Wrap-up of the 2010 FENI Summit

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Despite bitter winter temperatures, nearly 200 chef-educators flocked to Chicago Feb. 12 to 15 for the 12th Annual Foodservice Educators Network International (FENI) Educators Summit, hosted at the Hotel Allegro and Kendall College. Between the Master Classes, special guest speakers, networking sessions and sponsored events, the FENI Summit provided opportunities for educators to share with their peers and gather new ideas to bring back to their schools. Be sure to check out our Web site at www.fenisummit.com for event images, sponsor and partner links, as well as information on FENI award winners and the Poster Board Presentations.

(l to r) Chef Charlie Trotter receives an honorary medallion from FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau

Among this year's FENI Summit highlights, on Sunday, Feb. 14, guest speaker and famed chef/restaurateur Charlie Trotter discussed leadership in the kitchen and beyond, as well as the responsibilities and merits of opting for a career in customer service before a roomful of attendees. Below are some notable quotes from his 45-minute speech.
"Leadership is not about leading other people. It's about leading yourself."

"We must be able to articulate these ideas and move these things forward. We are always students."

"Food is not the most important part of the experience. Service is more important than food."

"You'll either serve people or be served for the rest of your life. I'd rather serve people because it's much more interesting to be on the giving end."
During the conference, FENI also recognized several culinary educators for their tireless efforts toward bettering the field of culinary education.

FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau with Excellence in Culinary Education award winner Chef Christopher Koetke, dean of the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College, Chicago (photo credit: Eric Futran)

 FENI presented its inaugural award for Excellence in Culinary Education to Christopher Koetke, dean of the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College in Chicago. Following an exhaustive evaluation by judges representing various facets of the foodservice industry, this award, which will become annual beginning this year, honors extraordinary accomplishment and leadership within the foodservice-educator community, as well as overall impact on the field of culinary education. Chef Koetke's influence extends beyond the classroom to serve the foodservice industry as a whole. In addition to unparalleled commitment to helping other educators reach their fullest potential, he is an inspiration to students and has demonstrated true leadership in positioning Kendall College in Chicago as one of the premier culinary-arts programs in the nation. Koetke has taught at The School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College since January 1998. He was named associate dean of the culinary school in 2002 and dean in 2005. Certified by the ACF as an executive chef and culinary educator, Koetke is a board member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Foundation Accrediting Commission, the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, Slow Food Chicago and the International Foodservice Editorial Council, as well as a founding board member of the Greater Midwestern Foodways Alliance. He is also the host of the Midwest Emmy-nominated cooking show, "Let's Dish," on the Live Well HD television network. Last year with his co-author, he released The Culinary Professional, a comprehensive introductory high-school culinary-arts textbook. In 2009, he was named Cooking Teacher of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). Chef Koetke also presented a speech on the future of culinary education to FENI attendees Feb. 15.

FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau with Secondary Educator of the Year award winner Chef Ana Plana, culinary arts teacher, Maritime and Science Technology (MAST) Academy, Key Biscayne, Fla. (photo credit: Eric Futran)

The 2010 FENI Secondary Educator of the Year is Ana Plana. Chef Plana is a culinary arts teacher at Maritime and Science Technology (MAST) Academy in Key Biscayne, Fla., and has taught 9th through 12th graders at MAST Academy since 2007. As the school's only food-production and event-planning instructor, she not only teaches during class time, but also heads up a variety of school and student events to offer students real front- and back-of-house experience and the chance to showcase their work. As a former board member of Les Dames d'Escoffier International, Plana uses her experience and contacts from the catering and event planning industry to arrange internship opportunities, guest speakers and financial support for her students and for the school. A sponsor of Women of Tomorrow for the past two years, Plana acts as a mentor to the young women at MAST, ensuring they have strong female role models when they begin their careers. Last year, she received a grant from Slow Food to plant an edible garden at the school, which will be used to teach students to appreciate and understand organic gardening.

FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau with Postsecondary Educator of the Year Chef Rolando Robledo, assistant professor of culinary arts, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I. (photo credit: Eric Futran)

The 2010 FENI Postsecondary Educator of the Year is Rolando Robledo. Chef Robledo has been assistant professor of culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., for the past six years and uses prior foodservice industry experience at restaurants such as The French Laundry, Rain and Aquavit to inspire and motivate students. While at Johnson & Wales, he earned a master of arts in teaching and received certification as an executive chef from the ACF. In 2007, Robledo won the Faculty Recognition Award for best educator in the college of culinary arts--the only award voted on by Johnson & Wales students. An advocate for sustainability, Robledo has led the Green Collaborative at Johnson & Wales as faculty adviser, helping students incorporate environmentalism and sustainability into their lives and work.

FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau with FENI medallion honoree Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer, French Pastry School, Chicago (photo credit: Eric Futran)

Also honored at this year's FENI Educators Summit for his continued dedication to FENI over the years was Jacquy Pfeiffer of the French Pastry School. Chef Pfeiffer was presented a medallion that symbolizes his creative and continuous efforts to enhance the quality of culinary education. Pfeiffer founded the French Pastry School with Sébastien Canonne, MOF, to fill the need for a premier international institution of pastry arts education, based on superb instruction, superior equipment and top-quality ingredients. The French Pastry School's team of award-winning instructors has grown to a faculty of eleven, including a Master Baker, Master Cake Artists and Pastry World Champions--several of whom also taught baking and pastry Master Classes at this Year's FENI Summit.

For more information about the FENI Summit, visit www.fenisummit.com. And be sure to mark your calendars: The 13th annual FENI Summit for professional culinary development will be held Feb. 19 to 21, 2011, in Chicago. Visit www.fenisummit.com and read upcoming issues of Chef Educator Today magazine for updates as we continue to develop next year's program.
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APPCA awards personal chef Borchardt Chef of the Year

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The American Personal & Private Chef Association (APPCA) named Carol Borchardt, chef and proprietor of A Thought for Food, greater Memphis, Tenn., the association's 2010 Chef of the Year. APPCA founder and executive director Candy Wallace presented the award to Borchardt during the 2010 APPCA conference, which was hosted by Kendall College's School of Culinary Arts in Chicago.

(l to r) Carol Borchardt receives the APPCA Chef of the Year Award from founder and executive director Candy Wallace

Active in the APPCA for many years, Borchardt helped write the Personal Chef International Code of Ethics and has served on the organization's executive advisory committee. She opened A Thought for Food in 2002 after after receiving business training through the APPCA's education arm, the American Personal Chef Institute. For more information on Borchardt and her business, visit www.athoughtforfood.com.
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Chefs advance to second tryout for ACF Culinary Team USA

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Fifteen of 26 competing chefs have qualified to compete in the second of two culinary competitions to determine which six chefs will represent the United States on American Culinary Federation (ACF) Culinary Team USA at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg this November and at the 2012 International Culinary Art Exhibition (IKA), also known as the "culinary Olympics," in Erfurt, Germany. The first tryout for ACF Culinary Team USA was held Feb. 19 to 21 at Elgin Community College, Elgin, Ill., featuring the cold-food segment. The top 15 received medals and will advance to the hot-food segment April 11 at Elgin Community College. The qualifying chefs, by medal category, are:

Gold medal winners

Timothy Bucci, CEC, CCE, CHE, associate professor, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill.; ACF Louis Joliet Chapter

Adam Heath, CSC, executive sous chef, River Oaks Country Club, Houston; ACF National Chapter

Joseph Leonardi, CEC, executive chef, Somerset Club, Boston; ACF Rhode Island Chapter

Timothy Prefontaine, CEC, executive chef, The Fort Worth Club, Fort Worth; ACF National Chapter

Silver medal winner

Kevin Storm, CEC, CCA, AAC, executive chef, Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis; Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc.

Bronze medal winner

Kevin Doherty, CEC, CCA, regional executive chef, Delaware North Cos., Boston; ACF Epicurean Club of Boston

George Gonzalez, executive chef, Sodexo, Nashville; ACF Middle Tennessee Chapter

Scott Green, CEC, executive chef, Delaware North Cos., Hamburg, N.Y.; ACF of Greater Buffalo, N.Y.

Brian Joseph Moll, CC, sauté cook, Isleworth Country Club, Windermere, Fla.; ACF Central Florida Chapter

Daryl Shular, CCC, corporate executive chef, Performance Foodservice–Milton's, Oakwood, Ga.; ACF Greater Atlanta Chapter

Rudy Smith, CEC, corporate chef, Unilever Foodsolutions, Lisle, Ill.; ACF National Chapter


Orlando Santos, CEPC, executive pastry chef, The Duquesne Club, Pittsburgh; ACF Pittsburgh Chapter

Eddie Tancredi, sous chef, New Albany Country Club, New Albany, Ohio; ACF Columbus Chapter

For more information on ACF, click here.
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Chef voices we like hearing

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by Maggie Shea, Chef Magazine

As chefs have become the demigods of a culture gone food-crazy, many of them understand the importance of making their voices heard and blog regularly about their passion--be it innovations in the pastry kitchen, sustainable seafood practices, unparalleled plating techniques or making gourmet food accessible and fun for the home cook.

In order to make the writing process easy and fun, write about what you love. Blogging shouldn't become so overwhelming that you find yourself avoiding it altogether. Be sure to find a format that works for you and is easy to maintain. Many chefs have started fine blogs with compelling narrative and beautiful photographs, but they update them monthly or even less often, which simply isn't enough to satiate the rabid foodie reader. Here are some of our favorite chef-bloggers who regularly allow the world a peek into their craft.

