The Culinary Institute of America's Department of Menu Research and Development

Message from the Department Chair

This issue of the Menu Research and Development Newsletter describes a variety of research and educational programs that illustrate how the field of Culinary Arts and Sciences provides an ideal medium for critical evaluation of the pressing issues facing the food service industry. This newsletter describes how: CIA faculty use a campus restaurant as a consumer behavior lab to better understand effective health messaging on the menu; chef instructors are tackling the issue of salt and sodium in foods, by developing science-based studies on the flavor perception of “designer salts;” a collaboration with Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning, is bringing together stakeholders in foodservice for focus groups on strategies for working efficiently and sustainably.

Our industry sponsors have supported the Department of Menu R&D, and helped develop The Menu Research and Flavor Discovery Initiative (MRFDI) that provides applied research opportunities for faculty and motivated students. This program contributes to the body of evidence-based knowledge that supports the foodservice industry and augments our student’s educational experience. In this newsletter we recognize Campbell’s Soup Company for their continued support with these endeavors, and describe the interesting connection between “soup” and the origins of the culinary profession.

The food industry and academic institutions continue to show a strong interest in culinary technique and tradition. The culinary arts acts as a catalyst for translating ideas from one discipline into another. This is reflected in the many invitations received by the Department of Menu R&D to share its programs and perspectives at industry meetings and academic conferences across the country. Our active involvement in outreach will continue to develop valuable collaborations and facilitate knowledge sharing. I hope you enjoy this window into our ongoing programs in the Department of Menu R&D at The CIA.

Best regards,



Chris Loss, Ph.D., A.O.S., Department Chair, Menu Research & Development, The Culinary Institute of America

Featured sponsor: Jeff Donde, of Campbell’s Soup Company, provides multi-unit foodservice operations custom solutions

Jeff Donde of Stockpot Solutions, a division of Campbell’s, has helped develop and establish the Menu Research and Flavor Discovery Initiative in The CIA’s Department of Menu R&D. Donde’s Stockpot Division has adapted to meet the needs of mid-range multi-unit food service operators (up to 300 units). This service of custom batch size is increasing and reflects a need for variety – within the menu itself and between restaurant concepts. The variety of the consumers’ palates seems to be the only thing remaining constant. Versatility in batch size, provided by Stockpot Solutions, allows restaurants to adapt more readily to consumer preferences and a changing business environment.

There’s restaurant history in your soup

The restaurant industry can be traced back to a form of soup. The word restaurant originates from the name of a dish that emerged as street food in Paris, France, around 1759 called, “restaurant bouillons,” or a health restoring broth (Pitte, 1999). This invention of a reduced and condensed broth with purported functional health properties changed culinary history and altered perception of food systems (Spang, 2000). As a delivery system for safe and wholesome nutrients, this comfort food has sustained itself for hundreds of years. Perhaps the culinary canvas of soup has allowed for easy adaptation to customer preferences and cuisine styles, contributing to a robust industry, and a diversity of flavor profiles.

Campbell’s Soup Company is an icon and provider of comfort and nutrition, and a reflection of America’s rich food culture. One hundred and forty years old, it has a history involving applications of food science, nutrition, and culinary technique. By translating nutritional science into the language of flavor preference, Campbell’s has been able to successfully develop products to meet consumer requests for low sodium. Research at the CIA, sponsored by Campbell’s, is evaluating the sensory effects of different salts in model culinary systems: broth, mashed potatoes, and ground beef (described later in this newsletter).

We thank Jeff Donde of Campbell’s Stockpot Solutions for supporting the Department of Menu R&D, and our ongoing research and educational programs.

Interview with Kevin Ryan, Director of the International Corporate Chefs Association (ICCA), and member of the Menu Masters Advisory Committee

Director of the International Corporate Chefs Association, Kevin Ryan shares his perspective on the challenges and opportunities for multi-unit food service operators.

The ICCA is an industry group comprised of executive corporate chefs for large multi-unit food service operations. Kevin Ryan has served on the Menu Masters Advisory Committee for the past 2 years, providing valuable insight into the changing needs of the food service industry. I asked him a few questions regarding his perspective on the industry and the opportunities and challenges that it faces today.

Chris: Kevin, in your opinion, what is the biggest challenge in today's product development environment, and why?

