Naturally, educators must stress to their students the critical importance of proper knife skills. But, says this chef-consultant, the reality in the workplace doesn’t always match what we teach. (Don’t miss the YouTube video link.)

By John Reed, CEC, CCA

After addressing a group of culinary students at an ACF state competition, I sat back and thought about my words and the content.

In the skills portion of the competition, one of the four disciplines is “Knife Skills.” It requires a competitor chosen randomly from each team to perform this culinary skill. The competitors must dice an onion, cut julienne and chop some tomatoes, among other things. As judges, we critique the competitors on the accuracy of the cuts and compare them to a known standard.

One of the standards is a molded plastic form with the exact dimensions of the named cuts that are mounted to a board. I describe it as the original “3D APP.” You can look something up and then stick it back in your pocket. If you have ever been to culinary school or attended these competitions, you may have seen this guide or are at least familiar with the names of knife cuts that are common in a professional kitchen. In some cases, students spend hours fine-tuning their skills, such as lining up their little sticks of carrots in a row like little Napoleonic soldiers. A sight to see!

Many students are not used to conducing structured observations and might not know what to look for and how often to record behaviors. The more explicit you are about how they should conduct the observation, the more likely it will be an effective learning experience.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Last month, we discussed the art of using interviews as an out-of-class activity, and this month we will examine using structured observations as an outside-the-classroom activity, as well.

Good chef-instructors provide carefully developed demonstrations of everything from culinary fundamentals to complex technical skills. While these in-class activities are valuable—even essential—to a good culinary education, there are a range of ways to learn from observation.

Reasons for Using Observations
Encouraging students to learn from watching demonstrations and observing professionals has been part of the hospitality industry for decades, if not centuries. In the culinary arts, students learn a great deal from observing chefs in action and noticing the way in which they practice their particular skills. There is also magic in demonstrations set up on the spot to teach something that students clearly have not learned and need to review. However, demonstrations outside of class have value, too.

Top chefs know that exceptional produce is where flavor begins. More produce choices equates to more chances to shine. That’s why citrus is something to celebrate.

Courtesy of The Culinary Institute of America

The citrus world has several notable newcomers—specialty varieties that used to be rare are now poised for takeoff. Growers have expanded plantings of citrus that once seemed exotic, like Meyer lemons, Cara Cara oranges and Moro oranges. And they’re devoting more acreage to the truly unusual, like Zebra™ (pink variegated) lemons and pummelos.

These up-and-coming citrus are clearly fruits with a future, and chefs who embrace them have a competitive edge. A cocktail garnished with a Zebra lemon slice makes a cutting-edge impression; a mundane roast chicken makes a fashion statement with grilled Cara Cara oranges (pictured).

As their career paths become clear, students will inevitably emulate what they’ve experienced in our classrooms and kitchens. Thus, our responsibility is great. Which attitudes, aptitudes and beliefs do we want graduates to portray throughout their careers as a result of our actions?

By Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC

As many schools head into the final stretch of an academic year, I thought that it might be an opportune time to reflect on the responsibility we share as a catalyst for positive change in the food industry.

Each student who walks across that commencement stage in 2015 and beyond could be a person who helps to make our industry that much better; a person who may very well define what it means to be a successful restaurateur, chef, research chef, pastry chef, teacher, author or advocate for food integrity in America.

As educators we have an obligation and a wonderful opportunity to set the stage for this to take place. Students will inevitably emulate what they experience in classrooms and kitchens as their career paths become clear. You can, and do, make a difference every day and should never lose sight of the power and responsibility that coexist.

It’s the New Year, and with it comes a new wave of prognostications that seek to give direction to operators and chefs looking for “the next big thing.” What can we look forward to?

Courtesy of Sysco Shape

Industry oracles see the continuation of such mega-trends as healthful dining, local sourcing and the ratcheting up of flavor profiles. In addition, sweet and spicy mashups, the blending of mushrooms with ground meat, increased menu transparency and the rise of Generation Z will help to drive innovation as we progress into the year. Here are 10 trends to watch in 2015.

A Matter of Taste
Middle-of-the-road flavor profiles are out; robust flavors are in. Once noted for their unadventurous palates, Americans now just can’t seem to get enough spicy fare at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Our former “fear of flavor,” which once largely dominated domestic eating habits, is being supplanted by a bold, global attitude that embraces multiple culinary experiences—particularly those ethnic foods that pack a punch. Authentic Mexican and Latin concepts are among the most popular influences, together with other ethnic-inspired cuisines like Southeast Asian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern. And white-hot ingredients like Sriracha can be found in virtually every professional kitchen today.

