JWU presents Metz with Doctor of Culinary Arts

Johnson & Wales University (JWU) presented Ferdinand Metz, CMC, president emeritus of the World Association of Chefs' Societies, with an honorary Doctor of Culinary Arts at a commencement ceremony on Feb. 27 to celebrate his life and legacy to culinary arts education.

(l to r) Karl Guggenmos, university dean of culinary education; Ferdinand Metz; and Kevin Duffy, dean of the College of Culinary Arts

Metz was president of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) from 1980 to 2001. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and is the first CMC to earn an MBA. He has been instrumental in establishing the Chef's Apprenticeship, the Chef's Certification and the Master Chefs' Certification programs in the United States and has led the American Culinary Federation U.S. Culinary Team to three consecutive world championships at the International Culinary Olympics. He also served as chairman of the board and trustee emeritus of the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation. Today he heads up consulting companies Ferdinand Metz Culinary Innovations LLC and Master Chefs' Associates.

CIA to host third annual Augie Awards gala

Culinary Institute of America (CIA) will host the 2009 CIA Leadership Awards, held in honor of Auguste Escoffier, at Cipriani 42nd St. in New York City. Proceeds of the third annual "Augie Awards" will benefit the culinary students through CIA's scholarship endowment.

Ferran Adrià (photo below), self-proclaimed deconstructivist and chef/co-owner of ElBulli in Roses, Spain, on the Costa Brava, is the recipient of the 2009 Chef of the Year Award. Adrià, a native of Barcelona, has been ElBulli's head chef for 22 years. ElBulli is only open from April to October. Adrià spends the remaining six months of the year perfecting recipes in his workshop in Barcelona. Over the past six years, the restaurant has been named the World's Best Restaurant four times by England's Restaurant magazine.

(photo courtesy of www.cocina.org)

Grant Achatz (photo below), chef/owner of Alinea in Chicago, will receive the Alumnus of the Year Award. Achatz, a 1994 CIA graduate, worked at The French Laundry in Yountville, Calif., and Trio in Evanston, Ill., before opening Alinea in 2005. He has won multiple awards from the James Beard Foundation, including Rising Star Chef of 2003 and Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2007. Alinea was named the Best Restaurant in America in 2006 by Gourmet magazine.


John J. Profaci, Sr. (photo below), president and founder of Colavita USA, is being inducted into the CIA Hall of Fame. Profaci, credited with opening the North American market to genuine Italian extra-virgin olive oil, started selling Enrico Colavita's olive oil in the United States in 1978. The company later expanded to import and distribute Italian specialty foods such as pasta, sauces and balsamic vinegar. Profaci and Colavita provided the financial support to help the CIA open the Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine in 2001.


For more information on the Augie Awards gala, visit CIA's Web site.

Brown elected LDEI president

Les Dames d'Escoffier International (LDEI) has elected Suzanne J. Brown president. LDEI is a philanthropic society of professional women leaders in the fields of food, beverage and hospitality.

Brown works as a global coffee and tea marketing specialist for The Partnership Inc., an interactive advertising and design firm based in Atlanta. In her new position with LDEI, Brown and her board of directors are charged with fostering the continued growth and success of LDEI by supporting the 26 chapters across North America and developing new chapters.

"In my profession working with coffee- and tea-growing countries, I’ve experienced the significance food has on its community. Food, its traditions and enjoyment weave into the very social fabric of these countries,” Brown said in a statement.

LDEI members are educators, cookbook authors, chefs, winery owners, food scientists--influencers who shape the way consumers think, purchase, prepare and eat food. For more information, visit www.ldei.org.

2009 FENI Educators Summit: And the winners are...

The 11th Annual FENI Summit in Las Vegas Feb. 14 to 17 was the highest attended conference to date, featuring more than 40 different programs on effective motivation, culinary skills, leadership development and lesson planning. Below are the winners of the National Pork Board's Taste of Elegance competition, the Educators of the Year and the Poster Board Winners. Congratulations to all the winners!

For complete FENI Summit wrapup details, be sure to read the May 2009 edition of Chef Educator Today.

(l to r) National Pork Board's Taste of Elegance first-place winner Stephen Marshall, executive chef, Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas, Henderson, Nev.; third-place winner Zachary Hillberry, chef de cuisine, Caesars Palace Las Vegas; second-place winner Jose Martinez, executive chef, Les Artistes Steakhouse at the Paris Las Vegas; and FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau

(l to r) FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau and Educator of the Year-postsecondary winner Michael McGreal, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill.


(l to r) FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau and Educator of the Year-secondary winner Daniel Wagner, Greene County Career & Technology Center, Waynesburg, Pa.

