A group of students from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) campus in Hyde Park, N.Y., is spending the first semester of senior year at the college’s campus in San Antonio, Texas, focusing on the ingredients, techniques and cultural traditions of Latin American cuisines. It is part of the CIA’s Latin Cuisines Concentration, which launched May 5—Cinco de Mayo.

The students, pursuing bachelor’s degrees in culinary-arts management from the CIA, will study the foods of Mexico and other Latin American cuisines that are ripe for broader exposure in the United States, including those of Brazil, Peru, Central America and the Caribbean. They will explore the nuances of flavor development and culinary expression of these cuisines, while learning from expert faculty and visiting instructors, such as award-winning chef Rick Bayless, all under the direction of the CIA’s Chef Sergio Remolina.

Students also will be immersed in the history and cultures of these nations and regions. For instance, they will learn that Cinco de Mayo is not the “Mexican Fourth of July,” but rather the commemoration of an 1862 military victory. According to Remolina, only in recent years has it turned into a day of celebration in the United States.

The National Honey Board (NHB) and Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) have collaborated to establish the “Laurey Masterton Golden Amulet Award,” recognizing women entrepreneurs in the foodservice industry. Launching in 2015, the WCR award is a tribute chef and beekeeper Laurey Masterton, beloved WCR member and NHB spokeswoman, who lost a courageous battle with cancer in February.

A trailblazer and entrepreneur, Masterton is widely recognized for helping to establish downtown Asheville, N.C., as a vibrant farm-to-table food scene, starting with the launch of her eponymous “Laurey’s” Café-Catering-Comfort in 1987.

For those visiting Chicago for this year’s National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, mouths water and palates yearn for one of the City of Big Shoulders’ culinary claims to fame. And among pies, four take the cake.

By Marriott International, Inc.

While our restaurants at Chicago hotels offer excellent options, visitors who have the time to venture out should indulge in the original Chicago deep-dish pizza.

Like the foundation of a fine building, the crust is essential to creating a pizza that is usually 2 to 3 inches in depth. The dough contains cornmeal, an ingredient unique to Chicago-style pizza. When the crust is baked, it’s as flaky and buttery as pie crust, yet thick enough to support mounds of cheese and toppings.

With the crust firmly in place, next comes the cheese, and lots of it. Over 1 pound of mozzarella is common. Unlike other pizzas, Chicago calls for sliced cheese, not grated. Amazingly, the crust is so deep there is still room for heaps of toppings.

Perhaps puzzling to the uninitiated, the sauce is on the top of Chicago-style pizza, not on the bottom. Covering the top with a simple, chunky Italian tomato sauce prevents the cheese and toppings from burning while the pizza bakes for about 45 minutes. Rest assured it’s worth every minute of the wait!

The chancellor of Johnson & Wales University tells chefs to follow their passion to achieve success while also becoming agents of change in their industry and careers.

By Mary Petersen

Dr. John J. Bowen, chancellor of Johnson & Wales University, was the American Culinary Federation Northeast Regional Conference keynoter at the opening general session in Providence, R.I., April 12, 2014.

He began by recognizing one of his mentors, Certified Master Chef Fritz Sonnenschmidt from The Culinary Institute of America. The lesson he learned from Sonnenschmidt, Bowen said, was to find your passion and follow it, and you will be successful. 

Bowen has been with Johnson & Wales University for more than three decades. Throughout his career, his leadership has directed JWU’s success and cemented its commitment to preparing students for professional success through academics and professional skills, community-leadership opportunities and its unique career-education model. As chancellor, Bowen oversees more than 17,000 students and approximately 2,000 employees at four domestic campuses.

Though not new to the market by any stretch, flatbreads, particularly those that say “global,” are enjoying a revolution. A pastry chef-instructor at Kendall College in Chicago reports on the trend, making the case for need-to-know among culinary-arts and pastry/baking students as they embark on their careers.

By Heidi Hedeker, CMB, MA/MSW

In the realm of baked goods, flatbreads don’t have a standard definition. Wheat flour is often the main ingredient, and just as often not. Flatbreads are leavened or unleavened. No nation on earth can claim to be the origin of flatbread (although the region that includes modern-day Iraq can take some credit), and no single flavor, color or texture is shared by all flatbreads. Some breads considered flatbreads aren’t even particularly flat. Or thin.

