On October 12, a reception with Michel Escoffier, great grandson of culinary icon Auguste Escoffier and president of the Auguste Escoffier Foundation and Museum in France, offered history and little‐known family anecdotes about his great grandfather, as Chicago chefs, dignitaries and other guests were treated to champagne and hors d’oeuvres in celebration of the historic affiliation of Escoffier and Triumph Higher Education (Triumph HEG) to launch the Auguste Escoffier Schools of Culinary Arts.

Tyson Foods, Inc. (NYSE: TSN) today announced October 20 that it will donate more than 10,000 pounds of chicken to three metro Atlanta organizations. The donation supports two principles important to Tyson: hunger relief and the advancement of foodservice. Beneficiaries of the donation include the Atlanta Community Food Bank, the Redan High School Culinary Program and Teens at Work.

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) has awarded its Cream of the Crop Scholarships for winter 2011 to four aspiring culinary leaders who begin their CIA studies early next year. The students, who will all be pursuing bachelor's degrees at the CIA, earned merit scholarships to the college based on their leadership skills and academic record.

Three culinary graduates of The International Culinary School at The Art Institute of Colorado were honored for their exemplary 4.0 grade-point averages at the Summer Quarter 2010 graduation, held at the Colorado Convention Center on Friday, September 24.

Ann Holland, Oonagh Dwyer and Christopher Adornetto were each presented with a medal for their achievement by Art Institute of Colorado President David Zorn during the graduation ceremony.

Kendall College in Chicago has named Dr. Karen Gersten as its president. Gersten has been serving as the interim president of Kendall since March. Gersten has been with Kendall for three years, and formerly served as the college’s provost. Prior to joining Kendall, she spent more than 20 years at Roosevelt University, most recently as associate provost for academic programs and distance learning. “Students, faculty and staff at Kendall have come to know Karen through her leadership of academic functions at the college, including academic programming, student affairs, and program assessment,” said Paula Singer, chairman of the Kendall College board of directors. “She is widely known for her achievements in making the educational experience at Kendall rewarding for students, faculty and the community. We are fortunate to have her leading Kendall College.” Gersten earned her Ed.D. in education from Northern Illinois University and her Master of Education and B.A. degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana. She is an active member of SLATE—a Blackboard Users Group, and the International Reading Association. Gersten is also a member of the peer evaluation corps of the Higher Learning Commission Assessment Academy.

Culinary leaders from the Western Hemisphere gathered last month in San Antonio to celebrate El Sueño, The Culinary Institute of America’s mission to promote Latino diversity in the foodservice and hospitality industries.

The Culinary Institute of America celebrated the official opening of its expanded 30,000-square-foot campus in San Antonio, Texas, in October 2010 with a festival that included food, music, a healthy-snack competition for local high-school students and culinary demonstrations by chefs ranging from Rick Bayless to Johnny Hernandez. The opening marked the completion of the second phase of the CIA's El Sueño initiative that was launched in San Antonio to promote Latino diversity in the foodservice industry.

By John Paul Khoury, CCC, www.preferredmeats.com, www.preferredmeatsblog.com

An interview with Mark Liberman, chef/owner of Black Sheep Butchery, Sacramento.

Mark Liberman, a well-seasoned Sacramento, Calif., native, has worked in some of the top kitchens in America, if not the world, for such chefs as Joël Robuchon, Daniel Boulud and Roland Passot. Liberman has also competed in the semi-finals of the prestigious Bocuse d'Or. He has, curiously enough, returned to Sacramento and opened his own business. What brought Liberman back home, and what's his story?

Here's the scoop:

What drew you to the industry and why become a chef?
My initial draw into the restaurant/hospitality industry began when I was relatively young; growing up with both of my parents cooking at home and watching lots of PBS cooking shows is what drew me in. But when I got my first job as an apprentice at 15, I was hooked even before I ever worked on a line. Every day is something new, every day you start from scratch. It’s incredibly tough with long hours and constant pressure, but I never even fathomed doing something else.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Forming dyads requires students to clarify their own thinking before sharing it with another student, and then discuss it before sharing it with the entire class.

Last month, we discussed using current events in the classroom. This month, we will talk about strategies for using more and varied learning activities in our classroom by focusing on pairs.

Most of us have developed a series of strategies for working with small groups. This Mayo’s Clinic may remind some of you why they are helpful and suggest new ways to work with pairs of students in your classes.

Reasons for Pairs
Using pairs—often called dyads—In class is a way to help students feel comfortable discussing a topic that is new to them or one in which they do not feel well prepared, either because of difficulty learning the material, the lack of time spent studying or for some other reason. By letting them talk with just one other student, they can start to build a vocabulary for the topic and some confidence about the topic. It also enables them to learn from someone else who may know more or less; either way, it can be a learning experience.

By Adam Weiner

Chef Weiner continues his advice for students on selecting and maintaining knives. This month: the difference between sharpening and honing and the definition of “true.”

Last month’s article was a handout for your students on how to buy knives. This month I am giving you a handout on how to hone and sharpen knives. Next month will be on using knives, and then the fourth article will cover how to care for knives. So, cut out the below and give it to your students as part two of a four-part series on knives:

Many new cooks confuse sharpening knives with honing knives. They are not the same thing. Honing a knife puts the edge back into “true,” while sharpening a knife removes part of the metal and creates a new edge.

If you look under a microscope at a knife, you will see a lot of thin teeth, kind of like one of those cheap plastic combs. Through use and washing, the teeth get pushed out of alignment, out of true. The purpose of the steel is to bring the teeth of the knife back into alignment, back into true. If the end of the teeth becomes dull because of a lot of use or abuse, then aligning it with a steel will not help, and the knife will need to be sharpened instead.

By Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE

Turn-key teaching tools for sustainability.

As chefs, when we talk about cost, the focus is usually food and labor. Sometimes we forget about energy and water because we figure it’s a cost of doing business that’s beyond our control. You’ve probably heard me talk about the topic before, but I wanted to share my recent conversation with Richard Young and Kong Sham from Food Service Technology Center (FSTC). An unbiased research laboratory, FSTC is based in California and funded by PG&E, a major utility. As part of their work for the utility, they go into the field and help operators by auditing their facilities and showing them how to decrease their energy and water use.