Category: News

What:  Fourteen chefs will compete in final phase of tryouts, hot-food, for a spot on the American Culinary Federation’s internationally acclaimed six-member team of ACF Culinary Team USA. The 14 chefs advanced from a field of 25 to the hot-food portion by excelling in the cold-food tryouts held in June. 

Candidates have 15 minutes to set up, and 2 hours, 30 minutes, to cook, plate and present 12 portions of a hot-food fish course and main dish using two different cooking methods for both. ACF Culinary Team USA members will be selected based on several factors, including: presentation, composition and harmony of ingredients, flavor, technique, practicality, degree of difficulty and skill level. Each chef competitor must display a high level of craftsmanship based on solid classical cooking principles and a variety of cooking disciplines incorporating current and modern trends in presentation, technique and taste. Final selection will take into account both cold- and hot-food segments and skill sets, as well as personality, attitude and the ability to excel and work cohesively in a team setting.

Why:   To determine who will be selected to represent the United States on ACF Culinary Team USA, sponsored by Unilever Food Solutions, which will compete in international competitions including the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung, commonly referred to as the “culinary Olympics,” in Erfurt, Germany, Oct. 22-25, 2016.

Who:   The chefs competing in the final tryout for ACF Culinary Team USA are:

·        Joseph Albertelli, executive chef, Westchester Country Club, Rye, N.Y.; Chefs Association of Westchester and Lower Connecticut

·        Brian Campbell, CEC^®, CCE^®, senior instructor, Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, N.C.; ACF North Carolina Chapter

·        George Castaneda, executive chef, Sodexo, Franklin, Tenn.; ACF Middle Tennessee Chapter

·        Shawn Culp, CEC^®, culinary arts instructor, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Bridgeville, Penn.; ACF Pittsburgh Chapter

·        Ben Grupe, sous chef, Old Warson Country Club, St. Louis; Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis Inc.

·        Aaron Haga, CEC^®, chef tournant, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colo.; ACF Pikes Peak Chapter Inc.

·        Jason Hall, CMC^®, executive chef, Hammock Dunes Club, Palm Coast, Fla.; ACF St. Augustine Chapter

·        Adam Munroe, chef de cuisine, The Country Club, Chestnut Hill, Mass.; ACF Epicurean Club of Boston

·        Alison Murphy, executive pastry chef, The Vintage Club, Indian Wells, Calif.; ACF national member

·        Woojay Poynter, CSC^®, assistant professor, Oregon Coast Culinary Institute, Coos Bay, Ore.; ACF Bay Area Chefs Association of Oregon

·        John Reed, CEC^®, CCA^®, owner, Customized Culinary Solutions, Skokie, Ill.; ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians Inc.

·        Matthew Seasock, CEC^®, executive sous chef, The Fort Worth Club, Fort Worth, Texas; ACF national member

·        Corey Siegel, CC^®, rounds cook, The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.; ACF of Greater Buffalo New York

·        Ashley VanHulle, baker, MotorCity Casino Hotel, Detroit

When: Aug. 24, 6 a.m.–7 p.m.

Where: College of DuPage, Culinary Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, Ill.

Publishers “Routledge” have asked Philip Sloan and Willy Legrand to produce a publication entitled “Handbook of Sustainable Food, Beverages and Gastronomy” which examines current debates, controversies and questions in the field and provides a systematic guide to the current state of knowledge on sustainable food, beverages and gastronomy in a holistic and interdisciplinary manner. So far, they have already 25 contributors from around the globe on board for this new publication including academics and industry professionals.

If you are eager to share your knowledge and opinions, please do so by submitting the material on the following address: p.sloan@iubh.de 

Each contribution should be between 3000-4000 words if possible including references and the deadline is November 30^th 2013. Each thematic section will have a brief introduction which highlights the content discussed within in it and how it fits into the overall aims of the book.  Essentially, the handbook is designed to be read by undergraduate and graduate students studying tourism management, hospitality management, culinary arts as well as Industry practioners alike. Open the files below and find a rough outline attached of all chapters and potential subjects:

 Specific Issues in Sustainable Food, Beverages and Gastronomy

If you are interested in exploring several textbooks we have done so far, please follow the links bellow:

“Sustainable Hospitality and Tourism as Motors for Development”

http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780123851963/

“Sustainability in the Hospitality Industry: Principles of Sustainable Operations”, II Edition

http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415531245/

*If you are interested in contributing, we would welcome a very short paragraph (200 to 300 words) about your potential contribution (rough subject idea) and we can get the ball rolling then with further details including the guidelines for writing the article.

