2021 | Taste of Arlington Heights | Taste of Arlington Events

How To Choose a Niche for Your Restaurant

Whether you want to get into fine dining or open the perfect corner coffee shop, finding the right niche for your business is an essential part of entering the restaurant industry. Choosing a niche will help you figure out the interior design, menu, and target market for your business.

There are many niches to choose from, and you might feel overwhelmed when you look through how many choices there are. However, we have you covered. Here’s your guide on how to choose a niche for your restaurant.

Tips for Setting Up at a Winter Farmers Market

Although most farmers markets stop hosting events when the weather gets cold, many local farmers markets continue indoors. If you live in a community that hosts a winter farmers market, it’s a great way to sell your produce in the wintertime when business starts to wane.

There are many fun ways to connect your vending station with the winter season. Here are a few tips for setting up at a winter farmers market.

How To Prepare for a Holiday Potluck

Is there anything better than a holiday potluck with family and friends? The holiday season is almost here, which is why you should start making plans for celebration.

Important Kitchen Safety Tips for Amateur Chefs

Cooking your favorite dishes in the kitchen is a lot of fun. However, cooking can be dangerous since you often deal with heat sources and sharp objects. To keep yourself and others safe, learn these important kitchen safety tips for amateur chefs.

Benefits of Serving Fresh Fruit Juice in Your Restaurant

Juicing is a health trend that many people enjoy. You can drink delicious juice while receiving many health benefits. It’s a trend that’s worth considering for your restaurant. If you’re thinking about adding juice to your menu, check out these benefits of serving fresh fruit juice in your restaurant for valuable information.

Creative Big-Batch Dishes To Serve a Crowd

Do you have a big group coming over for dinner soon? Start brainstorming delicious feast ideas now. Put away the takeout menus, forget the pizza place’s phone number, and tie on your chef’s apron. Here are a few creative big-batch dishes to serve a crowd that are sure to please.

Old-School Marketing Ideas That Still Work Today

When starting a new business, it’s easy to forget to put any amount of focus on marketing. But that’s really where you need to put a lot of your energy so that people can find out about you and what you offer. If modern advertising techniques seem too time-consuming or expensive for you to pull off just yet, some tried-and-true methods might do you some good. That’s why this article details a few old-school marketing techniques that still work today.

What Are the Common Kinds of Farming Equipment?

While having a truck designated to farm life is ideal, having the proper equipment for farm-specific duties is essential. No matter what kind of farm you wish for or participate in, you need to understand machinery and the fundamental functions of each to avoid accidental injuries.

Ways the American Diet Has Changed Over Time

America has changed a lot since its founding in 1776. Americans don’t dress, eat, talk, or walk the same way they did in the past!

American food culture is one thing that’s changed dramatically over the past two centuries. Food is more abundant and cheaper than ever before, and we can even reliably import foodstuff from across the globe.

As you might expect, these developments radically altered the American diet. Let’s examine some ways the American diet has changed over time.

The Benefits of Thrifting and Why You Should Consider It

There are many ways of finding self-expression. Whether it’s through your music preference or even the kind of cars you like, there’s no denying that interests are an integral part of your personality and identity. However, one of the most common ways to stand out is by exploring fashion.

Wearing your favorite clothes is a way for others to have a basic understanding of who you are. People tend to associate higher quality clothing with a higher quality of value, both literal and metaphorical. However, this couldn't stray further from the truth. Here are the benefits of thrifting and why you should consider it.

How To Save Money on Car Maintenance

Keeping your car in great shape doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Take a look at how to save money on car maintenance and ensure your vehicle’s longevity without obliterating your bank account.

Tips for Helping You Start Your First Food Truck

Starting a food truck is one of the most popular business trends for food lovers nationwide. In fact, this trend is so popular that some cities are known for their food truck scene.

The days when the ice cream truck was the only outdoor food vendor in your community are long gone. Anyone can start a food truck business, so why not you? Here are the top tips for helping you start your first food truck.

5 Tips To Keep Grilling Outside When It’s Cold

When you live somewhere like the Midwest, where it gets unbearably cold in the winter, grilling outside becomes much less attractive. However, we know that many of you enjoy grilling so much that you’re willing to bear the brunt of winter’s chill to get the grill going. We applaud the effort and dedication, but we want to make the experience as painless as possible, too. Here are five tips to keep grilling outside when it’s cold that you should keep in mind before putting your boots on.

What You Should Know About Coconut Shell Charcoal

One of the worst things about using charcoal for cooking is the stench that lingers afterward. If you’re looking for alternatives, you might want to consider using coconut shell charcoal, which comes from natural coconut husks. Here’s what you should know about coconut shell charcoal.

