CIA launches Manager-In-Training program for select graduates

Thirty graduates of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) are working at the college as managers-in-training in various kitchens and dining rooms. The new manager-in-training (MIT) program at the CIA expands upon the previous graduate fellowship and teaching assistant programs. MITs include both recent graduates and those who have spent more time in the industry.

"The term 'manager-in-training' is recognized throughout the foodservice industry. Employers know that the CIA is providing further education to truly prepare these select alumni to be managers and leaders," Jennifer Purcell, associate dean for restaurant education and coordinator of the program, said in a press statement. "Our graduate fellows and teaching assistants shared with us that they wanted more education and more depth to enhance their training. We are now providing that depth."

Purcell says the program is very hands-on, as participants work side-by-side with a faculty mentor and assist in supervising the efficient function of operations in their designated area. To successfully fulfill their duties in the program, each manager-in-training must complete self-directed learning modules and demonstrate they have met specific educational objectives. There are also opportunities for these graduates to earn professional development certifications.

During their one-year terms, managers-in-training are employees of the CIA. (As fellows and teaching assistants, they were considered students.) They can apply for additional stints as managers-in-training in other areas of the college.

"It is both a leadership opportunity and a great way to continue my education in an area that interests me," says Kevin McCann, 30, an MIT in Meat Fabrication. The Syracuse, NY native hopes to soon open an Internet-based sausage company. "I work with meat and charcuterie every day. I would never be able to get this much hands-on experience working with any other butcher. This is as much a part of my education as anything I've done at the CIA."

Managers-in-training at the CIA are working in the kitchen and dining rooms of all five public restaurants on the college's Hyde Park, NY campus; the baking and pastry arts department; Quantity Food Production classes; Meat Fabrication; and Seafood Fabrication.

Kevin McCann '09 (left), manager-in-training at the CIA, works closely with associate professor Thomas Schneller in the college's Meat Fabrication room. (Photo credit: CIA/Keith Ferris)

NACE expanding scholarship program

The Foundation of the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) has expanded its Vince DeFinis Scholarship program for undergraduate students and will award two $10,000 scholarships at the 2010 NACE annual convention, July 25 to 28 in Austin, Texas.

The scholarship recipients also will receive complimentary student membership in NACE. In order to be eligible for the scholarship, students must maintain a 3.0 grade point average and be enrolled full time (12 credits or more) in a accredited hospitality, culinary or related program. Students must have completed 60 credits to be eligible. The application deadline is April 1. The winners will be selected April 30. For more information, visit www.nace.net/cs/foundation_scholarship_2009.

Kendall College to host Share Our Strength dinner

On Nov. 2, Kendall College's School of Culinary Arts will hold a tasting dinner and auction to benefit Share Our Strength (SOS). The event is part of SOS' A Tasteful Pursuit, a touring dinner series taking place in cities across the country to raise funds to help end childhood hunger in America.

Dean of the School of Culinary Arts Christopher Koetke, chef-instructor Massimo Bosco and dining room instructor Steve Grand Pre will host the event, which will feature a multi-course meal from well-known chefs and wines from guest sommelier Angela Roman, the wine director at The Signature Room at The 95th in Chicago. The featured chefs are: Kendall alum Steven Chiappetti, Viand, Chicago; Kendall alum Matt McMillin, 3Sixty Dining Intelligence; Kendall alum Mindy Segal, Hot Chocolate, Chicago; Kendall alum Kristine Subido, Wave, W Hotel Lakeshore, Chicago; and Andy Husbands, Tremont 647 and Sister Sorel, Boston.

The event begins with a reception and silent auction at 6 p.m. in The Dining Room at Kendall. Click here for more information or to order tickets.

Best of military foodservice members attend CIA education program

During the third annual Armed Forces Forum for Culinary Excellence, 21 top Air Force Airmen and four Marines from around the world were selected to spend the week of Oct. 3 to 10 refining and expanding their culinary skills at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone, St. Helena, Calif., working under CIA chefs Thomas Wong and Victor Scargle. This annual forum is sponsored by the Hennessy Travelers Association Educational Foundation. The 25 Airmen and Marines were selected during their service's foodservice excellence evaluation program--the John L. Hennessey Awards Program for the Air Force, the Major General W.P. T. Hill Award for the Marine Corp and the Senior Master Sergeant Kenneth Disney Award for the Air National Guard.