Looking forward to hear from you and hope to have you on board.

Greetings from Bonn and best regards,

Philip Sloan,

Head of Hospitality Management Department at

Internationale Hochschule Bad Honnef ,

Bonn International University of Applied Sciences.

A master class was held recently for some Marriott UK Executive chefs & apprentices with world renowned chef Marco Pierre White.

This was hosted at Unilever Food Solutions’ head office in Leatherhead, Surrey in their development Kitchen.

Fifteen Executive chefs and four apprentices were treated to an up close and personal day with Marco who candidly chatted about his training, career, philosophy & life in hospitality.

About Marco

Having left Allerton High School in Leeds, he decided to train as a chef starting in the kitchen at the Hotel St George in Harrogate, North Yorkshire and later at the Box Tree in Ilkley.  He arrived in London at the age of 16 beginning his classical training as a commis under Albert and Michel Roux at Le Gavroche.  At the age of 33, Marco was the youngest chef to be awarded three Michelin stars.

Cooking

Marco cooked his own true style, cooking classic dishes and use of flavors in his own unique style. Marco created a delicious pumpkin & Parmesan soup, followed by a classic fish pie and Navarin of Lamb that were all truly delectable.

What the chefs said

Simon Beaumont, Snr Director culinary, Europe:

To be in the same room and see with our own eyes his wizardry in the kitchen was an experience we won’t forget.  He was open, honest and charming and chatted to everyone about his experiences giving advice about how to make menus work harder. 

Sean Kelly, Senior Chef, Europe echoed this: Being able to bring along four of our young apprentices to meet Marco was fantastic.  He really got them involved and made them feel a part of the day.  To see their reactions and faces when he gave them a personal career chat was fantastic.  They thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I am sure they will never forget today 

Satish Yerramilli, executive head chef at Meon Valley said: “It was a real treat to see Marco.  He’s been an inspiration of mine for a long time”

David Townsend and apprentice at the Portsmouth Marriott commented: “It was a real eye-opener.  He was the first celebrity chef and it was an honour to meet him.”

Jason Schum and Harry Charles, two apprentices at Twickenham and Forest of Arden Marriott’s said: “To hear Marco talking about his philosophy to food and life was fantastic.  Just to listen to his experiences and his anecdotal stories was an inspiration.  He was the first British celebrity chef”

Thailand Ultimate Chef Challenge 2013 was endorsed by World Association of Chefs Societies (WACS) to promote and recognize the skills and professionalism of both young and professional chefs from the Asia Pacific region. 
Over 500 talented chefs with 20% are outside Bangkok and 80% from within Bangkok will gather at this exciting culinary meeting place to challenge and showcase their skills. In 2013, we are extending our warm welcome to the IndoChina teams from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. 
Their commitment and devotion for their culinary skill will be critiqued by an impressive panel of 20 judges, out of which 10 are WACS approved International judges. The Thailande Ultimate Chef Challenge 2013 took place the 22 to the 26 of May 2013.

Report of this Challenge:

Within the framework of the exhibition activities Food & Hotel Vietnam takes place every 2 years, Vietnam Culinary Challenge is a large scale with the jury’s team of prestigious chefs, experiences from different countries.

Over 4 times organization with international qualifications recognized, the contest has become a prestigious competition, have great appeal in the industry, creating opportunities for career progression for the talented young chefs.

