Meat Your Menu with this New Menu Idea from Burke- Italian-Style Meatballs with Toasted Ravioli.
Italian-Style Meatballs, freshly sliced bell peppers and toasted cheese ravioli stacked on a wooden skewer. Oven-baked and finished with an Italian dressing drizzle.
Request a sample today.
NEW PRODUCT RELEASE
Burke introduces new coarse-ground sausage offering great flavor, texture and appearance.
Burke Corporation, leader in fully cooked meats and pizza toppings, is bringing out a great sausage to make your great pizza even better. It’s succulent and delicious like never before and its coarse ground nature will offer customers a firm texture and a better bite.
Patrons who taste this sausage love the eye-appeal of its toast points and authentic hand-pinched look. This exceptional taste and texture are available in two customer favorites:
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Traditional Sweet Mild Italian – Whole fennel and black pepper
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Spicy Italian – Whole fennel, black pepper, red pepper, garlic and paprika
Each is available in 4/oz. and 8/oz. sizes to give you options for coverage and appearance in your pizza creation.
Your passion for pizza is shared by Burke, and we offer more than 1,200 ways to create your pizza with fully cooked meat toppings – we’ll help you find just the right ones for your operation. And, with the addition of these great tasting sausages, your customers will have even more reasons to love your pizza. Also, your back of house will appreciate the time-savings and safety of toppings that are fully cooked.
We are excited to show off this sausage’s outstanding flavor, texture and appearance. If you would like to try this great sausage and boost your profits, visit us at http://www.BurkeCorp.com to request a sample.
“He was supportive and a wealth of knowledge,” said Jim Chittenden, Burke Process and Quality Control Manager.
“He was an expert, happy and caring,” said Toni Burnett, MT (ASCP) SM, Burke Lab Manager.
Both Chittenden and Burnett reported to John Olson before his retirement April 5, 2013, and agree that he was an exceptional boss, bringing expertise and a wily dash of fun to his position. They both talk about his philosophy of hiring good people and then “getting out of the way.”
Olson’s primary job was to direct, coordinate and monitor the quality assurance of Burke products and give customers technical assistance and now he’s retired from a company to which he has greatly contributed.
Olson earned a lot of respect throughout his 35 years in meat science and 25 years with Burke. “He had great knowledge of our products and the processes within the plant,” said Chittenden. “People would consult with him from many departments, and he often met with the primary leaders of the company,” said Burnett.
Olson is originally from Thor, Iowa, population 186. The name of his hometown hints at his Norwegian heritage, and with a management style in which he communicated clearly without ever having to raise his voice, he earned the nickname the “Norwegian Gentle Giant”.
Olson served in the U.S, Army and earned his master’s degree in meat science from Iowa State University, where he worked in the meat lab. He is a big fan of his alma mater. While at Burke, he often would conduct tailgate parties for employees before Cyclone games from an old station wagon with “wooden” sides that came to be known affectionately by many as the Pizza Wagon.
When he joined Burke Corporation in 1988, he brought experience from a variety of positions in the meat industry. Olson’s first job with Burke was in Research and Development, which had five people when he started and, with the advent of HACCP, has grown to 15 during his tenure. He is highly respected in the industry and is known for his knowledge in meat technology, technical services, quality control and production management.
Employees and customers looked up to Olson. According to Chittenden and Burnett, customers appreciated how Olson helped guide them through formulations, their situations, compliance issues and Certificates of Analysis. “He was a natural at customer service,” said Burnett.
Chittenden said, “John ascribed to one of Burke’s main precepts: People are the most important factor in our business.” He knew his employees and about their families. Many have become his friends. He was also a great supporter of employee birthday parties and made sure each celebrant wore the legendary hat with a candle on top that Olson would bring to the party.
Now retired, Olson is likely to continue his passion for gardening around his Ames home. His wife Helen has also recently retired, and they expect to travel together and spend time with their grandchildren. Meanwhile, none will be surprised if his passion for draft horses results in actual ownership of one. Then Olson can ride into the retirement sunset in a seat befitting the leadership he provided and the affection he harvested at Burke Corporation.
Burke Corporation recently announced it received an American Meat Institute (AMI) Environmental Achievement Award in the category of resource conservation. The award was presented at the AMI Conference on Worker Safety, Human Resources and the Environment in Kansas City, Mo., on March 20.
Through the awards program, AMI recognizes companies in four categories: environmental technology; outreach and training programs; pollution prevention; resource conservation; and social and economic sustainability.
“We are honored to receive this award for our water conservation efforts - this project demonstrates our commitment to corporate responsibility and showcases the dedication and hard work of our passionate team members.” James Stevens, Environmental Supervisor.
A little about our project: In September of 2008, Burke Corporation began implementing water conservation projects that we identified through our own internal observations as well as in collaboration with a government agency’s pollution prevention intern program. We also assembled a water conservation team as a subgroup of their environmental sustainability team.
Since that time, we have investigated and implemented automation and process changes, mechanical modifications, and resource conservation training to conserve water. While we instituted numerous mechanical conservation projects, the bulk of our water reduction came from our conservation training program.
