Olson Communications, a full-service agency that specializes in delivering innovative marketing-communication strategy to its portfolio of select food-industry clients, announces the winning recipients of its fourth-annual Chefs of Tomorrow™ grant program for culinary educators.

Dana Cox, a chef instructor at the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts at 900 N. North Branch Street, was selected among greater Chicago postsecondary culinary educators to receive a $1,500 grant from Olson Communications’ Chefs of Tomorrow™ initiative based on juried review of her application and essay.  Cox will use the grant to visit heirloom-grain farms in Illinois and South Carolina as research for a book she’s writing on her 12-month experiment of eating only foods grown on family farms. (She currently is eight months into her endeavor.)

Kendall College School of Culinary Arts student Uyen (Nina) Nguyen won the Michelin Scholarship for Culinary Excellence. The scholarship program is sponsored by Michelin, publisher of the world-renowned restaurant rating systems and guide. Nguyen received a $5,000 culinary scholarship and a stage at her choice of the chef judges’ establishments. The student competition, hosted by Kendall College on May 23, was evaluated by top Chicago chefs, whose restaurants are featured in The MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2011, as well as by surprise celebrity chef Eric Ripert from New York City.

Twelve students each prepared one of five famous dishes from legendary Chicago restaurants using their own methods and techniques. The contestants chose dishes from restaurants recognized by Michelin in The MICHELIN Guide Chicago 2011: The Purple Pig (Bib Gourmand), Blackbird (one Michelin star), NAHA (one Michelin star), Spiaggia (one Michelin star) and Avenues (two Michelin stars).

Nguyen, a 23-year-old international student from Vietnam, prepared her rendition of Pig’s Tails Braised in Balsamic from The Purple Pig. She will graduate from Kendall in December 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management and already received her associate degree in culinary arts in September 2010.

America's premier lifestyle authority advised graduates of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) that generosity and hard work will be the secret to their success. Martha Stewart delivered the commencement address at the CIA on Friday, April 15, 2011. During the ceremonies, CIA President Dr. Tim Ryan, CMC, bestowed the college's Master of the Aesthetics of Gastronomy award upon Stewart and presented her with a personalized CIA chef's jacket.

"There is no room in the world of food for stinginess. The greatest chefs and restaurateurs share their knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm for good food and wine every day," said Stewart to recipients of associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. "That generosity of spirit is absolutely imperative with what you are going to be doing."

On May 5 at the second-annual Taste of Derby, three Sullivan University students participated in a burger competition sponsored by Creekstone Farms. Chef judges Bobby Flay, Kent Rathbun and Jo-Jo Doyle awarded Kara Schnaus the $5,000 scholarship prize for her Kara’s B-5 Burger. The original recipe featured Creekstone Farms Black Angus ground chuck seasoned with garlic and jalapeño, spicy mayonnaise, caramelized onions and Swiss cheese served on an onion poppy-seed bun.

Schnaus, a fourth-quarter student at Sullivan, is from Sellersburg, Ind. Her husband is retired from the military and they have four children and one grandchild. She beat out fellow contestants Jeff Roszkowski and Gary Bajdek, who along with Schnaus won their spots in the final cook-off during a preliminary competition at Sullivan University. The three contestants were given a pantry of items and 30 minutes during the Taste of Derby celebration to create their signature burgers.

Pictured: Celebrity chef judge Bobby Flay and Sullivan University student Kara Schnaus.

By Mike Roman

Despite the challenges, we take joy in producing them.

It’s very easy to be a great wedding caterer. All you really need is a talented catering team, empathy, patience and a genie’s magic lamp. You need access to this lantern simply because most caterers get hit with some very challenging “wishes” from the bride, mother of the bride and every vendor associated with the wedding before, during and even after the wedding day.

Sadly, caterers don’t have access to a magic lamp; they must face a constant level of pressure on them while catering this emotion-filled event. Weddings can bring out the worst in customers. They really can’t help themselves because there are no do-overs in weddings. When the chocolate wedding cake promised turns out to be a carrot wedding cake upon cutting, there is no pause button to hit to create the time you need to  make things right.

Foodchannel.com predicts the latest evolutions in the sweet world of desserts.

According to the latest dessert-trends survey by The Food Channel^®, more than 80% of respondents have dessert at least once a week, while more than a quarter enjoy it every day. Surprisingly, more than 50% of respondents said they usually make desserts from scratch, with more than 60% saying they make desserts the same way their grandmother did, agreeing it’s all about taste without compromise. Only 26% said they use “light,” low-fat or fat-free ingredients when preparing desserts.

New USDA guidelines lower pork cooking temperature by 15 degrees Fahrenheit, to the delight of chefs and consumers throughout America.

New cooking guidelines from the nation's food-safety agency confirm Pork Checkoff research that shows pork can be consumed safely when cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F, followed by a three-minute rest time. The guidelines were announced in May by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS).

The Culinary Institute of America launches Healthy Flavors, Healthy Kids, a national culinary leadership initiative.

A White House chef and a USDA official were among the many children’s nutrition, school foodservice and culinary leaders who presented at the CIA's Healthy Flavors, Healthy Kids National Leadership Summit at the college’s San Antonio, Texas, campus May 11-13.

Healthy Flavors, Healthy Kids, an invitation-only event held in conjunction with the National Restaurant Association, brought together 200 diverse professionals from around the country, including Sam Kass, assistant White House chef and senior policy advisor for healthy food initiatives, and Dr. Janey Thornton, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for food, nutrition and consumer services. Attendees discussed and debated a wide range of issues impacting the quality and flavor of foods for children.

By Chef Colin Roche, MBA, CEC, CCE, FMP, CHE

Plants often have beautiful colors that add interest and appeal to meals. Their pigments, however, are affected by acid and alkaline, so care should be taken to cook them properly.

Here is an experiment you can do in your culinary labs to show students the effects of acid and alkaline on vegetable pigment.

The Lesson: “Alkalis / Acid Experiment” 

Directions: Break the class into groups and have them gather the following vegetables. (Instructor should demonstrate how to prep each product.)

Disparate mindsets of post-recession consumers will shape restaurant-industry recovery and growth, reports NPD.

Consumers are of two different mindsets when it comes to spending—those who cannot spend freely and those who can—and the dichotomy between these two mindsets will shape the restaurant industry now and into the future, according to new foodservice market research by The NPD Group, a leading market-research company.

The recently-released report, entitled “The Changing Consumer Mindset: What it Means to the Restaurant Industry,” shows the broad-reaching effects the recession had on consumer behavior and thinking and the difference between consumers who are more cautious and control their spending and those who are optimistic and feel economically stable.