Two new members were inducted into the FCSI's Council of Fellows: Char Norton, FFCSI and Ruby Puckett, FFCSI. Membership in this exclusive club is offered to the FCSI's most distinguished, dedicated and involved members.

Norton, who is principal of The Norton Group, has served the foodservice industry for nearly 50 years, and has been an active member of FCSI since becoming a professional member in 1995. Norton is a recognized expert food safety and disaster planning, having authored several books, chapters and numerous articles for professional and trade journals on the subject. She just completed 10 years on the board of the FCSI Educational Foundation, including three years as its president. Norton has also been active with many other industry associations, including the American Dietetic Association, Society for Foodservice Management, Association for Hospital Foodservices, and the International Food Service Executives Association.

Norton also served 23 years as an Army dietitian, rising to the level of Colonel and taking a year off from her consulting practice to deploy to Bosnia as Executive Officer of an International Multi Unit Medical Task Force. Her work in Bosnia led to her being awarded the Order of Military Medical Merit and the Legion of Merit. She has also been honored by the University of Missouri, SFM, ASHFSA and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Puckett has been a professional member of FCSI since 1996, and is a recognized specialist in foodservice systems management, developer of training progr ams for staffs and educational programs for college foodservice students. Puckett is the author of 12 books, 435 articles, and co-author of six books and six chapters in other books on commercial foodservice. She is also a frequent guest speaker, having delivered more than 425 presentations, and a respected international consultant for private and government operations, including the military.

She is the recipient of many awards and accolades from the American Dietetic Association, International Facility Management Association, Auburn University, and has had awards named in her honor by the University of Florida and the ADA Management Practice Group. She is also author of the nationally awarded Dietary Manager Training Program at the University of Florida, which since 1972, has seen more than 35,000 students enroll in this program. Puckett has served on the FCSI - The Americas Board of Trustees and led many divisional committees. She is also the current President of the FCSI Educational Foundation.

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Noble, a national marketing agency specializing in food, shelter and services branding, announces three key leadership changes within its Food Practice.

David Nehmer has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Creative Director, responsible for leading all creative development for the agency's roster of food clients in both Springfield, Mo., and Chicago. A more than 25-year Noble veteran, Nehmer most recently served as Creative Director and photographer for The Food Channel® (foodchannel.com), Noble's award-winning food website, a position he held for more than five years. Prior to that, he served as a Creative Director on the retail side of the Food Practice, where his clients included American Dairy Brands, Quaker, Frito-Lay, Iams, Hickory Farms, Safeway and Gerber Baby Products. Nehmer previously worked at Busch Creative Services, a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, before helping to launch the Noble Promotion Group in 1985.

John Scroggins has been promoted to Vice President, Director, Integrated Communications. An 18-year Noble veteran, he is responsible for media strategy and integrated planning for the agency's food clients inclusive of traditional, digital and social media; and public relations; event, sponsorship and philanthropic marketing. Prior to leading integrated communications, Scroggins was Noble's director of public relations for 10 years. He also served as editor-in-chief of The Food Channel, working in the Chicago market for seven years. His client experience includes Pillsbury, Keebler, Tyson, Haagen-Dazs, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, Share Our Strength, Hilton Hotels International, M&M/Mars, Smucker's and American Dairy Brands.

Tiffany White has joined the Food Practice as a Management Supervisor responsible for directing the J.M. Smucker account. She is responsible for strategic direction and leadership, managing a cross-functional team serving the Smucker's portfolio of foodservice brands, including Smucker's jams and jellies, Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk, Crisco, and the company's extensive portfolio of coffee brands, including Folgers, Douwe Egberts, Millstone and Cafe Bustelo. A 12-year Noble veteran, White returned to Noble from Sysco, where she was a marketing associate responsible for managing a product portfolio that exceeded 15,000 items. Prior to that, she was a management supervisor for Noble and a customer development manager for Tyson Foods.

For more information, visit www.noble.net.

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Oneida, the global leader in designing the dining experience, showcased a greatly enhanced product portfolio and visual experience at the 2012 National Restaurant Show, which took place May 5-8 in Chicago.

