The Gold Medal Classroom The official ezine For CAFE April 2017 issue

So, are you looking for the next hot trend in the culinary world? Maybe you should leaf through Vogue or search Motor Trends for insight. Popular lifestyle trends, including fashion, automotive and even construction, provide clues to the next hot menu item, according to Corporate Executive Chef David Macfarlane.

Calie Nelson, a student at Baker College of Port Huron Culinary Institute of Michigan (CIM), has won the Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association (MCCA) 2015 Student Chef of the Year Championship. This is the second consecutive year that a CIM Port Huron student has been named MCCA Student Chef of the Year.

The Institute’s unique concept forges partnerships with top food and beverage establishments to create a work exchange and giving students a debt-free education with valuable experience.

By John Laloganes, M.Ed., Level III Sommelier, Kendall College 

For the past 18 years, it has been my belief and practice that engaged students become more proactive and purposeful and ultimately more stimulated during the learning process. Once students become more active, they become more open to learning—most are able to relate to and retain the content more effectively than passive students.

Emmi Roth USA and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board welcomed three culinary instructors and three culinary students from around the country to participate in a Wisconsin Cheese Immersion learning experience.

What’s the best way to land a job in today’s competitive job market? You might be surprised to find it’s not cruising the classifieds or searching Monster.com for hours. Networking, or creating and maintaining new business relationships, is still one of the best ways to land a job.

By Lisa Parrish, Gold Medal Classroom Editor

Chef David Macfarlane has worked more than 30 years in the culinary field. His childhood dream was to become a chef and he started his quest in high school taking baking and pastry courses. He rose through the food industry ranks to become Corporate Executive Chef for Idahoan Foods. He has worked on two continents, cooked for two United States presidents and been employed at some of the finest hotel establishments in the country. Here he offers his advice to current students looking to a career in the culinary field.

It is difficult to justify turning a blind eye to the perfect storm of challenges facing culinary education. It may very well be time for programs to reinvent themselves. 

We need to start teaching culinary students from the beginning of their education to care for, respect and even nurture the kitchen equipment.