ACF Partners with Indianapolis’ The Chef’s Academy to Offer Scholarships Totaling $20,000

High-school students seeking assistance with the rising cost of culinary school are in luck. The American Academy of Chefs (AAC), the honor society of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), the nation’s largest professional chefs organization, and The Chefs Academy (TCA), an ACFEF-accredited program in Indianapolis, are pleased to announce four new scholarships available for students accepted to TCA, totaling $5,000 over four years.

“ACF is thrilled to be working with TCA to provide scholarships that will help mold tomorrow’s culinary leaders,” said Rajeev Patgaonkar, CEC, AAC, ACFEF AAC Scholarship Committee chair. “This partnership shows that TCA is dedicated to helping students achieve their goals. We hope that high school students will look into the scholarship requirements and submit their applications by the April 30 deadline. 

 

Four yearly scholarships of $625 per academic term for four years will be awarded and applied directly to students’ accounts at TCA. Scholarships are available for high-school students who have been accepted to TCA and plan on becoming a chef. Applications are available at www.acfchefs.org/scholarships and are due April 30 of each year. Scholarship money will be applied in the fall semester. The AAC Scholarship Committee will select the 2012 winners in June.

“We are proud to partner with the American Culinary Federation,” said Jayson Boyers, national division president at The Chef’s Academy. “Our organizations share a deep commitment to educating the culinary leaders of the future and these scholarships will be tremendously appreciated by students looking for assistance in achieving their dream to become a chef.”

Who is eligible?
• Exemplary students who have maintained a cumulative GPA of 2.50 or higher during their senior year
• High-school seniors eligible to graduate the same year as the scholarship is applied for
• Students who are currently accepted to TCA with a major in culinary or pastry arts
• Those with a career goal of becoming a chef or pastry chef

What do I need to apply?
• Completed application and essay
• Two letters of recommendation from industry culinary professionals and/or culinary educators
• Sealed final official transcript showing current GPA

The American Academy of Chefs offers educational scholarships to high=school students entering culinary school, as well as to those currently attending culinary school. The scholarships are given throughout the year to qualified applicants who meet a strict set of requirements. These scholarships help young culinarians achieve their educational goals. Last year, the AAC, through its partnerships, distributed $46,000 in scholarship funds to culinary students. In addition to TCA, AAC also currently offers scholarships to Johnson & Wales University and The Culinary Institute of America.

Deadline for 2012 FENI Educator of the Year Award Nominations Is January 9

Two foodservice educators, one representing secondary education and one representing postsecondary, will be named the 2012 FENI Educators of the Year. 

Each award recipient will receive a commemorative plaque and a $250 grant.

FENI welcomes awards sponsor Robot Coupe U.S.A. For more than 30 years, Robot Coupe U.S.A. has been the foodservice-industry leader in the development and refinement of commercial food processors and vegetable-preparation units.

 

NEW in 2012: Nominees need NOT be present at the 2012 FENI Educators Summit in Chicago to be eligible. Award recipients will be announced at the Award of Excellence Reception on Saturday, February 11, at the Hotel Allegro. Award recipients who are not present will receive their plaques and checks by mail. Both recipients will receive full media-relations support from Talcott Communications Corp.

2012 CATEGORIES/ELIGIBILITY
1. High-School Educator: Any high-school instructor of a culinary-arts or nutrition program that leads to a diploma or certificate (minimum 1,000 hours of teaching experience).
2. Postsecondary Educator: Any instructor who teaches culinary arts or nutrition in a non-high-school program that leads to a degree or certificate (minimum 1,000 hours of teaching experience).

Note: You may nominate yourself for this award. Previous nominators, applicants and winners are eligible to apply. The deadline for all nominations is January 9, 2012 (postmarked). All who apply will be contacted via e-mail or phone regarding their status prior to the 2012 FENI Summit in Chicago.

For complete information on FENI’s Educator of the Year Award program for 2012 and to download a nomination form, visit www.fenisummit.com.
For registration questions, contact Naurice Olivera at nolivera@talcott.com or (800) 229-1967, ext. 233.

Click HERE to view the complete FENI program including Master Classes!

The FENI Summit is brought to you by:

Daniel von Rabenau, FENI Executive Director
Produced by Chef Educator Today magazine and Talcott Communications Corp.

Kendall College School of Culinary Arts Student Wins Weeklong Culinary Excursion to Taiwan

Kendall College School of Culinary Arts student Tayler Moore, a 20-year old sophomore pursuing his bachelor’s degree in culinary arts, won an all-expenses-paid weeklong trip to experience the foods and flavors of Taiwan in the first cookoff of its kind at Kendall College on Dec. 12. The competition, hosted by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Chicago, highlighted the official launch of Taiwan’s Government Information Office’s multilingual Web site (http://taiwanfoodculture.net) celebrating Taiwan’s diverse foodways. Moore’s winning dish featured a chicken thigh fabricated to resemble a lollipop.

