John Morrell Food Group Foodservice announced its new MenuQuest platform at a special event held at Soldier Field in Chicago. The event was hosted by celebrity chef Stephanie Izard and attended by many leading Foodservice professionals. John Morrell Food Group also showcased its support for Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign by donating $5,000 to the organization in addition to its ongoing donations and support for the organization.

MenuQuest is an innovative program that offers strategic council to restaurants and food providers. It lends its culinary expertise to assist with menu innovation and culinary consultation. The program received excellent feedback and results with test operators, which spurred the official launch.

"We are extremely excited to launch the new MenuQuest platform," said Beth Sharkey, marketing manager, John Morrell Food Group. "Whether it's a start up organization or a successful national chain, our team has the experience and resources to help grow its business. Everything from menu innovation, to recipe development, to culinary trends and insights, MenuQuest has it covered."

MenuQuest's commitment to understanding the latest culinary trends was reflected in the five tasting stations at the event at Soldier Field. Each station's menu and drink pairing was developed by Chef Mike Wales, and demonstrated a trend in action Trends showcased were flatbread, alcohol infusion, ethnic mash-up, PM flavors for breakfast and charcuterie inspiration, which featured a Chef Izard original recipe. The event included live jazz music and Chef Izard signed her cookbook for the attendees.