A simple concept conceived by the School of Culinary Arts at Kendall College turned out to be a powerful tool with which to teach culinary-arts students how to achieve impeccable flavor in every dish.

By Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, HAAC

TAAT^© is a major initiative that the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts launched in 2007. On the surface, it seems like a pretty obvious and maybe unnecessary teaching tool. After all, everyone tastes the food they eat, at least in theory. Certainly, one would assume that those studying the culinary arts would taste their food. Based on my experience in culinary education over the last decade, however, I am convinced that these assumptions are false. That is where TAAT is proving powerful.

Tasting involves more than ingesting food. True critical tasting involves more than simply declaring one’s like or dislike for a particular food or dish. Tasting in the professional sense involves work and contemplation, which then ideally leads to action. I believe that this lack of taste training is part of American culture. Students in America are schooled to critically think about art and music, but curiously not in the culinary arts, where they should also critically develop their senses of smell and taste. This method instills that analytical rationale in our students.

Hand pies are the latest incarnation in the mini-dessert trend, crêpes add adventure to diners’ repertoires, and nuts, dessert butters and spoonables are big.

The Food Channel® (foodchannel.com) in February released its “Top Ten Dessert Trends for 2014,”sponsored by Otis Spunkmeyer®. The popular annual report looks at market trends around sweets and treats. Based on research conducted in conjunction with CultureWaves®, the list identifies the significant behaviors of consumers, foodservice professionals and manufacturers, with original recipes and photographs to illustrate each trend.

The Food Channel Top 10 Dessert Trends for 2014 are:

Mark Ladner, executive chef of Del Posto in New York, tells CIA grads to always be students and remain curious.

Mark Ladner, executive chef and partner of the Michelin-starred Del Posto and two other Italian restaurants in New York City, delivered the commencement address at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, N.Y., on Feb. 7. He told the 46 graduates that he pursued a career in culinary arts after he “discovered” chickpeas at a restaurant salad bar as a child and thought, “What else is out there that I haven’t tried?”

“As you start your journey, don’t lose sight of what inspired you to start to cook,” Ladner advised recipients of associate degrees in culinary arts and baking and pastry arts. “Don’t forget your chickpea. Continue to be curious. Choose to always be a student, because the most wonderful epiphany can be found around any corner.”

In the culinary world, learning the “how” and its many variations is a critical part of students’ education. One way to teach curiosity is to capitalize on the five “W”s.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Last month, we discussed the habit of curiosity and ways that it can change how students pursue their education and develop as professionals. This month and next, we will review a range of strategies for encouraging curiosity with various teaching strategies and learning activities.

Basic Standards
One part of our challenge in educating and training students in culinary and hospitality programs comes from teaching them basic information while getting them to think about what they are learning and challenge it in a way that builds their long-term creativity. Our challenge as teachers involves helping them learn and practice being curious while accepting and learning from standard and useful ways of preparing and serving food.

For starters, temperature and heat are not the same thing. When is convection mechanical, and when is it natural? And is food cooked by radiation harmful? Chef Weiner explains why all culinary students should understand the basic science behind critical processes in the kitchen.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

Last month I raised the debate about teaching cooking science to students. My personal opinion is that there are a few science principles students need to know:

1. The only way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than you burn. I realize that this is not technically cooking science. However, more and more pressure is being foisted upon the foodservice industry to help solve the obesity crisis. Students must be taught that sooner or later, they, their families and the customers of where they work must pay the piper when it comes to calories—and that this is a matter of personal responsibility.