Transcript: Episode 180: Balloon Transformer
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[00:00:00] Susan Barry: This is Top Floor episode 180. You can find the show notes at topfloorpodcast.com/episode/180.
[00:00:14] Narrator: Welcome to Top Floor with Susan Barry. This weekly podcast ride up to the top floor features tangible tips and excellent stories from the experts and characters who elevate hospitality. And now your host and elevator operator, Susan Barry.
[00:00:32] Susan Barry: Welcome to the show. Janet Irizarry spent three decades in the restaurant industry as owner of multiple restaurants and a fish market. After selling her restaurants, she transitioned into consulting and teaching at the Culinary Institute of America. Passionate about sustainability, Janet recently released a course aimed at reducing household food waste. But before we jump in, we need to answer the call button.
Call button rings
[00:01:03] Susan Barry: The emergency call button is our hotline for hospitality professionals and basically anyone with a burning question. If you would like to submit a question, you can call or text me at 850-404-9630. Today's question was submitted actually by me, Janet. This is a question that I have and I want your help with. So the thing that goes to waste the most in my house is spring mix like salad. And the reason for it is that it is impossible to get a better deal than the giant box at Costco, but we can't use it fast enough. Or I particularly get sick of it before we've gone through it all. Do you have any suggestions for how I can stop wasting salad mix?
[00:01:55] Janet Irizarry: So that's such an interesting question, first of all, because you just said that you buy the big one because it's a better value.
[00:02:03] Susan Barry: Yes.
[00:02:03] Janet Irizarry: Is it really if you're throwing it out?
[00:02:05] Susan Barry: But I mean, we did the math on this, I mean, it's pathetic, but even if we throw away half of it, it's less expensive than buying that amount, like in a bag. Do you know what I mean? It's wild to me.
[00:02:21] Janet Irizarry: Well, quick question is, you buy it in the plastic container. Okay. Which is terrible for the environment in the first place. So maybe the thing is to spend a little bit more money and get it separately. So you're not wasting it. You're also saving being kinder to the earth. When you buy that, you have to think of how it got to the store and the fact that it had to go through the production plant and that plastic container had to be made. So, all the resources of fuel and everything that took to make that, it might be better overall to go and get the amount you need, like, I have farm markets by my house, or I have stores that you can just grab as much as you need, weigh in and it just might be a better solution to make you feel better.
[00:03:16] Susan Barry: We just have too much at a time. Okay. This is excellent advice and confidential to my husband, Sean, if he's listening, stop buying the giant box of spring mix at Costco. Okay. So you spent over 30 years in the restaurant industry. How did you first get in the business? Like what was your first restaurant job?
[00:03:38] Janet Irizarry: Well, I first started working at McDonald's in high school, and so I guess that's my first restaurant job. And it's pretty interesting when you think about it because they are the founders of systems and making that work. So I worked it and then in high school at that time, when I was a senior, I actually was 18 and the drinking age was 18. So I actually started working in some bars also when I was in the last year of high school and in college. So it started way back then and believe it or not I actually have a degree in geology. That's what I went to college for.
[00:04:22] Susan Barry: Oh, wow.
[00:04:24] Janet Irizarry: Makes no sense. So circle around that class I took in geology. The first class, I had to take a science class. I met my husband. And that's when I was like, oh, wow, I had never even thought about geology. Cause I really didn't like science in high school or any of that, but because I fell in love I figured.
[00:04:44] Susan Barry: You fell in love with rocks too.
[00:04:46] Janet Irizarry: I did. And you know, hey, rock lobster and yeah. And his family owned a restaurant and that's how it circled back around.
[00:04:57] Susan Barry: I see. That's interesting. So really it's your husband's fault. Understood. Husbands are playing a big role in our conversation so far.
[00:05:09] Janet Irizarry: Yes, exactly.
[00:05:11] Susan Barry: So when you sold your business to your partner, you became an educator and a consultant. I'm curious how much of that was part of your master plan. What you decided you wanted to do for the next chapter and how much of it was sort of luck or circumstance.
