Month: January 2014

Sheetz vice president of sales and marketing, David Woodley, moves into the executive vice presidency spot vacated by Louie Sheetz. Woodley has led the Sheetz sales and marketing department since 2005. The transition becomes effective January 1 as another part of the company's planned leadership changes. Louie announced his retirement shortly after it was made public that Joe S. Sheetz would become president and CEO as Stan Sheetz took the title of chairman of the board. …

Driven by improving same-store sales and customer traffic levels, the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) hit a five-month high in November. The RPI – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 101.2 in November, up 0.3 percent from October and the strongest level since June. In addition, the RPI stood above 100 for the ninth consecutive month, which signifies expansion in the index of key industry indicators. …

The final flourish of your meal arrives at the table — a rich pudding of chocolate cremeux ("creamy" in French), candied pistachios, a crumble made from ground pistachios, and both dehydrated and frozen mandarin. Its deliciousness almost obscures the effort that went into its making. Behind the chocolate, cream and fruit are the blood, sweat and tears that were shed for the sake of dessert — years of practice and hours of production. …

Whether the prediction is for “Haute Homey” and “Cobb Karma,”* “Foods with Benefits” and “Stealth Health,”** or “locally grown produce,”*** indicators show Fresh California Avocados moving to the produce forefront in 2014, and taking on a prominent role on menus across all segments. …

United Fresh Produce Association has launched “Fresh Insights for Foodservice,” a new quarterly report showcasing the latest trends in fresh produce use in foodservice and restaurants. …