The challenge of college includes managing multiple demands and a complex schedule, often for the first time as an adult. Something as simple as taking attendance in class can motivate students to not only stay in the course and program, but thrive.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

For the last two months, we have discussed ways to encourage student curiosity. This month, we turn to the challenge of keeping students in our classes and in our programs. There are several ways—noticing them, giving them feedback, encouraging friendships and taking attendance—to keep students engaged. I hope one or more will be useful to you.

Being Noticed Counts
The primary way to keep students engaged is to provide them with comments on their participation, their work and their involvement. Showing them that you notice what they are doing and appreciate it—most especially the effort involved—makes a big difference in their attitude toward being in class, learning the material and incorporating culinary skills into their repertoire.

The National Honey Board (NHB) and Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) have collaborated to establish the “Laurey Masterton Golden Amulet Award,” recognizing women entrepreneurs in the foodservice industry. Launching in 2015, the WCR award is a tribute chef and beekeeper Laurey Masterton, beloved WCR member and NHB spokeswoman, who lost a courageous battle with cancer in February.

A trailblazer and entrepreneur, Masterton is widely recognized for helping to establish downtown Asheville, N.C., as a vibrant farm-to-table food scene, starting with the launch of her eponymous “Laurey’s” Café-Catering-Comfort in 1987.

A group of students from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) campus in Hyde Park, N.Y., is spending the first semester of senior year at the college’s campus in San Antonio, Texas, focusing on the ingredients, techniques and cultural traditions of Latin American cuisines. It is part of the CIA’s Latin Cuisines Concentration, which launched May 5—Cinco de Mayo.

The students, pursuing bachelor’s degrees in culinary-arts management from the CIA, will study the foods of Mexico and other Latin American cuisines that are ripe for broader exposure in the United States, including those of Brazil, Peru, Central America and the Caribbean. They will explore the nuances of flavor development and culinary expression of these cuisines, while learning from expert faculty and visiting instructors, such as award-winning chef Rick Bayless, all under the direction of the CIA’s Chef Sergio Remolina.

Students also will be immersed in the history and cultures of these nations and regions. For instance, they will learn that Cinco de Mayo is not the “Mexican Fourth of July,” but rather the commemoration of an 1862 military victory. According to Remolina, only in recent years has it turned into a day of celebration in the United States.

The Baker College of Port Huron student-operated, fine-dining restaurant and bar at the Culinary Institute of Michigan (CIM) has opened its doors, serving up Michigan products and beautiful local views. The CIM Port Huron is located at 2000 St. Clair Street, Port Huron.

Named COURSES, the teaching restaurant opened to the public on April 23 offering lunch three days a week—Wednesdays through Fridays, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the last reservation for seating at 1:15 p.m. Reservations are required and can be made by calling (810)357-0875.

“Our menus will feature Michigan products and locally grown foods, when available,” said Paula Recinella, COURSES manager and CIM instructor of culinary arts and food and beverage management. “We know our patrons will love discovering quality Michigan products, and this is a great way we can contribute to a healthy, local economy as our Baker College students gain valuable real-world experience.”

Kendall College is proud to announce the release of its first culinary publication, Sharing Our Global Passion: Recipes from 22 World Class Chefs ($25), a compilation of recipes that reflect the backgrounds, professional training and world experiences of faculty in the School of Culinary Arts. Published by the preeminent culinary-arts educational experience in the Midwest, this book celebrates the diversity of global cuisine in both classic style and modern interpretation.

“Chicago is known for leadership and innovation in hospitality; the culinary and baking and pastry faculty at Kendall College are no exception,” says President Emily Williams Knight. “Not only are they educators, they are first and foremost skilled practitioners who have worked around the world. In short, Kendall’s faculty truly offer students rich, global perspectives.”

Courtesy of Mercer Cutlery

This in-depth lesson plan on knife construction, composition, maintenance/care and proper sharpening of professional knives was presented at the American Culinary Federation’s 2014 Central Regional Conference in St. Louis in March by Chef Chris Parker, business-development coordinator for Mercer Cutlery.  Attendees also enjoyed a technical dive into the world of German knife manufacturing.

Parker has been the corporate chef of Mercer Cutlery for three years. A graduate of Midwest Culinary Institute in Cincinnati, his background includes cooking in restaurants from Ohio to New York.

The level of this lesson plan is intermediate, making it appropriate for culinary-arts students’ professional growth. Download the .pdf file from the hyperlink below. 

As culinary educators we have a unique opportunity to view student assessment differently—in a way that measures the ability to “demonstrate understanding” vs. the ability to memorize.

Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC

From the day we first enter the educational system in the United States we are introduced to a method of measurement that establishes a feeling of success or failure, winning or losing, those with potential and those without. My beacon for leadership and management, Edwards Deming, viewed this as one of the most significant problems that faced American economic strength from the 1950s till current times.

The American system of education has, to a large degree, been based on telling students what they should know, relegating them to memorizing facts and then testing them on their ability to repeat that information. Successful memorization equals better test scores; better test scores equals a person with potential. Or does it?

Chef Bill Telepan leads school wellness initiatives while running successful restaurants. He says that if you have a chance to give back, do it.

Bill Telepan, chef/owner of New York City’s Telepan and Telepan Local, advised new graduates of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) about the importance of giving back when delivered the keynote address during commencement ceremonies at the CIA on March 21—the first commencement held in the new Marriott Pavilion on the CIA’s Hyde Park, N.Y., campus.

The 1987 CIA alumnus lives his advice. While running two successful restaurants, earning a Michelin star and being named a semifinalist for the James Beard Award as Best Chef: New York City, he has spent the last six years as executive chef for Wellness in the Schools.

Wellness in the Schools (WITS) inspires healthy eating, environmental awareness and fitness as a way of life for kids in public schools. Through meaningful public/private partnerships with school leadership, teachers, chefs, coaches, parents and kids, WITS develops and implements programs that provide healthy foods, healthy environments and opportunities for regular play to help kids learn and grow. Telepan’s work with that organization led to his being asked to serve on First Lady Michelle Obama’s Chefs Move to School task force when that initiative launched in 2009.

Combined with last month’s article from Chef Weiner on the basic science behind critical processes in the kitchen that all culinary students should understand, the following 10 precepts truly sum up any student’s “necessary science.”

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

Two months ago I raised the debate about teaching cooking science to students. Last month I wrote part one of what I personally think are the principles of science that should be taught to beginning culinary students. Here is part two:

The Los Angeles Dodgers expects to sell more than 3 million hot dogs to fans this season, while the Detroit Tigers unveils the Poutine Dog. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs will offer a taste of hot dogs over the last 10 decades at Wrigley Field.

It’s a love affair that has spanned generations, and baseball fans will once again make hot dogs their No. 1 choice at the ballparks this summer. The Washington, D.C.-based National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) estimates that fans will eat a whopping 21,357,316 hot dogs and 5,508,887 sausages during the 2014 Major League season—enough hot dogs to stretch from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles to Wrigley Field in Chicago. 

“When it comes to the food of choice at baseball games, nothing cuts the mustard quite like hot dogs and sausages,” says Eric Mittenthal, NHDSC vice president of public affairs. “It’s a tradition that fans relish, and despite growing options at concessions, they keep coming back for their old favorite.”

This year’s total includes a new single-season record for most hot dogs at one stadium as the Los Angeles Dodgers anticipates fans will consume 3,077,537 hot dogs, a jump of more than 800,000 hot dogs from last year. That is enough to round the bases at Dodger Stadium 4,274 times.