National Culinary Review (July/Aug 2022)

COMPETITION COURAGE

The benefits of culinary competitions go beyond medals and bragging rights

FEATURE STORIES

30

Competition Fever

ACF Chefs and seasoned competitors talk about the benefits of competing that go beyond just medals and bragging rights. Plus, an update on ACF’s 2024 Culinary Team USA.

DEPARTMENTS

12

16

Management

Community colleges are stepping up their culinary programming amid a rise in applicants.

Main Course

A look at some lesser-known seafood making waves at coastal restaurants. Plus, NatCon presenter Chef Larry Forgione’s tips on planking fish.

22

24

28

On the Side

ACF Chef Chris Viaud, a NatCon presenter, shares favorite Haitian dishes from his heritage cuisine.

Health

Applying smoke and barbecue techniques to vegetables brings out the best in plant-forward dishes.

Classical vs. Modern

Chef David Carachure, CSC, showcases a classic mole and a modern rendition, photographed by Eli Schopp.

46

52

Segment Spotlight

Off-the-Strip restaurants are seeing a lot more action in Las Vegas, ACF’s convention city.

Pastry

ACF Pastry Chef and NatCon presenter Jessica Quiet talks about her summertime ice cream sandwiches and shares tips for bonbon- and nougat-making.

Cover photo: Chef James Storm, Timothy Recher, CEC, AAC, CWX (foreground) and other members of the ACF Culinary Team USA have been gearing up for the Culinary World Cup this year and the 2024 IKA Culinary Olympics in Germany (credit: Eli Schopp).

Editor-in-Chief

Amelia Levin

Creative Services Manager

David Ristau

Graphic Designer

Armando Mitra

Advertising and Event Sales

Eric Gershowitz

Director of Marketing and Communications

Alan Sterling

Contributing Editors

Amanda Baltazar, John Bartimole, Lauren Kramer, Kenya McCullum, Jody Shee

Copy Editor Erica Demarest

American Culinary Federation, Inc.

6816 Southpoint Parkway Ste 400 Jacksonville, FL 32216 (800) 624-9458 (904) 824-4468 Fax: (904) 940-0741 ncr@acfchefs.net ACFSales@mci-group.com www.acfchefs.org

Board

President

of Directors

Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC®, CCA®, AAC®

Immediate Past President

Thomas Macrina, CEC®, CCA, AAC

National Secretary

Jeff Bacon, CEC, CCA, AAC

National Treasurer

David Ivey-Soto, CEC, CCA, MBA

American Academy of Chefs Chair

Americo “Rico” DiFronzo, CEC, CCA, AAC

Vice President Central Region

Rajeev Patgaonkar, CEC, AAC

Vice President Northeast Region

Barry R. Young, CEC, CCE®, AAC, MBA

Vice President Southeast Region

Bryan Frick, CEC, AAC

Vice President Western Region

Greg Matchett, CEC

Executive Director

Heidi Cramb

The National Culinary Review® (ISSN 0747-7716), July/August 2022, Volume 46, Number 4, is owned by the American Culinary Federation, Inc. (ACF) and is produced six times per year by ACF, located at 6816 Southpoint Parkway, Ste 400, Jacksonville, FL 32216. A digital subscription to the National Culinary Review® is included with ACF membership dues; print subscriptions are available to ACF members for $25 per year, domestic; nonmember subscriptions are $40. Material from the National Culinary Review®, in whole or in part, may not be reproduced without written permission. All views and opinions expressed in the National Culinary Review® are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the officers or members of ACF. Changes of mailing address should be sent to ACF’s national office: 6816 Southpoint Parkway, Ste 400, Jacksonville, FL 32216; (800) 624-9458; Fax (904) 940-0741.

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POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the National Culinary Review®, 6816 Southpoint Parkway, Ste 400, Jacksonville, FL 32216.

This is one of my favorite times of the year. Not just because of the warm, sunny days, but because it’s convention time!