Culinary Tips: The Best Natural Sweeteners To Use in Recipes

When crafting a menu for your restaurant, it’s essential to keep a wide range of customers in mind. While it’s impossible to accommodate your menu to every customer’s needs, offering a few alternative diet and allergy-conscious options is crucial.

Substituting ingredients in most recipes is simple. However, mimicking the mouth-watering and sweet taste of regular sugar can be more challenging. In this blog, we’ll discuss the best natural sweeteners to use in recipes.

Essential Skills Every Chef Should Master Other Than Cooking

Cook a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to cook a fish, and you’ve given him a fantastic career that will feed him and everyone around him for life.

Insane Facts About Candy You Didn’t Know

Whether you have an insatiable sweet tooth or you prefer to stay away from desserts, everyone knows about the existence of candy. From childhood to maturity, candy is a staple to several holidays and major events.

While most of us have grown up eating this dessert, there’s much more to candy than what meets the eye. In this article, we’ll explore some of the most insane facts about candy that you didn’t know.

So let’s get started looking into the bizarre history of these sweet treats.

Top Kitchen Safety Tips Everyone Should Follow

Whether you’re so familiar with the kitchen that you could be on your way to culinary school or a complete cooking newbie, you need to know proper kitchen safety. And if you haven’t attended culinary school like most home chefs, you probably need a refresher course. Here are the top kitchen safety tips everyone should follow in home and commercial kitchens alike.

Tips To Help Design a Chef’s Kitchen at Home

Creating the perfect kitchen for those who love to cook and consider themselves chefs isn’t as daunting as it could appear. There are many different renovations, both big and small, that you can try that would help make navigating your kitchen much more manageable and help you create perfect gourmet meals. If you’re interested in learning more, read on for some tips to help design a chef’s kitchen at home.

Important Tips for Storing Wine That You Didn’t Know

You may not realize it, but the way you store your wines makes a difference. Of course, you’d notice if a wine was scorching hot after leaving it in the hot trunk of a car, but otherwise, you probably don’t really know how storage affects your wine. The truth is, how and where you store your wine may not have much of an effect for just an hour or two. But improperly storing your favorite wine for days on end can suddenly make it drop down the list. So, what should you do? Follow these important tips for storing wine, and you’ll keep your wine at peak performance!

The Biggest Beverage Trends for Cafés in 2021

As a café, restaurant, or culinary owner, keeping track of the latest flavor trends is essential. These trends highlight what types of flavors and recipes customers crave the most. In this blog, we’re sharing some of the most popular flavors popping up on menus everywhere. Here are the biggest beverage trends for cafés in 2021.

Tips for Creating an Authentic Mexican Meal

Whether it’s a table for two or a large get-together, creating an authentic Mexican meal is the perfect answer to, “What should we make for dinner?”. Gather your cilantro, limes, and your best bottle of tequila and prepare to thrill everyone’s taste buds.

Reasons Why Potatoes Are the Most Versatile Food

Potatoes are one of the most popular foods globally, mainly due to how versatile they are for preparing a meal. However, this starchy vegetable's history is long and complicated. Here are four reasons why potatoes are the most versatile food.

Alternatives To Foods You Should Avoid While Wearing Braces

If your child's teeth aren't straight, chances are, they need braces. Orthodontists recommend braces for aligning teeth, closing a tooth gap, and preventing overbites and underbites.

How To Get Your Backyard Ready for a Summer BBQ

As the dog days of summer set in, many people throw their final summer parties to wish the season farewell. You can do the same with a backyard BBQ of your own. Figuring out how to get your backyard ready for a summer BBQ is the key to its success. Find out what will make your backyard party memorable.

Ways To Increase the Sales of Your Restaurant

Being a part of the restaurant game is tricky. If you do a couple of things wrong in a row, it could be the end of your business, although it doesn’t have to be. It’s possible to bounce back from the brink of collapse. So, if you are in that situation or are trying to find ways to increase your restaurant’s sales in general, this guide has just the tips you need for success.

Reasons Why Gift Baskets Make the Perfect Gift

Sometimes it's hard to think of the right gift for someone. But when in doubt, gift baskets can be an ideal gift for anyone, whether you’re searching for a present for a birthday, anniversary, or holiday. You can even customize the gift basket to be more personal or professional, depending on the recipient.

What Makes Food Taste Good Scientifically

The next time you indulge in rich chocolate cake or enjoy a spicy buffalo wing, take a moment to dissect why you’re enjoying it so much. Where do you perceive the flavor? The answer is not as simple as “my tongue.” Let’s take a look at what makes food taste good scientifically.

Why Is Eating Organic Food Better for You?

