By Lynn Schwartz

Not that long ago, the idea of menuing local, seasonal ingredients was regarded as “stupid.” Now, more and more chefs are following the lead of this pioneer.

As a celebrated chef, restaurateur, food scientist and innovator, Jimmy Schmidt is a culinary renaissance man. Throughout his 30-year career, Schmidt has received numerous awards including the prestigious James Beard award for “Best Chef Midwest.” Schmidt’s success has not been limited to the kitchen. He is a founding board member of Share Our Strength in Denver, organizing the first “Taste of the Nation” benefit in 1987. The event has become the largest national food-related fundraiser. He also founded Chefs Collaborative in 1991, the nation’s leading nonprofit chefs’ organization devoted to fostering a sustainable food system.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Providing clear information about how students will be evaluated helps them demonstrate their knowledge and skills as well as to evaluate themselves and others.

Last month, we discussed accountability and its importance in helping students become better professionals. One of the ways that we can help them develop as professionals is to encourage their thinking about evaluation. This month and next month, we will discuss various aspects of evaluation, something probably on everyone’s mind these days while we are reading papers, lab reports and tests, listening to presentations and judging food preparation and presentations.

By Audrey Heckwolf

Why is something so beneficial often overlooked? Encourage your students to develop their own service philosophies that they can use as a guide in their careers.

Here is a riddle: What is the one thing that hugely successful service companies have in common that is often overlooked? Sure, they all have an enormous bank account, excellent branding and a honed business sense, but that is not what got them their success. The answer is an excellent service philosophy.

Courtesy of the National Turkey Federation

Step-by-step instructions show the best procedures for maximum yield and most attractive presentation.

To obtain the highest yield from cooked turkey, it is essential to have proper carving and slicing techniques. These techniques are also important for eye-appealing presentation.

This online lesson plan from the Washington, D.C.-based National Turkey Federation at http://www.eatturkey.com/foodsrv/manual/serve7.html offers students tips on slicing and carving and instructs on slicing turkey products and carving whole-body turkey and parts. Line drawings help to illustrate the instruction.

Dr. Tim Ryan, CMC, president of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), is a new member of the James Beard Foundation's Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America. The Beard Foundation announced Ryan as one of six "Who's Who" honorees for 2010 on March 22. They will be officially inducted during the Beard Foundation's annual awards gala in New York City on Monday, May 3.

"Not only is Dr. Tim Ryan a wonderful role model for the literally thousands of students and chefs who have graduated from The Culinary Institute of America, but his distinguished career in the culinary world in America is legend," said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. "A testament to his role in shaping the future great chefs of America is the fact that many James Beard Award winners are CIA graduates, including John Besh, Sara Moulton, Todd English and Alfred Portale."

The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI) announces the publication of Managing Beverage Operations, Second Edition, by Ronald F. Cichy, Ph.D., CHA Emeritus, CFBE, CHE, and Lendal Kotschevar, Ph.D. This textbook (formerly titled Managing Beverage Service) focuses on the successful elements of a beverage operation, based on research to identify those that are thriving.

Mike Artlip, CEC, CCE, director of The School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College, was recently chosen by the state office team and board of directors of the Illinois Association of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA) to receive an honorary membership.

The award is given to individuals who assist Illinois FCCLA in being an outstanding youth organization, according to Marta Lockwood, executive director. Artlip will be honored April 10 during Illinois FCCLA’s Awards Session at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield.

Mary Petersen, founder and executive director of the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ), has been named Chef Educator of the Year in the 2009-2010 Cordon d’Or - Gold Ribbon Annual International “Cookbooks & Culinary Arts” Culinary Academy Awards.

Noreen Kinney, founder and president of the St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Cordon d’Or - Gold Ribbon Culinary Academy Awards—The Accolade of the 21st Century, will honor Petersen and recipients of other award categories at a reception on April 30 at the Don CeSar Resort in St. Pete Beach.

“The Academy was impressed with Mary’s long history of contributions to the culinary-educational field, and felt she definitely deserved recognition on both the national and international culinary stage,” Kinney says. “We are very pleased to present her with a Cordon d’Or - Gold Ribbon Culinary Academy Award.”

Delmar, part of Cengage Learning and a leading provider of learning solutions for ongoing career development and education, announces the March 2010 release of Modern Food Service Purchasing: Business Essentials to Procurement, a resource guide by award-winning author Robert Garlough of The Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College in Michigan.

Modern Food Service Purchasing (ISBN 10: 1418039640; ISBN-13: 978-1-4180-3964-6, $75.00) is designed specifically to provide culinary and purchasing professionals with current, in-depth coverage of the essential concepts of purchasing, store-room operations and financial stewardship. This resource provides practical information from experienced professionals on how to set up and manage a foodservice-storeroom operation and examines the fundamental considerations that must be taken into account when purchasing food, such as cost-control measures and mastering the storeroom; measuring and packaging for preservation, sale and distribution; and security issues with vendors, employees and customers.

For those who have an interest in the art of cocktails or an appreciation for fine wine and beer, Sullivan University’s National Center for Hospitality Studies (NCHS) now offers an associate-of-science degree in beverage management. Courses for the beverage-management degree are administered online, making the program accessible for students all over the country, and the entire curriculum can be completed in as little as 18 months. The program is directed by Albert Schmid, M.A., CCP, CHE, CFBE, MCFE, CCE, CEC, COI, author of The Hospitality Manager’s Guide to Wines, Beers and Spirits (Prentice Hall) and The Kentucky Bourbon Cookbook (University of Kentucky Press)