California Raisin Marketing Board Calls for Entries in Fifth-Annual “America’s Best Raisin Bread Contest”

The California Raisin Marketing Board’s (CRMB) fifth annual America’s Best Raisin Bread Contest is now open and all industry professionals and student bakers are encouraged to enter their most mouthwatering masterpieces in one or all of the three categories of this competition: Artisan, Commercial and Breakfast. All eligible contestants are:

• Bakers and research & development staff of commercial baking companies
• Craft bakers and retail shop owners/managers 
• Certified baking teachers
• Students in accredited baking programs 
• Bakery technicians at bakery supply wholesalers, flour milling companies and other allied bakery ingredient suppliers 
• 18 years or older

Entries are accepted through July 15, 2012. Contest application, rules and additional details are available at www.loveyourraisins.com. The contest features categories in two divisions, professional and student.

Luminita Cirstea was a recent co-grand-prize winner in “America’s Best Raisin Bread Contest” thanks to her entry, Raisin Rye Bread.

“This competition celebrates the creativity of both seasoned professionals and rising stars in the baking world, while highlighting the versatility of California Raisins as a flavor-packed ingredient,” says Larry Blagg, senior vice president of marketing for the CRMB. “The contest is an ideal way to showcase the endless varieties of delicious bread products that can be made from world-renowned California Raisins.”

Preliminary contest judging will take place in August. A total of 36 finalists will receive a complimentary trip to the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kan., October 11-13, 2012, where they will bake their formulas before a panel of distinguished judges from both the artisan and commercial baking industries. A total of 12 winners—nine in the professional division and three in student division—will be selected.
 
Winners will be selected based on their formula’s taste, appearance, originality and value. The California Raisin Marketing Board seeks to encourage the use of healthy ingredients. Formulas that feature 100% whole grains and/or gluten-free ingredients will be awarded in each division.

In addition to industry-wide recognition, winning bakers will receive a five-day California educational vacation with visits to The Culinary Institute of America and Yosemite National Park.

McCamic of The Chef’s Academy Receives Wines of Australia Scholarship

Mary Margaret McCamic, instructor of wine and communication studies at the Morrisville, N.C., campus of The Chef’s Academy (www.thechefsacademy.com), the Culinary Division of Harrison College, recently was awarded the prestigious Wines of Australia Scholarship.

The overall top-scoring graduates of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s (WSET) Diploma of Wine and Spirits (DWS) program of study in five markets—Canada, United States, Europe, Asia/Pacific and Ireland—are awarded the scholarship by Wines of Australia. McCamic completed her DWS studies, the highest level offered through WSET, last September and, based upon her overall results, was the nation’s top scorer to earn the designation as Wines of Australia’s 2011 United States representative.

McCamic

McCamic is among nine scholarship recipients worldwide who gained a unique insight into the Australian wine industry with an eight-day study excursion last month. Prior to receiving the competitive award, McCamic earned her bachelor’s degree in English and creative writing and her master’s degree in teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As she was settling into her career as a high-school English teacher, McCamic developed a passion for wine, leading her to study at New York’s International Wine Center in Manhattan, where she completed her WSET wine courses, one of the most challenging courses of wine study in the United States.

“I am truly grateful to be given this remarkable opportunity to learn about the Australian wine community and to grow as a professional,” said McCamic. “The Wines of Australia Scholarship will provide me with new knowledge that will allow me to enhance my teaching at The Chef’s Academy, contributing significantly to the success of the organization and its students.”

Harrison College is a 110-year-old, nationally accredited institution that offers 40 degree programs in five schools of study.

“At The Chef’s Academy, we are so proud that Mary Margaret’s hard work has been honored with this accolade,” said Jayson Boyers, national division president. “I am excited that our students will be able to reap the reward of Mary Margaret’s experience.”

Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Offers Certified Master Chef Preparation Program for Faculty and Staff

Focused on excellence in culinary education at all levels, Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) College of Culinary Arts is now offering a Certified Master Chef Preparation Program for full-time faculty and academic staff. This new program prepares qualified LCB employees to sit for the Certified Master Chef (CMC) exam—the industry’s highest level of achievement. Not only will the program provide an opportunity for staff to expand their skill set, but those who successfully complete the program will be able to gain recognition for their achievements from the American Culinary Federation.

“Le Cordon Bleu is dedicated to offering the highest level of support and development for our staff,” said Edward Leonard, CMC, vice president and corporate executive chef of Le Cordon Bleu. “The program will help our staff master their craft and demonstrate their vast industry experience and credentials to our students.”  