(l to r) Air Force Senior Airman Clabirel Najera-Torres and Marine Corporal Michael Williams

During the forum, the students attended lectures in the morning followed by intensive hands-on preparation of complex recipes in the Greystone kitchens, which were then critiqued by the CIA chefs. At the end of the week, the Airmen and Marines were each awarded diplomas. For more information on the event, visit www.hennessyaward.org.

(l to r) Hennessy Travelers Association president Carmen Anthony Vacalebre, Air Force Senior Airman Angel Ramirez and CIA chef Thomas Wong

Delmar releases latest book in Kitchen Pro Series

Delmar Cengage Learning has published Poultry: Identification, Fabrication and Utilization, by chef Thomas Schneller, the third book in the Kitchen Pro Series from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA).
Poultry describes both time-honored and state-of-the-art methods of identifying species and cuts, purchasing, fabricating and storing of a wide range of poultry ranging from domestically raised turkey and duck to quail, poussin and wild birds. This full-color, hard-bound text is designed for culinary students, instructors, chefs, foodservice managers, purchasing agents, suppliers, vendors, retailers and food enthusiasts. It demonstrates basic preparation methods and tested recipes reflecting classic and contemporary cooking in a step-by-step format.

For culinary instructors, each subject component in the Kitchen Pro Series comes with an instructor's manual, which provides review and test questions, course outline, teaching tips and guidelines, objectives and key terms. The first two books published in the Kitchen Pro Series were Fish and Seafood and Meat. Schneller, an associate professor at the CIA, also wrote Meat. The final three books in the series will be released later this year and next. For more information, visit www.culinary.delmar.com.

HCCC lecture series begins with Buddy Valastro

For the first of a series of free lectures, Hudson County Community College (HCCC) will host Buddy Valastro, fourth-generation baker and owner of Carlo's City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken, N.J., on Nov. 19. The theme of this year's series is Reaching New Heights. The other speakers, due to appear early next year, are: Michael Eric Dyson, author and cultural observer; and actress Rita Moreno.

Valastro's lecture begins at 6:00 p.m. at HCCC's Culinary Arts Institute/Conference Center. For more information on the HCCC Lecture Series, please visit the college's Web site.

Baker Buddy Valastro and his bakery are the stars of "The Cake Boss," a show that premiered on The Learning Channel last spring

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.

AI students to help out at Diabetes Initiative

Culinary students at the Art Institute of Ohio--Cincinnati will help prepare and serve food at an event taking place Oct. 17 in conjunction with Gourmet Enterprises to help benefit the HealthCare Connection's Diabetes Initiative. Students will serve "Jazzy Bites" to guests at a special reception prior to a performance by Grammy-winning singer Al Jarreau. The reception also will feature live jazz performed by local music groups.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for our Culinary students to acquire valuable first-hand experience at an upscale event, while also contributing to a cause that affects so many people here in Cincinnati and throughout the country," said chef Laird Livingston, director of the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Ohio--Cincinnati, in a statement.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.cincinnatiarts.org or www.healthcare-connection.org.

Sharing the passion

The Monroe College School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary Arts is hosting a series of culinary demonstrations this fall, where accomplished chefs share their passion for cooking with the students in the school's Culinary Arts Center.

Frank Costantino, dean of the School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary Arts, kicked off the "Sharing the Passion" series with a demonstration on Oct. 1 for students. He created a traditional Italian-style Sunday dinner he used to share as a child with his family. His demonstration included a trip to the herb and vegetable garden where he picked fresh herbs and Italian eggplants. He then prepared risotto with Parmesan, chicken a la cacciatora and grilled eggplant with extra virgin olive oil.

Dean Frank Costantino prepares a family-style Italian meal for Monroe College students.

For more information about the series, visit Monroe College's Web site.

NSEC hosts Norwegian salmon event at ICE

On Oct. 7 at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, the Norwegian Seafood Export Council hosted The Norwegian Salmon Experience to educate chefs, restaurateurs and media about Norweigian salmon. Norwegian chef Sven Erik Renaa, food and beverage consultant with the Culinary Institute of Norway in Stavanger, performed a live culinary demonstration and tasting of smoked Norwegian salmon with apple vinaigrette and horseradish.

Chef Sven Erik Renaa, 2009 Norwegian Chef of the Year winner, preps salmon at the event.*

The 2010 Norwegian Seafood Ambassadors were also introduced at the event, and each chef conducted a live demonstration and tasting of a recipe created for the event. The chefs also shared culinary techniques and tips for creating delicious and naturally nutritious meals featuring Norwegian salmon.

