Feeding The Future

It was a big week for restaurant industry professionals in Chicago. As usual, Foodable Network was on the ground floor talking to the greatest innovators in the foodservice sector. On Monday, we held the IO Change Makers live stream during the 2019 NRA show where we interviewed operators, chefs, and brand leaders "The Change Makers" to discuss the challenges and opportunities that are setting our industry up for success.To kick off the event, we spoke with Don Fox, CEO of Firehouse Subs about what the future holds for the restaurant industry. Although there are countless headlines claiming that the restaurant industry is doomed, the industry's revenue has been on a steady incline over the last 10 years. The revenue in the past decade has increased from $379 billion to an estimated overall $863 billion in 2019 and this growth is being driven by millennials."They are just more inclined to add variety in their meal occasions. But I have seen reporting on an absence in brand loyalty in years past. The biggest brands are vulnerable to that. They are looking for a set of attributions and experiences that the largest brands can't provide. So that just pecks away at those large brands occasions," says Fox.

Thanks to today's technology and data analytics, we are well aware of the impact we have on our environment. But knowledge is power.

Brands across the country now have teams dedicated to improving sustainable practices, all committed to a larger mission to reduce their carbon footprint.

At the Foodable.io Seattle event, we sat down with three sustainability experts– Jessica Myer, environmental specialist for Ste Michelle Wine Estates, Julia Person, sustainability and manager for Kona Brewing, and Nelly Hand, founder & and fisherman to learn about each of their roles and how their brands are providing eco-friendly solutions.

But to make sure that sustainable practices are being universally used within a business isn't always easy.

"As we grow as a company and our sustainable practices are actually coming into fruition, our biggest challenge is that our locations in eastern Washington and Oregon are very rural, so we don't have access to the recycling seen in Seattle or Portland. The city of Walla Walla (in Washington) doesn't have any glass recycling, which seems insane. But we have to find innovative ways to get our products recycled," says Myer. "Another thing is the plastic challenge. We are having to sometimes paid to recycle our plastic now, which is not necessarily sustainable for a business but we want to make sure we're doing the right thing."

This movement encompasses much more than recycling. There's water conservation, alternative power sources, fishing techniques, and harvesting practices– that all make an impact on our planet and its resources.

Listen to the full episode above to learn more about how these brands are looking for new ways to be more eco-friendly, while also closing the loop on consumers demands around full sustainability and responsibility from all sides.

With headlines published in the media like "Two-Thirds of the World's Seafood is Over-fished" and "Science Study Predicts the Collapse of All Seafood Fisheries by 2050," what is really the state of the ecosystems in the Earth's oceans?

Will we deplete the ocean's resources in the near future? or do we have time to make adaptions to ensure the vitality of fisheries?

At the Foodable.io event in Seattle, Foodable Host Yareli Quintana sat down with Dr. Ray Hilborn, professor of Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington who has been researching the topic of conservation and quantitative population dynamics of seafood for the last eight years.

Hilborn starts out by pointing out that there a two environmental challenges when it comes to seafood supply.

First, it's the substantial fuel used to catch the fish, which generates carbon foot and then, the impact on biodiversity. As specific fish populations continue to be caught, this is changing the ecosystem of the ocean.

The seafood conservation expert also clears up a common misconception that our ocean is being depleted.

"Within the last 20 years the abundance of stock has really turned around in many places, there are certainly exceptions where that's not true though," says Hilborn.

But that doesn't mean that chefs shouldn't be concerned about what fish product that they are serving.

Each type of seafood makes a different impact on the environment. For example, Maine lobster generates a lot of energy to catch, while sardines, oysters, and mussels, on the other hand, make a really low impact.

Oyster and mussels feed themselves and most of the environmental cost comes from feed production.

Then there's the problem of food waste, which is a challenge for restaurants, but more so, for consumers eating at home.

"One of the big issues of fish and food, in general, is waste. Globally, about 30 percent of food is wasted. In rich countries like the U.S., that's mostly at home...So it's important to be more careful about making sure you buy what you need and use it," says Hilborn.

Watch the Seafood Talk Session above to learn more about the sustainability, research and management practices that are being worked on and adjusted every day in order to do right by nature and to feed the masses.

It has become more important for restaurants to be socially responsible when it comes to serving seafood.

To ensure the vitality of our fish supply, we need to evolve our relationship with the ocean’s resources.

But how can suppliers and operators work together to achieve this common goal?

At our recent Foodable.io event in Seattle which was focused on the topic of seafood sustainability, we sat down with Jennifer Bushman, director of sustainability at Pacific Catch, Kami Couch, a filmmaker/fisherman from Alaska, and David Nichols, executive chef at Rider to discuss how each in different roles of the seafood supply process are making a sustainable impact.

Nowadays, consumers want to know where their protein is coming from. But to deliver this information, it is a group effort between supplier, distributor, and operator.

