SHOOG SHOOG SHOOG…. SUGAR TIME

Well, boys and girls, it seems that sugar (you remember sugar, right??) is back “in” these days once again. The following story from the Chicago Sun Times Electronic Edition makes it all clear:

(Editor’s note: We run this story for its interest value, and not for the products mentioned.)

Restaurants hoping for a sugar high

May 23, 2005

BY LUCIO GUERRERO Staff Reporter

We went through a low-cal craze in the ’80s, and we’ve experienced the low-carb kick in the years since 2000.

Well, we are now ready to embrace our sweet tooth again: After decades relegated to the back page of the menu, it looks like desserts are back.

That was especially evident Sunday during the annual National Restaurant Association show taking place through Tuesday at McCormick Place.

Lined against the walls of the building were cases and cases — measured in yards, not feet — of sugary goods.

That’s no accident. The rise in desserts comes as more Americans kick their dieting and return to sensible eating habits — even if that means a sweet treat now and again.

Fewer people dieting

According to the NPD Group, a national research firm specializing in people’s eating habits, about 20 percent of Americans were on a diet toward the end of 2004. That’s down from highs of nearly 30 percent in the earlier months of the year.

“Look, when you go out, you want to really go out and have a special night. The dessert completes the dining experience,” said James Alphonso Churchman, research and development chef for Sweet Street Desserts. “Desserts are good for the soul.”

Well, then, Churchman’s creations are pure heaven. The Pennsylvania-based company provides sweets to restaurants across the country. They are also familiar to those fortunate enough to enjoy Chicago baseball from a skybox. That’s because Sweet Street supplies the goodies at U.S. Cellular Field and Wrigley Field.

On Sunday, its U-shaped display was full of pound-piling goodness. One of the company’s newest creations was more a piece of art than food. Dubbed “Dessert at Tiffany’s,” this stacked cake includes fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries nestled within a lemon-kissed cake and chantilly cream. It’s served with heirloom beet-syrah sorbet, brown butter crisps and tangerine-mint sauce.

It seems that a simple pie or peach cobbler isn’t going to cut it anymore in the competitive world of desserts. In Chicago alone, the battle for supremacy is fierce. Dessert-only restaurants, such as Ethel’s Chocolate Lounge and Sugar, are forcing traditional eateries to up the creativeness on their desserts.

Even Chicago’s famed Eli’s Cheesecake is putting a new face on some of its original products. This year, in honor of its 25th anniversary, the firm has re-introduced three of its cheesecakes — Hawaiian (pineapple coconut), cinnamon raisin and cherry vanilla — and added a modern look to them.

“It’s important that if you are going to indulge, it should be good and worth it,” said Marc Schulman, president of Eli’s Cheesecake.
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Amen to that, Bro!