You’re done with Part 2

Part 3: Equipment and Miscellaneous

The following is a video I snapped of an electric boiler? It is used for pasta. About $8800. I asked if they had a version for oil (as a fryer). Not yet. But take a look. Each basket is programmable with set timers. Pretty cool!

Let’s chat about knives, shall we? As a chef, I am particular about my knives. How the “feel” in my hands, how well they crafted and their performance at work. I must say, I saw A LOT of beautiful knives at the Expo!

The first vendor, Rhineland Cutlery, is based in Melbourne, Florida. Their knives are absolutely gorgeous! I didn’t dare to touch them though. They also offer engraving for additional cost.

The next vendor is Jikko Co., Ltd. This company is based in Sakai-city, Osaka and was founded in 1901. The director is Hiroaki Jikko.

                       

Their knives are some of the most impressive on display. I swear if I had more expendable income, I would have bought a few of them!

In keeping with the Japanese theme, I also witnessed a few machines that automated the sushi process. One machine made the perfect sushi rice balls for nigiri. Another machine actually made/rolled makis. The last machine took the maki (sushi roll) that the operator places inside and it (the machine) cuts it into eight perfect pieces! See the video below!

One of my favorite ‘food’ movies is “Chef” – with Jon Favreau. It got me thinking about getting my own food truck. How amazing would THAT be!? Look at this beauty!

To finish up this three-part blog post, I wanted to share an incredible experience I had at the Expo. When I registered for my badge, I signed up for an informative seminar. “Reach More Customers: Restaurant Social Media Marketing” started at 2pm at Booth 1527 on the Expo floor. Of course, I sat up in the front row. (Nerd Alert).

The speaker was Emma Vaughn from Main Street Hub. This company helps businesses with their respective social media accounts. They respond to customers as well as provide engaging content for viewers.

She was engaging and spoke clearly. Her knowledge of the power of social media was quite evident with her examples. Emma kept giving great examples of how businesses were using their social media platforms to reach out to customers. Yelp!, Twitter, Facebook – all free social media platforms that companies use.

So you can imagine my surprise when, during her presentation, one of her slides displayed a Twitter exchange between a user and a restaurant. That user – @rspoley – was me! She used my Twitter exchange with @CharleysGrillCA ! When that first screen grab showed up on the monitor – I was shocked. I started sweating and began to shake nervously (as evident in my blurry photo below!)

Emma was asking the audience what they thought happened after this initial Twitter exchange when I raised my hand to inform her that this example was my own tweet! She was shocked too! Unbelievable! She walked over to me and I showed her my badge/ID. I told her about the exchange and that I actually went to the Charley’s restaurant because of the Twitter exchange. Such an incredible event.

Below is the initial Tweet, direct from my personal account:

My Featured Tweet!

I had a great time at the Expo. Made some amazing connections! I can’t wait until next year already!

Until next time…#ForkThisPlate