California Almonds to be showcased at World Pastry Cup

As a proud partner of the 2009 World Pastry Cup (Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie), the Almond Board of California will pay tribute to the grand tradition of classic almond pastry arts still used today to create tomorrow's innovations at the World Pastry Cup. The 2009 World Pastry Cup, which will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the world-class competition, will be the first year almonds are featured in the competition. Two of the four competition categories require the use of California almonds: the frozen fruit dessert and the plated, chocolate dessert.

In preparation for this year's celebration, the Almond Board will help unveil a special 20th anniversary dessert. Thirty of the most acclaimed pâtisiers in the world, all previous winners of the competition, gathered to create this unprecedented recipe that represents the spirit of the contest and includes the latest trends in pâtisserie. The dessert, consisting of intricate layers of delicate chocolate mousse, almond praline, fruit with chopped almonds, a chocolate biscuit and spice, will debut in France and be replicated in pâtisseries and restaurants around the world.

The World Pastry Cup, now considered the flagship event in the pâtisserie profession, will take place in Lyon, France on January 25–26, 2009, during SIRHA, the International Hotel Catering and Food Trade Exhibition. For more information about the World Pastry Cup or the Almond Board of California's sponsorship, visit www.AlmondsAreIn.com.

Johnson & Wales teams wins big at Culinary Olympics

Three chefs and one student from Johnson & Wales University brought home one gold, one silver and two bronze medals from the 22nd International Culinary Arts Competition, referred to in the industry as the Culinary Olympics, which was held from Oct. 19–22 in Erfurt, Germany. The Culinary Olympics, established by the German Chefs Association in 1900, is the largest culinary exhibit in the world and is held every four years similar to the international sporting event. With more than 1,000 chefs, baking and pastry experts from more than 50 countries competing, it is also one of the leading international cooking contests.

Chef Brian Campbell, CEC, CCE, FMP, CCI, associate instructor, College of Culinary Arts, at Johnson & Wales Charlotte Campus, won a gold medal in the cold food competition. His eight-serving platter entry highlighted seafood from both American coasts and included poached lobster tail and cured salmon. He carried the same theme through to the six individual plates he presented, featuring unique twists on regional favorites: foie grad and confit terrine (Northeast); poached rabbit loin (Midwest); goat cheese and eggplant timbale (Southwest); cured pork tenderloin (Southeast); salmon gravlox sampler (Northwest), and Alaskan Halibut (Pacific).

Chef Robert W. Zielinski, CEPC, associate instructor, International Baking & Pastry Institute at the College Culinary Arts, Providence Campus earned a silver medal in the pastry category for his salt dough piece entitled "Autumn Garden Harvest." Daniel Schöfisch, culinary arts student, senior and culinary events teaching assistant, College of Culinary Arts, Providence Campus, received a silver medal for his cold food entry, which focused on sustainability and featured selections from the lake and sea including a mosaic of poached turbot and smoked Scottish salmon. Chef Frank Terranova, MCFE, associate instructor, College of Culinary Arts, Providence Campus, captured a bronze medal for his cold food presentation, which included a cold festive platter of, among other things, mahi mahi and Coho salmon sea bass.

The award-winning Johnson & Wales University's 2008 Culinary Olympics team was sponsored by the Vollrath Co., a manufacturer of quality smallwares and equipment for the foodservice industry.

(Pictured, l to r): Charles Reid, Brian Campbell, Frank Terranova, Rainer Hainerwadel, Daniel Schöfisch, Robert Zielinski, John Maieli and Marc Hienerwadel. (Photo courtesy of TBZ Koch)

Massachusetts high school students to compete for culinary scholarships

Students from across the state of Massachusetts are gearing up to participate in the Massachusetts Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's (MRAEF) Second Annual ProStart Student Invitational, to be held on Jan. 16, 2009 at Le Cordon Bleu in Cambridge. This is the first time Le Cordon Bleu is hosting the event.

Participating ProStart teams will demonstrate their creative culinary abilities by preparing a complete meal consisting of a starter (soup, appetizer or salad); protein (meat, fish or fowl); vegetable and starch, followed by dessert. Students will be asked to compete in events to highlight their knowledge of the restaurant and foodservice industry. A portion of the competition involves a case-study event, where students test their communication skills and their knowledge in practical situations.

Participating schools include: Brockton High School (first time participating); Carver High School; Nantucket High School; Peabody Veterans Memorial High School; Pittsfield High School; Smith Agricultural Vocational High School; and Tri- County Vocational High School.

