Delcastle students get a taste of Italia

For two weeks in July, high school students and faculty from the culinary arts class at Delcastle Technical High School in Wilmington, Del., traveled to Ripatransone, an ancient walled city in the province of Ascoli Piceno in the Marche region of central Italy as part of the department's "Cooking without Borders" program. Cooking without Borders has played host to a delegation from Ripatransone for the past few years. Through fundraising, student contributions and support of private businesses, the group of 13 (pictured, below) experienced a taste of life in Ripatransone and its surrounding areas.


During their stay, the students took language classes, prepared food indigenous to the region like gnocchi, tagliatelle, ravioletto, tacchino and pizza, and shared tables with local residents. They assisted with the butchering of four cattle for a town festival, and visited the open-air market of San Benedetto and the beach at Grottomare.

Students taste porchette at the market at San Benedetto

The town's close proximity to the Adriatic Sea also provided fodder for seafood meals including pan roasted spigola, calamari fritti and steamed cockles. To share their day-to-day adventures, the group created a blog, CookingInItaly2010.blogspot.com.


Cooking Without Borders will again host a group from Italy in the fall and will send another team to the Ripatransone community in two years. For more information, visit www.cooksandbakers.com.

Preparing ravioli

CIA 13th Worlds of Flavor to explore Japan

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) will host its 13th annual Worlds of Flavor International Conference & Festival on Japanese cuisine from Nov. 4 to 6 at the CIA's Greystone campus in St. Helena, Calif.

The conference, aimed primarily at foodservice professionals, will feature more than 50 accomplished chefs and food professionals from Japan to lead sessions covering such topics as Japanese ingredients, beverages, techniques for flavor development and aesthetics of presentation. For more information, visit www.worldsofflavor.com.

Chicago mayor cuts ribbon on new FPS facility

The French Pastry School completed construction of its new teaching kitchen and research facilities in the City Colleges of Chicago district headquarters and held an inauguration July 12 to celebrate. Chicago's Mayor Richard M. Daley was present and took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the expanded facilities.

"As you all know, Chicago is home to a great number of innovative chefs, restaurateurs and food producers who provide a palette of extraordinary tastes," said Daley in a speech. "They are true artists who have helped enhance our city's reputation in the food and wine industry, and as a result, have brought thousands of hungry visitors here."

(l to r) City Colleges chancellor Cheryl Hyman, Chicago mayor Richard Daley, and founders and deans of The French Pastry School Jacquy Pfeiffer and Sébastien Canonne, M.O.F., cut the ceremonial ribbon to mark the opening of the new facility.

With the new and expanded facilities, The French Pastry School doubles in size. The additional space will accommodate more students for existing and future programs. For more information, visit www.frenchpastryschool.com.

Basic American Foods presents PCI with Chefs of Tomorrow Grant

At the 2010 National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) conference, Basic American Foods honored the Professional Culinary Institute (PCI) with a $500 Chefs of Tomorrow grant. Chef Gary J. Prell, president and CEO of the institute, accepted the grant at the San Jose Convention Center on July 9.

(l to r) Chef Gary J. Prell receives the Chefs of Tomorrow grant from Mike Villano, vice president of sales for Basic American Foods

"Because we're aware of the highly competitive nature of our industry, we not only provide students the opportunity to learn and practice skills from master craftsmen in their fields, but we also instill the behaviors most sought by employers," said Prell upon accepting the grant. "The funds presented by Basic American Foods will be used to support the Professional Culinary Institute's faculty and student endeavors in a variety of culinary and baking and pastry competitions."

Chicago-based Olson Communications founded Chefs of Tomorrow in 2008 to fund grants to high school and postsecondary culinary educators.

Get ready for FENI Summit 2011!

February 18 to 21, 2011

Foodservice Educators Network International presents

13th Annual FENI Educators Summit

The premier foodservice educators conference

Master new classroom ideas and techniques
Network with peers
Train under world-famous culinarians
Learn the latest techniques for leadership, motivation and inspiration skills

Hotel Allegro, Chicago, IL
www.allegrochicago.com

Participating culinary institutions: The French Pastry School, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Chicago, Washburne Culinary Institute

Full registration $595
Dining tours require additional fees
For registration questions, contact Naurice Olivera
nolivera@talcott.com • (800) 229-1967, ext. 46
Hotel Allegro reservations (800) 643-1500
Group rate: $99-$109 single/double occupancy
Group hotel discount code: FENI Educators Summit
www.allegrochicago.com

The FENI Summit is an event of Talcott Publications and Chef Educator Today.
FENI endorses the "Chef Move to Schools" childhood obesity prevention program.

