Job #1 – Lake Charles, Louisiana at Ryans Works with Manager He’s at one of the Ryans stores. Ryans represents 1/3 of the company’s revenues. Per Anthony, the manager sets the tone for everything that happens in the restaurant. He’s trying to change the management culture – and he’s hoping for smiles/enthusiasm. The manager explains that there’s nothing that happens in the restaurant that he hasn’t done – so he knows how to do everything and can train well. The manager turns Anthony over to a Dishwasher to show him how to run the job. The dishwasher says you have the staff put the pots and plates wherever you want them, then you put them through the dishwasher. But, soon Anthony finds it won’t run because there’s a backlog of trays that need to be done first. The dishwasher tells him to do everything with one minute of training. Anthony’s annoyed as the dishwasher is condescending and isn’t helping him. The dishwasher responds that he wasn’t trained either – he started a couple of months ago. Then the dishwasher says he hates the job. Anthony goes off and breaks his cover with the manager. He says that the customers seem happy but the area in the back is not running well. He said the dishwasher needs training and needs to get rid of the bad attitude.
ANTHONY WEDO - CEO Buffets, Inc. Anthony Wedo is a highly successful leader and executive in the restaurant industry. With more than 25 years of hospitality experience, his unique background has contributed to his demonstrated success as a Fortune 50 senior executive, a high growth entrepreneur and a turnaround CEO. Wedo was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Buffets, Inc., the nation’s largest steak-buffet company, in December 2012. Buffets, Inc. currently operates 343 restaurants in 35 states and is comprised of 333 steak-buffet restaurants under the brands Ryan’s Buffet, Home Town Buffet and Old Country Buffet and 10 Tahoe Joe’s Famous Steakhouse restaurants. Wedo began his career in hospitality at PepsiCo, as part of a new breed of young, entrepreneurial restaurant operators brought on to help the corporate giant create a culture of nimbleness. As one of the first participants in PepsiCo’s Senior Operations Designate program, Wedo was put on the fast track and quickly grew to Vice President and General Manager of the Southeast Division of KFC, overseeing more than 1,200 restaurants, 7,000 employees and $1 billion in revenue. Following his success at PepsiCo, Wedo founded Mid-Atlantic Restaurant Systems, the largest Area Developer and franchisee of Boston Market. As Chairman, President and CEO, he grew the company over a four-year period to 160 restaurants, generating more than $250 million in annualized sales. During his tenure with Mid-Atlantic Restaurant Systems, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year, Area Developer of the Year and chosen as a top 50 Employer in Pennsylvania. Following the acquisition of Mid-Atlantic Restaurant Systems by Boston Market, Wedo held the position of Chairman, President and CEO of New World Restaurant Group. New World, with approximately 1,000 units and $750 million in system revenues, operated six unique brands, including Einstein Bros., Noah’s and Manhattan Bagel. He has a B.S. from Penn State University. He is also a retired Commissioned Officer in the United States Naval Reserve.
ESTEE KAFRA – AUTHOR, COOKING INSPIRED
Food writer Estee Kafra’s new cookbook takes the best recipes from KosherScoop.com and puts them into one encompassing collection of classic and innovative Jewish recipes.Food websites have become favorite destinations for home cooks to review and share recipes and cooking tips. Kosher recipes are especially popular whether Jewish or not and one of the fastest growing of the kosher websites is KosherScoop.com. Wanting to make cooking easier and more creative for home cooks, founder and cookbook author, Estee Kafra, has put together a collection of the best recipes from the site. Cooking Inspired (Feldheim Publishers; September 2013; Hardcover/$35.99) is a sampling of the creative and reliable recipes that the site has become known for and will inspire home cooks to let loose their culinary creativity. Over 200 recipes are beautifully photographed and award- winning photographs are scattered throughout the book creating a visual feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
“Food is one of our most primal needs, and for most of us, cooking is a basic, everyday chore. But food represents much more than the way in which we satisfy our cravings and keep ourselves alive. It is the way we nurture both ourselves and the people around us,” Estee states. “I believe we can take this everyday act and elevate it into an experience of creativity, mindfulness, and meaning. In order to make the most of the world we live in, we need to open our hearts and minds to the inspiration all around us, to the myriad experiences and items that can shape our everyday lives. That’s Cooking Inspired.”
PHILLIP CHIANG AND CHEF YUJI IWASA – P. F. CHANG’S
The Creator of P.F. Chang's, Restaurateur Philip Chiang and Yuji Iwasa, the Head Development Chef . Together, Philip and Yuji will be on trend for fall and present dishes that are lighter, healthier and fresher ,and will reveal the five trendiest ingredients of the season including quinoa, kale and butternut squash to just name a few.In this radio interview, Philip Chiang and Chef Yuji Iwasa will highlight the season's best ingredients and explain to listeners how they can include them in their daily menus and upcoming seasonal celebrations. From appetizers to entrees and desserts, some of their favorite fall recipes that will be discussed include: Miso Chicken; Shanghai Waldorf Salad; Citrus Mustard Prawns; Crispy Korean Chicken Wings; Harvest Vegetable Quinoa "Fried Rice"; and Vietnamese Noodles with Steak & Shrimp.