Jones Dairy Scholarship winners announced

Culinary Institute of America (CIA) students Kaleena Bliss and Robert "Robbie" Rensel both received The Jones Dairy Farm Scholarship Fund. Jones Dairy Farm supports three scholarships annually. CIA juniors and seniors pursuing baccalaureate degrees in Culinary Arts Management are eligible to apply for the scholarship by submitting a short essay and original recipe using a Jones' product. Only students with a demonstrated financial need and grade point average of 3.0 or higher are eligible to apply.

Kaleena Bliss

Robbie Rensel

For more information, visit www.jonesdairyfarm.com.

California Raisin Marketing Board announces winners of America's Best Raisin Bread Contest

The California Raisin Marketing Board is pleased to announce the winners of its second annual "America's Best Raisin Bread Contest," hosted at the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kan., Oct. 9 and 10. The competition included 30 finalists, made up of both professional and student bakers from across the country in the artisan and commercial categories.

Of the student competitors, Courtney Lipkins of Providence, R.I., and student at Johnson & Wales University, took home the artisan grand prize for her Honey Nut Raisin Bread. Liana Ycikson, of Miami, Fla., also a student at Johnson & Wales University, took home the commercial grand prize for her Cardamom Pecan Raisin Bread.

Of the 30 professional and student finalists, a total of 12 winners were chosen to participate in an all-expense paid visit to California to experience the growing areas and production of California Raisins, and enjoy California cuisine and wines at the Culinary Institute of America Greystone in St. Helena.

Additional prize winners in the artisan category, include:

• Judges prize: Co-winners Mitch Stamm, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I., for his California Gold Rush Bread; and Charles Niedermyer, Pennsylvania College of Technology, State College, Pa., for his Dueling Raisins Bread; and
  
• Ideas prize: Co-winners Luminita Cirstea, Kendall College, Chicago, for her Golden Gate Bread.

For more information, visit www.LoveYourRaisins.com.

CulinaryCorps names Puerto Rico next destination for chef-instructor/student 'culanthrophy' outreach trip

CulinaryCorps Inc., the nation's first service organization for culinary professionals, will expand its culanthropy footprint with an outreach trip to Puerto Rico from Jan. 31 to Feb. 7, 2010. Through Nov. 23, 2009, CulinaryCorps will recruit a team of ten qualified and passionate culinary professionals to travel to the country to make a difference through food and cooking.

Since March 2007, CulinaryCorps has led six week-long service trips offering food-focused humanitarian aid to communities in the US. These trips, which recruit chefs, cooks, food educators and culinary students, are designed to address a community's most critical food challenges: emergency hunger relief, cooking and nutrition education, healthy food access, childhood wellness, and culinary heritage preservation. Initial CulinaryCorps efforts focused on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, connecting 75 chefs with an intense portfolio of projects including establishing farmers markets, edible school yards and emergency feeding centers.

To date, these teams of CulinaryCorps chefs from around the world have created over 6,000 meals for the communities served, mentored 400 local students on the importance of healthy eating, designed a "Grow.Cook.Dine" after-school cooking club for the state of Mississippi, and taught AmeriCorps members how to cook for Habitat for Humanity volunteers.

Applications for the 2010 trip are now available at www.culinarycorps.org.

'Super green' seafood list released

The Monterey Bay Aquarium, with the help of conservation and public health organizations, has compiled a Super Green list of seafood, meaning it is good for human health and does not harm the oceans. The products currently on the list are good sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and are low in environmental contaminants.

Based on these criteria, The Monterey Aquarium lists the following as the best seafood choices as of October 2009:

• Albacore Tuna (troll- or pole-caught, from the United States of British Columbia)
• Mussels (farmed)
• Oysters (farmed)
• Pacific Sardines (wild-caught)
• Pink Shrimp (wild-caught, from Oregon)
• Rainbow Trout (farmed)
• Salmon (wild-caught, from Alaska)
• Spot Prawns (wild-caught, from British Columbia)

Other healthy choices are:

• Arctic Char (farmed)
• Bay Scallops (farmed)
• Crayfish (farmed, from the United States)
• Dungeness Crab (wild-caught, from California, Oregon or Washington)
• Longfin Squid (wild-caught, from the U.S. Atlantic)
• Pacific Cod (longlinee-caught, from Alaska)

For more information, visit www.montereybayaquarium.org.

NAMA, MSU celebrate 10-year partnership

The National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) and The School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University (MSU) are celebrating 10 years of partnership.

The partnership has helped provide a new level of advanced education, research and academic insights for members of the coffee and vending service industries. One of the most successful programs created through the partnership is the NAMA Executive Development Program, which is taught at MSU by the same faculty that teach at the university. The program, which began in 2000, is custom built for the senior leaders in the vending and coffee service industries. The next session will be held Nov. 15 to 18 at MSU. For more information, visit www.vending.org/education/executive.

October Culinary Nutrition News covers lipids

The American Culinary Federation Chef & Child Foundation and Clemson University recently released the October issue of "Culinary Nutrition News: Demystifying Lipids." The newest article, written by experts, defines healthful and harmful fats and offers fat-reducing tips for chefs' menus. Free copies are available at www.acfchefs.org/CNN.

The final two "Culinary Nutrition News" articles for 2009 will cover "Downsizing Calories and Portions," in November, and "Diabetic Menu Makeover," in December. ACF's Chef & Child Foundation and Clemson University partnered to offer this monthly series of articles, which are posted on ACF's Web site the first Monday of each month.

NRA seeks education session ideas for 2010 show

The National Restaurant Association is accepting proposals for education sessions at the 2010 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB), to be held May 22 to 25 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The deadline is Dec. 4. Industry professionals and educators may submit proposals for a single speaker or interactive panel discussions in five categories:

• Jobs and careers--including employee recruitment and retention, staff training, employee management and motivation;
• profitability and entrepreneurship--including cost control, research and insight, guest attraction and retention and marketing;
• Food and healthy living--including menu innovation, food safety and traceability, nutrition and sourcing;
• Sustainability and corporate responsibility--including recycling standards, water conservation and energy savings; and
• Technology--including online/electronic/mobile marketing, POS systems, inventory management and guest entertainment.

For more information or to submit proposals online, visit www.restaurant.org/show or www.winespiritsbeer.org.