When you think of the lifestyle trends of the last several years, today we are basically nomads. More of the foods we eat are to go, and what is more nomadic than a flatbread? The origins of most of today’s flatbreads are in early agrarian society. Foods had to be simple enough for travel. That fits with our lifestyle today, because everything we do is portable.

Technomic research reveals significant increased blueberry use across categories, suggests Gen-Y marketing opportunities.

As consumer interest in healthy dining options continues to rise, so does the presence of fruit on U.S. menus, and new research from trend-tracker Technomic shows blueberries—a fruit renowned for its nutritional profile—gaining major traction among the top 500 chain restaurants.

Overall blueberry mentions on American menus have increased 97% since 2007—a stronger growth rate than that of strawberries, raspberries or blackberries—with fresh blueberry mentions up more than 176% in the same time period.

Contributing to this growth is a combination of factors including changing consumer preferences and an evolution in the way foodservice professionals view blueberries. The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) works to influence both.

The Research Chefs Association unveiled the latest in culinary arts and food science and technology in Portland, Ore., in March.

The Research Chefs Association’s (RCA) 2014 Annual Conference and Culinology® Expo brought nearly 1,300 food R&D students and professionals to Portland, Ore., for a week of competition, education and food tastings all celebrating Culinology—the blending of the culinary arts and food science.

“I’ve never seen so much energy, passion and thirst for knowledge and collaboration than I did this year in Portland,” says Charles Hayes, CRC®, RCA president. “Our conference competitions, showcased live on the Culinology Expo floor for the first time, added to the excitement of the events and truly gave these teams the recognition they deserve.”

This year, hundreds attended the Expo on March 13, where they viewed the Student and Professional Culinology Competitions and sampled the latest in food-product development from nearly 150 exhibiting companies. During the Culinology Competitions, teams representing three countries executed a Pacific Northwest regional, food-truck-cuisine concept featuring a grab-and-go seafood item for school foodservice (grades 9-12) while addressing sodium concerns. This year’s winners included:

Which good fats to eat and which bad fats to avoid? There’s room for more education.

Despite years of effort by numerous organizations to help the public understand the pros and cons of consuming different types of dietary fats, a new survey by the Hass Avocado Board (HAB) reveals that most Americans are still unclear about the definition and role of “good” and “bad” fats.

In the HAB survey of more than 1,000 adults, nearly half (42%) of people incorrectly thought that all fats play a role in increased cholesterol levels; when “don’t know/unsure” responses are included, the number increases to 51% of people. In addition, more than one-third of people responded inaccurately that monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are bad and should be reduced or eliminated from the diet.

The challenge of college includes managing multiple demands and a complex schedule, often for the first time as an adult. Something as simple as taking attendance in class can motivate students to not only stay in the course and program, but thrive.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

For the last two months, we have discussed ways to encourage student curiosity. This month, we turn to the challenge of keeping students in our classes and in our programs. There are several ways—noticing them, giving them feedback, encouraging friendships and taking attendance—to keep students engaged. I hope one or more will be useful to you.

Being Noticed Counts
The primary way to keep students engaged is to provide them with comments on their participation, their work and their involvement. Showing them that you notice what they are doing and appreciate it—most especially the effort involved—makes a big difference in their attitude toward being in class, learning the material and incorporating culinary skills into their repertoire.

As the term comes to a close, Chef Weiner shares a commencement speech he delivered to graduates who were not culinary-arts students. In it, he dispensed with niceties to instead offer a generous helping of reality.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

If you are a regular reader of “50-Minute Classroom,” you know I believe our job as culinary teachers is not to merely teach cooking. Our job is to use cooking as a tool to help our students succeed in the world. In fact, at CAFÉ’s 10^th-annual Leadership Conference in Salt Lake City next month, I am hosting a roundtable discussion on the importance of teaching students the essential combination of life and job skills.

In January I was asked to be the lead speaker at a graduation ceremony for a halfway-house program in my county because of the success I’ve had with teaching and getting jobs for people. Although I have spoken at numerous events about food and teaching, I have never spoken at a graduation other than for culinary students. I spent some time talking with my wife, and I came up with what I wanted to say. What’s interesting is that it wasn’t a “rah-rah you did great” speech, but a speech on reality.