Le Cordon Bleu announces all-online culinary management degree program

Le Cordon Bleu Schools North America (LCB) and its parent company, Career Education Corp., announced the launch of a new online bachelor of arts degree in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Management.

The 15-month online program focuses on theory, science and business development and builds on a student's culinary skills with an award-winning interactive educational platform.

"This online degree was designed to create a dynamic learning experience through interactive course materials and engaging relationships that form among students and faculty," Jeremy J. Wheaton, senior vice president of operations, Culinary Arts (Career Education Corp.), said in a press statement. "Now, culinary professionals currently working in the food and hospitality field have the option to further their education without putting their career on hold."

The degree program features audio and video lessons in addition to readings and clickable exercises. The curriculum includes Wine & Beverage Management; Gastronomy; Health Cuisine and Food Science; Small Business Development; Event Management & Art of the Event; and Customer Service. In the capstone course, students are required to develop a real-world business plan, with marketing, product/menu/services and financial analysis; and profit and loss projections.

The online program is offered by Scottsdale Culinary Institute (SCI). SCI is licensed by the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). A natural transition for LCB alumni with associate degree programs, the online BA in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Management accepts graduates from most accredited associate degree culinary programs.

"If prerequisites are necessary before enrollment in the online program, Scottsdale Culinary Institute offers online 'bridge' classes to assist in beginning this new program," Jake Elsen, president of SCI, said in a press statement.

The platform was developed by the same Career Education Corp. team which recently received the 21st Century Achievement Award in the Education and Academia category in the International Data Group (IDG) Computerworld Honors Program for the development of the Virtual Campus at American InterContinental University.

The inaugural class began this week.

SkillsUSA student will travel to Canada to compete in culinary competition

Craig Growney of East Rutherford, N.J., and a student at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., will represent the United States in Calgary, Canada, in the WorldSkills Cooking Competition. SkillsUSA, the organization that represents the United States in the WorldSkills Competition, will send 16 total students from various areas of study to compete in the 40th international event to be held Sept. 1 to 7 as part of the United States "WorldTeam."

Growney earned the right to be a member of WorldTeam by winning local, district and national contests in cooking under the SkillsUSA program. Competitors must be under the age of 23. According to WorldSkills International, cooking competitors will be expected to:

• prepare, season and cook a variety of foods according to recipes
• create and test new recipes
• operate machinery associated with food preparation
• carve meats, determine portion sizes, arrange foods and add sauces, gravies and garnish to servings
• bake desserts and pastries
• prepare buffets such as platters and showpieces
• oversee menu planning, estimate food requirements and obtain the necessary food from storage or from suppliers to maintain an inventory of kitchen provisions
• prepare and follow budgets
• supervise kitchen staff
• understand the needs of special diets due to culture, health or religion

Every two years, hundreds of young people from 51 member countries or regions compete in the prestigious WorldSkills Competition. Considered "the best of the best," these contestants compete for four days in 45 occupational skill areas from economic sectors including manufacturing, information technology, transportation, construction and services. Accompanied by their teachers, trainers and industry technical committee experts, these young people compete before the public in contests that are run by and judged by industry using demanding international standards. For more information, visit www.skillsusa.org or www.worldskills.org.

WCR scholarship and internship winners announced

Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) today announced 38 recipients of its 2009 Scholarship and Internship Program.

Through the program, professional and student members of WCR not only are given the chance to travel abroad to such countries as China, France, Ireland, Italy and Mexico, they also gain professional skills and inspiration from local industry leaders who generously donate their time and resources to advance the professional development of women culinarians.

WCR will introduce next year's Scholarship and Internship Program at its 2009 national conference, Nov. 1 to 3 at The Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C.

WCR congratulates the following recipients of 2009 WCR Scholarships and Internships:
$20,000 scholarship ($5,000 per year) toward a baccalaureate degree from Johnson & Wales University's College of Culinary Arts
Sandra Steward, Ft. Myers Beach, Fla.

An Organic Maine Experience at Primo Restaurant
Veronica Butler, Chicago

Barbara Tropp Memorial Internship, Beijing
Rebecca Wheeler, Chicago

Bread Baking Internship at Amy’s Bread, New York City
Katie Hickok, Santa Cruz, Calif.

Catherine Brandel Fellowship
Regina Mehallick, Indianapolis

Center Yourself with an Internship at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health
Carrie Rosebraugh, Oceanside, Calif., and Anne Churchill, New Orleans

Chef’s Garden/Culinary Vegetable Institute Internship, Milan, Ohio
Erin Bell, New York City; Tania Lovato, Bernalillo, N.M.; and Sue McWilliams, Takoma Park, Md.

Cocinar Mexicano Day of the Dead Workshop
Ivy Stark, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Cooking in France with Dorothee Alexander
Shannon Kimball, Austin, Texas

Food Styling Internship with Denise Vivaldo, Food Fanatics, Los Angeles
Patricia Dickerson, Sarasota, Fla.

