Sobremesa
™
Winter 2015
It’s likely that most of your customers have celebrated Cinco de Mayo at one time
or another. Cinco de Mayo is a highly anticipated holiday, especially for those who
enjoy the unique varied cuisine of Mexico. The annual observance has gone
beyond just honoring an historic event; it’s become a full celebration of
Mexican culture and traditions.
Take advantage
of this celebration
to offer the best in
Mexican cuisine,
named by NPD as one
of the top food trends
of the decade.
The holiday commemorates the
Mexican army’s victory at the Battle
of Puebla, which took place on
May 5, 1862. The Mexican troops
defeated the French forces against
all odds, making the battle a
symbolic and significant date in
history. US awareness of Cinco de
Mayo grew in the 1950s, as the
of Hispanics
visiting casual dining
restaurants purchase
breakfast.
Peter Filiaci, “Digging into the
Hispanic Casual Dining Landscape,”
Univision, 2014.
According to
Flavor & The Menu
magazine, diners
value restaurant
dishes they can’t
easily prepare at
home—including
oysters on the
half shell.
Gerry Ludwig, “Oysters: Hotter Than
Ever,” Flavor & The Menu, 2014.
As part of the Cinco de Mayo
festivities in the US, many
restaurants offer a special menu
inspired by this historic event. We
can help you make the most of this
important date. Turn Cinco de Mayo
into Sysco® de Mayo, a celebration of
the best in Mexican cuisine. Read on
for five recommendations of unique
dishes and beverage pairings to
include on your menu for Cinco de
Mayo—and throughout the month
of May.
When creating drink and food pairings,
keep this rule in mind: avoid mixing spicy
dishes with beverages that have a high
alcohol content.
Bret Thorn, “NPD reveals top 10
foods of the decade,” Nation’s
Restaurant News, 2014.
74%
battle started to be commemorated
with official celebrations across
the country.1
Larry Olmsted. “Mexican Food & Wine Pairings—Beyond Cinco De Mayo,” Forbes, 2014
1 CHICKEN TAMALE WITH MOLE
This versatile dish is ideal for the
holiday, offering a combination of
two Mexican classics: tamales and
mole. Fill the corn tamale with
chicken mole and roll, then garnish
with additional mole sauce and
sour cream. This dish is ideal as a
breakfast special and has great profit
2 PORK LOIN CEMITA
potential since 74% of Hispanics
visiting casual dining restaurants
purchase breakfast.2 These tamales
can also be offered on the menu all
day as a snack.
and lime, complements the sweet,
savory and spicy flavors of this dish.
There are different variations of the
michelada, so serve the one most
appropriate for your patrons.
A classic michelada, made with
Mexican beer, tomato-clam juice
PAIRED WITH A CUBA LIBRE/MOJITO
Celebrate the origins of the
holiday by offering a cemita, a torta
(sandwich) from Puebla, Mexico.
Fill it with chili-and-cumin-rubbed
pork tenderloin, beans, avocado and
cheese. You can also add toppings of
your choosing to create a signature
3 FRIED OYSTERS
PAIRED WITH A MICHELADA
version for your operation. The
bread used for this torta is similar
to brioche, but covered with
sesame seeds.
Tap into the regional Mexican
cuisine trend and offer cemitas on
the menu throughout the month
of May.3 The dish goes well with a
rum cocktail such as a Cuba Libre or
mojito, which helps to cut the spice
and bring out of the savory flavors
of the meat.
PAIRED WITH SANGRIA
Leverage the oyster trend with
breaded, fried oysters served in
their shells. Add lime and your
choice of salsa to the finished dish.
This dish delivers many operational
advantages: it’s quick to prepare,
can be sold at an attractive price
point and can be shared as a snack
or appetizer.
To balance the briny flavor and
crunchy texture of the dish, offer
your patrons a sweet and refreshing
guava-peach sangria. Prepare this
delicious drink with your choice
of wine.
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C E L E B R A T E
SYSCO
®
DE
MAYO!
5
At Sysco®, we celebrate Sysco® de Mayo all year long. We are committed to
finding the freshest ingredients, critical for creating authentic Hispanic dishes.
From everyday products to hard-to-find ingredients, Sysco® delivers.
15
Visit sysco.com/sobremesa to find recipes,
tips, trends and much more.
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You can find these ingredients and many others at Sysco® ! 1 YUCA; 2 BEEF HEART; 3 PAPAYA; 4 BANANA
LEAVES; 5 COCONUT; 6 PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS; 7 CILANTRO; 8 SWEET POTATO; 9 AVOCADO; 10 SQUASH BLOSSOM;
11 OAXACA CHEESE; 12 CHERIMOYA; 13 LETTUCE; 14 PIG TROTTERS; 15 MOLE; 16 CHAYOTE; 17 CHURROS
4 MASHED POTATO ENCHILADAS
More and more patrons are
choosing to eat vegetarian meals,
so offer up this option: enchiladas
stuffed with garlic mashed potatoes
instead of chicken or beef. Serve
with a salsa made from tomatillo
and jalapeño. To contrast the
distinct acidic flavor of the tomatillo,
pair this dish with a crisp, cold beer.
5 BARBACOA SOPES
A study
published by the
Vegetarian Times shows
that 7.3 million American
are vegetarians, and
an additional
22.8 million follow
a vegetarianinclined diet.
PAIRED WITH MEXICAN LAGER
Spicy foods continue to grow
in popularity, especially among
younger diners. More than half
of consumers (54%) say they like
spicy foods today, compared to
48% in 2011 and 46% in 2009.4
Not only do spicy dishes appeal to
these guests, they serve as a badge of
authenticity that can help maintain
customer loyalty to your operation.5
“Vegetarianism in America,”
Vegetarian Times, 2008.
PAIRED WITH A MARGARITA
Give this classic appetizer a small
twist by topping the corn sopes
with shredded goat or lamb. Add
lettuce, pico de gallo, avocado, sour
cream and an assortment of salsas.
The finished dish is juicy, tender
and crisp at the same time, pairing
well with a refreshing margarita
made with your choice of tequila.
According to GuestMetrics, 42% of
the cocktails purchased on Cinco de
Mayo are margaritas (up from the
yearly average of 27%). And in the
week leading up to Cinco de Mayo
2013, tequila’s share of spirit sales
jumped to 14%, 3% higher than its
full-year average.6 Capitalize on this
demand and celebrate with Mexican
“Cinco de Mayo,” Britannica.com, 2014.
Filiaci, Peter. “Digging into the Hispanic Casual Dining Landscape,”
Univision, 2014.
3
“10 Global Carriers,” Flavor and the Menu, 2014.
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food and beverage throughout the
entire month of May.
Use this gastronomic and cultural
festival to familiarize your patrons
with the trends in Mexican cuisine
and commemorate the heroic event
that took place in Puebla.
¡VIVA MÉXICO!
Tuttle, Brad. “Why Spicy Is the Most Profitable New Trend in Food,”
Time.com, 2014.
Whitcher, Joann. “Restaurants Party on for Cinco de Mayo,”
FSR Magazine, 2014.
4,5
6
42%
of the cocktails
purchased on
Cinco de Mayo
are margaritas.
Joann Whitcher, “Restaurants
Party on for Cinco de Mayo,”
FSR Magazine, 2014.
Your opinion is very important to us. If you have suggestions for future editions of Sobremesa™ or would like to
know more about the topics included here, please email us at: [email protected]. Discover the thousand
and one ways Sysco® can help you grow by visiting sysco.com/sobremesa. Until next time!
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