College of DuPage to host 12th annual 'Traditions in Excellence' event

On April 21 College of DuPage will hold its 12th annual "Traditions in Excellence" food and wine dinner to raise money to improve the school's Hospitality Administration program.

This year's event, which will run from 5:30 to 9 p.m., features a champagne reception followed by a four-course sit-down dinner prepared by the school's culinary students. The College of DuPage also will recognize Gus Vonderheide, vice president of Hyatt Corp. and a College of DuPage graduate. Dessert and a live auction will take place at about 8:30 p.m. to close the evening. Guests will have the opportunity to bid on items such as a trip to Napa, California, including airfare; dinner for eight at home with chefs from the College's Hospitality Administration; and a Jade commercial grade in-home stainless steel oven/stove.

All the proceeds from the event will go directly to the College of DuPage's Hospitality Program and expansion. Expansion plans include a new hotel lab with a hotel front desk, hotel room and reception area; two kitchens; two bake shops; a chocolate room; a bistro; and a new culinary market.

Tickets are $75 each. For more information, visit TraditionsinExcellence.com.

Winston's Restaurant at Sullivan University raises $3000 for Salvation Army culinary program

On February 10, Winston's Restaurant at Sullivan University hosted a fund-raising dinner for the Salvation Army Culinary Training program (SACT), which trains homeless and low-income citizens to enter the workforce in the restaurant and hospitality industries. The event, which was emceed by SACT graduate Valuen Cooper and featured live music by Pete and Pete, raised $3000 for SACT.

The event's five-course dinner, presented by Sullivan graduate chef Timothy Tucker, was prepared by SACT program participants and featured fresh dishes like the "Tower of Hope"--herbed grilled vegetables stack with dried tomatoes, goat cheese and basil oil--and "Braised Salvation Short Rib"--slow-cooked pork served with Caribbean slaw, truffled fingerling potatoes and roasted red pepper sauce.

Chef Tucker conducts classes at the Center of Hope, where he is also responsible for feeding 400 people daily, developing relationships with local farmers and program supporters, and catering and tending to the center's on-site gardens, which supply much of the programs herbs and produce.

For more information, visit www.salvationarmylouisville.org.(Pictured l to r): Timothy Tucker, a graduate of Sullivan University and a chef-instructor for the Salvation Army Culinary Training program, with John Richards, director of the university's Food and Beverage Operations





- Photo credit: Estes Public Relations

The French Laundry through the eyes of a kitchen veteran

by Evan Noetzel

Chef Robert Corey--owner/founder of Denver-based 12 Seasons Personal Chef & Sommelier Services (formerly The French Manner) and a chef-instructor at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Colorado--has amassed many an accolade during his more than three and a half decades working in both foodservice and culinary education. And now that he's paid his dues? He's taking a well-deserved break ... Well, not so much a break as a research-intensive culinary sabbatical.

As it turns out, Corey is almost half way through a two-month-long stagiaire (a glorified industry term that's French for, roughly, unpaid apprenticeship), working under the Thomas Keller at his world-famous eatery, The French Laundry in Napa Valley, Calif.

Corey, 50, started his French Laundry journey on January 19 of this year and has documented his every thought and experience along the way--from the honor of doning "the blue apron" to his new-found appreciation for "Micro-Hyacinths and sheer-sliced Toyko Turnips"--on his blog: "The Need to Feed--My Sabbatical Journey."

"I think that chef Corey's journey is a refreshing and encouraging story," 12 Seasons executive sous chef Mary Reish tells CET, "about a chef, who, quite late in life, is willing to place ego and familiarity aside in order to learn from the best, with the ultimate goal of sharing his knowledge and experiences with his students, his clients and his staff. This is a story of a successful, inspiring, yet patient chef who has thrown caution to the wind in order to bring the best to Denver."

To follow Corey's progress, view his great photos and read his daily musings--for instance, today a sleep-deprived Corey blogged about fighting fatigue and looking for inspiration for an upcoming "Burgundian Winter Dinner"--visit www.theneedtofeed-mysabbaticaljourney.blogspot.com.Chef Robert Corey at The French Laundry holding "fresh black truffles from Provence, France."

