By Lynn Schwartz

What’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.”

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

Knowing 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.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

The 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.

By Wendy Gay, CHE

It’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?”

By Adam Weiner

Letting students fail a few times before showing them the tricks of the trade will make them more receptive.

I teach my students that there are five Ps to professional cooking: Planning, Preparation, Presentation, Passion and Pride. Last year in the January/February issue I wrote about presentation, so I am a bit out of order on how to teach planning.

By Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE

NRA’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.

Three chefs from the Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts Providence Campus captured gold medals at the 141st Salon of Culinary Arts in November in New York City. Organized by the Société Culinaire Philanthropique, the competition was held in conjunction with the 94^th-annual International Hotel/Motel and Restaurant Show (IHMRS).

The Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC) recently named Chef Victor McNulty of the Culinary Academy of Long Island the 2009 Instructor of the Year. This prestigious title and award has been given to McNulty for his efforts in providing outstanding career and technical instruction at an ACCSC accredited institution.

It was once said, “Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life.” The ingredients of said axiom are the same ingredients that are so profoundly evident within the spirit of Common Threads.

Candy Wallace, founder and executive director of the American Personal & Private Chef Association (APPCA), was honored by The Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC), Grand Rapids, Mich., with the culinary-arts program’s 2009 Leadership Award on November 9.