“I feel blessed,” said an excited Moore when his win was announced. “I can’t wait to go to Taiwan.” Prior to the cookoff, Moore spent considerable hours researching Taiwanese cooking online, and developed a few possible entries before ultimately choosing “Taiwanese-Style Three Cup Chicken.” The dish’s name comes from Moore’s use of a cup each of soy sauce, dry sherry and sesame oil, seasoned for depth and balance and reduced to create a rich sauce. For the judges, Moore presented the chicken-thigh “lollipop” over a bed of pickled mustard greens, spooned sauce over the chicken, and crowned the dish with a vinaigrette-dressed salad of Thai basil and cilantro. A drizzle of chili oil finished the presentation.

(l. to r.) Ger, Tsai, Moore, Mei-chuan Chen (executive press officer, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago), Koetke. Courtesy of Kendall College/Eric Futran.

Competing Kendall students had 90 minutes to prepare four portions of their entries, which were evaluated on flavor and proper seasoning, plate presentation, texture/mouthfeel and proper doneness. Although encouraged to elevate homestyle dishes and typical Taiwanese street foods to make them marketable within a fine-dining setting, students were instructed to strive for authenticity of cooking methods and ingredients use. So impressed were judges with the overall caliber of entries that the top four dishes scored within a mere two-point spread. (Two students tied for second place; the third-place student scored two points below Moore.)

Judging the cookoff were Baushuau Ger, director general of TECO in Chicago; Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, executive director of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts and vice president of Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts; and Meilie Tsai of the Taiwan School in Lombard, Ill. Tsai, who will chaperone Moore in Taiwan during his weeklong culinary excursion, worked with competing Kendall College students weeks in advance of the cookoff to instruct on basic principles of classic and contemporary Taiwanese cooking.

“Here at Kendall, we are totally committed to the education of our students, and this kind of competition is amazing for a lot of reasons,” Koetke said. “We work with governments around the world, and the government of Taiwan suggested that a culinary competition would encourage students to learn more about Taiwanese cuisine. Every student in this cookoff took that challenge very seriously. Although only one student will go to Taiwan, everyone learned a lot, and that makes them all winners.”

CityEats Hopes to Give OpenTable a Run for Its Money

CityEats, introduced by Food Network, recently launched in Washington, D.C., claiming to be the city's most comprehensive reservation destination. The new service provides such benefits to local consumers and restaurant owners as videos and photos, curated editorial profiles, menus, user-submitted reviews and social sharing for food lovers to talk about their experiences with friends.

 

Mike Isabella, chef/owner of Graffiato, is the first restaurateur to embrace the platform. "I believe CityEats is the way of the future for restaurant reservations, so moving to this new online platform was a no-brainer for me," he says. "The platform is easy to use, portable and affordable—it could save me up to 40% each month—and I couldn't be more excited to have the first restaurant in D.C. to completely convert to CityEats."

CityEats promotes itself as offering restaurant owners the most comprehensive, affordable and portable table-management and reservation platform on the market. Headquartered in New York, CityEats reservation services are currently available in Washington, D.C., with introduction planned for other major cities.

Click here to see a video featuring Isabella and CityEats.

Job Corps Culinary Training Programs Granted Quality Program Status by ACF Education Foundation

The American Culinary Federation Education Foundation (ACFEF), the educational arm of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), the premier professional organization for culinarians in North America, recently granted renewal Quality Program status to all Job Corps culinary training programs across the United States, a total of 87. Approval was awarded Oct. 19 and is valid for five years.
 
ACFEF Quality Program status is a recognition earned by non-degree-granting culinary programs that offer training and education but do not meet qualification requirements for ACFEF accreditation. To receive the status, facilities must submit an application and supporting documents, which are then reviewed by a committee. Next, a team of professional chefs conduct a site visit to determine if the education described is properly delivered. Initial Quality Program status is granted for three years. Facilities can apply for renewal, which is granted for five years. The ACFEF Quality Program status allows organizations to brand their course of study with the ACFEF logo and name, increasing marketability and public trust.

Job Corps, a no-cost education and vocational training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, helps young people ages 16-24 improve the quality of their lives through vocational and academic training. Its culinary training includes instruction on the following topics: introduction to the foodservice industry; culinary professionalism; CPR and first aid training; ServSafe training; culinary math; ingredient identification; sustainability; time management; and culinary tools and equipment. In addition, students learn about soups and sauces, recipe development and menu planning, various cooking techniques, baking, purchasing and inventory, knife skills, nutrition and more. For more info, visit www.jobcorps.gov.