The Pickled Tongue. So named by Lockwood executive chef Phillip Foss for his late grandma's favorite sandwich and as a sarcastic nod to "those who would prefer that my tongue stay preserved in a jar (my mouth)," he writes. Here, Foss demystifies the process of house-made caviar, muses about chef blogging or his favorite menu items that just don't seem to sell, shares priceless images from home cooking with his kids and allows us to learn the secrets behind some of his signature dishes (pictured, left, seared sea scallops with cauliflower, quince, olives pine nuts and pine bubbles), all without losing a shred of his personality through the writing process. Each entry is a conversation we're invited to hear.

Charcuterie Sundays. Chef Grant Van Gameren, of Toronto's The Black Hoof, has become known for his cured meats--and rightly so, he makes 40-odd types of charcuterie (pictured, right, caraway and dill salami). But he also frequently blogs about the trials and tribulations of running a restaurant and making charcuterie in-house and at the restaurant's curing facility. He laments over maxed-out credit cards and new employee mistakes, shares exciting discoveries and tidbits he and his staff stumble upon like smoking plantains, how to most evenly distribute the forcemeat when making blood sausage and buying his first black hoof breeder pigs to make for a more sustainable restaurant. Some posts are long how-to's; others are simply a few words accompanying several photographs. But Van Gameren's voice and passion for his craft unmistakably come through in each one.

Michael Laiskonis Notes from the Kitchen/Workbook. Le Bernadin pastry chef Michael Laiskonis' tireless perfectionism and attention to detail are the pillars of his Workbook blog, where he shares his painstaking kitchen handiwork and flawless photography. Each entry is a detailed, sophisticated narrative, revealing the thought and time--and likely rewrites--that go into each post he shares. Whether he is describing the intricacies of curing egg yolks, how to make pâte de fruit or the delicate nature of the paw paw fruit, Laiskonis aims to make the highest echelons of the pastry world accessible and likable to all kinds of readers. (Pictured, left, corn custard with hazelnut praline cream, shot by Laiskonis.)

Ms Glaze's Pommes d'Amour. Amy Glaze Wittman (pictured, right)--cook, actor, teacher and writer--has cooked her way through Paris, New York City and San Francisco blogging along the way. Through her blog, we are invited along to learn about what it's like to cook at Le Bernardin in New York and how it feels to move across the country and plan a restaurant opening in just a few weeks in San Francisco. Still, her most compelling writing comes from stories of her experience apprenticing at the Three Michelin Star Paris restaurant Guy Savoy in 2006. She writes,
"There is a hierarchy in the French kitchen, just like the army, and they don't know how women should fit in--do they treat us like dogs and yell at us point blank the way they do with the young men to toughen us up? Do they flirt with us and just enjoy the fact that we're there to brighten the eleven hour work day? Do they resent us because we're screwing up the system? What do they do? Then there's the reverse question--what should I do? Do I take the sexual humor as a joke and let it roll off? Do I put forth my best butch impression and try and be one of the boys? Do I play off the fact that I am a women so I don't have to do all the icky work? Do I dare show talent and determination?"
eggbeater. Shuna Fish Lydon, pastry chef at 10 Downing Food & Wine in New York City, has been playing with words, thoughts and flavors since 2005 when she started her blog, named for her nearly fanatical collection of eggbeaters. Here, in sometimes disjointed and even harsh, two-word-sentence form, she shares her credo of the kitchen, pastry and life across the various cities in which she has lived and shared her craft. "Once you learn kitchen, you can never shake it. Tattooed into your skin," she writes. (Pictured, left, colored frosting, shot by Lydon.)

Chefs aren't the only ones who've figured out successful techniques for blogging about food. Below are some bloggers who've captured the foodie audience through their storytelling ability, writing style, impeccable photography and easy-to-follow recipes.
  • Bitten Blog--Food writer Mark Bittman's blog on the New York Times Web site
  • Chocolate & Zucchini--Clotilde Dusoulier, a Parisian woman, shares thoughts, recipes and favorite food corners throughout Paris
  • chez pim--Pim Techamuanvivit chronicles her food and travel experiences on her award-winning blog
  • 101 Cookbooks--Cookbook author and photographer Heidi Swanson's recipe journal focused on vegetarian, natural, whole foods
  • In the Kitchen and On the Road with Dorie--Cookbook author and food writer Dorie Greenspan's recipes, travels and love of pastry
  • The Japanese Food Report--Harris Salat's journalistic look into Japanese food culture
  • Michael Ruhlman--The famed cookbook author encourages people to cook for themselves by blogging about cooking, recipes, techniques and food

Got other favorite food blogs or a chef-driven blog of your own? Share it in the comments section.
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IACP's 32nd annual conference examines new culinary landscape