"For us, it's about making sure we know what's coming, holding our suppliers' accountable, watching it every day, training our staff because staff training is so exceptionally important, and then what the James Beard Foundation and others are calling 'storied fish,' which is when we close the loop with the marketing and engagement we have with the consumer so that we can tell those stories on the ground," says Bushman.

Then it's up to the operator to collect as much accurate information about the fish as possible and to pass it on to the team.

"This is still a very new movement, it's been making huge strides in the last few years and it's only going to continue to get better. On my end, it's about training my staff," says Nichols above.

By operators and chefs making an effort to better educate their customers and partners, this will only continue to give life to the sustainable movement.

Watch the full episode above to learn more about how we can improve our relationship with this vital ocean resource and some of the helpful apps out there revealing seafood sourcing information for chefs and consumers.

There is a tide that is coming, it is the equalization in food as it pertains to women leaders, brand innovators, and culinary experts that have begun to strike a new trail for the future of how women in foodservice will contribute to the evolution of our industry.

Today, consumers across the globe are relying on seafood as a primary source of protein. This has sparked an educational movement to limit overfishing in an effort to promote seafood sustainability. The idea is to use less of an overused species like Salmon, and substitute it with a less familiar and potentially more abundant species, like Pollock.

On this Foodable.io talk, brought to you by Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, our Host Daniela Klimsova, and panelists Warner Lew, Taho Kakutani, Taichi Kitamura - explore how we define an underutilized species. They also discuss the need to not only market to chefs and restaurants but to the consumer, who has a significant role to play in a more sustainable future.

Taho Kakutani, a fishmonger at Pike Place Fish Market, leads by saying discussions about sustainability started to stand out about five years ago, which lead the fish market to prioritize seafood sustainability and advocation of the practice.

“There is a need for story...the seafood industry is particularly compelling,” said Kakutani. “From the sea to the table is this amazing journey that’s happening. So when we have these touch points like sustainability...there’s this opportunity to create this really interesting story that I think consumers are really looking for.”

Taichi Kitamura, executive chef and co-owner of Sushi Kappo Tamura, agrees that as chefs, they are responsible for educating consumers on underutilized species being included on their menus.“I have to be very careful about what I say to my customers, and actually what I practice in terms of what to put on the menus,” said Kitamura. “You really have to be on top of this issue...it wasn’t the news then, but now it’s the news.”

Bristol Bay’s Fleet Manager, Warner Lew, got his start in the 1970s as a deckhand for local fisheries. He now is known as a crusader for getting Americans to eat canned, smoked Alaskan herring. With a nod to chef Taichi Kitamura’s herring sushi dish from a chef’s seminar, he speaks about how a species could become underutilized.

“The herring, it’s...underutilized in this country because few people know how to handle it… [or] how to enjoy it. That’s the trick [when] utilizing the fish, is how do you make it enjoyable and easy,” said Lew.

Mainstream seafood is often overfished and over marketed. Experts all agree that to create a significant change in reducing overfishing of certain species, industry leaders such as fishermen and chefs need to collaborate, educate and expose the underutilized species market to the masses.

Today’s consumers expect more from their restaurants than just food. Everything from the menu, atmosphere, and the brand’s mission need to be aligned with their lifestyle.Brands like Honeygrow and Shake Shack go the extra mile to provide experiences for their consumers like hangouts and group yoga classes. Taco Bell has a clothing line to supplement their cult-like brand following. So, how can a brand become an engaging “lifestyle brand”?

On this Foodable.io session, brought to you by Kabbage, Host Yareli Quintana explores with &pizza, Pincho Factory, and Intelligentsia what it means to be a “Lifestyle Brand.” As well as how to push past just serving food with panelists who pour their passion for their brands into effective communication and marketing.

Director of marketing of &pizza, Rachel McLaughlin, leads by saying a lifestyle brand boils down to two things: authenticity and specificity.“It’s brands that can communicate with their consumers in a voice and a tone that is authentic and it feels like they are talking to, you know, a friend or a family member. Their content is authentic...Just in terms of product transparency, they’re real with what they offer. And the brand goes much deeper than just the products and services they sell,” said McLaughlin.

Otto Othman, Co-Founder and CMO of Pincho Factory, agrees that authenticity is a big factor when forming a “lifestyle brand.”

“Times have changed. So, when people look at brands, they don’t just necessarily look at the product. It's the values of the company, is it what the brand stands for, what’s the mission, what’s the purpose? We, as a whole, are more connected, so the consumer is more enabled,” said Othman.

Intelligentsia’s VP of Coffee, Geoff Watts, speaks of passion and intensity. If a brand doesn’t feel genuinely connected to their mission, consumers will catch on and disengage.

“It all starts with caring very deeply about something. Whatever it is you’re doing, whatever it is your company does...if you’re obsessive about it, if you truly love it, I think that comes through,” said Watts.  

