June 13 , 2006
Welcome
Welcome to another issue of the FIBR Sampler, an electronic newsletter
that keeps you connected with FIBR and regional food industry issues. Tell your
friends and colleagues to sign up for this e-letter by filling out the information
at www.fibr.info/emailnews. However,
if you do not wish to receive future issues of the Sampler, you can
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Topics covered in this issue--
President's Message
Welcome to our newest members!
- Caldwell and Son
- Distinct Indulgence
- Gold Coast Ingredients
- H&N Foods
- Food Microbiological Labs, Inc.
- Leon A. Victor & Associates, PC
- Village Green Foods
 Dandy Don's does biz with Gold Coast Flavors and at the HACCP Roundtable seminar I met their chemist for the first time although we'd talked for years. Fun is working and getting paid, too. And, there are other FIBR members we partner with, by serving their products, as Felbro Food Products and Mochi (Mikawaya Bakery), to name three.
FIBR's ROI for its members just keeps on building interest...our thanks to DWP and Rene Baluyot for hosting, A HAACP RoundTable on March 21st including lunch--Thanks.
And, Thanks to the following participants who volunteered their time and talents:
Mike Hernandez, CA Department of Health Services;
- Mas Hori, Food Consultant and FIBR Training Council Lead Trainer (not to mention our FIBR Community Partner of the Year 2005);
- Melissa Calicchia, Food Safety Solutions, Inc.;
- Karilyn Gonzales, Food Microbiological Labs;
- John Pesce, Felbro Food Products, Inc.; and
- Sheldon Hanagami, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Yvette Nunez, FIBR Executive Director, made all of the above happen. As Yvette's Cheerleader...and Yvette did it all--along w/ Maria Sanchez--that's how FIBR keeps on returning your investment--putting on great events that put great people together to do commerce and learn from each other's expertise.
This is a RoundTable organization. Your ideas and plans are always welcome--call me--800 DANDY DON.
Upcoming events in 2006/Mark Your Calendars!
Food Safety With FIBR Training Institute (Thanks again So. Ca. Edison!):
Module I: GMP's & SCP's – June 20 & 27th
Module II: HACCP – September 6, 13, 20 & 27th
First Annual FIBR Family Picnic – Members Only Event – June 25th
A Taste of FIBR: 10 Year Anniversary Celebration - September 20th
Thank you for your membership,
Dandy Don
Don Whittemore
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Are You Going...To the First Annual FIBR Family Picnic?!
Members! Have you RSVPed for the First Annual FIBR Family Picnic? Set for Sunday, June 25th from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Whittier Narrows Recreation Center, this promises to be a fun-filled day for the whole family!
 Members often tell us that events during the week can be difficult and that they wish they could share with their family what "FIBR" is. So, we have created this event to give everyone an opportunity to come out and network with fellow members in a family-friendly environment
A Barbeque, Watermelon Eating Contests (one for kids, one for grown-ups!), Face-painting for the kids, Egg-rolling Contest, Tug-of-War and more are planned for that day. So, be sure you RSVP and bring the family out to enjoy a beautiful day in the California Sun! Remember this is a members-only event! We sure hope to see you there!
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Spanish-Language Food Safety Training Begins!
FIBR, in co-operation with the FIBR Training Council, will present our Food Safety With FIBR Training Institute for 2006 in Spanish! Module I which covers Good Manufacturing Practices and Sanitation Control Procedures begins on June 20th. There is some space still available for this module, contact FIBR right away to register as late as Monday, June 19th by Noon!
There is still time to sign up for Module II! Which runs through September and covers Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Points. Details about class curriculum, costs, instructors and location can be found by clicking on the Spanish Language Food Safety Training button on the home page of this website.
Fill out the registration form and fax it in right away to reserve your spaces. We are pleased to present this service to you for the first time in the Spanish language. We have put together a highly qualified corp of trainers who are prepared to provide a quality program to your Spanish-speaking employees.
Industry representatives represent decades of experience and will provide the practical perspective of day-to-day compliance and "having been there"; while regulatory officials from both the Los Angeles County Environmental Health Department and the California Department of Health Services will share their perspective from a regulatory point-of-view. They will help you to understand the reasoning behind safety regulations and how they are here to help you provide safe, quality products while protecting your bottom line! There is no better way to ensure that you employees fully comprehend their training, than to present it in their native language with quality professionals. Don't delay, sign up today!
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FIBR Speaker Series at Dorsey Great Success!
FIBR begun a Speaker Series at Dorsey Culinary Arts this year in an effort to expose high school students to the myriad of careers available in the food industry. Four different teams of speakers have been out to the school this semester.
