The president of the American Culinary Federation led an entourage of U.S. chefs to partake in and contribute their talents to the Bidvest World Chefs Tour Against Hunger in South Africa in August.

By Michael Ty, CEC, AAC

Like many chefs, I knew about the World Chefs Tour Against Hunger in 1993 and 2003, events that made a difference in the lives of the children of South Africa. Although I was not able to participate in those first two tours, I knew many ACF chefs who did. They came back with stories that were unbelievable, and some chefs considered the experience life-changing.

Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center in San Diego County connects and motivates students and families through organic gardening, environmental stewardship, nutrition education and cooking.

By Candy Wallace

I live in San Diego County, one of the most beautiful areas in the United States. Perched north of the U.S. border with Mexico, my county has 70 miles of coastline and a landscape of rolling hills against a backdrop of mesas and small canyons. We enjoy a mild, Mediterranean-like climate where tall palm trees thrive. As the second-most-populous county in California, to many residents, to live here is to live in Paradise.

The American Culinary Federation’s 2011 Chef Educator of the Year says success and failure through solo and team competitions helps prepare students for the real-life rigors of the workplace.

By Dina Altieri, CEC, CCE

Maybe I have always been competitive. I can remember wanting to hit a home run every time I got up to bat on the tee-ball field. I can remember my first softball coach encouraging me to be the best I could be at 7 years old.

Coaching is something we do every day as chef educators. We push our students to excel in ways they never thought possible. We have conversations with them about mise en place, professional etiquette and, of course, cooking ability. I vote we take it a step further and encourage them to compete in extracurricular competitions to whet their appetites for what lies ahead in the foodservice industry.

By Margaret Checchi, M.Ed.

Successful transitioning from hands-on learning to hybridized classes depends on faculty who can create dynamic and engaging course content delivered with students’ best interests in mind.

A decade ago, it was unheard of to serve foams and essences; it was unrealistic to manipulate food at the very heart of its molecular structure. What seemed unrealistic and impossible then is becoming almost mainstream now. So it is with education.

At New England Culinary Institute, our students slurp coffee desperately in the cold, black dark of the pre-dawn chill, hunching over pocket notebooks filled with ratios, temperatures, cook times and formulas as they create the day’s menus and generate mise en place lists. They are like the students before them and the ones before them, since Socrates held lessons in the olive grove. With luck, Chef will come into the kitchen having had a good night’s sleep and the students will get through the day without feeling completely inadequate.

By Mike Roman

Despite the challenges, we take joy in producing them.

It’s very easy to be a great wedding caterer. All you really need is a talented catering team, empathy, patience and a genie’s magic lamp. You need access to this lantern simply because most caterers get hit with some very challenging “wishes” from the bride, mother of the bride and every vendor associated with the wedding before, during and even after the wedding day.

Sadly, caterers don’t have access to a magic lamp; they must face a constant level of pressure on them while catering this emotion-filled event. Weddings can bring out the worst in customers. They really can’t help themselves because there are no do-overs in weddings. When the chocolate wedding cake promised turns out to be a carrot wedding cake upon cutting, there is no pause button to hit to create the time you need to  make things right.