Oguinquit Maine Operators Win Best Chef For The Northeast

After seven nominations, Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier, chefs and owners of Arrows Restaurant in Oguinquit, Maine, have earned the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef of the Northeast. According to the James Beard Foundation, “Long before local became a buzzword, before anyone talked about food miles, Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier opened Arrows, one of the country’s first farm to table restaurants. More than 20 years later, the restaurant is still ahead of the trend, sourcing most of the produce served from on-site gardens.
Maine Restaurant Assn. President Dick Grotton noted, “Mark and Clark are the real deal. Chefs, farmers, customer service specialists, wine connoisseurs and mentors to future great chefs. They have been meeting and exceeding guest expectations for much longer than most restaurants survive. They are true hospitality professionals and I am proud to know them.” 

New Gift Card Rules Take Effect

Restaurant operators that sell gift certificates and gift cards need to know about new rules governing expiration dates, fee restrictions, and new wording on gift cards and gift certificates. The new law is part of Congress’s Credit Card Act of 2009 and took effect Aug. 22.
The new bill limits certain fees, such as inactivity or service fees, on gift cards and gift certificates; prevents retailers or other gift-card and gift-certificate issuers from setting expiration dates for card balances of less than five years; and  requires new disclosure statements on the cards and certificates.
The law applies to gift certificates and cards, as well as general-use gift cards that can be used anywhere, such as those issued by Visa and American Express. The law does not apply to rewards cards or reloadable prepaid cards not intended for use as gift certificates.
Under the new law, gift-card and gift-certificate recipients can use card balances for at least five years from the date the card is purchased, or at least five years after any money is added to the card, whichever is longer.
New gift cards and certificates will be required to carry information about the frequency and amount of fees, expiration dates, and a toll-free number for people to call for more information.

ACF Names Boston Chef With Top Achievement Award

The American Culinary Federation a professional organization for culinarians in North America, honored Americo ‘Rico’ DiFronzo with a top federation achievement award at its recent convention.
The ACF Herman Rusch Chef’s Achievement Award honors a chef who has demonstrated the highest level of commitment to both the ACF and the culinary profession. Chef DiFronzo was one of four regional finalists.
Chef DiFronzo is executive chef at American Food Systems of Burlington and a member and past president of the ACF Epicurean Club of Boston. Chef DiFronzo has more than 30 years of experience in the culinary industry. Prior to joining the staff at American Food Systems. He worked at several restaurants in Boston for 13 years and was corporate executive chef at Lilly Management of Boston, a national restaurant group for 10 years. He has received many numerous awards including the ACF Epicurean Club of Boston’s Chef of the Year, the ACF Northeast Region Chef Professionalism Award in 2006 and the national President’s Medallion in 2001 and 2007.

Latest Word in Food Service...

• The federal Food and Drug Administration has released guidance on the new federal nutrition disclosure law that requires restaurants with at least 20 or more locations to post nutrition data on restaurant menu and menu boards. Two guidance documents are on www.fda.gov. The agency will not take enforcement action until after the public has had time to comment. Federal law preempts state and local menu labeling laws.

• Denny’s Corp. has named Robert Rodriguez, former president of Dunkin’ Donuts as chief operating officer. He last served as president of Pick Up Stix, the fast causal Asian concept owned by Carlson Restaurants.

• The Rhode Island Hospitality Assn. will be setting a new date for the Economic Outlook Breakfast. It was originally scheduled for Oct. 5 but has to be rescheduled because one of the main speakers cannot attend.

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