L’Academie de Cuisine graduate wins Oustanding Pastry Chef of the Year

Angela Pinkerton, an alumna of L’Academie de Cuisine (LAC) professional pastry arts program won Oustanding Pastry Chef of the Year at the James Beard Awards ceremony in New York City. "This talented young woman brings her creativity and dedication to her craft every day,” said Chef Francois Dionot, founder and director of L’Academie de Cuisine. 

Pinkerton graduated from LAC’s professional pastry arts program in 2006. Before she ever knew she wanted to be a pastry chef, Pinkerton majored in biology at Kent State. She began her career in pastry while in college decorating cakes at a local bakery. After graduating, she decided to become a pastry chef and enrolled in LAC’s pastry arts program.

From L’Academie, Pinkerton completed her externship in the pastry kitchen of The Ritz-Carlton in Arlington, Virginia before making the move to New York City where she eventually became executive pastry chef at Eleven Madison Park. At this four-star restaurant Angela collaborates closely with chef Daniel Humm to create desserts that are at once sophisticated, seasonal and delicious, perfectly complementing the restaurant’s modern French cuisine.
 
Visit www.lacademie.com.

Graduates of 'L'Art du Gâteau' at The French Pastry School complete intensive training program

A ceremony at the Union League Club of Chicago on Thursday, April 21, 2011 honored the graduates of L'Art du Gâteau – The Professional Cake Decorating and Baking Program of The French Pastry School of Kennedy-King College. Attendees included faculty, staff, school sponsors, industry chefs, friends, family, and newly capped alumni celebrating the conclusion of their 16-week program.

The graduating class of the January 2011 session of L'Art du Gâteau, The Professional Cake Decorating and Baking Program

Keynote speaker at the ceremony was chef Courtney Clark, owner of Ann Arbor, Michigan's Cake Nouveau, and a graduate of the July 2002 class of L'Art de la Pâtisserie program. She has competed in ten Food Network Challenges and has won five of them. She advised the graduates to "be open to new challenges; you never know what opportunity is just around the corner. Get all the experience you can," Clark advised, "and in the end, develop your own style."
 
The ceremony was followed by a reception at the school, showcasing the graduates' final projects: a wedding cake and a Sweet Sixteen-themed cake. New sessions for L'Art du Gâteau program will begin on August 29, 2011. Also beginning this year is the brand new L'Art de la Boulangerie course on May 31, 2011, followed by the summer L'Art de la Pâtisserie session starting July 5, 2011. More information may be found at www.frenchpastryschool.com.

California sweeps culinary and management competitions at the 10th Annual National ProStart Invitational

Newport Harbor High School set a record by winning both the culinary and management competitions at the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s (NRAEF) 10th Annual National ProStart Invitational. The high school student teams from California were crowned champions on May 1, 2011 in Overland Park, Kan. The NRAEF and partner colleges and universities awarded more than $1.4 million in scholarships to the first- through fifth-place teams to pursue their education in foodservice and hospitality programs.

From left: Carlton Curtis, VP, Industry Affairs, Coca-Cola Foodservice and Chair of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the 1st place culinary competition championship team from Newport Harbor High
School in California, and Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association and NRAEF.

The talented students from Newport Harbor High School beat out 315 other ProStart high school students from 40 states and territories to rise to the top. In the ten years since the National ProStart Invitational debuted, California is the first state to place first in both the culinary and management competitions.

From left: Carlton Curtis, VP, Industry Affairs, Coca-Cola Foodservice and Chair of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the 1st place management competition championship team from Newport Harbor High
School in California, and Dawn Sweeney, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association and NRAEF.

Olathe District Schools of Kansas earned second place honors, and South Forsyth High School of Georgia came in third place. Fourth place honors were awarded to Wando High School in South Carolina and Puyallup High School of Washington took home fifth place. In the culinary competition, teams prepared a starter, entrée and dessert within 60 minutes using only two butane burners, and were judged on categories including taste, knife skills, safety, sanitation and teamwork.

