With Tuxton China's new coupe shapes line the choice is yours...... FLORENCE - a true white porcelain, the perfect canvas for your culinary artistry. Or...will you choose VENICE, similar in shape but done with a warm, American white body? Perfect for that retro comfort food menu. The choice is yours .... Tuxton China....Endless Possibilitites |
Tuxton's Florence coupe shape - a true porcelain white body.
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Tuxton's Venice coupe shape - a warm American white body
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Tuxton China - Endless Possibilities
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In a recent World of Fine Wine Magazine comparative tasting of glasses, two varieties of Riedel glass were deemed the best overall for Pinot Noir. From a group of fourteen glasses, hailing from a variety of brands, the Riedel Grape Pinot Noir and the Riedel Vinum Pinot Noir both scored top marks of 16.5 points out of a possible 20. Glasses were tested by three wine experts using five wines and each glass was scored by the individual tester. A third Riedel glass, the VITIS Pinot Noir, was also tested and scored 15 points, placing it eighth. The results were published in the spring edition of World of Fine Wine Magazine. Commenting on the specific glasses, the tasting panel, comprised of Andrew Jefford, Stephen Reinhard & Andreas Larson, noted the following;
- Riedel Grape Pinot Noir –
“A classic, thin Riedel glass that is very light and elegant in the hand. It copes well with vigorous swirling and is very good at opening up the aromatic profiles of the wines. This glass seems to add age to younger wines and is a very good all-rounder.”
“The bowl of this glass is capacious, deep and round, and it sits happily in the hand or fingers. A lovely all-round Pinot glass, this softens and smoothes generous oakiness in the wines. With a nice shape, weight and design, this was one of the most consistent glasses that showed very nice proportions of fruits and acidity and, as such may be best for fresh European wines.” | | Other brands of glass used in the test were; Dartington, John Jenkins, Zalto, Schott Zwiesel, Luigi Bormioli, & Gabriel Glas. The wines used were:
- Domaine Armaud Rousseau Chambertin Close de Beze Grand Cru 1998
- Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir La Bauge Au-Dessus Santa Maria Valley, California 2007
- Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Aux Combottes 2008
- Furst Centgrafenburg Gross Gewachs Spatburgunder Franken Germany 2009
- Freycinet Louis Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008 Tasmania
To learn more about Riedel glassware, including their ranges made specifically for the hospitality industry, go here: http://www.riedel.com/
Back in late April, the announcement came:
"BAUSCHER, HEPP, TAFELSTERN and WMF: A collaboration that brings together four illustrious names in the field of quality tabletop. Bauscher USA, Inc. and WMF Americas, Inc. have agreed to a sales and marketing cooperation for the USA, starting May 1, 2012. The alliance will focus on hotel, casino, restaurant, private club, and healthcare clients. During the remainder of 2012, all aspects of sales, marketing, and customer service will be harmonized to ensure a high level customer experience. Programs with key accounts and dealers will be streamlined."
Well, we’re now 3 months down the road since the original announcement and TabletopJournal caught up with Bauscher USA President Jeffrey Heaney recently to ask him how things have gone. | TJ: In early May, you and Markus Glueck (President, WMF-Americas) announced that Bauscher USA and WMF/Hepp would combine U.S. marketing efforts. Can you update us on how this has gone so far and what we can expect in the future from this partnership?
JH: Integrating four brands into a single organization is a very complex task. Fortunately, our shareholders are strong, professional companies with the resources required to properly execute this plan. Through this cooperation, we will offer a complete tabletop solution focused on the quality segment of the market. All aspects of sales, marketing, and customer service will be unified elevating the service we offer our clients and our presence in the market. Our goal will be to delight those who are concerned with every detail in regards to their customer experiences rather than chasing the mass markets. |
Tafelstern's Inspiration Gold
| TJ: Shortly after the initial announcement, you had the NRA Show in Chicago. Was customer reaction at the show and since? How has the combining of the two existing organizations gone and is it completed yet?
JH: Overall, the market has responded favorably. In fact, the overall reaction has been that this is an obvious marriage between four great German brands known as the specialist in their respective categories. Partnerships between these brands are common globally, so this is not that unusual. What is unusual is that all four brands are coming together rather than just one porcelain brand and one cutlery brand. The integration is progressing well and should be completed by years end.
TJ: What are the benefits that customers are seeing now that the Bauscher, Tafelstern, WMF, and Hepp brands are being marketed under a single umbrella?
JH: At Bauscher USA, our top priority is to make doing business with us easier for our clients. As we go through the transition, we are taking the same approach as we develop the new programs and product selection. One example of that is applying our “freight included program” for our select authorized dealers. All orders – no minimums. | TJ: All four brands are known for their quality and creativity….what new products should we expect to be seeing from these brands in the coming months?