Most people have heard of organic food and see it in stores. People constantly tote it as a healthy option and something that everyone should get. But why is eating organic food better for you and worth the slight rise in cost? Here’s a simple list of reasons why organic food is good.

3 Ways To Attract More Customers To Your Restaurant

Customers are the key to boosting your business. The more people you bring in, the more money you can make. More customers also mean more reviews, which in turn improves your brand recognition so you can reach a wider audience. All in all, growing your restaurant means increasing your customer base. Find new ways to attract more customers to your restaurant with this list of fun and fresh ideas.

The Most Creative Ice Cream Toppings

Do those sprinkles seem shopworn? Is the thrill of aerosolized whipped cream gone? After all these years, has your chocolate syrup come to look like nothing but sad brown sludge? Making a sundae shouldn’t fill you with existential dread. Ice cream is, after all, a treat, and treats are special. Why let your dessert become a perfunctory, desultory experience? Don’t you owe it to yourself and your taste buds to reach out for something new? It’s okay to appreciate the classics, but we must push ourselves ever forward with new and exciting things, from exploring challenging great literature all the way down to putting weird stuff on our ice cream sundaes. Break up the ennui with some of the most creative ice cream toppings we can think of.

Tips To Prepare for Your First Dinner Party

Tips To Prepare for Your First Dinner Party

Is it your first time throwing a dinner party for your friends and family? Then you’re most likely a tad stressed about making sure it all goes off without a hitch. There’s much to consider when throwing a dinner party: from the invitations to the menu and much more. It would also help to think about the people that you’re going to serve. Luckily, we’re here to provide you with some handy tips to prepare for your first dinner party.

Different Methods of Making Coffee

There are probably not many coffee lovers who are fascinated with the coffee-making process, and even so, most do not know how to operate the less common types of coffee machines! Even though the tools of coffee makers can look esoteric and overly complex, the truth is that making coffee is simple. The real hard part comes in making good coffee. To help you with half of this problem, here are the five different methods of making coffee.

The Hottest Peppers and What They’re Good For

Finding and eating the hottest peppers in the world has become the province of macho thrill-seekers and hapless stunt eaters seeking to increase their followers on social media. But for some people with more discerning palates, it isn’t enough that a pepper is hot. It should also lend itself to delicious, if culinarily combustible recipes. Skip playing games of chicken with ghost peppers, Carolina reapers, and Scotch bonnet peppers, and find out if they go with chicken or other meals. Here are the hottest peppers and what they’re good for in the kitchen.

Ways To Make Your Restaurant Summer-Friendly

The sensational season of summer is a refreshing time of year to bring change to your business scene. The longer days of warmth and sunshine bring about larger crowds for leisurely and revitalizing dining. Especially this year, sandal-clad people will be escaping out of their household caves in droves to make the most of the laid-back, lively months. With the right perspective and offerings, you can appeal to these customers’ season-specific mindsets to skyrocket sales and increase visibility. Here’s a list of the best ways to make your restaurant summer-friendly.

Best Ways To Make Your Restaurant More Efficient

Best Ways To Make Your Restaurant More Efficient

Keeping up with the demands of the restaurant industry can be challenging for both owners and employees. When the back and front of house workers and managers are all synchronized, you will see faster table turnarounds, higher profits, and satisfied customers. The goal of any restaurant should be to design their business around achieving a well-structured and well-run organization that boosts everyone's productivity. To help owners attain this goal, here are some of the best ways to make your restaurant more efficient.

Tips for Successfully Launching a Tea Brand Online

Anyone that loves tea has probably already at least considered owning a tea plant. Many of us even enjoy making our own special blends. With so many people starting businesses at home, it’s only natural that appreciators of tea do the same. For those ready to launch their new business, here are a few tips for successfully launching a tea brand online.

Healthy Foods You Should Try Out

It’s easy to get stuck eating the same foods, more so when you find some healthy foods that you like. There is nothing wrong with sticking to the foods you like, but many great foods can give you that healthy boost you need. Here are some healthy foods you should try out to mix up your meals.

Tips for Hosting the Best Backyard Cookout

What else says welcome to summer than a gathering of your close crew for a backyard cookout? An outdoor bash—large or small—is a festive way to mingle together with your loved ones, sip on sunshine, spend quality time in the fresh air, and relish in delectable hot-off-the-grill grub.

How To Make Your Restaurant COVID-Safe

It’s been over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and businesses, like restaurants, are still struggling under the pressure of quarantine and social distancing preventing them from operating at full capacity. While many restaurants have learned to adapt, it’s still very much a struggle. If you need help keeping your own business running until COVID ends, then here’s how to make your restaurant COVID-safe.

