Chef Vibes » Chef Uniforms

The Luck of the Irish: Chef Style

UA — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:05:24 +0000

With Valentine’s Day close at hand, it’s time to start thinking about the next holiday coming up… St. Patrick’s Day! How do you celebrate this holiday at work? Do you decorate your restaurant with shamrocks and leprechauns? What about your own attire? ChefUniforms.com has a couple of suggestions for chef uniforms that will not only look great, but will help you avoid getting pinched as well!

Check out our festive new Lucky Irish Bib Apron, now on sale! This adjustable apron will provide protection while you’re cooking, and is designed for ultimate comfort in the kitchen. Or maybe you’ll enjoy our Lucky Irish Utility Cargo Chef Pant, which features a roomy fit with two leg cargo pockets and Velcro closures. This great pair of chef pants is now on sale, and is going fast! So get your hands on one (or both) of these great items, before supplies run out!

Go Red for Women’s Heart Health!

UA — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:12:11 +0000

ChefUniforms.com is “Going Red” today for Women’s Heart Health and officially kicking off our February fundraising efforts for the National Heart Month and the American Heart Association! Here are some facts about the prevalence of heart disease and why you should get involved:

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, regardless of race or ethnicity, accounting for 8.6 million deaths in women each year
One in THREE women over the age of 20 has a form of cardiovascular disease
Women are more likely to have strokes than men, in fact THREE million women die from strokes each year
Under the age of 50, women’s heart attacks are twice as likely to be fatal
267,00 women die annually from heart attacks, this is SIX times as many fatalities as breast cancer

Check back for our pictures from today’s “Go Red” day at the ChefUniforms.com corporate office. There are many ways you can help raise awareness for women’s heart health (including shopping!) so check out the American Heart Association’s ways to help out: http://www.goredforwomen.org/getInvolved.aspx! Is your workplace celebrating American Heart Month this February? Try hosting your own “Wear Red” Day awareness event for your restaurant with our huge selection of red chef coats!

Six more weeks of Winter!

UA — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:05:39 +0000

Today is Groundhog Day! Every year on February 2^nd, North Americans celebrate this exciting holiday, and wonder what will become of this year’s winter season? The tradition of Groundhog’s Day dates back to the mid 17th century, when a German shopkeeper in Pennsylvania noted that on this day, if it’s sunny and the groundhog sees his shadow he will return to hibernation for 6 more weeks of winter. If the day is cloudy and he cannot see his shadow, he ends his hibernation and spring is expected right around the corner. Famous weatherman woodchuck, Punxsutawney Phil’s “Inner Circle” swears that he’s never been wrong!

So how does this pertain to you, you ask? Well, 6 more weeks of winter means 6 more weeks of long-sleeve chef coats, whereas an early spring season will mean that you can start checking out our short sleeve chef coats a little sooner this year!

So what was Punxsutawney Phil’s (the most famous of the season-predicting groundhogs) prediction? It looks like we’ll be expecting six more weeks of winter this year! Check out a picture of Punxsutawney Phil himself below, as he broke the news in front of over 18,000 Pennsylvanians. What was your prediction for today? Let us know, is this good news or bad news?

Preparing For the Holidays

UA — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:00:56 +0000

When preparing for the holiday season, it is important to remember that being a chef means more than just cooking great food for your guests. It also means you have to be a representative of your restaurant; you have to become the face of your company in many cases. When catering holiday parties or corporate events, it is often customary for the chef to come out and introduce themselves, and often the patrons will even request it (assuming the food is that delicious, and we hope it is!). In instances like this, it is important for a chef to always have a professional-looking, clean chef coat on, even if that means switching coats to greet your guests, and then putting your other spaghetti-spattered coat back on when you go back into the kitchen. Here are a few options that we’ve chosen that will look great when you greet your guests.

Traditional Chef Coats

Style # 73715

This is the Side Mesh Panels Chef Coat with Fabric Covered Buttons and Contrast Piping. Made from a 65/35 Poly/Cotton blend, this versatile coat is sure to make you look professional in any restaurant setting. For an added bonus, the mesh side panels keep you cool while you’re cooking in that hot kitchen! This great coat also comes in black with white piping.

Style # 63316

This beauty is another traditional chef coat with knotted cloth buttons and contrast piping along the neckline, chest, pocket and cuffs. This coat is made with 100% cotton for extra comfort, but the professional tailored cut will leave your guests in awe of your style. Keep in mind, spaghetti sauce doesn’t show up as much on a black coat!