[00:05:30] Janet Irizarry: It was actually none of it was planned. And as you mentioned before, I teach at the Culinary and I teach introduction to the hospitality industry. So, I'm getting students in who have just gotten out of high school and they are coming in. And the reason I love teaching that class, because I love to tell them about, not definitely you know, your path will change that life's a journey and you have to just keep yourself open to opportunities and follow your heart and what you really like to do. And so, when I met my husband, turned out his parents owned a restaurant and they were going to sell it. And he came to me and he said, you want to take it over? And who doesn't want to own a restaurant? I had a little taste of it McDonald's and some bars I worked on, but wow, you know.
[00:06:22] Susan Barry: Very glamorous
[00:06:23] Janet Irizarry: And really glamorous. And that's one reason I feel like I can talk to the students in class about what it's really like because I was just as naive as they were. I learned from my mistakes, thought it was something totally different than it was and had no idea of how many moving pieces there are to the restaurant business.
[00:06:45] Susan Barry: So that's a perfect segue because I'm dying to know what the biggest misconceptions are that your students bring to the class? Like what are some, I don't know, pie in the sky ideas they have about what hospitality is up against the reality of it?
[00:07:03] Janet Irizarry: Well, it's interesting because the first day of class I always ask how many people have worked in the hospitality industry before and first of all, they think that's just restaurants. And then I said, no, just segments of it, anybody worked in it? So that's eye opening to them. They don't realize when they hear the word hospitality, they either think restaurants or they think hotels. That's it. So then the next question is normally about half to two thirds raise their hand that they've worked in some form or fashion. And I love when they say, no, I just worked at Starbucks. I'm like, don't say just.
[00:07:37] Susan Barry: Right?
[00:07:03] Janet Irizarry: You did, that’s important. That's really important. But then I asked him how many people have never worked at all. And a third of them are coming from never, ever working a job in their life. And they're going into the restaurant business and they have no idea of what it takes. And so I play the devil's advocate in some respects because they need to understand. And in fact, the second week of class, I go, the PowerPoint is all about the restaurant industry. And I show them, you know, about all the things you have to consider. And then I show them this chart I have of all the different areas of the restaurant business. The back of the house, the front of the house, the accounting, the ordering inventories, financials, all those, and there's a list of about 30. I think that's exactly what it is, areas. I go in the restaurant business as an owner. You need to have a grasp on all these areas of business to be successful.
[00:08:46] Susan Barry: Oh, wow. And do they start to cry? I'm just kidding.
[00:08:50] Janet Irizarry: I think it's a shock to them. You know, you need to oversee someone, you know, marketing. Restaurant owners always think they can do their own marketing.
[00:08:58] Susan Barry: Or that they don't need to. That the food is going to stand alone, which is unfortunately not a possibility anymore.
[00:09:06] Janet Irizarry: Yeah, or their website or their marketing, that's the front door to the restaurant these days. So it has to be done, but I've seen it done really, really bad. So personally, I love to market and in my restaurants did. Build the websites and did the newsletters and did all our, there wasn't much social at the time because that was years and years ago. In fact, we sent birthday club cards out snail mail, a list up to like 10,000 people on it. And we actually, right before the beginning of the month, I had my staff all sit down and we had the postcards and we had the labels and we had the stamps and we did a production line so that each month we sent out about a thousand cards. Or more but I had them do it. So it's a whole different way of marketing. And I'm not even sure how I got off on that tangent. It's something as a restaurant owner, you have to do.
[00:10:06] Susan Barry: Absolutely. And I'm glad you said that because I think that more restaurants should be doing some of those analog old school things. I think they would really make a difference. So because you are adept at marketing and websites and all that stuff, an online course was probably a perfect fit for you. And your online course focuses on reducing household food waste. Can you walk us through everything about it, how it works and what a participant can expect?
[00:10:39] Janet Irizarry: Sure. So one of the reasons I'm focusing on household food waste is because food waste is a major contributor to climate change because when it sits in a landfill, it lets off methane gas, which is a greenhouse gas and the number one contributor to food in our landfills. It’s household food waste. That's number one reason why I'm focusing on household food waste. The second reason, the students coming in at the age of 18, 19 have really little concept of sustainability. And so I felt that we need to really start teaching our children young. So the course has been put together as a family activity.
