develop business skills

vegetable rediscovery menu trend

explore the cuisine of England

The AmericAn culinAry FederATion QuArTerly For STudenTS oF cooking

Spring

2014sizzle

22 2816

facebook.com/ACFChefs @acfchefs

2 Sizzle Spring 14

Publisher American Culinary Federation, Inc.

Editor-in-Chief Jody Shee

Senior EditorKay Orde

Senior Graphic Designer David Ristau

Graphic Designer Caralyn Farrell

Director of Communications Patricia A. Carroll

Contributing Editors Rob Benes

Suzanne HallEthel Hammer

Karen Weisberg

Direct all editorial, advertising and subscription inquiries to:

American Culinary Federation, Inc.180 Center Place WaySt. Augustine, FL 32095

(800) 624-9458sizzlemagazine@acfchefs.net

Subscribe to Sizzle: www.acfchefs.org/sizzle

For information about ACF certification and membership,

go to www.acfchefs.org.

Sizzle: The American Culinary Federation Quarterly for Students of Cooking (ISSN 1548-1441), Spring Volume 11, 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.

features16 Minding Your Own

Business Skills Beyond cooking, plan to learn as much as you can

about spreadsheets, profit-and-loss statements, math, computer programs and marketing in order to succeed.

22 Veggie Invasion Vegetables are becoming increasingly important on

restaurant menus, especially as variety expands and consumers become more health-conscious.

28 Food Companies Hire Chefs Discover why the employee turnover rate is so low among chefs who work in corporate

positions for food manufacturers.

departments4 President’s Message ACF president Tom Macrina, CEC, CCA, AAC, discusses seizing all opportunities.

6 Amuse-Bouche Student news, opportunities and more.

8 Slice of Life Jennifer Heggen walks us through a memorable day in her internship as pastry commis

at Thomas Keller Restaurant Group’s Bouchon Bistro/Bakery in Yountville, Calif.

10 Classical V. Modern Edward G. Leonard, CMC, WGMC, FSP, AAC, and Pietro Vitelli, CCE, demonstrate

the perennial Italian favorite meal, osso buco with gremolata and risotto alla Milanese, two ways. Learn the basic procedures, then try it for yourself.

34 By Degrees Kevin C. Clarke, CCE, JD, shows how to make gnocchi piedmontese.

36 Events Save the dates for the 2014 American Culinary Federation regional conferences.

40 International Flavors Suzanne Campbell, CEC, discusses the nuances of the cuisine from her native

Cumbria, England.

44 The Interview Award-winning Denver chef Jennifer Jasinski explains how working for Wolfgang Puck

for 11 years helped to shape her career.

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

49 Last Bite Portland, Ore., chefs offer local dining picks.

sizzleThe American culinary Federation Quarterly for Students of cooking

Cover photo by

Visual Cuisines

• Chefsrevealtheirbestcareer-beginningdecisions.

• Learnthelatestsnacktrends.

• Discoverwhatittakestorunafoodtruck.

NExt iSSuE

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PrESiDENt’S mESSAGE seize all opportunities

president’smessage

Seize All OpportunitiesBy Tom Macrina, CEC, CCA, AAC

Hello, young culinarians,

Spring is just around the corner, closer than you think. Soon it will be time to start planting your garden. Spring is a wonderful time in the culinary world. Why don’t you consider doing your part? Plant some sort of vegetables or herbs in your dorm room or apartment. Actually, it would be great if, at your school, you could have a part in maintaining a sustainable future for all of us.

I know that many of you are getting ready for the 2014 ACF conferences and competitions: the Baron H. Galand Culinary Knowledge Bowl, Student Team Championship and Student Chef of the Year. I applaud all of you who take the time to

My door is always open. I encourage you to email me at tmacrina@acfchefs.net with any questions or comments.

In closing, congratulations to those of you who are graduating this year. What a great accomplishment.

Sincerely,

tom macrina, CEC, CCA, AAC National PresidentAmerican Culinary FederationProduct Specialist manager/ Food Fanatics™ Chef uS Foods, inc., Philadelphia

be part of this great learning experience. This year’s national convention will be in Kansas City, Mo., and we have held student registration rates the same as last year. The national convention is a great opportunity for you to network with some of the country’s top chefs. It will be loaded with education, food and fun. Let’s leave the politics at home and embrace the future.

Please take a fresh look at ACF’s resources, which are available for your benefit. We are updating the web page to include more information on jobs and current cooking trends. Check it out from time to time, as it will take about six months to fully update the site.

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For more information on Publix and other employment opportunities, visit publix.jobs Publix is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce

6 Sizzle Spring 14

AmuSE-bouChE news & opportunities

amuse-boucheNews & Opportunities

foodservice editorial scholarshipPatricia Dahms (right), a student at Oregon Culinary Institute, Portland, Ore., was awarded the $1,500 Anita Fial Scholarship at the International Foodservice Editorial Council (IFEC) conference in Portland in October 2013. The scholarship was established in honor of retired IFEC member Anita Fial (left) and is awarded each year to a culinary student in the host city of IFEC’s annual conference.

The 2014 IFEC conference will be held in Dallas in November. Culinary students in the Dallas/Fort Worth area can apply for the scholarship by contacting the IFEC office (ifec@aol.com) or Jason Stemm at PadillaCRT ( Jason.stemm@padillacrt.com).

gluten-free figuresThe article “Gluten-Free Succeeds” in the winter 2013 issue of Sizzle stated, “The threshold for gluten intolerance is 25 micrograms of gluten a day…” For

clarification, in August 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration defined gluten-free as food items containing less than 20 parts per million of gluten.

2015 Bocuse d’Or USA Team AnnouncedPhilip Tessier (right), executive sous chef at The French Laundry, Yountville, Calif., and his commis Skylar Stover, chef de partie, are going for gold. The pair was chosen by the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation’s board of directors to represent the U.S. at the World Cooking Contest in Lyon, France, in 2015. The Bocuse d’Or is among the most demanding international cooking competitions, pitting chefs from 24 countries against one another in a 5½-hour cooking challenge in front of thousands of cheering fans.

As they train for the competition, follow the team’s progress on the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation’s Facebook Page or via @BocusedOrUSA on Twitter and Instagram.

7www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

Winners of the regional cold-food presentations will move on to the hot-food tryout at the 2014 ACF National Convention in Kansas City, Mo., July 25-29.

Once members of the 2016 youth team are named, they can expect to join ACF Culinary National Team USA at practices in August and begin their quest for gold in 2016. Those trying out at their regional conferences are as follows.

� Western Regional Conference, Oakland, Calif., March 3: Daniel Acuna, CC, Megan Bamford, Alex Dispence, CC, and Joshua Page, all line cooks at The Vintage Club, Indian Wells, Calif.; and Scott Seeberger, student ambassador, Oregon Coast Culinary Institute, Coos Bay, Ore.

� Central Regional Conference, St. Louis, March 17: Kristyn Jean Chatlosh, student, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, Ill.

� Northeast Regional Conference, Providence, R.I., April 12: Brett Brennan, CC, sous chef, Oshun, Buffalo, N.Y.; Tracy Morris, line cook, The Vintage Club; Jesus Olmedo, line cook, Somerset Club, Boston; and Trae Shriner, student ambassador, Oregon Coast Culinary Institute.

� Southeast Regional Conference, Charleston, S.C., April 27: Derek Colglazier, line cook, Cherokee Town and Country Club, Atlanta; Jordon Gardiner, fish cook, Zebra Restaurant and Fine Catering, Charlotte, N.C.; and Lydia Ross, CC, teaching assistant, Johnson & Wales University, Charlotte, N.C.

above: J. Kevin Walker, CMC, AAC

hot themesThe National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot in 2014 Culinary Forecast provides a snapshot of what nearly 1,300 chef-members of the American Culinary Federation ranked as the predicted hot themes for this year in foods, cuisines, beverages and culinary, per a survey conducted in fall 2013. Notice the top 10 hottest trends:

1. Locally sourced meats and seafood2. Locally grown produce3. Environmental sustainability4. Healthful kids’ meals5. Gluten-free cuisine6. Hyper-local sourcing (e.g., restaurant gardens)7. Children’s nutrition8. Non-wheat noodles/pasta (e.g. quinoa, rice, buckwheat)9. Sustainable seafood10. Farm/estate branded items

if it quacks like a duck…It must be a duck recipe contest. Culinary students are invited to enter the 2014 Discover Duck Recipe Contest sponsored by Maple Leaf Farms Inc. But a warning, the recipe must include a Maple Leaf Farms White Pekin duck product, and it must present the duck in a nontraditional way. In other words, get creative and don’t submit a recipe for roasted whole duck or sauteed and sauced duck breast. “Boring!” says the company.

Students can submit up to three recipes, but only one prize will be awarded to a contestant. The recipes can be for any part of a meal, such as soup, sandwich, salad, appetizer, entree or dessert. The entry deadline is June 6, 2014, for a chance to win the $2,500 cash grand prize or one of four $500 cash prizes.

For more information or to enter the contest, visit www.mapleleaffarms.com/chefcontest.

AmuSE-bouChE news & opportunities

tryouts are on for 2016 ACF Culinary Youth Team USA

Thirteen cooks have accepted the challenge and are trying out for a spot on 2016 ACF Culinary Youth Team USA. After the tryouts, five cooks and two alternates will be named to the youth team that will compete at the 2016 Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung in Erfurt, Germany.

Candidates were chosen following a rigorous application process in which, for the first time, individuals were allowed to try out. Previously, culinary school teams tried out. To complete the application process, the chosen candidates will present a cold-food platter at their respective 2014 ACF regional conferences.

The tryout format change was made to allow every student ACF member who met the application criteria an opportunity to get involved, says J. Kevin Walker, CMC, AAC, ACF Culinary Youth Team USA manager. “We realize that this new format does present some challenges, but we feel that it gives us the best opportunity to include as many young members as possible in the process.”

The judges will be looking for more than technique and skill. “What is important is attitude, passion, energy and a willingness to learn,” says Walker. “The youth team is just that, a team, and we must make sure that all members understand that their success relies on everyone working together.”

4 pm3 pm

8 Sizzle Spring 14

SliCE oF liFE jennifer heggen

slice of lifeJennifer Heggen

internshipIn November 2013, I completed a 2 ½–month internship as pastry commis at Thomas Keller Restaurant Group’s French inspired Bouchon Bistro/Bakery, Yountville, Calif. This was my goal on entering culinary school, and I was lucky enough to relocate to Napa Valley for the internship. In addition to bakery items, the pastry team prepares desserts for Bouchon Bistro, a one-star Michelin-rated restaurant.

most interesting lesson learnedI learned how to work with a sense of urgency at all times. Bouchon Bakery has incredible production requirements, serving up to 1,000 people a day from an extremely small kitchen with only one 20-rack oven. I learned a tremendous amount about organization, time management and production.

career plansMy current plans are to open a bakery/bistro in Missoula within the next 18 months.

age45

education1993 graduate of the University of Montana, Missoula, with a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication and a minor in German; 2013 graduate of Missoula College, Missoula, culinary arts program.

why there?I attended Missoula College Culinary Arts program because it was convenient, affordable and had a small class size.

