IN THIS ISSUE

1. Editor's Dish: Culinary on the Curve
2. JobFinder Employer Tip: The Value of Customer Service
3. CEO's Dish: Love is in the Air
4. San Miguel for the Food Savvy
5. The Fifth Annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival

1. Editor's Dish: Culinary on the Curve
It's no surprise that small plates are here to stay, but will crudo have a permanent place on American menus? Although tasting menus have hovered around seven courses, will more kitchens follow the lead of Grant Achatz and his twenty-one plate odyssey at Chicago's Alinea? Can chefs convince diners to indulge in barnacles, garlic scapes, and beef tongue with fried mayonnaise? Armed with hundreds of chef interviews, online chef surveys and countless tastings at restaurants across the country, StarChefs.com's editors explore dining trends on the culinary horizon and their impact on plates from Las Vegas to Miami.

Check out trends from sous vide to chef's tables:
http://www.starchefs.com/features/editors_dish/culinary_trends/index.shtml

2. JobFinder Employer Tip: The Value of Customer Service
How do you define optimal customer service in the foodservice industry? The best customer service demonstrates that you care about your customers, their needs, and the manner in which they are served, no matter if it's a glass of wine at the bar or the chefs ten course tasting menu. The primary purpose of customer service is to ensure that each customer leaves your establishment with a feeling of having been well taken care of by your staff and has had an experience they enjoyed and would appreciate having again.
Customer service performance drives the success of many retail and commercial business in the foodservice industry, from small neighborhood bakeries to large fine dining restaurants. It's rare that a customer will risk expendable income more than once for an experience that failed to meet their expectations, no matter the exclusive products or services that your business may be marketing.

Without professional, gracious customer service, the image that your business strives to present can be compromised. Customer service establishes the tone of your business and, like lighting and music, creates an ambiance that attracts customers. The attitude and willingness to assist that your employees express will reflect the care that your business extends to its clientele and will help establish a loyal customer base.

In the following weeks, StarChefs.com will be exploring how the foodservice industry monitors, evaluates, and perfects customer service. The next Employer Newsletter will focus how to use customer service to create a positive first impression. Please share the ways your business uses customer service to capture a diner's attention with our editors by clicking here: http://www.starchefs.com/SC_FEEDBAG.php

3. CEO's Dish: Love is in the Air
According to the January 30, 2006 report from the National Restaurant Association, an average of 35% of Americans will dine out this Valentine's Day, offering restaurants an excellent opportunity to present romantic promotions tied into the holiday that will win your customers' hearts and be remembered long after February 14th.

Valentine's Day provides the perfect opportunity to increase sales on an otherwise slower Tuesday night. Adding special themed cocktails and a decadent dessert meant to be shared to your menu will entice customers and make them fall in love with your restaurant. Many diners anticipate culinary aphrodisiacs such as oysters, truffles, and chocolate to spice up their evening and enhance their moods, but don't discount the idea of a Valentine's Day promotion if these ingredients don't appear on your menu. Even adding the option of reservations if your business does not usually accept them can motivate diners. If your business is a bar or lounge, consider offering a singles-only special or even hosting an anti-Valentine's Day event for customers who want more than just a quiet dinner for two.

4. San Miguel for the Food Savvy
San Miguel de Allende, located in the central Mexican state of Guanajato, is best known in America as an artists' enclave and a haven for expatriates, but also offers travelers a wealth of authentic culinary discoveries. Begin the day with atole, a warm, corn-based drink served with freshly steamed tamales. Wander down the narrow, sunny walk-ways and discover San Miguel's best ice cream in Santa Clara. Have a casual lunch and the best guacamole in town at Cha Cha Cha, and wind down at Nirvana with Chef Juan Carlos Escalante's Watermelon Gazpacho and Hibiscus Quesadillas.

Plan your mid-winter escape:
http://www.starchefs.com/features/travel/san_miguel/html/index.shtml

5. The Fifth Annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival
This year Miami's South Beach Wine and Food Festival celebrates its fifth anniversary. What began as a one-day festival known as the Florida Extravaganza has become a three-day destination event including the "Chefs Gone Wild" trade seminar, a Grand Tasting gala and even a "Kidz Kitchen," and featuring chefs from across the country including Michael Mina, Todd English, and Mark Militello. The culinary stars will shine on America's riviera as top-rated chefs, food personalities and wine professionals converge on South Beach's wine, spirits and culinary celebration beginning Friday, February 24.

And if you're headed to the South Beach Wine and Food Festival, don't miss StarChefs.com's Industry-Only After Party. When the cooking cools down, the beach heats up! Join StarChefs.com on Friday, February 24th at The Sanctuary Hotel South Beach at 11:30pm with complementary drinks courtesy of Zyr Vodka and Jade Range from 11:30pm to 1:30am.

Check out the Sobe Wine and Food Festival here: http://starchefs.com/cgi/re.cgi?http://www.starchefs.com/events/south_beach/2006/html/index.shtml

Register for the StarChefs.com afterparty now: http://www.starchefs.com/tickets/rsvp.php