An example, I was with my grandson yesterday and I had made two videos are part of the course. And one is how food cuts from farm to the table. And the other one is about food miles. And I said to him, Hey, Blake, can you do me a favor? Can you watch these videos and tell me what you think about them? And if they're creative for kids just your age. And will you tell me if you learn anything, if you understand, if you like it? And Blake, my grandson, he's very, very smart. He never shuts up. And very intelligent, he puts two and two together. And actually, when I showed him the videos, he actually was quiet and watch them.
[00:12:07] Susan Barry: Oh, wow.
[00:12:07] Janet Irizarry: And then we had a little bit of a discussion about it. And he's the pickiest eater I've ever known in my life. And if I know that he just makes one small change about the way he thinks about food, or whether he asks his mom at the store for something that he already has and his mom can say to him, let's see where that came from first. Blake, we're going to buy you these apples, and they came from California. Hmm, let’s think about how many food miles it took for them to get here, and what that actually means. And hmm, if we're going to buy this whole bag, how are we going to make sure that we use all the apples? Because we just looked at that video about how it gets from the farm to the table. That in itself is, they grow it, they have to water it, the resources, the people going, the energy it takes in the processing plant to pack them and the transportation. And the people put on the shelves. Hmm. So when we're throwing out that apple, what are we really doing? And it's just to plant those seeds for them to understand and have a respect of food.
[00:13:16] Susan Barry: Can you talk a little bit more about how being mindful helps reduce food waste?
[00:13:23] Janet Irizarry: Absolutely. There's one of my favorite videos. In fact, I just posted it today and it's called The Life of a Strawberry and it shows just what we're talking about how that strawberry came from the farm to the table or to the refrigerator at your house and then lands up being thrown out. So, being mindful would be buying those strawberries, but planning ahead. You can either plan ahead, plan while you buy them, or plan when you get home. How you're going to use each and every one of them. And that's just being mindful. You're just thinking about, okay, I'm putting those strawberries in the refrigerator. What yummy thing can I make with it? It's not just eating them raw or putting them on top of your cereal. Wow. What could I, and this is about being creative. This is the fun part. We could make a surf out of them and put them over our pancakes or some ice cream. We could use them on smoothies. We could put them in muffins. And that's what mindfulness is. It's just thinking about how you're not going to waste them, but more than that, creating it to be something fun and delicious too.
So mindfulness and understanding how your food choices matter. And so you asked me about how the course is designed and we start with building awareness of why those choices matter and what we really stick away from any negative talk. And it's called My Mindful Kitchen. To be honest with you, when I started creating this course, it was called the Family Food Waste Challenge. Who needs another challenge? Who needs another project? And I'm thinking to myself, well, I actually ran a challenge in my local area and saw how just little things, just awareness can change people's habits. Cause once you realize where the food came from, how many people were involved, then you're automatically, I like to use the word, automagically, going to make changes.
So that's the course starts with gaining awareness of why your food choices matter. It also includes activities to get your kids involved because tracking your food waste for a week and so it kinda game-ifies it for children and then discussions about that. And the great thing about it, these discussions bring in so much because you can tie food to all values that you want your kids to have. Respect, gratitude, responsibility, taking care of the planet, and that is all incorporated into the course. So we start with building awareness. Then we go to being mindful about how you set up your kitchen, like your storage areas and how to keep food fresh longer. So you're going to learn how to organize your kitchen, your pantry, your freezer, your refrigerator to make sure food is staying fresh longer. There's also the ethylene effect that certain fruits and vegetables shouldn't be stored together.
[00:16:39] Susan Barry: Can you give an example of one of those?
[00:16:41] Janet Irizarry: Sure. There's some fruits and vegetables that produce ethylene and others that are very sensitive to it. So by putting them together, one, a producer next to a sensitive food or vegetable, they don't get along. So for example, you don't want to put blueberries near asparagus. I mean, that might be a crazy thing, but yeah, leafy greens you don't want to put by apples because apples and peaches and pears, they are ethylene producers. So they're giving off that gas. And meanwhile, your poor leafy greens or your broccoli are sensitive and they're going to cry. And so we do have a really great activity in the course to work with the kids. And we have parents get two different color stickers. And when they come home from the grocery store, You have the kids put on the appropriate, you know, so maybe the blue stickers are ethylene producing.
[00:17:41] Susan Barry: Oh, what a good idea.
[00:17:42] Janet Irizarry: Yeah, and you know what? Once they do that a few times, it just becomes habit. It's just natural.
