Chefs Savor US Pork at China Cookism Club
Chefs Savor US Pork at China Cookism Club
Excitement and the savory scent of U.S. pork were in the air last week when some 90 Chinese restaurant owners, executive chefs and members of USMEF’s Cookism Club gathered in Sanya for the 2010 spring Cookism Club meeting.
Higher potential profits through using lower-cost U.S. pork cuts was the theme of the June 23-24 event – conducted with support from the Pork Checkoff and USDA Market Access Program funds – that drew 55 club members, 19 specially invited executive guest chefs and 15 restaurant owners who paid for their own air transportation to attend.
A cutting demonstration of U.S. Kurobuta pork
Guest chef Patrick Barrett from Hong Kong explained to the visitors how they could realize profits up to four times higher with new low-priced U.S. pork items, and he demonstrated how with a number of U.S. pork cuts including Kurobuta pork, boneless pork chop, CT Butt and jowl meat.
The chefs conducted hands-on demonstrations on meat-cutting and cooking with the new pork items, providing commentary for the audience on the meat textures and product features. Many of the chefs had never tasted or handled U.S. Kurobuta pork before.
“The event gave the chefs a great venue for cutting, cooking and tasting their own creations and those of their peers,” said Joel Haggard, USMEF-Asia/Pacific senior vice president. “The interaction helped the chefs and restaurant owners understand that they could look beyond regular pork cuts to develop new dishes, and that by using low-priced and economical U.S. cuts and their culinary skills, they could create exciting new menu items and make their restaurants more profitable.”
"It’s time we focus on the quality attributes of U.S. pork, such as the excellent taste and tenderness of Kurobuta," added Steve Mo, USMEF's South China representative.
Importers can increase profit margins with cuts like U.S. CT butt
The chefs also participated in a dish garnish competition and enjoyed a barbecue reception where invited local chefs watched club members prepare new cuts for enjoyment during the evening.
The interest in the new cuts was evidenced by the number of inquiries made during the evening of local distributor Sanya Yameixi Frozen Company, which was available to provide delivery information and price quotes.
USMEF also invited more than 40 local guests from hotels and restaurants in Sanya and Haikou for the second day of the event to participate in the cost analysis portion of the program. They shared their meat usage experiences with the members to better illustrate the merits of using low-priced U.S. pork menu items.
“The response of the program participants was extremely positive,” said Haggard. “We see a great opportunity to not only highlight economical U.S. pork cuts, but also to encourage more experimentation with higher quality items. Pork in China has traditionally been a carrier protein for added seasonings and flavorings. We are encouraging chefs to pay closer attention to natural U.S. pork taste and other quality attributes."
USMEF's Cookism Club for chefs meets biannually, with new themes presented at each meeting. Member chefs are high-volume users of U.S. red meats, as well as successful local foodservice operations with a well-established and growing local customer base.
# # #
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry. It is funded by USDA; the beef, pork, lamb, corn and soybean checkoff programs, as well as its members representing nine industry sectors: beef/veal producing & feeding, pork producing & feeding, lamb producing & feeding, packing & processing, purveying & trading, oilseeds producing, feedgrains producing, farm organizations and supply & service organizations.
For more information, contact Jim Herlihy at jherlihy@usmef.org.
USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.
Chefs Savor US Pork at China Cookism Club
Excitement and the savory scent of U.S. pork were in the air last week when some 90 Chinese restaurant owners, executive chefs and members of USMEF’s Cookism Club gathered in Sanya for the 2010 spring Cookism Club meeting.
Higher potential profits through using lower-cost U.S. pork cuts was the theme of the June 23-24 event – conducted with support from the Pork Checkoff and USDA Market Access Program funds – that drew 55 club members, 19 specially invited executive guest chefs and 15 restaurant owners who paid for their own air transportation to attend.
A cutting demonstration of U.S. Kurobuta pork
Guest chef Patrick Barrett from Hong Kong explained to the visitors how they could realize profits up to four times higher with new low-priced U.S. pork items, and he demonstrated how with a number of U.S. pork cuts including Kurobuta pork, boneless pork chop, CT Butt and jowl meat.
The chefs conducted hands-on demonstrations on meat-cutting and cooking with the new pork items, providing commentary for the audience on the meat textures and product features. Many of the chefs had never tasted or handled U.S. Kurobuta pork before.
“The event gave the chefs a great venue for cutting, cooking and tasting their own creations and those of their peers,” said Joel Haggard, USMEF-Asia/Pacific senior vice president. “The interaction helped the chefs and restaurant owners understand that they could look beyond regular pork cuts to develop new dishes, and that by using low-priced and economical U.S. cuts and their culinary skills, they could create exciting new menu items and make their restaurants more profitable.”
"It’s time we focus on the quality attributes of U.S. pork, such as the excellent taste and tenderness of Kurobuta," added Steve Mo, USMEF's South China representative.
Importers can increase profit margins with cuts like U.S. CT butt
The chefs also participated in a dish garnish competition and enjoyed a barbecue reception where invited local chefs watched club members prepare new cuts for enjoyment during the evening.
The interest in the new cuts was evidenced by the number of inquiries made during the evening of local distributor Sanya Yameixi Frozen Company, which was available to provide delivery information and price quotes.
USMEF also invited more than 40 local guests from hotels and restaurants in Sanya and Haikou for the second day of the event to participate in the cost analysis portion of the program. They shared their meat usage experiences with the members to better illustrate the merits of using low-priced U.S. pork menu items.
“The response of the program participants was extremely positive,” said Haggard. “We see a great opportunity to not only highlight economical U.S. pork cuts, but also to encourage more experimentation with higher quality items. Pork in China has traditionally been a carrier protein for added seasonings and flavorings. We are encouraging chefs to pay closer attention to natural U.S. pork taste and other quality attributes."
USMEF's Cookism Club for chefs meets biannually, with new themes presented at each meeting. Member chefs are high-volume users of U.S. red meats, as well as successful local foodservice operations with a well-established and growing local customer base.
# # #
The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry. It is funded by USDA; the beef, pork, lamb, corn and soybean checkoff programs, as well as its members representing nine industry sectors: beef/veal producing & feeding, pork producing & feeding, lamb producing & feeding, packing & processing, purveying & trading, oilseeds producing, feedgrains producing, farm organizations and supply & service organizations.
For more information, contact Jim Herlihy at jherlihy@usmef.org.
USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law.