, our 2022 soirée was one for the record books. CSSI and The Marlin Network pulled out all the stops with explosive entertainment, unique insta-grammable photo opportunities and an array of innovative food and drink selections around every corner. The enlivened atmosphere and the rare opportunity to network with nearly 600 industry attendees and 167 commercial chains made Cirque Bazaar a wild success. All of the incredible food and beverages showcased were made featuring ingredients from our sponsored brands. The culinary team highlights the versatility of each product in unique ways, so every cocktail, passed appetizer, and nibble or nosh is fully integrated into the experience. Attending, and sponsoring, our annual Cirque party allows for genuine conversations to fly with some of the most prominent leaders in the industry, while maximizing brand exposure and building long-lasting industry relationships. Check out the fun and see who attended and sponsored this year’s event here . Interested in sponsorship opportunities for 2023? Contact me to learn more about our discounted rates for signing up early!