Information about pensions at the PensioenCafe
31-10-2013
The Dutch pension fund Hospitality & Catering has noticed that the obligatory pension information sent to the customers is barely read. That’s why they have developed an accessible way to communicate pension information to the customers. The dynamic PensionCafé website contains information and videos to inform employees in the hotel and catering sector about their pension. Relevant information about, for example the influence of divorce and death on the future of their pension is easily accessible at the site.
STIMULI during Dutch Design Week
30-10-2013
As infants, we begin to experience new tastes by exploring our tactical senses. It is, in a sense, our original obsession. As adults, we still have an appetite to trigger those latent senses with fresh and unexpected delights. This desire is the motivation for the STIMULI — a sensory dining experience presented during Dutch Design Week.
STIMULI was brought forth through a cooperation between design studio Jinhyun Jeon, renowned Michelin star restaurant Treeswijkhoeve, and Ravanello Food & Concepts. Connected by their mutual passion for stimulating taste, they created an enhanced dining event: a five-course haute cuisine sensory menu served with tactile tableware — such as silicone ‘nipple’ cups, glazed ball spoons, and spiked tasting palettes — that excite the tongue, trigger taste buds, and alter the perception of salty, acidic, sweet, and bitter tastes for a new experience.
The project focuses on the subject of joint perception — sensorial disturbance inspired by phenomenon of synesthesia. The main objective of the food design experience was to understand how the human brain intuitively responds to different stimuli during eating, and as such contributes to a different way of producing consumer energy. This will provide insights outside of the existing food culture in which societal, technological, and environmental influences play an important role.
Read the full article by Hortense Koster
Follow your pizza from dough ball to door
28-10-2013
Have you ordered a pizza and do you want to know the time of delivery exactly? Domino’s Pizza in the Netherlands has introduced a new online ordering system with a tracking system. You can follow the pizza from dough ball to door. Previously, when you ordered a pizza it could only be delivered, but now it is also possible to take away the pizza when ordering online.
Dishes with unusual ingredients
25-10-2013
Members of the New York’s Explorers Club get together once a year at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel for a special dinner. During this dinner, the most unusual dishes are served, from tarantulas and mealworms to cows eyes. The chefs of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel transform the most unusual ingredients in culinary art, like a mealworm that suddenly looks a lot tastier. A good example of how insects and other unusual ingredients can be used in the hospitality industry.
Biodegradable champagne packaging
24-10-2013
The French designer Cédric Ragot has designed an innovative packaging for Veuve Clicquot champagne. The packaging is completely biodegradable and made of potatoes and recycled paper. The packaging is elegant and can be carried by the integrated handle. It will keep the bottle of champagne chilled for two hours after it has been in the fridge.
Hans is hungry
22-10-2013
The vertical pop-up restaurant ‘Hans heeft Honger’ (translated as Hans is hungry) took place in the ‘Hans Struijk’ bicycle warehouse on 11 and 12 October. Organizer Milou Turpijn (Ourground) convinced Bastiaan Hagenouw (Owner ‘Hans Struijk bicycles) to open up the warehouse for this event and upcoming chef Edwin Sander created the dishes in a temporary kitchen on location and the guests were brought to their tables by fork-lift truck. A fully 5 course dinner was cooked with extraordinary tastes like ‘escabeche’ from lime leaf, Gillardeau oyster and red onion compote with vanilla. The grand dessert was served directly on the tables that were coated with a special canvas for this occasion.
Innovative fast food packaging
18-10-2013
The innovative ‘Togo Burger’ packaging is developed by the American student Seulbi Kim. In the package, you can put some fries, a burger and a drink, it is a lot smaller than a normal fast food packaging. The ‘Togo Burger’ is more durable and you can wear it in one hand. Unfortunately the Togo Burger is not yet for sale.
Fruity lemonade Gazosa La Fiorenzana
17-10-2013
Gazosa La Fiorenzana originates from the Swiss Misox valley, in the south of the Alps. Since 1921 the fruity lemonades by Fabbricca are produced from original recipes. The Swiss Stephan Keller tasted the lemonade for the first time in 2002 in a small bar in Zurich and decided to import the drink to the Netherlands. Gazosa La Fiorenzana is available in eight fruity flavors: bitter orange, lemon, alpine blueberries, raspberry, bitter lemon, tangerine, sweet orange and dark orange with alpine herbs. The lemonade is bottles in a swing-top bottle of 0.35L and is reusable and recyclable. Up to now, the fruity lemonade is exclusively available in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany.
Rollware
16-10-2013
Love to bake, but want some variation? Use the Rollware, a set of laser cut dough rollers with different patterns. By rolling the Rollware over the (bread) dough, you will simply get an original patterns. The dough rollers are designed and developed by students at the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam.
Flammkuchen available in the Netherlands
15-10-2013
In the spring I spent a few days in Germany, during which we went for drinks with friends and with that we shared a ‘Flammkuchen, originated from the Alsace region (France)’. Actually we thought to get a quiche but the thin crust of the ‘flammkuchen’ tasted much better. In addition, everyone at the table was convinced that this would taste great as lunch or light dinner dish as well. And the crust can be used with al kind of toppings of course.
Alex Klein Casual Dining BV introduces the ‘flammkuchen’ currently in the Netherlands as a new revenue model for catering businesses. Indeed, the margins on this product are very good and the preparation time is one minute and baking takes 3 minutes. A great business model for entrepreneurs and I know from experience that you will do your guests a favor. ^ Marjolein
