Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1256204
SUMMER 2020 17 Food for the Soul Jon Bon Jovi has a calling beyond rock n' roll: battling food insecurity. He and his wife created JBJ Soul Kitchen, a nonprofit community restaurant as part of their Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation, to tackle the issue. Their most recent effort is the opening of the first college location at Rutgers University, Newark. Instead of serving food with set prices, the restaurant offers a locally sourced three- course meal for a pay-it-forward donation of $12 or more—or the opportunity to volunteer in exchange for food. Tasks include folding napkins and preparing tables, with returning volunteers taking on more in-depth assignments. "We've had over 200 volunteers donate their time to the Soul Kitchen since our opening. They've been both in-need students and support staff, and many return weekly," notes Brian Conway, resident district manager. "The numbers on college food insecurity are staggering. This program really makes a difference." Make It a Double: Upcycled Vodka Artisan creameries have a new revenue stream—vodka. Normally derived from potatoes or rye, whey vodka, which is mildly sweet with a smooth finish, has developed a following in the Northwest. Dr. Paul Hughes, assistant professor of Distilled Spirits at Oregon State University, who has consulted with more than a dozen creameries from Oregon to Canada over the last two years, estimates "that a creamery selling cheese for around $40/pound could earn an additional $20 in alcohol retail sales for every pound of cheese, inclusive all costs but profit." He adds, "This is a good way of significantly reducing their effluent costs." Without expensive equipment, a small creamery either pays a fee to have the whey transported to a landfill or uses it as fertilizer or feed. With every pound of cheese producing up to nine pounds of whey, that cost can add up. Hughes' research shows that partnering with a distiller or independently creating whey vodka is both environmentally sustainable and cost- effective for small creameries. $17,000,000,000 the value of consumer packaged goods sales that have shifted from large companies to smaller ones since 2013, according to IRI PHOTO: TMK CREAMERY From left to right: Nancy Cantor, chancellor of Rutgers University–Newark; Phil Murphy, governor of New Jersey; Tammy Murphy, first lady of New Jersey; Dorothea and Jon Bon Jovi, JBJ Soul Foundation; Michael Frungillo, president, Gourmet Dining PHOTO: MEGHAN O'NEILL