Off the Kuff: Food, glorious food Archives

The power of burritos

Mmm...burritos...

The hamburger is safe. Pizza probably doesn't have to worry. Nevertheless, on the menu of perennially popular food, one offering has been gaining steam against competitors: the burrito.

Thanks to favorable demographics in the U.S. and consumers' growing demand for the food, the burrito is proving to be a moneymaker for some restaurant chains.

Chipotle, which has 15 Houston-area restaurants, reported its first quarter sales increased to $355 million from $305 million during the same three-month period in 2008. Despite the economic dip, the Denver company with 830 U.S. establishments plans to open more than 120 restaurants this year.

While some restaurant chains are shuttering locations or reporting decreased sales, burrito businesses like Chipotle, Freebirds World Burrito and Bullritos are in expansion mode.

"I certainly think that burritos have taken place alongside hamburgers as iconic food in this country," said Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold. "There's certainly a lot of reasons for that, demographic changes and broadening of culinary foods, but also the simple convenience of the burrito."

Freebirds, which has 25 Texas and Oklahoma locations, including six in Houston, plans to open at least six more Texas locations this year.

"It's a very popular menu item in America," said Bryan Lockwood, president of Tavistock Restaurants, which owns Freebirds. "It's probably just behind pizza."

This is a business-section story, so it's about expansion and sales figures and whatnot. Which is too bad, because if you're going to write a story about burritos in Houston, you really ought to mention Mission Burritos, which pre-dates all of these other guys, and in my opinion which makes a better product to boot. Be that as it may, reading this has made me hungry, so if you'll excuse me for a minute, I'm gonna go get something to eat.

05/23/09 | permalink | comments [1]

Microbrewery bill dead

sigh Not unexpected, but still a disappointment.

HB 2094, state Rep. Jessica Farrar's longshot bid to help small brewers by letting them provide a small amount of beer on premises, directly to consumers, is dead for this legislative session.

"We gained a lot of yardage this time," Farrar told me a few minutes ago, "but we didn't get to the goal line."

She was referring to the fact that during the 2007 session a similar bill of hers died without ever getting a hearing. This year, the bill cleared the Licensing & Administrative Procedures Committee on a 5-to-2 vote.

However, almost assuredly because of behind-the-scenes lobbying, by the time the bill was released it was probably too late to get it added to the calendar and set up for a vote in the full House. The session ends June 1, and lawmakers are sifting through tons of other legislation.

There is no time left for the Calendars Committee to get the bill set up for a vote tomorrow, and Farrar said she does not see any pertinent legislation out there that the measure could be attached to.

"It's very clear that ... it got buried," she said.

[...]

Farrar said she plans to refile a version of the bill when the Legislature meets again in 2011 and hone her strategy, in part by lining up a senator to sponsor a companion bill.

Despite the setback, Farrar sounded optimistic about her chances, particularly if the Democrats continue to gain seats. "If my party's in power," she said, "I might be on Calendars."

Brock Wagner, the Saint Arnold founder, was disappointed to see the "state legislating against its own in-state businesses."

He, too, was encouraged that the measure got further along this go-round. He said Farrar did "a superb job" and added that he and the other small brewers will work harder to "lay the groundwork" to get even more support in 2011. Some distributors, he noted, were on board for the amended version of the bill this year.

It did get farther this year, and it's important to keep that in mind, because a lot of legislation takes multiple attempts before passing. Feel dejected if you must, but don't be discouraged. And do get out there next year, at campaign events and whatnot, and talk to the officeholders and candidates for state office, and tell them that you support this and that you want them to support it as well. It really does matter, and it really does help.

05/14/09 | permalink | comments [0]

Cottage foods update

A month ago, I wrote about a website called Texas Cottage Food Law, which is working to pass a bill that would allow folks who bake bread and cakes and whatnot to sell their wares from their homes. I'm pleased to report that they're making some progress in their quest.

