The Research Chefs Association unveiled the latest in culinary arts and food science and technology in Portland, Ore., in March.

The Research Chefs Association’s (RCA) 2014 Annual Conference and Culinology® Expo brought nearly 1,300 food R&D students and professionals to Portland, Ore., for a week of competition, education and food tastings all celebrating Culinology—the blending of the culinary arts and food science.

“I’ve never seen so much energy, passion and thirst for knowledge and collaboration than I did this year in Portland,” says Charles Hayes, CRC®, RCA president. “Our conference competitions, showcased live on the Culinology Expo floor for the first time, added to the excitement of the events and truly gave these teams the recognition they deserve.”

This year, hundreds attended the Expo on March 13, where they viewed the Student and Professional Culinology Competitions and sampled the latest in food-product development from nearly 150 exhibiting companies. During the Culinology Competitions, teams representing three countries executed a Pacific Northwest regional, food-truck-cuisine concept featuring a grab-and-go seafood item for school foodservice (grades 9-12) while addressing sodium concerns. This year’s winners included:

Which good fats to eat and which bad fats to avoid? There’s room for more education.

Despite years of effort by numerous organizations to help the public understand the pros and cons of consuming different types of dietary fats, a new survey by the Hass Avocado Board (HAB) reveals that most Americans are still unclear about the definition and role of “good” and “bad” fats.

In the HAB survey of more than 1,000 adults, nearly half (42%) of people incorrectly thought that all fats play a role in increased cholesterol levels; when “don’t know/unsure” responses are included, the number increases to 51% of people. In addition, more than one-third of people responded inaccurately that monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats are bad and should be reduced or eliminated from the diet.

The challenge of college includes managing multiple demands and a complex schedule, often for the first time as an adult. Something as simple as taking attendance in class can motivate students to not only stay in the course and program, but thrive.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

For the last two months, we have discussed ways to encourage student curiosity. This month, we turn to the challenge of keeping students in our classes and in our programs. There are several ways—noticing them, giving them feedback, encouraging friendships and taking attendance—to keep students engaged. I hope one or more will be useful to you.

Being Noticed Counts
The primary way to keep students engaged is to provide them with comments on their participation, their work and their involvement. Showing them that you notice what they are doing and appreciate it—most especially the effort involved—makes a big difference in their attitude toward being in class, learning the material and incorporating culinary skills into their repertoire.

As the term comes to a close, Chef Weiner shares a commencement speech he delivered to graduates who were not culinary-arts students. In it, he dispensed with niceties to instead offer a generous helping of reality.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

If you are a regular reader of “50-Minute Classroom,” you know I believe our job as culinary teachers is not to merely teach cooking. Our job is to use cooking as a tool to help our students succeed in the world. In fact, at CAFÉ’s 10^th-annual Leadership Conference in Salt Lake City next month, I am hosting a roundtable discussion on the importance of teaching students the essential combination of life and job skills.

In January I was asked to be the lead speaker at a graduation ceremony for a halfway-house program in my county because of the success I’ve had with teaching and getting jobs for people. Although I have spoken at numerous events about food and teaching, I have never spoken at a graduation other than for culinary students. I spent some time talking with my wife, and I came up with what I wanted to say. What’s interesting is that it wasn’t a “rah-rah you did great” speech, but a speech on reality.

As culinary educators we have a unique opportunity to view student assessment differently—in a way that measures the ability to “demonstrate understanding” vs. the ability to memorize.

Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC

From the day we first enter the educational system in the United States we are introduced to a method of measurement that establishes a feeling of success or failure, winning or losing, those with potential and those without. My beacon for leadership and management, Edwards Deming, viewed this as one of the most significant problems that faced American economic strength from the 1950s till current times.

The American system of education has, to a large degree, been based on telling students what they should know, relegating them to memorizing facts and then testing them on their ability to repeat that information. Successful memorization equals better test scores; better test scores equals a person with potential. Or does it?