The AmericAn culinAry FederATion QuArTerly For STudenTS oF cooking

s p r i n g

2012sizzle

a career in catering

Q&A withJustin Bogle

recipes for bouillabaisse

vegetarian

cuisine vegan &

4 Sizzle spring 12

Publisher American Culinary Federation, Inc.

Editor-in-Chief Leah Spellman Craig

Senior EditorKay Orde

Graphic Designer Bryan Hunt

Director of Communications Patricia A. Carroll

Contributing Editors Rob Benes

Ethel HammerKathryn Kjarsgaard

Jody Shee

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Sizzle: The American Culinary Federation Quarterly for Students of Cooking (ISSN 1548-1441), Spring Volume 9, Number 1, is owned by the American Culinary Federation, Inc., 180 Center Place Way, St. Augustine, FL 32095. Send email address changes to Sizzle at sizzlemagazine@acfchefs.net. All rights reserved. Reproduction without written permission of the publisher is forbidden. All views and opinions expressed in Sizzle are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the officers, employees, contractors or members of the American Culinary Federation.

features 18 High-Tech Restaurants

From wine lists on tablets to apps, find out how restaurants are embracing technology.

24 Beyond the Veggie Burger Learn to cater to the growing segment of American diners opting for vegetarian and vegan dishes.

30 At Your Service Looking for the right career path? Catering offers workplace variety and challenges, and the pay isn’t bad, either.

departments5 President’s Message ACF president Michael Ty, CEC, AAC, offers advice to students in the New Year.

7 Amuse-Bouche Student news & opportunities

10 Slice of Life Birmingham apprentice and career-changer Thomas Treuil takes us into the kitchens of Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa.

12 Classical V. Modern Royal Caribbean’s Molly Brandt, CEC, and Jomae Walo demonstrate

bouillabaisse, two ways.

36 Grill Houston Country Club’s Eva Castanon, CSC, opens up about her journey toward becoming a chef and the role the ACFEF Apprenticeship Program played.

38 Taste Test Job Corps students at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland get a taste of the real world cooking at Cole’s Bistro.

40 Events Save the dates for the 2012 American Culinary Federation regional conferences.

44 International Flavors Sizzle heads south of the border with Luis Amado, CEPC, as he defines the cuisine of his hometown, Guadalajara.

48 The Interview Justin Bogle may run the kitchen of Michelin-two-star restaurant Gilt in New York, but he is just a humble cook doing what he loves.

52 The Quiz Read this issue? Now test your knowledge.

53 Last Bite Boston’s best chefs offer local dining picks.

sizzleThe American Culinary Federation Quarterly for Students of Cooking

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Americans—vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters

alike—are seeking more vegetable-focused dishes

for their plentiful health benefits.

By Jody Shee

Beyond the

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Only a small group of Americans, 2 to 8 percent, consider themselves

vegetarians, according to Baltimore-based The Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG). But there is a bigger picture to examine. While a true vegetarian doesn’t eat meat at all, and a vegan goes a step further and doesn’t consume animal byproducts, such as dairy and eggs, some are “flexitarians,” or part-time vegetarians. In a spring 2011 survey, VRG found that 16 percent of respondents say more than half their meals are vegetarian, and 48 percent look for vegetarian foods.

In some culinary curricula, vegetarian cuisine is absent. But there is no doubt about it, vegetarian is a cuisine and should be studied as such, says Ron Pickarski, founder and president of vegetarian foodservice company Eco-Cuisine Inc., Boulder, Colo., which is currently working with the World Association of Chefs Societies to develop

a global Certified Vegetarian Cook (CVC) program for culinary schools.

a growing group of dinersIt’s no wonder consumers are looking at vegetarian cuisine, at least on a part-time basis, because it falls in the “healthy” category, Pickarski says, adding that about 40 percent of Americans are struggling with high cholesterol, while many others are battling heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association), which once discouraged vegetarian diets, changed its view a few years ago and now says in its vegetarian position paper, “Appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.”

As you consider your role in providing vegetarian/vegan food options in your developing career, keep in mind the types of individuals most interested in it and their reasons.

College students up to 30 years old who eat out regularly are more inclined to eat healthier, including vegetarian/vegan, says Michael Stebner, executive chef with sustainability focused True Food Kitchen, Scottsdale, Ariz. Additionally, those 50-75 years old are seeing their friends become ill and dying from heart disease, cancer or other degenerative diseases, and that’s pushing them to eat better. Finally, he notices that women ages 30-50 raising kids are also more interested in vegetarian/vegan.

True Food Kitchen, with its focus on organics and other healthful globally inspired cuisine, is gearing up to open another 24 locations, “and we need chefs,” Stebner says, hoping that culinary students will rise to the call to think about more healthful food preparations and someday come to work for the chain.

rethink menu planningWhile there are many reasons consumers shun meat, consider the middle-of-the-road healthy dining consumer and let that guide you as you plan your

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vegetarian culinary philosophy, says Pickarski. Study proteins such as tempeh, seitan, tofu types and meat analogs. Then delve right into planning appropriate entrees, which are more challenging than side dishes.

Start with vegan entrees. “If you’ve done vegan, you’ve covered all your bases,” Pickarski says. It’s easier to convert a vegan entree into vegetarian—perhaps by adding cheese later—than vice versa.

Vegan dishes can be more healthful than vegetarian, says Deborah Schneider, executive chef at SOL Mexican Cocina, Newport Beach, Calif., and author of Baja! Cooking on the Edge (Rodale Books, 2006) as well as five other books on Mexican cooking. She has seen a large increase in vegan customers, partly because cutting out dairy also eliminates a lot of fat. “Sour cream is vegetarian,” she says. “You can get as fat with dairy as with meat. People are savvier than they used to be.”

Whether vegetarian or vegan, build the meal considering the price/perceived value equation. “I need more than a grain and vegetables if you’re going to charge me more,” Pickarski says. “Focus on taking dishes that are popular meat dishes and converting them to vegetarian dishes.”

He did that with a venison dish that included a sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and a vegetable. He recreated it, replacing the venison with the vegan-appropriate seitan protein, which is derived from the protein portion of wheat. Sometimes called “wheat meat,” it is commonly eaten by Buddhist monks and has a chewy texture more similar to meat than tofu can provide.

Pickarski notes that seitan can be purchased for those who don’t want to make their own. In his venison-inspired entree, he made an 8-ounce seitan cutlet that cost 60 cents. Eight ounces of venison would have cost $8.50. “The customer loved it,” Pickarski says.

Rather than making veggie versions of American food, such as veggie burgers or veggie meatloaf, True Food Kitchen’s Stebner suggests studying Mediterranean and Japanese diets to come up with naturally vegetarian entrees that consumers will love. “With the Mediterranean diet, 80 percent of the food is vegetarian already,” he says. “Items such as hummus or roasted vegetable pizza tend to have a lot more legs with consumers.”

Learn to look at planned menu items through the eyes of a vegetarian and make sure there are no hidden forbidden ingredients in what they might

opposite: True Food Kitchen

switches up the salad menu

with this Tuscan Kale Salad.

above: Wynwood Kitchen & Bar’s

Roasted Pepper Crostini includes

shaved grana padano and

garlic/parsley marinade.

understanding vegetariansNot all vegetarians are the same, and a basic understanding of them is important. The Vegetarian Resource Group defines four types with their eating characteristics:

� Lacto-ovo vegetarian: Does not eat meat, fish or fowl. Eats dairy and egg products.

� Ovo vegetarian: Does not eat meat, fish, fowl or dairy products. Eats egg products.

� Lacto vegetarian: Does not eat meat, fish, fowl or eggs. Eats dairy products.

� Vegan: Does not eat any animal products, including meat, fish, fowl, eggs, dairy, honey, etc. Most vegans do not use any animal products such as silk, leather, wool, etc.

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follow others’ examplesAs you build your repertoire of vegetarian/vegan dishes, learn how others have found success with entire meals, components and ingredient substitutions.

For Seasons 52, Pleau says two of the flatbreads (artichoke and tomato) are popular among vegetarians, as is the Sonoma goat cheese ravioli and the steamed edamame. With the popularity of the chain’s cedar plank Atlantic salmon, Pleau has been developing what will likely be cedar plank tofu.

Pleau recommends learning food science as a critical building block. “Most of what I do is scientific when it comes to flavor matching,” he says. For example, understand food combinations that provide a safe amino acid level, such as combining whole grains and/or legumes and nuts that, when put together correctly, provide an acceptable meat replacement.

Vegetarian and vegan items on True Food Kitchen’s menu are designated for easy identi-fication. Among the most popular appetizers are edamame dumplings and herb hummus. Teriyaki brown rice bowls and spaghetti squash casserole are

perceive as vegetarian. For example, don’t use chicken stock in vegetable soup, says Cliff Pleau, senior culinary director for Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants’ Seasons 52.

Barbecue sauce is another example. Worcestershire sauce is a common ingredient, but Pleau won’t use it because it contains anchovies. For sushi, rather than using seaweed wrappers that contain vegetarian-forbidden plankton, he uses soy wrappers.

Consider a viewpoint of building the plate according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans in which fruits and vegetables make up half the plate, says Schneider with SOL Mexican Cocina, adding that most global-cuisine cooks consider meat a garnish or afterthought. “We take meat and put things around it. We should completely reverse that.”

top: Season 52’s artichoke

flatbread is a favorite

vegetarian item.

bottom: This Whole Grain

Hot Cereal at True Food

Kitchen uses coconut milk,

making it a vegan-friendly

brunch dish.

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Jody Shee, an Olathe, Kan.-based freelance writer and editor, previously was editor of a foodservice magazine. She has 20 years of food writing experience and writes the blog www.sheefood.com.

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popular entrees, Stebner says. The rice bowls combine Asian vegetables, sesame and avocado, with topping choices of tofu, chicken or steak. The spaghetti squash casserole was developed for the chain by its menu partner Dr. Andrew Weil, an anti-inflammatory diet advocate. The dish combines squash with herbs, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini, fresh mozzarella cheese and Parmesan, and is baked.

On the Latin-influenced tapas menu at Verdad Restaurant and Tequila Bar, Bryn Mawr, Pa., paellas are common. One of the most popular versions is executive chef Nick Farina’s vegetable paella. He uses tempura batter to coat portabello mushrooms, which are used in place of meat.

Another qualifying vegetarian favorite at Verdad is the hot, sweet, creamy and crunchy strawberry habeñero guacamole. Farina notes that when you’re developing recipes, pack as much flavor into a few bites as possible. It’s easy to reach for cheese or butter, but with vegan cuisine, you can’t do that. He suggests eating some of your favorite foods with your eyes closed, trying to visualize different ways to achieve the flavor profiles that will fit within vegetarian/vegan guidelines.

Serving the haute Miami scene, executive chef Miguel Aguilar at Wynwood Kitchen & Bar works to present a menu that doesn’t leave guests feeling overwhelmed. He offers a vegetable menu section that is heavy only on flavor. He roasts shiitake mushrooms with truffle oil and crispy shallots for layers and textures. He also presents Flash Fried Bok Choy with soy/garlic dressing and Brussels sprouts with bacon and caramelized onions.

Aguilar’s overall strategy with vegetables is to first flash- blanch them in salty water to begin the flavor process. Then shock them in cold water or ice. Finally, he pan-sears or fries the vegetables with caramelized onions to further enhance flavor.

He recommends planting a vegetable and herb garden to learn everything possible about them as plate ingredients. The handiness of the vegetables will also make experimentation easy.

where do i start?Follow these tips to begin paying attention to vegetarian and vegan diners:

1. “Plan now to build menus around what other people want, not what you like to prepare.” —Miguel Aguilar, executive chef, Wynwood Kitchen & Bar, Miami

2. “Travel to other countries for lessons in diversity. Most other diets are more vegetable-oriented.” —Cliff Pleau, senior culinary director, Seasons 52, Orlando, Fla.

3. “Recognize that in any dining group, the person with diet restrictions decides where to go. Their needs have to be met.” —Nick Farina, executive chef, Verdad Restaurant and Tequila Bar, Bryn Mawr, Pa.

4. “Venture into more nutritional vegetarian/vegan appropriate ingredients such as mangosteen, buckthorn and agave nectar.”—Michael Stebner, executive chef, True Food Kitchen, Scottsdale, Ariz.

5. “Turn all your plans around and begin meal planning with vegetables rather than with protein.” —Deborah Schneider, executive chef, SOL Mexican Cocina, Newport Beach, Calif.

REcipE! Try this vegan cake recipe from the Origial Dinerant.

trends vegan cake

[vegan] cakea piece of

Sally BowersPastry ChefThe Original DinerantPortland, Ore.

ingredients: 3 cups flour2 cups sugar¾ cup cocoa2 t. baking soda1 t. salt2 t. vanilla extract1½ T. vinegar (white distilled or apple cider)

½ cup vegetable oil2 cups water

Method: Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt in large mixing bowl. Add vanilla, vinegar, vegetable oil and water. Whisk until lumps are gone. Grease three 9-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Divide batter evenly among pans. Bake at 325°F for 12-15 minutes or until skewer comes out mostly clean. Vanilla Version: Try a vanilla bean version of the cake by omitting cocoa and replacing vanilla extract with vanilla bean paste.

The cake served at The Original Dinerant in downtown Portland,

Ore., is so delicious, some guests don’t even know it’s vegan, says pastry chef Sally Bowers. She uses the same basic dairy- and egg-free batter for layered cakes, cupcakes and crumb cakes in both chocolate and vanilla bean flavors. Her secret? Oil. She recom-mends vegetable, canola or grapeseed oil, as they don’t have much flavor. The oil makes the cake moist. “Don’t overmix it, though,” she says. “Or it will be dense and not very pleasing.” Here, she shares her recipe.

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