The Food & Beverage Innovation Center (FBIC) in the Restaurant Zone returns to Bar & Restaurant Expo this year with an all-new menu. And the best part—the FBIC is included in all registration passes!
This year, the chefs will be presenting nine live, dynamic cooking demonstrations across two days with complimentary food samples, beverage pairings, and more! There will also be a demo with a special guest to close out the FBIC!
Here’s the full schedule of recipes that will be presented:
Tuesday, March 28
- 1:30 – 2:00pm: Larissa DaCosta – Short Rib Penang Curry Pressed Sandwich
- 2:15 – 2:45pm: Kevin DesChaines – Modelo-Braised Nashville Hot Bao Buns
- 3:00 – 3:30pm: Brian Duffy – New Wave Plant-Based Shrimp Fried Rice
- 3:45 – 4:15pm: Ippy Aiona – Honolulu Street Garlic Shrimp
- 4:30 – 5:00pm: Russ Zito - Nikkei-Style Crispy Pork Belly Causa
Wednesday, March 29
- 12:30 – 1:00pm: Tori Lubecki – Asian Style BBQ Mushroom Sliders
- 1:15 – 1:45pm: Kayla Robison - Furikake Loaded Fries
- 2:00 – 2:30pm: Bobby Marcotte – Southern Style “Arancini”
- 2:45 – 3:15pm: Barry Sexton - Beef & Wild Shroom “Stroganoff”
- 3:30 – 4:00pm: Special Guest Demo
Want the full recipes? We’ve got you covered. Check them out below along with details about where you can find specific ingredients and similar inspirations on the Expo floor!
Tori Lubecki’s Asian Style BBQ Mushroom Sliders - Yields 36
Consumers are looking for healthier, plant-based options, and Tori’s take on sliders are the perfect item to add to your menu!
4.5 lb shiitake, oyster or mixed mushrooms
1/2 c canola oil
3 tsp salt
12 cloves garlic
2 c bbq sauce (recipe below)
36 PLANT BASED slider buns
36 pickle slices
Cabbage slaw (recipe below)
5 pounds vegan butter
Asian Style BBQ Sauce
1 c Ketchup
1/4 c dijon mustard
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c rice vinegar
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 c minced green onions
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
Combine over heat.
Cabbage Slaw
3 c shredded green and red cabbage
3/4 c grated carrot
½ c vegan Mayo
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients together.
For the sandwiches, saute mushrooms in oil, adding garlic near the end of cooking. Toss with bbq sauce. Assemble sandwiches.
Kayla Robison's Furikake Loaded Fries - Yields 10
These aren't your typical loaded fries. With a Japanese influence thanks to ingredients like the dry Japanese condiment Furikake and spicy kewpie, this is an appetizer sure to shine on your menus. Looking for more Japanese inspiration? Be sure to visit the Japanese Food & Beverage Showcase.
30 oz Lamb Weston Crisscut Fries
3 tbsp furikake seasoning
20 oz miso cheese
20 oz sushi grade tuna - marinated *see notes
1 lb avocado, medium dice
10 oz green onions, thin long bias
10 oz red Thai chili’s, thin short bias
10 oz spicy kewpie
Black/white sesame seeds, cilantro, more furikake to garnish
Marinade for tuna:
⅔ cup tamari
5 tablespoon mirin
5 tablespoon sake
1 tbsp sesame oil
Mix together ingredients for marinade. Dice tuna and pour marinade mixture over and let sit in walk-in for minimal 2 hours to overnight. Fry French fries until golden brown. Toss cooked fries in furikake seasoning. Top with miso cheese, marinated tuna, avocado, drizzle of spicy kewpie, green onion, red Thai chilis, and garnish with sesame seeds, cilantro, and more furikake.
Bobby Marcotte's Southern Style "Arancini" - Yields 10
These cheesy grit fritters are a southern take on an Italian dish. If you're looking for more cheese inspiration, visit Land O' Lakes booth at RZ21.
