Burpee opens school garden contest

Burpee Home Gardens is now accepting applications for the 2011 "I Can Grow" Youth Garden Award, created to sponsor and support urban school and community gardens in cities across the country.

The 2011 Youth Garden Awards will be presented to established or start-up programs that demonstrate well-developed and staffed plans for a youth-centered educational program, with an emphasis on nutrition and food production, environmental awareness, social responsibility and scholastic integration. The winners will be awarded up to 500 vegetable and herb plants and $2,500 in garden supplies. They also will receive on-site assistance for initial garden layout and installation from Burpee Home Gardens experts, five gallons of Daniels Plant Food sustainable fertilizer, a hose-end sprayer and a Flip camera to document the garden's progress throughout the year.

Educators can visit www.burpeehomegardens.com to download the application and read eligibility requirements. All entries must be postmarked by Dec. 3.

CIA expands San Antonio campus

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) has opened its newly expanded third campus in San Antonio, Texas, as part of the school's El Sueño initiative to promote Latino diversity in the foodservice industry.

CIA--San Antonio managing director David Kellaway, CIA president Dr. Tim Ryan and Texas philanthropist Kit Goldsbury at the grand opening event for the college's expanded Texas campus*

The campus expansion includes three new teaching kitchens, two skills kitchens and a special Latin kitchen to support the college's 30-week culinary arts certificate program currently offered in San Antonio. The CIA's San Antonio campus was created in 2007 through a private gift from philanthropist Kit Goldsbury. For more information about the expanded campus, visit www.ciaelsueno.com.

*Photo courtesy of The CIA/Darren Abate

Stratford culinary students win MLA competition

At the 2010 Mid-Atlantic Food, Beverage and Lodging Expo on Oct. 6 to 7, the culinary and hospitality team at Stratford University won a silver medal at the Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) Black Box Competition. They also took first place in the dessert competition. The team from Stratford was the only student team competing. All other teams were made up of professional chefs.

(l to r) Competition judge David Soto, team member Clark Edwards, Stratford coach chef Vaishali Chitnis, team member Perry Baldwin, team member Kortni Benson-Gehlert, event organizer Stephen Edwards and judge and organizer Alan Palmer

The team, led by chef Vaishali Chitnis, included Perry Baldwin, Kortni Benson-Gehlert, Clark Edwards, Craig Baker, Joseph Lipinski, and Daryl Hall.

(l to r) Stratford team members Kortni Benson-Gehlert and Clark Edwards prep the MLA Black Box Competition menu

At the MLA Black Box Competition, each team was given one hour to create a menu from 18 mandatory ingredients and 10 optional mystery ingredients that included an appetizer, main course and dessert to be presented to a panel of judges. The Stratford team's menu included: lamb chop with salad Napolean, Wagyu beef and crab surf and turf, and wine-poached pear entremet.

Sullivan students help at Alltech World Equestrian Games

Students from Sullivan University's National Center for Hospitality Studies (NCHS) supported visiting and local chefs during the Cookin' in the Bluegrass Celebrity Chef Dinner Series at the 2010 Alltech World Equestrian Games. (Pictured, left: Matthew Williams, chef ambassador, Sullivan University NCHS, VIP Kitchen for Maker's Mark)

Thirty students from the school's Lexington campus cooked at the dinners, which included such visiting celebrity chefs as John Besh, Frank Brigtsen and Mike Lata. The series, which took place Sept. 25 to Oct. 10, was presented by the James Beard Foundation.

For more information, visit www.sullivan.edu.

Koetke receives inaugural Pathfinder Award for sustainability

At the 2010 Chefs Collaborative Sustainability Awards Dinner on Oct. 4, Christopher Koetke, MBA, CEC, CCE, dean of Kendall College School of Culinary Arts and vice president of the Laureate International Universities Centers of Excellence in Culinary Arts, received the organization's inaugural Pathfinder Award for raising awareness of the importance of sustainability in the foodservice industry. (Pictured l to r: Cathleen Mandigo, Anolon Cookware; Christopher Koetke; and Chefs Collaborative executive director Melissa Kogut)

The Pathfinder Award recognizes leaders who are catalysts for change in the food industry beyond the kitchen. Koetke was chosen from among a group of nominees including Felede Bauccio of Bon Appétit Management Co., Palo Alto, Calif.; Karen Jurgensen of the Seattle Culinary Academy; Jon Rowley of Taylor Shellfish Farms, Seattle; Lyndon Virkler of New England Culinary Institute, Montpelier, Vt.; and Alec Webb and Megan Camp of Shelburne Farms, Shelburne, Vt.

For more information, visit www.chefscollaborative.org.

Delcastle students win first in The Farmer and The Chef competition

At the third annual The Farmer & The Chef fundraiser/competition in Wilmington, Del., last month, Delcastle High School culinary students took first place along with their farm-partners Blair View Farm and Kalmar Farm. Their winning recipe was Blair View Farm tilapia with Kalmar Farm vegetables.

The competition paired up local chefs with local farmers to create tasting samples for attendees using the farmers' product. All proceeds from the event--which was presented by March of Dimes, the New Castle County Buy From Your Neighbor Program and the Delaware Department of Agriculture--went to March of Dimes.

This was Delcastle's third year participating, after taking third place overall at last year's competition. Visit www.cooksandbakers.com for more information.

CIA pastry instructor third in U.S. selections for World Chocolate Masters

Stephen Durfee, pastry chef-instructor at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, St. Helena, Calif., took third place in the U.S. national selections for the 2011 World Chocolate Masters competition. The two-day chocolate showpiece and chocolate dessert competition took place during the International Baking Industry Exposition and was organized by Barry Callebaut.

Sylvain Bortolini, assistant executive pastry chef at the Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas, took first place and was named U.S. National Chocolate Master 2010. Bortolini will represent the United States at the World Chocolate Masters competition in Paris next fall. Frederic Loraschi, chocolatier and owner of Chocolat Frederic Loraschi, Hummelstown, Pa., won second place and a special award for "Best Tasting."