The Art Institute of Washington Hosts "Chefs of Tomorrow" Media Dinner

Students dazzled editors representing some of the food industry’s most prominent publications at the 2011 Chefs of Tomorrow™ media dinner held at The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Washington in Arlington, Va., on November 9 during the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) Conference.

The elegant, multicourse dinner in the school’s public fine-dining restaurant, Culinaire, featured innovative use of products from companies represented by Chicago-based Olson Communications, a full-service agency that specializes in delivering innovative marketing-communication strategy to its portfolio of select food-industry clients.

Sharon Olson (l.), founder and president of Olson Communications, presents the 2011 Chefs of Tomorrow™ plaque to Dr. Suzanne Hintz, dean of The Art Institute of Washington.

Courses for the evening included:

• Hors d’oeuvres of black-bean-tapenade crostini with chorizo, sweet-potato-soup shooters and beer-poached Italian sausage with mango chutney featuring products from Basic American Foods and Johnsonville Sausage
• Main course of filet mignon from Quantum Foods, served with béarnaise over kale with cremini mushrooms and red-pepper coulis
• For dessert, a choice of individual 3-inch cheesecakes from The Cheesecake Factory Bakery: Strawberry Cheesecake with white-chocolate tuile, sliced strawberries and mint sauce; Original Cheesecake with peanut brittle, kiwi and passion-fruit sauce; and Chocolate Cheesecake with raspberry and a coconut macaroon

Between courses, students responsible for cooking and service for 20 guests shared their personal histories and aspirations for fulfilling careers in foodservice following graduation. This year’s Chefs of Tomorrow dinner, an annual event designed to expose trade and consumer media to exemplary culinary-arts programs nationwide while honoring America’s professional culinary-arts teachers, was the fifth such dinner hosted by Olson Communications.

To recognize the positive impact of The Art Institute of Washington’s culinary-arts program on businesses in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area and beyond, Sharon Olson, founder and president of Olson Communications, presented a plaque and $500 grant to Dr. Suzanne Hintz, the school’s dean, and Chef Stephen Abel, the instructor who guided students’ efforts for the dinner, to benefit professional development of culinary-arts faculty.

“Your students demonstrated extraordinary talent, passion and creativity at the International Foodservice Editorial Council dinner we hosted for leading foodservice editors,” Olson said. “We are delighted that they were undaunted by the challenge we posed with the market basket of products we asked them to transform into an exquisite culinary experience.”

Kendall College Welcomes Chef Eric Stein, R.D., as Newest Faculty Member

The Kendall College School of Culinary Arts announces the addition of Chef Eric Stein, MS, RD, to its faculty. As an instructor specializing in culinary nutrition, Stein brings a contemporary cooking style to Kendall that emphasizes nutrient-rich foods and global flavor profiles.

“Kendall College proudly welcomes Chef Stein to our teaching family,” said Renee Zonka, RD, CEC, CHE, MBA, dean of the School of Culinary Arts. “He arrives at a time when interest from prospective students in our nutrition concentration has never been higher. Chef Stein’s wealth of experience teaching in this relatively new, timely and eminent field of study will continue to distinguish Kendall College as a leader in culinary education.”

 Stein

Prior to arriving at Kendall, Stein spent a year working in the kitchens of the AAA Five Diamond Award-winning Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., where he enhanced his technical skills under Certified Master Chef Richard Rosendale. He has also served as Colorado’s state coordinator for the American Dietetic Association’s vegetarian practice group as well as on the board of advisors for Cooking Matters Colorado, a program under the auspices of Share Our Strength that empowers families with the skills, knowledge and confidence to prepare healthy and affordable meals.

“I came to Kendall because of the great reputation of its School of Culinary Arts,” Stein says. “I feel very fortunate that they wanted me to be affiliated with the program. At Kendall, I can teach what I love, continue to expand my skills as a culinary professional, and work with a group of extraordinarily talented chefs. All the while I can also educate students in our ever-changing field.”

Stein is a regular contributor to DiningOut, the nation's premier guide to restaurants in select U.S. cities, as well as Chef Educator Today, the quarterly magazine of the Foodservice Educators Network International (FENI). His first book, Culinary Nutrition Principles and Applications, for the academic market, will be published in early 2012 by American Technical Publishers. Stein is also the owner of Enlightened Flavors, LLC, a consulting company that provides food and nutrition services to consumers, spas and restaurants.

He began his career in culinary education as a graduate teaching assistant at Eastern Illinois University, where he received his master’s degree in nutrition education. From there he returned to his culinary alma mater, Johnson & Wales University’s College of Culinary Arts in Denver, where he taught across the curriculum in both the associate of applied science (AAS) and culinary-nutrition baccalaureate programs.