Smoked Shoulder
2 lb bone in smoked shoulder
12 oz white onion (chopped)
1 gal chicken broth
8 oz red peppers(chopped)
6 oz celery (chopped)
8 oz collard greens (small chopped)
Place all ingredients in pot and bring to rolling simmer over medium high heat. Let simmer until meat is falling off bone- 2 hours or so. Remove shoulder and let meat cool enough to pick. When ready to serve, add chopped collards to simmering broth until just cooked through.
Grits
8 oz grits
16 oz extra sharp white cheddar (12 oz + 4 oz portions)
8 oz yellow American
2.5 oz shallots (minced)
.5 oz garlic (minced)
1.5 oz jalapeño (minced)
32 oz milk
32 oz chicken broth
.25 T ancho chili powder
.25 T toasted cumin
4 oz butter
Sautée butter, jalapeño, shallots + garlic on med heat until cooked through. Add grits and stir well. Add all remaining ingredients besides cheeses and slow simmer while stirring constantly. When grits are just about cooked through, stir in cheeses. Spray sheet pan with non stick spray and spread grits evenly. Refrigerate.
Arancini
6 eggs
8 oz milk
4 c white flour
4 c ground panko
3 T Old Bay
1 T smoked paprika
Chop ham hock meat + mix w. shredded cheddar. Place a scoop of cooled grits in palm and flatten. Add pinch of ham/cheddar mix and roll grits into ball. Dip in flour, egg wash + seasoned panko. Deep fry until golden brown. Serve on bed of collards steamed in hock broth. Drizzle w. hot honey sauce + serve.
Kevin Des Chenes' Modelo Braised Nashville Hot Bao Buns - Yields 10
This recipes features Nashville Hot Chicken, Korean Pickled Daikon, and Citrus Crema. You can sample Modelo on the show floor throughout the Expo, and you can't miss the Japanese Food & Beverage Showcase for more Japanese fare to add to your menus.
10 ea Bao buns
3 lbs Boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 Franks Red Hot
1 Modelo
¼ lb Watermelon Radish
3 Limes
1 lb Sour Cream
2 cups whole grain mustard
1 Micro cilantro
1 Rice Wine vinegar
⅓ cup sugar
In hotel pan add chicken, Modelo, water, Frank's Red Hot, and salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum. Braise at 325° for 3 hours.
Crema
Combine sour cream, mustard, and juice from lime. Add to a squeeze bottle.
Daikon
Slice thin on mandolin & lightly pickle with sugar, water, vinegar, salt. Steam bao buns and mark on grill. Build bao buns with braised chicken, daikon, and crema top with micro cilantro.
Larissa Da Costa's Short Rib Penang Curry (Panini or Pressed Sandwich)
Fresh herbs, crispy shallots, and a side of citrus salad make up this dish with Indian-inspired flavors.
Curry paste
Kosher salt
½ cup thinly sliced lemongrass
¼ cup roughly sliced galangal
10 large dried chiles (New Mexico or ancho chiles), stemmed 4 kaffir lime leaves, deveined and julienned, or grated zest of 2 key limes
½ cup roughly sliced shallots
¾ cup garlic cloves, peeled but kept whole
1 teaspoon shrimp paste
⅓ cup vegetable oil
In a food processor or blender, process the ingredients in this order (starting with the hardest and adding them one by one), sprinkling each with a pinch of salt to help break them up: lemongrass, galangal, chiles, lime leaves, shallots, garlic, and shrimp paste. Blend until each ingredient is totally incorporated before adding the next, stopping as needed to scrape down the sides with a spatula. By the end, you should end up with a thick semi-dry paste. In a wok or small skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat until it simmers. Stir in the curry paste and cook until the oil is combined and the mixture is very fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. This part helps the paste keep longer and become more hom (the Thai word for the savory fragrant aroma that happens when you toast/roast something). Let cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. The paste keeps in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Penang Curry (Yields 4 )
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon grated key lime zest
2½ tablespoons All-Purpose
Curry Paste (recipe above)
1 (13½-ounce) can coconut milk
1 pound chuck steak or shoulder steak, sliced across the grain into ¼-inch-thick strips (see Note)
1½ tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon coconut or palm sugar