3:00 p.m.I select a Bouchon Bakery chef

jacket and blue apron, clock in

and clear the station before setting

up for production. My list of tasks

includes scaling, mixing and scooping

1.5-times the chocolate chunk recipe,

cutting nutter cookies and getting all

the baked goods prepared and baked

for tomorrow. My goal is to have all

viennoiserie items on the rack, double-

wrapped in plastic, before 3:40.

3:40 p.m.I’m done and ready to roll the

20-rack viennoiserie items

into the oven room. I organize

items so that the bake can be

accomplished in two rounds

of oven use. I’m mindful that

I must share oven time with

the bread team.

5 pm 8 pm 9 pm 11 pm10 pm7 pm6 pm

9www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

7:00 p.m.It’s time to clean up

my station and scale

the chocolate chunk

recipe. I arrange to

use the 80-quart

Hobart mixer. I can

use it anytime before

8:30 p.m.

8:00 p.m.I mix the dough and set it aside to

scoop. My teammates are going

to help scoop. I bake off the

remaining goods. I need to free

up the oven as soon as possible.

4:15 p.m.Time to prepare for piping. There

are only 450 bouchons to pipe

today, easily done in 30 minutes,

but the family meal is at 4:30, so

I need to ask a teammate to get

a plate for me. My fellow chefs

are always willing to assist, and

the sense of family is strong.

Dinner can wait, covered, under

the prep area, until my first rack

is in the oven.

6:00 p.m.I scale cornbread,

mix muffins and

prep coffeecakes

and scones.

9:00 p.m.I consolidate all goods and finish with sugars and glazes. All the

baked goods are placed on a 20-rack, covered in plastic, and the

rack is rolled into the retail area. It’s time to make and store the 62

fruit croissants for the morning crew to bake, then, I have to cut

440 nutter cookies. I can only get to 220. The rest will have to wait.

5:30 p.m.My first baking rack

is in the oven with

312 cookies and 450

bouchons. I take10

minutes to eat my

family meal, bangers

and mash with salad.

Tasty. I find another

rack, prep more

sheet trays and start

preparing the 223

muffins, coffeecakes,

bread puddings

and scones. Eight

minutes into baking,

I need to round the

cookies. I also need

to make a sheet tray

of cornbread for the

family meal tomorrow.

10:30 p.m.It’s time to clean up. I

scrub all surfaces and oil

the tables, getting things

“Thomas Keller clean.”

I grab a family meal and

clock out by 11:30 p.m.

5:35 p.m.The cookie/bouchon rack is done.

I consolidate product. The bread

team needs my baking rack.

4:00 p.m.I am dragged off my

station to the employee

area along with all chefs

and front-of-house staff

from the Bistro and Bakery.

Champagne flutes are

set up and a bucket of

champagne is chilling. I

am confused and worried,

because my timeline is

tight. The next thing I know,

general manager and chef

Michael Sandoval offers

up a toast to the entire

staff for again receiving a

one-star Michelin rating.

The French Laundry also

received its three stars. It is

a proud time to be part of

the Bouchon family.

Jennifer Heggen

became expert at

making bouchons.

10 Sizzle Spring 14

he says. A slice of crusty bread to smother the seasoned marrow and soak up the sauce is a true Italian touch.

Vitelli is happy to share a classic recipe for Veal Osso Buco with Gremolata and Risotto alla Milanese, something he believes is important for culinary students to learn for the multiple techniques required to master it.

The dish’s classic comfort-food moorings might make it off-limits to contemporary tweaks, something Edward G. Leonard, CMC, WGMC, FSP, AAC, founder of Chef Edward’s Restaurant Group, LLC, Chicago, didn’t take lightly when he developed his modern rendition, Veal Osso Buco Sous Vide with Gremolata-Stuffed Parsnip “Bones” and Risotto alla Milanese.

The challenge with modern cuisine, Leonard says, is keeping the foundation true to the original flavor profiles, which is where knowledge, education and craftsmanship

To an Italian, osso buco is the ultimate comfort food. The slow-braised

veal shanks make mouths water and stomachs rumble while waiting for the dish to finally emerge from the oven. It’s one of those dishes that everyone is at the table on time for, says Pietro Vitelli, CCE, a culinary instructor at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, Scottsdale, Ariz., and a first-generation Italian. He identifies it as a Northern Italy Lombardian dish that is incomplete without gremolata and risotto.

To most cooks, veal shanks are not an everyday item. The muscle is tough and dense, containing collagen, requiring braising to tenderize. In Vitelli’s estimation, the aromatics of the mirepoix along with the acidity of the tomatoes and white wine bring together a tender, succulent meal. Risotto complements the osso buco with a hint of saffron. “But the prize of the dish lies in the gremolata and the bone marrow, which enrich and season the meal,”

ClASSiCAl v. moDErN osso buco

classical v. modern

top: Edward G. Leonard

bottom: Pietro Vitelli

are essential. “You cannot jump into sous vide, molecular and other styles of cuisine without understanding solid cooking methodology and flavor profiles that are not only done with seasonings, aromatics and spices, but also by proper cooking.”

In his modern dish, Leonard examined each classic ingredient and asked if there was a way to improve on it. For example, he used cake flour rather than all-purpose flour to coat the veal shanks and didn’t resort to basic salt and pepper to season, choosing kosher salt and black Tellicherry peppercorns instead.

Braising is the customary method to tenderize the veal shanks, which Leonard kept intact. But he took his version a step further by slicing and portioning the braised meat and applying the sous vide method of tenderizing.

His end result is likely to hit the spot and then some with any osso-buco-loving diner.

11www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

vEAl oSSo buCo SouS viDE with GrEmolAtA-StuFFED PArSNiP “boNES” AND riSotto AllA milANESE 1. While

the veal is braised in traditional fashion, the osso buco gets

further attention by slicing and portioning the meat and

applying the sous vide method of tenderizing. 2. A unique

component of the modern version is this mock bone, which

is a gremolata-stuffed parsnip. The parsnip is peeled, cut

and shaped into marrow "bones," center punched and

cooked in broth before it is stuffed. 3. Rather than using

arborio rice, the modern risotto version is made with vialone

nano rice. The recipe also is unique with the addition of

grapeseed oil and heavy cream. The rectangle shape of

the rice presentation is achieved with the use of a template.

modernvEAl oSSo buCo with GrEmolAtA AND riSotto AllA milANESE 1. It takes at least 2½ hours to braise

the veal shanks. To check for tenderness, insert a clean

fork through the veal shank meat. There should be no

resistance. 2. The osso buco is topped with gremolata

made with lemon peel, garlic, parsley and anchovies.

3. The recipe gets much of its flavor from the risotto

ingredients, which, among other things, features the bone

marrow and crushed saffron. For added richness, the

risotto is finished with butter and Parmesan cheese. But

the real key to success is constant stirring of the rice to

pull all the starch out.

classical

12 Sizzle Spring 14

osso Bucoingredients:4 veal shanks, cut 2½ inchesSalt and pepper, to season Flour, to coat 4 T. butter1 cup small-diced onion½ cup small-diced celery½ cup small-diced carrot1 garlic clove, sliced¼ cup olive oil1 cup dry white wine1½ cups white stock2 bay leaves1 sprig fresh thyme1½ cups canned tomatoes, peeled, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Veal osso Buco with gremolata and risotto alla milanese yield: 4 servings

method:1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Tie veal

shanks firmly with butcher’s twine. Season with salt and pepper; dredge in flour.

2. Heat large skillet; add enough olive oil to cover bottom of pan and brown veal shank. Turn on all sides; add oil, as needed.

3. Select shallow braising pan large enough to fit veal shanks snuggly. Place pan on moderate heat; melt butter. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Stir occasionally for about 10 minutes until vegetables achieve a little color. Reserve.

4. Add browned veal shanks to braising pan. Deglaze skillet with wine; remove fond. Add deglazed fond, stock, tomatoes, thyme and bay leaves to braising pan. Bring to a boil.

5. Cover and place in oven for approximately 2½ hours or until fork-tender (larger shanks may take longer). To check for tenderness, insert clean fork through veal shank meat. There should be no resistance.

6. Once tender, carefully remove osso buco from braising pan. Reserve, covered.

7. With spoon, push sauce though chinois into saucepan. Reduce by half.

8. Season; reserve.

gremolataingredients:1 T. finely chopped lemon peel 1 t. minced garlic3 T. chopped parsley2 anchovy fillets, finely chopped

method:Combine all ingredients; reserve for service.

risotto alla milaneseingredients:3 cups chicken stock2 T. butter2 oz. onion, minced¼ cup veal bone marrow, sliced1 cup arborio rice¼ cup white wine1∕8 t. crushed saffron2 T. butter, softened¼ cup Parmesan cheeseSalt and pepper, to taste

method:1. In saucepot, bring chicken

stock to a simmer; keep over low heat.

2. In saute pan on medium heat, melt butter. Sweat onion (no color).

3. Once onion is translucent, add sliced bone marrow and rice. Stir rice to coat with fat.

4. Add wine; continue to stir until absorbed.

5. Gradually add stock in 2- to 3-oz. increments. Stir rice continuously until stock is absorbed.

6. Add saffron; add another 2-3 oz. stock. Stir until absorbed. Continue process until rice is cooked al dente. Finish rice with softened butter and Parmesan cheese; season with salt and pepper.

to serve:1. Place one portion risotto

alla Milanese on bottom of casserole dish.

2. Place osso buco on top of risotto, sauce, and top with gremolata and bone marrow.

3. Serve with bone marrow fork.

classicalPietro Vitelli says he isn’t looking for any particular future culinary destination. He simply loves the journey he is on—cooking everything he can. But part of his journey may lead to CMC heights, as he is currently seeking a Certified Master Chef candidacy.

In 1993, he graduated from The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y., where he was part of the Mid Hudson Culinary Association culinary team that earned a gold medal in New York State and a silver medal in the Northeast regionals. Later he went on to earn a Bachelor of Business Administration Management from American InterContinental University online.

Vitelli spent his culinary career working in the greater Phoenix area at the likes of John Gardiner’s Tennis Ranch and Lon’s at the Hermosa before joining the staff at Le Cordon Bleu six years ago.

He loves competing, and in June 2012, he was part of the hot-food category gold-medal-winning Team Le Cordon Bleu USA, led by Edward Leonard, competing in Beijing at the First International Culinary Competition. Vitelli is head coach for his school’s student team, which earned a bronze medal in 2013 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, at the ACF Western Regional Conference.

Describing his classic Veal Osso Buco with Gremolata and Risotto alla Milanese recipe, Vitelli notes that bone marrow is a necessary part of the dish, for its rich flavor. And the dish would not be authentic or as tasty without gremolata with its palate-cleansing parsley and salty anchovies.

Knowing that these flavors will be brought to the dish later, he warns against over-seasoning the veal shanks

with salt before braising them. “The dish has to be approached correctly in the beginning, because you’ll taste it in the end,” he says.

He believes culinary students need to develop braising experience as well as using less-common cuts of meat such as veal shanks.

There’s also a key to risotto success, which is constant stirring. “This pulls all the starch out of that short-grain rice. When you do that and use the right amount of liquid, you get a beautiful, silky finish. I seldom finish with butter. Butter is not what the dish is about,” he says.

Vitelli’s greatest advice for those who would make osso buco is to have patience. “People think there’s something wrong with Italians. We take too long to cook our food. You’re hungry, and you want to eat. But it’s worth the wait. Get quality ingredients, and take the time to cook correctly,” he says.

