Scottsdale Cirque du Chilî Benefits Developmentally Disabled Adults
The Scully Learning Center Foundation will host the first Cirque du Chilî on Saturday, Sept. 28 from 4-8 p.m. at The Holland Center, which is located at 34250 N. 60th St. in Scottsdale, Ariz. The dedicated Cave Creek, Ariz.,-based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization works to enrich the lives of developmentally disabled adults in the desert foothills area.
Cirque du Chilî is a community event created to raise awareness of critical unmet needs faced by developmentally disabled adults and teenagers within the desert foothills community. This family-oriented event will showcase the community agencies, resources and support available to developmentally disabled adults and teenagers as well as raise funds to meet these needs.
According to Brady Dalton, event chair, Cirque du Chilî will feature 13 carnival games and prizes, chili tastings and informational booths with developmental disability community experts. Local chefs, community leaders and citizens will compete for the “Hottest Chef in Desert Foothills” title.
Cirque du Chilî will be joined by the following community partners/sponsors: Tonto Bar & Grill, Harold’s Corral, The Horny Toad, Tailgaters/El Primo, Daisy Mountain Fire & Medical, The Saloon, Indian Village, Athens on Easy Street, Area Agency of Aging, Arion Care, Department of Economic Security, Totten Fulton Rizzo, Kathryn Bradley, PC and Absolute HCBS, among others.
“There is an invisible population within the Phoenix housing crisis,” says Maureen Casey of First Place Global Leadership (2023).”Specifically, there are at least 159,000 people in Arizona who have an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD). Approximately 77 percent of those with IDD in Arizona live with their aging families. Of that, about 27 percent live with a caregiver over the age of 60. This invisible population is going to need housing and support in place as their families’ transition, perhaps due to their own needs for nursing care or death. Without immediate action, the ‘invisible’ housing crisis currently faced by adults with IDD and their families risks becoming a full-blown emergency with widespread, lasting consequences.
Admission is free. Chili tastings are $2 per taste or $20 for unlimited tastings. Beer from local breweries will be available for $5 and wine from local wineries for $10. Donations, which are tax-deductible, will be accepted. All proceeds go to the Preserving Families building fund.
For more information or to enter a chili dish to compete in the “Hottest Chef in the Desert Foothills” contest, visit scullylearningcenter.com or contact Scully Learning Center at info@scullylearningcenter.com.
For more news of interest to the specialty food industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
Pilgrim’s Ultimate Nuggets Smash Cake Kit Celebrates Milestone
Traditional smash cakes are flying the coop. In celebration of National Chicken Month in September, Pilgrim’s, one of America’s largest poultry producers, is bringing a savory twist to the popular first birthday tradition with the launch of Pilgrim’s Ultimate Nuggets Smash Cake Kit. This limited-edition kit is here to knock the boredom out of traditional smash cakes, helping parents celebrate their little “nugget’s” big day in an unexpected way.
More than ever, parents want to make their little nugget’s first birthday a smash, and what better way to celebrate the milestone than by giving them their first nibble of chicken nuggets, one of the top solid foods kiddos love. Complete with Pilgrim’s crunchy and juicy Ultimate Nuggets, creamy Idahoan mashed potatoes to be used as “frosting,” a fun birthday candle and festive accessories and décor, the Pilgrim’s Ultimate Nuggets Smash Cake Kit is perfect for celebrating your little one’s first birthday or to delight the nugget lover in your life at any age. The kit includes step-by-step assembly instructions to make set up a breeze so party guests can get straight to feasting.
“Pilgrim’s is shaking up the smash cake celebration just like we did the chicken nugget game, so only the unexpected will do,” said Chelsea Parker, senior director of brand marketing at Pilgrim’s US. “The Ultimate Nuggets Smash Cake Kit lets parents create a memorable and delicious moment worthy of the ultimate celebration.”
Pilgrim’s released their new line-up of nuggets this past June, bringing the excitement of quick service restaurant chicken to the grocery store. Pilgrim’s Ultimate Nuggets are reimagined to be the best tasting nugget in the frozen chicken aisle. Seriously flavorful, dangerously crispy and perfectly seasoned, these nuggets knock the boredom out of chicken to make snack time, dinner time and everything in between more delicious.
Pilgrim’s new line of chicken nuggets also includes Pilgrim’s Loaded Nuggets, available in Chicken Pot Pie and Cheesy Jalapeño flavors, and Pilgrim’s Mini Nuggets, available in Zesty Ranch, Buttery, and Original flavors.
Pilgrim’s is releasing 100 Ultimate Nuggets Smash Cake Kits that will be available for purchase for $7.99, the same price as a bag of Pilgrim’s nuggets. Parents and nugget fans can head to pilgrimsusa.com/smash-cake-kit to claim a kit while supplies last.
As a global food company with more than 62,000 team members, Pilgrim’s processes, prepares, packages, and delivers fresh, frozen, and value-added food products for customers in more than 100 countries. The company operates protein processing plants and prepared foods facilities in 14 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico, the U.K, the Republic of Ireland and continental Europe.
For more news of interest to the food and beverage industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
Aniai Introduces Alpha Grill for Foodservice Hamburger Cooking
Aniai, a leader in kitchen automation and AI solutions, announced its first North American showroom in Midtown Manhattan. Aniai’s flagship product Alpha Grill leverages advanced AI and robotics to automate the hamburger patty cooking process, enhancing efficiency and consistency in restaurant kitchens. Aniai has partnered with several notable, North American, quick-service restaurant brands to conduct pilots, with an anticipated rollout at multiple locations over the next year.
With the launch of its New York showroom, Aniai is excited to offer existing and potential restaurant operators a direct glimpse of its Alpha Grill in action.
“We look forward to welcoming customers and industry professionals to our New York showroom to witness the future of kitchen automation,” says Eric Hansen, head of sales, North America. “I genuinely feel that we’re at the very beginning of a significant paradigm shift within the foodservice industry- a shift that embraces robotics to improve the lives of employees by reducing labor intensity and providing myriad ancillary benefits for restaurant operators over the long run.”
For restaurant operators who want to see firsthand the future of kitchen robotics sooner, Aniai made its second consecutive appearance at the National Restaurant Association show in Chicago, where it showcased the Alpha Grill along with several enhancements, most notably, Alpha Cloud. Using cloud-based AI, Alpha Cloud can discern the color of hamburger patties and assess their quality in real-time through vision sensors that monitor the cooking process; promptly notifying kitchen staff about patty quality while ensuring rigorous and enhanced quality control.
“Seeing is believing,” said Aniai CEO Gunpil Hwang. “When introducing innovative technology that’s the first of its kind, it’s important that potential adopters can see it in action and to fully understand exactly how it can enhance their businesses. This is what we’re planning to accomplish with our New York showroom, a permanent extension of what we’ve offered at the NRA Show.”
Founded in 2020 and based in New York City, Aniai is a global innovator in automation and AI within the foodservice sector. The company’s mission is to empower restaurants to improve their kitchen operations by delivering intelligent solutions that increase production and enhance quality and service.
Aniai’s flagship Alpha Grill empowers restaurant team members to focus on crafting high-quality burgers while improving the employee experience by automating numerous mundane and repetitive tasks, including grill cleaning and cook time management. The semi-autonomous grill features a rapid cooking system with a double-sided grill capable of preparing up to eight hamburger patties at a time (or 200 patties per hour) and features an innovation self-cleaning function.
For more news of interest to the restaurant industry, subscribe to Gourmet News.
