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

Whether French, American or Italian, an omelet is one of the easiest dishes to prepare once the technique is mastered.

Eggs are reasonably priced high-quality proteins that lend themselves to an endless number of flavor combinations. They are also the basis of a large variety of wonderful dishes, including the omelet.

So ... what is an omelet? An omelet, sometimes spelled “omelette,” is a dish consisting of beaten eggs that are cooked without stirring until set. It is then folded over in half, often around a filling, right in the pan. Omelets are remarkably easy to prepare, and can provide a quick, yet impressive, dish that can be served at any meal period.

Maple Leaf Farms is calling for entries for The 2010 Discover Duck™ Chef Recipe Contest now through September 10, 2010. Open to professional chefs and culinary students, the contest challenges entrants to create up to three original recipes that showcase duck in creative ways.

“The possibilities are endless with duck. It’s so versatile,” said Cindy Turk, Maple Leaf Farms’ marketing manager. “This contest gives chefs a chance to use their culinary creativity. We look forward to seeing a lot of innovative and inspired recipes.”

Recipe entries may be submitted for any menu part—appetizer, soup, salad or entrée—and must include a Maple Leaf Farms duck product. The recipes will be judged according to originality, flavor, simplicity (easily sourced ingredients and ease of preparation) and accuracy of the recipe ingredients and method.

Entrants have a chance to win one of three prizes. The grand-prize-winning recipe will be awarded $5,000; second place $3,000; and third place $1,500.

The contest is open to U.S. residents, 18 years old or older. Entrants must be one of the following: professional chef, sous chef or lead line cook in a restaurant or non-commercial foodservice establishment, or a student currently enrolled at a professional culinary school.

Complete contest rules and entry details are available online at http://www.mapleleaffarms.com/chefcontest/. All entries must be postmarked or submitted online no later than September 10, 2010.

Sullivan University based in Louisville, Ky., is pleased to announce that Scott A. Stromer has joined the team as its new director of food and beverage operations.

Stromer will head all food and beverage activities for the Sullivan University System, including Winston’s restaurant, the A la Carte Café, The Bakery, Juleps Catering and all commissaries. He also will oversee the dining facility at Sullivan University’s new Gardiner Point Residence Hall, which opens on June 23. This state-of-the-art housing project will feature a freestanding eatery operated primarily by Sullivan University students and graduates along with a professional management team, setting it apart from the majority of the country’s residence halls, which typically offer cafeteria-style dining.

“Scott brings a wealth of industry experience in both university and restaurant environments to Sullivan University,” said chancellor A.R. Sullivan. “His 30 years of experience with high-profile organizations and universities all across the country will certainly be an asset to our students and faculty. We’re thrilled to have him join our team.”

Most recently, Stromer was dining and culinary executive director for Michigan State University, operating club divisions and student dining in East Lansing, Mich. Prior to joining the educational community, he was owner of Culinary Restaurant Group and executive director of culinary for Restaura, Inc., both located in Phoenix, Ariz. He began his career in food and beverage operations for Hyatt Hotels and Amway Grand Plaza, working in markets throughout the country.

Stromer earned degrees from The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. and Michigan State University.

Francois Dionot, founder and director of L’Academie de Cuisine based in Gaithersburg, Md., was chosen one of the 25 CEOs You Need to Know for 2010 in The Montgomery County Gazette of Politics and Business. Dionot received his award at a luncheon held on May 13 at the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring, Md. As stated by the Gazette’s publisher, “In a tough economy, a good CEO helps a company survive and a great CEO helps a company thrive.”

Dionot established the school in 1976 when gourmet cooking was becoming popular and people were teaching cooking classes out of their homes. The school has grown to include two campuses, full-time professional culinary and pastry-arts programs and more than 1,000 recreational cooking classes each year. In an industry with a reputation for chasing the latest trends, LAC has remained relevant for more than 30 years by focusing on classic French techniques. “It’s like learning to walk before you can run,” says Dionot. “Even the most progressive and innovative chefs first master the basics.”

