Monthly Archives: October 2014

They’re Real, and They’re Spooktacular

One If By Land, Two If By Sea Restaurant

One If By Land, Two If By Sea Restaurant

It’s that time of year again—your heart races, your palms sweat and the past haunts you. No, it’s not tax season. It’s Halloween—the celebration of costumes, candy and scary, well, just about everything. Halloween is big business for the food processing industry, with this year’s U.S. confectionery sales expected to top $2.5 billion dollars.

The food service industry also capitalizes on the holiday, often holding special promotions celebrating the time of year. However, Halloween is essentially year-round for some restaurants, with ghost sightings and paranormal activity always a daily special.

In the “spirit” of the season, here’s a list of some of the most haunted eateries in the U.S.:

Arnaud’s, New Orleans, LA: One of the most haunted places in one of the most haunted cities in the world, Arnaud’s is haunted by its founder, “Count” Arnaud Cazenave. His ghost occasionally appears in the dining room, seating “guests” who then disappear through walls.

Beardslee Castle, Little Falls, NY: Featured on the TV show “Ghost Hunters”, the two resident ghosts have been known to shatter glasses, close doors, reset tables and move objects.

Bodega Brew Pub, La Crosse, WI: This pub’s original owner died on the premises in 1901. His ghost has been seen by patrons and employees, occasionally tapping their shoulders. Unexplained chills have also been felt, and bricks stack and restack themselves in the basement.

Casey Moore’s Oyster House, Tempe, AZ: Patrons have reported seeing ghostly couples dancing in the upstairs room, as well as flatware flying through the dining room. An eerie glow often radiates from the second floor.

Catfish Plantation, Waxahachie, TX: Known as the “most haunted restaurant in Texas”, this Cajun restaurant occupies the former home of a deceased woman. Coffee brews itself, dishes and cups have been stacked in odd places and a ghostly “bride” has been seen by the windows.

Ear Inn, New York, NY: Built in 1817, the building has been a bar and restaurant over most of its life. Spirits who died during Prohibition, when the Ear Inn was a speakeasy, are said to still frequent the bar. The fireplace often ignites by itself, and cell phones die for no reason.

Hooters, Chicago, IL: Housed in a building that served as a morgue to the victims of the 1915 Eastland disaster on the Chicago River, the downtown Hooters is also near the site of a 19th Century bodysnatching operation. According to staff, there have been many strange sights, sounds and other paranormal activity in the restaurant.

The Jury Room, Columbus, OH: Opened in 1831 and built on a Native American burial ground, The Jury Room once operated as a bordello. Featured on “The Dead Files”, objects often move by themselves and a tall, shadowy figure occasionally appears behind the bar. Women also report being attacked by unseen forces.

The Melting Pot, Littleton, CO: Formerly the town jail, both an inmate and a jailer are said to have died on the premises. Candles light themselves, machinery moves around and voices are often heard behind the sealed back staircase.

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Talking Shop

Caveat Emptor: “Let the buyer beware”. Often used in regards to the purchasing process, it’s a phrase describing any informational asymmetry present in a contractual deal. It implies that the goods sold are “as-is” – placing the onus on the buyer to complete due diligence as to the product’s pedigree prior to purchasing. With the increased presence of e-commerce in industrial distribution, it’s certainly a principle of growing importance that deserves careful consideration when making purchasing decisions.

As a wide-line supplier to the food processing industry, Nelson-Jameson carries thousands of verified, quality products across six major categories: Safety & Personnel, Production & Material Handling, Sanitation & Janitorial, Processing & Flow Control, Laboratory & QA/QC, and Packaging & Ingredients. One way in which we bring these items to market is through our website, nelsonjameson.com. Some of our products are proprietary and/or exclusive, but many are not. For example, there are over 2.5 million search engine results for hair net suppliers. Clearly an abundance of buying choices exists, but we are of the opinion that Nelson-Jameson should be your first choice of supplier – we offer competitive pricing, product support and expertise, reliable logistics, value-added services, trusted products and a “one-stop-shop” purchasing experience. However, we digress. This blog entry’s purpose isn’t to promote our strengths, it’s to highlight that sometimes consumer choice – especially through a medium like the internet – comes with caveats.

