Website comes to aid of chefs – Otago Daily Times

A new website for chefs and caterers enables them
not only to cost their menus easily and efficiently, but also
to find out the nutritional content.

The site, MenuCoster (www.myrecipes.co.nz) is the brainchild
of former chef and Menu Du Jour owner Gavin Lovett. He worked
closely with Dunedin-based dietitian Amber Strong to develop
the site, which also features a menu guide labelling system
allowing chefs to identify items and suppliers matching special
criteria such as organic, GE free, Kosher, sugar-free, low-fat
and gluten-free. These can then be incorporated into menus and
recipe cards.

Amber Strong, who is doing a masters degree in nutrition at
the University of Otago, was working as a private dietitian
specialising in allergy and intolerance in Wellington.

When people were diagnosed with diabetes or an allergy they
just stopped eating out because it was too difficult.

“Most places don’t take people seriously. They think an allergy
equals they don’t like it. So I wanted to create something that
would help restaurants cater to those people and it fitted with
what Gavin wanted to do with the costing, so it made sense to
do it together.”

As chefs put their recipes in, the system calculates the cost
per portion based on the suppliers pricing and the nutritional
value of the dish. For institutions like rest homes it also
compares it to the recommended daily intakes.

It also indicates whether recipes are gluten-free, dairy-free,
suitable for people with diabetes, heart disease, vegetarians
or vegans, and whether it contains nuts. There is also the capability
to indicate whether menu items are Kosher, halal or organic,
but those rely upon getting the right ingredients from suppliers,
she said.

“I think in terms of added value for a restaurant to be able
to reach customers being able to identify even one meal that
was low fat or that might be suitable for someone on a dairy
free diet, at least they are offering options for those people.”

If we follow the trend in the United States, everyone form restaurants,
cafes, fast food chains to schools, rest homes and hospitals
will one day be required to provide more nutritional information
to diners – particularly in light of the mounting obesity debate,
she said.

Mr Lovett says MenuCoster was born after he took a head chef
role at a Dutch caf