Teach students to differentiate between different table service styles and what makes good and bad table service.

By Dr. Jennifer Denlinger, CCC, CHEP

Specific steps students should take when receiving, writing or scaling new recipes.

By Adam Weiner, JD, CFSE

Why do we cook? A student’s answer may define their career.

By Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC

Culinary Institute of Michigan's Chef Tom Recinella honored with national recognition at ACF convention.

By the Culinary Institute of Michigan

CAFÉ Talks Episode 33

Rainier cherries in mid-June, salmon from the Columbia River, morels, and boletes from deep in the Oregon forests, heirloom tomatoes brought to fruition in the July sun, perfect five-inch long Delicata squash for Eleven Madison in New York City (300 pounds each week), or beautiful wild asparagus flown in secretly from France – these are the special tools, the magical ingredients that help chefs to be great at what they do, and Francois de Melogue was your source. Referred to as the fifth Beatle – this high-energy, always smiling chef with roots in French cuisine may not have written the menu music or played the songs on a restaurant line – but he was always there providing the notes that are essential to the song. It’s always about the quality of ingredients that a chef works with – this is the basis for cooking passion. Join CAFÉ Talks for a chat with Francois de Melogue – chef, culinary ambassador, writer, advocate for the source, and ingredient explorer who stood behind many great chefs as they performed their kitchen magic.

CAFÉ Talks Episode 32

What keeps you up at night and what pushes you to jump out of bed in the morning? Is it angst over work left undone, or projects on the horizon that you are not sure how to approach? Or…is it that next great idea and the desire to bring it to fruition? From an early age we are wired to think, to learn, and to build. It is this desire to create that excites us and brings a smile to our face. This is true of the toddler, high school student, young cook or aspiring chef, and even those who choose to teach others. Join CAFÉ Talks in a conversation with Chef Curtiss Hemm of Carriage House Cooking School and Pink Ribbon Cooking as he points us in the direction of bringing ideas to fruition, of learning the joy of stimulating young minds and using our hands to build. A chef, restaurateur, educator, gentleman farmer, and student of life – Curtiss Hemm speaks to us about his life challenges, his ideas, and how he manages to teach others while having real conversations about food. Whether in front of a stove, sitting on his tractor, or foraging for mushrooms on his 300 acres of land – he will inspire you and make you think.