In an article about Drew from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, they explained children that suffer from a life-threatening illness think of the day they will get to escape from treatments and appointments just to be a kid.

Drew will soon get the chance to take a break from doctor’s visits and just play.

He knew exactly what he wanted when visited by the Wish-Granting Volunteers–to have his own playhouse!

Drew loves his toys, reading and playing on swing sets.  He can’t wait to go down the slides and play in the sand box. Drew hopes to have a rock climbing wall in his playhouse and show how strong he is despite his medical condition.

He is excited to have a place to hide and have adventures in the world of his imagination.

Central is very happy to have helped make Drew’s wish come true.

Drew’s bio provided from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana.

While many people assume that all wines are organic since the drink is derived from grapes, this is strictly untrue.  In fact, there are rules in place enforced by the USDA in order for wineries to claim that their product is, indeed, “organic.”  In the United States, “Organic wine” is made with certified organically grown grapes (that is, grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers), and have no added sulfites.  There is also “Organically Grown Wine”, which differs slightly from the strict-ruled “Organic” wine.  The USDA has said that organically grown wine can include a maximum of 110 ppm total sulfur dioxide.

The Confusion of Sulfites

Sulfur dioxide, or sulfite, is a preservative that naturally occurs in wines; they are a natural by-product of the yeast metabolism during fermentation.  It has strong antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.  The big “to-do” over sulfites, and why organic wine must have no additional added sulfites, is due to the debate over its health effects or consequences.  Some argue that people have an allergic reaction to them, but research has been debatable over these claims.  There are many myths concerning sulfites, one being that red wine has extra sulfites, and thus causes headaches; yet, red wine has less sulfite than both white wines and sweet wines!  Another myth is that sulfites cause headaches.  There are other ingredients in wine, such as alcohol, histamines and tannins that are more likely to cause such headaches. (My bet’s on the alcohol!)

Sulfites Can Be Our Friend!

There aren’t many wineries that don’t include some type of sulfur dioxide, due to its help in keeping the wine fresh during shipping and helping it achieve a longer shelf life.  In order for a wine to claim that it is “Sulfite-Free” or has “No Added Sulfites”, the winery must not add any sulfites to the wine, but there are naturally occurring sulfites in the wine that occur as a byproduct of fermentation.

On the other hand, red wine contains higher levels of tannin, which also acts as a natural antioxidant, so wineries producing red wines can get away with making wines without any SO2 additions during winemaking.  Wineries such as Frey Vineyards in Mendocino, Catherine & Pierre Breton in Loire, and Pierre Frick in Alsace, all make sulfur-free wines that all come at a reasonable price.

But is eco-wine really better?

There are a variety of choices when it comes to eco-wine– “Organic Wine”, “Made with Organically Grown Grapes”, “Biodynamic” wine, (which use natural pest controls and supply a certain amount of fertilizer from their own farm), and “Natural” wine, which involve as little human interaction as possible.  However, it is hard to regulate and determine what and how the fertilizers, pesticides or chemicals are being used in the “natural” winemaking process.

According to a 2009 paper in the Journal of Wine Research, organic winemaking processes are only making a small impact of greenhouse gas emissions due to the lack of fertilizer they use.  Marketing is also a downfall—wine drinkers look down upon organic wines, due to the shipping and storing wine without using sulfites.  It gives them the impression that the wine has lost its taste and is stale upon opening.

Yet, us wine snobs SHOULD care.  The American wine grape may soon be extinct due to global warming by the end of the century.  So, even though some think organic wines may not taste as good, or that the shipping issues may affect the taste, suck it up for once a take the eco-wine challenge.  You might just be surprised what you find!

Positive News on Gas Prices…
From Boston.com, Read Article

In an AP article on the Boston.com website, it looks like there may be hope for gas prices this summer.    According to the article, there was a decrease in the price of oil, therefore gas prices “likely won’t set any records this summer.”  Low gas prices are good for the economy; the lower/more consistent gas prices are, the more people are willing to spend on other things such as going out to restaurants.  So if gas prices can stay consistent throughout the summer, it can only help the restaurant industry’s good numbers continue on a positive track.   Read the full article on Boston.com.

Spring: ‘Tis the Season of Gift Cards
From Nation’s Restaurant News, Read Article

Spring is graduation season, which means many families will be heading out to a restaurant to celebrate.  But it isn’t only graduation season, there is Mother’s Day and Father’s Day too.  NRN explained many of the nation’s top restaurant chains are capitalizing on this opportunity by promoting the use of gift cards with incentives such as a free menu item or bounce-back coupon.  Read full article on the NRN website.

Budweiser’s Design Change to Bottles
From HuffPost Food, Read Article

For a limited time, Budweiser bottles will move away from their traditional design and will have a red, white and blue theme as a part of an initiative with the Folds of Honor Foundation.  HuffPost Food reported a portion of sales from May 20 through July 7 (up to $2.5 million) will be donated to Folds of Honor.  Read full article and check out the new design on HuffPost Food.

