» Online culinary ed: Lower Merion resident, cookbook author and Jewish Exponent food editor Ethel Hofman has launched a nifty educational video program to help restaurant waitstaff learn the finer points of hospitality, including food safety and handling. The Distance Learning Program for Food Service Professionals (greenleeconcepts.com) consists of five modules that can be taken at the staffer’s own pace and utilizes a variety of teaching tools, including video and audio clips. At the end of the course, students receive a certificate they can show off to current or future bosses. The modules on food-related illness should prove invaluable to any restaurateur who encourages his or her staff to participate in the program, as most cases of salmonella can be prevented with better training.
» Resurfaced: Scott Morrison is at it again, this time with a new concept called Chelsea Tavern in Wilmington (821 N. Market St.), just across the street from the historic Grand Opera House. The tagline is “wood-burning comfort, superior cuisine.” The menu offers pizza, bar snacks, burgers, salads and bistro fare like steak frites and local striped bass, plus trendy specialty drinks, craft beers and wines.