ClASSiCAl v. moDErN osso buco

14 Sizzle Spring 14

modernEdward Leonard has had a long and successful foodservice career with many memorable moments, including on stage cooking, sharing his passion or accepting an award in the U.S., Europe or Asia. He managed ACF Culinary Team USA from 1998 to 2008, leading a team of U.S. chefs to cook on an international stage every four years in Germany at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung (IKA) International Culinary Exhibition, also known as the “culinary Olympics.” He notes that one of his proudest moments was standing on the stage in 2004 at the IKA seeing and hearing the national anthem played as Team USA won the world championship in the hot-food competition.

More recently, in November 2013, Leonard was team captain of the ACF culinary competition team that received a gold medal at the Dubai World Hospitality Championship 2013, which gave the U.S. second place overall in the international competition.

Back in the U.S., Leonard is distinguished as 2001-05 ACF national president, and is one of only 67 Certified Master Chefs in the U.S.

His biggest career highlight, he says, is seeing the success of others who, in a small, medium or large way, he’s been able to influence, open a door for, coach or mentor, providing them with an opportunity to succeed. “Touching lives is the greatest medal you can garner,” he says.

There’s only one imaginable achievement left—to have a restaurant for which he works receive a Michelin star.

For his modern Veal Osso Buco Sous Vide with Gremolata-Stuffed Parsnip “Bones” and Risotto alla Milanese recipe, Leonard chose to adhere to the standard cooking and braising process,

but then raised the bar by compressing the meat using sous vide and adding toasted garlic and kale chips.

“Once you understand the cuisine and master the basic competencies, then the creative process has a solid foundation from which to work, and you can produce food that is worth experiencing,” he says.

With a firm grasp of what is sensible yet creative, his modern recipe features a parsnip that is cut and cooked to look like a bone. “I carved the marrow bone out of parsnip, poached it in veal broth and butter, then mixed the gremolata with bone marrow from the original marrow bones and filled the parsnip ‘bone,’” he says.

He believes the bonus of his version is the ease with which the customer can eat it. There is nothing complicated about anything on the plate. It keeps intact the spirit and flavor of traditional osso buco, but with subtle twists.

osso Bucoingredients:4 Strauss veal shanks, cut 2½-3 inches

Kosher salt and black tellicherry peppercorns,ground, to season

Cake flour, to coat2 T. butter 2 T. olive oil1 cup small-diced sweet onion 2∕3 cup small-diced carrot1 garlic clove, sliced½ cup small-diced celery1 cup italian tomato puree passata

¾ cup dry white wine

Veal osso Buco Sous Vide with gremolata-Stuffed Parsnip “Bones” and risotto alla milaneseyield: 4 servings

3 cups veal stock1 sprig fresh thyme2 bay leaves2 parsnips, peeled, cut and shaped into marrow “bones,” center punched

2 cups chicken or veal broth3 T. cold butterGarlic and kale chips for garnish

method:1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Tie

veal shanks firmly with butcher’s twine. Season with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour; shake off excess.

2. Heat large stainless steel skillet; add butter and olive oil. Brown veal shanks on both sides. Reserve

3. Add more olive oil, if needed. Brown onion, carrot and garlic 6-10 minutes. Add celery and tomato puree; cook 2-3 minutes. Add white wine; simmer 2-3 minutes.

4. Add shanks and stock with thyme and bay leaves; bring to a simmer. Cover. Put in oven; cook 3-3½ hours, until tender.

5. Bring veal or chicken broth to a simmer in stainless steel saucepan; add parsnip “bone.” Cook until just tender. Remove from broth; prepare to fill.

6. When shanks are tender, remove cover. Increase oven temperature to 425°F; cook additional 20 minutes.

7. Remove osso buco; cool slightly. Slice all meat from bones. Remove bone marrow; reserve. Place shank meat in stainless steel bowl.

8. Place pan on burner. Reduce stock by one-third. Put in blender; puree. Whisk in cold butter.

9. Fold half sauce into shank meat; season. Portion into vacuum bags. Compress in vacuum pack machine as directed by machine instructions. Keep warm in warmer box or circulator.

gremolataingredients:1 T. minced lemon zest1 t. minced garlic3 T. chopped italian parsleybone marrow from shank bones

method:Combine all ingredients well. Stuff in parsnip “bones.”

risotto alla milaneseingredients:2 T. butter1 T. grapeseed oil1 large shallot, minced1 cup vialone nano rice¼ cup white wine3 cups chicken broth (rich quality—hot)

1∕6 t. (approximately) crushed Spanish saffron

¼ cup heavy cream3 T. cold diced butter¼ cup aged Parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

method:1. In stainless steel heavy pan,

add oil and butter; sweat shallots.

2. Add rice. Stir with wooden spoon until rice is coated with fat.

3. Deglaze rice with wine. Cook on medium heat; continue to stir until wine is absorbed.

4. Add half the broth; stir continuously until absorbed. Add remaining broth and saffron.

5. Continue cooking and stirring until rice is creamy and al dente.

6. Fold in cream, cold butter and cheese; season with kosher salt and pepper, to taste.

to serve:Using template and offset spatula, place risotto on plate; spread. Open bag of braised osso buco; place on risotto base. Drizzle with sauce and extra virgin olive oil; place parsnip on plate. Top with garlic and kale chips.

ClASSiCAl v. moDErN osso buco

While in school, take advantage of every business-learning resource and opportunity. It will come in handy later. // by Karen Weisberg

Minding Your Own Business Skills

Bravo! Your escargots would earn a grudging “excellent” from Escoffier, your rabbit adobo stew should rate a rousing cheer from Rick Bayless,

and Julia Child might well have celebrated your version of her iconic coq au vin. But it’s no secret that in today’s professional world, being a good cook is not enough to ensure success.

Someday your charge may also include managing day-to-day activities as well as planning and achieving long-term operational goals. Business skills are essential.

SpreadsheetsFor starters: “The Excel spreadsheet is probably the most important document in your entire career—almost more important than your menu,” says Jeremy Ashby, executive chef at AZUR Restaurant & Patio, Louisville, Ky. He is one of four owners of the AZUR Restaurant Group, also serving as executive chef for the enterprise.

18 Sizzle Spring 14

Mine the ComputerKnowledge of computer programs is vastly important, says Brian Sonoskus, who, for the past 13 years, has served as executive chef of Tupelo Honey Cafe, Asheville, N.C., a growing chain of seven casual-dining certified-green restaurants.

PowerPoint is one program he urges students to master to create compelling presentations. He notes that Microsoft provides online tutorials. “When we’re going to meetings, frequently, we’re in different cities, yet we have to present pictures and graphs,” he says. All Tupelo Honey Cafe’s recipes, plating and procedure training is available to staff as PowerPoint presentations.

For the purpose of training new hires, Sonoskus often relies on back-office restaurant software WhenToManage, which provides time- and money-saving applications, including employee scheduling, inventory management and point-of-sale connections linking multiple locations and different POS systems. “We put our food costs/schedules/training

A proponent of the Excel spreadsheet, he says, “It tells you everything about your menu—your costs, purveyors, etc. It’s the source-code for everything you do.”

He clearly recalls taking a menu planning and cost control course and getting a spreadsheet from the restaurant where he worked. He suggests asking the chef at your venue for a copy of the Excel spreadsheet, and then playing with it for a bit until you fully understand it.

Someone may have to explain how to read a financial statement to help you understand how operating expenses affect the bottom line. You may think you’re running certain costs, but you have to get your profit and loss (P&L) statements (i.e., income statements and balance sheet) within 10 days of the first of the month, he says. “It’s the only way you can properly navigate your company in the right direction—it shows you a snapshot so you can react quickly to rectify a problem.”

Brand MarketingMarketing is another competency high on Ashby’s list of need-to-have business skills. When he’s not at the restaurant, he might be hosting the local radio program, “Sunny Side Up,” or be in the midst of shooting the hometown television show, “Food News and Chews.” Both shows are designed to promote restaurants, chefs, farmers, food and community growth in the Bluegrass Region, as well as the Ashby and AZUR brands.

He suggests social networking with your closest friends, family and culinary school friends. Pair up with a blogger. Feed freelance writers who can spread the attributes of your dishes. Ultimately, find a way to stand out from the crowd.

Jeremy Ashby, executive chef at AZUr restaurant & patio, Louisville, Ky., offers these business-cost tips and goals to keep in mind as a benchmark for when you launch your career.

Labor costs should run between 18% and 22%, not including management.

Food costs should not exceed 38%. “You may be taught that food cost should be about 32%, but there’s another way to look at the bottom line,” Ashby says. if, for example, an elk rack has a food cost of 50%, but you can make $22.50 each time you sell it, you have to take into account how the menu will perform. How many chicken dishes with an 18% food cost will you sell versus the elk rack with the 50% food cost? grasping that can take some time, but you’ll see it on the profit-and-loss statement.

Count your Costs

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19www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

materials, etc., out there and give new hires the password. We tell them to go home and educate themselves at night regarding who we are [as a company] and what we do,” he says.

Vendors also have computer programs to master. For example, Sonoskus uses Sysco’s Windstar program (designed by Inventory Systems Software). He simply types in an ingredient to find a current price. Simultaneously, prices of all recipes and menu items are updated in seconds. It previously took an entire day to check price fluctuations by going through back invoices. Now it’s all done automatically by computer.

It may have saved him enough time to create his second cookbook, Tupelo Honey Cafe: New Southern Flavors from the Blue Ridge Mountains, slated for publication in spring 2014 by Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Get Over Math PhobiaAssociate professor Alisa Neuneker, MS, CHE, The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y., teaches a management accounting class and a foodservice technology course, helping students see the bigger picture of how to mesh culinary skills with such business skills as controlling food and beverage costs, pricing menu items and controlling labor and other operating expenses.

Although she finds such computer programs as Excel spreadsheets to be “great low-cost tools,” she understands that many students have a math phobia. She tells them that if they want a business to be successful, or if they want to move up to a management position,

they have to know the business. Her goal is to always clarify the “why.”

To that end, for most culinary students, Neuneker advocates the more hands-on, active-learning simulation applications. “We do have a simulated type of activity in our financial accounting class where, for example, they can enter an electric bill or a food bill from a vendor to see what happens to their financial statements when they do that. It kind of makes it fun,” she says.

Neuneker believes that students not only need to take culinary and business courses, they need to have good work experiences where they can find a mentor. “To have a mentor, formal or informal, is so helpful in bridging some of those gaps. Actually, part of our curriculum is a great externship program plus a faculty/alumni mentor program,” she says.

above: Leadership

skills are necessary to

conduct pre-service

staff meetings, as does

Jeremy Ashby, executive

chef at AZUR Restaurant

& Patio, Louisville, Ky.

opposite right: Elise

Wiggins, executive chef

and a proprietor of

Panzano, Denver. Photo

by Dusty Volkel

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20 Sizzle Spring 14

top: Brian Sonoskus (center), executive

chef at Tupelo Honey Cafe, Asheville, N.C.,

and staff. Photo by Lynne Caldwell

bottom: Alisa Neuneker, MS, CHE, associate

professor at The Culinary Institute of

America, Hyde Park, N.Y.

New York-based award-winning journalist Karen weisberg has covered the issues and luminaries of the food-and-beverage world—both commercial and noncommercial—for more than 25 years.

