Chan named dean of Cornell hospitality school

Chris Chan has been named the dean of the Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management (CNI), as well as professor of accounting at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration.

Chan is currently an associate professor of accounting as well as assistant dean and director of MBA programs at the University of Hong Kong. At Cornell, Chan will provide academic, intellectual, strategic and administrative leadership as well as further elevate the CNI brand in Asia. He also will direct CNI's 12-month master of management in hospitality program and strengthen corporate relations. Chan, who will be based in Singapore, will begin his duties in November.

The Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management is an alliance between the Cornell School of Hotel Administration and the Nanyang Technological University's Nanyang Business School. For more information, visit www.cni.ntu.edu.sg.

AI Cincinnati culinary program accredited by ACF

The associate of applied science in culinary arts program at the International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Ohio--Cincinnati has been accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation's Accrediting Commission.

Culinary or foodservice programs that are accredited by the ACF have been reviewed against established standards. In order to receive ACF accreditation, The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Ohio--Cincinnati underwent a self-evaluation and hosted a visit from the ACF accreditation team earlier this year.

"Accreditation by the American Culinary Federation is a significant milestone for our culinary program," said Paul Resetar, interim academic director for AI Cincinnati's culinary program, in a statement. "Through earning this prestigious distinction, we have provided our students and graduates with a universally recognized acknowledgment of our commitment to excellence in culinary education."

Drexel culinary student wins Fresh Hass Avocado recipe contest

Students in Drexel University's Hospitality Management, Culinary Arts and Food Science programs competed for cash awards at the June 3 Fresh Hass Avocado Student Recipe Competition in Philadelphia. Jessica Leung, a junior in the Culinary Arts program, took first place and $750 with her avocado plantain trio.

Student winner Jessica Leung with her winning dish

Food Science major Zack Goldstein won second place and $500 for bacon wrapped avocado served on fried corn tortilla. Chris Paul's Haitian revolution maki and Rob Fournier's Pacific summer rolls tied for third place, with each student taking home $125.

(l to r) Drexel student winners Chris Paul, Jessica Leung, Zack Goldstein and Rob Fournier

Renowned cookbook author and Emmy Award-winning TV host of "Christina Cooks!" Christina Pirello joined Drexel faculty and staff to judge the 12 semifinalist recipes. For more information about Drexel, visit www.drexel.edu.

U.S. Foodservice donates culinary scholarship funds to S. Florida high school

In celebration of the recent expansion of its South Florida division, foodservice distributor U.S. Foodservice hosted a cooking event featuring some top U.S. chefs. Members of the West Boca Raton Community High School culinary team assisted the chefs during the event. In recognition of their efforts, U.S. Foodservice--South Florida provided $2,400 in scholarships to fund culinary curriculum at West Boca Raton Community High School.

The participating chefs included:

• Walter Scheib, executive chef at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.V., the Boca Raton Club and Resort and the Capitol Hilton in Washington, D.C.
• Johnny Rivers, culinary consultant
• Allen Susser, owner of Chef Allen's Seafood Grill, Aventura, Fla., and Taste Gastropub, Delray Beach, Fla.
• Rudy Speckamp, CMC, senior culinary consultant to the Culinary Institute of America
  

For more information about U.S. Foodservice, visit www.usfoodservice.com.

Kendall School of Education adds childhood nutrition concentration

The Kendall College School of Education has added a childhood-nutrition concentration for early-childhood educators, available in fall 2010.

Kendall College is the only four-year college in Illinois and one of a select few nationwide to offer both a Bachelor of Arts in culinary arts and a Bachelor of Arts in early-childhood education, uniquely positioning the institution to merge these two programs into the childhood-nutrition concentration.

Courses will be offered online and on campus. They will include classroom lectures and practical, in-kitchen applications of nutritional theory, which online learners will engage in via a virtual kitchen experience. The concentration will explore the nutritional needs of children through adolescence, as well as application of nutritional theory with public-health initiatives. For more information, visit www.education.kendall.edu.

FPS instructor named Pastry Chef of the Year

Chef En-Ming Hsu, World Pastry champion and chef-instructor at The French Pastry School at City Colleges of Chicago, was named 2010 Pastry Chef of the Year by the World Pastry Team Championship. Hsu was recognized at the World Pastry Forum earlier this month in Phoenix.

At the forum, Chef Hsu taught "Five-Star Plated Desserts" to pastry professionals and students. Some recipes she demonstrated included her Kahlua ice cream with ricotta fritters, rosemary-glazed figs with homemade fromage blanc, and a lavender honey cake with chocolate silk and Morello cherry compote.

Chef En-Ming Hsu (left) with French Pastry School students

Chef Hsu served as team captain of the U.S. pastry team that won the gold medal at the World Pastry Cup in Lyon, France in 2001. She teaches in The French Pastry School's 24-week certificate program, L'Art de la Pâtisserie.

Delcastle students get a taste of Italia

For two weeks in July, high school students and faculty from the culinary arts class at Delcastle Technical High School in Wilmington, Del., traveled to Ripatransone, an ancient walled city in the province of Ascoli Piceno in the Marche region of central Italy as part of the department's "Cooking without Borders" program. Cooking without Borders has played host to a delegation from Ripatransone for the past few years. Through fundraising, student contributions and support of private businesses, the group of 13 (pictured, below) experienced a taste of life in Ripatransone and its surrounding areas.


During their stay, the students took language classes, prepared food indigenous to the region like gnocchi, tagliatelle, ravioletto, tacchino and pizza, and shared tables with local residents. They assisted with the butchering of four cattle for a town festival, and visited the open-air market of San Benedetto and the beach at Grottomare.

Students taste porchette at the market at San Benedetto

The town's close proximity to the Adriatic Sea also provided fodder for seafood meals including pan roasted spigola, calamari fritti and steamed cockles. To share their day-to-day adventures, the group created a blog, CookingInItaly2010.blogspot.com.


Cooking Without Borders will again host a group from Italy in the fall and will send another team to the Ripatransone community in two years. For more information, visit www.cooksandbakers.com.

Preparing ravioli