For the past four-and-a-half weeks HB 3282 has been held up in the Public Health Committee. The bill was voted out of the Public Health Committee by a unanimous vote of 9-0 around 6:30 p.m. on April 28. A report is now being prepared to be sent to the Calendars Committee to await placement for floor debate and vote. This alone could take up to a week.

"If no actions are taken by May 11 the bill dies," Magnolia area home-school student and cake enthusiast Emily Doty said. "I am so passionate about the passing of this bill because my grandma baked for years and it is something I would like to have the option to do later."

Doty said that the bill has a lot of public support. Rep. Dan Gattis discussed his bill allowing for the production of baked goods in an individual's home before the Committee on Public Health, on March 27.

He introduced the Cottage Food Production Act after being contacted by a constituent who wanted to see a change in the law.

Cake Boss Kelley Masters of CakeCentral.com wrote the representative seeking assistance so individuals such as herself could legally sell baked goods made in their homes. In addition to hearing from Masters, Gattis received numerous calls and a signed petition from more than 2,000 Texans supporting such legislation, according to a Texas House of Representatives press release.

"The Cottage Food Production Bill is about encouraging entrepreneurship among individuals who want to legally sell their baked goods," Gattis said. "A number of successful businesses began in people's homes, from Microsoft and Dell, to Paula Dean and Tiff's Treats. This bill provides a starting place for bakers in Texas to earn some additional income and opens the doors for additional successful businesses in the future."

Reps. Allen Vaught and Debbie Riddle are now co-authors of HB3282, and according to Masters, who sent me the link to this article, Sen. Steve Ogden has agreed to sponsor it if it reaches the Senate. It's all up to the Calendars committee now, so contact its membership if you want to see this move forward.

05/06/09 | permalink | comments [1]

Microbrewery bill passes out of committee

Woo hoo! HB2094, the bill that would allow microbreweries to sell some beer on premises that I thought might be dead before getting a glimmer of hope last week, passed out of the Licensing and Administrative Procedures committee on a 5-2 vote. That's progress, baby. Time to call someone on the Calendars committee so this can get a floor vote. What a nice brewery-warming present that would make.

05/05/09 | permalink | comments [1]

Is there still hope for the microbreweries?

I said previously that I thought the prospects for HB2094, the bill to allow microbreweries to sell some of their product on site, were dim. I don't want to give any false hope, but it's possible I was too pessimistic.

With just a month remaining before lawmakers adjourn, the bill remains bottled up in the same House committee where a similar measure died in 2007. The chairman of that committee on Thursday gave the bill a "50-50" chance of making it out in time to get scheduled for a vote by the end of the session.

"I will look at it and see what the will of the committee is," said state Rep. Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin, who chairs the nine-member Licensing & Administrative Procedures Committee. He explained that if four other members agree to support the bill, he would vote to move it along as well.

"I would not hold it in committee," Kuempel said.

However, no vote on the bill was scheduled by late Thursday, and time is running short. The bill would have to be out and cleared by the Calendars Committee by May 14 if it is to have any chance before the session ends June 1.

State Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, who sponsored the legislation in 2007 and again this year, said she has the necessary four votes and late in the day got a commitment from Kuempel. She said he was scheduling the vote.

She said the bill appears to have encountered stiff opposition "behind the scenes."

Earlier Thursday, Licensing committee member Charles Geren, R-Fort Worth, recalled there was opposition when the bill was introduced for discussion, but he said he did not remember where it came from. He said he would "probably vote for" Farrar's bill but referred questions about its status to Kuempel.

If HB2094 can get passed out of committee, then it has a chance, even this late in the session. It'll still be a close call in the Senate, but at least their calendar is not quite as jammed. So take a moment and contact a committee member about HB2094. Beer, TX has more.

05/02/09 | permalink | comments [0]

Microbrewers likely to come up short again

Texas Watchdog has the sad news.

Three bills that would allow microbreweries to sell beer where they brew it appear under the influence of special interests as one of the most powerful and well-funded lobbies in the state, the Texas Wholesale Beer Distributors, claims another triumph.

[...]

