THE WindyCityChefs Newsletter of the Windy City Professional Culinarians MAY 2012 3 ................. 2012 ACF Central Regional President’s Letter Conference Report Dear Culinary Colleagues, The peaks of the business season are now upon us. Easter has 4 ................. passed and only a short time before the annual NRA Show at May 2012 Chapter Meeting McCormick Place, Mothers Day, the NATO Summit comes to Chicago and we finish up the month of May with Memorial Day 5 ................. Weekend. It has certainly been a very hectic few months, but this Chapter News & Events is what the business is all about. Whether it is the “5Ps: Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance,” “Preparation is Everything,” or “If you can’t stand 13 ............... the heat, get out of the kitchen,” this is what we live for everyday in this business. Get The Foley Fishmonger® ready because we are going to rock and roll. Our adrenaline, knowing that we had a Slurp-risingly Good! great push of business and did it all successfully is what allows us to amaze people outside our industry everyday. They need to remember Chefs Do It Better and this 15 ............... business is not for amateurs. ® The Wine Counselor A well attended April 10 meeting took place at Elgin Community College hosted by The Big Six of Grapes, Part 3 members Patrick Stewart, CEC, Mike Hiller, Jill Russell, CEC, CCE and the students Chardonnay of ECC. Sara Hill of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and Suzanne Wolcott of Goose Island Brewing Company need to be thanked for providing a very unique 17 ............... and informative seminar on pairing Artisan Cheese and Craft Beers. I know I had my From Edible WOW Magazine: favorites as well as everyone else. With the enthusiasm of this seminar, it might have Café Cortina to be a regularly scheduled seminar. 20 ............... The weekend of April 13 through April 16, sixteen members of your chapter and I attended the ACF Central Region Conference in Detroit at the MotorCity Casino Hotel. From The Executive Director From the time people arrived to the time we left we were made welcome at every turn and every event. The hotel accommodations were excellent, as well as the meals 21 ............... provided. The educational seminars were excellent and since some of the presenters The End is Near! Are You were from Michigan, we are looking at the possibility for future educational seminars Prepared for the Staffing Crisis? for our chapter. Speaking of seminars, members of our chapter participated in several seminars during the conference. Mark Palicki and Jeff Lemke, CEC, AAC (WCPC Chapter 22 ............... Sponsor and WCPC Chapter member) were presenters on the Future of Seafood, Ask the Master Chef: Sustainability and Using Lesser-Known Species. Chef Eric Stein, MS, RD was a presenter Healthier Cooking and Cookbook Author, signing his books at the Conference. Chef Austin Yancey, Instructor at Le Cordon Bleu was also a presenter on the topic of Idaho Russet Potatoes. 26 ............... Executive Chef Mark Angeles, CEC, CCA of Soldier Field competed on Saturday for the ACF Stockpot: Regional Chef of the Year, unfortunately finishing behind Chef Brian Beland, CMC of News from the ACF Michigan for the title. Nicole Bujewski, Chef/ Owner of Le Flour Bake Shop, Chicago was also a runner up in the Regional Pastry Chef of the Year competition finishing behind 27 ............... Chef Julia Julian, CC, CWPC, Instructor at Madison College, Madison, Wisconsin. The Many Benefits of Beans on the Menu (Continued on page 2) President’s Letter (Continued from page 1) Defending National Champion Kendall College was place award. The First Place Team: Jaime Mestan, CSC a runaway winner at the Regional Knowledge Bowl of Ed Miniat and Eric Stein, MS, RD, a Kendall College competition scoring a high gold medal and three- Instructor, both members of Windy City Professional peating as the Central Region Champs. They will now go Culinarians competed and won the 2012 Professional on to Orlando to compete for a third straight National Culinology Competition and earned an ACF Gold Medal. Title. Team Coach Dina Altieri, CEC, CCE has done These awards and competition results show that Windy an outstanding job in preparing the students for this City Members have much to be proud of with over competition and I know they will be ready for Orlando. twenty-four awards and recognitions for members of our The three other Regional Teams will have their work chapter since 2007. cut out for them as the try to knock off the reigning champions. Plans are being finalized and will be announced shortly for a meeting on Wednesday, May 30 at Kendall College Chef John Draz, CEC, CCE and the Ed Miniat Company featuring Traditional Japanese Cuisine prepared under received the ACF Cutting Edge Award from President the direction of a very prominent Japanese Chef. The Michael Ty, CEC, AAC for all that they have done to Consulate General of Japan will also speak. Sake will be