Contemporary Chef Coats

Style # 63155

The Raglan ¾ Sleeve Chef Coat comes in white with a black trim or black with a white trim – either way you’ll look great! Made from 100% premium pima cotton, this coat will be sure to catch some eyes with its sateen finish. The ¾ sleeves will give you the protection of long sleeves in the kitchen with the comfort of short sleeves.

Style # 87315

The Women’s Imperial Chef Coat is made with 100% cotton and features contrast piping. Tailored specifically for a woman’s body (sorry, guys!), this jacket features a flattering shaped design that fits perfectly. Walk out of the kitchen in this, and your guests are sure to be impressed.

Here at ChefUniforms.com, we’ve got pages upon pages of chef coats in different styles and colors, so stop by and shop till you drop this holiday season!

Stress-Free Holiday Eats

UA — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:47:18 +0000

Ah, the holidays… such a wonderful time of year to be stress-free, isn’t it? That is, if you call having to buy gifts for everyone during the busiest shopping season of the year stress-free. Not to mention all of the holiday parties where you’re forced to bring a dish to… who has the time? Well, this year, ChefUniforms.com has the answer to at least one of your problems. We thought it would be a great change of pace to offer some tips for healthy, easy-to-prepare, and (best of all) cheap dishes for this holiday season.

Bruschetta: authentic Italian appetizer that doesn’t get any easier…top a slice of Italian bread with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and basil—viola!

2. Guacamole: avocados help lower cholesterol and regulate blood pressure, an added tip: mix in diced tomatoes for additional antioxidant power.

3. Veggies and hummus (or greek yogurt based dip): use the red and green veggie colors to your advantage to spruce up your veggie display!

4. Fruit and cheese plate: crowd favorite, try a fruit dip made from vanilla yogurt and cinnamon for a sweet kick.

5. Whole grain crackers and lean meats: pack a protein punch with lean meat slices (roast beef and turkey are generally lower in fat than ham).

6. Mini soup shooters: serve a veggie based soup like tomato or broccoli in small plastic cups that will be easier for guests vs. a spoon…soups are a great low-calorie way to warm & fill up.

7. Smoked salmon and whole wheat toast: salmon is a winner all around, it combines easily digestible protein and Omega-3 fatty acids to provide muscle, heart, and brain benefits.

8. Spinach quiche: use a whole wheat crust and a hefty heaping of this super-food (chock full of iron and calcium).

9. Low-fat bean dip with whole grain chips: legumes are a great source of fiber and protein, reducing cancer risks, improving blood glucose & blood pressure, and lowering cholesterol (no brainer!).

10. Bite-sized desserts: small portions allow guests to sample a couple different types of dessert while watching waistbands… an added tip: if the recipe calls for white flour, try ½ white ½ whole wheat…makes it healthier and the difference is undetectable!

Do you have any favorite holiday dishes to add to our top 10 list? Share your thoughts below!

Chef Coats for Charity

UA — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:10:30 +0000

In the spirit of the season, ChefUniforms.com has donated 45 chef coats to the World Cares Center for its Iron Skillet Cook Off. For those who don’t know what this organization does, its mission is to “alleviate the pain and suffering inherent in accidents and disasters by empowering individuals, strengthening communities, and training local citizens, agencies, and leaders to prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergency situations.” In order to achieve this mission, the organization puts together events for the community.

One of the events that the World Cares Center puts on annually is the Iron Skillet Cook Off in Manhattan. This event features the top chefs of the New York Fire Department going head to head with local restaurant chefs, and 100% of the proceeds go to the World Cares Center. Monday, October 24^th was the 10^th anniversary of the event, and was an “All-Star Edition”, showcasing the winners of the past 9 years, plus 1 wild card entry. Not only is this event a blast, but it raises money for a great cause. Check out this picture of the 2011 Cook Off winners:

For more information, visit http://www.worldcares.org/ or find the organization on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/the.world.cares.center.

Time to Vote!

UA — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:36:52 +0000

The time has come! If you’re a contestant, it’s time to get out there and spread the word to all of your family, friends, coworkers and casual acquaintances to vote for you to win! If you are not a contestant, be sure to vote anyway, because they need your help to win. It is your choice who you think deserves to win a check for $500! So go to our voting page, choose your favorite culinary professional or culinary student, and get your vote on!

