Happy Turkey Day!

The editors of Chef Educator Today and CET Online Tool Kit wish you a happy Thanksgiving. Online Tool Kit will return Monday, Dec. 1.

International Cuisine breaks new ground

Social, political and religious shifts in culture directly affect the food we eat today—both at home and while dining out. To better prepare their culinary students for this ever-changing marketplace, culinary educators have begun teaching courses that survey the world's cuisines and their evolutions—and to this cause, Chef Jeremy MacVeigh contributes a new ground-breaking cookbook.

Delmar, a part of Cengage Learning, recently announced the publication of International Cuisine, a landmark work featuring rich insight and highly practical coverage of the world's major cuisines. Extensively researched and lavishly illustrated, it fills the gap between culinary books and culinary reality in today's diverse kitchens. Each chapter is clearly organized and provides detailed information on historical background, unique components, culinary terminology, common ingredients, techniques and recipes.

"Jeremy MacVeigh's clear and precise research into the cuisines of the world shows the importance of regional cuisines in today's culinary world ... A must-read for every culinarian," says Frederic "Fritz" Sonnenschmidt, certified master chef (CMC), culinary dean emeritus of The Culinary Institute of America, and celebrated author of several textbooks on classic techniques, most noticeably in the areas of garde manger and charcuterie.

Companion instructor's materials for International Cuisine are provided in print and online versions. The Instructor's Manual (ISBN: 978-1418049652) to International Cuisine serves as a valuable resource, providing review and test questions, a course outline, teaching tips and guidelines, objectives and key terms. A companion Web site provides PowerPoint slides and additional recipes for each chapter, as well as an electronic copy of the Instructor's Manual.

MacVeigh, a respected instructor of international cuisines and other core subjects at Professional Culinary Institute in San Jose, Calif., is a former executive chef with extensive commercial-cooking experience. He earned his undergraduate degree in food science before graduating from Western Culinary Institute in Portland, Ore. In 2007, he was named Instructor of the Year by BrightStar Education Group.

FIA reaches out to three hospitality programs

Foodservice Institute of America (FIA) members recently visited three hospitality programs—the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston, the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University and the International School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Pleasantville, N.J.—to introduce FIA to students, staff and faculty, and to offer insights into the opportunities in the industry.

Addressing a large crowd at each school, professional members of FIA discussed the diversity of the hospitality/foodservice industry and shared personal stories about developing leadership in such areas as technology, sales, distribution and consulting. The presentation of these careers only scratched the surface of the potential futures waiting for students who are working towards various degrees, the FIA members said.

Dr. Gong-Soog Hong, department chair for Consumer Sciences at the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University, felt that FIA's mission was a mirror image of his department's own mission and the overall mission of the University. FIA and Ohio State will be developing an opportunity to conduct an on campus symposium in 2010.

FIA also will be engaging in translational research that is meaningful for the industry in the next year and partnering with these three programs is a first step. Student membership in FIA is free to those enrolled in a related program. If a program would like to have FIA members speak to classes, faculty and/or staff, call their offices at 609.645.3131 or e-mail Executive Director Marsha Diamond at marsha@fia-us.org.

Chef-instructor at the Art Institute of Atlanta wins Ocean Spray's Ultimate Cranberry Recipe Contest

Chef Justin Ward—a member of the culinary faculty at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Atlanta, as well as the owner of Leapfrog Restaurant Solutions and chef/owner of Hungry Monkey Catering—was the $25,000 foodservice-category winner of Ocean Spray's Ultimate Cranberry Recipe Contest. Ward's winning original recipe was pork tenderloin with cranberry molé and cranberry salsa.

The winners were announced on October 7 at a private cocktail party that coincided with the debut of Ocean Spray's 2008 "Bogs Across America" tour in New York City, where about 2,000 pounds of cranberries were on display in a free-standing urban bog.

"Ocean Spray originally launched the Ultimate Cranberry Recipe Contest to celebrate the versatility of the cranberry year-round," said Larry Martin, vice president of marketing at Ocean Spray. "This year, contestants found even more creative ways to use the cranberry in their dishes. The originality and impressive variety of the recipes submitted showcased the talents of our home cooks and professional chefs and bartenders across the country and the wide range of uses for the fruit's unique flavor."