Leonard

The CMC certification is the most rigorous professional certification granted to U.S. chefs, requiring 130 hours of instruction, menu preparation and timed cooking tests leading up to an eight-day exam. Certified Master Chefs must possess advanced professional culinary skills, kitchen safety and sanitation knowledge and have mastered cooking techniques.

Interested LCB employees must meet all Career Education Corporation and ACF requirements and be nominated by their campus president and executive chef to participate. The program includes assessments tailored to reflect the judging and scoring process of the CMC exam. Participants in the program also receive 12 to 15 months of direct mentoring and support from Leonard. Ferdinand Metz, CMC, LCB executive dean and chairman of the LCB National Advisory Board, along with other Certified Master Chefs, will advise and assist during the training. Leonard and Metz are two of only 72 CMCs nationwide.

Le Cordon Bleu, a member of the Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ:CECO) network of universities, colleges and schools, is one of the largest providers of quality culinary arts education worldwide. For more information about Le Cordon Bleu, visit www.Chefs.edu.

Kendall College Chef-Instructor and Alum Win Inaugural Culinology® Competition

The team of Eric Stein, M.S., R.D., a chef-instructor at the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, and Jaime Mestan, C.S.C., a Kendall College culinary alum (‘08) and research chef at Ed Miniat, Inc., in South Holland, Ill., took first place in the inaugural Professional Culinology® Competition, March 23 in San Antonio, Texas, held in conjunction with the Research Chefs Association’s (RCA) Annual Conference and Culinology® Expo.

Stein and Mestan beat two other teams, winning a gold medal and a $5,000 cash award with their entry of lobster paella bites, chicken and white-bean empanadillas and loaded patatas bravas (a cherished white-potato tapa of Spain). The competition, which was sanctioned by the American Culinary Federation (ACF), called for entries to consist of three frozen heat-and-serve tapas suitable for serving in a casual restaurant chain.

Prior to the competition, each team shipped its frozen products to San Antonio. On competition day, each team created the fresh versions of its commercialized concepts and was judged in part against how well the plated, commercialized products matched up against the fresh gold standards. Entries were judged by a panel of culinary R&D experts against criteria that included originality of concept, nutritional profile, manufacturing feasibility, flavor, aroma, texture, presentation and safety standards. The team of Stein and Mestan was announced as the winner at the RCA’s Awards Luncheon on March 24.

Following the announcement, Stein expressed a newfound appreciation for the role of chefs who work and create within two worlds—culinary arts and food science—the perfect melding of which results in satisfied diners and successful foodservice operators. “Participating in this competition and attending the RCA conference really gave me a better understanding of the diversity within the field of Culinology®,” he said.

The discipline of Culinology® was pioneered by the Research Chefs Association with the organization’s founding in 1996. The RCA represents more than 2,000 members including chefs, food scientists, technologists, writers, nutritionists, academicians, researchers, consultants, sales and marketing professionals, suppliers, co-packers, distributors and students. RCA is the premier source of culinary and technical information for the food industry and is committed to the advancement of Culinology®—the blending of the culinary arts and food science. For more information, visit www.culinology.com.

Monroe College School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary Arts Names America’s Best High School Chef and Pastry Chef

On March 3, 31 high-school students from throughout the New York metro area competed for the distinguished titles of America’s Best High School Chef and Pastry Chef in the fourth-annual competition sponsored by the Monroe College School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary Arts in the Bronx.

The prizes were academic scholarships to attend Monroe College. First-place prize was a full academic scholarship to the Monroe College School of Hospitality Management; second- and third-place prizes were partial academic scholarships worth $3,500 and $2,500, respectively, and prizes for all competitors were partial academic scholarships worth $1,500. Monroe awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships to the contestants.

Yocary Luna of Food and Finance High School in Manhattan was crowned America’s Best High School Chef for her Stuffed Chicken—Teriyaki Style with sauté of fingerling potatoes and string beans.

Laura Sanchez of Passaic County Technical High School, Passaic, N.J., was named America’s Best High School Pastry Chef with her White Coating Chocolate Raspberry Tower, consisting of double-chocolate-chip brownies filled with cannoli cream and sided with French vanilla ice cream.

“I was impressed with all of the entrants, not just the winners,” said Dr. Frank Costantino, CCE, CEC, AAC, dean of the School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary Arts. “They have bright futures in culinary. It’s interesting to note that the students who are currently among the leaders on the Monroe College Culinary teams are former winners of this competition.”