[00:17:47] Susan Barry: Everything that you say that's fun for the kids, I think also sounds fun for me. So not for nothing, but I put stickers on my food.
[00:17:58] Janet Irizarry: Right. Exactly. I love to hear that. So that's the first two modules. And then the third one is about how do you plan? And I know people are like, I hate planning. It takes up too much time. Who's the time for it? But the whole thing about planning, it's meant to save you time. And when you have gone through organizing your kitchen, so you know what you have and you don't have, planning becomes a lot easier and it pulls it all together. So that when you go shopping, which is the part of that same module, you have a plan. You don't over buy. You don't buy things that you already have. You don't forget to buy stuff because you have something already planned for how you're going to use things.
And to be honest with you, the best thing you can do is after you come home from the grocery store, start prepping that stuff. So it's easy to grab. But if you know where things are and then you can go shopping and part of that whole, everyone’s going to say, I hate shopping with kids. We have activities to make that process more fun games in the grocery store that put it together. Our suggestion is if it's just not in the cards for that week, you are just too stressed out or there's too much going on. But for whatever reason, maybe your best option is not to go shopping. Maybe it is to order food in. And go to the park with the kids. That’s being mindful, feeling how you feel and what's going to make you happy and be more joyful in the whole process of food.
[00:19:33] Susan Barry: Excellent.
[00:19:34] Janet Irizarry: And then the last module is about cooking and we don't teach cooking. We teach them how to be mindful and enjoy cooking more and how to get the kids involved in kitchen tasks. It's not about being perfect. It's not about feeling obligated. It's about feeling good and bringing more joy in with the family.
[00:19:55] Susan Barry: We like to make sure that our listeners come away from every episode of Top Floor with some practical and tangible tips to try either in their businesses or at home. What are some creative ways to use leftovers that people might not think about?
[00:20:14] Janet Irizarry: Well, first of all, you can think of leftovers first. Think about what you're in the mood for. Like, am I in the mood for Italian? Am I in the mood for Mexican? Would I like something with a bit of a Ethiopian flair or whatever? Start with that and then go into your refrigerator and see what has seen better days. And if you're storing things properly, we also have a term that you know very well. First in first out. The FIFO method, and when you start doing that, using the stuff that you bought first, before the stuff you just put in the refrigerator, and looking at the stuff that you see that might be going bad, and taking them, chopping them, dicing them, doing whatever.
And then either sautéing them, which is like, that's the best sautéing different things, and then think of like the grain you want to use, or the pasta, it could be grain or pasta, and also your mind starts thinking about how to use them. So make it a fun game. And know that whatever you're in the mood for, I guarantee, if you put some creativity into it, and you know what's a real great one too? It's Google. Take the three or four main ingredients you have in your refrigerator that you know are going out. And Google them like recipes with this and this, and then you could put Italian on the end of it. Or you could put whatever you're in the mood for.
[00:21:47] Susan Barry: Can also do that and chat GPT and get chat GPT to say like, here's some recipes using all those ingredients. Well, we have reached the fortune telling portion of our show. So now is the time that you are going to have to predict the future and then we will see if you got it right. What is a prediction that you have about the future? Of food sustainability and waste reduction.
[00:22:12] Janet Irizarry: Well, it depends on how far into the future you're going because unfortunately, things are not happening quick enough on this front. So, I believe it's coming, it's going to flower out and be more exponential and we'll see, you'll notice more articles, more things on the news, people doing it. And once again, I'm thinking that we won't really see significant change until, I hate to say it, 2030 and beyond I think. Which is unfortunate. So that's why I'm on my mission to create a world of mindful foodies.
[00:22:52] Susan Barry: If you could wave your magic wand and change something about the way that families approach cooking and eating, what would it be?
[00:23:01] Janet Irizarry: If I was to waive a more respect for food, just the realization where their food comes from and not taking it for granted and you know, we grow up in a world of abundance and that's wonderful, but it also is not planet friendly and I just want people to be more aware that their food choices matter.
[00:23:23] Susan Barry: What is next for you and what is next for my mindful kitchen?
