A sea bass, a chicken and a mousse—that’s the menu that sealed the third straight ProStart state championship for the culinary team from Technology Center of DuPage (TCD) in Addison, Ill. The team competed Feb. 8 at the 13th Annual Illinois ProStart® Student Invitational for high-school culinarians, hosted by the Illinois Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (IRAEF) at Kendall College in Chicago.

The champion culinary team includes: Kristy Fogle, senior (Aurora); Mary Hoare, junior (Wheaton); Courtney O'Neal, senior (Glen Ellyn); and Julio Valeriano, senior (Wood Dale). Jacob Stellmach, another senior from Aurora, is the team alternate. Their first-place state win includes thousands of dollars in scholarship awards. As the state champ, the TCD team has the honor of competing as “Team Illinois” in the culinary competition at the National ProStart® Invitational, May 3-5 in Minneapolis. 

All team members are enrolled in TCD’s Culinary, Pastry Arts & Hospitality Management program as an elective part of their respective high schools. Fogle and Stellmach attend Waubonsie Valley; Hoare, Wheaton North; Valeriano, Fenton H.S.; and O’Neal, Glenbard West. Technology Center of DuPage (www.tcdupage.org) offers 20 advanced career and technical education electives to DuPage-area juniors and seniors through a partnership among 14 high-school districts.

More than 850 Chicagoans looking to warm up their winter blues helped make things hot at the 9th Annual For the Love of Chocolate Gala on Feb. 22.  The event brought the 1920s roaring back to life at the 130-year-old Union League Club of Chicago in the name of raising scholarship funds for students of The French Pastry School of Kennedy-King College at City Colleges of Chicago.

In the lobby alone, newsies hawked headlines, menacing gangsters and their carefree molls lined the marble staircase, a Madame bedecked guests for an old-fashioned photo booth, and a down-on-her-luck moonshiner from Redmoon Theater made bootleg gin in her bathtub.

The January 20, 2014, issue of Forbes magazine honored the best up-and-comers in a wide range of fields. In its annual “30 Under 30” list, four graduates of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) were named in the area of food and beverage. That’s more than any other college or university.

“We are proud that so many graduates quickly become standouts in the food world,” said CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan, CMC. “In addition to being highly skilled chefs, they are managers, owners, sommeliers, and leaders in many other areas of hospitality.”

The honorees from the CIA:

Roth® Grand Cru®, a classic alpine-style cheese crafted in Wisconsin, is a perfect partner for pasta. It has a rich, robust flavor and incorporates beautifully into a wide variety of hot applications, especially sauces and mac ‘n’ cheese! Show us how you can make Roth Grand Cru stand out in a creative pasta application (mac ‘n’ cheese, pasta sauce, ravioli/tortellini, casserole, etc.) for a chance to win $2,000 plus one pass/registration and two nights’ lodging to the 2014 National Restaurant Show in Chicago.

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS FEB. 28, 2014

• Recipes must be submitted in preferred format. (See sample)

• Entries must include at least one (1) high-resolution digital photograph of finished dish

• Contest entrants must be currently enrolled in a postsecondary culinary school/program in the 50 United States

• You must include name, email address, telephone number, mailing address, name of culinary school and name of referring culinary instructor with entry

• Contest entries become property of Emmi Roth USA and may be used in marketing/public-relations activities.

• Entries must be the original work of the entrant, may not have won previous awards, may not have been published previously, and must not infringe third-party intellectual property or other rights.

• Entries must be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with Roth Grand Cru in subject line.

PRIZES

• Grand Prize Winner receives $2,000 and one pass/registration plus two nights’ lodging in Chicago for the 2014 National Restaurant Association Show. (Note: Winner responsible for own travel expenses to/from Chicago; two nights’ lodging in Chicago must be between May 16 and 20, 2014, during National Restaurant Association Show; winner’s recipe may be featured at Emmi Roth USA’s trade show booth)

• Runner-up receives a Roth Cheese Gift Box valued at $150.00

• Referring instructor of the first- and second-place winners shall receive one (1) FREE registration to a 2014 CAFÉ conference or workshop

• Winning student(s) may be featured in a press release and/or Emmi Roth USA social media

HOW DO YOU WIN

Eligible recipe entries will be evaluated by a panel of Emmi Roth USA judges on creativity, novelty and/or uniqueness of application and flavor quality. Winners will be notified on or before March 21, 2014, via telephone and certified mail.