Here’s a list of the winners:
America’s Best High School Chef
First place—Yocary Luna, Food & Finance High School, New York City
Second place—Nashali Rivera, Food & Finance High School, New York City
Third place (tie)—Rossella Cangialosi, East Meadow High School, Long Island, N.Y., and Rondy Mendoza, Truman High School, Bronx, N.Y.

America’s Best High School Pastry Chef 
First place—Laura Sanchez, Passaic County Technical High School, Passaic, N.J. 
Second place—Chelsea Taylor, Frankford High School, Philadelphia 
Third place (tie)—Mikea Rivers, Frankford High School, Philadelphia, and Laura Szanto, Paul D. Schreiber High School, Port Washington, N.Y.

For more information on Monroe College, visit www.monroecollege.edu.

College of DuPage's Kramer Wins 2012 Produce Excellence Award

Chef David Kramer, associate professor of culinary arts at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill., is one of six chefs and foodservice professionals nationwide to win a 2012 United Fresh Produce Excellence in Foodservice Award. Nominated by Chicago-based Testa Produce, Inc., Kramer won in the Business in Industry & Colleges category. The awards program, created by the United Fresh Produce Association and sponsored by PRO*ACT, honors chefs and their companies for innovative and influential use of produce in the culinary arts.  

The winners were selected from nearly 120 nominations submitted by produce companies and foodservice operations across North America. A panel of produce and foodservice-industry leaders reviewed each nominee’s demonstrated incorporation of fresh produce into menu development, use of protocols for correct storage and handling of produce, leadership in produce-related community service, and special events and recognition by their company and industry peers.

A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and a College of DuPage instructor for the past 10 years, Kramer has previously been honored with the Presidential Medallion from the American Culinary Federation, both nationally and through his local chapter. He received the Silver Plate Award from Meals on Wheels as a result of his ongoing involvement in that organization and has worked as a consultant within the local restaurant community, helping to mentor individuals interested in opening a restaurant.

“We’re thrilled to see David receive this national recognition for his work as a culinarian, in general, and for his innovation and commitment to fresh produce, in particular,” says Peter Testa, president of Testa Produce, Inc. “He understands both the fantastic opportunities and rigorous challenges that the produce category presents and finds innovative ways to ensure that his students leave well prepared on both ends of that spectrum.”

Kramer will receive his award and appear on a Top Chefs panel at the United Fresh 2012 Produce Show in Dallas in May.

The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone Names Scott Education Dean

Russell Scott, one of only 66 Certified Master Chefs in the United States, has been named dean of education of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone, effective April 2, 2012. In his new role, Scott will be responsible for the quality and effectiveness of all education programs at the CIA campus in St. Helena, Calif. He will oversee faculty and staff on the education team, direct the development and delivery of the curriculum, and lead the support of students enrolled in the campus’ degree and certificate programs.

Scott was previously an associate professor at the college’s Hyde Park, N.Y., campus from 1998 to 2005. During that time, he taught several culinary courses and served as executive chef and instructor in the American Bounty Restaurant. “It is very gratifying to rejoin the CIA family and to once again be part of the jet stream of culinary knowledge,” he says. “I am indeed privileged to be able to work directly with the finest staff and faculty in hospitality education.”

“We are excited to welcome Chef Scott back to the CIA,” says college provost and Certified Master Chef Mark Erickson. “His culinary background and experience coupled with his commitment to education will be a tremendous asset to our Greystone campus.”

Between his stints at the CIA, Scott was executive chef of the Isleworth Golf and Country Club in Windermere, Fla. Earlier in his career, he was executive chef at the Hotel Nikko in Los Angeles and the Virginia Country Club in Long Beach, Calif. He is also the proprietor of the Gore-Scott Hospitality Partnership, which consists of restaurants and wine shops in Florida, New York, California and Colorado.

The American Culinary Federation honored Russell Scott as the USA’s Chef of the Year™ for 2008 and presented him with its Chef Professionalism Award in 2011. Representing the United States in the Global Chefs Challenge in 2009, he took second place among chefs from throughout the Americas.

Scott won numerous medals as a member and captain of teams competing in the quadrennial Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung (commonly known as the “Culinary Olympics”) and Culinary World Cup between 1996 and 2004. He holds a bachelor’s degree in alternative medicine from Everglades University in Altamonte Springs, Fla., and an associate degree in culinary arts from the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh.

With Scott’s return to the CIA, the college now has eight Certified Master Chefs on its education team and administration, more than any other organization.