"It has to do with the theory of warfare," says Howard Wolf, the treasurer of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst's political action committee. "There are huge amounts of money at stake here, and this monopoly is so entrenched and so powerful, they are going to fight as long as they can to protect this monopoly or scheme."

This session three Democrats proposed a slight tweak to the law that would permit the state's breweries to sell limited amounts of beer. But the Wholesale Beer Distributors, a press shy group that fills the campaign chests of lawmakers from all parties and regions, testified against a compromise measure, sponsored by state Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, and the bill is still not scheduled for a committee vote. Meanwhile, time is running out. (That the Beer Alliance of Texas, a rival lobby, actually helped write Farrar's compromise bill, should give you a good indication of that group's own clout.)

I guess Rick Donley of the Beer Alliance of Texas wasn't kidding when he said "I wish we had one-tenth the influence [the breweries] think we have." Of course, he was speaking as a distributor, and that's the team that won. So, you know, maybe not such a compelling argument.

Two other beer bills-one from state Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, and state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, also appear to be drying up with no vote scheduled on either of them.

At this point, any bill that hasn't been voted out of committee is almost certainly dead. For sure, any bill with dedicated opposition from a lobby like the beer distributors is very dead, not just merely dead. Sorry, beer drinkers of Texas. We lose again.

04/28/09 | permalink | comments [1]

Banning trans fats

I haven't really followed the anti-trans fat bill very closely, but if it's worth a front page headline, it's worth a mention here.

Lawmakers in coming weeks will consider bills by Houston state Rep. Carol Alvarado and state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, that would outlaw restaurant use of certain oils, shortenings and margarines by September 2011.

The oils, which have been treated with hydrogen at high heat to prolong shelf life, were touted as healthful alternatives to butter until doctors found they contributed to cardiovascular and other diseases.

"Texans want to make healthy choices," Alvarado said Friday. "This has nothing to do with taste. Our restaurants cook with trans fat-free oils, and it doesn't compromise the flavor at all."

Glen Garey, general counsel for the 5,000-member Texas Restaurant Association, said his organization "stands arm in arm" with Alvarado on the issue, especially since the bill was altered in committee to allow restaurants more time to comply.

If the bill becomes law, Texas would join California and New York City in banning the restaurant use of oils containing artificial trans fats.

Alvarado's bill calls for eliminating use of such oils at restaurant chains with 15 or more outlets in Texas by September 2010. The ban would apply to all restaurants by September 2011. Penalties for violations have yet to be determined.

Rep. Alvarado's bill is HB1523. I'm moderately surprised that there's no real opposition to this; usually this sort of thing kicks up a big fuss. I guess this is sufficiently mainstream now that a measure like this is seen as inevitable.

One objection I have seen to this comes from EdT on Twitter, in reply to an agreeing Alison Cook, who notes that there's "MUCH more trans fats in the stuff on the grocery store shelves." I'd say that's true, but it's also a federal matter. Restaurants are something the Lege can regulate, and so here we are.

HB1523 hasn't had its committee hearing yet, and with a bit more than 8 weeks left in the session it's hard to say what its prospects are, even with the restauranteurs in its corner. On a related note, Rep. Alvarado has also filed HB1522, which would require chain restaurants to disclose their nutrition information. Given that the best source for this information nowadays is Ken Hoffman's Drive Thru Gourmet column, I'd say that bill might have the bigger effect.

04/04/09 | permalink | comments [3]

Cottage foods

As you know, I've touted the Handmade Toy Alliance, of which my cousin Jill is a member, on behalf of folks who run small home-based businesses making toys, crafts, clothes, and the like. Via a Facebook message from an old friend and college classmate, Kathy Gregoire, I learn there's a related movement here in Texas called Texas Cottage Food Law. From their website:

With the economy in its current state, you may have been thinking of starting a little cake or cookie business from your home to help make ends meet.

But in Texas it is currently illegal to sell any food that was made in a residential kitchen. You cannot be licensed for a home bakery.

A group of dedicated cake artists are trying to change that law.