National Restaurant Association Show: Recap
From Central Restaurant Products, Read Article

The National Restaurant Association Show was held from May 5-8 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill.  It’s a huge event that had over 1,800 exhibitors of the foodservice and hospitality industry.  All the latest and greatest were there from innovative equipment and supplies to incredibly delicious foods.  It’s an event for everyone in the industry to gain more product knowledge, network and of course, try amazing food. Check out a photo slideshow of Central’s visit and read our show recap.

Mother’s Day Restaurant Specials

We looked all over the web to find some of the deals going on this weekend for moms on Mother’s Day.  If your restaurant has any special plans or promotions, please share with everyone below!

Baskin Robbins: Mother’s Day Cakes

Bravo: $10 Bonus Offer with $50 Gift Card Purchase

Caribou Coffee: Buy One Get One Free

Champps Americana: Upon Visit, Receive Card for $10 off $25 Purchase

Denny’s: Send Mom and E-Card and Get Coupon for Free Skillet Cookie with Entrees

Dickey’s Barbeque Restaurants: Free Dessert with Purchase of $5 or More

Hooters: 10 Free Boneless Wings

IKEA: Free Breakfast

Kona Grill: Complimentary Red Velvet Cupcake

Monical’s Pizza: $15 Family Pasta Pleaser

Ruby Tuesday: Voucher for Free Ruby Tuesday Simply Fresh Cookbook

Rusty Bucket: Free Sweet Treat to Take Home

TCBY: Free Yogurt

Texas de Brazil: Complimentary Dessert and Non-Alcoholic Beverages

Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes: Buy One Breakfast, Get One Free

McCormick Place is the perfect venue for an event as large as the NRA Show, with 2.6 million square foot exhibit halls and ceilings up to 50 feet high.  The show uses every inch of space they reserve, with many booths tightly squeezed in together.  Then there are the thousands of people bumping into each other as they go from booth to booth to see the latest and greatest products and taste different foods and beverages.

This year the event took up two of McCormick Place’s massive halls and was comprised of around 1,856 exhibitors of the foodservice and hospitality industry.

Attendees and Exhibitors

What’s great about the NRA Show is anyone from a company can attend and get a meaningful experience as it provides several learning and networking opportunities–whether it’s a company’s buyer or member of a marketing department.  As you walk through the event and glance at different badges, you truly see the several different types of people that come to visit the show.

While attendees gain product knowledge and learn about other companies, exhibitors get a just as meaningful experience.

NRA said exhibitors are able to “connect with a massive group of high-level decision-makers and influencers from all across the foodservice and hospitality industry.”

As a bonus, NRA said after the show, those who attended plan to spend an average of $429,600 with exhibitors they connected with.

Schedule and Events

This year’s show had a jam packed schedule with the show floor being open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (except only open until 3 p.m. on the last day) and various events, attractions, educational sessions and demonstrations.

The show also held the International Wine, Spirits and Beer Event on May 6-7.

On Sunday May 6, the show’s keynote speaker was President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation.  According to a Chicago Sun-Times article, a large portion of his one-hour speech pertained to childhood obesity.  He also praised the NRA for their commitment to children’s health initiatives.  (Read the article for more information).

This year was the first year for the Inaugural Operator Innovations Awards, “a program for commercial and non-commercial operators who transform the industry with their extraordinary creativity and commitment.” Winners were announced at the Destination: Celebration event on May 5.  (Check out the nominees and the winners).

Social Media

As there are thousands in attendance or interested in the show, social media helps to keep everyone involved, whether they are attending or not.

Social media was heavily used and enabled everyone to stay connected via NRA’s Facebook, Twitter (also using #NRA2012), LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr accounts.  People were also able to subscribe to the show press room’s RSS feed.

Those who weren’t able to attend or want to re-live certain events can benefit from all of NRA’s different social media platforms for videos, pictures and more.

Central’s Experience

Central has had a presence at the NRA Show since 1983, which is two years after we opened. Product Consultant Steve White has been attending the show on and off since 1988—and to the left is a photo of all his different badges from over the years.

It was Central Product Consultant Karin Romani’s first year attending the show and said it was a really great learning experience.

“I ate my way through the show,” she said, as everyone at the show does. “But I learned about the new NSF-2012 rules going into effect in November (that will affect slicer manufacturers for one thing).  And I got to see a few new models of fryers and ranges at the American Range booth—fryers with a built in filter that filters continually while frying.  (I also saw) a commercial range that has a pilot light like a residential range that turns off between uses rather than staying on continually like most commercial ones.”

Romani added she saw a new line of flash freezers that she had been looking into for a customer.

“It was really nice to be able to see so many things in one place,” she said.

That essentially is the best way to describe the show—everything in one space with tons of innovative products.

Next year’s event will be at McCormick Place again, from May 18-21.

If you attended the NRA Show, please let us know what you thought! What were some of the favorite products you saw or food items you tried?