Manage PeopleLearning how to manage restaurant staff is one of the most important yet hardest skills to master, says Elise Wiggins, who, for the past decade, has served as executive chef and a proprietor of 260-seat Panzano, Denver.

You don’t need the recipe to bake humble pie, but you do need to swallow your pride, remove your ego from the table, then “eat” some, at least figuratively, she says.

In every location she has worked, Wiggins has polished her people-management skills by watching and listening to more-experienced chefs.

The challenge is that everyone wants to be liked, and many chefs have a hard time, because, often, emotion is involved.

Everyone wants to be perceived as a nice person, Wiggins says. “But you need your staff to execute the dish just like you do. Your job is to make sure they execute to the highest level, and you have to know how to handle that emotional part of it.”

To find a mentor chef to help teach these things, Wiggins suggests drawing up a short list of the most successful chefs in town, preferably those in business awhile and operating multiple locations. That probably indicates the chef is a good trainer who can get people to perform. Ask that chef what time you can come and shadow him/her. Then take the wisdom you learn and continuously practice it, Wiggins says. Admit to the chef that you don’t know everything, and he or she will give you the world. Every chef—and people in general—love people who are humble.

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BusIness resourCesSubscribe to and read a variety of trade magazines, including:

� restaurant Startup & growth (Helping Restaurants Profit and Grow) (www.rsgmag.com)

� Nation’s Restaurant News (www.nrn.com) � Food Management (www.food-

management.com) � PLATE (www.plateonline.com) � To find a more thorough list of foodservice

trade magazines, visit the international Foodservice Editorial Council website, www.ifeconline.com, and click on the tab “who belongs?”

Take advantage of the national restaurant Association’s business tools and opportunities:

� Attend the annual national restaurant Association restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show held in Chicago each May (http://show.restaurant.org/Home).

� Management development program (http://managefirst.restaurant.org):The program equips students with the key competencies they need to begin or advance their management careers in the foodservice industry.

� ProStart (www.nraef.org/prostart): Learn more about the national restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s two-year program for high school students that teaches culinary and management skills.

� Operations (www.restaurant.org/Manage-My-Restaurant/Operations): Find resources to help make a business run smoothly, productively and profitably.

� Marketing & Sales (www.restaurant.org/Manage-My-Restaurant/Marketing-Sales): Learn about resources to help engage with customers and drive profitable traffic to the restaurant with actionable ideas and common-sense tactics.

� Control Food Costs (www.restaurant.org/Manage-My-restaurant/Food-nutrition/Cost-Management/To-control-food-costs,-start-at-the-cook-line) Discover proven tips to control food costs.

The National Culinary Review

The National Culinary Review™ (NCR), a benefit of membership and available by paid subscription, publishes 10 times annually. In each issue you’ll find articles on:

OFFICIAL MAGAZ I N E OF TH E AM E R ICAN CU LI NARY FE DE RATION

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D I G I T A L

INDUSTRY NEWS

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MENU TRENDS

RECIPES

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…AND MORE

Take a look inside NCR’s latest issue at WWW.NCRDIGITAL.COM.

G E T T H E L AT E S T T R E N D S W I T HNExt iSSuE

By Rob Benes

Vegetables give chefs limitless cooking possibilities.

Veggie inVasion

Vegetable offerings on restaurant menus have jumped 11% nationally

during the past three years. Additionally, 67% of Americans say a vegetable meal can be just as satisfying as a nonveggie version. Impressive among vegetables is kale, which has seen a remarkable 400% increase in mentions on restaurant menus over the past five years, according to Chicago-based research company Technomic.

In 2013, USA Today reported that restaurants of all stripes are starting to take vegetables seriously. Applebee’s now serves 40% of its kids’ meals with veggies; just a few years ago, 80% of its kids’ meals came with fries.

“This is a game changer for chefs,” says Jeff O’Neill, executive chef for Porcão Farm to Grill, Miami. “It’s not just that guests are expecting to see attractive and flavorful produce, chefs want to cook with the items, too, because there’s so much more and new produce available.”

Potatoes have even turned trendy. Some 43% of consumers say they increased their potato consumption in 2012. In fact, 46% say they eat potatoes several times a week, and 14% eat them daily or more than once a day, according to Chicago research firm Datassential.

Operators have noticed the pop in potato interest. “Potato-concept” restaurants have become a new fast-casual category, with restaurant menus

built around french fries and baked potatoes, both of which can include a variety of toppings and flavors.

popular for good reasonThere’s been a change in social consciousness regarding produce on the restaurant plate. It’s moving away from its previous status as afterthought, served on the side of the dish with a protein. This shift in thinking has been greatly influenced by the foodservice industry, with help from the media, cooking shows and celebrity chefs.

“The general public, too, is far more sophisticated in its knowledge of different varieties of produce and

Heirloom beet salad

with Winesap apples,

pine nut butter, house-

made yogurt and

borscht sauce.

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Meanwhile, global gastronomy is influencing consumers. Cuisine in the U.S. previously was driven by middle-European cooking. Now Latin American, Asian and Southern Mediterranean cuisines, where fresh produce plays an important role, have growing influence.

The produce supply side also has made it easier for restaurants to serve produce by offering convenient fresh-cut, ready-to-use products, which help reduce labor and minimize injury.

wake up to a better breakfastBreakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day. Those who travel for business or pleasure often find it difficult to find both healthy and flavorful foods. This presents an opportunity for restaurants to step up.

“Being a hotel visited by travelers, we see more of a demand to have a menu that does not include the same type of fare that can be found across the country,” says Kyle Rourke, executive chef at Red Star Tavern & Roast House, Portland, Ore. He takes traditional recipes and makes them over with fresh produce at center stage.

Eggs Benedict is one item on many breakfast menus coast to coast—prepared with pretty much the same ingredients: English muffin, ham or bacon, poached egg and hollandaise

how to prepare them,” says Bryan Silbermann, president and CEO of the Produce Marketing Association, Newark, Del.

Produce not only provides flavor to recipes, it adds color, texture and freshness. Produce also helps balance food costs, especially at a time when protein costs, especially for beef, are on the rise.

When unusual or exotic vegetables are mentioned on the menu, slightly higher prices are justifiable. Mushrooms are one example. White button mushrooms used to be the norm, but now available are such exotic varieties as black trumpets, chanterelles, hedgehogs, morels, yellow foot, hen of the woods, Trumpet Royale, nebrodini bianco and hon-shimeji. “These so-called newly found mushrooms add a perceived value to a recipe that guests are willing to pay extra for,” Silbermann says.

25www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

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opposite: Potato and

Provencal vegetable tart is a

great way to feature end-of-

summer vegetables, which

could include alternating thin

layers of potatoes with late-

season eggplant, zucchini,

tomatoes and sweet peppers.

above: Griddled corn

cakes topped with shaved

raw and pickled seasonal

vegetables, fresh ricotta and

roasted shiitake mushroom

vinaigrette, can be ordered

as a main entree or a shared

side at Porcão Farm to Grill.

sauce. For his Healthy Benedict, Rourke deconstructs the recipe by showcasing charred cherry tomatoes, diced avocado and a poached egg, all resting in a pool of salsa verde.

He also features a breakfast option called To Be Frank, made with egg whites, wilted greens, cherry tomatoes, avocado, caramelized onions and quinoa. Red Star Quiche features black kale, cheese, caramelized onions and bacon. “People have choices on where they can stay when traveling,” Rourke says. “We want to offer traditional items, but with ingredients that are not the norm and a bit healthier.”

bring it for dinnerLater in the day, produce can elevate dinner selections and make them equal to any protein choice. “The less you do to vegetables, the better they are to eat,” O’Neill says.

To showcase fresh produce, Porcão Farm to Grill has a “Tableside Farmcart,” a rolling raw-food cart that servers push around the dining room to each table. Guests choose from an array of items picked that day from local farms, such as crudités, mixed lettuces and herbs.

The dinner menu also boasts “Farm Yield Veg & Starch,” where guests choose a protein and specially prepared vegetable. Examples could be a 6-ounce Florida lobster tail paired with braised greens, roasted asparagus, roasted carrots, roasted cauliflower or another choice. “We put as much thought into the vegetables as we do with preparing proteins,” O’Neill says.

For example, the restaurant offers griddled corn cakes available as a main entree or a shared side. The corn cakes are made with fresh corn, shredded Monterey Jack, chopped onion and corn flour pancake batter.

26 Sizzle Spring 14

cuts fresh carrots and braises them in the reduction, which infuses concentrated carrot sweetness and creates a velvety sauce.

Another restaurant trend is turning vegetables into an entree. AQ Restaurant in San Francisco turns kohlrabi, a brawny German turnip, into kohlrabi bourguignon with notes of horseradish, star anise and red wine sauce.

Superba Snack Bar, Venice, Calif., offers a cauliflower T-bone. It’s a massive slice of the vegetable—thick-cut like a porterhouse—seasoned with a puree of basil, citrus and olives, then seared.

grow a gardenIncreasingly, restaurants supply their growing need for fresh produce by becoming landowners and part-time farmers. Bagby Restaurant Group owns Cunningham Farms in Baltimore County, Md., which is managed by hired farmers.

The farm evolved when the group’s owner Blake Smith grasped guest interest in fresh, locally grown healthy food. The 80-acre farm grows 15 varieties of tomatoes, 18 other crops, three types of edible flowers and 13 herb varieties, as well as raises chickens, all to supply its restaurants. “We focus on specific items, such as sun gold tomatoes, sugar snap peas, leaf lettuces and microgreens,” Becker says.

The dish comes topped with shaved raw and pickled seasonal vegetables, fresh ricotta and roasted shiitake mushroom vinaigrette.

Baltimore’s Fleet Street Kitchen allows guests to create their own four-course tasting menu that includes a first course, vegetable, main dish and dessert. While the first course, main dish and dessert can be viewed as traditional fare, the vegetable choices go a step further. “Fresh produce challenges chefs to cook items in new ways, as well as allowing for unique plating ideas,” says Chris Becker, chief operations officer for Bagby Restaurant Group and executive chef for Fleet Street Kitchen. “With every new season, there’s a new set of challenges with a new crop.” In winter 2013, a few options included salt-roasted celery root with apple butter, toasted walnuts and herb broth; roasted butternut squash with spiced yogurt, pine nut butter and granola; mushroom stew with a poached farm egg, ricotta gnudi and pine nuts; and roasted sweet potato with smoked apple, maple pecans and a black pepper gastrique.

For one dish, Becker pairs seared halibut with braised carrots, and the carrot preparation is what makes the dish a top-seller, he says. He juices enough carrots to obtain two quarts of liquid, which he reduces to one cup. He emulsifies butter into the reduction and adds freshly squeezed lime. He then peels and

27www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

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top: The Healthy Benedict

served at Red Star Tavern

& Roast House showcases

charred cherry tomatoes,

diced avocado and a

poached egg all resting in

a pool of salsa verde.

bottom: English pea soup

with ricotta, mint, prosciutto

powder, pea tapenade

and prosciutto tuile.

snacktrends

NExt iSSuE

He and his executive chef team meet regularly with the farmers to discuss how crops are growing and production levels, and to get a sense of how they can develop and introduce new recipes.