Kevin: With rising ingredient costs across the board and restaurant guests trading down to lesser priced restaurants you have a very dangerous combination. In some instances, the menu development team has tried to develop lower-priced items without the reduction of margin, but the fear is that it can lower overall gross sales. It is a tricky time in our industry.

Chris: The ideology underlying the MenuMasters educational programs emphasizes cross-disciplinary interactions to hasten the product development cycle and to facilitate successful product launches. Can you briefly describe an example of how a cross-disciplinary product development team has helped speed up the product development process?

Kevin: I think one of the best examples in the past few months has been Red Lobster's addition of wood smokers in every restaurant. That was a challenge that needed creative assistance from purchasing, operations, and marketing. The end result was an equipment change at very little cost per unit -a true success story for the entire team.

Chris: From your vantage point, what global cuisine or style of food preparation do you feel will emerge in the next year or 2, and why?

Kevin: I think Southeast Asian and in particular Indian cuisine will continue to become more popular, but I also think Peruvian cuisine will become more mainstream. The cuisine of Peru offers excellent flavors without the intense and/or unfamiliar spices that can lead guests to shy away from trying a new dish. In the area of food preparation, I see more slow-cooking combined with underutilized cuts as a way to offer better value to the dining public.

Chris: Your comment about keeping guests engaged with new flavor profiles, without scaring them off is interesting. A recent article by Moskowittz and Hartman (2008) describes how consumer “neophobia” with foods has impeded new product development over the years. Chefs and cuisines experts who study culinary techniques and traditions around the world, seem to be able apply their understanding of flavor profiles (Rozin, 2005) to enhance innovation and increase acceptance of new products in the market place.

Sous-vide methods seem to have increased in popularity. Books and courses focusing on the topic are emerging and expanding the creative palate that chefs have available.

Thank you for taking time to share your perspective and insights into a major sector of our food industry.

Healthful menu messaging can impact consumer purchase behavior in the restaurant setting, CIA Greystone study shows

A Menu Research and Flavor Discovery Initiative sponsored study used the Wine Spectator restaurant at the CIA’s Greystone campus, as an in-context field lab to evaluate the effects of “better for you” menu messaging. Menu item purchase frequency, check average, post-meal surveys, and focus groups, were used to determine how menu formatting of nutritional information effects consumer behavior. Three menu formats were tested over a 21 day period: (1) “Better for you” menu items enclosed within a separate boxed section; (2) “Better for you” menu items indicated with a star “*”; and (3) a control menu without health attribution called out. On the “better for you” menus, a footnote indicated that these items contained <500 calories, <10g saturated fat, <500mg sodium, and <100 mg cholesterol, and were based on the Mediterraenean Diet Principles (Willett, 1995). Student T-tests were used to determine if averages were statistically different.

When boxed menus were used, check average per person was significantly lower, $54.34 (n=1156), compared to the starred ($57.69; n=1285) and control ($57.55; n=1042). “Better for you” menu items which included: organic apple salad, coriander lamb carpacio, Indian spiced chick peas, and sautéed spinach (amongst others), comprised 32, 33 and 35% of items sold on box, control and star, menus respectively, but these differences were not statistically significant. All menu items ordered from all formats were highly liked with means >6.3 on a 9-point hedonic scale. Post-dining focus groups comprised of patrons in this study suggested that nutritional information was not necessarily a primary factor influencing their menu item choice. Restaurant context (i.e. dining format) and the pure enjoyment of flavor can supersede considerations of health and nutrition.

These data suggest that in this food service context, restaurateurs can include "better for you" nutritional information without negatively impacting profitability, or enjoyment, provided that menus are properly designed. Operators can develop effective strategies for promoting healthier menu items, provided that they take an evidence-based approach to evaluating menu format and POS data. This research (a collaboration between Chris Loss and Howard Schutz at U.C. Davis) will help inform restaurateurs when trying to make decisions regarding legislation on menu information and health messaging.

An abstract of this research has been submitted for review for presentation at the 2009 Pangborn Conference in Milan, Italy in July 2009.

CIA faculty present research on descriptive analysis of artisan feta cheese from Cephalonia, Greece

Factors contributing to the flavor of feta cheese.