USDA grant finances cost-benefit assessment of HACCP

Dr. Amit Sharma, assistant professor of hospitality management at Penn State University, received a grant of $555,819 over three years from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a cost-benefit assessment model of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) implementation in commercial foodservice operations.

The HACCP preventative food safety program was developed nearly 30 years ago for astronauts and applies to the canned food industry, seafood, juice, milk, and meat and poultry processing plants. Sharma's project will conduct research in casual dining restaurants, grocery stores and gas station food outlets. A total of 12 organizations will participate through their various units in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The central outcome of the project will be to develop a model that helps managers evaluate the costs of investing in HACCP implementation versus its potential benefits. It will also lead to the development of training modules for management and consumers.

"Given the importance of food safety and HACCP for foodservice organizations and the novel approach of this research, its outcomes will help to fill a critical gap in foodservice management and consumer decision-making," Sharma says.

ACF Pittsburgh Chapter donates $10,000 to ACF Culinary Team USA

The American Culinary Federation (ACF) Pittsburgh Chapter recently announced that it would contribute a donation of $10,000 to ACF Culinary Team USA to help cover the team's expenses at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung (IKA) International Culinary Art Competition, or "culinary Olympics," which were held Oct. 19–22 in Erfurt, Germany.

"ACF Pittsburgh Chapter always comes through for ACF because of its wonderful members and dedication to culinary advancement," said John Kinsella, CMC, CCE, WGMC, AAC, ACF national president. "I was honored when I received word of the donation to ACF Culinary Team USA. Our success at the 'culinary Olympics' was intertwined with the support from ACF members in Pittsburgh and across the United States."

This is the chapter's second $10,000 donation to ACF Culinary Team USA. The first was in 2004, when the chapter raised funds to support the team and one of its members, Scott Fetty, who was then a member of ACF Culinary Team USA's regional team. This year, the 250-member chapter rallied again to recognize Fetty, a member of the 2008 AAC Culinary Regional Team USA, and support all of America's "culinary Olympic" chefs. The chapter's donation was a direct result of a special fund-raising event, The Pittsburgh Olympic Chefs' Dinner, which was held at Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pa., Sept. 16.

The fund-raising dinner showcased the talents and history of ACF Pittsburgh Chapter Olympic chefs through the years. Framed IKA medals, photos and biographies were displayed, and past "culinary Olympic" team members helped coordinate the event and plan menus.

Jones Dairy Farm awards two more scholarships to CIA students

Established in May 2006, the Jones Dairy Farm Scholarship Fund supports three scholarships each year at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). CIA juniors and seniors pursuing baccalaureate degrees in Culinary Arts Management can apply for the scholarship by submitting a short essay and original recipe using a Jones' product. Philip Jones, sixth-generation president of Jones Dairy Farm and a professionally trained chef, recently announced that CIA students Lance Nitahara and Bryan Kozlowski are the two most recent recipients of the Jones Dairy Farm Scholarship.

Lance Nitahara, a native of Wahiawa, Hawaii-native, plans to graduate from the CIA with a Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) degree as well as a fistful of professional certification titles—including Certified Pastry Culinarian, Certified Chef De Cuisine/PCII and the prestigious Certified Executive Chef. Nitahara came to the CIA already having earned an associates degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of the Pacific. A grueling CIA externship at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., placed him in a position normally reserved for The Greenbrier's world-famous apprenticeship program. The experience also gave him skills in Olympic-style cold food display work, which he later used to grab first place medals at International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show in New York.

Throughout his CIA experience, Bryan Kozlowski of Pompano Beach, Fla., has excelled at every level. Graduating with an Associate in Occupational Studies (AOS) degree in May 2007, Kozlowski received the President's Award for having the highest GPA of his class and the Management Award for his performance in management focused courses. After completing his AOS degree, Kozlowski interned at Saveur Magazine. A member of Eta Sigma Delta, the school's honor society, Kozlowski is currently enrolled in the CIA's Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS) degree program and is expected to graduate this Fall. Upon completion of his course work at the CIA, Kozlowski hopes to return to the publishing world, possibly in the test kitchen or editorial staff of a national consumer magazine.