BONUS

Up to 50 free samples will be provided to first 50 instructor respondents to contest posting. Sample will include up to 12 ounces of Roth Grand Cru Original (two 6-ounce exact-weight cuts). Interested instructors should write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.with name, title, school/institution, shipping address (no P.O. boxes), telephone number and email address. Samples will be shipped via UPS from Monroe, Wis. Please allow approximately two weeks for delivery of samples from response date. Samples only available for shipment in the 48 contiguous United States of America.

Andre Burnier, chef instructor and senior core faculty member at New England Culinary Institute, has been chosen to join a select company of his peers in Las Vegas, Nev., this spring. 

Maîtres Cuisiniers de France, established in 1951 as l’Association des Maîtres-Queux, nominate chefs they have observed exhibiting the knowledge, skill and attitude worthy of consideration for induction into one of the world’s most prestigious culinary associations, whose mission is to preserve and spread the French culinary arts, encourage training in cuisine and assist professional development.

For the first time, the General Assembly of the Maîtres Cuisiniers de France will be held in the United States, March 5-9, 2014. In addition, new members will be added to the Master Chef list with an induction ceremony. The l’Academie Culinaire de France will also host a special dinner to elect the woman of the year and reward one of its members with the Fauteuil de l’Academie for lifetime achievement.

With Burnier’s induction, New England Culinary Institute is the only culinary school in the United States with four Maîtres de Cuisine de France on staff. Burnier joins:

• Fran Voigt, founder, New England Culinary Institute; Maître Cuisinier de France Emeritus

• Michel Leborgne, founding chef, New England Culinary Institute; Maître Cuisinier de France

• Jean Louis Gerin, executive chef and vice president of culinary affairs; Maître Cuisinier de France

New England Culinary Institute, founded in 1980, is widely recognized for its innovative immersion style of education featuring small classes, hands-on learning and personal attention.  Its graduates are sought after the world over for their level of skill and preparation. For more information on New England Culinary Institute or its multi-award-winning restaurants, visit www.neci.edu or www.necidining.com.

Dr. Tim Ryan, CMC, president of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), has been chosen as one of the 50 most powerful people in the restaurant industry. The newly released Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN) Power List recognizes the people who are leading and shaping the food world.

Ryan was honored in the category of “The Connectors: People who are bringing together ideas, talent, and funding in the restaurant industry.”

The profile of Ryan cites the curriculum innovation that has taken place at the college during his 12 years as president, as well as the creation of professional leadership conferences and the opening of two new campuses. “Ryan, not content to rest on the school’s reputation, has taken steps to keep the 67-year-old institution current,” writes NRN's Ed Rubenstein. “Even as the rise of the celebrity chef introduced new exposure and scrutiny to culinary schools, Ryan helped to solidify the CIA’s image as a proving ground for future foodservice leaders.”

“Recognition by such an outstanding publication as Nation’s Restaurant News testifies to the CIA’s many contributions to the advancement of the industry,” Ryan said. “The excellence of our college’s educational programs and industry conferences promote leadership and growth. We are proud of our continuing innovations, including new majors and concentrations that will further prepare CIA students to shape the future of cooking and the foodservice industry.”

Ryan is a 1977 graduate of the CIA. He has the unique background of being a Certified Master Chef and Culinary Olympic champion with an Ivy League degree, earning his doctorate in education from the University of Pennsylvania. He has been with the CIA since 1982, when he was recruited to serve on the faculty and to develop and run the college’s ground-breaking American Bounty Restaurant. He became the CIA’s fifth president in 2001.

Also named to the NRN list are fellow CIA graduates Steve Ells (’90) of Chipotle Mexican Grill and food-truck pioneer Roy Choi (’98).