Mäni’s Blog Café

Mäni's Morsel: AGAVE aGIVES

There's an exciting, relatively new sweetener on the block. Its name comes from the Greek word for 'admirable' and besides it being the key ingredient used to make tequila, it provides us with a superior natural alternative to white table sugar.

It is AGAVE and, for several reasons, it's gaining in popularity.

The original people of Mexico discovered the many uses of the Blue Weber Tequilana. It's most famous use was in the making of fine tequila.

Lately however, the exceptional sweetness of the nectar of the Blue Weber has come to be recognized; and the syrup's high fructose level makes Agave Nectar an excellent choice for diabetics and other discerning consumers.

Fresh Fruit Tarts NOW

It's the end of summer, a time when fresh fruit is abundant in the Golden State.  Our tarts, made with the freshest summer fruits resting on a light custard, is sweetened with our famous Fruit Juice Reduction.  No sugar in this one.

So come by and indulge in a summer treat.  Due to the nature of the fresh fruit, we cannot guarantee we're not sold out, but you can check us out, or if you'd like a quantity held for you, place a special order and we'll have them for you when you want them.  But remember this is only a limited end of summer special.

Is It Soup Yet??

What's new in the kitchen?  Chef José is making soups, lots of soups, everyday.  That's correct, everyday for the next, several days or perhaps longer, he'll be playing with either an existing soup and improving it or coming up with a brand new one.  So if you're here at Mäni's for lunch, (sorry but we've been out by dinner!) ask for the soup of the day.  Free samples/tastings are encouraged.  And make sure you tell us what you think! 

So far this week, for Monday, of course we haven't changed our popular Chicken soup with noodles.  But Tuesday was Corn Bisque and Wednesday was a new version of our creme of asperagus.  Remember all our soups are vegan, so no dairy, just lucious veges, spices and flavor.

So come in and try the daily soup special.  Your favorites will become our daily soups each day of the week for the fall season. 

Restaurant Food Expo in Los Angeles

The Western Foodservice and Hospitality Expo at the Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles was an opportunity for Mäni's to bring our team leaders together and see what's new in the industry.  The Expo helps create a synergy for our 'foodies'  to come up with new ideas and gets our creative juices flowing.  This year we are excited about how our team has grown and the experience we have at Mäni's after 15 years.  And those new team leaders have bought a wealth of experience to our company. 

The picture above is Carl, the company's Vice President.  Our senior management team now includes, myself, Carl, Jose, our Chef and our newly formed retail team leaders, Sergio Garcia and Paul Duffy.

To most of us the most significant part of the Expo is the seminar classes offered.  This year it was really fantastic to see how many classes were available on a topic of our particular interest.

Here's the list of some of the seminars members of our management team attended:

• Using Technology for Competitive Advantage in a Tight Labor Market
• Now That’s Service That Sells
• Culinary Revolution – 7 Simple Steps to Energize Your Menu and Drive Profitability
• The Art of the Table – the Real Power Behind the Buzz

Larry

The importance of team member training

It seems as each day and week passes, we get more passionate and fascinated about the art and science of empowering our team and training them on a myriad of important items.  Most importantly, we're now developing and improving our communications with our guests and offer a warmer, more informed relationship. Of course this is and will remain a work in progress.  Please, please, if you have input, comments, even criticism, let us know so we can take action.

Together we're excited about new things we're planning to grow the bakery and restaurant.  The rest of this year and next year are looking better than ever for many areas of our company, including new and exciting products in the bakery, restaurant, beverage departments and new looks for gift oriented items this holiday season as well.  Stay tuned.

Larry

FAQ: Can Diabetics Eat Your Baked Goods?

That depends on several factors.  One is whether or not you are exchanging your foods.  Diabetics are often put on a diet where they can have a certain amount of fruits, carbs and fats in a day.  For example if you decide to eat an apple, that would account for a certain amount of daily fruit grams.