It has been such an honor to represent you at the ACF MasterCraft Summits and other events leading up to convention that I have been blessed to attend or speak at — in cities from Los Angeles to Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Abu Dhabi and more. Next up: Vegas! This year’s ACF NatCon is even more special for me because it will be my first as president!

I can’t wait to have one of our headliners, Chef Elizabeth Falkner, kick off the festivities. We recruited her to speak after I met her at a previous event and was impressed by her personality, knowledge and engaging style, not to mention the fact that she is a bad a$$ sweet and savory chef! I also want to thank the longtime and dedicated ACF members who will be presenting at convention, including all the ACF Certified Master Chefs on the lineup this year. You’ll see many of them highlighted throughout the pages of this special convention issue.

I’m also excited for the return of competitions (read more about the benefits of competing on page 30). As in 2021, regionals were merged into one national competition, which will be held at nearby College of Southern Nevada during the convention. This year, we’re thrilled to introduce the first-ever Student Pastry Chef of the Year award; I love seeing all of the students involved and pushing themselves to take their skills to a whole new level. In addition, ACF’s 2024 Culinary Team USA (turn to p. 35 to learn more) will have a station at the welcome reception to provide delicious samples.

As we get into the summer months, I’m reminded of the importance of work-life balance and of the health and wellness of our membership. Are we actually living that balance and truly taking care of our minds, bodies and spirit? I’m going to take this summer to start practicing what I preach on a personal level by stepping up my physical fitness. Luckily, ACF Chef/Nutritionist Lisa Dorfman (read her wellness jumpstart tips on p. 50) will be on hand during convention with some morning workouts and motivation! Turn to the News Bites section for more information and register TODAY at acfchefs.org/convention.

I can’t WAIT to connect or reconnect with you soon!

Esta es una de mis épocas favoritas del año. ¡Y no es solo por los días cálidos y soleados, sino porque se acerca la fecha de nuestra convención!

Ha sido un gran honor representarlos en las Cumbres MasterCraft de ACF y en los demás eventos previos a la convención a los que he tenido la suerte de asistir como participante u oradora, en ciudades desde Los Ángeles hasta Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Abu Dhabi y más. ¿Qué sigue? ¡Las Vegas! ¡La convención nacional de la ACF de este año es aún más especial para mí porque será la primera en la que participaré como presidenta!

No veo la hora de que se inicien los festejos de la mano de una nuestras invitadas principales, la chef Elizabeth Falkner. La invité como oradora después de conocerla en un evento anterior, donde me impresionó su personalidad, su conocimiento y su estilo cautivador, ¡sin mencionar su excelente calidad como chef, tanto en comidas dulces como saladas! También quiero agradecer a los miembros de larga data de la ACF que se presentarán en la convención, entre ellos todos los Master Chefs certificados que integran el programa para este año. En las páginas de esta edición especial por motivo de la convención, encontrarán a muchos de estos y otros presentadores destacados.

También me siento feliz por el regreso de las competencias (encontrarán más información sobre los beneficios de competir en la página 30). Al igual que en 2021, las competencias regionales se fusionaron en una competencia nacional, que se llevará a cabo en el College of Southern Nevada durante la convención. Me encanta ver la participación de todos los estudiantes que trabajan por llevar sus habilidades a un nivel completamente nuevo; este año, estamos encantados de presentar el primer premio al Chef Pastelero Estudiante del Año. Además, el Equipo Culinario de la ACF de EE.UU. tendrá una estación en la gala de bienvenida, donde ofrecerá deliciosas muestras.

A medida que nos acercamos a los meses de verano, recuerdo la importancia del equilibrio entre el trabajo y la vida personal, así como también la salud y el bienestar de nuestros miembros. Cabe preguntarse si realmente estamos logrando ese equilibrio y cuidando nuestras mentes, cuerpos y espíritus. Voy a aprovechar este verano para comenzar a practicar lo que predico a nivel personal haciendo más ejercicio. ¡Por suerte, la chef y nutricionista de la ACF, Lisa Dorfman (cuyos consejos para mejorar el bienestar figuran en la pág. 50) estará presente durante la convención para enseñarnos algunos ejercicios matutinos y de motivación! Vaya a la sección News Bites para conocer más e inscríbase HOY mismo en acfchefs.org/convention.

