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www.cheersonline.com 6 • October 2016 FIRST SIP A FRESH APPROACH TO F&B A NEW BOOK CAME OUT in September called Ten Restaurants That Changed America. One of the establishments cited by author by Paul Freedman is The Mandarin, opened by Chinese immigrant Cecilia Chiang in San Francisco in 1961. Chiang is credited with introducing Americans to authentic northern Chinese cuisine in an upscale setting. She also infl uenced scores of chefs in the U.S. with her progressive, ingredient-driven cooking. Her son, Philip Chiang, has been doing the same thing on a larger scale with the P.F. Chang's China Bistro chain. Philip Chiang opened the fi rst P.F. Chang's in 1993 in partnership with restaurateur Paul Fleming. Fresh ingredients, hand-chopped vegetables and meats, scratch-made sauces and wok cooking are hallmarks of the brand. Freshness is also key to P.F. Chang's beverage program, as our cover story points out. The chain's new Farm to Wok and Garden to Glass initiatives highlight the brand's commitment to fresh juices, herbs and other produce used in its cocktails. As P.F. Chang's beverage director Mary Melton points out in the article, guests today often want more than just a drink. They want to hear a story and learn about the spirits, ingredients and techniques used. Many restaurant operators have adopted fresh produce for their beverage programs, but it was a novel concept when P.F. Chang's was launched 23 years ago. And now that the chain operates more than 200 locations, it's even more challenging to stay fresh. But that's part of the brand. Cecilia Chiang, by the way, is now in her 90s and still going strong. She is the star of a new six-part, public television mini-series called The Kitchen Wisdom of Cecilia Chiang, which launched in July on PBS stations nationwide. P.F. Chang's is the lead sponsor of the series, in which Cecilia Chiang demonstrates her classic Chinese cooking techniques and shares the history of some of her legendary dishes. Chiang's experiences, point of view and commitment to quality have all heavily infl uenced the development of the P.F. Chang's experience. So the chain is renaming its potstickers "Cecilia's Dumplings" in her honor. Like all of P.F. Chang's dim sum, the potstickers are hand folded and made fresh daily in each restaurant, just as Cecilia made them at the Mandarin. Here's to Cecilia and Philip Chiang and all the other restaurant and beverage innovators that are raising the bar in pursuit of excellence. Cheers! Melissa Dowling Editor Cheers October 2016 / Vol. 27 No. 7 Editor Melissa Dowling 203-855-8499 ext. 2223 mdowling@epgmediallc.com Associate Editor Kyle Swartz 203-855-8499 ext. 2225 kswartz@epgmediallc.com Managing Art Director Dodi Vessels dvessels@epgmediallc.com Production Director Cherri Perschmann 763-383-4425 cperschmann@epgmediallc.com Contributing Editors Kelly A. Magyarics, Jack Robertiello, Thomas Henry Strenk Senior Regional Sales Managers Bruce Kostic 203-855-8499 ext. 2215 bkostic@epgmediallc.com Mark Marcon 763-383-4456 mmarcon@epgmediallc.com Debbie Rittenberg 763-383-4455 drittenberg@epgmediallc.com List Rental MeritDirect, Jim Scova jscova@MeritDirect.com 914-368-1012 Reprints Robin Cooper rcooper@epgmediallc.com Cheers ® is published by EPG Media & Specialty Information Editorial offices at 17 High Street, 2nd Floor Norwalk, CT 06851 Tel: 203-855-8499 • Fax: 203-855-9446 CEO Marion Minor Sr VP/Audience Development Joanne Juda-Prainito Sr VP/Finance & Operations Gerald Winkel VP/Beverage Group Amy Collins Cheers (ISSN 1051-564X—USP Number 007-239) is published eight times per year (January/February, March/April, May, June, July/August, September, October, November/December) by EPG Media & Specialty Information, 17 High Street, Norwalk, CT 06851. Periodical Rate Postage paid at Norwalk, CT and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Cheers, P.O. Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823 SUBSCRIPTIONS: One-year subscription rates: USA $35.00; Canada $50.00; air mail to other countries $75.00. All subscriptions payable in U.S. dollars. Payment must accompany order. To subscribe write: Cheers, P.O. Box 2123, Skokie, IL 60076-7823, or call the Cheers customer service line at 847-513-6025, M-F 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST. Subscription customer service e-mail: cheers@halldata.com. Contents copyright © 2016 by EPG Media & Specialty Information, 17 High Street, Norwalk, CT 06851. Reproduction without the express written consent of the publisher is prohibited. EPG Media & Specialty Information, publishes Cheers, Beverage Dynamics, StateWays, Wine & Spirits Industry Marketing, Handbook Advance, Liquor Handbook, Wine Handbook, Beer Handbook and Fact Book.