Miscellaneous

🍳 Mark Abbott, Executive Chef at Aqua Shard, began his culinary journey in Northern Ireland, working with renowned chefs like Michael Dean, Andrew Fairlie, and Paul Kitching. In 2010, he joined Midsummer House in Cambridge, becoming head chef by 2014. Abbott emphasizes British cuisine, seasonality, and refined techniques. He collaborates with top suppliers, such as The Wild Room, Aubrey Allen, and Neal’s Yard Dairy, to highlight the UK’s culinary heritage at Aqua Shard in London.

💻 Summer travel season heightens cybersecurity challenges for the hospitality industry due to increased guest traffic and digital activity. Temporary staff and third-party platforms expose vulnerabilities. To combat cyber threats, hospitality leaders should join intelligence-sharing groups, tighten access controls, enforce multi-factor authentication, and offer targeted training. Real-time monitoring and shared threat intelligence can aid faster responses. Collaborative defenses help reduce risks and protect operations during this peak period.

🍤 Tyler Kanwai, owner of TK Surf & Turf Kitchen, Denver's first Black-owned seafood restaurant, saw a 300-400% business increase after a 2021 TikTok review garnered 1 million views. Opening in October 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant honors victims of social injustice. Kanwai's culinary passion started at age five in Colorado. Now, TK's content strategy includes viral TikTok trends, with a recent post reaching 50,000 views. The restaurant's fame attracts customers globally.

🍴 Duck & Waffle Edinburgh, from June to September 2025, introduces The 9pm Club at St. James Quarter: 25% off total food and beverage bills from 9pm to close. Available seven nights weekly, it offers an energetic evening dining culture with special DJ sets. Assistant General Manager David Sculac emphasizes energizing Edinburgh’s dining scene. Reservations are required, and the offer ends on September 30, 2025. For details, visit their website.

🏨 Josiah Mackenzie shares insights from his time at the Magnolia Hotel in Denver. The focus is on lessons learned in hospitality, emphasizing balancing fun and attention to detail. The content references experiences at The Broadmoor by Steve Bartolin and insights from Tom Luersen of CoralTree Hospitality. For more resources, listeners are directed to Hospitality Daily's starting point and encouraged to engage by sending messages with questions or guest suggestions.

🍥 Chef Alex Tronstad pairs fluke with strawberries, radish, and fermented tomato water at Maxwell Alley, Jersey City, N.J. Chef Chetan Shetty brings Indian flavors to hamachi in NYC's Flatiron District. At Meili, Brooklyn, Chef Peter He serves mala-spiced bullfrog. Nashville’s Gray & Dudley offers a banana bread-inspired cocktail. In Whitefield, N.H., Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa serves a gin, lemon, and lavender drink.

🍴 Starr Restaurant Group is set to open Pastis Nashville in summer 2025 at Wedgewood Houston, 512 Houston St. The 2,774 sq. ft. interior will seat 170, with an 18-seat bar, and a 1,300 sq. ft. patio for 75 opening late summer. Located in the historic May Hosiery Mills, it will offer French bistro dishes like onion soup and steak frites. Pastis, founded in 1999, will be the fourth location, joining others in D.C. and Miami.

🥃 Ad Gefrin in Wooler, Northumberland launches Tácnbora Limited Edition: Cognac Cask Finish on 14 June 2025. This small-batch whisky, finished for six months in ex-Cognac oak, is bottled at 58.6% ABV. Only six casks will yield 1,800 to 2,000 bottles. The release follows October 2023's Tácnbora Peated Islay Cask, which sold 1,629 bottles by January 2024. First access is for Corenkyn and Corengyst members, with benefits starting 7-11 June 2025.

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🍝 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor, has been with Nation’s Restaurant News since 1999 and joined Restaurant Hospitality in 2016. His career highlights include winning the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award and serving as IFEC president in 2005. Thorn, a Tufts University graduate, studied at Le Cordon Bleu and in China. Notably, he contributed to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (2012) and was inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014.