One of the major themes of the CIA’s Worlds of Flavors (WOF) conferences is the marriage between the old and the new—tradition and innovation—and how it is expressed in high-end and multi-unit food service operations. A cuisine is a record of culinary and cultural traditions, and at the same time a reflection of new ideas and techniques being expressed through food. Adam Busby, C.M.C., and Chris Loss, Ph.D., gave a presentation at the WOF conference titled, “Artisan Greek Feta Production and Flavor Profiling” that reflected this fusion of old and new ideas. Their presentation was part of a session on “The Cheeses of Southern Italy and Greece, and wines that pair with them”, that included Michele Lanza, Karen McNeil, Jim Bostacos, and Terrance Brennan.

Busby and Loss’ talk described one of the oldest food preservation technologies known to man: cheese production. They also described research conducted using a sensory science tool known as quantitative descriptive analysis (Stone and Sidel, 1993) allowing them to take a snapshot of the flavor of cheese in Cephalonia, and compare it to common domestic brands.

Quantitative descriptive analysis methods are a way of objectively describing all sensory properties of a food, including mouthfeel/texture, appearance, aroma, taste, and overall flavor. A sensory scientist from The National Food Lab trained eight chefs for two days on objective evaluation of the sensory descriptors of cheese. During this time, the chefs discussed and debated all the possible descriptors, and their perceived levels, in the samples from Cephalonia. The spider plots that resulted (see figure below) provided a culinary “finger print” of the feta cheese, and a tool that multi-unit operators can use to help communicate with their suppliers, when developing menu items.

Cephalonian Feta cheese and a comparison of the aroma profiles of two artisan Feta cheeses from Cephalonia and one domestic brand.

“One of the challenges when developing new menu items is to innovate without alienating the customer.” noted Dr. Loss, during the presentation. Objective and quantitative methods that generate a common lexicon for artisan flavors can be used to help preserve culinary tradition, and at the same time point menu development teams in a direction that will lead to a successful product.

Other ongoing culinary science research at the CIA

Chef Kamen, ’88, C.E.C., C.C.E., C.H.E.

Chef Kamen begins study on the effects of culinary salts on the flavor profile of chicken broth, mashed potatoes, and ground beef.

“Designer salts” such as fleur de sel and sel gris are becoming increasingly popular amongst culinary professionals and consumers. The impact of these salts on the flavor of foods is unclear. Complicating this issue is the fact that salt, when used to season a food, is rarely added using measured amounts (recipes typically suggest that salt be added “to taste”).

High sodium levels in the diet have been identified as a risk factor for coronary heart disease (Chobanian and Hill, 2000), and the food industry has begun to reformulate certain products. Objective descriptions of the flavor profile changes in foods formulated with designer salts provides a valuable tool for the industry as it develops new and lower sodium menu items. To better understand how these salts impact the flavor of foods, Chef Kamen ’88, at the Hyde Park Campus, is investigating four salt types: Kosher, iodized, fleur de sel, and sel gris, in three typical culinary preparations: chicken broth, mashed potatoes, and ground beef patties.

Common designer salts found in restaurant kitchens.

Chef Kamen will first quantify the average amount of salt chefs add to each culinary preparation and then use standard sensory evaluation techniques to determine preferences and perceived saltiness for each of four salt types, using chef and consumer panels. The flavor profiles of each preparation will be determined with descriptive analysis techniques by a trained panel of CIA chefs.

This is Kamen’s second salt study at the college. His first research project titled, “Nutritional Impact of Cooking Vegetables in Salted Water” was published in the February 2009 ProChef® Quarterly, Issue 9.

From left, Tucker Taylor (Head Culinary Gardener, The French Laundry) works on a “Sustainable Culinary Constellations” exercise with Bob Karinsy (Vice President of Menu Strategy and Innovation for Taco Johns) and Ida Shen (Executive Chef, UC Berkeley Food Service).

Industry focus group exploring sustainable culinary designs.

Food production and service is an activity of intense resource utilization that connects many aspects of food systems from field to plate. Sustainable practices contribute to efficient and profitable business operations and are a key component of customer-perceived value in the foodservice industry. Standards for sustainable architecture and design (such as LEED certification) have been developed, but do not consider restaurant facilities specifically. At the intersection of architecture and the culinary arts there is an opportunity to explore the restaurant as a prime sustainability target, informing both fields on the issue of resource management and environmental stewardship.