downloadThe importance of recognizing these caveats was highlighted in a recent article in 3-A Sanitary Standards, Inc.’s quarterly industry newsletter. 3-A is the industrial sanitary standard relating to the “cleanbility” of dairy and other food processing equipment. It was developed by processors, regulatory sanitarians and equipment fabricators in the 1920s; and, in the interest of public health, gained the support of the U.S. government in the 1940s. Currently, there are 71 3-A Sanitary Standards and 10 3-A Accepted Practices utilized in various capacities by more than 450 companies across the globe. Processors know and trust the 3-A Symbol, and often demand it for their food processing equipment. Nelson-Jameson sells sanitary equipment in our Processing & Flow Control department that meets 3-A Sanitary Standards, and also holds a 3-A certification for our hose assembliesContinue reading

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What Is Nelson-Jameson?

Food-Safety-300x300This is a question I am am often asked when I tell people that I work for Nelson-Jameson. My response is usually, we are a wide line supplier to large scale food processors. This often evokes a puzzled look. Their next question is, what is a large scale food processor? It is surprising to me that so many people have no idea that a great deal of the food they consume is processed in large plants that produce hundreds of thousands of pounds of food every day.

As an account manager for Nelson-Jameson, I am privileged to be able to visit many of these large food processing plants to offer them the products we sell. It has been a wonderful education for me to see how the food that I eat is handled before it gets to my table.

This week I am vacationing in California with my brother and his wife. We have made several trips to the grocery store to buy food. I am extremely proud to be able to point at food products in the store and tell them that I call on the plant that makes that food. I personally know the people that put that food in the container on the store shelf.

I am extremely proud that I am able to help customers produce good quality food for our tables and share the knowledge of what we do with those I love and care about.

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What’s on the ‘Tube…

20140930_084750Nelson-Jameson is pleased to announce that filming was completed this week on two new instructional videos examining the M926 Chloride Analyzer, a popular automatic chloride titrator for the food industry. The videos are being developed as part of a larger initiative to bring product information and assistance to our customers through numerous modes of delivery.

Among a several other applications, these two short videos will soon be available on the Nelson-Jameson YouTube Channel. If you haven’t gotten a chance, check out our channel right here! On the channel, you will find a growing list of videos covering our wide line of products. Here, you will be able to see videos featuring some of our products, others taking on product-specific frequently asked questions, and many more areas of interest.

Do you have any suggestions for videos that you would like to see on our channel: information on certain products, services, how-to clips, etc.? Drop us a line; we would appreciate hearing any ideas you may have! For those interested, the M926 Chloride Analzyer videos will be posted later this month.

Keep checking our Learning Center on our website, YouTube channel, blog, Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter for more updates and more information!

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Nelson-Jameson Sponsors Food Safety Educator Award

Dr. Keith R. Schneider Source: University of Florida

Dr. Keith R. Schneider
Source: University of Florida

Nelson-Jameson was once again proud to award The Elmer Marth Educator Award at the International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting in August. This $1,500 honorarium award recognizes an active IAFP Member for dedicated and exceptional contributions to the profession of the Educator.

Dr. Keith R. Schneider, Professor and Extension Specialist in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at the University of Florida in Gainesville, is the recipient of this year’s Elmer Marth Educator Award. His responsibilities at the University of Florida include courses in Food Safety & Sanitation and Current Issues in Food Safety, as well as lecturing in Food Safety Systems, Industrial Food Fermentations, Food Toxicology, Graduate Research Planning and Food Product Development.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Schneider is a student advisor, co-developer of an online food safety program, and microbial food safety researcher. His numerous publications, workbooks, fact sheets, DVDs, and other education materials demonstrate his efforts to support food safety outreach.

Dr. Schneider has been a member of IAFP for almost 20 years – we congratulate him on this award and his dedication to food safety education.

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