Bret Thorn - 10 Minutes News for Hoteliers - Page 12

3 min

James Beard Foundation adds three new beverage categories to its annual awards

🍻 The James Beard Foundation announced three new categories for the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Awards focused on beverages. New awards include Best New Bar for establishments opened between Oct 1, 2023 - Sept 30, 2024, Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, and Outstanding Professional in Cocktail Service. The Outstanding Bar category, introduced in 2012, and the Outstanding Wine Program, dating back to the awards' start in 1991, were joined by these new categories. Bars opened in Q3 of 2024 are eligible for the 2026 Best New Bar award. Previously existing Outstanding Wine, Spirits, or Beer Professional category was discontinued after a hiatus in 2020-2021. The foundation seeks to honor excellence in the beverage sector, reflecting industry trends and consumer interests. Awards criteria have been updated to align with the foundation's values and include a requirement for nominees' sustainability and equity statements.

2 min

New on the Menu: A holy basil smashburger and a Comté uttapam

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, reports on food and beverage trends. Host of “In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn” podcast and columnist for The New York Sun (2005-2008). Joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999, after 5 years in Thailand writing for Manager magazine and Asia Times. Studied history at Tufts University, French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu Paris, and Chinese culture in Beijing and Nanjing. Worked for ABC News during Tiananmen Square protests (1989). Won 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award, inducted into Disciples d’Escoffier (2014). Lives in Brooklyn, NY, and specializes in French, Asian, and Thai cuisines. Email: [email protected] Social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

2 min

New on the menu: Squash pizza and grouper with apple chutney

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, hosts the podcast "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn." He wrote for The New York Sun from 2005 to 2008 and joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999. Thorn, a magna cum laude Tufts University graduate, member of Phi Beta Kappa, studied at Le Cordon Bleu and in China. His column won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award, and he was president of IFEC in 2005. Inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014, Thorn resides in Brooklyn, N.Y. Email: [email protected]

2 min

New on the menu: Two desserts and a banana slug

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor, has been with Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality since 2016. He hosted "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast and wrote for "The New York Sun" from 2005 to 2008. Thorn was in Thailand circa 1992-1997, writing for "Manager" magazine and "Asia Times." A Tufts University magna cum laude graduate, he won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and became a Disciples d’Escoffier member in 2014. Lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. Contact: [email protected]

6 min

Mocktails go premium, and customers are willing to pay

🍻 In the U.S., 35% of legal-aged Americans participated in Dry January in 2022, with many reducing alcohol consumption permanently. Bacari, a Los Angeles-based chain, and Another Broken Egg Cafe with 102 locations, noted a decrease in alcohol sales. Mocktails have surged in popularity, with menu mentions up 37.4% since 2019. These zero-proof drinks are priced around $6-$18, nearly matching the profit margin of alcoholic beverages despite lower costs. Bacari's complex "Waste Not Want Not" and Dirty Habit's "Lavender Lie" exemplify the trend towards inclusive, premium alcohol-free options.

2 min

New on the Menu: Jamón Ibérico grilled cheese and blue crab cacio e pepe

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality since 2016, reports on food and beverage trends. Host of "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast. Wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), covered business in Thailand for Manager magazine and Asia Times newspaper. Tufts University magna cum laude graduate, studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and worked for ABC News during Tiananmen Square protests (1989). Won the Jesse H. Neal Award (2006) and was president of the IFEC (2005). Authored entries in Oxford food and drink encyclopedias and was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier (2014). Resides in Brooklyn, New York.

2 min

14 food & beverage tends to look back on from 2024

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, reports on food and beverage trends and hosts "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast. He wrote for The New York Sun from 2005-2008 and lived in Thailand, writing for Manager magazine and Asia Times from 1992-1997. A magna cum laude graduate from Tufts University, he studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and was in Beijing during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests as an ABC News runner. Thorn won a Jesse H. Neal Award in 2006, joined the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014, and authored entries in the Oxford Encyclopedia (2012) and the Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets (2015).

2 min

32 remarkable menu items from 2024

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality since 2016, covers food and beverage trends and hosts the "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast. He wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), spent five years in Thailand writing for Manager magazine and Asia Times, and graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University. Thorn was in Beijing during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, won a Neal Award in 2006, and was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014. Contact him at [email protected]

2 min

New on the Menu: Two dishes with bone marrow and a chicken pot pie

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, has been spotlighting F&B trends. Host of "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn," he wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), and earlier, covered business in Thailand for Manager magazine and Asia Times (1992-1997). A Tufts University magna cum laude graduate and Phi Beta Kappa member, Thorn also attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and studied Chinese in China. He won the 2006 Neal Award and was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014.

2 min

New on the menu: Two caviar dishes and a pork head tartlet

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor at Nation's Restaurant News since 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality since 2016, has a BA in history from Tufts University (1990). He wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), worked in Thailand (1992-1997), and covered Tiananmen Square protests for ABC News in 1989. Thorn won the Jesse H. Neal Award (2006), was president of IFEC (2005), inducted into Disciples d’Escoffier (2014), and authored entries in the Oxford Encyclopedia (2012) and Oxford Companion (2015). He resides in Brooklyn, N.Y.

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