DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN FOOD & BEVERAGE PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE

1. D1.HBS.CL5.02 DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN FOOD & BEVERAGE PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE

2. Develop & maintain food & beverage knowledge This Unit comprises two Elements: • Obtain product information on food & beverages • Provide customers with relevant food & beverage product knowledge

3. Assessment Assessment for this Unit may include: • Oral questions • Written questions • Work projects • Workplace observation of practical skills • Practical exercises • Formal report from employer or supervisor

4. Obtain product information on food & beverages Performance Criteria for this Element are: • 1.1 Research general information on F&B products • 1.2 Identify information required to fulfill responsibilities of job role • 1.3 Develop & maintain product knowledge in line with job role & responsibilities • 1.4 Identify features of specific food & beverages which have potential customer appeal

5. Research general information on F&B products ‘Product knowledge’ includes knowledge about: • The venue • Venue facilities • Products & services offered/available • The local area & country

6. Research general information on F&B products ‘Product knowledge ‘ is important to: • Demonstrate professionalism • Promote food • Suggest drinks • Generally assist customers Product knowledge’ is at the heart of providing information on food and beverages.

7. Research general information on F&B products Product knowledge required by food waiters includes: • What is available and what is not • Serve sizes • Prices • Cooking styles and times • Ingredients • What is fresh, what is bought in, frozen, pre-prepared • Suitability for dietary or cultural requirements • Cutlery and crockery required to serve menu items

8. Research general information on F&B products Beverage staff should know (have ‘product knowledge’ about): • Drink types and names of beverages available – mixed drinks, cocktails • Brand names – spirits, beers, liqueurs • Table, sparkling and fortified wines • Soft drinks – aerated waters, juices, mocktails • Beers – draught and packaged (Continued)

9. Research general information on F&B products • Pre-mixed or RTD drinks • Prices • General knowledge about each product • F&B combinations • Glassware

10. Research general information on F&B products Venue-specific information relates to: • Opening hours • Methods of payment • Booking policies and procedures • Complaint handling procedures • Name of manager or owner • Legal issues

11. Research general information on F&B products Internal sources to gain product knowledge: • Menus and drink lists • Personal taste tests of F&B items • Recipes • Talking to experienced staff (Continued)

12. Research general information on F&B products • Operational manuals • Policy and procedure manuals • Wrapping and packaging material of products • Touring the venue • Talking to customers

13. Research general information on F&B products External sources of product information: • Product suppliers • The media • Books • Internet • Trade shows and exhibitions • Food and cooking demonstrations • Promotional activities.

14. Research general information on F&B products When gaining product knowledge relating to food: • Focus on what is required for your workplace • Learn what is needed for your individual job position • Start with a focus on your immediate needs – and then expand into other areas

15. Research general information on F&B products You need to know about the following: • Appetisers • Soups (Continued)

16. Research general information on F&B products • Meat – which can be used for entrées and main courses: • Types – beef, lamb, veal, goat, pork • Cuts – steaks, chops or cutlets, mince, joints • Fresh or frozen • “Is it tender?”

17. Research general information on F&B products • Poultry: • Chicken, turkey, squab, pheasant, duck, goose • Whole birds, legs, wings, breast

18. Research general information on F&B products • Fish: • Flat, round, whole, fillets, white, oily • Seafood: • Shellfish (‘crustaceans’) – crayfish, crabs, lobster, prawns, shrimp • Molluscs – octopus, cuttlefish, squid , clams, whelks, scallops, cockles, oysters

19. Research general information on F&B products • Desserts: • Served after main course • May be hot or cold • Puddings, pies, tarts, flans, fritters, custards and creams • Fruit, Charlottes, bavarois, mousse, soufflés, sabayon • Meringues, crepes and omelettes, sorbets, ice cream, Bombes, parfaits

20. Research general information on F&B products Snacks: • Light meals – may be eat-in or take-away • Hot chips and potato wedges • Biscuits, crisps and crackers • Hot dogs, pies, pasties, hamburgers • Sandwiches, rolls, baguettes, croissants • Ploughman’s lunch

21. Research general information on F&B products • Cheese: • Made from cow’s, sheep's or goat’s milk • ‘Soft’ cheese – Brie, Camembert, Cottage • ‘Semi-soft’ cheese – Edam, Gouda • ‘Hard’ cheese – Cheddar, Parmesan • ‘Blue vein’ cheese – Gorgonzola, Stilton, Roquefort

22. Research general information on F&B products • Pasta: • Produced ‘in house’ or bought-in as a dried product • Served with sauces or used in other dishes • ‘Gnocchi’, ‘Spaghetti’, ‘Fettuccini’, ‘Lasagna’, ‘Tagliatelli’ • Noodles • Made from flour & water &/or eggs • Similar to pasta in use

23. Research general information on F&B products • Vegetables: • Used as accompaniment to main course & in salads • ‘Root vegetables ‘ – potatoes, carrots, onions • ‘Green vegetables’ – broccoli, sprouts, celery, peas, beans, spinach, cabbage • Tomatoes

24. Research general information on F&B products • Fruit: • Growing in popularity – with all/most meals & given away in-room to house guests • Pieces/platters of fresh fruit – pineapple, star fruit, bananas, apples, rambutan, mango • Fresh fruit salad – with cream/ice cream/yoghurt • Tinned fruit – bought in ‘pre-processed’ • Dried fruit – figs, dried apricots, raisins, sultanas, currants

25. Research general information on F&B products • Salads: • Can be stand-alone dishes or served as an accompaniment to a meal • Can be cold or ‘warm’ with (for example) chicken • Dressings are usually added • ‘Salad vegetables’ may be used as ‘vegetables’ & ‘many ‘vegetables’ can be used as ‘salad vegetables’ • Lettuce, tomato, radishes, carrots, onions, mushrooms, beetroot, cabbage, peppers

26. Research general information on F&B products • Pre-packaged food: • Bought in & sold/used in the venue • May be sold/used ‘as is’ or may required processing – boiling or heating or other • Includes ‘portion controlled’ items – jams, butter, salt & pepper, sauces, sugar, milk

27. Research general information on F&B products Specialist cuisine food items: • Special cuts of meat: • Eye fillet, ribs, chicken leg with thigh attached • Special growing conditions: • Grain-fed beef • Free range eggs • Organic fruit & vegetables

28. Research general information on F&B products National dishes: • Traditional dishes of the country where you work • Need to know: • Name, ingredients & cooking process/es • History of the dish • Flavours & appearance • Serve size & how they are presented/served • Cost

29. Research general information on F&B products ‘Signature dishes’: • Dishes the venue/chef is famous for • Some venues have them, some do not • Can be local or from elsewhere • Are nearly ‘always’ on the menu

30. Research general information on F&B products Other ‘specialist’ foods may include: • Offal • Aromatics, flavourings, spices & herbs • Garnishes • Seeds & nuts • Grains, rice & pulses • Fungi • Preserves, condiments & accompaniments (Continued)

31. Research general information on F&B products • Certain fruits, vegetables, flowers & salad items • Aquatic plants • Specialist cheeses & dairy products • Sweeteners • Fats & oils • Local products

32. Research general information on F&B products Beverage knowledge required: • Learn about what your workplace offers • Learn the brand names of products – so alternatives can be offered

33. Research general information on F&B products You must learn: • Which ones are suitable drinks for aperitifs • Which ones are suitable for drinking during & after a meal • Suggested basic wine and food combinations • What they taste like, look like, smell like & where they come from • What their alcoholic strength is (Continued)

34. Research general information on F&B products • Domestic or imported? • Wine information – makers, vintages, wine areas, grape varieties • Serve sizes – individual drinks, bottles & cans • How beverage products can be served

35. Research general information on F&B products Making of white wine – white wine can be made from red & white grapes: • Grapes are harvested • Grapes are crushed at the winery • Pressing occurs • Sulphur dioxide is added • The ‘must’ is chilled & allowed to settle • Must is filtered (Continued)

36. Research general information on F&B products • A commercially prepared yeast is added to the must • Fermentation occurs under refrigeration • Fermentation is stopped when the wine has reached the required level of dryness or sweetness • Yeast protein, skins and other residue are allowed to settle out & wine is 'fined‘ to remove unwanted matter • The wine is aged

37. Research general information on F&B products Process for making red wine – red wine can only be made from red grapes: • Grapes are harvested & crushed - juice stays in contact with skins • Winemaker determines how long juice stays on the skins • Grapes pressed to extract all the juice and other juice may be added – many red table wines are ‘blends’ • Fermentation occurs • Wine is filtered & stored in wood • Wine is bottled for age

38. Research general information on F&B products Wines may be classified in different ways: • Red or white wines • Varietal or generic wines • Sparkling wines • Fortified wines The one wine can appear in more than one classification.

39. Research general information on F&B products Varietal wines: • ‘Varietal’ wines are wines made from nominated grape variety • Where wine claims to be made from certain grapes, it must be made from a minimum percentage of the stated variety • Where wine claims to be made from grapes of a certain year a minimum percentage of the wine must be from the specified year • Where wine claims to come from a nominated area a minimum percentage must come from the stated area

40. Research general information on F&B products White grape varieties: • Chardonnay • Chenin Blanc • Rhine Riesling • Sauvignon Blanc • Semillon • Traminer

41. Research general information on F&B products Red grape varieties: • Cabernet Sauvignon • Malbec • Merlot • Pinot Noir • Shiraz

42. Research general information on F&B products ‘Generic’ wines are made to a style: • Generic white wines: • Chablis, Hock, Moselle, Riesling, Sauternes, White Burgundy • Generic red wines: • Burgundy, Claret

43. Research general information on F&B products ‘Blended’ wines: • Made from two or more grape varieties • Creates a unique wine • May be done to overcome deficiencies in one grape type • Many excellent wines are blended – blended wines are not inferior

44. Research general information on F&B products ‘Sparkling wine’: • Only sparkling wine form the Champagne region in France can be called Champagne • All other ‘wine with bubbles’ is ‘sparkling wine’ • There are four main production methods for making sparkling wines

45. Research general information on F&B products Methods for making ‘sparkling wine’: • Méthode champenoise – the traditional method • Carbonated (or Injection) method • Cuvee close (or Charmat, or Bulk, or Tank) method • Transfer method.

46. Research general information on F&B products Different styles of Champagnes: • Non-Vintage (N.V.) • Vintage • Rosé • Crémant • Blanc de Blancs • Blanc de Noirs

47. Research general information on F&B products Sparkling wines vary in sweetness: • Driest is called ‘Extra brut’, then they describe increasing levels of sweetness: • Brut • Extra dry • Sec • Demi-sec • Sweetest is called ‘Doux

48. Research general information on F&B products Champagne bottle sizes: • Common/standard – 375 mls & 750 mls • Magnums – equivalent to 2 x 750 ml bottles • Jeroboam – 4 bottles • Rehoboam – 6 bottles • Methuselah – 8 bottles • Salmanazar – 12 bottles • Balthazar – 16 bottles • Nebuchadnezzar – 20 bottles

49. Research general information on F&B products Fortified wine: • Base wine with added alcohol • The extra alcohol adds sweetness & improves the ‘keeping’ quality • Alc/vol = 17% - 22% range • Serve size = 60 mls

50. Research general information on F&B products Fortified wines include: • Sherries • Dry, Medium, Sweet, Cream • Vermouths • Ports • Muscats