*****

Once again, FENI will pair up with award-winning instructors at Chicago's world-class culinary schools to bring you the latest techniques and trends for the classroom. Gain invaluable skills and ideas to share with your school and students. The 3-hour classes are hands-on, lecture and/or demo in savory foods, baking and pastry, teaching tools and more. Pastry chefs take note: Develop new skills with FENI's special pastry program at the famous French Pastry School.

Friday, February 18
Prior to the start of the FENI Summit, participate in a 2-hour presentation on digital resources and online learning with "Social Media and the Classroom." As in the past, the welcome and networking reception is a great opportunity to visit with educators from around the globe, as well as key vendors and associations, in the evening before the start of the conference.

Saturday, February 19
Start the day with breakfast and a keynote (speaker TBA), plus other influential speakers. The day continues with the Info Fair that includes "Ask the Expert" tables. Then it's time to board the buses for Master Classes at participating area culinary schools. Saturday evening is open for you to enjoy the fine-dining and exciting nightlife of downtown Chicago.

Sunday, February 20
After breakfast, it's on the bus again for a full day of Master Classes. Sunday evening at the Hotel Allegro, enjoy the Awards Reception honoring FENI's Educators of the Year, and relax with new friends.

Monday, February 21
Breakfast, advanced master classes, tours. Program ends at 1 p.m.

Visit www.fenisummit.com.

Kendall's Zonka inducted into LDEI

Renee Zonka, RD, CEC, CHE, managing director and associate dean of the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College, has been inducted into the Chicago chapter of Les Dames d'Escoffier International (LDEI), a global organization of woman leaders in the food, beverage and hospitality industry.

Zonka was promoted to managing director of Kendall's School of Culinary Arts in April 2010, retaining her role as associate dean. In 2009, she launched a nutrition concentration in the School of Culinary Arts' bachelor's program at Kendall College. Before joining Kendall's faculty in 2007, she was a lecturing instructor at The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y., and a chef-instructor at the Illinois Institute of Art--Chicago. Zonka was named Registered Young Dietitian of the Year by the American Dietetic Association and Educator of the Year by the ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians.

Induction into LDEI is by invitation only. Named for French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer Georges Auguste Escoffier, Les Dames d'Escoffier inspires women to develop their leadership skills in culinary professions. LDEI, established in 1986 and based in Louisville, Ky., has more than 1,500 members in 27 chapters across the U.S. and Canada.

Hospitality executives honored by MSU Hospitality

The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University honored five hospitality executives on May 24 at its Annual Gathering of Leaders at The Drake Hotel in Chicago. More than 125 alumni, students, faculty, friends and family attended the event, which the school hosts annually during the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show.

Annual Gathering of Leaders this year honored Alumnus of the Year Kenneth C. Weber (BA '77), president of Weber's Inn & Restaurant in Ann Arbor, Mich., and Honorary Alumnus of the Year James W. Chamberlain, senior vice president and general manager of institutional foodservice for Ecolab. Honored as Emerging Alumni Leaders of the Year were Christopher J. Durso (BA '82), vice president of operations for Rim Hospitality; Gary R. Hernbroth (BA '79), chief motivating officer for Training for Winners; and Ryan S. Meliker (MBA '05), vice president of gaming and lodging for Morgan Stanley Equity Research.

Director and professor of MSU's hospitality school Dr. Ron Cichy, Alumni Association chairmen Emeriti Richard Farrar and Marc Gordon, and vice president Dan Burdakin were also on hand to congratulate the honorees and host a reception following the award ceremony.

Awardees and presenters from the Annual Gathering of Leaders at The Drake Hotel in Chicago. (l to r) Dr. Ron Cichy, Emerging Alumnus Leader Ryan Meliker, Dan Darrow, Emerging Alumnus Leader Gary Hernbroth, Marc Gordon, Alumnus of the Year Kenneth Weber, Honorary Alumnus of the Year James Chamberlain, Richard Farrar, Emerging Alumnus Leader Christopher Durso and Dan Burdakin.