Lexington students earn top 2009 IHLA awards

The Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association Education Foundation’s (IHLAEF) Selection Committee recently announced their 2009 scholarship awardees. Four IHLA awards were granted to Lexington College students.

Two prestigious awards were given to Itezelle Arienza ’10 and Caroline Marry ’10. Arienza is the recipient of The 2009 Hostmark Hospitality Group/Robert J. Cataldo Scholarship for the 2009–2010 academic year--the highest award designated for an IHLA hotel member employee. Marry is the recipient of The 2009 J. Patrick Leahy Connoisseur Scholarship for the 2009–2010 academic year. Arienza and Marry are both pursuing a bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management with a concentration in Hotel/Restaurant Management.

“As one of the top hospitality schools in Chicago, we know how important intelligent, young talent is. It is an honor to have the two largest IHLA scholarships going to Lexington students, and we recognize each of them for their outstanding achievements,” said academic dean of Lexington College Mary Hunt in a press release. “We believe they will continue to make a significant contribution to their profession in the hospitality industry.”

Katie Holtschult ’10 and Jennifer Yerkes ’09 also received scholarship awards for the 2009–2010 academic year. Holtschult is pursuing her bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management with a concentration in Hotel/Restaurant Management. Yerkes is pursuing her bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management with a concentration in Event Planning.

The IHLAEF is the not-for-profit educational arm of the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association (IHLA). Incorporated in 1992, the Foundation has been a primary source of scholarship assistance for college students pursuing degrees in hospitality management in Illinois. The IHLA will salute all of its award recipients along with Stars of the Industry state finalists at the IHLA’s 21st Annual Luncheon Meeting in December at the Fairmont Hotel Chicago.

Kendall student wins $500 in dessert buffet competition

In the second competition sponsored by American Metalcraft, the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College awarded first place to Avril Blayney and second place to Hannah Vaughn for their plated dessert presentations.

(l to r) Kendall College students Hannah Vaughn, second place winner, and Avril Blayney, first place winner, show off their entries in the American Metalcraft dessert buffet competition.

The competition, in which 14 students participated, required the students to design and plate bite-sized desserts on a variety of American Metalcraft stainless steel, glass and porcelain plates and platters. Students had one hour to complete their presentations and were judged on balance, color, height, layout on the platter, creativity and movement. Blayney received a $500 check from American Metalcraft for her confectionery entry on a white porcelain platter. Vaughn received $200 for her dessert presentation on a glass pedestal platter.

C-CAP competitions award nearly $3 million in scholarships

Student chefs from public high schools across the country showcased their talent during Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP) Cooking Competitions for Scholarships. At these fast-paced, hands-on events, top chefs judged students on the preparation of two classic recipes prepared from memory in just two hours.

More than 190 teens walked away with scholarships--ranging in value from $500 to $88,596--to attend some of the most prestigious culinary schools and colleges in the country including the nationally recognized Culinary Institute of America, Johnson & Wales University, New England Culinary Institute, The Art Institutes and Monroe College. Students also received scholarships to premier local colleges and culinary schools in the seven locations where C-CAP operates programs, plus cash awards to help defray the costs of books, supplies, housing and other expenses while at college. Knife kits by R.H. Forschner were also awarded.

In a statement following the event, C-CAP founder and president Richard Grausman said, “With the tough economic times, students now more than ever need all the help they can possibly get with financing their college education. We are grateful to our post-secondary partners, our contributors, local chefs and to all who help us help C-CAP scholarship winners take this life-changing path to a career in the food service industry. These supporters are making the scholarship program possible.”

C-CAP held the competitions and award ceremonies in seven locations this year including: New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Hampton Roads, Va.

The cooking competitions are the culmination of the year-long C-CAP program, which introduces students to new cuisines; teaches students basic cooking skills and techniques; and helps students find meaningful careers as chefs, restaurant managers and hotel administrators. For urban teenagers at risk of leaving high school without job or college prospects, C-CAP offers direction, a set of useful skills, scholarships and the potential for a fulfilling career in a growing industry.

Chef Uwe Toedter (left), president of Les Amis d’ Escoffier Society of New York, was a judge at the C-CAP New York Cooking Competition for Scholarships Awards Ceremony. He presented a scholarship from Les Amis d’ Escoffier Society of New York and a scholarship in his daughter’s name, Natalie Toedter. (Photo by Jerry Ruotolo)

MSU's School of Hospitality Alumni Association honors two professors with academic achievement awards

The School of Hospitality Business Alumni Association at Michigan State University awarded Dr. Michael Olsen and Prof. John Drysdale its 2009 Lifetime Academic Achievement Award. The award is given to alumni whose lifetime careers in the academy have had a lasting and significant impact on hospitality education and those who study and teach it.

Olsen (pictured below) is an emeritus professor of strategic management in the hospitality industry in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management in the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and chairman of the Olsen Group Inc., a firm providing strategic visioning leadership to the global hospitality industry. He earned his bachelor’s degree from MSU's School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management and his MBA at MSU. He earned his Ph.D. at Virginia Tech.


Drysdale (pictured below), who earned his bachelor’s from the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management at MSU and his master's of science in administration from Central Michigan University, is a professor emeritus at Johnson County Community College in Overland, Kan., where he taught in the hospitality management department. He also is the CEO of Hospitality Publishing LLC.


