Recognized for its elegance and flavor, lamb is a favorite protein of chefs across the globe.  While most chefs think of rack of lamb, today’s economy as well as a desire to utilize the whole carcass challenges chefs to look at some of the lesser-known and economical cuts.

By Christopher Heath Stone, CEC, MEd

The shoulder is one of the most affordable cuts of lamb. A square-cut bone-in shoulder can be barbecued, braised or slow roasted. It can also be broken down in a variety of ways to create shoulder arm and blade chops, shoulder ribs or various BRT roasts. Lamb-shoulder meat is also commonly used to create kabob and stew meat, as well as grind.

Brendan Walsh, a celebrated chef in New York City and around the country before joining the faculty of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), has been promoted to serve as the college’s dean of culinary arts. In his new position, he oversees curriculum development and management of the CIA’s culinary-arts education and is responsible for the quality of academic programming, services and staffing of culinary-arts courses.

“Chef Walsh has demonstrated himself to be a consummate professional with a strong commitment to the college,” said CIA Provost Mark Erickson, CMC. “He is the perfect person to fill this important role at the college—one that is responsible for keeping the CIA’s culinary education unparalleled and will ensure the continued high value of a CIA degree.”

A 1980 CIA graduate, Walsh returned to his alma mater in 2008 as a faculty member and, later, associate dean. Before that, he was the owner and executive chef of Elms Restaurant & Tavern in Ridgefield, Conn., North Street Grill in Great Neck, N.Y., and Coyote Grill in Island Park, N.Y., as well as the founder and president of Chef Brendan Walsh Services/FWF Consulting. Earlier in his career, Walsh held top positions at highly regarded restaurants throughout the United States, including executive chef of Arizona 206 in New York City, Water’s Edge in Long Island City, N.Y., and Ancient Mariner in Florida, Connecticut and New York. He was also chef of Gotham Bar & Grill in New York City and sous chef at Stars in San Francisco.

The first-ever Bite of Apprenticeship program, sponsored by the Washington State Chefs Association, brought in $5,000 in scholarship funds, attracted media attention and recognized the work of Seattle-area culinary students and apprentices.

The apprenticeship program provides 700 hours of classroom work for those already employed in the foodservice industry. Apprentices are sponsored by their restaurants and attend classes at Renton Technical College in addition to their restaurant work. Apprentices from Joey’s Restaurant, Earl’s Restaurant and No Junk – Good Food, Inc., a school catering company, and the Columbia Tower Club participated in the event, which offered bites of an amazing variety of preparations.

Kendall College announces that Chef Jose Garces, a 1996 graduate of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, Food Network Iron Chef and James Beard Award winner, will deliver the commencement address at its 2012 graduation ceremony, to be held on June 24 at Chicago Symphony Center Orchestra Hall. The college will award degrees to more than 400 students in the Schools of Business, Culinary Arts, Education and Hospitality Management.

“I’m proud to welcome Chef Garces as our 2012 commencement speaker,” said Emily Knight, president of Kendall College. “As a Kendall College alum, Jose is not only an inspiration to our students who are on the verge of beginning their professional careers, but also a testament to our outstanding faculty and staff’s commitment to preparing our students for success.”

Emmi Roth USA, the U.S. division of the premium Swiss dairy company, announces the winner of its recipe contest that challenged postsecondary culinary-arts students to create a dish with Emmi Kaltbach Cave-aged Le Gruyère Switzerland AOC. The winning dish, a gluten-free, cayenne-spiced Le Gruyère waffle with quince syrup, was created by Titus Edwards, 21, a student at Central Carolina Community College in Carrboro, N.C. The recipe, which perfectly blends the earthiness of Le Gruyère with the heat of cayenne and sweetness of quince, is on-trend in the culinary world through its address of the increasing sensitivity to gluten among consumers, as well its versatility—pairing well with fried chicken as breakfast-for-dinner, or with eggs and sausage for a sophisticated brunch meal.

Sullivan University’s National Center for Hospitality Studies (NCHS) in Louisville, Ky., honored Ghyslain Maurais of Union City, Ind.-based Ghyslain Chocolatier with the prestigious Distinguished Visiting Chef award on May 17. As recipient of the award, Maurais presented on-campus cooking demonstrations in addition to a question-and-answer session held exclusively for Sullivan University students.

Designed to connect today’s aspiring culinarians with industry leaders, The Distinguished Visiting Chef Series has been recognizing three top chefs annually since its inception in 1988. Maurais is the 51st recipient of the award, joining an impressive roster of chefs that includes Bob Kinkead, Emeril Lagasse, Louis Osteen, Rick Tramonto and Marcel Desaulniers.

A career educator with 42 years in the food business divulges “musts” to achieve the critical successful relationship between culinary graduate and employer.

By Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC

Even with unemployment looming as one of our country’s greatest challenges, restaurants, hotels and resorts still struggle to find enough qualified, professionally committed individuals to staff their kitchen brigades. Last count there were somewhere between 1,500 and 2,000 schools in the United States with culinary programs. Why is there still a gap between supply and demand?

This year marks my 42^nd year in some facet of the food business. I spent 10 years in kitchens from line cook to executive chef after a two-year college program in hotel management. Twenty-six years followed in college-level culinary education beginning as instructor and finishing as the dean of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management. During that time I completed both baccalaureate and master’s degrees in related fields and dedicated a few weeks each year working in kitchens to stay fresh. I worked diligently with the American Culinary Federation to earn accreditation for the program, served a few years on the Accreditation Committee and was appointed as the chair of the ACF National Education Committee. This time in education afforded me the opportunity to serve as a member of the 1988 New England Culinary Olympic Team and in 2001 was honored as the ACF National Culinary Educator of the Year.

When is a food “heirloom,” and when is it “heritage”? And is buying “local” more or less beneficial to the planet than buying “organic”? Here’s a briefing on teaching the meaning of popular food buzzwords to students.

By G. Allen Akmon, CEC, CHE

Accept the fact that when you decided on an exciting career within the foodservice industry, you were headed on a journey of lifelong learning. In order to help you solidify that notion, you are likely attempting to keep up a steady diet of the latest menu-enhancing buzzwords and current trends that rely in large part on historical and/or sustainable products. The verbiage can be overwhelming or even mystical in the fact that many seem to be using the terminology in a slightly different fashion.

Now consider the fact that if you are in the field of educating future generations of culinarians, it is not quite enough just to be familiar with terms like heirloom, antique and heritage.

New confections and snacks offer a reliable barometer of consumers’ evolving flavor demands and food choices, as revealed at the 2012 Sweets & Snacks Expo.

Fun fruits and shared sweets, foreign flavors and healthy snacks are emerging as the trends to meet the ever-evolving appetites of consumers. The 2012 Sweets & Snacks Expo, which began on the last day of this year’s NRA Show in Chicago, featured new products from more than 560 companies leading the industry with the new flavors that meet consumers’ tastes.

It’s barbecue season, after all. Here are 10 tips from an educator and registered dietitian to make dishes served at the time-honored American backyard celebration both delicious and more healthful.

By Renee Zonka, RD, CEC, CHE

At the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts in Chicago, one of the biggest trends we see in healthy eating among Americans is a desire for “better for you” dishes. Foods can be mouth-watering and satisfying, yet with lower saturated fat, calories or sodium or more dietary fiber—or all of these.

Barbecuing is an excellent opportunity to serve more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, leaner meats and antioxidant-rich seafoods—because virtually everything tastes better when cooked outdoors.

Here are 10 easy, delicious ideas for “Building a Better-for-You Barbecue”: