By Flavor & The Menu
February 14, 2022

Flavor innovation is what keeps guests enthused about a restaurant’s menu, yet today’s labor challenges are making it hard to focus on anything but getting through a service with consistent execution. “We wanted to help our customers who are having a hard time because of those back-of-house challenges brought on by the pandemic,” says Yury Krasilovsky, Executive Chef, Barilla America. “We wanted to take the thinking out of pasta prep so chefs get a consistent product every time—that’s the driver behind our Barilla Frozen line.”

Barilla Frozen offers the same quality and consistency that chefs rely on from Barilla: A Trusted Name Since 1877, but with the time- and labor-saving benefits of pre-cooked pasta. “When you’re using this new product, it’s like having your best prep cook delivering a consistent product, every time,” says Krasilovsky. “It’s made for foodservice—it’s made to be pushed, it’s made for those really busy times. We take the variables out. Everything is optimized with Barilla Frozen—the cook time, the hold time. It makes prep simpler while keeping pastas dishes at a high quality, which makes customers happy.”

Cellentani pasta and cannellini beans are flavored with a rich ragu of tomatoes, spicy sambal, balsamic vinegar and goat cheese, finished with a soft-cooked egg.

Making customers happy is clearly the goal, and unfortunately, staffing issues are not going unnoticed. According to Datassential’s 2021 “Post Covid Labor Shortage Report,” 54 percent of consumers have noticed the negative effects of a labor shortage at restaurants. Solutions-oriented products are in demand in foodservice and Barilla America is answering the call. “We made Barilla Frozen so it’s ready to perform, and we really thought about the various cooking platforms and service styles that operators use today,” says Krasilovsky. From microwaves to impingers, catering to ghost kitchens, Barilla Frozen is line-ready. Thanks to high-quality semolina and rigorous testing of the IQF production process, Barilla Frozen can flex between to-order service or be held for 30 minutes or longer – perfect for today’s delivery environment.

For more information about Barilla Frozen, visit Barillafs.com/frozen

Big News… Lasagne Sheets

In its ongoing efforts to provide innovations needed by an evolving industry, Barilla is excited to offer chefs oven-ready, shelf-stable lasagne sheets.

Barilla Lasagne Chef fit a half hotel pan, making prep faster and easier with zero waste. Get more info at https://www.barillafs.com/lasagne/.