Estoy ANSIOSA por volver a verlos pronto.

Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC, CCA, AAC Presidente Nacional, American Culinary Federation

Online Exclusives at WeAreChefs.com

Visit WeAreChefs.com, the official content hub for the American Culinary Federation, for stories and news about ACF members, industry and menu trends, recipes and more.

MasterCraft Summit Series

The one-day pastry summit on May 14 at Dallas College was a success! Check out some photos online from the event, plus a recap.

How They’re Grown

The latest study in our ongoing series explores how watermelons are grown. Learn all about the work that goes into the process of getting this summertime favorite to the back door of our kitchens.

Ingredient of the Month

Each month, we highlight a different ingredient in the ACF’s Online Learning Center. Visit the center at acfchefs.org/IOTM to complete a quiz and earn one hour of continuing education credit toward ACF certification and recertification.

The Culinary Insider, ACF’s biweekly newsletter, offers ACF news and links to recent articles, plus information about upcoming events, certification, member discounts, competitions, contests and much more. Sign up at acfchefs.org/tci.

Follow the ACF on your favorite social media platforms:

@acfchefs

@acfchefs

@acf_chefs

@acfchefs

@acf_chefs

American Culinary Federation

Tag us on Instagram!

ACF ChefsForum Webinar Series

Master Chef Thomas Griffiths, CMC, (pictured), is just one of the many ACF members and industry professionals leading the ever-popular ACF ChefsForum Webinar Series. Last month, Chef Griffiths of TWG Consulting, LLC, demonstrated some tapas dishes to show how small plates can be a platform not only for creativity but also profitability and sustainability by reducing food waste.

Why I’m an ACF Member Chef Richard Starkey, CEPC, CEC, of Freshly joins other ACF chefs from a variety of segments to discuss why being a part of this organization is important to them.

ACF’s Online Learning Center

Check out ACF’s Online Learning Center. There you’ll find NCR quizzes, videos of educational sessions from ACF events, practice exams for certification and more. Visit learn.acfchefs.org to get started and earn CEHs.

When posting your delicious creations on Instagram, tag #ACFChefs or send to @acf_chefs and we’ll repost our favorites here and online!

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NEWS BITES

Countdown to Vegas

The 2022 ACF National Convention will take place July 25-28 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. It’s not too late to register at acfchefs.org! Join in on the largest annual gathering of chefs, students and foodservice professionals in the country with more than 50 world-class presenters, demos and a trade show of 100+ sponsors displaying the latest and greatest.

World-Class Presenters

Through the pages of this special convention issue of NCR, you’ll see various convention speakers highlighted, but here’s a look at a few more who have been added since our preview in the May/June issue. To see the full list of presenters, visit acfchefs.org/events.

Award-winning Pastry Chef Amaury Guichon, founder of the Pastry Academy in Las Vegas and host of the wildly popular "School of Chocolate" on Netflix, has been added as another keynote speaker who will share his insights during a Q&A session. Author of “The Art of Flavor,” Chef Guichon has become a social media sensation with tens of millions of fans across Instagram, Facebook and TikTok who watch his behind-the-scenes videos on advanced chocolate and pastry work.

As the appreciation for plant-centric cookery grows, it’s becoming increasingly important for chefs to hone their skills in this area. Join Farmer Lee Jones, once dubbed “the Willy Wonka of chlorophyll” by Chef Jose Andres, and acclaimed Chef Jamie Simpson from The Culinary Vegetable Institute, for an inspirational presentation on the latest on plant-forward cuisine and trends.

