If you missed the 6th Annual Deans and Directors Retreat hosted by St. Philip’s College in San Antonio, we are sharing some of the “takeaways” from the conference. What an amazing group of participants who all learned the benefit of sharing both challenges and solutions!

• Decision making is an active process which only succeeds if everyone participates. Active learning depends on asking yourself the questions (discussion led by Touchstones Founders):
  • Did I interrupt others
  • Did I listen to all participants?
  • Did I solicit other opinions?
  • Did I build upon what others say?
  • Did I keep focused and on task?
  • Did I encourage quieter members to speak?
• Change: Ideas are powerful and while they might make you uncomfortable, nothing will happen without you! (Paul Sorgule, Harvest America)
• Developing curriculum to engage culinary students in addressing real world challenges in sustainability (Jonathan Deutsch, Drexel University)
• Working with Food Science (or medical schools or dietetics departments or other institutions in your area) can result in dynamic partnerships and opportunities for your students (Paul Mendoza, Galveston College)
• Using Food Trucks is an amazing way to develop entrepreneurial skills in your students, even with all of the caveats and hurdles. (Albert Schmid, Guilford Tech)
• 3D Printing is coming onto the horizon and applications are endless. What your students need to know! (Alexei Rudolf, Foodservice Connections)
• There are new strategies for on-line learning which are available and useful for enrollment growth (Kirk Bachmann, Rouxbe)
• One Credit courses can change your students’ lives! Offer them and they (students, grads, community folks) will come! (Angela Wilson, Delgado CC)
• Our programs used to be a mixture of degree and nondegree offerings; they then almost completely switched to degrees…and the requirements of degrees can often dilute our outreach to the community. You can teach culinary skills without federal financial aid! (Laurie Modawer, Park City Culinary Institute)
• Chef Charles Carroll inspired us to be grateful and to be inspired leaders to our students

Next year’s Retreat will be announced by the fall 2018. Feedback from attendees gave a lot of great reasons why you should attend. We’ll share some of those comments later in the year.

One of the intriguing presentations was that from Laurie Modawer who started a school without the benefit of financial aid for her students. A link to download her PowerPoint Presentation can be found at the bottom of this page.

Award Deadline Approaching!

• How are you connecting your students to industry? Perhaps innovations in externship programs, guest speaker lineups, field trips, international travel, competitions, other? If you have a story to tell, consider applying for the Idaho Potato Commission Innovation Award.
• How are you incorporating sustainability efforts into your curriculum? The Brightwater Green Award wants to hear all about it!
• Brightwater’s Entrepreneurial Award identifies culinary programs that either 1) teach or encourage entrepreneurship in their programming or 2) implement revenue-generation and cost-savings into their operations. Your ideas?
• Sysco recognizes outstanding educators in their Educators of the Year Awards (one each for secondary and postsecondary programs). Nominate someone or yourself!

Click here for more information about these awards. Don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your educational innovations! Cash prizes and complimentary registrations to the CAFE Leadership Conference are a part of every award.

  2018 Awards

Brightwater Award for Sustainability
Brightwater Award for Entrepreneurship

Idaho Potato Commission Awards for Innovations in internships/externships/work experience

Sysco Awards for Teachers of the Year

CAFE CALENDAR

April 1, 2018
Deadline for Green Award, Food Entrepreneurship Award, IPC Innovation Award, and Educator of the Year Award

May 15, 2018
Cut off for hotel block in Milwaukee (rooms not guaranteed)

June 14-16, 2018
14th Annual CAFE Leadership Conference, Milwaukee, WI

July 15-19, 2018
ACF Cook.Craft.Create, New Orleans, LA