Pastry-chef instructors from Joliet Junior College, SAIT Polytechnic and The Pennsylvania School of Culinary Arts hope to become the 12^th, 13^th and 14^th CMPCs in the United States.

Four pastry chefs from across the nation will gather at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, N.C., Aug. 16-23, for the ultimate test—the American Culinary Federation’s (ACF) Certified Master Pastry Chef® (CMPC) exam. The eight-day long exam gives candidates the opportunity to earn the highest professional distinction available and join the elite group of only 11 CMPCs in the nation.

The Certified Master Chef® (CMC) program was initiated in 1981 and granted official recognition by the World Association of Chefs Societies the next year. The CMPC examination, first held in 1993, requires exacting familiarity and proficiency in a broad range of pastry styles and techniques. The most recent CMPC exam was held in 2005 at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y. Frank Vollkommer, CMPC, corporate executive chef at Hillcrest Foods in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., was the only candidate to pass the exam and receive the master-chef certification. Currently, there are 67 CMCs and 11 CMPCs in the United States, with a CMC exam scheduled for late 2014.

“How are you today?”, though arguably better than nothing, is so overused and insincere that it fails to distinguish the service culture of your retail foodservice outlets. To employ an effective interaction strategy (and increase sales), understand that customers respond on conscious and unconscious levels to every aspect of their engagement with your instructors and student employees.

By Renee Zonka, RD, CEC, CHE, MBA

Last month, I wrote about how an “interaction economy” is replacing the “experience economy” with which the United States has identified since 1999 upon the publication of The Experience Economy: Work Is Theatre & Every Business a Stage by B. Joseph Pine, II, and James H. Gilmore. As I stated, everyone can identify with the basic premise of an experience economy, in which companies state an “experience” when they engage customers in a memorable way.

In the candy and chips aisles, Sriracha is undoubtedly the pepper of the year, as evidenced at the Sweets & Snacks Expo in May. And “free from” claims reign supreme in this industry. A foremost food-trends expert surveys the landscape of cross-over flavor demands between the snack shop and restaurant.

By Sharon Olson, courtesy of Olson Communications

It might seem simply a sweet indulgence to attend the annual Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago, but there is a refreshing perspective and much to be learned from a show that is centered on candy and snacks. The energy at the 2014 Sweets & Snacks Expo, May 20-22, was a remarkable contrast to the National Restaurant Association Show on the other side of McCormick Place.

Here, business professionals are scurrying around the show with bags of samples and the sparkle of excitement in their eyes at almost every booth. A curated display of couture style made completely of candy wrappers tells the visitor that this show is a world all its own.

This report explores some of the parallel perspectives on the trends seen at the candy show that have relevance to the food business and not just the sweet side of foodservice.

Since graduating in May, alums have already earned esteemed jobs, including at the “world’s best restaurant,” located in Denmark, and the world’s largest privately owned flavor and fragrance developer in Switzerland.

Ushering in a new era of advanced techniques and innovation for chefs, the first group of students to graduate with bachelor’s degrees in culinary science from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) received their diplomas in May. The students entered the program in February 2013 after earning their associate degrees in culinary artsor baking and pastry artsat the college.

“The culinary science majoroffers a unique perspective into the world of food,” says new graduate Kristin McGinn from Hackettstown, N.J.,who accepted an internship with McCormick & Company. “The program uses a dual teaching style with both a scientist and chef in each class. Because of this, we learned the in-depth science behind food while getting lessons on how to create and balance flavors at the same time.”

While beginning a professional journal can be rewarding on several levels, maintaining a journal requires commitment. Here, Dr. Mayo offers tips and ideas for making the process of recording more valuable over time, as well as less taxing.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Last month, we reviewed some of the reasons for keeping a professional journal—for us as administrators or faculty members and for students who are learning to become professionals in our field. This month, we will discuss the challenges of maintaining the journal and making it alive and useful.

Starting a journal can be an exciting venture. Finding a new notebook or appropriate bound journal to record items in, delighting in the prospect of recording all kinds of good things, and imagining how much fun the activity will be all contribute to the prospect of an exciting adventure. However, remembering to keep adding items to the journal and sticking with that practice can be challenging. The following sections offer helpful ideas about maintaining a professional journal that is useful to you.