CAFE Talks Podcast

Jul 25, 2024, 22:15

In the Lap of Luxury—Working as a Private Chef

By Lynn Schwartz

chef_jan10What’s the difference between a private chef and a personal chef? Audrey Heckwolf of Grand Rapids Community College, who cooked for a Fortune 500 family, can tell you.

Private chef and personal chef are titles that evoke “glamour job” images—globetrotting with celebrity employers and preparing ultra-luxe dinners for very important people. But do we really understand what these jobs entail? Audrey Heckwolf, a former private chef, says, “Most chefs don’t know. And they don’t know the difference between a private and personal chef. This is a growing part of the culinary industry. Chefs need to educate each other and their clients about the differences.”

Lesson Plan: Adding Fried Eggs to Your Curriculum

By Colin Roche, MBA, CEC, CCE, FMP, CHE

lesson_jan10Knowing how to prepare the different stages of a fried egg is an important task that can easily be taught to your class in your culinary lab.

Eggs are among the most versatile and nutritious foods. In addition, eggs possess many qualities that make them indispensible in the kitchen. It is important for students to know how to cook eggs, a skill that is not as simple as it may seem.

This downloadable lesson plan in MS Word provides egg nutrition, fried-egg descriptions and cooking methods. Focuses of study include explaining the differences between the five types of fried eggs, demonstrating how to cook the five types, and sharing why knowing how to fry an egg is important in the foodservice industry. An egg lab instructs on having students prepare and plate the various types of fried eggs.

Mayo’s Clinics: Encouraging Student Participation

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

fredmayoThe more you establish your expectation of participation and help students reach it, the better the learning experience for all.

One of the most challenging aspects of teaching is getting our students involved in class discussion and other class activities. Sometimes, they are shy or reluctant because of fear of not being articulate or making errors; other times their cultural backgrounds limit their willingness to participate in active discussions. They may also be anxious about appearing stupid or afraid they may not understand. Since we know that students who use ideas and discuss them tend to learn and remember them better, this issue of Mayo’s Clinics provides four suggestions about this dimension of teaching.

Front of House: What Do I Need to Know about Being a Server?

By Wendy Gay, CHE

foh_jan10It’s easier to teach how to set the table and serve the guest than to teach the emotional skills of being passionate, caring, hard-working and intelligent.

Teaching front of the house to culinary students can be a very interesting proposition. Most students come to school to learn to cook, “not,” as more than one student has retorted, “to act like some kind of server.” We have some students who resent and resist being outside the kitchen. “I’m going to be a chef like those guys on TV. What do I need to know about table service?”

Green Tomato: Sustainability—Hot on the Plate in 2010

By Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE

green_jan10NRA’s latest “What’s Hot” survey lists “local” and “sustainable” as the biggest menu trends.

The National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) annual survey of more than 1,800 professional chef members of the American Culinary Federation reveals that local sourcing of ingredients and sustainability will be the hottest trends on restaurant menus in 2010. Locally grown produce, locally sourced meats and seafood, sustainability and locally produced wine and beer top the list of nearly 215 items in the “What’s Hot in 2010” survey.