2013, with the aim of paving the way for raising qualification of processed Vietnam food as well as opportunities for chefs develop their creativity, the Saigon Professional Chefs Guild continue to organize the 5^th Vietnam Culinary Challenge with 12 classes, the competition drew nearly 140 contestants from 50 different businesses in the areas of food industry, restaurants and hotels in Ho Chi Minh City and provinces. After 3 days of the competition, the organizing committee has awarded 10 gold medals, 23 silver medals, 47 bronze medals, 42 diplomas and 11 certificates award winner on food hygiene and safety, Vietnamese cuisine, Hot cooking, …. for the excellence individual and collective.

The result of the 5^th Vietnam Culinary Challenge: 

* Grand Champion                                       Mr. Nguyen Van Truong Giang – Equatorial Hotel

(Gold medal with highest points in Class 1a – Vietnamese Cuisine Display

 Silver medal in Class 1 – Vietnamese Cuisine

 Bronze medal in Class 8 – Hot cooking US Potato)

* Vietnamese Cuisine Champion        Mrs. Tran Thi Lan Anh – First Hotel

(Gold medal with highest points in Class 1 – Vietnamese Cuisine)

* Hot Cooking Champion                   Mr. Vo Sang – Equatorial Hotel

(Gold medal with the highest point in hot cooking Class 3 – Hot cooking US Chicken)

* Food Safety & Hygient                    Mr. Le Nguyen Minh Tan – Equatorial Hotel (1^st day)

Mr. Vo Sang – Equatorial Hotel (2^nd day)

                                                           Mr. Nguyen Thanh Cuong – Song Be Golf (3^rd day)

* Class Live Desert Making               

                              First prize              Mr. Nguyen Huu Thieu – Kinh Do Bakery (The North)       

                              Second prize         Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Van – Tiny World

                              Third prize            Ms. Tran Thao Doan Phuong – Equatorial Hotel

* Best Culinary Establishment            Equatorial Hotel

The Saigon Professional Chefs Guild give big thanks to the sponsors: US Meat Federation, US Poultry & Eggs Export Council, US Potato Board, MLA Company, Fonterra, Equatorial Hotel and many other sponsors to support us make a successful competition.

Immediate: June 21,

2013 Award winning Welsh chefs plan to take ‘caviar’ from Wales to serve at a VIP reception in to Russia linked to the Rugby World Cup Sevens Tournament. Four members of the Welsh National Culinary Team will fly to Moscow to prepare food for 150 invited guests at the reception on June 28, which is hosted by the British Ambassador to Russian and attended by Edwina Hart, Wales’ Minister for Economy, Science and Transport.

Wales are the defending champions of the Rugby World Cup Sevens Tournament The chefs will prepare canapés and a buffet comprising main dishes, desserts and cheese, which showcase Wales the True Taste award winning food and drink ingredients.

One of the dishes that will be served up is ‘Welsh caviar’, which is produced by injecting pureed lavabread into a solution that creates caviar-like droplets that burst with flavour when eaten.

“A lot of chefs use the same method to create fruit drops, but we thought it would be a nice twist use lavabread and to take Welsh caviar to Russia,” explained team manager Graham Tinsley, executive chef at De Vere Carden Park near Chester.

“It will be the first time that our chefs have been to Russia and we are really looking forward to the new experience. It’s an honour to represent Wales and the Welsh Government and a great opportunity to promote quality Welsh food and drinks and the nation’s culinary skills.”

Joining him on the flight to Moscow will be Colin Gray, director of Capital Cuisine, Cardiff, Kurt Fleming, executive chef at ffresh Restaurant, Cardiff and Mike Evans, tutor at Coleg Llandrillo, Rhos on Sea. The Welsh Government is arranging a series of activities to help Welsh businesses to capitalise on trade opportunities for a range of Welsh products and services in Russia. Representatives of Welsh food and drink companies will also attend the reception as part of the Welsh Government’s trade mission.

The Welsh National Culinary Team is sponsored by the Welsh Government, Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales), C&C Catering Equipment Ltd, Brakes, Unilever Food Solutions UK, Villeroy and Boch and Friedr. Dick, Germany.

For more information please contact Graham Tinsley, Welsh National Culinary Team manager, on 07765 404950 or Duncan Foulkes, public relations consultant, on 01686 650818