Tips for Pairing Beverages With Food

Hosting an event entails dozens of moving parts. Bringing creativity to your table (literally!) can be as easy as offering drinks that complement your dishes well. Use these tips for pairing beverages with food to leave your guests speechless.

Tips To Know for Photographing Food

Whether you are experimenting with your digital camera to take food photos for your blog, a marketing company, or Instagram, you will only get noticed if your photos are as amazing as your recipes. You could have the best fried chicken west of the Mississippi, but no one will believe you if the image of it isn’t appealing. Use these tips to know for photographing food to promote your business and skills. Keep reading for the best photography tricks.

The Best Drinks To Enjoy With Steak

Rare, medium rare, filet, or ribeye steak is a favorite of many. The right cut of steak along with the right chef creates a main dish that cuts like butter and melts in the mouth. Now imagine what the perfectly paired drink can add to an already perfect meal. Let’s go over some of the best drinks to enjoy with steak and bring the art of eating steak to a new level.

10 Snack Foods That Began as Medicine

Many of your favorite foods are here today due to happy accidents. For instance, if it weren’t for a disgruntled customer at a restaurant, we wouldn’t have potato chips. We have much to thank modern medicine for, but did you know that there are 10 snack foods that began as medicine? Keep reading to find out which of your favorite foods have the most unique origins.

The Importance of Food Safety in Commercial Kitchens

When running a restaurant or commercial kitchen, your food doesn’t just have to taste good—it has to be safe, too. Following best practices for food safety should always be at the top of your mind in the kitchen, no matter how loud, crowded, or high-pressure the kitchen gets. Whether you’re opening a new establishment or regrouping an existing one after some challenges, consider these notes on the importance of food safety in commercial kitchens before going forward.

The Best Foods for Boosting Serotonin

The brain produces serotonin to regulate different functions in the body. One of the most critical functions of serotonin is to aid in mood regulation. Serotonin releases to promote happier and brighter thoughts, moods, and feelings.

While no meal contains serotonin as a chemical ingredient, foods contain different amino acids and naturally occurring chemicals that can stimulate the production of higher serotonin levels in the brain. To learn more about the best foods for boosting serotonin naturally in the body, continue reading.

Tenderizing proteins.

Going straight into cooking meat without having the proper knowledge beforehand can lead to some common mistakes people make when preparing meat. The issues can lead to a steak that is undercooked, is too tough to eat, or has no flavor at all. Know where others have failed before and save yourself the wasted effort and expense of ruining a good piece of meat.

The Meat Is Still Cold

When you are about to cook your meat, you do not want to throw it on the fire while it is still cold. This is because placing a cold cut of meat straight on a hot pan can easily lead to undercooked or overcooked steak. This happens when you leave the beef to cook too long to make up for the coldness or take it off the heat before it has cooked all the way through.

Control the Temperature

The most recommended way to prepare meat before cooking is to first let it warm up to room temperature, which usually takes about 20 minutes. This will ensure the meat does not spoil but will also be warm enough that you have greater control over its internal temperature when you begin cooking.

The Benefits of Growing Your Own Garden

Spring is here, and it’s time to start planting a garden, which can enrich your life in more ways than one. Fresh fruits and vegetables don’t just bring vitamins to your diet; they provide a pastime that improves your attitude; provide cleaner, healthier food; and can sometimes be done indoors year-round! Here’s a selection of the benefits of growing your own garden.

If you’re a fan of feeling the burn, check out this brief list of several different foods every spice lover must try at least once in their life.

If you enjoy putting a fire in your belly and sweating through the burn, this list is for you. Always looking for the next challenge, we’ve discovered some different foods every spice lover must try in their life that spans the globe and will put your spice tolerance to the test. If you’re new to spicy foods or it’s been some time since you’ve flexed your tolerance, beware—you may just be in over your head.

Business Ideas for People That Love To Cook

Many people dream of combining their passion with their work. If you have a passion for food, consider these business ideas for people that love to cook.

Many people have a passion for cooking. If cooking is a hobby of yours, consider starting a business. Whether you can make several dishes or specialize in making a specific food item, you can turn your love for cooking into a business. We suggest a few business ideas for people that love to cook, so read on to learn more.

Today, Tuesday, April 6, 2021, is National Caramel Popcorn Day. Also known as caramel corn, caramel popcorn is a confection made of popcorn coated with a sugar or molasses based caramel candy shell that is normally less than 1mm thick. Typically a sugar solution or syrup is made and heated until it browns and becomes thick, producing a caramelized candy syrup, which is then mixed with popped popcorn, and allowed to cool.

Varieties include a mix with peanuts, pecans, almonds, or cashews; and sometimes a dark chocolate coating.

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The Meat Is Still Cold

Control the Temperature

The Benefits of Growing Your Own Garden