Representative Dan Gattis has filed a bill which would make it legal to sell non-potentially hazardous foods prepared in residential kitchens. It is House Bill 3282. This bill is currently before the Public Health Committee.

The Public Hearing was Tuesday, March 24. Watch a broadcast of it here.

The main points of the bill are summarized here. Basically, this would allow folks to register with the Department of Health to sell "non-potentially hazardous homemade foods" - mostly baked goods like cake, brownies, cookies, and bread - directly to consumers; no retail or commercial sales. This strikes me as a perfectly reasonable thing to ask for, so I support this effort. There's a petition you can sign, though if you really want to have an effect, you should call your State Rep, as the Texas Cottage Food Law site recommends. Bills like this often get lost in the shuffle - in a session like this, where we're just now getting around to voting on some things, that's even more so - but there's nothing like feedback from constituents to get a representative on board.

04/01/09 | permalink | comments [0]

No hog hunting

Bummer. Remember the plan Harris County Commissioner Steve Radack floated to allow bowhunting of feral hogs in George Bush Park, both as pest control and boon for the local food banks? The Army Corps of Engineers, which had say-so on this matter since the park was federally created as a flood control measure, put the kibosh on it.

In a March 19 letter, Richard Long, the supervisory natural resource manager for the Corps' Houston office, agreed that the park's feral hog population is a major problem for the Corps, the county, park users and nearby homeowners. But he said a limited archery program probably is not the appropriate solution.

For one thing, he said, a hog that is wounded but not killed could become a serious threat to the hunters, other park users or the people who live near the park. And allowing certain people to hunt would give the appearance of preferential treatment while potentially leading some people to mistakenly believe the entire park is open for public hunting.

"This would create a major enforcement problem for all agencies concerned as well as have a detrimental impact on the wildlife resources of the project," Long wrote.

Long suggested expanding the trapping program Radack has been operating for more than a decade, which currently removes about 300 to 400 hogs every year.

Ah, well, it was fun while it lasted. On the plus side, this should reduce the chances of Ted Nugent showing up unannounced for some weekend recreation. So perhaps expanding the trapping program is the best way to go.

03/28/09 | permalink | comments [0]

The Statesman on the state of beer in Texas

The Statesman visits an issue with which we are familiar.

Ever wondered why you can't go to the store and buy a six-pack of the North by Northwest Restaurant and Brewery's beer? How about one more: Ever wondered why, in a state of 24 million that ranks second-thirstiest in terms of beer consumption, Texas has about, like what, eight craft breweries? Partly thanks to, say many in the business, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission code, which keeps these small brewers from selling you a six-pack to go at the brewery.

Blame the code or blame beer distributors and their lobbyists, who wield a considerable amount of political power when it comes to TABC code changes, some small brewers say.

It's very similar to the Houston Press story about the state of beer in Texas from October, with an update about current legislation such as HB2094. The brewpubs and microbreweries have done a pretty good job getting their story out about this, so even if they fail again to change the law this session, as is probably the case given the nature of the Lege and the way this session has gone, they're putting themselves in a position where they can succeed. These things just take time.

One item from the story:

A compromise measure that would allow breweries to sell admission to tours, and for admission to include a beer sale, had a hearing before the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures last week, and Rick Donley, president of the Beer Alliance of Texas, testified in its favor.

"We had worked real hard with Rep. Farrar to craft some kind of legislation that would allow (brewers) to do some of the things they want to do without disrupting the three-tier system," Donely said. "You're not going to walk up and buy beer without taking the tour."

As for some brewers' gripe that distributors have disproportionate pull at the statehouse, Donley said: "I wish we had a tenth of the influence they think we have. The fact is the three-tier system has served the state well for many decades."

I'd say the system has served the system well for many decades. Certainly, the distributors have no problems with it, which is kind of the point. If it served the state as well as it served the existing interests, we'd have a heck of a lot more microbrewers, brewpubs, and beer festivals than we currently do. Thanks to Guardian of the Non Sequitor for the link.