The school will honor Olsen and Drysdale today at the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Education Conference in San Francisco.

Monroe Community College promotes two

Monroe Community College's (MCC) board of trustees recently approved the promotion of two faculty members in the hospitality management department at the Rochester, N.Y.-based college.


Michelle Bartell (pictured), an MCC hospitality management department chairperson who has worked at the college for 13 years, was named chair and associate professor of the hospitality department. Drew Lawrence, a five-year faculty member of MCC's hospitality department, was promoted to assistant professor.

Tenbergen “adopts” USS Halsey

In support of the Naval Supply Systems Command's (NAVSUP) “Adopt-A–Ship” program, Klaus Tenbergen, Culinology Program director and assistant professor from California State University, Fresno, recently participated in a week-long at-sea session mentoring and training mess management specialists stationed aboard USS Halsey (DDG-97) (pictured right).

Halsey is the 47th ship in the Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) Class of Aegis guided missile destroyers--the U.S. Navy’s most powerful destroyer fleet. These highly-capable, multi-mission ships can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, in support of National Military Strategy.

A crew of approximately 300 officers and crewmembers operate the 509.5-foot, 9,300-ton ship, so quality foodservice and well-balanced meals are vital to providing a higher quality of life to the sailors, both ashore and afloat. The Adopt-A-Ship program furthers industry and Navy quality-of-life objectives by facilitating the transfer of knowledge and capabilities from chefs like Tenbergen.

Tenbergen (pictured left) was welcomed onboard by Halsey’s Commander Robert E. Beauchamp and Leo Ochoa, LT, SC, USN, Supply Officer, and presented with a ship’s ball cap. Although on board for just a week, Tenbergen was welcomed as part of Halsey’s crew and given an opportunity to teach and learn from the crew.

“The program creates opportunities for industry chefs to mentor part of our nation's fighting force, and my experience was very rewarding and gratifying,” Tenbergen said in a recent press release.

As Tenbergen observed, the demands placed on the U.S. Navy's Culinary Specialists (CSs) are nearly non-stop. A normal day consists of preparing for breakfast at 0500 or earlier depending on the ship’s operational commitments. At the conclusion of each meal, CSs begin preparing for the following meal while in many cases balancing professional shipboard training outside of their rate, such as damage control and fire fighting training.

Adopt-A-Ship promotes the culinary profession within the military foodservice community and the professional image of Navy foodservice to the civilian foodservice community. Chefs can determine the amount of time they participate in the program. They schedule training based on the compatibility of their schedule with the ship's schedule. Hands-on training objectives include food preparation techniques, on-line plating and presentation.

The length of service is determined by the ship’s schedule and the needs of the volunteer--there is no monetary remuneration for offering culinary knowledge. Klaus Tenbergen invested over 200 volunteer hours into this program.

Klaus Tenbergen (center) poses with some Culinary Specialists aboard the USS Halsey

For more information about the “Adopt-A-Ship” program or to volunteer, contact
Chef Michael Harants, CEC, CCE, AAC, corporate chef/chef-instructor, Navy Family Support, at (717) 605-6323 or michael.harants@navy.mil.

Okanagan College student wins Florida Tomato recipe contest

David Colombe, a culinary student at Okanagan College in Vernon British Columbia, was the grand prize winner in the 20th annual Florida Tomato Committee's Best of the Best recipe contest held at food marketing and communications agency Lewis & Neale in New York City. A panel of chefs and food writers selected Colombe's Fire Roasted Florida Tomato Gumbo (recipe below) as the best, winning him the $2,000 first prize.

(the judging panel from l to r): chef Rob Bleifer, Food Network; chef Deirdre Devoy, Restaurant Associates; Reggie Brown, Florida Tomato Committee; Samantha Winters, Florida Tomato Comittee; Gary Tucker, Food Arts; Pat Cobe, Restaurant Business; and Jason Stemm, Lewis & Neale

For more information, visit www.floridatomatoes.org.

Fire Roasted Florida Tomato Gumbo

David Colombe, student-chef, Okanagan College, www.okanagan.bc.ca/home.html

Yield: 6 portions (10 cups)

2 1/2 lbs. fully ripened Florida tomatoes
2 T. butter
1/2 c. andouille sausage, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. carrot, coarsely chopped
1/3 c. celery, coarsely chopped
2 t. garlic, finely chopped
3 T. all-purpose flour
3 c. chicken stock
3 T. tomato paste
2 t. sugar
1 t. fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 t. ground white pepper
1 c. cooked converted white rice
1 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. croutons and rosemary sprigs, for garnish

Method (1) Set grill or broiler rack about 4 in. from heat source; preheat. Core tomatoes; place on grill or in roasting pan under the broiler. Cook, turning once, until skin blackens, about 30-40 minutes. (2) In medium saucepan, melt the butter; add sausage, onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables just begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables; cook and stir until flour begins to brown, 3-5 minutes. (3) In a blender or food processor, coarsely chop grilled tomatoes; add to vegetables in saucepan. Stir in the stock, tomato paste, sugar, rosemary, salt, red pepper and white pepper. Simmer 15 minutes, partially covered. (4) Add rice and cream; cook until just hot. Spoon into soup plates, dividing equally. Garnish with croutons and rosemary sprigs, if desired.