Thursday, March 26, 2009

Raw food culinary school to open in Oklahoma City

This fall the country's first state-licensed raw food or "living" cuisine academy and café will open in Oklahoma City.

The school, dubbed 105degrees Academy in reference to the optimal temperature for preparing living cuisine without harming its healthful properties, will teach students how to combine organic, raw ingredients with classic culinary techniques to create flavorful and healthy meals.
The program will be seasonal, with recipes changing monthly.

105degrees
Academy’s chef certification Level 1 classes, which begin in September, consist of a four-week curriculum and will be offered year-round with 16 students per class. Chef certification Level 2 advanced classes, which start in January 2010, consist of a 12-week curriculum, offered every quarter with eight students per session.

"Level 2 classes are designed to prepare students who currently work or aspire to work in an upscale restaurant or culinary environment," said academy director Mandilyn Canistelle in a statement.

The 3,000-square-foot academy also includes the 105degrees Café, which will offer only organic and plant-based ingredients and will be open seven days a week serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

"We will be the only state-licensed, raw culinary school in the country that has curriculum aligned with classic culinary techniques," said co-founder and director of operations Matthew Kenney
in a statement. "The cuisine of our academy will be the most advanced and creative living cuisine available in an educational setting."

Johnsonville donates scholarship funds at El Centro gala

Johnsonville Sausage LLC sponsored a gala dinner at El Centro College in Dallas this month, where it presented El Centro's Food and Hospitality Institute with the Chefs of Tomorrow scholarship, which recognizes excellence in culinary educators and students nationwide. Culinary students enrolled in the Food and Hospitality Institute prepared and served each course served at the gala, which was held March 6 during the 2009 Research Chefs Association Conference.

(l to r) Johnsonville senior brand manager Sarah Babb, Johnsonville western region sales coach Marti Miller, El Centro College chef instructor Chris LaLonde, El Centro College chef instructor Tom Nixon

"The culinary arts program at El Centro College is honored to receive this generous contribution to our scholarship fund by Johnsonville, a brand that is highly respected among chefs nationwide," said El Centro chef instructor Chris Lalonde in a statement. "This donation will help us assist more prospective chefs in achieving their goals."