Porcão Farm to Grill’s O’Neill says students need to go on field trips to farms to see what’s in the ground before items are picked. “Don’t wait until the produce order is delivered

to your back door to look at the vegetables. Go to the source, see the items firsthand and talk to the people who are doing the growing—the farmer could be the best teacher.”

rob benes, a Chicago-based journalist, has 11 years of experience writing about chefs, food, wine and spirits for trade, educational and consumer publications.

let the kids eat wellKids’ menus are changing in restaurants, with fewer fried foods and more fruits and vegetables. in light of the growing childhood-obesity crisis, restaurants have developed menu items that are not only healthy for kids, but also look and taste great.

� Healthful kids’ meals is the fourth hottest menu trend, according to the national restaurant Association’s (NRA) What’s Hot in 2014 Culinary Forecast. Children’s nutrition is no. 7 on the top 20 trends list.

� nrA’s Kids LiveWell program addresses healthy eating for children and enlists more than 41,000 locations of major quick-serves.

� ruby Tuesday allows kids to swap out the standard side of fries for grapes, fresh grilled zucchini, apples, fresh green beans, broccoli or mashed potatoes.

� rainforest Café menus grilled chicken paired with banana and water; Castaway Kid’s cheese pizza paired with carrot sticks and apple juice; and python pasta with marinara sauce paired with applesauce and water.

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C orporate chefs working for food manufacturers love their jobs. They speak of teamwork and a family atmosphere. They

like the satisfaction of knowing that they are helping their fellow chefs in restaurants, schools and health care facilities create delicious and nutritious dishes. Their jobs pay well. And while travel often is part of the job, they still have time for family and outside activities.

job descriptionThere’s no single job description for a food-company chef. Duties and responsibilities vary from company to company and position to position.

Michael Holleman, for example, is director of culinary development at InHarvest, Bemidji, Minn. The company markets specialty grains, beans and other products. Holleman oversees the company’s culinary solutions center with its team of three chefs. His varied responsibilities include new-product development, creating recipes and introducing the company’s products to new customers. He travels to visit customers and attend trade shows. Above all, he is the face of InHarvest to customers.

Barry Miles joined Kraft Foodservice, Northfield, Ill., four years ago as corporate executive chef. Today he is senior corporate chef, providing culinary support for a number of

Some chefs make a satisfying career working for food-product manufacturers.

by Suzanne Hall

Aspire to Food Company Positions

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ofInHarvest

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30 Sizzle Spring 14

into the kitchen, it’s usually because a regional account or a corporate distributor is visiting. “Ultimately, my goal is to provide operators with the tools to create great meals and make money or save money,” he says.

Not long after graduating from Chicago’s Kendall College in 2007, Yury Krasilovsky was offered a three-month training program, then a full-time job as chef-specialist, at pasta company Barilla America Inc., Bannockburn, Ill. He works directly with Barilla’s executive chef and is responsible for developing recipes for websites, print ads and in-store promotions. He also collaborates with other food-company chefs to jointly develop ideas for Barilla pasta products.

Like other chefs in the food-company segment, he works in support of R&D, marketing and public relations. “My days are quite varied,” he says. “I could be working in the kitchen, training customers how to use our products or traveling to a trade show.”

Monica Coulter started in the convenience stores and foodservice business segment of General Mills, Plymouth, Minn., 10 years ago doing taste tests. Today, she’s one of about a dozen corporate chefs. Her primary focus is K-12 school foodservice and health care facilities. A former pastry chef, her duties now include introducing hot, individually wrapped breakfast items and other products that can go into cafeteria ovens. “I walk operators through the process of how to use them,” she says. She also participates in

Kraft brands for such national accounts as Brinker, Burger King and Subway. His background is in fine dining, but he says he’s done just about everything, including cleaning grease traps. Today, 95% of his time is spent cooking, usually for customers. He reports to the culinary director as part of a team that includes interns, sous chefs and corporate executive chefs. He travels to

visit customers and participate in trade shows. A “big part of my

job is to stay on top of the trends,”

he says.

Training is a big part of David Jetter’s job as corporate chef for Tyson Food Service, Springdale, Ark. He is responsible for everything culinary in the foodservice distribution area. “While I am the only chef in foodservice distribution, we have a research and development (R&D) staff that includes food scientists, culinologists and chefs. I am lucky enough to work with them on a daily basis,” he says. He works out of the marketing department and spends much of his time training salespeople, brokers and others to introduce Tyson products to operators, as well as assisting in new-product R&D. And, while he does develop recipes for some larger regional or national accounts, mainly, he offers inspiration. When his job takes him

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31www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

industry conferences, often showing hotel chefs how to use General Mills products that are being served during conference meals and breaks. She likes that her job provides the opportunity to use her experience and especially her education.

how to get readyMore is better when it comes to education, food-company chefs say. Culinary training is the first step. Beyond that, courses in food science and business are important. A bachelor’s degree is a plus. “Corporations like people with bachelor’s degrees,” says Coulter. Hers is from The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y. She also has master’s degrees in nutrition and food science.

Krasilovsky earned his culinary bachelor’s degree at Kendall College. Recently, he completed his MBA

in management. “For me, the MBA was important,” he says. “When I first started attending meetings with Barilla’s marketing people, I didn’t understand the numbers and many terms. Knowing about food is not enough in this job. You need to understand business.” He advises culinary students to get a two-year culinary degree, a bachelor’s in food science, then an MBA in management or another area of business.

Jetter agrees that knowing how to cook is not enough. Chefs working for manufacturers or distributors also have to know how to build a business. “You must be a business person,” he says.

At the very least, students should take as many food science and business courses in culinary school as they can. “They need to pay attention in those classes. Some students tend to think they are less important than the cooking classes. They aren’t,” Krasilovsky says.

previous spread: 1. InHarvest's Ruby

Wild Blend combines Colusari™

Red Rice, sprouted red rice, wild rice,

sprouted brown rice and long-grain

brown rice. Photo by InHarvest/Rob

Yuretich 2. InHarvest's Jason Ziobrowski,

CEC, (left) corporate chef, Eastern

region, and Michael Holleman, director

of culinary development, are among

the team of chefs working in the

company's culinary solutions center.

this spread, from far left: 1. Baked

ravioli 2. Neapolitan pizza; photo by

Jane Armstrong Photography 3. Barry

Miles, senior corporate chef at Kraft

Foodservice, provides culinary support

for a number of Kraft brands for several

large national foodservice accounts.

research chefs association can lead the wayStudents interested in the corporate food-company world should consider joining the Research Chefs Association (RCA), Atlanta. Some 300 of its 2,000 members are students. The association attracts chefs, food scientists and other industry professionals in food R&D. The group coined the word Culinology® to express the relationship between food and science.

Student dues are $30 a year, and discounts are offered for rCA events, including the association’s annual conference. Student membership benefits include:

� A student advisory program � Scholarship opportunities � Certified Culinology® degree programs � Continuing education programs � Annual student Culinology®

competition � internship postings � poster presentations

For more information, visit rCA’s website, www.culinology.org/students.

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And, says Miles, “You have to be part salesperson, 100% a team player and keep your ego in check.”

the bottom lineAlthough most corporate chefs have several years of experience, some food companies have a few lower-level positions, such as technicians in R&D, available to young culinarians just out of school. Trained cooks also may be hired as salespeople. In general, though, finding and preparing for a job in the corporate world takes time. But those who make the effort say it’s more than worth it. Regular hours are a main attraction. Unless they are traveling, and traveling can be 30% or more of the job, chefs work a 40-hour week with most nights, weekends and holidays free. That appealed to Miles, who left fine dining partly because he has two young sons. Krasilovsky made the move so he would have time for a family in the future.

The travel can be a deal-breaker for some looking to work in the corporate world. Holleman logged about 75,000 miles in 2013. The chefs who report to him travel as much or more. They visit customers and work at food shows, often for five days at a time. Some travel is out of the country. “In the beginning, it sounds exciting, but it really isn’t,” Holleman says. “It’s tiring and hard work. When hiring, we look for those who are willing to travel and can make the necessary arrangements at home to be away.”

Travel is not necessarily bad, though. Minnesota-based Coulter spent several

After or during formal education, potential food-company chefs need to get hands-on experience. Before they can develop products for and communicate with chefs in the field, they need to know what it’s like out there. “Working somewhere in a restaurant for a couple of years is good preparation for R&D and other corporate responsibilities,” Miles says. “It’s hard to get into the corporate world. The job is so good, people stay.”

In addition to having the right education, those who are successful in the corporate food-company world tend to have an outgoing personality. “Part of the fun of my job is winning people over. You have to be a people person,” Coulter says.

“I look for chefs who can walk into any environment, read the room and know how to act and react to get our message across,” Holleman says.

looking for a job?Many food companies hire chefs to work in their R&D, sales, marketing and other departments. Jobs range from culinary directors and senior corporate chefs to

corporate executive chefs, corporate chefs, sous chefs and even interns, on occasion.

Those with a degree in nutrition can find positions as dietitians, as well. Some chefs

work directly with foodservice operators and distributors. Others serve the consumer

side. Company websites provide contact and career information.

Here are some companies, large and small, that employ chefs:

Agri Beef Company – www.agribeef.comBarilla America – www.barilla.com

Dole Foodservice – www.dole.comEmmi roth USA – www.rothcheese.com

general Mills – www.jobs.generalmills.com illes Seasonings & Flavors – www.illesfoods.com

inHarvest – www.indianharvest.comKent precision Food groups –

www.precisionfoods.comKraft Foodservice – www.kraftcareers.com

Lactalis Culinary – www.lactalisamericangroup.comnestlé professional – www.nestle.com

pepsiCo – www.pepsicojobs.comTW garner – www.texaspete.com

Tyson Foods – www.tysonfoodcareers.com

Courtesy

ofInHarvest

33www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

runafoodtruck

NExt iSSuE

days in the warmth of Miami in January 2013. Travel also offers the opportunity to find out what chefs in the field are doing and get a better handle on what they need and want in terms of products, recipes, menu development and other assistance. And, not all travel is long or long-distance. InHarvest tries to hire chefs to service the regions in which they live. Often their base of operation is at home.

Food companies can provide benefits and perks that many restaurant jobs can’t. Corporate chefs get paid vacation, insurance and 401K plans. Salaries vary from region to region and company to company. Positions on the level

of a sous chef may pay an annual salary in the $40,000 to $50,000 range, says Miles. Salary increases come not only from moving up the ladder, but from taking on additional responsibility and accountability.

Food companies offer satisfying jobs for the right people. “I love my job and plan to be here for a long time,” Jetter says.

Suzanne hall has been writing about chefs, restaurants, food and wine from her home in Soddy-Daisy, tenn., for more than 25 years.

above: Triple cheese

double stack flamebroiled

burger. Photo by Ralph

Smith Photography

opposite: InHarvest’s

Nerone Italian Black Rice

has a rich, buttery flavor

with a slightly sweet finish.

When cooked, the rice takes

on a deep, dark indigo-to-

almost-black color, as in this

black rice pudding. Photo

by InHarvest/Rob Yuretich

Courtesy

ofT

ysonFoodsInc.

34 Sizzle Spring 14

you keep changing the ingredients, you will never understand that perfection is more about developing a feel for the right potato dough consistency than it is about choosing to add whole eggs or just egg yolks. As with many dough products, it is up to the culinarian to determine the right ratio of ingredients.

The recipe included here I learned from a chef in Florence, Italy. The most important step is to make sure to steam dry your potatoes. Too much moisture will result in an overly gummy and heavy gnocchi.

