S.Pellegrino crowns 8th Almost Famous Chef

Johnson & Wales University-North Miami student Luis Young was named Almost Famous Chef at the 2010 S.Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition held March 7 at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in Napa Valley, Calif.

(l to r) Cookbook author and culinary/lifestyle expert Katie Lee, Almost Famous Chef Luis Young and celebrity chef Ralph Pagano

Young defeated 10 other culinary students from the United States, Canada and Italy with his winning dish, Herb Scented Seared Venison Tenderloin. In addition to the title, Young's prizes included a $13,000 cash prize and a year-long paid apprenticeship with a participating chef.

The 11 finalists competed in three categories: the Signature Dish, Mystery Basket and People's Choice. Young won the $3,000 Signature Dish prize for his Herb Scented Seared Venison Tenderloin. Brian Schreiber, a student at Kendall College in Chicago, won the Mystery Basket competition and $3,000 for creating a plate with surprise ingredients: chicken, eggs and mushrooms. New England Culinary Institute student Peter Clark won the People's Choice Award and $3,000 for his signature dish, Pan-Seared Halibut.

For more information on the competition and the winning recipe, visit www.almostfamouschef.com or www.thesparklinglife.com.

Wylie High School wins FS Prep/ProStart state finals

In the first-ever year that Texas participated in the state finals of the FS Prep/ProStart High School Competition, Wylie High School, Wylie, Texas, took first place in both the culinary competition and the restaurant management competition. The two Wylie High School teams will now travel to Overland Park, Kan., on April 30 to compete in the National ProStart Invitational.

The Wylie High School culinary team was made up of students Zack Cottey, Brian Duncan, Kellen Ly, Logan Shillington and Austin Valdepena, led by their instructor Steve DeShazo. Each team member received a $10,000 scholarship. Westside High School, Houston, took second place in the culinary competition, with each team member receiving a $5,000 scholarship. Wylie High School's restaurant management team was made up of students Bennet Brown, Jordan Cook, Katie Hoeflich, Lexi Miller and Ashley Morton, and also led by Steve DeShazo. Each team member received a $5,000 scholarship. San Angelo Central High School, San Angelo, Texas, took second place, and each team member received a $2,500 scholarship. Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Schools provided scholarships to the winners in both the culinary and restaurant management competitions.

The Texas Restaurant Association Education Foundation, which maintains educational programs such as FS Prep and ProStart to to build pathways from schools to careers in the foodservice industry. For more information, visit www.restaurantville.com.

MSU hospitality students sell cookies for Haiti relief

The Society for Foodservice Management (SFM) club in the School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University raised $1,500 for Haiti relief efforts by selling gourmet cookies to MSU students.

Hospitality business students in the SFM spent a week and a half selling cookies, exceeding their fundraising goal by $1,000, according to a press statement. MSU Culinary Services and the MSU Bakery donated all the cookies, enabling 100 percent of sales proceeds to go to American Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti. For more information, visit www.bus.msu.edu/shb.

Lexington College premiers video on preparing women for hospitality careers

Lexington College in Chicago has released a new video about the school and how it prepares graduates for professional careers in the growing hospitality industry. The college grants a bachelor of applied science (BAS) degree in hospitality management and an associate of applied science (AAS) hospitality management degree. Students pursuing the BAS select a concentration in culinary arts, event planning, hotel/restaurant management, or health care and wellness. Click on the video below to learn more.

CIA to host fourth annual Leadership Awards

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) will host its fourth annual CIA Leadership Awards in New York City at Cipriani 42nd Street on March 18. The CIA created the Augie Awards, named for Auguste Escoffier, in 2007 to celebrate success and achievement of the foodservice industry's best and brightest.

The Chef of the Year Award is being given to Eric Ripert, partner and chef of Le Bernardin in New York City. The Alumna of the Year Award will be presented to Cat Cora (1995), executive chef of Bon Appétit magazine and the only female Iron Chef in the history of the Food Network's "Iron Chef America." The Alumnus of the Year Award will be presented to Chris Muller (1988), the chef de cuisine at Le Bernardin.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Proceeds benefit the college's scholarship endowment. For more information, visit www.ciagiving.org

'Top Chef' winner to hold cooking demo at Cal Poly

"Top Chef" winner Ilan Hall will host a cooking demonstration and three-course dinner at The Collins College of Hospitality Management's Restaurant at Kellogg Ranch at Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, Calif., on March 7.

Proceeds from the demonstration dinner will support The Collins College of Hospitality Management and the United Culinarians, a student club designed to give students an opportunity to develop their culinary skills outside the classroom. Hall, who won season two of Bravo TV's "Top Chef" in 2007, is also chef and owner of The Gorbals restaurant in Los Angeles, named both for an immigrant community in Glasgow, Scotland, and for Hall's Scottish/Russian-Jewish heritage.

For more information, visit www.csupomona.edu/~collins.

March 'Culinary Nutrition News' examines baby boomers

In the March issue of "Culinary Nutrition News: Nutrition and the Baby Boomer Generation," nutrition experts discuss nutrition issues affecting the baby boomer generation and how chefs can address them. The three-page article, presented by the American Culinary Federation Chef & Child Foundation (CCF) and Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., is now available for download at www.acfchefs.org/CNN.

This month's article discusses how food providers can appeal to baby boomers--a growing segment of consumers that spends more at restaurants than any other population segment--from lowering the amount of salt in meals to serving smaller portions of protein with more vegetables. The article also includes a summary of vital nutrients in the different food groups and explains how those nutrients affect bone health, vision and blood clotting.

The American Culinary Federation’s Chef & Child Foundation and Clemson University partnered in May 2009 to offer a series of monthly articles designed to bridge the nutrition gap for chefs by providing up-to-date research information. The April "Culinary Nutrition News" article will be posted online on April 5.