Memorial Day Weekend

I went to the National Restaurant Association Show at the McCormick Center in Chicago this last Memorial Day Weekend for the first time. If you can imagine anything food related, it's probably there. The event is billed as the largest foodservice and hospitality show in the Western Hemisphere and draws over 50,000 attendees. It is said that it literally takes 2 full days to actually see the entire show. It has an amazing collection of commercial kitchen equipment, chinaware, glassware, silverware, and a myriad of food-type services.

While I was at the show, I did a series of cooking demos with Chef John and Chef Brooke from McCain Foods. We were trying out a brand new product line called Chef Sensations which features a lot of premium grilled and fire roasted vegetables and fruits. The line was developed to help mid-range and chain restaurants to put a regional and ethnic spin on their menus without requiring a lot of extra labor hours. We had a great time creating new takes on favorites. We used two unique blends: fire roasted corn, bell pepper, and black beans, and fire roasted onions, peppers, and pineapple.

During one of my evening stays in Chicago I had a chance to join an old friend and fellow hockey father, Bill kohl. Bill and I had an extraordinary dinner at Les Nomades. Les Nomades, a four star restaurant, serves classical French dishes with a contemporary flair. We had a great meal of lobsters, sweetbreads, wraps, truffles and other delicious items. Excellent cuisine.....great service. You can check out the complete menu at http://www.lesnomades.net/.

My next stop led me straight to New York to do the CBS Early Show on Memorial Day. It was a great way to kick off the cook-out summer season.
Hannah Storm and Harry Smith joined me for a little barbecue grilling. Watch the video by clicking here.