Burke Corporation has saved more than 20 million gallons of water since 2008, which is a 25 percent drop in water usage. Since approximately 60 percent of that water saved is hot water, we also saved more than 67,000 therms of natural gas.
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Great sausage makes great pizza, and some of the biggest news coming out of the 2013 International Pizza Expo®, March 19-21, is Burke's new sausage. Burke is introducing a great sausage to make your great pizza even better.
Burke has taken its two most popular flavor options and enhanced them to create perfection where it counts—on top of your pizza. Both are coarse-ground for a better bite and Hand-Pinched Style® for an authentic look.
The authentic texture of these new sausage varieties provides great bite and the meaty appearance with toast points that comes from being coarse-ground—all to give your customers a memorable experience. Each is available in 4/oz and 8/oz.
- Traditional Sweet Mild Italian—Whole fennel and black pepper
- Spicy Italian—Whole fennel, black pepper, red pepper, garlic and paprika
Your passion for pizza is shared by Burke and we're excited to show off this sausage's outstanding flavor, texture and appearance along with a variety of other trendy and traditional pizza toppings, from beef to chicken to pepperoni and more—at booth #711. We think you'll find plenty of inspiration from the delicious recipes you can sample, so be sure to stop and try one.
Request a Sample Today!
Burke offers more than 1,200 ways to create your pizza with fully cooked meat toppings. And we'll help you find just the right ones. When you use fully cooked toppings, you save time, have fewer safety concerns and are always sure you'll be pleasing your customers.
Join us at Beer & Bull! Come to the Beer and Bull Idea Exchange® sessions sponsored by Burke on Tuesday, March 19 and Wednesday, March 20 at 4:30 p.m. This relaxed venue is great for exchanging valuable ideas and success stories.
If you're unable to make it to the International Pizza Expo®, stay tuned for more information about the products Burke will feature—menu ideas and other industry updates. Sign up for the Meat Your Ideas blog at www.BurkeCorp.com/Blog.
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Antipasto Sausage Skewers featuring Fully Cooked Sausage from Burke
A skewer filled with Mild & Spicy Italian Sausage, artichoke hearts, olives, cherry tomatoes and red onions. Baked in a pizza oven, then drizzled with Italian dressing and served with red pepper Asiago cheese and pepperoncini.
Also try Fully Cooked Sausages in pizza, wraps, calzones, pasta dishes, soups and casseroles.
Start with our menu ideas; then add your inspiration to create signature recipes that keep your customers coming back for more.
Due to blizzard conditions, the Burke Corporation office is closed today, Thursday, December 20. If you need to reach us, please contact your regional sales manager.
EDIT: Our phone system has been repaired. Thank you again for your understanding.
Burke Corporation’s phone carrier is currently having technical difficulties which is preventing incoming and outbound calls using our direct lines. If you would like to contact us, please email us at sales_info@burkecorp.com or you can reach us at 800-654-1152.
Thank you for your understanding as we work through these issues.
NEWS RELEASE
NEVADA, Iowa—Burke Corporation, leader in fully cooked meat toppings and ingredients, announced that Michael Dougherty has been hired as National Accounts Sales Manager. Dougherty’s primary role will be to oversee Burke’s national accounts as well as manage other customers who operate on a national level.
“Mike’s contribution to Burke will be integral for continuing customer satisfaction and building strong customer relationships,” said Doug Cooprider, Burke’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “His skills will be a key asset to Burke’s reputation for high quality customer service.”
Dougherty has over 20 years of experience in both the retail and foodservice channels. He has been a part of negotiating and securing new business, expanding his sales force and increasing business revenue and profitability. He has also successfully managed multi-million dollar accounts such as Schwan’s and Tyson Foodservice. Throughout his career, Dougherty has been committed to providing high-quality product while fostering personal and professional growth among customers and employees.
For more information about Burke fully cooked meat products, visit www.BurkeCorp.com/Products.
The Burke R&D Techlink | Fall 2012 – a quarterly news update from the Burke Research and Development Team – is now available for download.
Included in this issue:
- The Man Behind the Name – Bill Burke says he’s not retiring. He’s transitioning. That response should surprise few who know the man who has been with Burke Corporation for 39 years, 26 of which have been in a leadership role for the company his parents founded.
- Weber Selected as New Burke President – He comes with a very successful tenure with Hormel’s foodservice. David brings with him enthusiasm honed in sales, product management and sales management for Hormel, where he has worked for two decades. And he brings something else---a longtime affection for Burke.
- Round Out Your Menu with Burke Meatballs – Burke’s oven baked
meatballs do not have the oily after taste that oil cooked meatballs have. They also have more cooked meat flavor than those cooked in steam chambers.
- Scientists On Organic vs. Conventional Meat, Produce – A recent study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows that organic fruits, vegetables, and meat may be no more nutritious than their conventional counterparts. Nor were they any less likely to be contaminated by dangerous bacteria like E. coli.
- Canon’s Corner: Umami in Product Development – Umami is known as the fifth taste together with saltiness, sweetness, bitterness and sourness. It is generally described as a savory taste and contributes in making foods more flavorful.
Download the Burke R&D Techlink | Fall 2012 now.