I prefer to use russet or other high-starch potatoes, and I boil them with the skins on to preserve as much starch as possible. Use all-purpose flour. Too much protein in the flour will make the gnocchi tough.

Finally, practice with the recipe and add a little flour at a time, cooking a few gnocchi from each batch until you “teach” your hands the correct feel for the dough. It should be soft, pliable and just tacky to the touch.

bY DEGrEES gnocchi piedmontese

by degreesGnocchi PiedmonteseBy Kevin C. Clarke, CCE, JDPhotography by Matthew Eric Lit

Gnocchi is a general term applied to several varieties of dumpling. The potato gnocchi of the

Piedmont region of Italy are by far the most famous.

Escoffier’s cookbook Le Guide Culinaire provides recipes for Gnocchi au Gratin, based on pâte à choux; Gnocchi a la Romaine, based on semolina paste; and the more familiar Gnocchi de Pomme de Terre, or, in Italian, gnocchi di patate.

Gnocchi are a classic Italian accompaniment, and the ability to produce them should be in every culinarian’s tool chest.

There is much debate about the exact recipe for potato gnocchi. I offer advice I received from my good friend, ice carver Michael Pizzuto, who says, “Choose an ice carving and carve it over and over again until it is perfect. You will never become a good ice carver if you change the carving every time you try.”

Choose a credible recipe and work with it until it is the best you can make it. If

Kevin C. Clarke, CCE, JDis director of culinary education at Colorado Mountain College Culinary institute, Summit

Campus, Breckenridge, Colo.

35www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

Step 1Pass cooked and peeled potatoes through food mill; fold in egg, cream and nutmeg.

Step 2Place flour on large work surface; make a well in the center. Place potato mixture in the well; cut in flour until mixture is just combined.

Step 3Knead dough until smooth, slightly elastic and just tacky to the touch.

Step 4Divide dough into four portions. Roll each into approximately ¾-inch-diameter ropes; cut into ½-inch pieces.

Step 5To form gnocchi, hold dough from opposite sides between thumb and forefinger. Place gnocchi diagonally on base of fork. Use thumb to roll gnocchi off fork, forming ridges on one side and a dimple on the other side.

Step 6Add gnocchi to boiling water until they float; cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Remove, strain; add to heated saute pan with lightly browned butter. Season with salt. Finish with parsley and shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.

ingredients1½ lbs. russet or other high-starch potato, unpeeled1 large whole egg, whisked2 oz. heavy cream1⁄16 t. freshly grated nutmeg8½ oz. all-purpose flour4 oz. unsalted butterKosher salt to taste1 oz. minced parsleyShaved parmigiano-reggiano to taste

equipment2-gallon stockpot Food mill, medium plate4-quart mixing bowl2-cup mixing bowlparing knifeBench scraper (or stiff bowl scraper)10-inch saute panFlat strainer or Chinese strainerSlotted spoon

helpful hints � Allow potatoes to steam dry in

skins until you can handle them for peeling; do not let them go cold.

� Use back of paring knife to peel cooked potatoes.

� Do not over-mix dough, to avoid tough gnocchi.

� Take the time to properly form gnocchi. ridges and dimple allow them to hold sauce and provide a pleasant mouthfeel.

� practice with the recipe to get a feel for the dough, including the right amount of flour. Make time to produce the recipe several times in a row, just as athletes practice basic skills to get better.

4 The NaTioNal CuliNary review • marCh 2014 register online a t www.ac fche fs .o rg fo r add i t iona l workshops and a l a ca r te mea l s .

2014 ACF regionAl ConFerenCe sponsors

p l e A s e s u p p o r t t h e s e g e n e r o u s s p o n s o r s

Denotes National Partners. Call the ACF national office, (800) 624-9458, for more details.

SoutheaSt RegionembAssy suites north ChArleston–Airport/hotel & Convention Center$139 + tAx per night

reservation deadline April 5: call (800) 362-2779

(mention acF regional conFerence) or online

at acFcheFs.org

noRtheaSt Regionthe Crowne plAzA hotel At the Crossings$125 + tAx per night

reservation deadline mArCh 21: call (800) 227-6963

(mention acF regional conFerence) or online

at acFcheFs.org

Full registrAtion pACKAge includes access to 1-hour seminars and demos, general session, icebreaker reception, 3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, chef professionalism award lunch and awards gala. does not include aac dinner or chapter events. stAndArd rAte onsite rAte

culinarian/professional culinarian $650 $750Junior/senior/student $350 $400allied/associate/enthusiast $650 $750non-acF member $750 $750

northeast—April 11-14online registration closes March 28

southeast—April 26-29online registration closes april 11

2014 ACF RegionAl ConFeRenCesACF regionAl

eMBRaCing aSuStainaBleFutuRe

acfchefs.org 5register online a t www.ac fche fs .o rg fo r add i t iona l workshops and a l a ca r te mea l s .

M a i l o r Fa x t o :American Culinary Federation180 Center Place Way | St. Augustine, FL 32095(F) 904–825–4758 | (P) 800–624–9458

r e g i s t e r o n l i n e at: www.acfchefs.org

2014 ACF regional ConFerenCe registration

F U l l r e g i s t r at i o n Pa C K a g e includes access to 1-hour seminars and demos, general session, icebreaker reception, 3 breakfasts, 2 lunches, Chef Professionalism Award Lunch and the awards gala. Does not include AAC dinner or chapter events.

Member Status Standard Rate Onsite RateCulinarian/Professional Culinarian q $650 q $750Junior/Senior/Student q $350 q $400Allied/Associate/Enthusiast q $650 q $750Non-ACF Member q $750 q $750 = __________Spouse | Name:____________________________________________________________ (same rate as member) = __________

Fa M i ly M e a l Pa C K a g e *

q Family Meal Package (includes icebreaker reception, 2 lunches, Chef Professionalism Award Lunch and the awards gala.) # ___________ x $250 = __________

*To be eligible for a family meal package the ACF member must purchase a full registration package.

a l a C a rt e r e g i s t r at i o n o P t i o n s (See conference schedules for dates and times for the meal function)

One-Day Conference Program Badge includes breakfast for that day. note: Program badges may not be purchased with full registration.

q DAy 1 q DAy 2 q DAy 3 # ___________ x $150 = __________

Meal Tickets

Icebreaker reception # ___________ x $50 = __________Chef Professionalism Award Lunch # ___________ x $50 = __________Awards Gala (includes one drink ticket) # ___________ x $100 = __________ American Academy of Chefs® Dinner # ___________ x $125 = __________

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refunD Policy: request for refund must be made in writing and postmarked no later than 30 days prior to start of event. A $50 processing fee will be deducted from refund amount.

Pay M e n t M a d e B y: q Check q Money order (Make payable to: American Culinary Federation)Credit card (select one) q VISA q MasterCard q American express q Discover

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Conference and date: q Northeast (April 11-14) q Southeast (April 26-29) Online registration closes March 28 Online registration closes April 11

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38 Sizzle Spring 14

EvENtS ACF regional conferences

Pal

Beriau

Reno

Northeast Regional ConferenceApril 11-14 The Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Crossings, Providence, R.I.

Friday, April 11

8-11 a.m.

Hands-on Workshop: Cambodian and French Fusion Cuisine Khmer cuisine possesses the brightness of flavor of Vietnamese cuisine, the depth and richness of Indian cuisine and the versatility of Chinese cuisine. Explore the combinations of these vibrant flavors from spices and aromatic herbs with complex and luxurious French cuisine.

Presented by Neath Pal, culinary instructor, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I.

Saturday, April 12

1-2 p.m.

Modernist CookingUnderstand the direction food is taking by exploring the science of food. Learn about hydrocolloids, transglutaminase and how to effectively use liquid nitrogen.

Presented by William Myers, executive chef, Stone Harbor Golf Club, Cape May Court House, N.J.

Sunday, April 13

8-9:30 a.m.

Sustainable SeaSustainable crustaceans are a top-10 trend in the National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot in 2014 Culinary Forecast. Learn about harvesting, handling and cooking crustaceans such as sea vegetables, lobster and mussels.

Presented by Wilfred Beriau, CEC, CCE, AAC, Gray, Maine

2:45-3:45 p.m.

A Scientific Basis for Food & Wine PairingsExperience how tastes differ and how they lead us to make food and wine choices. Learn the scientific basis for making successful food-and-wine pairings.

Presented by Edward Korry, department chair, Beverage and Dining Services, Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I.

Monday, April 14

10:15-11:15 a.m.

Artisan Chocolate Candy BarGain insight into a variety of techniques that can be used to make memorable chocolate candy bars. Learn how to achieve a variety of textures using high-quality chocolate and Plugra® European-Style butter. A composed chocolate candy bar with Viennese butter cookie, extra-bitter dark chocolate, orange ganache and hazelnut praline will be demonstrated.

Presented by Joel Reno, chef-instructor, The French Pastry School of Kennedy-King College, Chicago

1-2 p.m.

Generational Differences in the Hospitality WorkforceHow do you manage, motivate, inspire and retain four generations of workers in the hospitality workforce: mature workers, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Millennials. Learn how to develop real-world strategies to maximize the contributions of each generation.

Presented by Gary Wood, professor, Suffolk County Community College, Riverhead, N.Y.

events

39www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

Southeast Regional ConferenceApril 26-29 Embassy Suites North Charleston—Airport/Hotel & Convention North Charleston, S.C.

Saturday, April 26

8 a.m.-noon

Hands-on Workshop: From Root to FruitThis workshop will provide participants with a better understanding of whole vegetable/fruit use and cooking. Learn new techniques using whole plants to maximize profits and create exciting new dimensions to menus and teaching.

Presented by Scott Stefanelli, CEC, chef-instructor, Culinary Institute of Charleston, Trident Technical College, Charleston, S.C.

Sunday, April 27

4-5 p.m.

Strategically Planning Your CareerHow do you develop contacts and relationships and market yourself? Learn key strategies, actions and secrets to getting hired and growing your salary and your career.

Presented by Tom Valentin, CEC, regional vice president, food and beverage operations, Culinaire, Miami Lakes, Fla.

Monday, April 28

8-9 a.m.

Artisan Salumi and Dry CuringLearn techniques for crafting dry-cured meats and fermented salumi using ingredients that are naturally sustainable. Discover the benefits of heritage breeds, whole-animal use and the ancient science behind the craft.

Presented by Jeff Bacon, CEC, CCA, AAC, executive chef/program director, Triad Community Kitchen, Winston-Salem, N.C.

10:15-11:15 a.m.

Fully Equipped: From Design to After-Sale ServiceThis forum provides information for chefs on purchasing, maintenance, service and parts, warranties and design of restaurant equipment. Engage with leaders in food equipment and sales to optimize the performance of your establishment.

Presented by industry experts and moderated by Ira Kaplan, owner, Irinox USA, North Easton, Mass.

Tuesday, April 29

10:15-11:15 a.m.

Food Styling/Presentation with a Modern TwistThis seminar will showcase how personal creativity, professional traditions and modern technology fuse to create successfully plated dishes. Learn the use of old and new technology in food presentation.

Presented by Stefan Ryll, CEC, CCE, AAC, professor, Southern New Hampshire University, Manchester, N.H.

2:30-3:30 p.m.

Seductive Nutrition and Nordic CuisineIdentify and trace the development of Nordic cuisine and the historic roots of flavor that develop sweet and salty in this culinary demonstration. Learn about the original sustainable concepts of pickling, preserving, drying and foraging.

