In The News

With food companies big and small churning out everything from low-carb breads to sodas, baked goods manufacturer Multifoods is taking a less-traveled, but oh-so-tasty, route.

At the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show on Saturday, the Minnesota company rolled out a new line of muffins that doesn't skimp on carbs or calories.

Divine Centers muffins -- available in carrot, blueberry, chocolate pecan and strawberry streusel -- are filled with an ounce of cream cheese.

Decadence, says Multifoods marketing manager Andrea Eggert, is exactly the point. The company is targeting wholesalers and bakeries, and orders so far are 50 percent higher than what they predicted, she said.

"There still is a number of people that are looking to indulge themselves," Eggert said. "With everybody going one direction, we thought we'd go in another."

There were still plenty of more guilt-free offerings at the show, which runs through Tuesday at McCormick Place. They ranged from cooking oils touting zero trans fats to sugar- and carb-free margarita mixes made with real fruit.

John Czingula, president of Gourmet Cookery Marketplace in Denver, hopes his newest product, Yogonez, hits the right note with food service clients who want a lightened mayonnaise. The spread, blended with yogurt, is already popular in Europe, where it is made, he said.

Other twists on the familiar included Tabasco's chipotle pepper sauce and Blount Seafood's fried calamari sticks.

Calamari is on 60 percent of restaurant menus, usually served as rings, said Bob Sewall, Blount's vice president of sales and marketing. The new Sea Stix are more approachable for diners who aren't big seafood fans, he said.

"They don't even know they're eating calamari," he said.

The exhibit floor also showcased the latest in food service technology, including a digital menu system already being used in some Carl Jr.'s and Little Caesars chains.

Digital menus are ideal for fast-food chains and even movie theaters, said Harvey Friedman, president of Epicure Digital Systems. Menu changes can be uploaded immediately from a Web site to a store's display screen.

Friedman first developed the system in 1992 for a chain of hot dog stands he owned. He quickly realized he was in the wrong business because "more people were interested in buying my digital menu boards" than the hot dogs.