help provide needed food product when disaster served to those members over 21. This is going to be strikes around the country. Chef Austin Yancey of a meeting that should not be missed. Seating will be Le Cordon Bleu won the “What’s in your Wok: A Fried limited to the first 150 people that register. Finally, June Rice Competition Sponsored by Riviana Foods. Other 18, 2012 will be the Annual Burger Throwdown, our last members competed in many other events and we are event of the season that will bring Burger Teams together proud of how they represented your chapter. Chefs to compete for the Best Burger. I want to thank Bill Eric Stein, MS, RD and Chef Yancey competed in the Schutz, of Consumers Packing in advance for hosting this Galbani Cheese competition placing second ($500) and event again. third ($250) respectively and Chef Fernando Mojica, CSC competed as well. Finally, your chapter, the ACF I know that there was much information to cover in this Windy City Professional Culinarians received one of five, President’s Letter but I did not want to miss any of the 2012 ACF Chapter Achievement Awards for the region. exciting details regarding your Chapter. Your chapter also made another contribution to Team All the best, USA of $1690 for their efforts in representing the USA in Germany in October at the International Culinary Michael Garbin, CEC, AAC, ACE, HGT Olympics. You, as members of the ACF Windy City Chairman of the Board and President Professional Culinarians have much to be proud of as to ACF Windy City Professional Culinarians, Inc. how we are recognized on a regional basis. Executive Chef, Union League Club of Chicago [email protected] • 312-435-4822 Other honors have been bestowed on several of our America’s #1 City Club members during the past month. College of DuPage Associate Professor of Culinary Arts David Kramer is one of six chefs and foodservice professionals nationwide to earn the 2012 United Fresh Produce Excellence in The Windy City Chefs June Newsletter Foodservice Award. Chef Kramer was nominated by our Associate Member, Peter Testa. Deadline is MAY 15, 2012. For the inaugural 2012 RCA Professional Culinology® Please send your submissions to Competition, an ACF sanctioned culinary competition, [email protected] and professional teams consisting of one (1) RCA member and one (1) ACF member competed for a $5,000 first [email protected]. The Windy City Chefs | May 2012 Page 2 2012 ACF Central Regional Conference Report More than 550 chefs and foodservice professionals descended on Detroit, Mich., April 14–16, for the 2012 ACF Central Regional Conference, hosted by ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association, at the luxurious MotorCity Casino Hotel, which recently received AAA’s prestigious Four-Diamond rating for hospitality industry excellence. Doug St. Souver, three-time “Food Network Challenge” your Wok fried rice competition and Mozzarella Caprese champion, and Doug Ganhs, CEC, two-time “Food Challenge. Meanwhile, the other competitors were hard Network Challenge” champion, begin the conference at work vying for ACF Central Region titles. In the evening April 13 with an incredible hands-on fruit-and-ice- the host chapter and the Matt Prentice Restaurant Group carving workshop. Following that was chapter leadership held the Michigan Chefs Harvest Detroit Party at Coach training. Rounding out the day and officially kicking off Insignia to benefit the Gleaners Cooking Matters Program the conference was the icebreaker reception, hosted and Haven, two local nonprofits. It was an entertaining by MotorCity Casino Hotel, at Comerica Park, home to evening with Michigan’s best foods, a special selection of the Detroit Tigers. Attendees were treated to a special premium wines and craft beers, music and a scenic view tour of the ballpark followed by an incredible reception of Detroit and Canada in the background. featuring the taste of Motown from some of the area’s best restaurants. The next two days provided attendees with numerous opportunities to advance their professional development General session started the activities April 14. ACF Central and enhance their culinary skills through seminars and Region Vice President Kyle Richardson CEC, CCE, CHE, culinary demonstrations featuring the latest trends AAC, welcomed everyone and provided pertinent ACF and techniques. April 15, members had the option of updates, along with other committee chairs and ACF attending the American Academy Chefs dinner at the National President Michael Ty, CEC, AAC. A special prestigious Detroit Athletic Club, hosted by Executive surprise was in store for ACF Culinary Team USA when Chef Kevin Brennan, CEC, AAC, or experiencing one Chefs de Cuisine Association of St. Louis presented a of Detroit’s top places to eat. The Vice President’s Gala $15,000 donation to support the teams in their quest completed the conference April 16, where the regional for gold at the Internationale Kochkunst Ausstellung, competition winners were announced.