Nantucket High School wins Massachusetts' ProStart Student Invitational

On January 16, Massachusetts Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (MRAEF) held its second annual ProStart Student Invitational at Le Cordon Bleu, Boston Campus.

Seven teams from high schools across the state competed in the culinary competition, each demonstrating creative abilities through the preparation of a three-course meal in 60 minutes. Their performance during the practical session was observed and rated by judges from leading post-secondary colleges and universities and from the restaurant and foodservice industry. A portion of the competition involved a case study event, in which students tested their communication skills and their knowledge in practical situations.

The winning team was Nantucket High School, whose team members included: Carl Johnsen, Brittany Watson, Edward Moreau Jr., Haley Cabre. The team prepared pan-seared bay scallops for the appetizer, swordfish steak with sautéed vegetables for the entrée, and a steamed pear with crème caramel for dessert. Winning the case study portion of the event was Pittsfield High School. The winning teams received more than $33,000 in scholarship money.

"Although there could only be three winners, all the teams were winners in my eyes," MRA education coordinator Heather Carneiro said in a press release. "These students gave up their afternoons, vacation days and weekends to be prepared for this event. It is also important to note that the generous use of the incredible campus at Le Cordon Bleu made the event even more special to all who participated."

For more on the MRAEF or the ProStart Student Invitational, visit www.marestaurantassoc.org.(Pictured, l to r): Bob Wong, president of the MRAEF Committee; Heather Carneiro, MRA education coordinator; Peter Christie, MRA president and CEO; and Steve King, president of Le Cordon Bleu.

Quebec maple syrup—the flow is on!

Maple syrup production occurs just once a year for 6 to 8 weeks in mid-February through April. Maple syrup is made from the sap of the sugar maple tree, and that sap will run when the daily temperatures move above and below freezing.

Maple syrup production requires optimal temperatures and sugar maple trees, and thus, can only be made is a small geographic area of northeastern North America. Quebec produces more than 80 percent of the world’s maple syrup, equal to 93 percent of Canadian production.

"On average, Quebec maple producers will make about 70 million pounds of maple syrup each year,” says Joan Kimball of the Quebec maple syrup producers' "Do More with Maple” campaign. “We celebrate the maple season and recognize that real maple syrup is one of nature’s gifts.”To collect the sap to make the syrup, producers insert a tap into the tree (as pictured). Commercial maple syrup producers use gravity-fed plastic tubing and pipelines and vacuum pumps to collect the sap. The maple sap is boiled and evaporated to make maple syrup. Maple syrup is made when the sugar density reaches 66 percent. It takes approximately 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup. Finished maple syrup is filtered and then graded based on color and flavor. In general, lighter colored maple syrups have a milder flavor while darker maple syrups have a stronger flavor.

In addition to maple syrup, Quebec maple suppliers produce maple butters, maple concentrates, maple flake and sugars, and maple vinegar. “In Quebec, maple syrup is not limited to pancakes,” notes Kimball. “Quebec producers have developed products that showcase maple’s diverse applications—from baked goods to candies to salad dressings.”

While many table syrups claim maple flavor, Kimball says there is no substitute for the real thing. “Real maple syrup comes from the annual sap flow of the sugar maple trees, not from a laboratory. Real maple syrup is a healthy, natural product and the flavor is distinct and pleasing.”

For more information, visit www.domorewithmaple.com.

ICE brings award-winning culinary program to Istanbul

The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) recently announced the start of an alliance with the Istanbul Culinary Institute (IstCI) in Turkey. This collaboration brings ICE instruction, methodology and teaching resources to this newly formed culinary school in Istanbul. The alliance marks a first foreign venture for ICE, further establishing its position as one of the leaders in America's culinary-education sector.

ICE has licensed IstCI to use and teach a large portion of its Culinary Arts curriculum starting with the January semester in Turkey. Additionally, an ICE chef-instructor is now in Istanbul to assist in the roll-out of the curriculum. The program also will include material from IstCI curriculum, including Turkish cuisine and an externship to be completed in either an outside restaurant or the school's on-premise restaurant. After the 28-week, 760-hour program, which will be conducted in English and Turkish, graduates will receive a Certificate Program of Culinary Arts. The third institute involved in this venture, Istanbul-based Bilgi University is providing registrar, admissions and housing services for the program.

