Looking for new menu and recipe ideas? Be sure to make your way over to the Culinary Demonstration area during the Exhibit Hall hours, where professional chefs will create meals that will sure to capture the attention of your students and provide healthy menu solutions.

Photo: The Food Channel/David Nehmer

This year, there will be six demonstrations offered during the conference. They are:

• AdvancePierre Foods: Chef Jimmy Gherardi will demonstrate the balancing act between recipe creativity, dietary requirements and the need to increase participation
• ConAgra Foodservice: Chef Jeff Henderson will prepare three easy recipes featuring Ultragrain whole-wheat flour and Ultragrain pasta
• Fishery Products International/High Liner Foods: Chef Jerry Maltese will create flaky and delicious Pollock Tacos using unbreaded Alaska Pollock wedges available through the USDA Foods commodity program
• MARS Foodservices: Chef Chris Skolmutch will showcase on-trend, simple-to-prepare recipes that meet strict nutritional guidelines and feature Uncle Ben’s® rice
• National Food Service Management Institute: Chef Lee Craven will demonstrate selected recipes from NFSMI’s newly revised Healthy Cuisine for Kids training, highlighting various culinary techniques for working with whole grains and USDA Foods
• USDA, Food & Nutrition Service: Chef David Owens will highlight the versatility and healthy profiles of a variety of items available through the USDA Foods commodity program

Each demo will last about 45 minutes, so there’s still plenty of time to go to all the exhibits. So whether you take in one or all of the Culinary Demonstrations, you’re sure to walk away with some great new ideas!

Got any fun or clever culinary techniques or tips of your own? Share them with your peers in the comments section!