The Chef Jeff Project premieres Oct. 12 on Food Network
A familiar name to FENI-goers, chef Jeff Henderson, former
drug dealer and convict turned award-winning chef and inspirational
mentor, will make his television debut Oct. 12 on Food Network.
Henderson, executive chef at Café Bellagio at Bellagio
Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and author of Cooked, (2007
HarperCollins Publishers), will help six troubled young
adults who wish to improve their lives just as Henderson
did. In The Chef Jeff Project, the young adults will work
under Henderson’s watchful eye at his new Los Angeles-based
catering company, Posh Urban Cuisine. The young culinarians
will also be instructed in the life lessons necessary to
remake themselves and succeed, including appearance, attitude,
respect, motivation and behavior.
Sullivan University students and faculty travel to 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing
Sullivan University’s National Center for
Hospitality Studies (NCHS) is sending a team of 22 students
and three chef instructors to Beijing to cater at the 2008
Olympic Games. The NCHS is the only culinary program in
the United States to have been formally invited to cook
for the 2008 Olympic athletes and sponsors.
In collaboration with New York City’s Framboise
Catering, Sullivan University representatives will maintain
athletes’ diets at the United States Olympic Committee High
Performance Training Center and create decadent spreads
at the USA House for Olympic sponsors and guests. “We are
honored to have been chosen to work with Framboise Catering
at the Olympics in Beijing,” says Sullivan University president
Glenn Sullivan. “Our students and faculty have been preparing
for this singular opportunity for several months and are
excited and energized. They all look forward to serving
their countrymen and representing the United States in China.”
The group is composed of students from
around the country currently undergraduates at Sullivan
University. For more information, visit www.sullivan.edu.
NRAEF increases scholarship amounts to support careers in foodservice industry
In response to the rising costs of
college tuition, the National Restaurant Association
Educational Foundation (NRAEF) recently announced
that it has raised the minimum dollar amount awarded
to students through its Scholarships Program. Students
receiving scholarships from the NRAEF will now receive
a minimum $2,500, up from $2,000, to help pay for
their restaurant and foodservice education. Teachers
now receive $1,750 instead of $1,500 to continue their
professional development. “It is no secret that the
cost of tuition across America has risen substantially
over the past 10 years. Because of this, more and
more students need financial assistance to pursue
their educational goals,” said Linda Bacin, chairman,
NRAEF board of trustees. “These high costs, coupled
with the restaurant and foodservice industry’s need
for skilled managers and professionals, made the decision
to increase the dollar amount of our scholarships
easy.”
The NRAEF’s Scholarships Program
awarded $1.7 million in 2008 to those committed to
furthering their education or professional development
in restaurant and foodservice management. And the
NRAEF’s Scholarships Program has proved successful
at recruiting and attracting students to the industry—81
percent of students who have received an NRAEF scholarship
are still studying and/or working in the industry.
Enter your students in the Dole Fresh Frozen Fruit Recipe Contest
Let your students practice
their creativity with the Dole Fresh Frozen
Fruit Culinary Student Recipe Contest. The grand
prize winner will earn $2,500 cash and also
reward his/her culinary instructor with $1,000.
Four first-place prizes earn students $500 each,
while their instructors take home $100. Any
culinary student in a post-secondary professional
program who is 18 years or older and a legal
resident of the United States is eligible to
participate.
To enter, students must submit
an original recipe in one or more of the following
categories: breakfast/baking, salad/side dish,
dessert/pastry or entrée. Recipes must use a
minimum of two cups total fruit from at least
two varieties of Dole Fresh Frozen Fruit and
no more than 10 readily available ingredients.
Recipes will be judged on creativity, flavor,
ease of preparation and appetite appeal.
The Dole Fresh Frozen Fruit
Culinary Student Recipe Contest runs from Aug.
1 to Oct. 31. All entries must be received by
Nov. 5. To view contest information and rules,
and to download the online entry form, visit
www.dolefoodservice.com/culinarycontest.
Monroe College granted Les Amis D’Escoffier Society Scholarship
This past May, the Monroe College
School of Hospitality Management and the Culinary
Arts, Bronx, N.Y., was presented with a $2,000
scholarship at the 72nd annual Spring Dinner
of Les Amis D’Escoffier Society. In acknowledging
the honor, Monroe College dean Luke Schultheis,
member of the culinary society, stated, “This
reinforces our contention that Monroe College
is building an extraordinary hospitality and
culinary program. Our facilities and staff and,
of course, our motivated and talented students
all help to make our programs very special.”
Culinary Institute of Virginia holds first graduation
Culinary Institute of Virginia, the
School of Culinary Arts at ECPI College of Technology,
Norfolk, Va., held its first graduation on May 30.
The graduating class comprised 50 students who completed
the 18-month associate degree program.
The Culinary Institute of Virginia
offers a 75-week program that awards an associate
degree in Culinary Science to graduates. Externships
with area restaurants and hotels are a central tenet
of the curriculum, and students are required to participate
in community service projects with local hospitals,
foodbanks and service organizations.
From its launch in September 2006,
interest in the Culinary Institute of Virginia has
grown significantly, and enrollment is projected to
reach 300 students in the fall of 2008.
“We are very pleased to showcase
our graduates to potential employers,” said Mark Dreyfus,
president of the Culinary Institute of Virginia. “Our
graduates are entering a job market with lots of opportunity
and a tremendous amount of talent. ... We hope to
create a culinary destination for tourists. These
graduates and the ones in years to come will help
us realize that goal.” For more information on the
new Culinary Institute of Virginia, visit www.chefva.com.
The Culinary Institute of America and Hormel Foods create the Culinary Enrichment and Innovation Program
Hormel Foods Corp. and the company's
foodservice division have announced a partnership
with The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) to provide
a unique leadership program to an exclusive class
of commercial and noncommercial chefs from around
the country.
Dennis Goettsch, vice president of
marketing, foodservice division, Hormel Foods Corp.,
approached leaders at The CIA in the spring of 2007
with the company's vision. Dr. Victor Gielisse, CMC,
CHE, associate vice president of the CIA, and Ron
DeSantis, CMC, project director of CIA Consulting,
noted the industry's void in advanced education that
provides perspective on creativity, innovation, leadership
and management for chefs at the five year and above
experience level. After a year of planning and research,
the Culinary Enrichment and Innovation Program (CEIP)
was created by the CIA and Hormel Foods to build tomorrow's
culinary leaders and to address a growing industry
concern about employee retention.
Sixteen students will attend four
intense, three-day sessions at the CIA's Hyde Park
Campus in New York over the course of 18 months. Each
educational module will include classroom teaching
from a select group of Certified Master Chefs based
at the CIA, one-on-one interaction with leading industry
culinarians and hands-on time in the kitchen. CEIP
curriculum has been created by the CIA in coordination
with Hormel Foods. Graduates of the program will receive
advanced certification from the CIA and become members
of the Hormel Circle of Innovation.
