Francois Dionot, founder and director of L’Academie de Cuisine based in Gaithersburg, Md., was chosen one of the 25 CEOs You Need to Know for 2010 in The Montgomery County Gazette of Politics and Business. Dionot received his award at a luncheon held on May 13 at the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring, Md. As stated by the Gazette’s publisher, “In a tough economy, a good CEO helps a company survive and a great CEO helps a company thrive.”

Dionot established the school in 1976 when gourmet cooking was becoming popular and people were teaching cooking classes out of their homes. The school has grown to include two campuses, full-time professional culinary and pastry-arts programs and more than 1,000 recreational cooking classes each year. In an industry with a reputation for chasing the latest trends, LAC has remained relevant for more than 30 years by focusing on classic French techniques. “It’s like learning to walk before you can run,” says Dionot. “Even the most progressive and innovative chefs first master the basics.”

Dionot teaches students in each phase of the professional program and counsels the students on their final project and on their externships. As a school that places each of its students in area fine-dining restaurants, pastry shops and hotels, Dionot is a major influence within the Washington, D.C., culinary community. For more info, visit www.lacademie.com.

Delmar, part of Cengage Learning and a leading provider of learning solutions for ongoing career development and education, announces the publication of Guide to Produce Identification, Fabrication, and Utilization (ISBN-13: 978-1-4354-0121-1, $58.49), a comprehensive guide to fruit and vegetables. Written by Brad Matthews and Paul Wigsten, this resource is part of the successful Kitchen Pro Series focusing on kitchen preparation skills from The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), the world’s premier culinary college, based in Hyde Park, N.Y.

Produce is a definitive manual on selection, purchasing, and fabricating produce for professional chefs, foodservice personnel, culinary students and food enthusiasts. This user-friendly, full-color resource provides practical and detailed information on product identification, seasonality, availability, proper receiving and storage, maturity and ripeness, flavor and nutrition.

Leaders of two travel and tourism giants came together for the April 5, 2010, groundbreaking of Florida International University (FIU) School of Hospitality’s new Carnival Student Center.

FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg, FIU School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Interim Dean Joan Remington and FIU Board of Trustees Chairman Albert E. Dotson, Sr., joined Carnival Cruise Lines President and CEO Gerald R. Cahill, Carnival Foundation Director Linda Coll, Carnival Sr. Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Jim Berra, guests and dignitaries to break ground on the new center on the grounds of FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus.

From high-fructose corn syrup to lactose, there are many types of sugar with varying levels of sweetness. There are also numerous widespread questions when it comes to sweeteners—from which ones are best for diabetics to which ones are said to cause cancer. The April issue of “Culinary Nutrition News: Sweeteners Exposed,” presented by the American Culinary Federation Chef & Child Foundation (CCF) and Clemson University, Clemson, S.C., answers these questions and more. Download the free article at www.acfchefs.org/CNN.

Dr. Tim Ryan, CMC, president of The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), is a new member of the James Beard Foundation's Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America. The Beard Foundation announced Ryan as one of six "Who's Who" honorees for 2010 on March 22. They will be officially inducted during the Beard Foundation's annual awards gala in New York City on Monday, May 3.

"Not only is Dr. Tim Ryan a wonderful role model for the literally thousands of students and chefs who have graduated from The Culinary Institute of America, but his distinguished career in the culinary world in America is legend," said Susan Ungaro, president of the James Beard Foundation. "A testament to his role in shaping the future great chefs of America is the fact that many James Beard Award winners are CIA graduates, including John Besh, Sara Moulton, Todd English and Alfred Portale."

The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI) announces the publication of Managing Beverage Operations, Second Edition, by Ronald F. Cichy, Ph.D., CHA Emeritus, CFBE, CHE, and Lendal Kotschevar, Ph.D. This textbook (formerly titled Managing Beverage Service) focuses on the successful elements of a beverage operation, based on research to identify those that are thriving.