DePaul University opens hospitality school

DePaul University in Chicago opened the doors to its School for Hospitality Leadership at the university's College of Commerce on Sept. 9. The curriculum includes hotel, wine and casino management courses.

The college received a $7.5 million gift last fall from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to establish the school, which will prepare students for management jobs at hotels, restaurants, convention and tourism ventures, spas and related leisure industries. The school is offering an undergraduate major in hospitality leadership this fall and plans to introduce additional majors, an international study program and a hospitality research center in the future. Chris Roberts, director of the School for Hospitality Leadership, took the helm of the school in July. Roberts has 20 years of hospitality experience.

Other new faculty members include Misty Johanson, who comes from the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality at Georgia State University; Michael Lynch, director of loyalty marketing and market research for Lettuce Entertain You's 65 restaurants; Barry A.N. Bloom, principal of Abacus Lodging Investors LLC, a private equity firm focused on hospitality industry investments; and adjunct faculty member Mary Beth Leone, who worked for 18 years in hotel and tourism management.

For more information, visit hospitality.depaul.edu.

New book helps hospitality professionals identify trends

Amid a time of continued economic uncertainty, a new book published by the American Hotel & Lodging Association's (AHLA) Educational Institute will help hospitality industry executives anticipate trends that are likely to affect the hospitality and travel industry. Hospitality 2015: The Future of Hospitality and Travel, by Marvin J. Cetron, Frederick DeMicco and Owen Davies, offers a primer of business forecasting and details 55 specific trends and how they likely will affect restaurants, tourism, airlines, the cruise industry, meetings and expositions in the next several years.


The book is available from AHLA's Educational Institute. For more information, visit www.ahlei.org.

Sullivan U presents chef Daniel Orr with Distinguished Visiting Chef award

Sullivan University's National Center for Hospitality Studies presented chef and cookbook author Daniel Orr, of FARMbloomington in Bloomington, Ind., with the Distinguished Visiting Chef award at an award presentation on Aug. 27.

(l to r) Sullivan University NCHS director Tom Hickey presented chef Daniel Orr with the Distinguished Visiting Chef Award. NCHS Professional Catering Department chair Kimberly Jones and Culinary Arts Department chair Allen Akmon were on hand with congratulations.

To read more about Chef Orr and the Distinguished Visiting Chef series at Sullivan in a previous Online Tool Kit post, click here.

Team Navy wins first-ever Military Chef Grill-Off Challenge

Team Navy took first place in the inaugural Coca-Cola Military Chef Ultimate Summer Grill-Off Challenge, hosted by Coca-Cola North America, Military.com and The Culinary Institute of America. The event, which took place Aug. 30 at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C., called on top military chefs from four service branches to compete in a grilling competition and incorporate Coca-Cola products into their recipes.

(second from left to right) The Navy Team celebrates a victory: CS2 Paul Brown, CSCM Eddie Galit, CS1 Michael Hanford, CS1 Lynval Weise, CS1 Michael Edwards, CS1 Christy Gay and consumer winner Maryann Post.

Team Navy was led by Petty Officer First Class Michael Edwards, who currently is the associate chef for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Other Navy team members included Master Cheif Petty Officer Eddie Galit, Petty Officers First Class Christy Gay, Michael Hanford and Lynval Weise, Petty Officer Second Class Paul Brown and military consumer winner Maryann Post. The winners received a Coca-Cola Summer Grilling Championship belt and a week of ProChef classes and certification by the CIA.

August 2009 CET digital edition online

The digital edition of the August 2009 issue of Chef Educator Today (CET) is now online through the CET Web site. This digital edition features all the same great content as the print edition, plus it includes online-exclusive articles on educational culinary tours and teaching math skills.

To access the August digital edition, click the icon below.

Washburne pastry chef receives grant from food marketing agency

Laura Vaughn, pastry chef-instructor at Washburne Culinary Institute in Chicago, received a $1,500 grant from Olson Communications' second annual Chefs of Tomorrow initiative, a grant program open to culinary educators throughout metro Chicago.

(from l to r): Sharon Olson, Olson Communications; grant winner Laura Vaughn; and Rachel Tracy, Olson Communications

A jury consisting of Dr. Albert L. Furbay, retired founder of Kendall College School of Culinary Arts; Michael Garbin, CEC, AAC, executive chef of Union League Club of Chicago; and Judith Dunbar Hines, director of culinary arts and events for Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs selected Vaughn as the winner. She will use the grant to purchase the $1,500 entry to the World Pastry Forum to take place June 30 to July 6, 2010, in Phoenix.

Olson Communications, in celebration of its 20th anniversary in 2008, has committed to offering up to $20,000 in new grants to Chicago's high school and college level culinary educators through 2012 through the company's Chefs of Tomorrow program.

FENI announces expanded pastry programming for 2010 Summit

Craving to improve your baking, pastry or chocolate skills? The Foodservice Educators Network International (FENI) has expanded the pastry programming for the 12th annual FENI Educators Summit, to be held Feb. 12 to 15, 2010, in Chicago.

The French Pastry School and co-owners Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sébastien Canonne, MOF, will host the program, offering a total of 11 courses taught by its award-winning instructors. These classes will give FENI attendees a range of topics at varying skill levels:

• The Art & Skill of Fondant
• Chocolate Tempering and Chocolate Decorations
• Sugar Pulling and Blowing
• Special Occasion Cakes
• Chocolate Showpieces
• Gum Paste Flowers
• Artisan Breads
• Petits Fours
• Chocolate Tempering and Chocolate Candies
• Wedding Cake Piping and Decorating
• Designing Showpieces

For complete details on the pastry program, visit www.fenisummit.com. And don't forget to register by October 1st, 2009, to receive the early-bird discount of just $525 total!

About The French Pastry School
The French Pastry School has proven to be one of the best in the world in its quality of education and the positive impact it has had on the food industry. Graduates of the full-time program, L'Art de la Pâtisserie - The Professional Pastry and Baking Program, have successfully achieved careers in the pastry industry, either working for other top professionals around the world in five-star hotels, high-end restaurants, catering businesses, bakeries and pastry shops, or starting their own businesses.

The French Pastry School will also offer a full-time 16-week certificate program, L'Art du Gâteau - The Professional Cake Decorating and Baking Program beginning August 2010.

The school offers year-round Continuing Education classes as well, from three to five days in length for pastry professionals as well as food enthusiasts covering all aspects of pastry, confectionery and baking. Information about all programs may be found at www.frenchpastryschool.com.