Presented by Steve Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC, corporate executive chef, Unilever Food Solutions, Lisle, Ill.

Stefanelli

Ryll

40 Sizzle Spring 14

iNtErNAtioNAl FlAvorS cumbria, england

international flavorsCumbria, England

My culinary influences come from my Scottish heritage and Northern England roots

where I started my culinary training. I grew up in Queens Hotel, owned by my family, in the little town of St Bees, Cumbria, England. I also worked at other local hospitality businesses, and went to culinary school in the area.

St Bees is on the western tip of the Cumbrian coast, about 40 miles south of the Scottish border. It is famous for many things, such as the Norman Priory Church of St Mary and St Bega, which is the local parish church dating from A.D. 1120, and St Bees School, a 400-year-old private boarding school. It is also the start of the Wainwright coast-to-coast walk.

The pathway was devised by Alfred Wainwright, who was famous for his pictorial guides to the Lakeland Fells. He stitched together two coasts, three national parks and 200 miles of footpaths to give a picturesque snapshot of England’s villages, lakes, mountains and moors. The walk is popular with hikers, and my husband and I covered part of it in 2011. The ocean views and bucolic landscape is breathtaking at St Bees, and it is only a few miles from the famous Lake District National Park, so it’s an ideal base from which to tour the Lake District without the crowds. Village life in the Lake District is unique to the county, reflecting the agricultural

By Suzanne Campbell, CEC, instructor at Pulaski Technical College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Institute, Little Rock, Ark.

41www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

background of the hill country with sheep dog trials, dry-stone walling (wall-building) contests and hound fell racing, for example.

food heritageThe local pub or hotel where I grew up always had an inviting atmosphere, with wood smoke and good cooking using locally sourced ingredients. Many pubs today still keep old traditions alive, serving Cumberland sausage, black pudding, fresh coastal fish and a huge array of local beers. There are many pubs to visit in each town for a pub crawl. Farmers markets abound and are advertised on the Internet promoting an array of local produce, Herdwick sheep, cheeses, jams, honey and fresh eggs.

Organic farming is natural to the area, with plenty of meat, handcrafted cheeses, organic cheeses, hundreds of varieties of apples and plums, and organic stone-ground flour available for purchase. The Slow Food movement is

strong in Cumbria, including a “Sustain the Real Bread” campaign.

Breeds of heritage sheep include the Herdwick, the Rough Fell and the Swaledale. They are bred to withstand the rainy, windy climate with an average high temperature of 54°F. The breeds can be traced back to medieval times. They graze on the fells to more than 3,000 feet. The Tamworth is the oldest pig bred in the U.K. The Middle Whites, Saddlebacks and Gloucester Old Spots are other heritage breeds. The Middle White is my favorite, close in flavor to the now-extinct Cumberland pig. It is also a good-natured pig.

Traditional foods from the area of which I have fond memories are Grasmere gingerbread , Hawkshead wig (bun with a hint of caraway), fat rascals (type of tea cake) and Kendal pepper cake, not to be confused with Kendal mint cake (more of a candy bar), all of which I devoured as a child.

opposite: An overview of St Bees.

left: Queens Hotel in St Bees, previously

owned by Suzanne Campbell’s family.

right: Toad-in-the-hole is sausage in

Yorkshire pudding.

bottom: Pinks Restaurant, a converted

16th century barn, was previously

owned by Suzanne Campbell’s family.

Photos by John Campbell

42 Sizzle Spring 14

Cumberland sausage and blood sausage (black pudding) bring back pleasant memories, which is probably why I enjoy charcuterie so much. The recipe for Cumberland sausage is a closely guarded secret, but we used white pepper, marjoram, nutmeg, mace and sage along with meat from locally reared pigs. Dock pudding (not a sweet pudding) is another recipe steeped in tradition. There is even a competition for its making every year in May. The recipe contains mostly bistort and nettles plus other herbs, and it is usually fried with bacon for breakfast. This dish would have provided necessary vitamins after a long winter in the early 19th century.

A pudding can be sweet or savory, but is usually a dessert. Puddings are rich and starchy with suet or dried fruits. The savory varieties are Yorkshire pudding, black pudding, and steak and kidney suet pudding.

dining outThere are several notable eateries in the villages of Cartmel and Grange.

Cartmel has wonderful desserts, or, rather, puddings, such as sticky toffee. Higginsons of Grange butcher in Cumbria was voted “Best Butcher 2014” by the Q Guild of Butchers for its mouthwatering sausage, homemade meat pies and superb cuts of meat. The sausages the company sells include Cumberland, pork and leek, pork and Stilton, beer and black pudding and a spicy haggis.

In the village of Stavely is the Mill Yard at Stavely, an artisanal shopping center that is home to Hawkshead Brewery, Wilf ’s Café, Friendly Food and Drink, and Lucy Cooks Cookery School. A few years ago, my husband and I took the grand tour of Lucy’s and were well-impressed with her school. Bread connoisseurs would surely enjoy More Bakery. It is the winner of numerous awards, including “Best Cumbrian Product Food & Drinks Award 2013,” sponsored by Cumbria Life and Westmorland Ltd.

The Drunken Duck Inn, a hotel, restaurant and pub in Ambleside, Cumbria, is set on

odd british names for food

yy Jam roly-poly, also known as dead man’s arm or dead man’s leg, is a

traditional suet pudding rolled with jam and baked. My grandmother baked

it on cold days, serving it with hot custard on top. it is also called shirt

sleeve pudding, because it was often steamed and served in a shirt sleeve.

yy Clootie dumpling and spotted dick are similar desserts. They both are

made with dried fruit, sugar, suet, flour and milk mixed in dough, wrapped in

a floured cloth and steamed for two hours, then served hot with golden

syrup. They are similar to treacle ginger pudding that my grandmother made, mostly because of her Scottish roots.

yy Toad-in-the-hole is sausage in Yorkshire pudding. in her 1747 book The Art of Cookery, Hannah glasse

highlights pigeon in the Hole.

yy Bangers and mash is a traditional English dish of Cumberland sausage,

mashed potato, onion gravy and peas. Originally, because of rationing in

World War ii, people added water, and the sausage was likely to explode.

iNtErNAtioNAl FlAvorS cumbria, england

above: A view of the

Lake District.

opposite: Suzanne

Campbell returned to

St Bees to hike in 2011.

43www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

opened a restaurant called Pinks in a converted 16th century barn. We used local, seasonal ingredients, and game season was my favorite. The local farmers brought pheasants and hare to the door for me to prepare. All these traditions have been beneficial in my development of classes for our culinary school, such as garde manger, history of food and canning/fermentables/preserving.

a hill between Conniston and Hawkshead. It is a beautiful place to stay, with great food. The menu revolves around such British classics as pig’s cheeks and venison haunch, delicious desserts and local ales brewed on-site.

Fancier fare is found at the two-Michelin-star restaurant L’Enclume in Cartmel. Under the expertise of executive chef/proprietor Simon Rogan, the restaurant was judged “Best Restaurant in the U.K. 2014” by the Good Food Guide. Rogan also owns the Pig & Whistle in Cartmel, and is replacing Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s hotel in London this spring. Local chef Kevin Tickle will become the new head chef of L’enclume after working for Rogan for nine years. For sheer luxury, visitors must stop at Holbeck Ghyll Country House for its views of Lake Windermere. The Michelin-star restaurant has retained its rating for 12 years. Chef David McLaughlin uses locally sourced food when possible.

After I finished college, my family moved from Cumbria to the Cotswolds and

cumberland sausageSuzanne Campbell, CEC, instructor, pulaski Technical College Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management institute Little rock, Ark.

Yield: 5 lbs. or 60 (4-inch) sausage links

ingredients:5 lbs. pork shoulder1 lb. pork fat1½ oz. kosher salt¼ cup breadcrumbs3 T. coarsely chopped marjoram1 T. black pepper1 t. white pepper1 t. mace2 t. nutmeg2 t. sage½ cup ice water

method:1. Combine all ingredients except water;

mix to distribute evenly. refrigerate overnight.

2. grind mixture through small die into bowl set in ice.

3. Mix chilled water into meat until uniform stickiness is achieved.

4. Cook small portion of sausage mix; taste. Adjust seasoning as required.

5. Stuff sausage mix into casings in long, single, curled links.

6. Saute or roast to 150°F.

44 Sizzle Spring 14

thE iNtErviEw jennifer jasinski

the interviewJennifer JasinskiBy Ethel Hammer

Jennifer Jasinski worked with the “king of expansion,” Wolfgang Puck, for 11 years, learning the

ins and outs from a master. Now, 14 years after setting out on her own, she’s deep into realizing her fourth restaurant, a fish place, Stoic & Genuine, scheduled to open July 2014. All her work is in Denver where she

line cook, Spago on Sunset, Los Angeles, 1990; line cook to sous chef, Eureka, Los Angeles, 1991; line cook, Postrio, San Francisco,1992; cafe chef, Spago, Las Vegas, 1993-95; co-chef, Granita, Malibu, Calif., 1995-96; executive sous chef, Spago, Chicago, 1996; corporate chef, cafe division, Wolfgang Puck Food Co.,1997-2000; executive chef, Panzano, Denver, 2000; chef/co-owner, Rioja, Denver, 2004-present, Bistro Vendôme, Denver, 2006-present and Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen, Denver, 2010-present.

select achievements/awardsWestern Region Chef of the Year, American Culinary Federation, 2005; Food Network’s “Thanksgiving Challenge,” 2005; author, self-published cookbook The Perfect Bite, 2011; nominated, Best Chef Southwest, James Beard Foundation, 2011, 2012; winner, Best Chef Southwest, James Beard Foundation, 2013; finalist, Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters,” 2013.

bornLos Angeles

residesDenver

learned the tradeHigh school foodservice training, Dos Pueblos High School, Santa Barbara, Calif., 1984-85; AOS in hotel and restaurant management, Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara, 1985-87; AOS at The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, N.Y., 1987-89.

career pathCook, The Rainbow Room, New York, 1988-90; worked various positions in Wolfgang Puck restaurants, including,

currently reigns, having just won the 2013 Best Chef Southwest designation from the James Beard Foundation. No wonder her three current restaurants, Rioja, Bistro Vendôme and Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen, keep winning acclaim. And it’s a good bet she caught the expansion bug as a California girl working her way up under Puck’s tutelage.

Working in Puck’s organization skyrocketed her technique and know-how. With too much movement to remember all the whens, whys and wherefores, between 1989 and 2000 she moved from working as tournant at San Francisco’s Hotel Bel-Air, where Puck was merely a consultant, only to hopscotch around his empire until she emerged as corporate chef of the cafe division of the Wolfgang Puck Food Co., where she opened many new cafes. “There were so many, I don’t remember the cities,” she says.

As corporate chef, it was her job to train the chefs, design menu items and standardize everything throughout the operation. “There were five to six cafes when I started, and 22 by the time I

45www.acfchefs.org www.sizzle-digita l.com

left. Doing this for three years was a challenge,” she says.

Then, after this seemingly grueling yet exhilarating tutelage, she moved to Denver and found the right business partner in Beth Gruitch. Together they opened three restaurants in six years, one hefty task for a hands-on chef.