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Foodservice industry professionals will convene in Portland, Ore., April 21 to 24 for the 32nd Annual Conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). The conference, titled "The New Culinary Order," will explore and define today's culinary landscape through educational sessions; presentations by speakers such as the former editor-and-chief of Gourmet magazine Ruth Reichl, food writer/author Mark Bittman and Public restaurant chef Brad Farmerie; tours of local craft breweries, wineries, distilleries and bakeries; and evening dining events. For more information on the conference, visit IACP's Web site.
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Dawn Professional launches restaurant revamp contest

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Foodservice cleaning solutions provider Dawn Professional has launched the Make Your Restaurant Shine contest. The winning restaurant owner will receive $20,000 toward business improvements; a one-on-one expert consultation with restaurateur, chef and "Top Chef" contestant Spike Mendelsohn; and a paid trip for four adults to the 2010 National Restaurant Association Restaurant Hotels-Motel Show in Chicago. U.S. restaurants owners can apply online now through April 12, 2010, at www.dawncelebrations.com.
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One Ocean chef cooks at James Beard House

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On Feb. 11, Ted Peters, executive chef of Azuréa at One Ocean Resort Hotel & Spa in Atlantic Beach, Fla., showcased his knack for preparing regional seafood dishes when he prepared a sea-themed, four-course meal plus dessert with the help of Azuréa pastry chef Nancy Slatsky at the James Beard House.

A specialty dish of chef Peters' that showcases his regional seafood focus, Coriander dusted Chilean sea bass with spiny lobster-mango gastrique and coriander emulsion, is included below with wine pairing from Chef Magazine's wine consultant Marlene Rossman.

Coriander Dusted Chilean Sea Bass with Spiny Lobster-Mango Gastrique and Coriander Emulsion
Ted Peters, executive chef, Azuréa at One Ocean Resort Hotel & Spa, Atlantic Beach, Fla.

Yield: 4 servings

1/4 oz. coriander seed, toasted and ground
1/4 oz. white peppercorns, toasted and ground
1/4 oz. mustard seed, toasted and ground
1/4 oz. fennel seed, toasted and ground
4 5-oz. Chilean sea bass fillets
Salt, to taste
2 oz. grape seed oil
2 shallots, shaved
Butter, softened, as needed
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
4 oz. cream
1 cinnamon stick, toasted and ground
Pepper, to taste
1 bunch cilantro, chopped and divided
3 oz. olive oil
Spiny Lobster-Mango Gastrique (recipe follows)
2 c. mixed micro herbs, seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper

Method (1) Blend together the ground coriander, white pepper, mustard and fennel seed in a bowl to make toasted coriander "dust." Season sea bass with salt and toasted coriander dust. Reserve remaining dust for coriander oil. In a medium hot pan, add grape seed oil, and sauté fish on both sides. Add shaved shallots and dollop of butter, and place in a 350°F oven for 4 minutes. Remove fish, and keep warm. (2) Simmer peeled potatoes in salted water until tender. Place through ricer, and whip in 2 oz. soft butter and cream. Season with cinnamon, salt and pepper. Place in piping bag, and reserve for plating. (3) Blanch and shock cilantro, drain well and blend with reserved coriander dust and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and strain through cheese cloth. Pour coriander oil into squeeze bottle, and reserve. (4) To serve, place 2 oz. sweet potato purée in center of vessel and spoon Spiny Lobster-Mango Gastrique ground around sweet potatoes. Place seared sea bass in center. Garnish with herb salad, coriander oil and cilantro leaves.

Lobster-Mango Gastrique
1 oz. olive oil
2 shallots, shaved
6 cloves garlic, shaved
2 jalapeños, small dice
2 roasted piquillo chiles, julienne
4 limes, juiced and reserved
3 oz. light brown sugar
8 oz. spiny lobster meat, roasted, shelled and diced
2 mangoes, diced and cubed
2 oz. butter
Cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Method (1) In medium-high heat sauté pan, add olive oil, garlic and jalapeño. Add red peppers, and deglaze with lime juice. (2) Whisk in light brown sugar, and reduce until syrup consistency. (3) Right before plating add lobster, mango, butter and cilantro until emulsified.

Wine pairing: Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay "Canoe Ridge" 2007 (Washington State)
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Everest named Chicago's only Relais & Chateaux restaurant

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World-renowned chef Jean Joho's Everest restaurant recently became the only Chicago restaurant to be made a member of Relais & Châteaux, an association established in France that consists of the finest luxury hotels and gourmet restaurants around the world.

The dining room at Everest

Everest, located on the 40th floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange, offers a fine-dining menu and award-winning wine list with influences from Joho's roots in Alsace, France.

Known for strict world admissions standards, Relais & Châteaux is a collection of nearly 500 restaurants and hotels in 55 countries that further its mission of spreading the art of living. For more information, visit www.relaischateaux.com.
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