WOOSTER, Ohio – When it comes to putting all the cards on the table, leading chefs know premium beef trumps all. Culinary leaders were honored Sept. 18-20 by the Certified Angus Beef ® brand for innovative beef promotions. The awards, presented during its annual conference at the JW Marriott Desert Springs in Palm Desert, Calif., honored chefs, distributors, cattle ranchers and retailers for their accomplishments this year and celebrated 35 years of delivering premium beef.
“Premium quality is driven by passion for the details,” says John Stika, the brand’s president. “These culinary leaders represent the ranchers, food distributors and licensed restaurants who are dedicated to bringing their best to the table every day through the Certified Angus Beef ® brand.”
Marketing awards presented at the conference honored five restaurants.
- Two Rivers Steak & Fish House, Pasadena, Md., Restaurant Marketer of the Year, features the brand at the interactive chef’s window and through full-staff training. Executive Chef Mark Morgan keeps a focus on premium beef locally and at culinary events nationwide.
- Rib & Chop House, Sheridan, Wyo., Restaurant Chain Marketer of the Year (steakhouse), is known for delivering excellent food and service. Training programs and the Certified Angus Beef ® brand logo on the restaurant’s sign, website and menu attest to the chain’s quality focus.
- Jersey Mike’s, Manasquan, N.J., Restaurant Chain Marketer of the Year (specialty item), brings premium quality to the table with deli roast beef sandwiches. With more than 750 locations open and under development nationwide, Jersey Mike’s promotes the sub on menu boards, social media and advertising.
- Giovanni’s Restaurant at the Hyatt Regency, Saipan, is the International Independent Restaurant Marketer of the Year. The restaurant’s premium beef and wine focus included the “Roasts, Reds and Rendezvous” celebration, a month-long promotion.
- Earls Restaurants Ltd., North Vancouver, British Columbia, is the International Restaurant Chain Marketer of the Year. Earls held a month-long steak promotion, supported by advertising, social media and staff training. Earls is the brand’s top volume restaurant chain in Canada.
During the conference, guests enjoyed special menu items from guest chefs Matt Mytro, partner and chef de cuisine at Flour in Cleveland, and Jerry Weihbrecht from Zoë’s in Virginia Beach. For the ice portion of the “fire and ice” reception, Chef Mytro prepared cryo-fried Certified Angus Beef ® strip steak with liquid baked potato, Béarnaise ice cream and asparagus purée. Chef Weihbrecht turned up the heat with chili-glazed spinalis with smoked cotton candy and cinnamon red-hot brisket and short rib meatballs with vindaloo sauce.
Don Hamilton, corporate director of food and beverage for Peppermill Casinos in Nevada, joined up with Chef John Feeney from the JW Marriott Resort in Palm Desert and the brand’s corporate chef Scott Popovic for the 35th anniversary dinner. Popovic served mole-rubbed short ribs with fried plantain cakes and chayote, guava and mango slaw, and Chef Feeney prepared carpaccio of watermelon salad. For the main course, Chef Hamilton served Tuscan-style ribeyes with glazed cippolini onion and tomato salsa, and roasted baby vegetables.
About the Certified Angus Beef ® brand
More than 16,000 businesses partner with the Certified Angus Beef ® brand, generating an estimated $4 billion in consumer sales annually, with retailers and restaurants in the United States and 45 other countries. Introduced in 1978, the Certified Angus Beef ® brand is a cut above USDA Prime, Choice and Select thanks to 10 strict quality standards. For more information, visit www.certifiedangusbeef.com or follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter or the www.GoRare.com blog.
Source: Certified Angus Beef ® brand