ICE student wins 4th annual Chefs of Grey Poupon student competition

Sonali Ruder, a student at The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), won the 2010 Chefs of Grey Poupon Student Culinary Competition, which was held May 6 at Viking Cooking School and Culinary Shop in Glenview, Ill.

Ruder took home the grand prize and a $20,000 culinary scholarship from Kraft Foodservice with her original recipe for pan-roasted lamb loin with celery root, apple and dijon purée, mustard greens, Grey Poupon glazed carrots, pomegranate jus and truffle mustard mushroom crisp and her Mystery Basket Challenge dish of a crab cake sandwich with black garlic aïoli and avocado radish salsa.

Dave Wilcox of Kraft Foodservice with Chefs of Grey Poupon student winner Sonali Ruder

Joshua Ogrodowski from Johnson & Wales University received a $5,000 scholarship and second place with his recipe for honey Dijon pistachio-encrusted lamb rack with Dijon succotash, whole-grain Dijon lamb glace and fire-roasted tomatoes. Sarah Roberts from Kendall College won third place and a $3,000 scholarship with her recipe for crispy braised pork belly with Chinese black rice rolls. The Culinary Institute of America student Brooke Maynard took home fourth place and a $2,000 scholarship for her recipe of pear and Dijon glazed pork loin.

Now in its fifth year, the Chefs of Grey Poupon program was developed to honor three chefs each year who have creatively used Grey Poupon in their signature dishes. The student culinary competition was added four years ago to inspire the chefs of tomorrow. For more information, visit www.chefsofgreypoupon.com.

CET is headed to the '10 NRA Show!

Chef Educator Today will be at the 2010 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show on Monday, May 24, and Tuesday, May 25. If you're planning to attend, be sure to stop by our booth, #7828!

Otherwise, see you Wednesday!

-the CET editors

McDonald's Fields receives honorary degree at Lexington commencement

On May 19 Lexington College hosted its 32nd commencement at the Merit School of Music in Chicago, where it awarded an honorary bachelor's degree in hospitality management to Janice Fields (pictured, below), president of McDonald's USA LLC. The honoris causa signifies that through decades of hospitality industry leadership, Fields has completed the course of study for this degree.


As president of McDonald's, Fields is responsible for the strategic direction and overall business results of the 14,000 McDonald's restaurants in the United States. Previously, Fields was executive vice president and chief operating officer, where she oversaw the operations of the U.S. McDonald’s restaurants. She started her career at McDonald's as a crew member in 1978.

NRAEF to award almost $60k in scholarships at NRA Show

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) will present $59,000 in scholarships to undergraduate students and educators pursuing careers and professional development in the restaurant and foodservice industry, during the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show taking place May 22 to 25 at Chicago's McCormick Place. The scholarships will be awarded during the Michael E. Hurst Educational Forum and 23rd annual Salute to Excellence, a series of events hosted by the NRAEF, on May 22 at the Hilton Chicago.

The NRAEF, in partnership with its endowment and leadership scholar donors, will present the following scholarships at Salute to Excellence:

• The Coca-Cola Co. will award two $5,000 scholarships to student honor delegates Melissa Dillard, University of Maryland East, Princess Anne, Md.; and Katie Fulgham, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa.
  
• The NRAEF in partnership with the Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNA), will award five scholarships totaling $12,500 to student honor delegates Adena Gilden, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.; Robert Stretch, Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Nicole Trussell, Newberry College, Newberry, S.C.; Laura Hooton, the Culinary Institute of America (CIA); and San Shoppell, Kapiolani Community College, Honolulu, Hawaii
  
• The Al Schuman Ecolab Undergraduate Entrepreneurial Scholarship will award $16,500 to undergraduate students Crystal Lingle, Penn State University; Soraya Khoury, the CIA; and Joseph Hawkins, Johnson & Wales University (JWU)
  
• Golden Corral Corp. will award the $5,000 James H. Maynard Excellence in Education Awards to ProStart educators Bonita Curtis, Maryland ProStart Educator Excellence Award Winner, Fairmont Heights High School, Capitol Heights, Md.; and Judy Uerling, New Mexico ProStart Educator Excellence Award Winner, Clovis High School, Clovis, N.M.
• The Robert E. Rich Sr. Chairman's Award Scholarship will award a total of $10,000 to four undergraduate students attending JWU, Cornell University and the CIA

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.