Asked what her life is like after winning a James Beard award and planning a fourth restaurant, Jasinski describes her immediate future. “It’s crazy. My days are booked solid. I have the Beard dinner next week in New York, then I go to Iceland to judge a contest called Food & Fun. The following month I do a Star Chefs event in Los Angeles. And, oh, I forgot Cochon 555, an event to promote heritage pigs.”

Aside from all this celebrity-chef globe-trotting, she has to keep on top of three restaurants, each a different concept. Rioja’s Mediterranean dishes include her signature Artichoke Tortelloni. The Rioja Picnic appetizer testifies to her love of artisan meats and cheeses, including Italian Mountain Gorgonzola and warm pine nut crusted

goat cheese. Add the sizzle and crunch of truffle fennel salad, orange confit and almonds, and you’ve got what she calls “the perfect bite.”

Then, at Bistro Vendôme, Jasinski changes modes, offering classic French bistro dishes including steak frites and Poulet Rôti aux Herbes. There are also nightly specials, including cassoulet, bouillabaisse and duck à l’orange, and evenings featuring specific French regions.

At Euclid Hall Bar & Kitchen, an American concept, she’s off on yet another tack, serving up double-decker chicken schnitzels, braised center-cut beef marrow bones and a brat burger on a pretzel bun with tempting slaw, Thousand Island dressing and Jarlsberg cheese. “I wanted to do food I like to eat with beer,” she says.

Euclid Hall also features her renditions of Canadian poutines, including Carnitas Papas Fritas with chili/lime fries, tomatillo green chili, cheddar curd and goat cheese. “Poutines are a cool idea and good to share,” she says.

left: Peaches at their

prime end up grilled

on the menu at Rioja.

right: Local seasonal

sensibilities reign at

Rioja, especially with

this pea ravioli.

Photos courtesy of rioja

46 Sizzle Spring 14

thE iNtErviEw jennifer jasinski

I’m the kind of person who gives 120,000 percent to everything I do. I never want to settle. I’m always involved in things being super-fun. It was fun going from being a musician to being a chef. Right now the fun lies in designing my fourth restaurant. The excitement is figuring out what it will be to the guests. We came up with the name when my husband and I were with my chef Jorel Pierce at The Modern in New York. We knew it would feature fish, but didn’t have a name for it. My husband Max, who is quiet and sometimes doesn’t talk a lot, can be a bit stoic. So I asked Jorel, “If Max is stoic, what am I?” And Jorel said, “genuine.” Thus, the restaurant will be named Stoic & Genuine.

describe your food concept and the idea of the perfect bite at your restaurants.jj: The Perfect Bite is the name of my cookbook, and it’s also the way I like to eat and how I compose my dishes so the guests will enjoy them. In my artichoke tortelloni, there’s handmade pasta and creamy artichoke mousse in a beautiful, light, potent artichoke broth with a touch of truffle, with chervil for brightness and an artichoke chip for crunch and texture.

At Bistro Vendôme, the perfect bite would be our steak tartare, a beautiful, rosy chopped beef with cornichons and capers, aioli and a sunny-side-up quail egg. This is put on a grilled baguette, hot and crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, making for a perfect bite.

At Euclid, the perfect bite would be our Boudin Noir, which mixes pâté with blood, chunks of golden raisins and

top: Among the

Mediterranean dishes

served at Rioja is Jennifer

Jasinski’s signature

Artichoke Tortelloni.

bottom: Jasinski self-

published her cookbook

The Perfect Bite in 2011.

opposite: The Rioja Picnic

appetizer demonstrates

Jasinski’s love of artisan

meats and cheeses.

what kind of kid were you? jj: I was a tomboy who played at the beach. I liked to surf, but I didn’t do anything too extreme. I was the youngest of three. My parents got divorced when I was 2, but my mother said I could be anything I wanted to be. We were middle class. Nobody was coddled. Everyone had to do their part and share. I played the flute since second grade. I also played clarinet and oboe until I gave them all up to do cooking. But the creative part of music and cooking share a lot in common. There’s an organizational, math quality in cooking and in music. I think people should play instruments, as it helps the brain to grow.

I cooked as a kid in order to eat and started out baking simple things such as cornbread and Dutch baby skillet pancakes. I loved Julia Child’s recipes for pâté, mousses and goose, but I never tried to cook out of her book until I was in college. And, no, I still haven’t tried everything.

tell us about your junior college cooking course.jj: It was great. The school had working affiliations with a United Airlines cafeteria and all sorts of food venues, from fine dining to steakhouses, giving us all really good hands-on experience. In fact, I’d counsel new and young culinarians not to go to culinary school until they’ve worked around the business for a year or two to see if they like long hours and working on holidays. You need to carefully look at the industry before you jump into it. And you need to genuinely love it. Otherwise, don’t do it. I love it. Sure, I might want to go to Tahiti, but I’d come back.

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eggplant. There is a little hint of curry you probably wouldn’t sense unless you knew it was in there—and the snap of the fresh casing.

At Stoic & Genuine, the perfect bite could be the special oysters that will be harvested and branded especially for us, topped with a granita with cucumber, apple and a little gin.

tell us about Wolfgang.jj: Wolfgang was awesome, always really great with customers. If anyone wanted something, he would go out back and make it for them. He was always the hardest-working person, not afraid to do what it took to get things done. The best part of working with him was that he kept opening restaurants and devising different concepts. He only had Spago and Chinois when I started with him. I worked at the original Spago on Sunset, and on my first day, I made a 10-gallon lexan of gefilte fish, something I had never made before. It was weird. I thought I was going to be working in a fine-dining establishment. I didn’t understand that this was a special Jewish celebration dinner.

I remember sitting on the roof during one of the Swifty Lazar parties at Spago watching the stars enter the front door during the Academy Awards.

I opened Eureka and cooked for Sean Connery’s birthday party, to which he wore a kilt and played the bagpipes. When I went to Postrio, Anne and David Gingrass were the first married couple I ever worked with. She ran the line. He was kind of a kitchen manager and did all the sausage and

how do you create balance with a husband who is also a chef?jj: My goal is to have balance and stay happy with my husband and my work. So i don’t work 80 hours a week. it’s not healthy. instead, i work close to 55 or 60. My husband Max MacKissock, who is a chef consultant, is extremely creative, and he and i think about things completely differently. While he and my chef Jorel both think progressively, i think more classically. For example, we’re doing a play on green eggs and ham for the Couchon 555 event March 9. Whereas i would use a classical egg custard, Max suggested we cure the egg yolks.

For fun, Max and i go bicycle riding, take our dogs for walks and try to go everywhere together, so he comes to lots of my events, which are fun for him, too.

Ethel hammer is a writer, lecturer and cartoonist based in Chicago.

butchering—things I learned from him. Postrio was one of busiest restaurants imaginable, with 350 diners every day, so you had to learn to move your rear and deal with it.

do you identify with any food?I like to drink white wine a lot. I don’t know if it’s like me, but it likes me. I’m quiet when things aren’t going well. And when things are good, I’m chatty.

48 Sizzle Spring 14

thE quiz spring 2014

the quizDid you read all the articles in this issue? Take the Sizzle Quiz to test your knowledge.

1. How many Michelin stars does The French Laundry have?a. 1b. 2c. 3 d. 4

2. From where does osso buco originate, according to Pietro Vitelli, CCE?a. Northern Italyb. Venicec. Southern Italyd. France

3. What is the customary method used to tenderize veal shanks when making osso buco?a. Sous videb. Hammer or malletc. Powdered enzymesd. Braising

4. What is one of the most important documents in running a restaurant?a. Liquor licenseb. Excel spreadsheetc. Liability insurance policyd. PDF menu

5. What can some vendors provide to help run a restaurant?a. Computer programsb. Kickbacksc. Sample menusd. Free printing

6. According to research-firm Technomic, how much have vegetable offerings on restaurant menus increased during the past three years?a. 5%b. 8%c. 11%d. 23%

7. What kind of vegetables can help a restaurant justify charging slightly more for a dish?a. Local b. Seasonal c. High-profile d. Unusual or exotic

8. True or false: Sometimes corporate/company chefs are required to travel extensively for business. a. Trueb. False

9. What type of culinary school classes are important for students who plan to work as a corporate/company chef?a. Food scienceb. Marketingc. Foodservice sanitationd. Purchasing

10. Gnocchi is a general term applied to several varieties of what?a. Breadb. Mushroomsc. Dumplingsd. Pasta

11. Gnocchi are a classic accompaniment in what type of cuisine?a. Globalb. Vegetarianc. Friedd. Italian

12. Yorkshire is a variety of what sort of pudding?a. Creamyb. Savoryc. Sweetd. English

13. What breed of pig is the oldest in the U.K.?a. Tamworth b. Herdwickc. Rough Felld. Swaledale

14. Under which famous chef did Jennifer Jasinski work for many years?a. Thomas Kellerb. Rick Baylessc. Wolfgang Puckd. Alice Waters

15. In what year did the James Beard Foundation name Jennifer Jasinski Best Chef Southwest?a. 2005b. 2007c. 2010d. 2013

Clickheretofindoutthecorrectanswers.

GEt thEANSwErS

2210 28

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lASt bitE portland

last bitePortland, Ore.Wondering where to eat in Portland, Ore.? Who better to ask than some of the city’s most respected chefs. Check out their dining suggestions.

Just down the road from my home, I like to clean my palate several times a month with a juicy burger from this quaint spot. The food is always on point and the service is great.

–Michael Uhnak, executive chef, Besaw’s

juicy burgersCanyon Grill8825 SW Canyon Road, Beaverton(503) 292-5131thecanyongrill.com

Mon.-Fri.: 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Sat.: 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Sun.: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Burgers: $7.95-$8.95

Hot sandwiches: $6.95-$8.95

Signature salads: $7.95-$8.95

This family owned establishment serves slow-cooked dishes such as Cochinita Pibil (braised pork with pickled onions) and Costillas de Res (braised short ribs). They are always perfectly prepared and presented and accompanied by wonderful handmade tortillas.

–Lisa Schroeder, executive chef/owner, Mother’s Bistro & Bar

mexican fixNuestra Cocina2135 SE Division St.(503) 232-2135nuestra-cocina.com

Tues.-Sat.: 5 p.m.-10 p.m.

Appetizers: $6-$9

Entrees: $9-$18

Desserts: $3.50-$6

My family and I go to this little hole-in-the-wall teriyaki spot every Friday night. We get the beef and pork teriyaki with sticky rice and the funky little salad that comes with it. It’s so perfect and satisfying every time.

–Adam Sappington, chef/owner, The Country Cat Dinner House & Bar

great teriyakiDu’s Grill5365 NE Sandy Blvd.(503) 284-1773dusgrill.com

Mon.-Fri.: 11 a.m.-8:45 p.m.

Entrees: $7.50-$9.50

Sides: $2.50-$2.95

modernized tapasAtaula1818 NW 23rd Place(503) 894-8904ataulapdx.com

Tues.-Sat.: 4:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

Sun.: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Tapas: $6-$16

Paellas + Rossejats: $30-$38

Sweets: $6-$11

The restaurant was recently opened by chefs Jose Chesa (from Barcelona, Spain) and his wife Cristina. Jose has cooked all over Spain, France and the U.S. The cuisine is modern interpretations of tapas and various paellas. The menu changes frequently and the entire concept is spot on. Everything is worth trying.

–Greg Higgins, chef/owner, Higgins Restaurant and Bar

PhotobyJohnValls

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