Lamb Checkoff Works to Get More American Lamb on More Menus
The American Lamb Board (ALB) is working with chefs and culinary educators to get American lamb on more menus. The ALB works to:
The ALB's foodservice program includes: distribution of educational materials to culinary schools; a comprehensive publicity program; and participation at major promotional events, including the Culinary Institute of America?s Worlds of Flavor Conference and the American Culinary Federation?s Annual Conference.
American Lamb Foodservice Recipe Cards
The full-color, oversized recipe cards feature diverse, chef-developed recipes from across the country ? from Mantra Restaurant in Boston to Wildwood in Portland. The cards combine scenic images with mouthwatering photographs of the lamb dishes. (Up to 25 copies are available at no charge.)
American Lamb Foodservice Guide
The new foodservice guide provides information on lamb cuts, preparation, recommended cooking temperatures, nutrition and more. (Up to 25 copies are available at no charge.)
?American Lamb Makes the Plate?
The educational materials include a comprehensive teaching manual and student guide, as well as VHS or DVD presentation.
?Value Cuts: Making the Most of American Lamb?
A CD-rom, with a PowerPoint presentation and lesson plan, provides detailed information and recipes for using American lamb shoulder, shanks and ground lamb.
Lamb Checkoff Study Shows that More than Three out of Four Fine Dining Restaurants Include Lamb on Menus
A recent foodservice study showed that more than three out of four fine dining restaurants menu lamb, with an average of 1.74-lamb menu items in a typical week.
The study, conducted by Restaurant Business Foodservice Network Research Center, reported that fine dining restaurants in the West and East were more likely to menu lamb than restaurants in the Central region. The most frequently menued lamb cuts were racks. Lamb is almost always menued as an entr?e.
Taste/flavor and size were the most frequently mentioned reasons for using American lamb, while price was the most common reason mentioned for selecting imported lamb.
The attributes that fine dining operators said best described American lamb were fresher, larger rib eye and higher meat-to-bone ratio. Other attributes better describing domestic over imported lamb were milder taste, more tender and customers prefer it.
Chefs from Across the Country Love American Lamb
They appreciate its flavor, quality, freshnes, and versatility
?I have been serving American lamb for the past 34 years and in all of my cooking classes. It is the only one I recommend for the taste and the quality.?
-Chef Rafih Benjelloun
"I like the Colorado lamb because of its tenderness and flavor. It is unlike other lamb, which is often tough and sometimes has a strong, pungent flavor. And importantly, Colorado lamb is a domestic product of high quality."
- Chef de Cuisine Denis Soriano
?I was very impressed when I arrived in San Francisco and was introduced to American lamb. The quality reminds me of the lamb from the south of France. It is obvious that the farmers take great pride in caring for their animals and their craft, which is reflected in the dish.?
-Executive Chef Daniel Humm
?American Lamb is a superior, quality product with good consumer appeal for the Wildwood menu. It is important to know the source. I use locally raised lamb, which is fresh and never frozen.?
? Executive Chef Cory Schreiber
?Domestic lamb is less gamey and has taste flexibility, meaning it can be used to create some incredible, flavorsome recipes. Plus, I always like to do my part for America.?
-Chef Duane Keller
?I find domestic lamb to be more versatile than lamb from Australia and New Zealand ? it?s much sweeter and milder so it complements flavors.?
-Chef Dean Zanella