By Adam Weiner, CFSE

Chef Weiner suggests five steps to help students overcome their reticence toward baking.

Teaching baking in 50 minutes has some unique challenges. But it is more challenging to realize that we are teaching a generation who have not only grown up without seeing their parents bake from scratch, but have also grown up not seeing their grandparents bake from scratch. With Betty Crocker's first cake mix coming out in 1943, baking from scratch at home has become a lost art.

Fortunately, baking at home and in restaurants is making a comeback. However, we have to help our students overcome their shyness of baking. Here is a proposed 5-Step Program:

1. Start Simple and without Explanation. Divide your students into groups, give each group the same chocolate-chip-cookie recipe, and have them go at it. Stand back and don't get involved. Each group will produce a very different-looking and tasting cookie.

Courtesy of the American Lamb Board

Barbecuing lamb brings together a richly flavored, homegrown product and one of America’s specialty cooking methods. It also helps teach our students about cuts of lamb that they may not often cook.

The term barbecue is somewhat confusing. To many in the United States it refers to outdoor cooking in general. To others, it conjures up images of putting burgers or steaks on the grill. For culinarians and many of those who live in the south, barbecuing refers to a very specific cooking method where low, indirect heat is used to slow cook full-flavored and tougher cuts of meat. Often the heat comes from burning wood, so a rich smoky flavor is infused into the meat. Various cuts of lamb are ideal for this cooking method and yield up some really tasty treats.

By Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE

Colorado State University’s hospitality-management program wins the third-annual CAFÉ/Kendall College Green Award.

From procurement to recycling and composting waste, from introductory classes to senior seminar, for the Colorado State University (CSU) Hospitality Management Program at Fort Collins, Colo., sustainability is always at the forefront of decision-making.

In recognition of those efforts, the program was presented with the 2011 CAFÉ/Kendall College Green Award at the recent CAFÉ Leadership Conference in Providence, R.I. The award included $1,000 from Kendall College, free registration at the conference and a commemorative plaque.

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.