These individuals have worked so hard in order to serve you the food you love, and are now awaiting their adoring public’s votes. Every vote counts, so if you’re one of the contestants, don’t forget to vote for yourself! And remember: only one vote per person is allowed!

All contestants have an equal chance of winning this prize, and even if you don’t, the consolation prize isn’t too shabby… for any contestants who reach 1,000 votes or higher before 11/28/2011, ChefUniforms.com will give you a $50 Gift Card!

Now get out there, vote and spread the word!

Today’s the Day!

UA — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:13:39 +0000

That’s right! Today is your last day to register for the chance to win cash for the holidays! In other words, you have just a few hours until the contest registration closes, and you’ll have missed a great opportunity to win an awesome prize. In case you didn’t hear about it yet, ChefUniforms.com will be giving away a check for $500!

All you have to do is go to www.chefuniforms.com/contest and fill out our online entry form, send us a photo, and then e-sign our Rules and Regulations form. That’s it! You’ll then receive the URL to your personal voting page, which you should give out to all of your friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers off the street if you’re feeling up to it! Then, tomorrow (10/25), the voting will begin. Tell all of the people who have your URL to go there and vote for you. It’s that simple!

We’re talking about Free Money! Just think of all of the great holiday gifts you can buy your family (or yourself) with all of that money! Take a chance and enter our contest. Who knows, you just might win! But wait, there’s more! Even if you are not the grand prize winner, there’s still a chance to win something. At the end of the competition, the contestants who managed to get over 1,000 votes will win a $50 ChefUniforms.com Gift Card!

For more information about the contest and for complete rules and regulations, please visit www.chefuniforms.com/contest.

National Pizza Month

UA — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 16:51:59 +0000

October is home to so many different and interesting food-related holidays and events. World Egg Day on the 14^th, World Food Day on the 17^th, Nut Day on the 22^nd, and of course you have Halloween on the 31^st. However, as you may or may not already know, October is also National Pizza Month! Back in 1987, Congress dubbed October “National Pizza Month”, in honor of one of the most widely enjoyed foods in the country.

As Americans, we love our pizza. In fact, if the pizza that was consumed on a daily basis in the U.S. was placed on the ground, it would cover almost 100 acres! That means Americans eat almost 350 slices of pizza per second! This country was home to the largest pizza in the world… until 30,000 people in Havana, Florida ate it! It weighed in at almost 45,000 pounds and served about 90,000 slices.

When it comes to toppings, Americans like the more traditional pepperoni (at least, it’s traditional to us!), whereas pizza connoisseurs from overseas like a little more variety…

Here at ChefUniforms.com, we love having pizza parties. What’s your favorite type of pizza? Leave a comment below and share your favorites!

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

UA — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:34:53 +0000

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is the time of year when the major breast cancer charities campaign in order to increase awareness of the disease, and also hold fundraisers for research into the cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and hopefully an eventual cure of breast cancer. Over the years this has become a worldwide phenomenon, and everyone has their own way of honoring their loved ones who have lost their lives to cancer, or of celebrating their own ability to survive the disease. Many organizations hold 5k walk/runs, like the American Cancer Society and Susan G Komen.

As you may already know, our sister company, Uniform Advantage took part in this year’s Making Strides for Breast Cancer 5K walk, in order to raise money to fund Breast Cancer research. As it stands, our team has raised over $2,300 for the cause, and after the company matches with its own money, we will have raised close to (if not more than) our goal of $5,000!

Many of our friends and Facebook fans were able to attend the event, and even came to see us as we walked (I’m sure it had nothing to do with the free t-shirts we were giving out!). Here are some pictures we took at the event:

Walking the Walk

Finishing up!

Team UA

To see more pictures from the event, visit our fan page at http://www.facebook.com/ChefUniforms.com

Thank you everyone who came out and for showing your support!

In order to help us reach our goal of $5,000 even faster, please donate here: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/MakingStridesAgainstBreastCancer/MSABCFY12Florida?team_id=994693&pg=team&fr_id=35983

How can you get involved in one of these events? Click on any of the links below (or find any other one of your choosing), and see what you’d be interested in participating in, and be sure to make a donation for the cause.

American Cancer Society

Susan G Komen

Florida Breast Cancer Foundation

National Breast Cancer Foundation

American Breast Cancer Foundation

Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation