The annual menu-trends survey of chefs conducted by the National Restaurant Association discovered that culinary cocktails, doughnuts and brown rice are gaining in popularity among customers, while kale salads, housemade sodas and hybrid desserts are cooling down. 

Local sourcing, environmental sustainability and healthful kids’ meals keep gaining steam as the top trends on restaurant menus in 2015, according to the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) annual What’s Hot culinary forecast.

The NRA surveyed nearly 1,300 professional chefs—members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF)—to find which foods, cuisines, beverages and culinary themes will be hot trends on restaurant menus next year.

“As consumers today increasingly incorporate restaurants into their daily lives, they want to be able to follow their personal preferences and philosophies no matter where or how they choose to dine,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research for the NRA. “So, it’s only natural that culinary themes like local sourcing, sustainability and nutrition top our list of menu trends for 2015. Those concepts are wider lifestyle choices for many Americans in other aspects of their lives that also translate into the food space.”  

15^th-annual report highlights top tastes driving the future of flavor and menu innovation.

Sparks, Md.-based McCormick & Company releases its McCormick® Flavor Forecast® 2015, highlighting eight enticing trends that will shape the future of flavor. Now in its 15^th year, the much-anticipated report drives flavor innovation and exploration throughout the food industry and in professional kitchens everywhere.

Reflecting the rapidly increasing demand for bolder, more intense flavor experiences, the McCormick Flavor Forecast 2015 pinpoints adventurous global tastes on the rise. The report also showcases new ways to elevate pantry essentials to starring roles.

AI Pittsburgh instructor Culp helped Culinary Team USA place third overall in Luxembourg, while U.S. chef-educators in individual competition represented their nation well.

Shawn Culp, CEC, department chair of culinary arts, baking/pastry and HRM at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Bridgeville, Pa., was part of the outstanding performance of ACF Culinary Team USA at the 12^th-annual Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup 2014 in Luxembourg, Nov. 22-26. Garnering two gold medals and the highest score in the cold-food competition, the ACF team representing the United States placed third overall in one of the largest international culinary competitions in the world.

Culp (pictured) and five other chefs comprising ACF Culinary Team USA competed in the hot-food kitchen Nov. 22, where they prepared a three-course dinner for 110 people in six hours. On Nov. 25, the team competed in the cold-food portion of the competition, where they presented finger foods, a cold buffet platter, starters, a three-course vegetarian menu and a pastry-arts menu and showpiece.

An award-winning pastry chef and talented baker and cake artist bring their seasonally inspired, artisanal confections to life at this Parisian-style Rhode Island bakery.

As a young teen Melissa Denmark, CC, was constantly reading cookbooks and applying what she learned in the kitchen. An avid baker, she joined a mentorship program at a French restaurant during her final year of high school. That early training led her to the pastry-arts program at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I., where she graduated summa cum laude.

After working at a Ritz-Carlton property in Florida, Denmark went on to work with a cake decorator in Maryland and for Bobolink Dairy Farm and Bakeyard in New Jersey. It was during her latter stint that she came to appreciate the importance of sustainability and using farm-raised foods.

’Tis the season, says Chef Weiner, who among other things suggests a “Build a Gingerbread House” station to raise needed funds for programs.

By Adam Weiner, CFSE

My article on teaching Thanksgiving side dishes was so well received by “Gold Medal Classroom” readers that Mary Petersen, president of CAFÉ, suggested I consider writing how to make gingerbread houses.

I toyed with this sweet suggestion (pun intended) and decided to twist it a bit. Instead of writing about how to make gingerbread houses, I am going to write how you can have fun with them, as well as possibly make some money.

First, let’s make gingerbread houses for fun.

1.Have your class make their own gingerbread houses. This is a multi-task activity that includes, among other things, baking and decorating. The easiest way to do this is to make the gingerbread pieces on one class day and assemble on the next.

In his final installment in a series on student assessment, Dr. Mayo says it is increasingly important to explain to students the criteria we use in grading. Not only does doing so make our jobs easier, but it is only fair to tell students ahead of time how they are going to be evaluated.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

Over the last three months, we have discussed the purposes of assessment and assessment methods such as keeping track of attendance, using open-book tests, administering take-home examinations, evaluating oral presentations, grading class participation and observing student performance in culinary classrooms and dining rooms. This month, we will examine assessment criteria and rubrics.

Criteria versus Methods
Many faculty members confuse assessment criteria with assessment methods, understandable since many of us were taught in situations where there were no explicit criteria and the only thing we knew was the grading mix—what percentage of the grade was based on which specific assignments. However, the world of assessment has grown immensely, and the renewed focus on outcomes has led many of us to develop a range of assessment methods and criteria.

Employers seek graduates who follow directives, have a strong foundation of technical skills and enthusiastically respond, “Yes, Chef.”  Yet knowing the “why” and “how to” is as important a skill as the actual process of completing a task.

By Paul Sorgule, MS, AAC

The intent of articles in “Think Tank” is to stimulate opinion, emotion and, most importantly, openness to creative thought. Articles over the next few months will hopefully do just that.

I encourage you to share these with your faculty and administrative staff. Solicit their thoughts and create a dialogue in preparation for the next few decades of culinary education.

The question of theory vs. practical application has been a topic of debate for quite some time. The core issue is whether or not the traditional model of education really prepares a student to be a productive and successful member of society or if the “school of hard knocks” still reigns supreme.

A free classroom offer to teach students why menuing domestically raised fish and seafood is an important way to keep both customers and the bottom line happy.

Courtesy of the National Aquaculture Association

Restaurant goers love fish and shellfish! More than two-thirds of all seafood consumption in the United States takes place outside the home. U.S. farm-raised fish and shellfish are consistent in price, quality and availability, and the predictable supply helps in menu planning and cost projection. What’s more, many U.S. farm-raised fish and shellfish are available in portion-controlled, individually quick-frozen forms that eliminate waste and ensure ease of preparation.

Buying locally farmed fish and shellfish also helps to ensure the freshness of the product and reduces the carbon footprint. This local, green connection helps to tell a story on the menu. Many restaurants purchase exclusively from one farm and use this connection as a marketing hook.

Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Los Angeles, Pasadena, Calif., is mourning the loss of a beloved educator. Chef instructor Larry Bressler, 50, and his wife, Denise, 64, passed away on Oct. 13, 2014. Bressler was a longtime instructor and friend to many at Le Cordon Bleu, known as a kind, fun-loving person with as much passion and zest for music as he had for food. He was also the general manager of Chefs Center, a commercial kitchen-rental space that helped launch many successful local businesses. From 1995 to 2003, Bressler was chef and owner of 50-seat Gerard’s, a French bistro in Riverside.

News reports allude to a fatal stabbing of the Bresslers, allegedly by a family member.

To leave comments on Bressler’s life and influence, visit www.chefs.edu/Student-Life/culinary-central/October-2014/Remembering-Chef-Larry-Bressler.

Two chefs have joined the ranks of an elite group of Certified Master Chefs (CMC) following an eight-day exam from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2. The new Certified Master Chefs are:

Jonathan Moosmiller, CMC, executive chef, Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Okla.
Daryl Shular, CMC, director of education/executive chef, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta

The current number of Certified Master Chefs in the United States is 68 following the exam. The last exam was held in 2012 at The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y., and one chef out of seven passed. Candidates for the CMC exam must possess proficiency in a broad range of styles and techniques, and have the ability to perform for eight days under extreme pressure.