Twenty restaurants across the United States were recipients of 2014 Achievement of Excellence Awards from the American Culinary Federation (ACF) this summer. Three of them are on The Culinary Institute of America’s Hyde Park, N.Y. campus: American Bounty Restaurant, The Bocuse Restaurant, and Ristorante Caterina de’ Medici. In addition, nine CIA graduates were honored at the organization’s awards event held during the ACF national conference in Kansas City, Mo., in July.

“Achievement of Excellence Awards are presented to foodservice establishments that go above and beyond to promote the culinary industry and provide customers with a rewarding experience,” said ACF President Thomas J. Macrina, a 1976 CIA alumnus. “The Culinary Institute of America’s commitment to providing hands-on learning opportunities for its students through these restaurants is noteworthy.”

The National Restaurant Association recently unveiled its comprehensive food-handling training guide for Feeding America’s broad network of food-bank employees, agency staff and volunteers. The “ServSafe Food Handler Guide for Food Banking” is a customized program designed to educate Feeding America’s 200 food banks and more than 60,000 agencies on the proper implementation of food handling and safety.

The NRA’s ServSafe team worked together with Feeding America to survey operators within the Feeding America network, conduct focus groups with participation from more than 20 food banks across the country, and tour network agencies and food banks in order to better understand Feeding America’s operations. 

Discover homegrown American lamb stories and recipes to inspire your menu. A new booklet from the American Lamb Board shares information on American lamb from shepherds to chefs across the country. The booklet also includes chef-developed recipes including chorizo-spiced lamb loin and merguez flatbread. To order your fee copy of the booklet, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

The National Mango Board announces the release of a new tool to inspire menu innovation, Mango Flavor Pairing Guide. The guide was developed to create excitement about fresh mango as a versatile ingredient, the key to innovation all across menus, all year ’round. The mango pairings showcase complementary and contrasting sensory combinations from familiar to surprising.

The mango is known for its glorious yellow-orange flesh that can taste sweet, tart or slightly spicy with a texture that runs the gamut from crisp to lush. As today’s culinary teams explore exciting flavor combinations and innovative menu options, they’re finding more and better places for fresh mango. In green mango and grilled steak salad, Chef Ben Randolph, The Broadway Hotel, Columbia, Mo., combines the tropical appeal of fresh mango, grilled beef and Asian flavors to surprise and delight diners.

To view or download the Mango Flavor Pairing Guide, visit www.mango.org/foodservice/mango-flavor-pairings-guide. For in-depth product information, designed to help achieve menu success with fresh mango, visit www.mango.org/foodservice. 

Consumer interests and industry needs were the driving forces behind the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council’s (USHBC) recent website overhaul and launch. Fresh design, a streamlined format and the optimized platform for mobile and tablet viewing provide industry professionals and consumers alike with a consistent and engaging experience.

Since the website’s launch in early July, the Blueberry Council has seen a 557% increase in website visits since June and a 290% increase in website visits over July of last year.

Foodservice educators across North America earn recognition for their creativity in the culinary classroom.

The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) recognized three educators in the 2014 CAFÉ-Idaho Potato Commission Innovation Awards at the 10th-annual Leadership Conference of the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ) in Salt Lake City this summer.

Cary York, a culinary teacher at East Jessamine High School, Nicholasville, Ky., received the top award for the school’s Greenhouse and Food Preservation program, in which culinary, chemistry and science teachers and students collaborated to enable cross-teaching in multiple disciplines.

Culinary students planted seeds and seedlings to observe the growth of vegetables and herbs, which were used in the culinary and special-education food-preparation classes. They also took food production to a higher level by preserving their harvested products:  drying herbs, freezing peppers and tomatoes, and making salsa, pickles and jellies. Associated lesson plans included “The Gardener’s Chemistry: Measuring Soil pH”; “The Question of Additives”; and “Molecular Gastronomy.”