The CIA’s Department of Menu R&D has collaborated with Roberta Militello, of Cornell’s College of Architecture, Art and Planning, to conduct a series of structured cross-disciplinary focus groups to help better understand principles and practices of sustainability in the food service industry. Results will provide data that will inform existing approaches to sustainable food production, and identify areas that can benefit from further evidence based research.

Focus groups were held January 22, 2009 in the Williams Center for Flavor Discovery, before the start of World of Healthy Flavors conference, and March 16, 2009 at the Cornell Club in New York City.

Student garden project at the Greystone campus continues to grow experiential learning opportunities in sustainable culinary practices

Kira Atwood, Greystone Baking and Pastry student quizzing young market goers on the identity of fruits and vegetables grown at the Student Garden.

Students involved with the Greystone Garden project are busy preparing for the Spring Farmers Market in Saint Helena, where they will sell their wares and educate market goers on the culinary function and flavor of fresh produce. The two-year-old garden, which was originally supported by a grant from the MRFDI, is now financially self-sustaining. Proceeds from crops sold at the Saint Helena Farmers Market have allowed students to support and further grow their understanding and appreciation of their food systems.

Over the fall and winter the students continued to harvest black Tuscan and red Russian kale, golden, chioga, and bull’s blood beets, Romanesco, and hearty flashing trout salad greens. Barley grass has been planted as a “green manure” crop that will be tilled into the soil to replenish the nutrients drawn from the 14 different tomatoes grown during the past spring and summer. Continuous examples of the give and take between the soil and the student farmers has increased their awareness of sustainable practices and the challenges of bringing fresh produce to market.

Tuscan Kale, Flashing Trout Lettuce, Romanesco and assorted beets grown in the student garden.

Students apply principles of microbial ecology when preparing compost for their garden. ACAP student, Carlyle Watt has been creating piles of compost from kitchen scraps, shavings from old wine barrels, and straw, and has been monitoring temperatures on a regular basis. Microbial growth and metabolic activity heats the compost to temperatures of 150˚F when ambient temperatures are at 40˚F. This activity breaks down the macronutrients in the vegetable scraps and preserves them in a form that can be easily absorbed by the roots of crops. Composting is another reflection of the students drive to utilize their ingredients to the fullest, and minimize waste. Composting has also focused the students on the waste streams produced by restaurants, improving the recycling program, and minimizing the cost of hauling food scraps and packaging to the landfill.

Student Garden alumni have gone on to work at farms and restaurants that have a sustainable focus on the menu. A.O.S. Greystone student, Michael Shethar—originally from Colorado—is working at Nash’s Organic Produce, a farm outside of Portland, where he is further cultivating his passion for farming and food systems. As part of his externship Shethar runs their farmer’s market booth, where he shares his knowledge of best cooking practices for produce, and his passion for all things fresh and local. A recent article in the Peninsula Daily News featuring Shethar, highlights the importance of local food production, and its draw for consumers interested in the locavore movement.

To minimize inputs from outside the garden, such as fertilizer, students have planted barley as a form of “green manure” that will be tilled into the ground in early Spring, replenishing nitrogen and water. Straw is used as a natural weed deterrent, by blocking out the sun. In the heat of the summer, straw will be used to help retain moisture in the soil, and reduce water waste.

Jesse Eldridge of Garberville, CA is another Greystone Student Garden alumnus, who is currently working at the Eldorado Hotel in nearby Sonoma, where he is learning to work with local farms to provide dishes that incorporate seasonal ingredients. He has maintained his connection to the garden, taking time from his externship to join students on the weekends to help weed and mulch the garden in the early morning. Jesse has also been integral in developing the chicken program that will start in the Spring. He has designed coops from old planter boxes, keeping with one of the primary tenets of sustainability—to minimize off farm inputs (Grubinger, 1999).

ACAP student, Carlyle Watt maximizes utilization of kitchen scraps by turning it into compost, a natural fertilizer for the student run garden.

In addition to the Saint Helena’s farmer’s market, students provide fresh produce to the Greystone Wine Spectator Restaurant, Greystone Bread Club, local food banks, and the CIA/Harvard CME conference, Healthy Kitchens Healthy Lives. An article in the San Francisco Chronicle describes the ideology behind the garden project and the factors driving increased awareness of agricultural practices amongst culinary students.

