MCC partners with high school in fundraising competition

Monroe Community College (MCC) president Anne M. Kress traded in her administrator's hat for a sous chef's toque last month to take part in the local East High School Iron Chef Competition, Rochester, N.Y., to earn scholarship money for future MCC students. Kress was among 10 celebrity sous chefs supporting five East High culinary students battling for the title of Iron Chef during the one-hour cooking competition.

MCC's president Anne M. Kress (l) chops fresh herbs for a chicken dish as MCC student Michaela Novak looks on*

Quanisha Robinson, 18, earned the grand prize: a full scholarship to attend MCC. The $2,900 scholarship was made possible by donors to the MCC Annual Fund at the Monroe Community College Foundation. The event organizer was Latinas Unidas, an organization that fosters opportunities for Hispanic women and girls in the greater Rochester area, in collaboration with East High School. Proceeds benefit the high school's culinary arts program.

(l to r) Student chef Shanik Session, 16, Anne Kress and Kim Dyce-Faucette, Rochester City School District chief of staff*

*Photos courtesy of Gerald M. Brinkman/Monroe Community College, Rochester, N.Y.

National Honey Board holds first student competition

Two students from the Culinary Institute of Charleston (CIC), Charleston, S.C., won first place and $2,500 in the National Honey Board's first-ever student culinary competition. Laura Vein's winning dish was pain perdu with crème fraîche pastry cream, honeyed oranges and orange blossom honey syrup. The other winner, John Evans, created a honey-smoked pork belly confit to win the judges over. Elizabeth Freer claimed second place and $750 for her almond-crusted chicken roulade, beet greens and raspberry honey-red beet sauce; and Arlette Park took third place and $500 with a prosciutto and goat cheese bouchée with honeyed fig-golden raisin compote.

(l to r) Arlette Park; Laura Vein; Elizabeth Freer; Ann Segerstrom, consultant for the National Honey Board; and John Evans

The National Honey Board created the culinary student competition program to develop awareness of and appreciation for honey's culinary value and menu benefits in the next generation of chefs. For more information about the Honey Board culinary competitions or to learn more about the National Honey Board's foodservice program, visit www.honey.com/nhb/foodservice.

Wrap-up of Taste of Lexington '10

More than 400 hospitality industry professionals, prospective students, educators and executives attended Lexington College's annual Taste of Lexington event on March 11. The event, which raised scholarship funds for the next generation of women in the hospitality industry, offered the chance to meet students, faculty and staff, tour campus facilities and enjoy hors d’oeuvres prepared by Lexington students.

Chef Gale Gand poses with Lexington students

In a special guest appearance by acclaimed pastry chef, restaurateur, cookbook author and television personality Gale Gand, she discussed everything from juggling career and family and what she looks for when she hires pastry chefs to being a woman in the foodservice industry 25 years ago compared to today. She also signed copies of her latest book, titled Gale Gand's Brunch!

Other highlights included culinary lab demonstrations, interactive food stations, a craft beer tasting and internship presentation displays. For more information, visit www.lexingtoncollege.edu/preview/.

'Salute to Women' raises funds for Sullivan University

On March 26 The Brown Hotel, Louisville, Ky., hosted a group of celebrity chefs, students and foodservice industry professionals for "A Salute to Women, Wine and Whiskey," an event to raise funds for a scholarship for a female student attending Sullivan University's National Center for Hospitality Studies (NCHS).

(l to r) Judy Schad of Capriole Farms, Kathy Cary of Lilly's, Laurent Géroli of The Brown Hotel, Susan Goss of West Town Tavern and Gale Gand of Tru

Joining The Brown Hotel's executive chef Laurent Géroli in preparing a five-course dinner in honor of Women's History Month that evening was cheesemaker Judy Schad of Capriole Farm, Warfordsburg, Pa.; chef Kathy Cary of Lilly's, Louisville; chef Katie Payne of Sullivan University; and Chicago chefs Susan Goss of West Town Tavern; and Gale Gand of Tru. NCHS faculty and students prepared hors d'oeuvres during the reception portion, which featured cocktails from mixologist Joy Perrine.

NRA launches third annual Hot Chef Challenge

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) launched the the third annual NRA Show Hot Chef Challenge 2010 this week, inviting recent culinary school graduates and professional chefs to submit a video to www.youtube.com of themselves preparing their favorite recipe using fresh produce.

YouTube users will rate the video submission to select the top three finalists, from which one will be chosen as the winner by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson. The winner will travel to Chicago to showcase his or her winning recipe and cook alongside Samuelsson at the 2010 NRA Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show’s World Culinary Showcase on May 22 at McCormick Place. The winner will also receive accommodations for three days and two nights at the Affinia Hotel Chicago and a special dinner with wine pairings at Samuelsson's Chicago restaurant C-House.

Interested chefs and cooks should submit an original video demonstrating their recipe at www.youtube.com/hotchef2010 or www.restaurant.org/show by April 29. Videos should be no longer than two minutes and recipes must include at least one fresh produce item, plus any other ingredients of their choice.

C-CAP raises $25,000 at IHHS benefit

At a Happy Hour event on March 14 during the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago, more than 350 industry professionals gathered for food, drinks and music to benefit the Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP). C-CAP raised $25,000 at the invitation-only event, which was sponsored by Harold Import Co. and featured an appearance by celebrity chef Guy Fieri. Guests sampled several of Fieri's dishes prepared especially for the event by more than 75 Chicago C-CAP high school students.

Celebrity chef Guy Fieri with C-CAP high school students

C-CAP's mission is to promote and provide career opportunities in the foodservice industry for underserved youth through culinary arts education and employment. The curriculum enrichment program links public high school culinary teachers and their students to the foodservice industry. For more information about C-CAP, visit www.ccapinc.org.

Calling all student bakers

The California Raisin Marketing Board (CRMB) is calling on entries from student and professional bakers for the third annual America's Best Raisin Bread Contest. The contest, open now through Aug. 16, has expanded the categories of artisan and commercial breads to now include breakfast breads such as rolls, pastries, scones and coffee cakes containing California raisins.

Preliminary judging will take place in September to select three finalists from each student category to participate in the final bake-off, which will take place at the American Institute of Baking in Manhattan, Kan., Oct. 14 to 16. The winners will receive a five-day California vacation with visits to the Culinary Institute of America, Yosemite National Park and the San Joaquin Valley--the home of California raisins.

The contest application, complete set of rules and examples of past winning formulas are available online.