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Toque Talk by Ron DeSantis, CMC On the Menu More This – Less That For several years Yale Dining has been seducing diners with vegetables. As we design menus, vegetables are center of the plate. The amazing flavor, texture, color, and variety of vegetables allow our culinary team to provide delicious food experiences for our students. Our goal is to “Add more flavor to your day.” We do this by guiding students to eat more plant-based foods and less animal proteins. That doesn’t mean we don’t like or don’t serve great beef, pork, chicken, or fish, it means that we offer enticing vegetable-based choices. At the end of this newsletter are the great marketing posters we use, please take a look. Some examples of how Yale Dining is offering More This, is by offering 3 daily vegetable and grain based compound salads. These salads are provide students with great meal choices. The salads are prepared by our team at the Culinary Support Center and are focused on quality, taste, and consistency. Some examples are:

• Roasted Beet Salad with Gorgonzola, Kale & Walnuts

• Shaved Brussel Sprouts Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette, Cashews and Pomegranate Seeds

On the Menu

Food & Culinary Talk from Yale Hospitality

TABLE OF CONTENTS Toque Talk 1 Ingredient 4 Links 4 Culinary Terminology 4 Going Local 5

VOL. 1, NO. 8 DECEMBER 2015

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• Quinoa, Sweet Potato & Green Garbanzo Bean Salad with Pumpkin Seeds & Lime-cilantro Vinaigrette

These are just a few examples of our compound salads that change every day and support Yale Dining’s commitment to eating more plant-based foods. Additionally our hot food offerings of fresh vegetables takes advantage of the market. By designing our menus that take advantage of market vegetables we model a la carte restaurants. This model allows our cooks and managers to offer variety and to select vegetables that are at a seasonal peak. This is a change from traditional set cycle menus that are designed months earlier. Market vegetable offerings create daily change in our operations, and the results are noted by our students. Roast cauliflower for example is a big favorite! For those of you that are reading this thinking that this sounds familiar – thank you. It is a topic addressed in the July newsletter. I revive it here because something happened – Yale Dining was recognized as a leader in vegan food choices in colleges and universities by peta2. On November 25, 2015 peta2 announced its 2015 rating of college and universities’ vegan menus. Yale Dining received an A+ rating, made peta2’s Dean’s List, and received a 95% student satisfaction rate. peta2 says that schools on its Dean’s Lists “are the vanguard when it comes to vegan cuisine on campus.” peta2 is an animal rights group who advocates for the humane treatment of animals. Yale Dining is a part of Yale Hospitality that served meals to Yale College’s undergraduate students. 75% of Yale Dining residential college menu items are plant-based, which is a 40% increase over the last 4 years. Menu design reduces animal proteins through a 6-step strategy. You can read more here: http://www.peta2.com/feature/vegan-college-ranking/

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Founders Day On October 7th we celebrate Founders Day at Yale. A big part of the festivities is the wonderful food prepared and served by Yale Catering and Yale Bakery. Founders Day features open houses, campus wide activities with everyone meeting at Cross Campus in the early afternoon for remarks by President Salovey, student group performances, and food. The great food and displays in the photos attached are the great work of the Yale Catering team. All photos courtesy Yale Hospitality.

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Ingredient Coconut Whipped Cream – During a visit to Tal Ronnen’s LA restaurant Crossroads I had a dessert served to me that caused me to say, that’s not whipped cream. But it looked like whipped cream, it had a soft creamy texture like whipped cream, is was satisfying like whipped cream. So what was it? Whipped Coconut Cream. Tal’s new book, “Crossroads: Extraordinary Recipes from the Restaurant That Is Reinventing Vegan Cuisine” explains how to make this delicious vegan dessert topping. Furthermore, the book is inspirational. Highly recommended.

Links: The next links talks about college campuses leadership in sustainable dining

http://food-management.com/colleges-universities/yale-s-new-caf-med-dishes-mediterranean-cuisine-fit-med-school-students.

http://food-management.com/menu-trends/grass-fed-builds-its-case

Culinary Terminology: Vegan Foie No way! Unless you visit Tal Ronnen’s Crossroads in LA. This warm, clubby restaurant is frequented by Hollywood’s stars and Tal’s food is superstar quality. The first thing you notice about Crossroads is that it is a comfortable place and it has a great bar. What you don’t notice is that this is a vegan restaurant. It has the feel of a classic steakhouse. The food is designed as tasting plates and everything is prepared with flavor. On my visit last month Tal treated me to a velvety cut of “foie gras” with huckleberry compote (photo nearby). The smoothness and density of this foie was superb. It had a richness and flavor that satisfied, and it is one of the most

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innovative foods I’ve had in a very long time. Tal’s sous chef Scotty also took time to talk with me. He and Tal are completely in sync when talking about vegan foods and delivering craveable flavor. When you’re in LA a visit to Crossroads is highly recommended. http://www.crossroadskitchen.com/ Crossroads Los Angeles 8284 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90046 323-782-9245

Going Local POT – Roy Choi’s Korea Town restaurant in LA is the home to BIG flavors! We ate kimchee stir-fried rice that was finished on the tabletop with a soft poached egg in the middle. Our waiter stirred the ingredients around a super-heated stone bowl that allowed them to continue to fry, cook the egg, and fill our table space with a great aroma. A bonus of this dish is that the rice develops a crisp crust – nurungji. All guests are seated at tables that are roomy and guests also receive cloth bibs and a full roll of paper towels. This is full contact eating! Also on the menu are Korean BBQ beef ribs, grilled Pacific prawns, and a crazy snow cone dessert topped with, among other things, fruity pebbles cereal! Staff is great and the music fit the vibe. Another winner from Roy! POT Commissary Café 3515 Wilshire Blvd.

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Los Angeles, CA 90010 213 368 3030 http://www.eatatpot.com/

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of Ron DeSantis CMC, and do not necessarily reflect those of Yale University or Yale Hospitality.

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