FSR January 2023

FirstCourse

“Besides my family and friends and my business and being a proud Wash ingtonian, this has become one of the most special things I’ll ever do in my life,” Andrés said in a forum hosted by D.C. law firm ArentFox Schiff. Indeed, the chef’s humanitarian work has come to rival his culinary mas tery in recent years, particularly in 2022 when he was on the ground in Ukraine. From the chef’s point of view, he and his restaurant peers are ideal allies in disaster relief. “I don’t need to own 10,000 restau rants across America [that are] ‘stra tegically’ located in case something happens. The restaurants are already there,” Andrés said. “Think about it: America is a gigantic restaurant. There’s no reason why, at any moment, food should become a problem.” In the early days of World Central Kitchen, Andrés would sometimes have to get the ball rolling and mobilize fel low chefs and restaurateurs. Now, it’s a more organic process—something he credits, in part, to the pandemic. “It’s not just me anymore. At this point, we all call each other,” Andrés says. “This creates, over the years, a network. Not only in emergencies, but also in the good times.” World Central Kitchen usually arrives in the aftermath of natural disasters, but Ukraine posed a different chal lenge. The organization first went to the Polish border to help refugees but has since expanded into the country. “Ukraine is the war that shouldn’t be happening. And that’s why we’re here,” Andrés said. The chef plans to return to the coun try this month. After all, consistency and a spirit of service are the hallmarks of hospitality, whether in the restaurant or on the battlefield. “You go one day and you show up the day after and you show up the third day and the fourth and the fifth. In the process, you see how locally there are enough resources and people that can help you provide aid,” he says. “This is a great way to lift up communities after a catastrophe.”

WHEN IT COMES TO STEAK CUTS AND PREPARATION, consumers have clear opinions. According to a new survey from wholesaler Meats by Linz , medium rare was the favored degree of doneness when dining out and at home. Medium-well took second place for eating at restaurants, as compared to medium when cooking at home. In terms of cut, rib-eye was far and away the most popular , while bavette (flank) was only deemed a preferred choice by a small portion of respondents. Cu bov

CONSUMERS’ FAVORITE CUTS:

61474338271613125

RIB-EYE FILET T-BONE STRIP PORTERHOUSE SKIRT TOMAHAWK FLAT IRON BAVETTE

61%

47%

43%

38%

27%

16%

13% 12%

5%

ADOBE STOCK

10

FSRMAGAZINE .COM

JANUARY 2023