Francois Dionot awarded title of Conseil d'Honneur by La Chaine des Rotisseurs

La Chaine des Rotisseurs of Greater Washington, D.C., hosted the organization's Mid-Atlantic Assemblage on May 30, 2009. The festivities began with the multi-Bailliage Grand Induction and black-tie dinner at the elegant Park Hyatt Washington, D.C. An induction ceremony was hosted by Bailli provincial Georges Muller, who presented the title of Conseil d' Honneur to vice conseiller culinaire Francois Dionot for his many years of outstanding contribution to the Chaine.

Chef Dionot is the founder and director of L'Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Md., and Bethesda, Md. He has taught a generation of chefs throughout the United States. His wife Patrice, son Christophe and his daughter Clarice were all there to see him receive the award.

The Conseil d’Honneur is a program of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs des Etats-Unis designed to recognize those former national and regional officers who have made significant contributions to the society and served with distinction, despite no longer holding active offices. The Conseil d’Honneur was created on June 7, 2003 during the National Council Meeting of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs des Etats-Unis in Philadelphia.

January 2009 graduates of The French Pastry School

Graduates of L’Art de la Pâtisserie, the 24-week Professional Pastry and Baking program at The French Pastry School at City Colleges of Chicago celebrated with their chef-instructors, friends, family and fellow pastry trainees on June 19th at The Union League Club of Chicago. Students, faculty and staff of The French Pastry School were honored to have guest speakers, Camilla Nielsen, former president of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, and Dr. Wayne Watson, chancellor of City Colleges of Chicago speak at the ceremony. Following the ceremony, students, staff and guests proceeded to The French Pastry School, where all partook in the pastry creations representing a culmination of the students’ six months of intensive training.

“We’re always impressed by what our students can accomplish in just six months,” said The French Pastry School co-owner/co-founder and chef Jacquy Pfeiffer in a recent press release, “and it’s really gratifying to see how surprised they are themselves at what they’re able to do every day.”

Many of the recent graduates, most of whom are new to the pastry industry, will stay in Chicago to work in high-end restaurants and pastry kitchens, while others will travel across the United States. Some establishments employing The French Pastry School’s new alumni include: the leading hotels of the world, such as the The Ritz-Carlton, The Peninsula and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts; the best restaurants like Charlie Trotter's, and The French Laundry; and high-end bakeries such as Payard in New York, and Jean Philippe Pâtisserie in Las Vegas.

July issue of Culinary Nutrition News now available

Do you know the difference between insoluble and soluble fiber? Are you getting the recommended amount of daily fiber, or teaching students to cook high-fiber dishes? The American Culinary Federation (ACF) Chef & Child Foundation and Clemson University address these and other topics in the July Culinary Nutrition News article "Fiber-Rich Foods" (available to download here.)

This month’s article is in an easy-to-read format complete with a list of high-fiber foods, resources and tips on ways to increase fiber in dishes.

Written by experts, the monthly Culinary Nutrition News articles help bridge the nutrition gap for chefs and chef-educators by providing up-to-date research information. Articles are free and posted on ACF’s Web site the first Monday of each month.

Art Institute of Tampa creates Cirque du Soleil cake

The Culinary Institute of The Art Institute of Tampa joined Cirque du Soleil's celebration of its 5,000th performance of Saltimbanco, according to an article in the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Chef Ricardo Castro, culinary department director, and chef Les Eckert, a faculty member in the department, supervised the creation of the Saltimbanco cake, which was made by students Sandra Caraballo, Nicole Wong, Mario Torres, Maria Liliana Vanegas and Giovanna Smith.

Students from The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Tampa wheel out the cake.
(photo credit: Kathleen Cabble/Tampa Bay Business Journal)

Lexington College hosts Kraft Foods leader at 2009 graduation

Chicago hospitality school Lexington College hosted Kraft Foods business manager Stacy R. Rychlewski during its commencement ceremonies on May 13. Rychlewski, who serves on the Industry Advisory Board at Lexington College and has been in the foodservice industry for 24 years, addressed graduates, their families and friends: "The time you have invested in yourself is one of the greatest investments of all," she told graduates. Lexington College's Class of 2009 was represented by seven women.

Lexington College's Class of 2009

Lexington alumna Elaina Alexander also addressed the graduates about how her education helped her get into a career in the hospitality industry that has included positions at the Palmer House Hotel, Chicago Bears and the Viking Cooking School.

From bean to mug: CIA offers coffee learning module

The Culinary Institute of America in conjunction with Starbucks Coffee Co. has introduced a free online learning module called, "Coffee: Brewing, Tasting and Cooking." The e-learning module explores how coffee beans are produced, how to brew coffee beans properly and how to evaluate a cup of coffee.

The module also examines coffee's compatibility with a range of cuisines. The program includes recipes and videos created by CIA chefs to provide techniques for cooking with coffee and 16 downloadable recipes demonstrated by the chefs in streaming video. The program also includes information about responsible coffee-growing practices and guidelines for would-be baristas.

The program is available at ciaprochef.com.

JWU to air TV cooking program on Time Warner Cable

Time Warner Cable and Johnson & Wales University's (JWU) culinary program are teaming up to dish out unique and delicious recipes to Time Warner Cable customers. Beginning in July, “Let’s Cook with Johnson & Wales,” sponsored by Lowes Foods, will air on Time Warner Cable’s Carolina On Demand (channel 1234). There will be two new segments each week through the end of the year.

Each week, a culinary or baking and pastry chef-instructor from JWU will be featured in a short cooking segment. The recipes will include local and regional favorite, chef specialties, and healthy and diabetic recipes. “The recipes will offer viewers a unique and different way to create dishes that will inspire [viewers] to get back into the kitchen and experiment,” said JWU’s dean of culinary education Mark Allison in a recent press release. JWU students will also participate in the programs.

Viewers will learn useful tips and secrets for success in the kitchen. “Time Warner Cable’s Carolina On Demand technology gives its customers interactive services that work for their busy lifestyles. These segments offer one-on-one classes with top chefs at their side at a time [that's] convenient for them,” Allison added.