"By offering ICE curriculum in other parts of the world and specifically, in a growing food and restaurant culture like Turkey's Istanbul, we're further participating in what has become a global culinary melting pot," says Rick Smilow, ICE president.

Located in the historic and trendy Pera section of Istanbul, IstCI is based in a new eight-story building that was completed in late 2007. The founder of the program is Turkish businesswoman/chef Hande Bozdogan, who has a diverse business background, including a stint as CEO of a major foodservice company, and an educational background that spans three U.S. programs at New York University, the Culinary Institute of America and the French Culinary Institute, respectively. In 2004, Bozdogan's book Flavours of the Street: Turkey won the Gourmand World Cookbook Award. Turkish ICE alum Lizet Gediciyan made the initial introduction between the two schools.

Going forward, ICE plans to expand their collaboration with IstCI by facilitating student and alumni trips to Istanbul and through the development of guest-chef programs that would allow ICE chef-Instructors to visit the school in Istanbul. Also in development is a 'study abroad' program that will allow students to begin their culinary training in Istanbul and complete it at ICE's New York City campus.

The connection between ICE and Turkey is not entirely new. Students from 44 countries have attended ICE in recent years and several have been from Turkey. The most notable example is graduate Nilufer Goodson. After a series of jobs in America, she went back home to become Turkey's first female executive chef at the Divan Bebek Brasserie in Istanbul.

Budding chefs wow judges at Carolina's ProStart Student Invitational

High school student teams from Daniel Morgan Technology Center in Spartanburg, S.C., Thunderbolt Career and Technology Center in Walterboro, S.C., and Donaldson Career Center in Greenville, S.C., each took top honors at the 7th Annual Carolina's ProStart Student Invitational in Myrtle Beach, S.C..

In the state culinary arts contest, sponsored by the The International Culinary Schools at the Art Institute of Charleston, Daniel Morgan Technology Center's team won first place. For the event, Culinary Cup teams of up to four students had 60 minutes to prepare two identical gourmet meals using only two butane burners. They had no electricity, no running water and could use no pre-prepared ingredients.

In the TBonz Restaurant Management Group-sponsored Restaurant Management Competition—in which teams present case study solutions to a panel of industry judges and compete in a Quiz Bowl game—students from Thunderbolt came out victorious.

For for Coach's Low Country Brands Recipe Challenge presented by BI-LO, teams developed unique and creative recipes using Coach's Low Country Seasonings. In addition to creativity, their recipes were judged on taste, cost and ease of preparation. The winning entry was Donaldson Career Center's "Layer It and Forget It Casserole." Plans are underway to feature the team and their winning recipe on BI-LO posters and on a BI-LO TV spot at participating BI-LO food stores. The team also won a $500 BI-LO gift card to be used to help their ProStart program.

In total, 46 teams from 24 high schools in North and South Carolina participated in the event at the Sheraton Myrtle Beach Convention Center Hotel, and the winning teams took home medals, trophies and more than a half million dollars in scholarships. The Thunderbolt and Daniel Morgan high school teams will represent South Carolina at the 2009 National ProStart Invitational in San Diego April 24–26.

Culinary Cup standings:
1. Daniel Morgan Technology Center; Teacher: Tim Page; Students: Michelle Sawyer, Kayla Scruggs, Sarah Anthony, Christina Munoz, Tiffany Brown, Bella Anthony
2. Thunderbolt Career and Technology Center; Teacher: Allison Bailey
3. Blythewood High School; Teacher: William Turner

Restaurant Management Cup standings:
1. Thunderbolt Career and Technology Center; Teacher: Allison Bailey; Students: Lauren Barrett, Victoria Fisher, Briana Jenkins, Lauren Standiford, Floyd Mulligan
2. The Academy for Technology and Academics; Teacher: Sallie Loveland
3. J. Harley Bonds Career Center; Teacher: Jim Miller

Coach's Low Country Recipe Challenge standings:
1. Donaldson Career Center; Teacher: Debbie Taylor; Students: Audrey Corbett, Temperance Sartor, Kim Wilbanks, Briar Thibault, Dusti Smith, Miahia Mansell-Green
2. Marion County Technology Education Center; Teacher: Patricia Owens
3. Dillon Technology Center; Teacher: Bonnie Barfield