Flavor Perception Workshop at Astor Center: A cross-disciplinary focus on the multimodality of food flavors

In the world of food service and culinary arts, we constantly strive to create flavors that keep our customers coming back. Our chef-faculty travel the world searching for herbs, spices, and other artisan ingredients that will help them express their ideas through food, in the form of flavors. Flavor is the center of our existence, our raison d’etre. However, the term “flavor” is often misused, and it is not well defined or entirely understood. What is becoming clear is that the perception of flavor is extremely individual and we all live in different “flavor worlds,” as described by Terry Acree, Ph.D. at last years CIA Flavor Summit.

The words “taste” and “flavor” are often used interchangeably. However, the interaction between aroma and taste, and their combined effect on perceived flavors are often overlooked. At a workshop in NYC, at the Astor Center, in August 2008, CIA Chefs and food scientist, along with a neurobiologist, sensory scientist, and a flavor chemist, got together to explore the complex and elusive topic of flavor. This protean brigade combined a gourmet meal with lecture and discussion revolving around the topic of flavor, and the culinary techniques used to generate it.

Sponsored by the MRFDI, this interactive dinner and workshop started off with a “basic tastants test,” and mojito mixer. Jeannine Delwiche, Ph.D., a Senior Sensory Scientist from Firmenich, mixed up five solutions representing the basic tastes of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami, and served them in coded cups. Diners were asked to guess which cups contained the basic tastants. To entice the attendees, a mojito was served along with the gustatory sampler.

After the test and mixer, attendees sat down at their tables to find an amuse bouche consisting of what appeared to be four pieces of candy: two “chocolate truffles” rolled in toasted pistacios, and two red “fruit gelées,” along with a nose clip. This first course was designed by the chefs and scientists to illustrate the interactions between aroma, taste, and appearance, and the gestalt that results in overall perceived flavor. Diners were instructed to put the nose clips in place to block any perception of aromas from the amuse (both orthnasal–to the olfactory bulb directly through the nose, and retronasal–to the olfactory bulb from the mouth). With nose clip in place, Dr. Acree, flavor chemist from Cornell University asked participants to sample the red gelée, and describe to their fellow diners what they perceived. Some sweetness, saltiness, and sour tastes were described. They were then asked to remove the nose clips, and rush of flavor was perceived, including “earthy,” “vegetative,” and “beety,” as the bouche was actually a beet water flavored with goat cheese, and bound with gelatin.

The amuse bouche: “truffle” (grape, rolled in blue cheese, and toasted pistachios) and gelé (beet water flavored with goat cheese, bound with gelatin); nose clip to the right of the knife.

Chef-Instructor Mark Ainsworth, CEC, described how he created the dish and why he combined those particular flavors. The surprise of earthy savory flavors coming from a bright red candy dish illustrated the influence of color on the perception of flavor since most diners associate red colors with fruit and sweetness, especially in the context of a mignardise presentation.

The second course was a “cauliflower and curried soup flight” that that demonstrated the somatosensory principles underlying the perceived texture of creaminess. Chef Ainsworth prepared three cauliflower soups that had varying degrees of particle sizes, resulting from different durations burr-mixing. As Dr. Acree explained, the perception of creaminess is not a result of the fat, per se, but due to the consistency of the size of the fat globs in the cream. The soup with the most uniform particle sizes was perceived to be most like cream.

The third course, a Pequillo pepper stuffed with chicken and ham, with green pepper and passion fruit sauces, was served with a of glass sauvignon blanc. The signature flavor compounds in the wine elicited the perception of green pepper and passion fruit. The stuffed pepper at the center of the plate incorporated each of these components in balance. Chef Ainsworth described how he combined these flavors to create the dish.

Diners were asked to taste different components from the plate, and then sip the wine, and describe how the flavor changed on their palate.

A figure depicting the phenomenon of sensory adaptation.

Stuart Firestein, Ph.D., a neurobiologist from Columbia University, an expert on olfaction, described the aromatic compounds and associated perceived flavors in Sauvignon Blanc, and explained how a balance of these components can be perceived to be desirable. “Mixture suppression” and “adaptation” were also explained. Chef Ainsworth described his approaches to pairing Sauvignon Blanc with foods, and the importance of balancing seasonings within a dish, and throughout the progression of a meal. The culinary trend of small bites (tapas, for example) was used as an example of how to avoid adaptation or monotony during a meal. Interestingly, Thomas Keller of the French Laundry has introduced this idea into the culinary world with his law of “diminishing returns”.

