HCCC now offers baking and pastry certificate

Hudson County Community College's (HCCC) Culinary Arts Institute, Jersey City, N.J., has developed a 10-week, industry-certified baking and pastries certificate program to prepare students for immediate employment. Classes will begin June 15 at the Culinary Arts Institute.

Students who attain the certification will have acquired the knowledge to maintain a pastry shop, develop menus, organize production and use products in a cost-efficient manner. Students who complete the four-module course may also transfer the classes toward an associate degree at HCCC.

For more information about the new certificate program, visit www.hccc.edu and search under the "Academic Programs" tab.

Lomanno named conti professor at Penn State School of Hospitality

The Penn State School of Hospitality Management named Mark V. Lomanno, president of Smith Travel Research Inc. (STR) the school's 71st conti professor.

Conti professors visit the school to interact with students and faculty, present guest lectures in hospitality and foodservice management and speak at graduate and undergraduate colloquia. The School of Hospitality recently hosted a two-day program that included six classroom presentations from Lomanno and an industry reception for students, alumni and local industry leaders.

STR Global tracks supply and demand data for the hotel industry and provides market share analysis for major international hotel chains and brands. As president, Lomanno sets company policy while overseeing daily operations. He also serves on the advisory boards of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International Foundation, The Center for Hospitality Research at Cornell University and Travel Industry of America.

Kendall's Zonka promoted to managing director

Renee Zonka, RD, CEC, CHE, associate dean of the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College, has been promoted to managing director, effective immediately. In her new role, Zonka will continue her duties as associate dean, which include overseeing academics, assessing student-learning outcomes, managing faculty and staff and directly interacting with students to help them maximize their educational experience. She also will be responsible for budgeting, working with the school's culinary advisory board and forecasting student flow to assist in scheduling classes. Zonka will report to Kendall College's provost and interim president Karen Gersten.

Zonka's promotion follows on the recent move of Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, dean of Kendall's School of Culinary Arts, to vice president of culinary arts programs for Laureate International Universities. Zonka has been a member of Kendall's faculty for three years.

Food Network's Tim Allen partners with NRAEF for Salute to Excellence

At the 2010 National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's (NRAEF) 23rd annual Salute to Excellence gala, Food Network host Tim Allen will emcee a specialty fashion show benefiting the NRAEF's youth development programs. The fashion show will spotlight style in foodservice apparel and gear from this year's National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show exhibitors.

"It is thrilling to be a part of such an exciting and original event," said Allen, host of the culinary competition series "Chopped," in a statement. "The restaurant and foodservice industry is an environment that fosters innovation and creativity, and this fundraiser supports the future leaders of the industry while mixing trends in food and fashion--an inspiring combination."

In addition to the fashion show, the NRAEF will recognize the students, educators and industry legends it has named as its 2010 honorees. For more information about the Salute to Excellence, visit www.nraef.org/events/salute.

Tru's Gand to receive Distinguished Visiting Chef Award from Sullivan University

The National Center for Hospitality Studies (NCHS) at Sullivan University will honor executive pastry chef Gale Gand on May 20 with the Distinguished Visiting Chef Award. Gand, who is partner at Mobil four-star and five-diamond AAA Relais-Gourmand restaurant Tru, will be signing copies of her new cookbook, Gale Gand's Brunch! 100 Fantastic Recipes for the Weekend’s Best Meal for students and faculty before the award presentation.

The Distinguished Visiting Chef series, which began in 1988, is a culinary-inspired education program designed to connect students with today's top chefs. Gand is the 38th recipient of the Distinguished Visiting Chef honor. Other chefs to receive this award include Kinkead's chef/owner Bob Kinkead, celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, and chef Rick Tramonto.

Career Search: Health care reform means more food jobs

by Irena Chalmers

Editors' note: "Career Search," a column exploring of the vast range of culinary careers awaiting culinary graduates, appears in each quarterly issue of Chef Educator Today. For the Summer 2010 issue, CET has selected to put it on our blog.

The idea of eating well--or, at least, better--increasingly begins before the beginning. It has become accepted that pregnant women should watch what they eat to better ensure that their well-nourished babies get a huge head start in life.

I would not have believed this had I not seen it with my own eyes. Decades ago, at the moment the U.K. government instituted the National Health System, it was decided that all graduate nurses who wished to specialize in a specific branch of medicine were required to first become midwives. To this day I have never understood the logic of this, but in order to concentrate on my chosen field of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, I trudged to Aberdeen, Scotland, to assist in the birth of 50 babies. (Fifty was the number required to achieve certification.)

All this is a preamble to say that when we nurses arrived at the obstetrics ward we could often match the contented babies to their contented mothers. The fractious, restless, sometimes low-birth-weight babies could similarly be identified with their moms. Failure to thrive doesn't occur at the moment of birth, but as a result of poor nutrition during gestation. The risks and rewards of securing a healthful diet have lifetime consequences. Fortunately, we can already see healthy and nutritious food choices taking up more shelf space in supermarkets.

Healthy food is now prepared in hospitals and company cafeterias, schools in school systems and colleges, museum restaurants, spas, the military and upscale retirement homes. Local farms are providing farm-to-table fruits, vegetables, grass-fed meats, free-range chickens and sustainable fish for restaurants. And farmers' markets are gaining more fans. This rethinking of the food everyone will be eating is gathering momentum not only to those who can afford the very best but for everyone.

We are also seeing large food-processing companies and chain restaurants improving the nutrient profile of their foods. These are small steps, admittedly, and perhaps the cynics will be justified in sniffing that these are more public relations moves than a genuine interest in improving the diet of a very large planet. But steps, no matter how small, are still steps that offer employment for many good cooks and culinary school graduates.

So, how can you get in on this? How do you get started?

Decide which specific sector of the vast, ever-expanding food and hospitality field appeals to you, and make a goal to join it. For instance, Sodexo and Aramark have employees working worldwide in institutional foodservice, sports stadiums and facilities of every kind. Their customers are seeking fast yet healthy choices.

Check out the Web sites of companies known for promoting healthy, delicious foods, such as Wegmans, Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's.

Explore the employment opportunities in menu development for your local hospital and school systems. For instance, consider volunteering to teach a class of kids how to start their own school garden and develop recipes from their harvest.

Lastly, track down specific trade magazines, and check out the classified pages that list job openings.

These suggestions are merely a start. You will find your own way. Whether you agree or disagree with the new health care reform, there are food job opportunities to seize.

Irena Chalmers is a columnist for Chef Magazine and a Culinary Institute of America faculty member. Her latest book is Food Jobs: 150 Great Jobs for Culinary Students, Career Changers and Food Lovers.

AACC's culinary team defends Chesapeake Culinary Cup title

The junior culinary team at the Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) Hospitality, Culinary Arts and Tourism Institute last month defended its title as the Chesapeake Culinary Cup champion at an American Culinary Federation culinary competition hosted by AACC. This year's Chesapeake Culinary Cup consisted of plated poultry, fish, game and dessert plates and a celebration cakes competition.

Participating against AACC's team were student teams from the Art Institute of Washington, Arlington, Va., which placed third; Baltimore International College, Baltimore, Md.; and Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts of Pittsburgh, which placed second.

(l to r) Anne Arundel Community College culinary competitors Wes Tise, Drew Parassio and Samantha Elmorem; judge Elena Clement, CEPC; team members Chris Willis and Chris Galankis; lead judge Gunther Heiland, CMPC, AAC; judge Curtis Eargle, CEC, AAC; team coach Shawn Harlan, CEC, CHE; and judge Robert Meitzer, CEC, AAC