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Seventy-five Gold Medal Classroom Articles and Counting
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Seventy-five Gold Medal Classroom Articles and Counting

10 January 2017

Chef Adam Weiner has written an article on everything from how to buy knives to sautéing to making a profit with gingerbread – his 75th article index proves it!

By Chef Adam Weiner, CFSE

This article is dedicated to Ms. Terry Jones of Gallup High School in New Mexico. At the June 2014 CAFÉ Leadership Conference in Salt Lake City, she sat down next to me and said, “Adam, I print out each of your articles and keep them in a notebook on my desk. I made an index, and before I teach a new subject I re-read the appropriate article.” Could anything be more musical to my ears?  Based on her comment, I published in August 2014 an index of my first 50 articles.  Much to my surprise, it is now time for the 75th article index. 

Toward the end of 2008, I was contacted by CAFE asking if I would be interested in writing the regular editorial department, “50-Minute Classroom,” for CAFÉ’s “Gold Medal Classroom.” I told them that I would do it temporarily for a few months, until they found a permanent columnist. I so enjoyed working with CAFÉ and the high school teachers who got back to me,  and so enjoyed the challenge of taking culinary-academy subjects and figuring out how they could be taught in a high-school context, that more than eight years later I am still “temporarily” writing the column!

I know in last month’s article I said that in January 2017 I would do a follow-up to my article of January 2016 on how to lose weight as a culinary arts instructor.  When I wrote that I did not realize this is my 75th article.  And, as requested by Ms. Jones, and others after her, I wanted to have the 75th article also be an INDEX to all articles.  Don’t worry, I promise in February I will write the follow-up to losing weight.

This is my 75th article index all (except number five) are hyperlinked for your convenience.  

  1. Teaching Presentation in 50 Minutes,” January/February 2009  
  2. Teaching with Puzzles,” March/April 2009 
  3. At-a-Glance Refresher” (a Culinary Cheat Sheet), May/June 2009
  4. Out of the Box” (on the Reality of Cooking with Convenience Products), September 2009
  5. “Cooking Quotes,” November 2009
  6. Teaching Students How to Plan Their Cooking,” January 2010
  7. The Importance of Preparation among the 5 “P”s,” March 2010
  8. Teaching International Cuisines,” May 2010
  9. 10 Key Points of Separation” (Amateur vs. Professional cooks), June 2010
  10.  “ Braising,” September 2010
  11. How to Buy Knives” October 2010
  12. How to Buy Knives, Part 2,” November 2010
  13. How to Buy Knives, Part 3,” December 2010
  14. How to Buy Knives, Part 4,” January 2011
  15. Interview Skills,” March 2011
  16. Help Your Students Keep Their Jobs,” May 2011
  17. Teaching Baking in 50 Minutes,” July/August 2011
  18. Assessing Culinary Math Skills,” September 2011
  19. Motivation,” (of students), October 2011
  20. Foodservice Economics,” November 2011
  21. Teaching Food Costs,” December 2011
  22. Sauté,” January 2012
  23. Chocolate Dipping,” February 2012
  24. Teaching Nutrition, Part 1 of 2,” March 2012
  25. Teaching Nutrition, Part 2,” April 2012
  26. Assessment,” May 2012
  27. Teaching Students How to Get a Job, Part I of 2,” June 2012
  28. Teaching Your Students How to Find a Job, Part II,” July/August 2012
  29. Salt,” September 2012
  30. Capitalize on Boards, Commissions and Associations,” October 2012
  31. Making Sure Everyone Shares in the Work, Making Sure Everyone Gets the Glory,” November 2012
  32. 12 Things for Students to Know,” (working in a commercial kitchen), December 2012
  33. Do You Teach Recipes or Technique?,” January 2013
  34. Reading and Writing Recipes,” February 2013
  35. Teaching Steaming,” March 2013
  36. Teaching Grilling,” April 2013
  37. Teaching the Value of “Real” Networking,” May 2013
  38. As Teachers, Always “on,” All the Time,” June 2013
  39. The 10 Hardest Things to Teach Young Culinary Students,” July/August 2013
  40. Working in Teams Needs to Be Taught,” September 2013 
  41. Picking Teams,” October 2013
  42. Playing Games,” November 2013
  43. Volunteering for Young and Old,” December 2013
  44. Teaching How To Prepare to Give a Non-Class Demonstration,” January 2014
  45. Do You Need to Teach Science?” February 2014
  46. Science Your Students Need to Know,” March 2014
  47. The Rest of the Science,” April 2014
  48. Look for the Open Door. It Is There” (commencement speech), May 2014
  49. Teaching Essential Skills,” June 2014
  50. The “First 50” Index,” July/August 2014
  51. Blanching and Parboiling,” September 2014
  52.  “Teaching Thanksgiving Side Dishes,” October 2014 (Note to Readers:  This has been the most popular of all of the articles)
  53.  “How to Order,” November 2014
  54.  “Profit and Fun With Gingerbread Houses,” December 2014
  55. Student Training Logs,” January 2015
  56. Measuring,” February 2015
  57. Shake Up Your Training, Mix Up Your Style,” March 2015
  58. “Those Who Can, Teach; Those Who Can’t, Do.” April 2015
  59.  “To Pay It Forward, Keep Learning,” June/July 2015
  60. Sauces,” in 50 Minutes August 2015
  61. Why Every Student Must Be Food-Allergen Savvy,” September 2015
  62. Tragedy of the Commons,” November 2015
  63. Taste Something New for the Holidays,” December 2015
  64. Make a Resolution to Lose Weight—Instructors Can Do It!, ” January, 2016
  65. Has the Love Gone Out of Your Teaching?” February 2016
  66. Teaching Your Students About Seafood Sustainability, ” March 2016
  67. Buying Local Goes Beyond a Farm’s Distance,” April 2016
  68. Cooking by Description,” May 2016
  69. The Carbon Footprint of Food,” June 2016
  70. Food Safety Basics,” July/August 2016
  71. Start Small and Finish It All—Minimizing Food Waste and Lost Food Costs (Commercial)”  September 2016
  72. Start Small and Finish It All – Even at Home—Minimizing Food Waste and Lost Food Costs (Home)” October 2016
  73. Basic Portion Control is the Bottom Line” November 2016
  74. Quality and the Art of Snickerdoodle Making,” December 2016
  75. “75th Article Index” January 2017, Congratulations, you are reading it.

Chef Adam Weiner, CFSE, teaches a 20-week Introduction to Cooking program for JobTrain on the San Francisco Peninsula, and is a frequent presenter at CAFÉ events throughout the nation. He is also a recipient of the prestigious Antonin Carême Medal. 

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