 Our first team was our Restaurant Team. Entrepreneur Linda Griego, Owner and Founder of Engine Co. No. 28 Restaurant, and her Chef, Kenneth McCakill partnered to share how they came to be in the restaurant business and the skills that helped get them there. Linda, a New Mexican native, grew up in the food business with her family owning a popular bakery in her home town of Tucumcari, New Mexico. And, although Linda has had a diverse career including working for a U.S. Senator, serving as Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles and heading organizations like RLA (Rebuild L.A.), her roots in food have always played a big part in her life. Her first restaurant was a small 16-seat Café, the Chili Stop. Now, Linda has Engine Co. No. 28, highly successful 135-seat restaurant in Downtown Los Angeles. Linda spent five years restoring this 1912 firehouse into the restaurant and office building – the building was recognized by the City of L.A, as an historical-cultural Landmark in 1988. By the way, she has a contractor's License as well and serves on many boards including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
 Chef Kenneth McCaskill began his career at the age of 14 as a pizza cook and sometimes as a dancing mouse for a national pizza restaurant chain. Although the job was a good introduction to the world of cooking, he learned quickly that dancing wasn't going to be a professional pursuit. Later, while employed as a line cook for the Olive Garden, he was offered an opportunity in the "big league" -- the historic Brennan's restaurant in the French Quarter. Over the next few years, he worked with some of the best chefs and restaurants the south has to offer. Such as the Ralph Brennan's Red Fish Grill and John Folse's Lafitte's Landing, both in Louisiana.
 Chef Kenneth has been Executive Chef at Engine Co. No. 28 for more than two years. He enjoys sharing his "southern heritage" with Los Angeles, as well as being thrilled to experiment with the many fresh products the West Coast has to offer. He was also thrilled to share his experiences with the students at Dorsey Culinary Arts.
Both Linda and Ken found their experience at Dorsey very rewarded and later invited a handful of students for an afternoon at the restaurant where they toured the kitchen, cooked up a dish and met with the restaurant's General Manager.
The next team to meet with the students was the Food Safety Team. Both Masaaki "Mas" J. Hori and Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz made up this team – and if you know food safety, you know Mas and Prosy. Both are recently retired from the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) and have been active members of FIBR for many years.
For more nearly 30 years, Prosy Abarquez-Delacruz served as one of two regional administrators for CDHS for many years providing education, training, inspection and enforcement to the food industry in Southern California. Her leadership is well known throughout the state and spear-headed what is known today at the Food Safety With FIBR Training Institute – which is offering its services for the 6th year.
She has been a conference speaker for many organizations, including IMECCA's ISO 9000, International Food Exporters Association, National Association of Food Technologists and many others. She is actively involved in UCLA's Asian American Studies Center, has received countless awards and currently serves the Mayor of Los Angeles on the Civil Service Commission.
Mas Hori is currently a food safety consultant to a number of food processing companies in California, including Santa Monica Seafood. Mas also serves as the Lead Trainer for the FIBR Training Council and last year was the inaugural recipient of the FIBR Community Partner of the Year Award. For more than 25 years, Mas served as Supervising Food and Drug Investigator for CDHS. He has experience in inspecting food products (including low-acid food processing and HACCP systems), pharmaceutical products, medical devices, cosmetics, and bottled water. Prior to joining CDHS, Mr. Hori worked for the L.A. County Health Department as a sanitarian, inspecting restaurants and markets in Los Angeles.
Mas has trained nearly 2,000 people in HACCP through AFDP Seafood Alliance HACCP training and through FIBR. He has received numerous awards and recognitions throughout his career and is a board member for the American Society for Quality's Food, Drug and Cosmetic Division.
Mas and Prosy shared lots of stories and some gruesome pictures of what might be found in a factory or restaurant that was in violation of health codes – this definitely grabbed their attention. No better way to drive home the importance of food safety and cleanliness than with some real life pictures. Mas and Prosy also shared their personal stories, Prosy of her family's struggle to immigrate and make it in the world and Mas talked about how he fell into his profession by necessity – how his parents couldn't afford the college of his choice, but he made a life out of the education he was able to receive from Cal State Los Angeles, the school that he could walk to because he didn't have a car.
The impressions left by these two teams of speakers resonated with the students and teachers. There were two more teams this year, the Manufacturers Team – Maria Lourdes de Sobrino from LuLu's Desserts and Ozabe Banks from Money Saver's Meats and the Continuing Education Team – Andrew Feldman and Students from Glendale Community College's Culinary Arts and Restaurant Management Program. Watch out for the next issue of the FIBR Sampler for their Stories.
We are looking to schedule teams for next semester beginning in September, if you are interested in coming out and sharing your story, and providing inspiration for tomorrow's food industry professionals, please contact Yvette at ynunez@fibr.info.
