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Unilever Foodsolutions corporate chef David Russell CEC, AAC, has been inducted into the Honorable Order of the Golden Toque. This lifetime membership is granted to 100 chefs by nomination only.
Russell (pictured, above) has worked in the foodservice industry for 25 years. Before joining Unilever Foodsolutions, he was an executive chef, food and beverage director and a regional culinary/F&B task force leader for Marriott Hotels and Resorts over 10 years. He currently serves as the national vice president of the American Culinary Federation (ACF), national director of public relations for the American Academy of Chefs (AAC) and is a member of the Honor Society of the ACF. In addition, chef Russell has been an adjunct instructor of culinary arts at the College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill., for more than eight years. He also sits on the permanent committee of the Les Amis d'Escoffier Society.
The Honorable Order of the Golden Toque was established to recognize chefs who have served the culinary community for at least 20 years. The organization aims to foster a forum for the exchange of culinary knowledge and expertise so that its members may assist in the development of young culinarians and improve the overall quality of life in a multicultural world community. Visit www.orderofthegoldentoque.org.
Monona Terrace Catering chef Joel Zink took first place in the Heavy Metal Chef competition at Monona Terrace, Madison, Wis., on Nov. 8. The catering company hosted the contest to raise money for the city's charity combined campaign, with the winning chef's charity receiving proceeds from ticket sales. Zink gave his first-place $975 check to Sustain Dane, a nonprofit organization committed to creating sustainable communities.
Chef Joel Zink with his winning dish after the Heavy Metal Chef competition
The secret ingredient was short ribs. Zink's winning dish was roasted short ribs with an artichoke purée, vegetable ragout, peppernata and red wine veal reduction.
Chef Mark Bodinet from Copperleaf Restaurant at Cedarbrook Lodge won "Best of Show" and First Place Shoulder at the second annual American Lamb Jam on Oct. 24. All told, 21 Seattle chefs competed against Bodinet (pictured) in this year's event.
Chef Bodinet's winning recipe was grilled American lamb shoulder confit with creamy parsnips and preserved huckleberries. Other recipes that received accolades were:
- First Place Leg: The Georgian Room, pepper and lovage crusted smoked leg of lamb kebob with tomato basil crostini;
- First Place Shank: BOKA Kitchen + Bar, lamb shank sloppy joe; and
- People's Choice/First Place Loin: Barking Frog, Northwest chanterelle and lamb loin prosciutto pot pie with sous vide lamb loin and fig demi.
Bodinet will head to New York City to battle winning chefs from around in the country in a master Lamb Jam competition in 2011.
Chef Mark Bodinet's grilled American lamb shoulder confit with creamy parsnips and preserved huckleberries
"We are honored and humbled by this recognition from Couteaux Review," said executive chef Anthony Keene in a statement. "Our high standards stem not only from our commitment to providing our customers with the best-quality foods possible, but also from supporting the use of our natural resources for a better future."
Couteaux Review, established by executive chef Jason Kwon, works closely with local food communities to build and foster stronger networks between restaurants, chefs, purveyors and local food enthusiasts. Visit www.couteauxreview.com.
Spring restaurant, a Chicago mainstay restaurant for more than a decade, will close its doors after New Year's Eve service.
Founding chef Shawn McClain intends to focus on his other Chicago venture, the vegetarian-focused restaurant Green Zebra, as well as his Las Vegas restaurant Sage at Aria, saying in a statement that he will split his time between the two.
Through November and December, Spring will offer a special menu made up of some of
the most popular Asian-inspired New American dishes over the years. For more information, visit www.springrestaurant.net.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed Endangered Species Act protection for the rayed bean and the snuffbox, two freshwater mussels found in river systems in the eastern United States.
The rayed bean (pictured, right) is found in rivers in Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, as well as Ontario, Canada. It has disappeared from 75 percent of the streams in which it was historically found.
The snuffbox (pictured, left) is found in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. This species has disappeared from 65 percent of its historical range.
Threats to both species have been attributed to loss and degradation of stream and river habitat due to impoundments, channelization, chemical contaminants, mining and sedimentation. Freshwater mussels require clean water, and their decline often signals a decline in the water quality of the streams and rivers they inhabit.
The proposal was published on Nov. 2 in the Federal Register. If the two mussels are listed under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will work with partners to conserve their habitats. For more information, visit www.fws.gov.
Following an eight-day cooking exam at The Culinary Institute of America, five chefs from Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire and West Virginia have been named Certified Master Chefs (CMC) by the American Culinary Federation (ACF).
(l to r) ACF announces new CMCs Brian Beland, Robert Mancuso, Brian Sode and Daniel Dumont
The chefs who passed the exam are:
- Brian Beland, CMC, executive chef, Country Club of Detroit, Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.; ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association
- Daniel Dumont, CMC, corporate chef, Ocean Properties Ltd. Hotels and Resorts, Portsmouth, N.H.; ACF Piscataqua Chapter
- Robert Mancuso, CMC, executive chef, The Country Club, Chestnut Hill, Mass.; ACF Epicurean Club of Boston
- Richard Rosendale, CMC, executive chef, The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs; ACF National Chapter
- Brian Sode, CMC, AAC, executive chef, The Bear's Club, Jupiter, Fla.; ACF National Chapter
New CMC Richard Rosendale accepts his plaque.
The minimum passing score for the exam is 75 points out of 100. For chefs to keep the CMC title, they must recertify every five years, documenting 80 hours of continuing education.
Philadelphia interior design firm JAGR:Projects of Rittenhouse Square won first place interior design award from the Pennsylvania East Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers for chef Marc Vetri's Amis Trattoria.
The bar at Amis Trattoria
"We designed Amis to be an easy, social space--not overwrought," Michael Gruber of JAGR in a statement. "We retained the concrete and original windows and found the lighting fixtures at salvage yards. The tables were scraps from a cabinetmaker's shop that we glued together and the artwork is old industrial molds that we found. It is sustainable and comfortable."
For more information, visit www.asidpaeast.org.
About
Chef's Stirrings is the official blog of Chef Magazine, the industry publication for restaurant and foodservice professionals. The blog offers culinary news and online exclusives from the editors ofChef.