The fourth course was the “umami course”, and consisted of short ribs braised in citrus, pan fried scallops, tomato gelée, and udon noddles. Dr. Delwiche introduced the diners to the concept and perception of umami, describing the chemical compounds that elicit these perceptions, known receptors, and pertinent physiology.

Chef Ainsworth described the ingredients commonly used in the kitchen to create the perception of umami, and culinary techniques used to enhance this perception. Marinated and braised meats, for example, will have a greater amount of free glutamate because the acid in the marinade and the slow cooking, can help break down the meat's proteins, releasing free glutamate and increasing the perception of umami.

The dessert course consisted of a mint panna cotta with spicy pineapple chutney and almond biscotti. Dr. Firestein described the physiology and function of the senses with respect to heating and cooling on the palate, and how the brain processes hot and cold stimuli. Chefs Ainsworth described dishes from various global cuisines for which a balance or interaction between spicy and cool are integral. For example, in South Indian cuisine, dishes containing hot chilies are often combined with soothing coconut and tamarind. Mace, mint, and yogurt with cucumbers, are also common cooling flavor partners found in recipes that include hot spices (Hari Macchi, Chicken Biryani, for example).

During dessert service, Kevin Cudeback, CEO of Gimme Coffee!, provided a coffee bean roasting demonstration; filling the dining room with rich caramel and Maillard aromas. Convivial discussion, fueled by the seminar and newfound understanding of flavor perception, continued after dinner amongst the chefs, scientists, food writers, and other culinary professionals in attendance.

Seminar series in the Culinary Arts and Sciences focuses on cheese and chocolate

The CIA’s Ventura Foods Center for Menu Research & Development has an ongoing seminar series in the “Culinary Arts and Sciences,” where invited speakers from the food industry and academia share their perspectives on food with The CIA’s culinary arts and baking and pastry students. The seminars have covered topics such as ingredient production and functionality, sensory science, food safety, career development strategies, and food writing amongst other cross-disciplinary topics.

On October 11, 2008, Dr. Moshe Rosenberg, from U.C. Davis, gave a talk titled, “Cheese Design: What affects the evolution of cheese quality attributes and what governs the culinary opportunities with cheese?” Dr. Rosenberg described how, “…a single raw material, milk, is processed and transformed into many different ‘packages’ of different sensorial properties…” His talk focused on the “technological, biological, and the artistic elements of cheese making.” He described milk as a canvas for manifesting the “biological brush strokes” of microorganisms and enzymes. The Greystone students were fascinated by the presentation and enjoyed samples of cheese that included Morbier, Gorgonzola, Gruyère, and Camembert.

Dr. Moshe Rosenberg presents a seminar on cheese at Greystone’s Ecolab Theater.

On November 14, 2008, Brad Kinzter, R&D Specialist, from Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker and Dagoba Organic Chocolate, gave a presentation titled, “Creating Chocolate Flavor from Bean to Bar.” Kintzer described organic chocolate production as a combination of tropical agriculture, food fermentation, chemistry, and culinary techniques. A tasting of several chocolates was enjoyed by students in the packed Ecolab Theater, at the Greystone Campus.

Menu R&D programs online

Online courses offered by The Department of Menu R&D prepare students for the new foodservice frontier.

Menu R&D is a collaborative discipline where culinary arts, marketing, consumer behavior, food science and technology, and operations management converge to help develop profitable food service strategies and meet consumer wants and needs. The product development process has been reviewed (Thomas, 2008) and is a valuable tool to be leveraged when trying to keep financial risks to a minimum. Process development and evaluation, taught in the menu masters program, are essential for maximizing opportunities for a successful product launch.

Students can create their own opportunities in this growing field and enhance their current R&D skills as the food service industry grows increasingly complex.

With so much at stake, today's menus and restaurant operations must be engineered through a formal, ongoing process that includes all stakeholders. Working with foodservice segment leaders, the CIA has developed the Menu Masters online program for Menu R&D training. Faculty teach the strategy of "process collaboration" to professionals from all sectors of the foodservice industry.

Upcoming classes:

Marketing and Consumer Behavior in Menu Research and Development: March 22, 2009 Instructor: Lisa Klein Pearo, Ph.D.