FIBR would like to thank all of those who participated in this year's Speaker Series – We know each of your gave of your valuable time to touch the hearts and minds of the students of Dorsey Culinary Arts.
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Melissa Calicchia Receives SCiftS 2006 Distinguished Achievement Award!
Melissa L. Calicchia, M.S., received the Southern California Institute of Food Technologist Section (SCiftS)’s 2006 Distinguished Achievement Award on May 17, 2006 at an awards ceremony dinner held at Descano Gardens.
A distinguished professional in the food industry, Melissa is also a very dear and active member of FIBR. For many years, she has served on the FIBR Training Council and provided endless support and advice to our organization and participated in a number of programs. We are very proud of her achievement and congratulate her on receiving such a wonderful honor!
The SCiftS Distinguished Achievement Award, initiated in 1954, was designed to honor individuals in the Southern California are who have distinguished themselves by significant contributions to the food industry, the betterment of the Section and the National’s goal for the improvement of the health and welfare of mankind. Melissa is the awards 54th recipient.
 Well known in her field, Ms. Calicchia is founder and senior technical director for Food Safety Solutions, Inc., a professional consulting firm, and Food Microbiological Labs, Inc., a contract microbiological testing laboratory. An expert microbiologist to food service and food manufacturing companies, Ms. Calicchia’s renown grows from her involvement with local, national and international food companies. Her exchanges span the industries of meat processing, confectionary, produce, intermediate-moisture foods, pet foods, dairy, refrigerated and deli foods. Entities ranging from start-up to Fortune 500 companies employ her to keep the integrity of their food safety systems in check and out of the news.
Melissa formerly served as Western Regional Technical Director of microbiology for Silliker Laboratories, Inc. Her 25 year career includes having been enlisted for the U.S. AID A.L.E.B. (Agriculture Lead Export Business) Project as a Short Term Technical Advisor to Cairo, Egypt, in 2003. Despite her busy life with her two food safety companies, Melissa give back to the food community through various projects, mostly with small and ethnic food manufacturers. Recently, she served as a volunteer on the technical committee of the Orange County Health Care Agency Traditional Food Project and also continues to contribute her expertise as a volunteer member of the FIBR Training Council. An expert witness in legal cases involving microbial disputes, Melissa is also published in the International Journal of Food Science and the Journal of Food Science. Again, Congratulations Melissa –and thank you for being a member of the FIBR Family!
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FIBR Testifies at Industry Development Policy Meeting
In March, the City of Los Angeles’ City Planning Commission held a Special Meeting in the Council Chambers to hear from a panel of experts on the future use of industrially zoned land in the City of L.A. This meeting was a result of research conducted by the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development’s (MOED). The panel of experts included information from the perspectives of industrial users, real estate developers, economists and housing advocates. The policy in question was weather to allow conversion of industrial zoned lands into housing or mixed use properties.
FIBR was among many groups, agencies and individuals who testified during the public comment period. FIBR asked the Commission to carefully consider the economic importance of manufacturing to the region and that industrially zoned spaces must be preserved. As companies in the food and other manufacturing industries are growing, they must have options for that growth. This growth can only benefit the City by creating more jobs for the community and a larger tax base for the region, but only if there are industrial spaces available. FIBR is listed among the interested parties on this subject and will continue to do what it can to keep you informed. If you would like to review the Industrial Development Policy Initiative Report, go to http://cityplanning.lacity.org. If you would like to submit your comments directly to the city, contact Conni Pallini-Tipton at Conni.Pallini-Tipton@lacity.org
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CMTC and FIBR Consortium Present Six Sigma Basics
In April, FIBR, in cooperation with FIBR Member, the California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC) presented an Overview Workshop on Sigma Sigma manufacturing.
Why did we choose Six Sigma? Because companies implementing Six Sigma frequently realize between 5:1 to 10:1 ROIs within a 6 month period of time. An organization improving from 4 Sigma (industry average) up to 5 Sigma statistically translates to reducing a company's cost of errors from 16 to 25% of sales down to 5 to 15% of sales.
Six Sigma has traditionally been cost prohibitive for most small and medium sized food related businesses. The Food Industry Business Roundtable (FIBR) and California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC) formed a consortium empowering small and medium sized food related businesses to take advantage of Six Sigma while improving safety. Participants leaned how Six Sigma could benefit their company and were given two basic Six Sigma tools to take back and practically apply at their facilities.