In the management competition, second place went to Cloudcroft High School of New Mexico. The team from Watauga High School in North Carolina won third place. Fourth and fifth places were awarded to Plymouth-Canton Educational Park of Michigan and Eastside High School in FL, respectively. Teams developed an original restaurant concept, and applied critical thinking skills to challenges restaurant managers face in day-to-day operations.

In 2011, more than $1 million in scholarships will be awarded to winning students on Sunday, May 1st. 

Visit www.prostart.restaurant.org.

Valrhona takes its culinary classes on the road

Valrhona is making its renowned know-how available to culinary professionals in select markets across the USA with Valrhona En Route (on-the-road), a series of traveling Valrhona USA culinary school classes. As at the French school, L'Ecole du Grand Chocolat, chefs, instructors, and chocolatiers attending Valrhona En Route’s classes will find venue in which to exchange ideas and share their high level of expertise with one another, while learning to perfect their techniques and discover current and new trends under the guidance of L’Ecole trained chef-instructors.

Alex Espiritu leads a class in Boston in November 2010

Taking Valrhona En Route “on-the-road” will be Valrhona USA pastry chefs and instructors Derek Poirier and Alex Espiritu, both highly trained in Valrhona France, and at Valrhona’s L’Ecole du Grand Chocolat under the direction of Frederic Bau, director of the school.

Valrhona En Route 2011 Calendar:
RESTAURANT DESSERTS – New York - by Alex Espiritu
Monday & Tuesday August 15-16, 2011 8:30am – 6:00pm
Astor Center, 399 Lafayette St. (at East 4th St.) NY, NY 10003

PLATED DESSERT – San Francisco – by Derek Poirier
Monday & Tuesday, October 3-4, 2011 8:30am – 6:00pm
Paulding & Company Kitchen, 1410 62nd St, #D, Emeryville, CA 94608

CAKES, TARTS AND YULE LOGS – From the Classics to Contemporary – Washington, DC – by Derek Poirier
Monday & Tuesday, October 24-25, 2011 8:30am – 6:00pm
Place: TBD

Price for each class is $499 and includes: Breakfast and Lunch for the 2 days, 1 dinner, and cocktail reception for diploma ceremony, 1 Valrhona Hat, 1 Valrhona Apron, and 1 Valrhona recipe book

Contact Valrhona 718-522-7001 x 105 or at info-us@valrhona.com for class availability and instructions on how to register. For more information, visit: www.valrhona-chocolate.com.

Four students receive Faces of Diversity scholarships from National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation and PepsiCo Foodservice

On Tuesday, April 12, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and partner PepsiCo Foodservice awarded four scholarships to future leaders in the restaurant industry as part of the 2011 Faces of Diversity Awards program. The $2,500 Faces of Diversity Scholarships were presented to students who have excelled academically at their respective colleges or universities and are pursuing careers and the restaurant and foodservice industry.

The program, created by the NRA in partnership with PepsiCo Foodservice, celebrates diversity in the restaurant and foodservice industry. The awards and scholarships were presented before hundreds of restaurateurs last week at the Association's annual Public Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C.

Xavier Teixido, NRAEF vice chair and owner of Harry’s Savoy Grill, presented the scholarships to the following students at the Faces of Diversity Awards ceremony: 