Food Science and Technology Applications to Menu R&D: May 10, 2009 Instructor: Chris Loss, Ph.D., A.O.S.

Operational Strategies for Menu Research and Development: July 16, 2009 Instructor: Chef Mark Thomas (CIA, 72)

The Culinary Art of Menu Research and Development: September 7, 2009 Instructor: Chef Mark Thomas (CIA, 72)

To register, call course services representatives at: 1-800-888-7850, or submit a form at http://menuscience.ciachef.edu/node/add/registration.

Scholarships sponsored by Ventura Foods are also available: https://secure.ciachef.edu/secure/mm_scholarships.html.

Department of Menu R&D outreach at academic conferences and industry events

Harold McGee and Chris Loss at ASC in Philadelphia.

Harold McGee was honored at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Philadelphia, PA on August 19, 2008. The ACS recognized McGee (an MRFDI Research Advisory Council member) with the Grady Stacks Award, for communicating chemistry through the language of culinary arts. Chair of CIA's Department of Menu R&D, Dr. Chris Loss, gave a talk titled, “Culinary Chemistry: Entrée to the Sciences at the Culinary Institute of America.” Dr. Loss described to the conference attendees the impact that McGee has had on culinary education and how evidence-based research at the CIA has been influenced as a result. For media coverage of this event, view this link: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/644668.

Presentation on “Culinary Functions of Fats and Oils” at the Institute for Shortening and Edible Oils Annual Technical Meeting held at CIA’s Greystone Campus, February 11, 2009. Dr. Loss, described how chefs use lipids and culinary technique to impact texture, taste, aroma, and overall flavor preference of foods.

Menu Development Round Table, at Cornell University, Sept 4-5, 2008. Chris Loss described the relationship between Molecular Gastronomy and new product development in food service operations. The Round Table sessions were reviewed in the business journal, Restaurants and Institutions, see link: http://www.rimag.com/article/CA6611023.html.

Panelists at Cornell Hotel School round table discuss merits of Molecular Gastronomy.

As part of Stanford University’s Seafood Sustainability Week, The CIA’s Department of Menu R&D was represented on the cross-disciplinary panel “Learning about Sustainable Seafood in the Global Market, Can You Make a Difference?” that also included: Mike Sutton, vice president and director at the Center for the Future of the Oceans, Monterey Bay Aquarium; Taras Grescoe, author of Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood; and Randy Rice, seafood technical program director for Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. The Panel discussion was emceed by Meg Caldwell, J.D., Director of the Center for Ocean Solutions at the Woods Institute for the Environment, at Stanford. CIA Greystone faculty, Chef Tom Wong (CIA,'86), provided students in the Stanford dining hall with a culinary demonstration using sustainable seafood. This interactive "flavor-based" approach to increasing awareness of environmental stewardship is another example of how studying and practicing proper culinary technique can be a sustainable act in and of itself. As kitchens open their doors to underutilized fish species, chefs will be challenged to draw on past culinary traditions and develop new and innovative recipes that simultaneously satisfy consumer palates and increasing concerns with environmental ethics. For details on the program visit: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/rde/dining/seafood.htm.

Articles and books of interest

Engeleund, E.H., Breum, G., Friis, A. (2009) Optimisation of large-scale food production using lean manufacturing principles. Journal of Food Service, 20(1):4-14.

Ko, W. (2008) Foodservice satisfaction for work–sector meals: a model based on food variety, sensory feeling, and quality perception. Journal of Culinary Science and Technology, 6(2-3): 82-104.

Sloan, P., Legarnd, W., Chen, J. (2008) Factors affecting the choices young people make when selecting healthy food: a conceptual model. Journal of Culinary Science and Technology, 6(2-3): 206-220

Undergraduate Creative Inquiry Team (2008) Preference for salts in cooking as perceived by culinary arts students and professional chefs. Journal of Food Service, 19(6) 317-321.

Vega, C, and Ubbink, J. (2008) Molecular gastronomy: a food fad or science supporting innovative cuisine? Trends in Food Science and Technology, 19: 372-382.

Grescoe, T. (2008) Bottom Feeder: How To Eat Ethically In A World of Vanishing Seafood. Bloomsbury, New York, NY.

Mariampolski, H. (2006) Ethnography For Marketers: A Guide To Consumer Immersion. Sage Publication, Thousand Oaks, CA.