Generally diabetics are told not to consume processed cane sugar.  At Mäni's our products are made with the following sweeteners:  fruit juice reduction, barley malt, agave, maple, date sugar, organic sugar.  We've been told that diabetics should avoid sugar and maple.

American Diabetes Association for more info.

Disclaimer: This information is not intended as medical advice.  Please consult your own doctor if you have questions about what you can and cannot eat.

Mäni's Morsel:SWEET CONTRADICTIONS- what to believe?

With all the controversy surrounding sweeteners lately, especially artificial ones, it's difficult to know what to believe! Surfing the internet waves you'll be amazed by all the contradictory information.

Studies that show the negative side effects of artificial sweeteners for example are balanced by studies that say that no serious negative side effects have ever been proven in humans.

So, how are we to know the truth?

Perhaps the best way to decide for yourself starts by asking the question "what would be the reason for using artificial sweeteners?".

Mäni's Morsel: Sugar, Naturally

If you've been keeping up with all the talk about artificial sweeteners lately, you may have thought of switching to sugar... after all it's natural!

You may even be one of those Mäni's customers who - noticing our occasional use of organic evaporated cane juice - commented, saying ..."it's still sugar." "Sugar is sugar!"

Have you ever really thought about the process of refining sugar? Most people think it's just about making the sugar whiter by some probably simple process.

Well, get ready to catch your jaw as it drops. There's more than you think to the process of sugar refining. So, before you save money and go back to "natural", better read on...

Our New Chef: Introducing Chef Jose

Mäni's on Fairfax is quite pleased to announce our new Chef Jose in the cafe.  Jose comes to Mäni's with many years of experience in the natural and vegetarian foods arena.  Jose himself is vegetarian and is an excellent kitchen manager in all areas of food preparation.

Many changes will happen behind the scenes.  Some will be noticeable and eventually you'll see a better run restaurant with more options.  As the team learns from the Pro, service will improve and the kitchen will become better organized.

Next month you'll see a new menu, with some new items.  Some of our slower items will be replaced with new creations in the Mäni's style of healthier foods made with premium quality, healthier ingredients.

If you have a request for a new item, now's the time to let us know.  Send me an email and we'll consider your suggestion.  As always we look to you, our customers, to help steer the company's future.  So thanks in advance for your input, loyalty and passions!

Oh, and by the way, if you're in the cafe and would like to meet Jose, just ask your server.  He values your ideas and would love to meet you too!

Larry

Being Adventuresome

I recently returned from a hiking trip in the Canadian Rockies.  Actually it was a helihiking trip.  That means a helicopter picked us up from our lodge/base camp at 5,000 feet and delivered us to alpine meadows with wild flowers, cascading waterfalls and 9,000 foot peaks in minutes.

I had never been in a helicopter before and was a bit nervous about it.  But since this was to be a fun family trip, I decided to widen my comfort zone and just do it.  I find it ironic that times in my life as I was hesitant to do something new, it actually turned out to be an amazing life experience.  My partner's family, (used to be my in-laws but that was before our marriage was invalidated, I guess that could be another story!) are the outdoor types, so this was touted as an must-do must-see trip.  Wow that sure was the case.

At this point you may be wondering how this figures into what's going on a Mäni's on Fairfax?  Well, two things...   One is how we become creative when we change our routine or environment.  This gives us a new perspective on things on sometimes on life in general.  The second thing is more specific to being adventuresome at Mäni's.  Sometimes customers may be shy about asking to try an item in our bakery cases that they've noticed.  We may think, Oh I can't ask them to waste or ruin or cut a piece of that beautiful cake or pie or eclair for me to taste, that would just be too forward, too out there!

But that's really not the case at all!  We want you to be adventuresome at Mäni's.  We want you to ask hummmm, I've never tried that, I wonder if I'd like it?  I would be our pleasure to have you taste anything in our bakery cases.

So the next time you're not sure about having a new experience/adventure at Mäni's, just go for it!