L’Academie de Cuisine students tour White House kitchen with the first lady

As reported by The New York Times, this past Sunday, while the White House kitchen staff prepared for the Obama's first official dinner (honoring the nation's governors), Michelle Obama gave a select group of students from L’Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Md., a tour of the kitchen and a sneak peek at some the evening's menu items.

The special invitation, offered to L’Academie de Cuisine's top six students, was part of the first lady's ongoing community outreach efforts. Ms. Obama also reportedly used the opportunity to vocally support local and sustainable food--and to praise White House kitchen staffers, who, she admits, know how to make a "mean batch of french fries."

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(Photo credit: Haraz N. Ghanbari/Associated Press, from The New York Times)

Kendall instructor joins board of Bread Bakers Guild of America

Melina Kelson-Podolsky, a baking and pastry instructor at Kendall College in Chicago, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Bread Bakers Guild of America. A Certified Master Baker, a Certified Executive Pastry Chef and a Certified Sous Chef, Kelson-Podolsky has been teaching for eight years and a member of the Guild since 2003.

"I’m excited to be able to give back to The Guild," Kelson-Podolsky said in a press statement. "If it weren't for what they have offered to people like me, I'd be worlds behind where I am today. The Guild helps you to reinvent yourself."

The Bread Bakers Guild of America is a non-profit organization made up of professional bakers, farmers, millers, suppliers, educators, students, home bakers, technical experts and bakery owners and managers who work together to support the principle and the practice of producing high-quality baked goods. For more information, visit the Bread Bakers Guild of America's Web site.