Recipes from the Breakroom

February 2011
Marco Zapien, chef/partner of his family’s restaurant Zapien’s Salsa Grill and Taqueria in Pico Rivera, California, is also the Corporate Chef in charge of Sports & Entertainment venues for Melissa’s Food Service Division.

January 2011
The chef’s unique Parsnip-Apple Bisque is made entirely of fresh ingredients and works equally well as a perfect mid-day meal that will take the chill out of a cold afternoon, or an elegant first course in a more formal dinner setting.

October 2010
This month both a fruit and vegetable from the fall harvest season is utilized in a time-honored recipe that traces its heritage to a simple porridge enjoyed by peasants of the 15th century Italian countryside.

September 2010
The vibrant rust colors of fall leaves may signal the last act of the summer fruit season, but the change in weather also brings on a cornucopia of varietal hard squashes that will take over grocery displays for the next few months in every imaginable size, color and shape.

August 2010
Order a crostata in an espresso café in Italy and you will be served a tart with a jam filling.

June 2010
Chef Nick Lorenzen , Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada, demonstrates that not all recipes need to be long and complicated to taste great.

April 2010
This month’s featured dish, Turkey Breast Cutlets with Kumquats and Fresh Spinach...

March 2010
This month’s featured dish, a recipe for Stuffed Kohlrabi submitted by chef and freelance writer Barbara Rolek, very much represents the chef’s passion for teaching and preserving the traditional cuisines of Eastern Europe.

January 2010
Ragout (pronounced ragoo) requires a slow cook over low heat. The word is of French derivation, meaning “to revive the taste” or “bring back one's appetite”, which certainly sums up the sensation that this scrumptiously seasoned stew evokes from first bite.