Premium Blend
A collaborative effort by The Culinary Institute of America, the University of California at Davis and the Mushroom Council found that both health and flavor concerns can be addressed by the blending of chopped mushrooms together with ground meat. Not only does this mashup yield a food product that is tastier, juicier and more nutritious than traditional ground-meat items like hamburgers, meat balls and meatloaf, but it adds volume as well, proponents say. At the same time, blending helps to reduce the amount of sodium, fat and calories in a menu item. Today, an increasing number of commercial and noncommercial operators are embracing the blending process, with many more expected to join the ranks this year. 

The new International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education Penn State Research Report, entitled “University Lodging Demand: An Analysis of its Stability and Guidance for Estimating its Growth Potential at the Market Level,” reveals the demand for college and university lodging is more stable than the typical lodging demand, and that markets dominated by a college are more stable in terms of not only occupancy rates, but also average room rates.

“At many recent hotel-investment conferences and in recent issues of hotel-trade magazines, hotel developers have proposed that a hot prospective location for hotel development is near colleges and universities,” said School of Hospitality Management director John O’Neill, who conducted the study. “The primary reason often cited for this optimism is the relative stability of lodging demand generated by colleges. However, until now, this proposition has never been empirically tested, and no empirical research has shown hotel developers what variables about colleges they should study to determine the feasibility of hotel development in any given college marketplace.”

Joe Perdue, CCM, CHE, the club industry’s leading hospitality educator, died in Atlanta on Jan. 19, 2015, after a long illness. He was 64.

Since 1986, Perdue had served as academic advisor for the Alexandria, Va.-based Club Managers Association of America (CMAA). Responsible for the initial development of CMAA’s Business Management Institute (BMI), Perdue coordinated more than 300 weeklong BMI programs for more than 10,000 managers. The Business Management Institute is a flourishing professional-development program that has become the most well-respected education initiative of the hospitality industry. Beyond the United States, Perdue developed professional education programs in China, South Africa, Europe and Canada.  

In addition to serving as academic advisor, Perdue held the positions of director of education and vice president for CMAA, where he was responsible for all professional-development and certification programs. He continued to have responsibility for overseeing CMAA’s BMI program and certification exam, study materials and certification review course.

The Culinary Institute of America is naming the high-volume-production teaching kitchen in its new Student Commons at the Hyde Park, N.Y., campus after Jones Dairy Farm in recognition of the company’s ongoing support of the college.

The Jones Dairy Farm Line and Kitchen will be a centerpiece of the dining area of the Student Commons building and home to CIA classes in high-volume breakfast, lunch and dinner cooking. The facility, currently under construction, is part of a major expansion and renovation of the CIA’s Student Recreation Center, and is scheduled to begin serving CIA students in the summer of 2015. The existing high-volume-production kitchen, in the college’s Roth Hall, was dedicated to Jones Dairy Farm in 2006.

“The CIA is deeply grateful to once again partner with Jones Dairy Farm in our drive to provide the world’s best culinary education,” said CIA President Tim Ryan, CMC. “Our organizations have a 20-year relationship, through which we are advancing our goals of excellence, entrepreneurship and innovation for our students.”

Jones Dairy Farm is a 125-year-old family-owned and operated business and leader in all-natural breakfast sausage for the foodservice and retail industries. The company is based in Fort Atkinson, Wis.

To further their understanding of the needs and expectations of chefs in the foodservice industry and expand their culinary knowledge and skills, the Emmi Roth Foodservice sales team participated in a culinary training program at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, N.C., January 19-23.

“Our team strives to understand our customers’ day-to-day challenges and opportunities both in the kitchen and on the menu,” said Linda Duwve, vice president of sales and marketing at Monroe, Wis.-based Emmi Roth USA. “Hands-on training programs like these allow our team to deliver better products, information and service to the foodservice industry.”

In preparation for the four-day training, each team member completed an accredited food-handling safety training course and earned his or her Food Safety Manager certification through the National Registry of Food Service Professionals. While onsite at the university, the team attended lab courses with students, participated in one-on-one food-safety and culinary-skills sessions with chef-instructors Donald Brizes and Robert Brenner, and executed in-kitchen assignments. The rigorous educational program was customized by JWU specifically for the Emmi Roth Foodservice team.

Why does measuring weight, volume and temperature require training? Because each measuring instrument is only as good as the person who uses it. To that end, Chef Weiner offers a primer on measuring to share with your students.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

I have been asked to give a presentation at the June 2015 Leadership Conference in Niagara Falls on the topic of how to teach basic culinary skills in 50 minutes. Before students can braise, sauté, simmer, bake, roast, poach, etc., however, they need to know the basics of knives and they need to know how to measure.

CAFÉ’s “Gold Medal Classroom” published my four-part series, “How to Buy Knives,” in October 2010, November 2010, December 2010and January 2011. This article on measuring is written as an instruction manual for your students. Please feel free to print it out and hand it to them directly.

New cooks need to learn how to measure. Although there will be many times when you will use technique and feel in cooking, you have to understand the basics of measuring and following recipes, as well. The three most common types are measurement of liquids, measurement of solids and measurement of temperature.