"Our merger with Anchor Hocking has broadened our team of sales and marketing professionals, widened our scope of design expertise, and created supply chain benefits that will be truly meaningful to our customers", stated Steve Lefkowitz, Executive Vice President of Oneida Foodservice.

New product introductions was featured along with social media, and Oneida's new virtual tabletop tool designed to give online visitors the ability to experiment with different products that build their own virtual table setting. Oneida also featured Chef Oscar Cortes who showcased the innovative versatility of the Strata buffet Serving system.

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Kendall College has partnered with Cuisine Solutions, Masters of Sous Vide since 1971, to launch a new sous-vide training program and dedicated kitchen at the college's campus. Cuisine Solutions' education arm, the Culinary Research and Education Academy (CREA), will share intellectual property and expertise for the development of Kendall's sous-vide curriculum. The program will launch in the fall 2012 term for the benefit of associate- and baccalaureate-degree students as well as for culinary professionals who seek expert training and certification in the sous-vide process.

"Kendall College is thrilled to be the exclusive education partner of Cuisine Solutions for preparing professionals in the foodservice industry with an in-depth familiarity and expertise in sous vide," says Emily Williams Knight, president of Kendall College. "Our new sous-vide kitchen will provide training not only for our students, but also for foodservice and manufacturing personnel worldwide."

The new kitchen and training facility at Kendall will be built on the first floor of the college and will house sous-vide equipment manufactured by Niles, Ill.-based PolyScience. Sous-vide HACCP certification and introductory sous-vide coursework will be integrated into the associate- and bachelor-degree curricula that include the foundations of cooking. Seasoned professionals can take the online theoretical courses on sous vide and HACCP certification, as well as participate in workshops with Kendall's certified sous-vide instructors and the "godfather" of modern sous vide, Bruno Goussalt, founder of CREA and chief chef-scientist for Cuisine Solutions. Initial online training will be offered in English and Spanish, and programs in additional languages such as Mandarin and Portuguese will be made available in coming years.

"Our collaboration with Cuisine Solutions to deliver quality, skilled training in sous vide further distinguishes the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts as one of the leading professional culinary-arts programs worldwide," says Dean Renee Zonka, RD, CEC, CHE. "The rarity of such training among schools coincides with unprecedented global use of and reliance on sous-vide cookery among foodservice operations. Thanks to our new relationship with Cuisine Solutions, graduates armed with a Kendall College degree in culinary arts will begin their careers with a competitive advantage through their knowledge of and experience with one of the most cutting-edge advancements in contemporary cooking."

"This is a major development, not only for us, but for culinary students, professionals and the industry in general," says Gerard Bertholon, chef and chief strategy officer of Cuisine Solutions. "The relationship between Cuisine Solutions and Kendall College will combine four decades of sous-vide know-how with one of the best culinary schools in the world. We can now offer our customers and culinary enthusiasts around the world access to cutting-edge sous-vide training online."

For more information, visit sousvide.kendall.edu.

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The Chefs Collaborative Team is pleased to announce a call for nominations for the Chefs Collaborative Sustainability Awards. Three different awards will recognize individuals who have played an exemplary role in advancing the Chefs Collaborative mission to promote a national network of chefs changing the sustainable food landscape. Awards will be presented on Tuesday, September 30, at the Chefs Collaborative Awards Lunch in Seattle.

Please return your nomination form, which you can download here, to the Awards Committee by June 6, 2012 by email (awards@chefscollaborative.org) or by fax (617-236-5272).

The Awards

Sustainer: This award will recognize a chef who has been both a great mentor and is a model to the culinary community through his/her purchases of seasonal, sustainable ingredients and the transformation of these ingredients into delicious food.

Pathfinder: This award will recognize a visionary working in the greater food community who has been a catalyst for positive change within the food system through efforts that go beyond the kitchen.

Foodshed Champion: In 2012, this award will recognize a producer in the Pacific Northwest. This award will recognize a food producer (farmer, fisher, artisanal producer) committed to working with chefs and who exemplifies the following principle: Good food begins with unpolluted air, land, and water, environmentally sustainable farming and fishing, and humane animal husbandry.

The Judges

* Amy Bodiker, Principal, Bodiker Consulting, LLC, Columbus, OH. 2011 Pioneers Table Awardee.