[00:23:28] Janet Irizarry: Well, once we have this under our belt. I don't think it's going to surprise you to know that I will tackle the restaurant industry. And I really would love to, because there is so much waste that goes on and there are people who are really diligent and do a great job. And there's a movement towards being more responsible in the kitchen. But I think once again, just like My Mindful Kitchen and the MMK method, which I developed. Makes it easy and fun. I think we need to bring that into the restaurant industry too. Restaurant owners are the second biggest contributor to food in our landfills and there's so much we can do.
And once again, it's crazy, right? Because restaurants are in a bind in ways because we live in a world of abundance. Customers love big portions and a lot of people look at quantity versus quality. And once again, it has to be profitable for the restaurant, so it's a really fine line. So if I could wave my magic wand in the restaurant industry, it would be figuring that out. Figuring out how restaurants can stay profitable, but still be more sustainable.
[00:24:39] Susan Barry: Interesting. Yeah, I think that's probably one of the big problems to solve of our time. Absolutely. Okay, folks, before we tell Janet goodbye, we are going to head down to the loading dock where all of the best stories get told.
Elevator voice announces, “Going down.”
[00:25:01] Susan Barry: Janet, what is a story you would only tell on the loading dock?
[00:25:05] Janet Irizarry: I was thinking of some stories that happen that can only happen in the restaurant business and you don't realize until they happen, the consequences, and one of my restaurants was located on the water. We had 4 different areas where people could eat. We had an upstairs dining room. We had a main level dining room. We had a patio outside and then we also had an additional patio that was right on the water. And that was kind of cash and carry. Lots going on in the restaurant and we also did a lot of parties. And one day, we had a party and it was going full force and the restaurant was packed So because we're seasonal in the Hudson Valley, like our time is in the summertime.
We have to make it or break it and when you get a beautiful day and there's lines out the door and everything's jamming, you're like crazy, but you're also very happy. And people are just constantly coming down. So we had a party going on in the upstairs room and it went so lovely. Everything was just great. And as it ended, which was like three o'clock in the afternoon, because it like started at 12, the guests were all leaving and the guest of honor was holding a big bouquet of Mylar balloons. Okay. She walked outside, a wind blew and the balloons all flew.
[00:26:30] Susan Barry: Oh no.
[00:26:31] Janet Irizarry: Yes. But they landed on the transformer and blew out the whole restaurant. The whole place went down. And you just hear everything go vroom.
[00:26:42] Susan Barry: Oh, no. And this is like a beautiful day when you're trying to maximize your seasonal revenue. Holy guacamole. How long did it take to come back?
[00:26:52] Janet Irizarry: It took like three hours and beyond that. So the things that happen that you just, beyond. So for a lot of people are waiting on their food, right? So for the people who got the food, they're fine. They're okay. The outside deck, one of these decks was like all cash and cash. There was a grill, we made everything out there. That wasn't a problem, but for everyone else who's waiting or they've even ordered. So if someone had came in and hadn't even ordered yet, you just say, we have a problem.
They have the option of leaving, you know? But then the lines are like, it kills me because the lines, people were coming and coming. And I just remember this couple that used to come all the time. There were such good customers, love them to pieces. And they get there and I said, you know what? We can't seat you right now, the power's out. I don't know when it's coming. And they're like, are you kidding me? They got mad. Like it was like, do you really realize what you're saying to me?
[00:27:51] Susan Barry: Like I turned the power off on my business on purpose. Sure.
[00:27:56] Janet Irizarry: Yeah. And that's not affecting me, you know, and I did this to you. It was just one of those stories that just put everything in perspective of how important is, and how customers look at things.
[00:28:11] Susan Barry: Yes, that is insane. Well, Janet, thank you so much for being here. I know that our listeners are going to walk away from this conversation worried about not wasting spring mix or anything else. And I really appreciate you riding up to the top floor.
[00:28:30] Janet Irizarry: Oh, it's my pleasure.
[00:30:25] Susan Barry: Thank you for listening. You can find the show notes at topfloorpodcast.com/episode/180. Jonathan Albano is our editor, producer, and all around genius. He even wrote and performed our theme song with vocals by Cameron Albano. You can subscribe to Top Floor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you like to listen. And your rating or review will go a long way in helping us give you more of what you like.
[00:41:45] Narrator: Thanks for listening to the Top Floor Podcast at www.topfloorpodcast.com. Have a hospitality marketing question? Reach us at 850-404-9630 to be featured in a future episode.