What keeps you up at night and what pushes you to jump out of bed in the morning? Is it angst over work left undone, or projects on the horizon that you are not sure how to approach? Or…is it that next great idea and the desire to bring it to fruition? From an early age we are wired to think, to learn, and to build. It is this desire to create that excites us and brings a smile to our face. This is true of the toddler, high school student, young cook or aspiring chef, and even those who choose to teach others. Join CAFÉ Talks in a conversation with Chef Curtiss Hemm of Carriage House Cooking School and Pink Ribbon Cooking as he points us in the direction of bringing ideas to fruition, of learning the joy of stimulating young minds and using our hands to build. A chef, restaurateur, educator, gentleman farmer, and student of life – Curtiss Hemm speaks to us about his life challenges, his ideas, and how he manages to teach others while having real conversations about food. Whether in front of a stove, sitting on his tractor, or foraging for mushrooms on his 300 acres of land – he will inspire you and make you think.

CAFÉ Talks Episode 31

Chef to entrepreneur, entrepreneur to trainer, trainer to teacher, teacher to innovative leader – thus is the career track for Chef Warren Leigh. His passion for food and service began as a son of a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army – living in Germany, studying in France and Switzerland, and becoming a commis to Madeleine Kamman. This chef who speaks three languages and, with his wife, owned and operated six restaurant concepts – made the transition to teaching and has never looked back. Listen in to this podcast and discover his commitment to cooks, understanding of the joys and trials of entrepreneurship, and how he manages to find effective ways of building connections with the community and the industry that he serves through the programs of Holyoke Community College.

Gold Medal Classroom: 
The official ezine for CAFE  |  September 2021 issue

Are the up-and-coming new cooking spaces the restauranteurs’ answer to profitability?

By Lisa Parrish, GMC Editor

If you think yams are sweet and orange – read on to find that orange is the new potato.

By North Carolina Sweet Potatoes

Never shy away from reinforcing basic habits that define a cook’s and culinary program’s brand.

By Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC