A Good Fit for All

Reshaping menus to conform with trends for more healthful fare will keep your diners feeling better and fatten your numbers, too.

by Marilyn Odesser-Torpey (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
May 2007
 

In a recent survey by the National Restaurant Association (NRA), three of four Americans said they are trying to eat more healthfully in restaurants than they did two years ago. The results of the NPD Group’s 21st Annual “Eating Patterns in America” report also showed a majority of respondents saying they want to cut back on the fat (71 percent), calories (62 percent), cholesterol (62 percent) and sugar (59 percent) in their diets. These respondents made it clear they are more in favor of moderation than flat-out deprivation as they change their habits, with 64 percent saying they want to switch to whole grains, and similar percentages indicating they want their food choices to contain more nutrients such as calcium and Vitamin C.

Surveys also show that chefs across the country are preparing to respond to these new needs and desires with nutrient-packed, locally sourced ingredients, served in season, with minimal fuss and maximum flavor. Of the more than 1,000 members of the American Culinary Federation surveyed for the NRA’s 2007 Industry Forecast, 84 percent rated locally grown produce as one of the year’s hottest menu trends (the only item that ranked higher, at 85 percent, was bite-sized desserts). Also on the list of top trends were organic produce; flatbreads and whole grain breads; pan-seared, grilled, braised and smoked selections; fresh herbs; free-range items and fresh fruits.

“Our members don’t mind paying the premium for a really good, fresh product,” says Vincent Balducci, Executive Chef, The City Club of Rock Hill (S.C.)

Club and resort chefs in step with these trends are discovering—to not only their delight, but also their management’s—that as they help members and guests look and feel better, they’re also prompting them to visit their dining rooms more often, and to gladly spend more once there.

At The City Club of Rock Hill (S.C.), Executive Chef Vincent Balducci reports members and guests are eagerly ordering his organic pasta dishes, despite a higher price tag—around $16 compared to the usual $11 to $13 for similar dishes made with regular pasta. Echoing all chefs interviewed about the switch to healthier, fresher, more locally sourced fare, Balducci says flatly, “Our members don’t mind paying the premium for a really good, fresh product.”

A Shopping Showcase
Since he arrived at Pittsburgh’s Shannopin Country Club three years ago, Executive Chef Gary Klinefelter has made several major moves to make his menu a showcase for locally grown produce; hormone- and antibiotic-free meats; whole grains; and other fresh and organic ingredients whenever possible. By building his menus around each season’s most plentiful products, Klinefelter is able to get ingredients at the peak of their flavor and texture, while maintaining “reasonable food costs.”

Shannopin CC’s Executive Chef, Gary Klinefelter, controls food costs with portion control when using higher-priced specialty ingredients, such as micro sprouts.

Instead of purchasing out-of-season or seriously depleted species such as Chilean sea bass, Klinefelter has made up a chart that shows at a glance which of his favorite fish are most readily available during any given month, and the maximum price point he can pay without blowing his budget. As he has perfected his procurement system, members at Shannopin have quickly come to anticipate the annual arrival of certain seafood items such as soft-shell crabs and Alaskan king crab. “They know when to expect certain items, and regard their appearance on the menu as an exciting event,” he notes.

Instead of frying and sautéing foods, Klinefelter roasts, braises or grills whenever possible. He also gently cooks fish by shallow-poaching it in court bouillon. “These cooking methods are not only more healthful, they preserve more of the foods’ natural flavors,” he says.

Some seasonal specialties that stray beyond the familiar, though, may need a little pre-presentation promotion to prepare members’ palates. “When I put fresh beet salad on the Easter dinner menu,” says Klinefelter, “I knew I’d have to get past the image of Mom’s canned red beets.”

And he did, with a surprising combination of red, golden and chioggia (candy cane-striped) beets, tossed with extra-virgin olive oil and salt and pepper, roasted in a 400-degree oven, cooled, peeled, sliced, and topped with candied pecans and Danish bleu cheese. He then paired the beets with a small portion of beet greens and micro sprouts, drizzled with truffle oil and a light balsamic syrup.“They loved it,” he says.