Dionot teaches students in each phase of the professional program and counsels the students on their final project and on their externships. As a school that places each of its students in area fine-dining restaurants, pastry shops and hotels, Dionot is a major influence within the Washington, D.C., culinary community. For more info, visit www.lacademie.com.

By John Lawn

Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" treats a serious subject, but turns it into reality-show spectacle.

On March 21, Americans with an interest in either child nutrition or reality TV (or both) got the chance to view the first installment of “Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution,” a stunt-driven, 21st century moral tale that will run as a series on ABC in coming weeks. If you missed it, here's a handy synopsis:

A master class at the CAFÉ Leadership Conference this month will lend educators hands-on know-how applying several prevailing menu trends to versatile (and economical) lamb cuts.

Educators signed up for the “Deliver 2010’s Top Menu Trends with American Lamb” master class at the 2010 CAFÉ Leadership Conference at Baltimore International College, Friday, June 25, are in for a treat: The class will be led by veteran educator Frank Terranova, MCFE, assistant instructor at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I.

“Lamb is my favorite meat,” Terranova says, adding that he’s an aficionado of domestically raised lamb, in particular.

Sponsored by the American Lamb Board and working with economical shoulder, leg and ground lamb, as well as the rack, Terranova’s class will address several leading menu trends this year—small delicious plates, street foods migrating indoors, comfort-with-a-twist and exotic ethnic on the cusp of mainstream. What’s more, Terranova will instruct on sous vide with American lamb. Select dishes prepared by class participants will be served at the conference’s welcome reception that evening following the three-hour hands-on immersion.

Courtesy of Christopher Ranch

Media scares over tainted Chinese products have led U.S. consumers to investigate how garlic is produced, resulting in a resurgence of domestic sources—which actually have greater cooking and health benefits.

Garlic is grown globally, and has become a critical flavor component for a variety of international cuisines. China has emerged as the world’s leading source, growing two-thirds of global supply. Even in the United States, where California-grown garlic is available year-round, Chinese garlic amounts to well over half of domestic supply. The International Trade Commission reports that Chinese garlic exports into the United States in 2009 alone totaled 145 million pounds.

Most California garlic production is centralized in Gilroy, Calif., known as “the garlic capital of the world.” Gilroy-based Christopher Ranch has been an industry leader since 1956, when founder Don Christopher started farming garlic with a planting of 10 acres. Today, his son, Bill, oversees cultivation of more than 3,000 acres and shipment of more than 60 million pounds annually, distinguishing the ranch as the nation’s premier grower for the fresh market and the only commercial source of heirloom garlic.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Thinking carefully about who should be involved in revising the curriculum will help everyone know his and her role. It is an important way to move the process forward and collect as many ideas at the beginning and consult about proposals at the end.

In the last two Clinics, we reviewed the challenges of evaluating student performance, a task that is critical for student learning. Another aspect of ensuring successful graduates involves providing the best program for them, which raises the question of how we examine our curricula and make changes to improve courses and whole programs.

In this Clinic, we will discuss overall curriculum revision; in a later one, we shall review making course changes. Having just gone through more than two years of full revision of two undergraduate degrees and three graduate degrees at NYU, I have a lot of empathy for people undertaking the task. However, it can be a creative and insightful activity, and one that makes a real difference in the quality and effectiveness of programs.

By Audrey Heckwolf

Culinary students love learning tableside, and guests will become committed patrons if we treat them to dinner and a show.

The art of tableside service is near extinct. Few restaurants offer fresh preparations performed at a guest’s table. It seems to be isolated to cruise ships, French restaurants, catering and Sunday brunches. It is incredibly challenging to even find reliable sources on the subject that date more recent than the 1970s.

By Adam Weiner

Says Chef Weiner, with summer here, it’s time to look at your curriculum, look at your syllabus, look at your lesson plans, and see what you can do to make sure you teach the basics your students need to get and keep a job.

My program runs year 'round. I have new students starting and senior students graduating every month. I envy my friends whose classes have summer breaks. It would be great to have some off time to review what happened in the previous class term: what went well, and what needed improvement. I would then take these points and modify my course curriculum, changing what didn’t work, and strengthen what did.