JH: On the porcelain side, since we self-produce, we are continuously investing in new product development. This fall, we have a new buffet range that addresses today’s needs for buffets. During my near six year tenure, we have introduced more than ten new collections and have expanded upon many existing collections of porcelain. Our clients should continue to expect new, innovative solutions able to serve rising trends in the market.
On the cutlery side we have several new patterns that expand upon our extensive offering. For WMF, we are introducing an attractive decanter for operators serving filtered water at a cost to their guests. The decanter provides an elevated level of service that a client would anticipate if they are to be charged for filtered water. A continuous flow of new service ware with a retail-image, but commercial quality is being introduced. |
Hepp's new Talia pattern
| TJ: Do you view the consolidation of these four brands as a logical step in the continuing evolution of the tabletop category? How do you view the tabletop category and where do you see it going from the supplier side?
JH: Consolidation will likely continue out of necessity. The complexities and cost of serving markets such as the USA require significant sales volume and the right people to manage the business. My perception is that there is a polarization in the tabletop marketplace. The large companies that can serve all segments are getting larger and stronger. While there may be just as many brands as before, many brands are in name only lacking real sales power into the market. It will be very difficult to remain a small or medium sized tabletop company in this market. The challenge for us is to remain a specialist rather than being a generalist. We accept that challenge! TJ: Another subject that you have pioneered - Deep Plate….an innovative program encouraging chefs to use their creative skills while using Bauscher and Tafelstern products. Tell us about the success of this interesting program and where we might see it going from here. JH: Deep Plate was a personal project of mine that I actively managed for the first two years. We are now in our fourth year. We are very proud of Deep Plate and view it as a way to give back to our industry. Many of our participants are students or chefs rising in the culinary ranks. I personally have enjoyed following the Deep Plate participants whose plate presentations have visibly improved month after month. It is also exciting to see that the blog has followers from around the world. We have followers from 176 countries. Ten years ago, this type of communication and reach was not possible. Deep Plate’s success has been difficult to quantify. Has it increased our brand awareness at a relatively low cost? Most definitely. It has resulted in sales. However, we took a position from day one that we would not solicit business from Deep Plate as we felt it might alienate participants. If they contact us to buy, we are happy to serve them. TJ: And, finally, since we know you’re not “all work and no play” …. what music is on your iPod right now and what have you been listening to lately?
JH: I love older country music - 70’s, 80’s, & early 90’s. Classic rock is often in the mix as well. I get enough of the Katy Perry and Rihanna when I am around my children, so when I can select the music, I prefer Merle Haggard, Willie, Waylon or the like. For some reason, I have also really been enjoying 80’s pop music – something that I didn’t particularly listen to in the 80’s.
Hot off the presses ( yes, they still do use presses), The Australian published a list of the Hot 50 Restaurants in Australia which, to us, was interesting as we always love to see who's "hot" and why they are considered to be that way. But included also was a commenary on trends and issues facing the Australian restaurant industry which we found even more fascinating. As the world we live continues to shrink, whether you live in Europe....America....Asia...Middle East....or even Australia, often the issues confronting us sound incredibly similar. We thought you would enjoy reading: PIG'S EARS, AND OTHER EMERGING TRENDS
* Times are hard. A significant number of high-end restaurants/groups have taken a tumble over the past 12 months, particularly in Sydney. Others are either struggling to put bums on seats, or scrambling to reinvent themselves. Restaurateurs are losing the will, and the means, to maintain traditional-style high-end restaurants.
* People are still going out - perhaps even more than ever - but they're spending less. So the restaurants that are canny about how their prices are perceived - and parlayed on the social media grapevine - are thriving.
* Part of the industry's struggle to keep its head above water is the no-bookings phenomenon. At the more casual end of the market, it simply makes more business sense for the restaurant to manage demand this way and as long as the public plays the game, it won't change.
* The digital world is changing the way some restaurants operate. Chefs are now plugged in before plating up, reaching out in cyberspace to let people know about new dishes, special dinners and discount deals. More diners are booking tables online, and the web is awash with meal deal sites offering incentives such as midweek discounts, which are changing the way diners "shop" for restaurants.
*The line between formal and informal is being blurred. Some of the best restaurant food in Australia is served at bare tables with a rock'n'roll soundtrack. Cooking creatively is a young person's game and that's being reflected in the dining rooms they run.
* The tricky economics behind small, chef-run dining rooms has ushered in a renewed impetus for degustation-style dining. Set menus save money.
* Wood is the word: whether it be cooking over charcoal or coal, smoking all kinds of ingredients or indeed adding smoke to dishes for the big "reveal" at the table, wood and its smoke are hot, smouldering even.