Scot Choquette, Executive Chef, Victoria Hills GC

Although specialty microgreens and sprouts can cost more than the usual salad ingredients, portion control can still help keep the food costs in line, Klinefelter says. “A handful of each goes a long way” to adding visual and textural dimension to plated presentations, he advises.

No Longer Against the Grain
During the Atkins Diet craze, bread, pasta and other grain-based foods were regarded by many as major dietary don’ts. However, both the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society have since recommended increasing the intake of dietary fiber—whole grains, nuts and seeds, as well as fruits and vegetables—to help lower “bad” cholesterol levels and reduce the risks of heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancer.

Like many of his colleagues, Brian Tomlinson, Executive Chef at Topnotch Resort and Spa in Stowe, Vt., has been happy to see the return of bread, as long as it’s the organic, whole-grain loaves and thin, crispy flatbreads he gets from local bakeries. He even makes a light, refreshing Italian summer salad called panzanella out of bread chunks and fresh tomatoes.

At The City Club of Rock Hill, both low-carb Thai-style lettuce wraps and traditional bread-based sandwiches share menu space. Executive Chef Balducci offers between 12 and 15 bread varieties, mostly whole grains and low-oil focaccia.

To make it easier for members and guests to identify specifically health-oriented options on his menu, Klinefelter marks each one with a heart. For spring, he is including complete nutritional breakdowns of these items, “like the labeling you see on supermarket packaging.”

Tomlinson says he is working with Topnotch’s spa director to create a collection of lighter dishes, probably with calorie counts, to offer at the pool and include on his regular lunch and dinner menus. And Scot Choquette, Executive Chef of Victoria Hills Golf Club in DeLand, Fla., relies on “Executive Diet Helper” software to break down the calorie-, fat- and sodium-content of all of his recipes, which he then binds in a book that is available to servers and diners.

Added Ingredients
Often there’s more to bolstering the health benefits of these chefs’ dishes than immediately meets the diners’ eyes. Balducci, for example, mixes nuts, seeds and whole grains into salads and hot vegetable dishes. He also layers fruit parfaits with nutty-tasting oat bran, and mixes oatmeal and nuts into the topping for his popular warm apple streusel dessert (click here to view recipe ). “They don‘t even miss the cheesecake,” he says.

This summer, Tomlinson plans to introduce flavor- and fiber-rich quinoa onto his menu as a side dish, in salads and as a crust for fish. And in place of pricier spinach or arugula, Choquette uses lots of locally grown dandelion greens. After washing them thoroughly to remove all sand, he lightly sautés the greens with garlic and a pinch of salt, pepper and sugar (to balance out their natural bitter tinge).

For marinating lean cuts of meats to be cooked in a crock pot or slow-roasted, Balducci and Choquette both use iced teas spiked with anise or star anise. The teas’ natural enzymes cut through the tough fibers rapidly to tenderize the meat and give it a great taste, explains Balducci, who likes to use flavored varieties. Choquette often uses lighter-tasting white iced teas—made from immature tea leaves—for pork chops and loins.

Low- or no-fat yogurt is another favorite marinade base, especially for chicken. Choquette gives his poultry an “Indian touch” by adding coriander, masala (a traditional Indian spice blend), paprika and cucumber. For a glamorous dessert, he features colorful exotic fruits with a low- or no-fat flavored yogurt dip, and reduces the fat content in his crème brûlées by substituing yogurt for a portion of the cream that the recipe calls for.

Balducci uses low-fat mayonnaise mixed with orange juice to turn tuna and chunks of chicken into exotic citrus-accented salads. And swapping apple juice for vinegar gives salad dressings a brighter, less tart taste.
“No one notices the difference,” Balducci says of these tricks of the new, healthier trade. “They just know they want to order it again. You know you’ve done it right when the ‘healthy’ alternatives become their first choice.”