By Victor J. McNulty

To the ACCSC’s Instructor of the Year, a bad student is any good teacher’s job. The trick is to inspire the uninspired.

Gordon Ramsay aside, the days of screaming chefs ruling with an iron fist over the kitchen kingdom has pretty much ended, in the U.S., anyway. We now live in a litigious/PC society where such behavior can get you into hot water, pun intended. If the chef should raise his or her voice, throw an item or mention an employee’s questionable upbringing, the ensuing results would not be worth the momentary satisfaction.

Most people are not motivated negatively, or at least not motivated to please their aggressor. They may even be driven to quit, steal, complain to a superior, vandalize, contact agencies like the Department of Labor and the Better Business Bureau, fist-fight or the crème de la crème (pun fully intended) of contacting the dreaded harassment lawyer. I’ve seen all the above.

Sullivan University’s Derek Spendlove succeeds Guggenmos as chair; rest of commission named.

Derek Spendlove, CEPC, CCE, AAC, baking-and-pastry-arts chair for the National Center for Hospitality Studies (NCHS) at Sullivan University, Louisville, Ky., has been named chair of the American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF) Certification Commission and will assume the position’s responsibilities on Jan. 15, 2010. Spendlove will replace current chair Karl J. Guggenmos, AAC, University Dean of Culinary Education, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I., who will remain on the commission as past chair.

By Douglas L. Alley

When we work together, the foodservice workplace provides many opportunities to do well by doing good.

The ancient fable of stone soup recounts the story of three hungry travelers who come upon a small town, plagued by years of war and meager harvest. Having not even enough for themselves, the villagers urge the travelers to move on without ceasing. "We have nothing for you,” they say.

By Edward Korry, CWE, CSS

Here’s what every wine server should know.

When making suggestions to guests, get a sense of the kinds of wines they enjoy to avoid making needless suggestions. The server should be very familiar with the establishment’s wine list. If a wine is unavailable, the guest should be informed prior to making a selection. The server should observe the following procedures:

By Lynn Schwartz

What’s the difference between a private chef and a personal chef? Audrey Heckwolf of Grand Rapids Community College, who cooked for a Fortune 500 family, can tell you.

Private chef and personal chef are titles that evoke “glamour job” images—globetrotting with celebrity employers and preparing ultra-luxe dinners for very important people. But do we really understand what these jobs entail? Audrey Heckwolf, a former private chef, says, “Most chefs don’t know. And they don’t know the difference between a private and personal chef. This is a growing part of the culinary industry. Chefs need to educate each other and their clients about the differences.”

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

Knowing how to prepare the different stages of a fried egg is an important task that can easily be taught to your class in your culinary lab.

Eggs are among the most versatile and nutritious foods. In addition, eggs possess many qualities that make them indispensible in the kitchen. It is important for students to know how to cook eggs, a skill that is not as simple as it may seem.

This downloadable lesson plan in MS Word provides egg nutrition, fried-egg descriptions and cooking methods. Focuses of study include explaining the differences between the five types of fried eggs, demonstrating how to cook the five types, and sharing why knowing how to fry an egg is important in the foodservice industry. An egg lab instructs on having students prepare and plate the various types of fried eggs.

By Dr. Fred Mayo, CHE, CHT

The more you establish your expectation of participation and help students reach it, the better the learning experience for all.

One of the most challenging aspects of teaching is getting our students involved in class discussion and other class activities. Sometimes, they are shy or reluctant because of fear of not being articulate or making errors; other times their cultural backgrounds limit their willingness to participate in active discussions. They may also be anxious about appearing stupid or afraid they may not understand. Since we know that students who use ideas and discuss them tend to learn and remember them better, this issue of Mayo’s Clinics provides four suggestions about this dimension of teaching.

By Wendy Gay, CHE

It’s easier to teach how to set the table and serve the guest than to teach the emotional skills of being passionate, caring, hard-working and intelligent.

Teaching front of the house to culinary students can be a very interesting proposition. Most students come to school to learn to cook, “not,” as more than one student has retorted, “to act like some kind of server.” We have some students who resent and resist being outside the kitchen. “I’m going to be a chef like those guys on TV. What do I need to know about table service?”

By Adam Weiner

Letting students fail a few times before showing them the tricks of the trade will make them more receptive.

I teach my students that there are five Ps to professional cooking: Planning, Preparation, Presentation, Passion and Pride. Last year in the January/February issue I wrote about presentation, so I am a bit out of order on how to teach planning.

By Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE

NRA’s latest “What’s Hot” survey lists “local” and “sustainable” as the biggest menu trends.

The National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) annual survey of more than 1,800 professional chef members of the American Culinary Federation reveals that local sourcing of ingredients and sustainability will be the hottest trends on restaurant menus in 2010. Locally grown produce, locally sourced meats and seafood, sustainability and locally produced wine and beer top the list of nearly 215 items in the “What’s Hot in 2010” survey.