Miscellaneous

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, covers food and beverage trends. Host of "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn" podcast. New York Sun columnist from 2005 to 2008. In Thailand during 1992-1997, he wrote for Manager magazine and Asia Times. Studied at Tufts University, Le Cordon Bleu, Peking University, and Nanjing University. Winner of the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award. Inducted into the Disciples d'Escoffier in 2014. Contact: [email protected] Social: LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

🏦 In Seattle, on 18 March 2025, Reside announced that The Beekman Tower and Broadway Plaza won the 2024 “Best of” Wyndham Hotels Award for the third consecutive year. The Beekman Tower in NYC features 170 rooms in a 1920s Art Deco skyscraper, while the 145-room Broadway Plaza in Rochester, Minnesota, connects to the Mayo Clinic. This follows the October 2024 alliance between Reside and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, under the 'Reside, a Wyndham Residence' brand.

🍴 Zach Engel and Andrés Clavero opened Cafe Yaya last week in Lincoln Park, Chicago, adjacent to their restaurant Galit. It's an all-day café offering Middle Eastern favorites and global cuisine, with pastries by Mary Eder-McClure and morning beverages from Sparrow Coffee Roastery and Rare Tea Cellar. Engel, a James Beard Award winner, brings experience from Shaya in New Orleans and Zahav in Philadelphia. Prices range from $10-$15 for dips, $9-$29 for snacks, and $24-$60 for larger plates. The café, designed by Siren Betty Design, features a Parisian and Tel Avivian sidewalk bistro style with natural materials, murals, and artwork by Ilana Engel. Community events and private dining will be held upstairs. The menu includes Middle Eastern-inspired items alongside dishes like pimento cheese and roasted Bulgarian feta. Beverages curated by Scott Stroemer consist of 20 wines, signature cocktails at $14, and a tahini-washed Italian vermouth. Brunch and takeout services are planned for the future.

🛀 Susie Arnett, a leader in hospitality and wellness, highlights a shift in spa culture after a recent visit to Istanbul's Museum of Hammam. Hammam baths, historically communal spaces for socializing and bonding, contrast with the modern, solitary spa experience in the U.S. Dr. Edmund Jacobson, in 1929, connected muscle tension to mental stress, popularizing deliberate relaxation practices, often alone. The term "alone time" appeared in 1978 amidst increasing urbanization and stress. Modern wellness trends may benefit from reintegrating the social aspects of traditional communal spaces, as evidenced by Othership in New York City, which fosters group sauna experiences. Arnett suggests enhancing spa spaces to encourage community and connection, drawing inspiration from ancient practices for a more holistic approach to well-being.

🍽 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality since 1999, previously wrote for The New York Sun (2005-2008), lived in Thailand (circa 1994-1999) writing for Manager magazine and Asia Times. He's a Tufts University magna cum laude history graduate (1990), studied at Le Cordon Bleu (1986), and worked for ABC News during the Tiananmen Square protests (1989). Thorn won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal Award, joined Disciples d’Escoffier (2014), and authored entries in food encyclopedias (2012, 2015).

🍴 Hai Hospitality announced the opening of their eighth Uchi restaurant in Washington, D.C. late this year. Located at 17th and M Streets in the central business district, the Japanese restaurant by chef Tyson Cole will feature a design inspired by the National Geographic Museum and the film “In the Mood for Love.” Uchi will boast 185 seats, with 18 at the bar and 14 at the sushi counter, and offer two private dining rooms. The original Uchi opened in 2003 in South Austin, serving nontraditional Japanese cuisine.

☕ Orée Boulangeries launches Loutsa, a premium coffee brand, enhancing its coffee experience across all locations. New shelving and baskets for Loutsa coffee bags are installed in stores, with a spring rollout planned for additional retail items like ground coffee, beans, granola, and chocolates. Orée collaborates with French influencers in London and establishes a coffee training centre in Kensington to boost staff expertise. This initiative is part of Orée's commitment to match its artisanal pastries and breads with superior coffee offerings.

🍎 Isaac French's orchard project, set to bear fruit in Year 3, is both a fulfilling endeavor and a long-term investment, with trees producing for 20-60 years. Beyond harvesting fruit for cider, dried fruit, jams, and jellies, plans include hosting small weddings and seasonal events. The orchard offers intangible benefits such as meditation and gatherings. Further experiences with the orchard are teased for readers.

🍴 Bret Thorn, Senior Food & Beverage Editor for Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality, joined Nation’s Restaurant News in 1999 and Restaurant Hospitality in 2016. He hosted "In the Kitchen with Bret Thorn," wrote "Kitchen Dish" for The New York Sun from 2005 to 2008, and contributed to Manager magazine and Asia Times in Thailand from 1992 to 1997. A magna cum laude Tufts University graduate and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Thorn also attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. His work on food and beverage trends won the 2006 Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award. Inducted into the Disciples d’Escoffier in 2014, he's a Colorado native currently residing in Brooklyn, NY.