* Rick Bayless, Chef/Owner, Frontera, Topolobampo, XOXO restaurants, Chicago, IL. Chefs Collaborative Advisory Board member. 2010 Pioneers Table Awardee.

* Nancy Civetta, Communications Director, Cape Cod Commercial Hook Fishermen's Association, Welfleet, MA.

* Peter Davis, Executive Chef, Henrietta's Table, Cambridge, MA. 2010 Sustainer Awardee.

* Piper Davis, Cuisine Director/Co-Owner, Grand Central Baking Company. Chefs Collaborative Board member.

* Ed Doyle, President and Founder, Real Food Consulting, Inc.

* Rebecca Goldburg, Director of Marine Science, Pew Charitable Trust's Environment Group, New York, NY. Chefs Collaborative Advisory Board Member.

* Maisie Greenawalt, VP of Strategy, Bon Appetit Management Company, Palo Alto, CA.

* Jennifer Hall, General Manager, SustainableHire, Bellevue, WA.

* Sam Hayward, Chef/Owner, Fore Street, Portland, ME. 2011 Sustainer Award.

* Fred Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Ames, IA. Chefs Collaborative Advisory Board Member.

* Chris Koetke, Executive Director, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts. Vice President, Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts, Chicago, IL. 2010 Pathfinder Awardee.

* Michael Leviton, Chef/Owner, Lumiere in Newton MA and chef/Co-Owner, Area Four, Cambridge MA. Chair, Chefs Collaborative Board.

* Theresa Marquez, Chief Mission Officer, Organic Valley, La Farge, WI.

* Dan McGovern, Publisher, Sustainable Food News, Portland, ME.

* Nicolette Hahn Niman, Attorney and Livestock Rancher, Bolinas CA.

* Bob Perry, Coordinator and Chef, Food Systems Initiative, College of Agriculture, University of Kentucky. Chefs Collaborative Board Member.

* Tracey Ryder, President and CEO, Edible Communities, Santa Barbara, CA. Chefs Collaborative Board Member.

* Robin Schempp, President, Right Stuff Enterprises, Waterbury, VT. 2011 Pioneers Table Awardee.

* Jane Black, Journalist, Huntington, WV

The Process

* Awards Committee is established: Piper Davis, Cuisine Director/Co-Owner, Grand Central Baking Company, Portland, OR; Maisie Greenawalt, VP of Strategy, Bon Appetit Management Company, Palo Alto, CA; Jennifer Hall, General Manager, SustainableHire, Bellevue, WA; Bob Perry, Coordinator and Chef, Food Systems Initiative, College of Agriculture, University of Kentucky.

* A call for nominations announced to Chefs Collaborative members via email May 16. All nominations must be peer nominated - someone working within the food system nominating a peer.

* Nominations due to the Awards Committee by June 6.

* Awards committee selects finalists by mid July.

* Awards Judges will review nominees and select an awardee in each category by end of July.

* Nominees will be notified by late July and then announced to media.

* Awards will be announced and presented at the Chefs Collaborative Awards Lunch on Tuesday, September 30, during the National Summit in New Orleans.

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M&Q Packaging is pleased to announce that PanSaver® ECO™, their bio-base ovenable (400°F / 203°C) pan liner, is now available at the same low price as their traditional ovenable (400°F / 203°C) PanSaver® pan liner product.

PanSaver ECO was first introduced at the 2011 NRA Show in Chicago. Originally priced 8% higher than PanSaver®, M&Q Packaging reports that costs have been driven out of the manufacturing process primarily due to the investment in a $1.6MM state-of-the-art high speed co-extrusion tower which was recently commissioned at the Schuylkill Haven manufacturing facility.

Pioneering the sustainable effort in the pan liner category, PanSaver® ECO™ offers:
  • A smaller carbon foot print due to PanSaver® ECO™ being derived from canola oil (a sustainable resource) as opposed to a petroleum based material.
  • A lower adhesion to protein based foods; therefore, no sticking.
  • Stronger seals, better puncture resistance and tear strength; therefore, a more durable liner resulting in fewer change-outs offering the operator additional savings.
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