Front of House Management Internship with Deann Bayless, Frontera Grill, Chicago
Irene Saldana, Fountain Valley, Calif.

Internship with the "Too Hot Tamales," Border Grill, Santa Monica, Calif.
Gabrielle MonDesire, Paris, France

Learn to Grow Vegetables without Chemicals in Ireland
Alicia Deal, Seattle

New Orleans Internship with Susan Spicer, Bayona
Keisha Happy, Germantown, Md.

Organic Internship with Nora Pouillon, Restaurant Nora, Washington, D.C.
Celeste Scarlett, Maumee, Ohio; Luella Semmes, CenterPort, N.Y.; Rachel Weston, Neptune, N.J.; and Teresa Montano, Los Angeles

Pastry Internship at Citizen Cake, San Francisco
Charmaine Macrohon, Canoga Park, Calif.

StarChefs.com Editorial Internship
Anne Marie Cook, North Brunswick, N.J.

StarChefs.com International Chefs Congress Chef Pass
Sue McWilliams, Westwood Hills, Kan.; Noelle Barille, New York City; Leah Crawford; Brooklyn, N.Y.; Portia Lashley, Rego Park, N.Y.; Sarah Evans, Renssalaerville, N.Y.; Mary Anne Raymond, Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Madeline Basler, Brooklyn, N.Y.

StarChefs.com Marketing Internship
Julia Abanavas, New York City

The Culinary Institute of America ProChef Certification Program
Michelle Phillips, Kennesaw, Ga.

The Culinary Institute of America Mastering Wine
Maureen Lisi-MacReady, Monrovia, Calif.

The French Culinary Institute Pastry Arts Career Evening Program
Angela Lighty, Brooklyn, N.Y.

The Institute of Culinary Education Pastry and Baking Diploma Program
Meredith Takahashi, New York City

Tutti a Tavola Culinary Program in Tuscany
Christine Migton, Clark, N.J.

Washington Square (New York City) Hotel Internship: Get to Know a Boutique Hotel & Restaurant from the Inside Out
Elizabeth Dinice, Philadelphia

Wisconsin Artisan Cheese Intensive at L'Etoile Restaurant, Madison
Jacquelyn Buchanan, Petaluma, Calif.

ACFEF Apprenticeship Program receives grant

The U.S. Department of Labor awarded the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF) a grant totaling $481,200 for the ACFEF Apprenticeship Program.

The grant was awarded as part of a funding effort called Advancing Registered Apprenticeship in the 21st Century: Collaborating for Success. The grants aim to assist national industry and employer associations and labor management organizations in advancing registered apprenticeship through the development of innovative programs using an updated framework. All told, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded a total of $6,499,992 to 11 organizations.

The ACFEF currently has 60 apprenticeship programs throughout the United States with 689 registered apprentices. The ACFEF Apprenticeship Program incorporates 10 on-the-job learning stations and an educational component, concluding with an associate degree in either culinary arts or pastry arts. Upon graduation, each apprentice is given the opportunity to verify his or her skills by testing for an ACF professional certification.

2010 FENI Summit details announced!

How to carve a leg of lamb

A leg of lamb offers a dramatic centerpiece for buffet tables and catered events. As such, the Denver, Colo.-based American Lamb Board has created a step-by step guide on how best to carve a leg of lamb. The primer also contains recipes for using leftover lamb leg meat in salads and sandwiches.

For more information or to order a copy, visit www.american.lamb.com or send an email to rae@american.lambboard.org.

Sullivan University honors chef Daniel Orr

Sullivan University’s National Center for Hospitality Studies (NCHS) has announced that chef Daniel Orr of FARMbloomington in Bloomington, Ind., will be honored with the prestigious Distinguished Visiting Chef award on Thursday, August 27. Orr, who was awarded three stars by the New York Times as executive chef at La Grenouille, will perform a series of cooking demonstrations and participate in question-and-answer sessions on campus exclusively for Sullivan University students before the award presentation. He also will be signing copies of his new book Farm Food: Green Living with Chef Daniel Orr (2009, Indiana University Press) for students and faculty.

The Distinguished Visiting Chef series began in 1988 and is an inventive culinary-inspired education program designed to connect students with today’s top chefs. Orr is the 37th recipient of the Distinguished Visiting Chef honor. Other chefs to receive this award include Bob Kinkead, Emeril Lagasse, Louis Osteen, Deborah Madison, Rick Tramonto and Marcel Desaulniers.

“Being in the culinary industry requires a reverence for place and for the environment,” NCHS director Tom Hickey said in a recent press release. “Chef Orr’s story is inspiring because he has worked globally in some of the best kitchens in the world, but he followed his dream back to his roots and makes a point to support local farmers and producers that make Indiana unique.”