The 2010 Norwegian Seafood Ambassadors are: Bradford McDonald, executive chef at Crabtree’s Kittle House in Chappaqua, N.Y.; Brian Bistrong, owner/executive chef at Braeburn Restaurant in New York City; and Bryan J. Hunt, chef de cuisine at Insieme Restaurant at The Michelangelo Hotel in New York City.

*Photo courtesy of Michael Grimm

More than $66,000 raised for Colvin Scholarship Fund

Supporters of the Mick Colvin Scholarship Fund raised $66,640 for the fund during the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) annual conference, Sept. 17 to 19 in Phoenix. The funds were raised through an auction and golf tournament, and five Colvin scholarships totaling $9,000 were awarded this year.

The Colvin Scholarship Fund was created in 1999 when Louis M. "Mick" Colvin retired as CAB's executive director. The Colvin Scholarship Fund and Certified Angus Beef are now seeking applicants for 2010 scholarships. Applications are due Nov. 16. The scholarships, totaling $9,000, will be awarded in January 2010 to junior or senior college level students in pursuit of a meat science, food science, animal science, marketing, business, communications, journalism or other degree related to the beef industry. Applications are available at www.certifiedangusbeef.com.

Walnut Hill donates cake for LDEI celebration

Les Dame D'Escoffier (LDEI) Philadelphia Chapter hosted its National Convention dinner on Oct. 2 at the Sofitel Hotel, Philadelphia. Dame Alice G. Foreman, a Seattle chapter member, commissioned The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College in Phildelphia to create a cake to celebrate anniversaries of LDEI's various chapters. The "Big Cake" was designed and created by pastry art students in a competition, with the winning team receiving a scholarship award. Students Kelli Payne and Hannah Lane won the cake competition, both receiving scholarships toward their education at The Restaurant School.

The Restaurant School pastry arts students Hannah Lane (left) and Kelli Payne (right) pose with their winning cake.

This year, LDEI's celebrated anniversaries included: Boston, 50 years; Dallas, 25 years; Philadelphia, 25 years; San Francisco, 20 years; Seattle, 20 years; Houston,15 years; and Cleveland, 5 years.

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Le Cordon Bleu offers online culinary management program

For individuals who have already earned an associate degree in culinary arts, pastry arts or hospitality and restaurant management from an accredited school, Le Cordon Bleu Schools is now offering a bachelor of arts in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Management online program.

This 15-month program is designed for people looking to advance their career potential with the flexibility that comes with studying online. It focuses on a wide range of advanced topics relevant to the industry such as facilities and event management, financial management and cost control, marketing, research and writing, small business development and organizational psychology. For more information, visit www.chefs.edu/programs.

Certified Food & Beverage program updated

The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI) revised its Certified Food & Beverage Executive (CFBE) professional certification program to better reflect current food and beverage trends and standards.

After receiving input from industry experts and the EI Certification Commission, EI added new content areas and competencies to all six CFBE topics covered in the program. These topics are are: managing food operations, managing beverage operations, marketing and sales management, financial management, leadership and human resources management.

In addition to content changes, the CFBE resource materials have been reformatted. Candidates now receive a competency-based exam preparation booklet with three-volume resource materials on CD. There is also a new review session with PowerPoint presentations, new sample exam questions and new certification exam questions.

Candidates for the CBFE program must hold a position as an executive level manager or food and beverage director of a hotel food and beverage operation, general manager of a freestanding restaurant or executive chef with at least two years' experience in one or more qualifying positions. For additional information or to download an application, visit www.ahlei.org/cfbe.

For the Love of Chocolate Foundation receives support from businesses

For the Love of Chocolate Scholarship Foundation, which provides scholarships to qualified students of The French Pastry School at City Colleges of Chicago, has formed partnerships with home/work furnishings provider Coalesse and mask and costume provider Zagone Studios. Coalesse has donated $1,500 to the foundation, and Zagone Studios will contribute 5 percent of Internet sales from now through Halloween.

This is the second straight year that Coalesse has sponsored For the Love of Chocolate Foundation. On Oct. 14 Coalesse will team up with The French Pastry School for a special sugar sculpting demonstration from French Pastry School chef John Kraus in the Coalesse showroom at The Merchandise Mart. For more information, visit www.coalesse.com.