 Designed as an introductory workshop to help dispel the mystery of Six Sigma, Bob Lozano, Senior Quality Consultant with CMTC, provided a comprehensive overview to help participants understand the Six Sigma Concept. He also talked about Process Mapping: The technique of process mapping & analysis to help participants look at their entire organization and specific processes. Mr. Lozano then shared Check Sheets: A primary data collecting tool that provides the ability to collect and analyze process- related performance data in preparation to Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
Participants found the program very informative and expressed a greater understanding of what Six Sigma is and how it could help improve their yield and profit margin at their companies. FIBR wants to thank CMTC for sharing their knowledge and expertise with our members. If you would like to learn more about Six Sigma or would like Six Sigma Greenbelt Certification training at your facility, please contact Boris Koropey at 310/895-0150.
This program was generously hosted by
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A Taste of FIBR: 10 Year Anniversary Coming Soon!
Have you marked your calendars yet? Our annual A Taste of FIBR event is scheduled for the evening of September 20th! The planning committee is working to make this Taste a little special – Since FIBR will be celebrating a decade of service the Southern California food industry. So watch for details, they’ll hit your mailbox soon!
Don’t Miss Out this Year!
Did you miss the submission deadlines for the Taste of FIBR awards last year? Well don’t delay this time. Soon you will receive nomination forms for:
- FIBR Food Processor of the Year
- FIBR Food Safety Achievement Award
Remember you must be a FIBR member to qualify and you are definitely allowed to nominate your own company. Not a member, join today! The Taste of FIBR planning committee will also be selecting a FIBR Community Partner of the Year – this selection process is closed to the planning committee and the recipient will be announced at a future date.
So watch that mail and watch your e-mail for more news about this exciting event – and remember, submit those nominations right away!
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HACCP Roundtable Held: How to Comply With Regulatory & Private Third Party Auditors
FIBR held a HACCP Roundtable on March 21st which included presentations by a panel of experts, networking over lunch, and an open Q&A session. Hosted by FIBR Member, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, the event attracted companies from throughout Southern California.
 Mr. Michael F. Hernandez, Chief of the Seafood Safety Unit, Food & Drug Branch, for the California Department of Health Services provided welcoming remarks. He was followed by Mr. Masaaki “Mas” Hori, food safety consultant and Retired Supervisor Food & Drug Investigator (Ca DHS), who gave opening remarks and set the tone for the presentations. Mr. Hori, having experience on both the regulatory and private sector side, served as the panel moderator.
 Speakers and Panelists shared their experiences & observations of food processing company HACCP plans and keys to successful implementations. For many years, the FIBR Training Council has provided food safety training which helped companies understand and develop HACCP plans. This program was designed to help those who have plans, but might have implementation problems or need clarification on various aspects of HACCP.
Panelist included, Melissa Calicchia, Senior Technical Director, Food Safety Solutions, inc.; Karilyn Gonzales, M.S., Laboratory Director, Food Microbiological Laboratories; John N. Pesce, Supplier Auditor, Felbro Food Products, Inc.; and Sheldon Hanagami, Food Safety Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
 Networking over lunch was very successful with the volume in the room going up several decimals; and the questions and answers session took us to the end of the day’s event. If you have any other ideas on how FIBR can continue to help you in your business, please do not hesitate to contact Yvette at ynunez@fibr.info. Our programs come from your ideas. FIBR….Satisfying Your Hunger for Information.
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U.S. Department of Commerce Awards Grant To City of Los Angeles to Support Local Minority Business and Create Jobs
Furthering his efforts to support local and minority-owned businesses, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently announced a grant award from the Minority Business Development Agency of U.S. Department of Commerce for the newly restructured Los Angeles Minority Business Opportunity Center (LAMBOC). "With the restructuring of the Los Angeles Minority Business Opportunity Center, the City of Los Angeles will be better able to support local business and create more jobs for Angelenos," said Mayor Villaraigosa. "Minority-owned businesses represent the fastest growing sector of the Los Angeles economy, and it is important for us to foster their growth." Under the leadership of the Mayor, the LAMBOC was recently restructured to direct its services to better serve local minority businesses in Los Angeles. The LAMBOC previously served in a more administrative role, now it will broker and facilitate financing and contracting opportunities for the minority business community and is a key component of the Mayor's efforts to grow and support local businesses.
The U.S. Department of Commerce $600,000 grant funds personnel who will serve as advocates to bridge minority owned businesses to the private and public sector. Disney Corporation and Magic Johnson Enterprises are among many corporations participating in the program and helping in the efforts to provide access to contracting opportunities to the minority-owned businesses. Mayor Villaraigosa also announced an expansion of the Bond Assistance Program Los Angeles (BAP LA) by ensuring that city departments participate in the program, which provides technical assistance and financial support to small, women, and minority-owned businesses. Access to bonding is a critical component in competing for public construction contracts.
As an organization of ethnic and specialty food manufacturers in Southern California, FIBR is excited about this new development and will work to keep you informed as to how to take advantage of these new services.
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