Like the many herbs cultivated for healthy, flavorful dishes and cocktails at the new Seasons 52 in West Los Angeles, executive chef and partner Jessica Koine finds a place to grow.

By Lynn Schwartz

It is not unusual for chefs of small, independent restaurants to be committed to a seasonal menu. They often support local farms and farmers’ markets in an attempt to bring the freshest ingredients to their customers. But it is impressive when a corporate, multiunit company is forward-thinking enough to practice a similar sustainable philosophy.

Seasons 52 (a brand of Orlando-based Darden Restaurants, Inc., the world’s largest full-service restaurant company, including Red Lobster, Olive Garden and The Capital Grille) is capitalizing on the growing consumer interest of eating with the seasons. Not only does Seasons 52 purchase locally, but they are dazzling customers with an extensive, indoor herb garden and a spectacular outdoor “living wall” of culinary and non-edible plants. As executive chef of the recently opened Century City venue in the heart of West Los Angeles, Jessica Koine must create seasonal, health-oriented dishes that are less than 475 calories. She must also cultivate her green-thumb abilities while tending to more than 150 edible plants.

Assigning students to write a white paper can help them focus on an audience, develop an appropriate voice, learn to make a solid case with evidence and conduct careful research.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Last month, we discussed the value of old-fashioned writing assignments, such as notes, journals and reflective papers instead of blogs. This month, we will review the value of using white papers as thoughtful and effective assignments for students.

History of White Papers
White papers have historically been used for a range of purposes, most commonly to persuade decision makers to adopt a policy or consider a new program or a set of strategies. In many situations, they were background papers to provide an in-depth analysis of a situation, event or potential development so that key executives had the information to make better decisions. Sometimes, they were just background documents; often, they contained recommendations for decisions and information about implementation steps. They were typically written for a specific audience and crafted to make a persuasive case backed by strong evidence.

Steam is a very efficient method of cooking, but students approaching it for the first time tend to overlook several important considerations to ensuring food quality.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

In January I wrote than, in my opinion, students need to have a good working knowledge of the following recipes and technique. In the past I have written articles about teaching braising (September 2010), baking (July 2011) and sautéing (January 2012) in 50 minutes. In the next several months (with an occasional break here and there to spice things up), I will write how to teach other basic cooking techniques.

This month, steaming.

Rotating groups through learning modules keeps students engaged while enhancing their skills development.

By Carrie Stebbins, CWE

If you teach practical lab classes and have not yet tried a lesson plan where you have students rotate through a number of modules, each teaching a specific skill, I encourage you to try!

This works especially well early in a class when you have several fundamental skills you want your students to practice. With a lab class of 20 students, I plan four modules with five students in each group. I give each of the groups a mise-en-place list.

Coors Recycles® teams up with Recyclebank® to reward consumers for their environmental efforts.

Coors Brewing Company, inventor of the first 100% recyclable aluminum can in 1959, last month kicked off its latest sustainability initiative by announcing a partnership with Recyclebank®, the company that rewards people for taking everyday green actions with discounts and deals from more than 4,000 local businesses and national brands. The program, Coors Recycles®, will support the Recyclebank mission to promote environmentally conscious waste disposal through a monetary contribution and special packaging.