Watch the episode above to see what strategies helped to transform these brands into a “lifestyle brand” and how you can learn to do the same.

Geoff Watts fell into the coffee industry by accident.

He started out as a barista and became very interested in the chemistry of coffee roasting after falling in love with the idea of coffee having a large spectrum of taste.

What he never imagined was the doors his new-found love for coffee would open. Most importantly, how his current role as the vice president of coffee for Intelligentsia, a Chicago-based artisan coffee company founded in 1995, would inflict positive change in coffee producing communities abroad.

“It’s a matter of acknowledging that coffee can be a beautiful, complex, delicious beverage that reaches culinary heights as high as any wine or beer or food and then making the selfish decision to reach for that,” says Watts, who has been working with Intelligentsia for the past 23 years.

“Just that simple act creates a chain reaction all the way back to a farm that enables somebody who may have been growing coffee their whole life… to move from being a harvester to being an entrepreneur and influencing their friends around them. It literally could change the trajectory of an entire community’s life. Just that decision.”

Inspired by his travels, Watts formed Intelligentsia's Extraordinary Coffee Workshop (ECW), a summit for coffee farmers to come together and study method, share knowledge, and contribute ideas to improve coffee's intrinsic quality. ECW was started in 2009 and is hosted in a different country each year.

Watch the below "Beyond the Brand" episode to learn more about Intelligentsia’s work abroad and one of the passionate people leading the effort behind it!

"I was sure the purpose of that call was to fire me," said Rick Vanzura, Former Chief Executive Officer of Wahlburgers and Alma Nove restaurants, as he shared an anecdote about a time in his career as a consultant that taught him one of the most valuable lessons in leadership.

It touches on the importance of confidence, vision, and calculated action with clear intent in everything you do—especially if you’re a leader in your organization.

Vanzura recently made headlines when he announced his decision to step away as CEO from the famed concepts founded by the famous Wahlberg family. He says the parting with the Wahlberg brothers and the company was done in very good terms.

So, what’s next for Vanzura, a leader who was previously the Co-COO for Panera, LLC and division president of various startups and Fortune 50 companies?

He expects to become the CEO of a restaurant concept, as he mentioned in his LinkedIn article, titled "Goodbye, Wahlburgers -- and Thanks for Everything," but details have not been disclosed yet.

“After the extraordinary intensity of helping to build Wahlburgers, I am ready for a brief break this summer,” said Vanzura in his goodbye letter. “In August, I will begin a new position as CEO of a different restaurant concept, and I am excited for the opportunity. I'll provide more details once I start.”

In the meantime, learn from this restaurant industry leader by watching the video below. You don’t want to miss this leadership lesson!

How are some of the top food manufacturers addressing the shift happening in the food world today?

Our host, Paul Barron, sat down with Kristen Bird from Tyson Foods and Brad Kirk from Lyons Magnus, both members of the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) board, to discuss how their respective companies are adapting to the changing trends in order to meet consumer demand.

There’s clearly a huge move towards cleaner labels and both companies have been working towards cleaning up their ingredient list and transparency.

For example, at Lyons they have “...created a platform of products that appeal to [operators] because they are user-friendly, they are natural, clean,” said Kirk. “We’ve removed things that said artificial, wherever we can.”

For Tyson, Bird echoed that the strategy aligned with Lyons’ when it came to the desire for a cleaner label. “The big effort for us from a poultry perspective with restaurants has been very much: no antibiotics ever and a desire for all natural and continuing to clean up the ingredient label even though we can’t necessarily state that on the label,” said Bird.

When Bird was asked about how she sees Tyson dealing with the food evolution happening within the next 10 years, she really emphasized the efforts behind the dissemination of information, transparency, and education when it comes to food, ingredients and nutritional facts.

Bird discusses how the biggest change for Tyson’s internal team has been the fact that the expectation when it comes to operators having more access to information from manufacturers is a lot higher than ever before. “For us for a food service manufacturer, it’s really getting that information in the hands of the operator. Making it available to them as they seek it. Fortunately, with every digital enablement in the last five years especially, we’re better able to do that to communicate directly to operators, or at least have the information there when they want to go find it,” said Bird.

At the end of the episode, Paul asks both guests to share with us what is an organization like IFMA doing to address the changes happening in the industry, from a move towards plant-based, clean labeling, and reduction in food waste to operator’s demand for more information and variety in products from manufacturers?

For Kirk, it’s all about execution and he gives us a sneak peek into the thought behind a model that IFMA will reveal in the Fall of 2018. “This model is a great example of executed action and it’s very relevant today because we have the best of class people within the IFMA organization with the manufacturers that create the association building products to help us elevate our game and respond to the guest consumers that we serve.”

Take a listen to learn more from these top-level executives!