Teams will be competing for first, second and third place, and each winning team member will receive scholarships from one of five colleges: Johnson and Wales, Culinary Institute of America, Newbury College, Connecticut Culinary Institute and New England Culinary Institute.

For more information on the 2009 Massachusetts ProStart Student Invitational, click here.

New Penn State Outreach video series explores urban gardening

In this age of highly publicized food contaminations, energy anxieties and global warming, concerns about where and how our groceries are produced and distributed are emerging worldwide. With those concerns in mind, Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education, recently produced "The Urban Side of Green," a series of online videos that discuss the benefits of greening up city landscapes. Part one of the series, featuring an interview with Penn State's Dr. Dorothy Blair, can be found on YouTube (click here for link).

Blair, an assistant professor of Nutrition, is a longtime advocate of eating locally—a lifestyle sometimes described as "localvore." She has been studying and teaching about global food production system for 30 years. While serving in the Peace Corps early in her career, she said she saw firsthand how the global food production system perpetuated poverty, funneling money away from the people producing food, and into the coffers of distant conglomerates. Later, through her academic research, she was able to pinpoint "fatal flaws" that would render that system ecologically unsustainable.

In contrast, "if you're producing food in a urban area, it's very diversified—many producers on tiny plots," Blair points out. "It's very energy-efficient, and you have people eating food that is good for them—extremely fresh—with the kind of nutrients they might find difficult to obtain because of their low budget. And you have people locally making money."

Blair sees three main benefits to city farms and gardens: personal health, economic health and environmental health. To learn more about Dr. Blair's research, visit her Web page.

Revamped Idaho Potato Web site offers wealth of resources

After performing a complete overhaul of its Web site, the Idaho Potato Commission recently unveiled the new and improved www.idahopotato.com. The new site is both engaging and easier to navigate, with all of the most trafficked and requested pages up front. Now scanning for instruction resources, like recipes, news and cooking tips is more convenient than ever. Short videos can be viewed by clicking on the Spud Flix “Now Playing” button. The inventory of more than twenty videos also includes this promo for Idaho Potato Lollipops; CET's sister publication Chef Magazine featured the recipe for Idaho Potato Lollipops in its September 2008 issue.

NRA 'What's Hot' survey released

The National Restaurant Association's (NRA) "What's Hot in 2009" survey of American Culinary Federation chefs is the industry's leading culinary forecast. This year marks the third annual survey of ACF chefs. More than 1,600 professional chefs nationwide ranked nearly 210 culinary items as a "hot trend," "yesterday's news" or "perennial favorite."

The full survey can be viewed here, but the top 20 are listed below.

What’s Hot: Top 20 Trends
1. Locally grown produce
2. Bite-size/mini desserts
3. Organic produce
4. Nutritionally balanced children's dishes
5. New/fabricated cuts of meat (e.g. Denver steak, pork flat iron, bone-in Tuscan veal chop)
6. Fruit/vegetable children's side items
7. Superfruits (e.g. acai, goji berry, mangosteen)
8. Small plates/tapas/mezze/dim sum
9. Micro-distilled/artisan liquor
10. Sustainable seafood
11. Nutrition/health (e.g. low-fat, reduced sodium, antioxidants, high-fiber)
12. Gluten-free/food allergy conscious
13. Non-traditional fish (e.g. branzino, Arctic char, barramundi)
14. Artisanal cheeses
15. Exotic fruit (e.g. durian, passion fruit, dragon fruit, guava)
16. Culinary cocktails (e.g. savory, customized to specific dishes)
17. Micro-vegetables/micro-greens
18. Organic wine
19. Dessert flights/combos/platters
20. Free-range poultry/pork

In your opinion, what food trends will be hot in 2009? Tell us about it in the comments section.

ACF-approved continuing education courses at Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy

Barry Callebaut, a leading manufacturer of high-quality cocoa and chocolate products, announced that 15 courses at its Chocolate Academy in Chicago have been approved for continuing education hours through the American Culinary Federation (ACF). From introductory courses on the origins of chocolate to specialized classes on molding, enrobing and sculpting techniques, the Chocolate Academy’s one-of-a-kind training is specifically designed to encourage participants to apply and broaden their technical skills under the guidance of trained master chocolatiers. The small classes are taught in a personal setting that encourages participants to share their unique experience and knowledge about the latest chocolate-making trends with other participants.Courses at Barry Callebaut's Chicago Chocolate Academy are also eligible for continuing education credit through the Research Chefs Association.