* The Mugaritz-Noma effect: Spain and Denmark have replaced Paris and London as the Mt Olympus of the 21st century, for chefs anyway.
At the pointy end of dining, the pervasiveness of food gods Andoni Aduriz and Rene Redzepi has been phenomenal in Australia. From Hobart to Brisbane, Perth to Sydney and many points in between, you'll find great Australian chefs inspired to forage, plant kitchen gardens, discover edible flowers and generally celebrate the virtues of naturalist cuisine.
* And what have we seen on our plates? A litter of pig's ears; a Babel of tongues; a school of mackerel; a bed of Rottnest scallops; ovens of housemade bread; herds of hanger steak, rump cap and a whole lot of secondary cuts your butcher has never heard of (Wagyu has jumped the shark); and salt mines of saline caramel. Oh, and chicken that tastes like real chicken (because it is).
* The importance of correct lighting is being reinforced by its absence: too many restaurants are confusing one-dimensional low lighting with mood, leaving too many of us in the dark.
* The Scandinavian aesthetic has jumped off the plate and into the dining room as never before: we're seeing lots of blond wood, Danish-designed furniture and an overall look of Nordic reserve.
* And what are we drinking? Less, but more frequently: the trend towards smaller by-the-glass pours mirrors the smaller-portion trend on the menu. It helps soften sticker shock, and diners can cast their drinking net a little wider. Those by-the-glass lists are getting longer, while the bottle lists get shorter; a great idea in principle, provided what they're selling is kept fresh. We're drinking more "natural" wines, more sake, cider and small-brewery beers.
* And who is serving us? Sometimes, it's the chefs themselves (another trend out of Denmark) but too often it's a generation of fairly clueless, undertrained waitstaff. Australia's pool of first-class waiter talent stays within the inner circle of elite restaurants and restaurateurs: for the rest, it's slim pickings.
Any of this sound familiar?
Thought so....
 Figgjo has been supplying high quality, creative serving pieces to chefs since 1941. If you are a chef or restaurateur who does not follow the crowd….thinks a little differently than everyone else….and is looking for something unique for your dinnerware, you might look at Figgjo, the premium porcelain producer from Norway. Displaying a wide range of items that lend themselves perfectly to a "mix & match" concept, Figgjo has porcelain serving pieces that are perfect for showcasing the latet chef's creations. Close collaboration with people in the hospitality industry also ensures that Figgjo products also function well in the culinary production process in the modern kitchen.
Since 1941, Figgjo has developed a wide product line to meet nearly any customer's needs for differentiation and uniqueness. So, if you are looking for something just a little different....to a look at Figgjo. We think you will be impressed.
According to DailyMarkets.com, Libbey reported higher earnings on a slight dip in sales during the 2nd quarter. Led by glassware sales strength in the China and U.S. markets, Libbey also grew sales to World Tableware customers by 5.1 percent during the quarter, but these were partially offset by a 4.9 percent decrease in sales to Syracuse China customers. “We are encouraged by these results, driven by our efforts to increase productivity and control costs as well as the solid sales growth we achieved in select markets,” said Stephanie A. Streeter, chief executive officer of Libbey Inc. “Our sales were particularly strong in glass operations in the U.S. and Canada, and in China. On the other hand, sales were disappointing in Mexico and Europe. Despite this reasonably strong quarter, we have a lot of work to do to sustain performance and secure our future,” said Streeter. “The strategic plan we announced earlier this month will strengthen and build upon the efforts to improve our cost structure, leverage our advantaged businesses and strengthen our balance sheet.” To learn more about Libbey 2nd quarter results and to read the complete story, go here: http://www.dailymarkets.com/stock/2012/07/26/libbey-inc-announces-second-quarter-2012-financial-results/
You know it's the truth!
Seriously....we've received some nice feedback on our Tabletop Matters poster and we certainly appreciate it those who have taken the time to tell us how much you like it. We know there's large contingent of other tabletop "evangelists" out there who are also trying to spread the word.
So, drop us a note with your name and address if you'd like one and we'll do out best to get one of in the mail to you right away.
Tabletop matters.
From Elitetraveler.com..... "In collaboration with famed hospitality designer, Adam Tihany, The Breakers Palm Beach is introducing an exciting new drinking and dining experience unlike any other on the island...."
Nick Velardo, food and beverage director at the Five Diamond resort - "....we are passionate about delivering a variety of high quality dining experiences,”
Of course it will be unlike any other....if Adam is designing it. And, Mr. Velardo, your passion is in good hands.
Steelite's Crucial Detail LANDSCAPE Platter
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NEW Steelite KOTO Platter
| Steelite.....canvas for the creative chef. You can view the entire range of creative products that Steelite has for the hospitality industry by going here: http://www.steelite.com/
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