Justin Moore, at 30, is already in the great position of drawing on his past while investing in a bright future thanks to the success of Vin 909 in Annapolis.

By Lynn Schwartz

Vin 909 Winecafé works hard to make guests feel at home. In fact, the café makes its home in a 1930s Sears Roebuck mail-order catalog house. It’s the perfect spot for a cozy gathering place in Annapolis, Md., a quaint town on the Chesapeake Bay. Guests linger by the fireplace or patio garden with a glass of wine or craft beer. The libations are selected to pair with a local and seasonal, small-dish menu, which guests are encouraged to share. But sometimes the customer needs a bit of nudging to experience the joys of a convivial, communal meal.

Open a mere six months, Vin 909 is just a baby. Partner and executive chef, Justin Moore, is young, too. The commitment and responsibilities of opening a restaurant are not for the inexperienced or faint of heart; however, Moore knew exactly what he was jumping into. A Connecticut native, Moore, now 30, ventured West after high school to attend the Academy of Art in San Francisco. And as we know, life can take unexpected turns for those who are open to it. Moore was, and while living in one of the great foodie meccas, his French girlfriend who had a passion for food “broadened his culinary horizons.” The result: He switched schools, enrolling in California Culinary Academy.

The best cases include contradictory information and paradoxical situations. Good case studies also require students to apply information from previous courses to the presenting problem or situation.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Many of us use case studies; in fact, it was the subject of a whole day of teaching ideas at Career Academy of the ICHRIE conference in Denver this past July. This month, I will discuss some of the factors in using case studies and next month the range of types of case studies.

Benefits
There are many reasons to use case studies in our courses, not the least of which is the opportunity to give students the challenge of facing a real-world situation to analyze while still being in a classroom where there are safe opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them. Case studies are also a wonderful way to force students to interpret and analyze industry situations that are new to students and often missing from their books. In fact, we can make up cases in response to current events and tailor them to our classes, making the topics we teach very relevant.

Educators attending the 2011 CAFÉ Leadership Conference shared scintillating tips that successfully motivate students. Among the biggest? Remember why you started cooking, and why you started teaching.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

At the June 2011 CAFÉ Leadership Conference in Providence, one of the hot topics was how to keep students motivated. We had instructors from England, Canada and all parts of the United States, and this was identified as a universal problem. Interestingly enough, it was an issue for high-school, vocational, college and culinary-school instructors.

Here are some of the ideas from the 50-Minute Classroom roundtable discussion, as well as other lectures and informal discussions:

An e-learning module focusing on Americans’ favorite vegetable.

Courtesy of CIAprochef.com

As the demand for lighter, healthier menu options and bold global flavors continues to grow, more and more chefs are turning to the potato as the perfect canvas for menu innovation. Why? Because potatoes are a familiar, versatile vegetable that can stand up to today's big flavors and eye-catching presentations. They're available in all kinds of exciting new varieties. And they have a remarkable nutrition story to tell. Diners love potatoes, and they demand health, variety and novelty. Now, they can have it all.

Through The Culinary Institute of America’s ProChef e-learning, “Get Creative with Potatoes” presented by the U.S. Potato Board discusses today’s potatoes—and how, now more than ever, they can put chefs at the forefront of menu trends. The module includes menu ideas and recipes, innovative techniques from chefs, instructional videos, potato varieties and nutrition and more.

To access the e-learning module, visit www.ciaprochef.com/potatoes.

As educators of future culinarians, we have a unique opportunity to help mold the future of the American diet.

By Dana Cox

Particularly since we entered the current recession, there’s been a renewed hue and cry to buy goods that are “made in the USA.” While I wholeheartedly agree with that principle, I find it puzzling that many of those same people think nothing about eating fruit or vegetables that have traveled thousands of miles from far-flung countries before arriving at the local supermarket. The most recent figures from the United States Department of Agriculture show that imports of fresh fruit and vegetables between 1990 and 2006 surged from $2.7 billion to $7.9 billion.

With those imports has come year-round availability of everything from strawberries to rutabagas. That may sound great on the surface, but there are profound environmental and economic consequences. It has also caused us to lose touch with our food, how and where it’s produced, and the whole concept of seasonality. This dawning realization has given rise to the locavore movement that seeks to bring us closer to the food we eat by forging connections with those who produce it. Recognizing that the foods we eat have a tremendous political, environmental, social and health impact, locavores aim to source as much food as possible from a 100-150 mile radius.