(l to r) FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau and Best Poster Abstract winner Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, The School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College, Chicago, for "TAAT: Taste, Analyze, Adjust, Taste"


(l to r) FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau and Best Poster Abstract winner Donald G. Schoffstall, MS, CSC, CHE, FMP, Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, Pittsburgh, for "A Classroom Poster Session: Using and Effective Professional Conference Technique To Enhance Classroom Learning"

(l to r) FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau and People’s Choice Award for Best Poster Sherri Nordstrom-Stastny, PhD, LRD, Human Development and Education-Dietetics, North Dakota State University, for "'Meet the Parents' Curriculum Increases Learning in Meal Planning Lesson"

(Photos: D.F. von Rabenau)

CCI student named 2009 Almost Famous Chef

Connecticut Culinary Institute (CCI) student David Awad, from took first place overall in the seventh annual S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competition held March 8 at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (CIA) in Napa Valley, Calif.


Awad competed against nine other student chefs from the United States and Canada over three days. His Pan-Seared Lamb Loin with a Red Wine Honey and Mint Glaze won him the $10,000 cash grand prize, a $1,000 scholarship for his alma mater and a year-long opportunity to work with a nationally recognized chef.

(from l to r) chef Ralph Pagano, co-host and chef/owner of www.kitchensynx.com; David Awad, 2009 Almost Famous Chef winner; Kristianne Pak, 2008 Almost Famous Chef winner; Kendra Orng, Signature Dish winner; Joe Branton, People's Choice winner; and Harold Dieterle, co-host and chef/owner of Perilla Restaurant in New York City

The 10 finalists competed in three categories: the Mystery Basket, Signature Dish, and People’s Choice. Awad won the Mystery Basket competition, earning him an additional $3,000, which involved creating a plate with surprise ingredients: sturgeon, bacon, bay leaves, fingerling potatoes and asparagus. Kendra Orng from the International Culinary School at The Art Institute California-Los Angeles won the $3,000 Signature Dish prize for her Chipotle-Braised Pork, and Joe Branton from the Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College won the $3,000 People’s Choice Award, with his signature dish, Pork Two Ways.

The Almost Famous Chef Competition was founded in 2002 as a mentoring program that connects top culinary students with established chefs and influential media. For more information, visit www.almostfamouschef.com.

Beef bourguignonne recipe

Editor's note: The following recipe was mentioned in the "Red meat revisited" article (page 18) that appeared in the March 2009 issue of Chef Educator Today.

Beef Bourguignonne

Chef Will Bohmann, New England Culinary Institute, Montpelier, Vt., www.neci.edu

2 lb. beef stew meat (beef chuck) cut into 1 1/2-2” cubes
4 T. butter
2 oz. smoked bacon or pork lardons, diced
2 carrots, medium dice
4 plum tomatoes, concassé
2 c. red wine
2 c. veal or beef stock
2 c. mushrooms, quartered
1 c. fresh pearl onions
Salt and pepper, as needed
4 sprigs fresh thyme

Method (1) Dice pork lardons or bacon, and render in a heavy-bottomed rondo with butter. When lardons begin to brown, remove them with a spoon. (2) In small batches, season and sear beef stew meat (beef chuck) in remaining fat left in the rondo. (3) Remove meat when browned on all sides. Add carrots to deglaze the pan. When slightly caramelized, add rough chopped tomatoes, and cook until they begin to thicken and glaze on the bottom of the pot. (4) Return meat and lardons to the pot; add red wine, and reduce for 5 minutes. (5) Add veal stock or beef stock. Cover, and simmer over low heat for 2 hours or until tender. (6) Shortly before serving, in a small sauté pan add butter, sauté quartered mushrooms and onions until evenly caramelized and tender. Reserve. (7) Adjust seasoning of stew, and incorporate mushrooms and onions. Season with fresh thyme. If a thicker sauce is necessary, remove and reserve tender meat. Bring sauce in rondo to a boil, and thicken using beurre manié. Add meat back to thickened sauce. (8) Serve over a bowl of egg noodles or fresh cut pappardelle.

Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center to host visiting chef Nahabedian

Michigan State University's Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center will host chef Carrie Nahabedian, co-owner of Naha restaurant in Chicago, at its final spring 2009 Visiting Chef Series from April 1 to 2. On April 1, Nahabedian will give a lecture and cooking demonstration of a four-course meal served with two wines. She also will prepare a four-course dinner, different from the demonstration meal, on April 2.

Nahabedian received her culinary training in Europe and Chicago. She spent 10 years at the Four Seasons, most recently as executive chef of the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, before opening Naha with her cousin Michael. Nahabedian was selected as one of the featured chefs for the 2008 Charleston Food and Wine Festival. She also was named the Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2008 by the James Beard Foundation.

This year's Visiting Chef Series already hosted Ali Barker, executive chef of The Boulevard Inn & Bistro, Cleveland, Ohio; and Paul Virant, executive chef of Vie restaurant in Western Springs, Ill. For more information or to make reservations for the Visiting Chef Series, go to www.hfs.msu.edu.