LocalFoodEater/Powered by Clorder, Editor Moderates Western Expo Panel

 Gerry Furth-Sides, Editor/columnist for LocalFoodEater.com, powered by Clorder Clorder moderated a panel on spices at the 2018 Western FoodService & Hospitality Expo in Los Angeles by invitation.  It was part of the expanded educational program with more in-depth panel presentations.

The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo were also newly co-located with Coffee Fest and Healthy Food Expo West this year  The Western Foodservice & Hospitality Expo.  at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The tradeshow and conference provided 9,000+ industry professionals with access to the hottest menu trends, state of the art design and decor, a renowned education program, special events, and 450+ of the leading vendors and purveyors dedicated to serving the restaurant & foodservice community.

Moderator Gerry Furth-Sides introduced the panelists who each spoke on different aspects of the expanded interest and use of “ethnic” spices in mainstream restaurant menus and health products.  We will have samples of the newest expanded versions of ethnic spices that are going mainstream for the audience.

 Gerry Furth-Sides’ media experience ranges from Newsweek editorial/TV to writer/editor to a decade’s long stint doing west coast  TV tours representing the California Growers Association.   Her book writing credits include  The Los Angeles Food Guide; Frommer Guidebooks; Sofi’s Aegean Kitchen; Tommy Tang’s Asian cookbook.  Gerry produced two dinners with LA chefs for the James Beard Foundation in New York. She was editor/columnist for the American Institute of Food & Wine, The Southern California Culinary Guild and Women’s Culinary Alliance newspapers.  She is completing the book-directory on  LA ethnic food, A Long Way to Go for Dinner.

Panelists included: Linda Civitello, Ph.D., is the author of Baking Powder Wars: The Cutthroat Food Fight That Revolutionized Cooking, which the Smithsonian magazine named One of the Ten Best Food Books of 2017. She is also the author of Cuisine & Culture: A History of Food and People, winner of the Gourmand award for Best Food History Book in English (U.S.), and which is used to teach food history in culinary schools. A frequent speaker on a wide range of food history topics, from “James Bond, Foodie” to the “History of Mother’s Day,” Linda has also been a Food and Art consultant for the Getty Museum, spoken at Harvard University, on the BBC, and before the American Chemical Society. She also cooks professionally.

Civitello served two of her cakes, 1796 White Rose Gingerbread and a1872 Coffee Spice Cake as people came in to be seated, and they had to wait to hear the explanation.

Chef Robert Danhi, Curator of Cultures spoke about the role of spice in his most recent travels in Southeast Asia.  He is an award-winning author, TV show host, and R&D Chef.  His three decades of extensive research covering Southeast Asian foodways reflects a lifelong commitment to the demystification of Southeast Asia for home cooks, aspiring chefs, and industry peers. Photo-journalist Danhi wrote, photographed and published his first book, Southeast Asian Flavors. This deep-dive into the people, places, and foods of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore earned honors as a James Beard Award finalist. As a curator of cultures, Chef Danhi was invited to host, “Taste of Vietnam,” a 26-episode television show exploring 19 provinces of Vietnam, which aired in 17 countries globally.  Chef Robert was also the main judge for Top Chef Vietnam. Danhi ’s current research focuses on leveraging technology to blend qualitative and quantitative research.  His team is creating an app available in late 2018 called Flavor360 that enables the user to capture, analyze and share the 360degree flavor experience.

Executive Chef Bernard Guillas: Spice Mixology LaJolla, will address the culture of spices gained from his international travels and describe the “spice of life via mixology.” He will explain formulas and how to blend unique spices from ancient lands “to add excitement” to any meal.

Executive Chef Bernard Guillas of the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, Inc. the Shores Restaurant at the La Jolla Shores Hotel, and the landmark AAA Four Diamond Rated Marine Room restaurant is a recognized international speaker and consultant chef. Born into a family of butchers, bakers, and restaurateurs, Guillas’ began his formal training with top chefs and restaurants in France, moving on to an international career, beginning in French Guyana. Richly diverse South American flavors still influence his food.  Just before relocating to San Diego, he worked in Washington DC under Pierre Chambrin, former White House executive chef.  The highly acclaimed chef was inducted into the International Restaurant & Hospitality Rating Bureau’s American Chefs’ Hall of Fame.  Guillas’ first award-winning cookbook, Flying Pans, co-authored with Chef Ron Oliver, earned the coveted IACP People’s Choice, and top 10 Cookbook in America honors at Book Expo America.

Guillas cooked many times by invitation as a guest chef at the James Beard House in New York. An activist for sustainability and his community, he promotes the San Diego region and his restaurants in his extensive world travels, appearing regularly on local and national radio and TV networks.

The affable national Celebrity Chef Fabio Viviani gave a cooking demo.  Demonstration with local Chef Bruce Kalman who demonstrated a series of dishes while discussing sustainability, brines vs. fermentation and more.   Other presentations included an AllerTrain Lite program to teach employees how to safely interact with and serve diners with special dietary needs and a Culinary