•  Dylan Flanders started his culinary education in high school as the president of his chapter of Skills U.S.A. and is now currently a freshman at Johnson & Wales. His strong passion for cooking and travel inspires him to travel to gain experience in international cuisine and using that expertise to eventually open his own restaurant in New York City. In addition to maintaining a 3.84 GPA, while in high school, Dylan also gave his time to work with autistic children in a horse riding program. The program supervisor described Dylan as one of those people you meet “once in a lifetime” because of his dedication, confidence and skill. 
• Gabrielle Jenkins is a freshman at Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts, Foodservice Management program. She worked hard in high school to earn her ProStart National Certificate of Achievement and hopes to apply those skills to being a chef and a restaurateur. Gabrielle gets her drive and passion from her father who, despite having multiple surgeries and health concerns, has always demonstrated courage and devotion to living life to the fullest. Her high school teacher speaks highly of Jenkins’ leadership and a tenacious work ethic and her ability to be both creative and organized. While doing an internship at the Rumor Mill in Maryland, Gabrielle was able to contribute menu items that received accolades from staff and was also part of the winning team at an employee cook-off contest.  
• Shantell Liberato is a junior working towards a degree in Restaurant Institutional Management at The Pennsylvania State University. Shantell’s success began in high school as she served as president of her class and exceeded academically. She is building her career in the foodservice industry because she wants to impact the lives of strangers in a positive way. Liberato believes “that understanding different backgrounds, cultures, morals, and beliefs should be the ultimate goal for everyone entering this industry.”
• Marvin Lopez, a freshman at Johnson & Wales, Marvin credits his father, who immigrated to the United States from Mexico, for teaching him the value of hard work and a positive attitude. Marvin has demonstrated that he has the capacity and commitment to be successful in this industry as a participant in the ProStart program, which gave him valuable competition experience on a national level. Someday Marvin hopes to own his own restaurant. 

Left to right: Doug Allison, senior director, PepsiCo Foodservice; Xavier Teixido, owner, Harry Savoy's Grill and vice chair of the Board of Trustees for the NRAEF; Shantell Liberato, scholarship winner from Penn State University; Gabrielle Jenkins, scholarship winner from Johnson & Wales; and Roz Mallet, president/CEO, PhaseNext Hospitality and vice chair of the Board of Directors for the NRA

NRAEF scholarships are made possible through the philanthropic support of individuals and corporations from all sectors of the restaurant, foodservice, hospitality and education industries. Five years after receiving their scholarships, more than 80 percent of NRAEF scholarship recipients are still studying and/or working in the foodservice industry. Visit www.nraef.org/scholarships or call 800.765.2122 ext. 6738.

For more information on the Faces of Diversity Awards program and this year's winners, visit www.restaurant.org/diversity.

Culinary Arts dean to mentor local high school students for National ProStart Invitational

Five local high school students from the CS Monroe Technology Center, who will be competing in this year’s National ProStart Invitational, are being mentored by Jordan Lichman, the dean of Culinary Arts and Hospitality at Stratford University. The dean, who has helped the students polish their eco-friendly menu, polish their verbal presentation, and adjust the layout their kitchen design, will meet with the students again on the morning of April 25 & 27.

Jordan Lichman, the dean of Culinary Arts and Hospitality at Stratford University

The mentoring that the students have been receiving will help them in their quest to win the management competition in the National ProStart Invitational. The competition includes creating a restaurant proposal, giving a verbal presentation, and demonstrating how they would address day-to-day challenges in the field. Teams compete for a chance to win awards and scholarships for going on into a foodservice or restaurant industry career. In 2010, the competition provided $1.4 million in scholarships to culinary and management teams.

The National ProStart Invitational is its 10th year, with this years competition being held April 29-May 1, 2011, in Overland Park, Kan. There will be over 40 teams from all over the country competing.

Maple Leaf Farms 2011 Professional and Student Chefs' Recipe Contest

The Maple Leaf Farms 2011 Chef Recipe Contest kicks off May 2. Now professional and student chefs' recipes will be judged in two separate categories, each with their own grand prize (see below for details).
 

Innovative, easy recipes using Maple Leaf Farms duck will be judged using these criteria:

• Simplicity 
• Originality
• Accuracy of recipe
• Flavor

Chefs may enter up to 3 recipes in one category. Entries will be accepted online or by mail beginning May 2. Read official contest rules here. 

Prizes will be offered in these two categories:  

• Professional Chefs: Grand prize - $5,000; Second place prize - $3,000; and Third place prize - $1,500
• Student Chefs: Grand Prize - $3000; and Student Second Prize - $1500