1½ tablespoons chunky peanut butter
Kaffir lime leaves, deveined and slivered, for garnish
1 Fresno chile, seeded and cut into thin slivers.
In a dry skillet, toast the coriander and cumin seeds over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes or until fragrant. Transfer the seeds to a small coffee or spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. In a small bowl, combine the ground spices, lime zest, and curry paste and stir until completely incorporated. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut milk over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbling. Measure out 1 tablespoon of the milk and set aside. Stir in the steak, curry paste, fish sauce, coconut sugar, and 1½ cups water. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, 1 to 1¼ hours. Add some water if the mixture becomes too thick-the consistency should resemble a light gravy. At the last minute, stir in the peanut butter and remove from the heat. Pour the curry into individual bowls. Garnish each one with a dollop of the reserved coconut milk, the kaffir lime leaves, and the sliced chile. Serve with a side of roti bread.
Note: Fresh-toasted coriander and cumin seeds give panang its trademark aroma. When selecting beef for curry, look for cuts that aren't too lean or completely trimmed of fat and connective tissue, which help keep the meat tender as it simmers.
Citrus Salad
½ cup distilled white vinegar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 medium Cara Cara orange, peeled and stripped segments or cut 1/4 inch-thick half-moons
½ cup thinly sliced (root to stem) red onion or shallot % cup roughly chopped cilantro, with stems
Dash of paprika
Stir together vinegar, and salt over medium-low heat till sauce dissolves. Remove from the heat and let cool. Toss with the orange, and red onion and transfer to a plate. Garnish with the cilantro and paprika.
Ippy Aiona's Garlic Shrimp (Honolulu shrimp truck style)
Take your guests to Hawaii without the need for a plane ticket. Just like on North Shore Oahu, this shrimp is lightly dusted and pan fried for texture than braised in lots of garlic, butter, and lemon. It's poured over a scoop of rice to bring a little bit of the islands right to you.
Marinade
4 Tbsp Chopped garlic
2 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp Salt
1 cup olive oil (not evoo)
1 lemon
Shrimp
In a zip top bag or glass bowl, combine the garlic, paprika, salt, olive oil and lemon juice. Add the shrimp and toss to mix. Marinate for at least 1 hour.
Shrimp
2 Lbs shell on and deveined shrimp
2 cups Cornstarch
1/2 cup flour
10 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped garlic
1 lemon
salt
2 Tbsp oil to fry
In a large bowl, combine the cornstarch and flour and mix well. Add the shrimp to the cornstarch and flour mixture. Dredge the shrimp, shaking off the excess flour. In a nonstick pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. Cook in batches, add the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes on each side, until the shells are crispy. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a paper towel lined plate. Pour the fry oil out of the pan. In the same pan over medium heat, melt the butter and remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. When hot, add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Do not allow it to burn. Return the shrimp to the pan. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the garlic is just caramelized. Add the lemon juice and salt to taste.
Brian Duffy's New Wave Plant-Based Shrimp Fried Rice
This plant-based crispy fried shrimp features brunoise veggies, toasted rice, and smoked soy sauce. Make sure to visit New Wave Food's booth at Booth RZ 24 in the Restaurant Zone to learn more about their plant-based shrimp.
Barry Sexton's Tenderloin Beef “Stroganoff”
Caramelized onions, maitake mushrooms, and sour cream demi over buttered fettuccine make up this decadent dish.
2 1/2 lb filet roast
2 cups maitake mushrooms
1 cup onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp butter
2 cups beef broth
1 tsp beef demi
¼ cup flour
1 ½ cups sour cream
1 lb fettuccine
Cut and trim off any silver skin from meat. Slightly pound to a 2” thickness. Season with salt, pepper, thyme and garlic. Place the meat onto a sheet tray and roast in the oven for 15 mins at 425 degrees.
Russ Zito's Nikkei Style Crispy Pork Belly Causa
Slow-roasted Japanese crispy skin pork belly served over a traditional Yukon potato causa with hard cooked egg, lime, avocado, chimi, and furikake. If you haven't caught on already, Japanese food and beverage is in! Take it all in at the Japanese Food & Beverage Showcase.