CHEFS & RESTAURATEURS GAIN STRATEGIES FOR INTEGRATING HEALTH & FLAVOR IN MENU ITEMS

Healthy Dining hosts a toolbox session at the annual ‘Flavor Experience’ in San Diego.

SAN DIEGO, CA – JULY 28, 2008 – As the demand for healthier options continues to gain momentum within the restaurant industry, Healthy Dining and the 4th Annual restaurant industry ‘FLAVOR Experience’ will present attending restaurateurs from across the nation, “Flavor – with a Healthy Twist – from Quick Service to Upscale Dining”, Tuesday, August 5th, 1:45pm – 3:15 pm. The conference will begin Monday, August 4th and continue through Wednesday, August 6t, at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort.

This session is designed to educate restaurateurs on how they can contribute to public health nutrition efforts by creating and promoting Healthy Dining options. Experts in the industry will provide strategies to help restaurants develop high-flavor, high-nutrient cuisine. Attendees will learn about creating flavorful healthy options, observe the chefs in action, and experience first hand the healthy creations of the presenting chefs, who include Stephen Window, executive chef of San Diego’s renowned Roppongi Restaurant and Jon Miller, Director of Research & Development, of the popular El Pollo Loco quick service chain. Window and Miller have been noted for breaking the stigma that healthy menu items don’t taste as good as other offerings.

Anita Jones-Mueller, MPH, a restaurant nutrition expert and founder of the HEALTHY DINING PROGRAM, will offer attendees information on how they can join the restaurant industry nutrition initiative to promote healthier menu options. “It is so exciting to see how chefs and restaurateurs all over the nation are jumping on board to make dining out healthfully a wonderfully flavorful experience,” emphasizes Jones-Mueller.

ABOUT HEALTHY DINING:

Healthy Dining’s team of health and nutrition professionals is dedicated to helping Americans eat healthfully when eating away from home – at restaurants ranging from fast food to upscale dining. The team’s signature website, HealthyDiningFinder.com, provides consumers with a free resource featuring Healthy Dining options and corresponding nutrition information from more than 55,000 restaurant locations nationwide. Healthy Dining, in partnership with the National Restaurant Association, is the largest-ever restaurant nutrition initiative. Healthy Dining’s dietitians also provide restaurants with nutrition and allergen analysis.

ABOUT THE FLAVOR EXPERIENCE:

This annual four-day restaurant industry conference is filled with flavor trends, application information, and plenty of FLAVORFUL food. This year, three original research presentations, by the Center for Culinary Development, Technomic, and The Culinary Edge, will be presented. Headliner Guy Fieri, noted celebrity chef of the Food Network’s ‘Diners, Dive-ins, and Dives’ will share his passion and commitment to flavor. Get ready to learn and laugh a lot!

Media Contact:
Anita Jones-Meuller, MPH
805.693.1100
Anita@healthydiningfinder.com