What does it take to go from growing up in a Mississippi housing project to becoming a master sergeant and celebrity chef serving in the White House under four U.S. presidents? Chef Andre Rush, author of "Call Me Chef, Dammit!" has been committed to supporting the U.S. military while giving back to his community. Join Chef Rush, who is a decorated combat veteran, an advocate and the chef with the 24-inch biceps who is known for doing 2,222 pushups a day for military suicide awareness, for a very personal presentation about overcoming PTSD, using food as therapy and more.

The Future of Culinary Education

This panel discussion, moderated by Chef Pamela Bedford, CCE, ACF’s 2021 Chef Educator of the Year, will focus on the various types of culinary education programs available today. From traditional culinary labs to online learning, apprenticeships, workforce development programs and beyond, join the discussion as chef-instructors from secondary and post-secondary programs across the country discuss the state of foodservice education, as well as best practices for handling ongoing challenges. Presenters include Chef Marshall Shafkowitz, executive director, Brightwater: A Center for the Study of Food in Bentonville, Arkansas; Chef Les Eckert, MBA, CEPC, CCE, AAC, director, Great Lakes Culinary Institute; and Master Pastry Chef Frank Vollkommer, CMPC, director of culinary industry development, Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.

Competitions and Awards

As in 2021, regionals were merged into one national competition. This will be held at College of Southern Nevada in nearby Henderson on Monday, July 25, and Tuesday, July 26, during the convention. Competitors will compete for these national titles:

• Chef of the Year

• Pastry Chef of the Year

• Student Chef of the Year

• Student Pastry Chef of the Year (new this year!)

• Student Team of the Year

Other awards presented during the convention and at the President’s Ball on the final night include the Chef Professionalism award; Hermann G. Rusch Chef’s Achievement award; L. Edwin Brown Leadership award; Cutting Edge awards; Presidential Medallions; and the Chapter of the Year award. We’ll include a recap of the award winners in the Sept./ Oct. issue of NCR. For a look at the benefits of competing, turn to p. 30.

AAC Dinner and Luncheon

The Board of Governors meeting will be held on Sunday, July 24, and the 50th annual American Academy of Chefs (AAC) Fellows meeting and dinner will be on Tuesday, July 26. The AAC Spouse’s/ Significant Other Luncheon will take place on Wednesday, July 27. Register at acfchefs.org/events/convention

It’s Your Time to Shine!

ACF has partnered with Answer Stage to showcase videos of conference attendees discussing why they decided to make the trip to convention and why ACF membership is important to them. Want to share your thoughts and possibly see yourself highlighted on the main stage? To record a short video, visit answerstage.app/qcode/2EYJ7F

The Leaders of ACF

“At press time, there were at least 46 ACF chapter presidents registered for convention. These leaders have stayed committed to communicating with their members during tough times over the past couple of years, and today they’re focused on bringing back educational and networking opportunities, expanding community outreach, helping fellow Chefs in need and so much more. We’ll continue to report on those activities and milestones throughout the year.”

— ACF Director of Membership Development Dina Altieri

ACF Continues to Build Strong Industry Partnerships

ACF’s booth at the National Restaurant Association Show, held May 21-24 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, saw many visitors — from current and longtime members to interested nonmembers, students, educators and others. On Tuesday, May 24, ACF President Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC, CCA, AAC, led a well-attended panel discussion about the future of foodservice. The panel featured ACF Chefs Michael Ponzio, executive chef at the Union League Club of Chicago, and Wook Kang, CEC, program chair/instructor at Kendall College, along with Lilly Jan, F&B management lecturer at Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, and Chef Jeremy Ford, winner of Bravo’s “Top Chef” Season 13 and owner of Stubborn Seed in Miami. High school culinary students with Careers through Culinary Arts Program (C-CAP), a workforce development nonprofit chaired by Chef Marcus Samuelsson, were also on the stage demonstrating a French omelet, with their fellow classmates and teachers in the audience. “It’s so important for us to maintain close connections with our allied associations, like the National Restaurant Association,” President Brock Brown has said. ACF was also represented at the Association of Nutrition & Foodservice Professionals (ANFP) annual conference in late June in Scottsdale, Arizona. Next up, ACF members will be present at the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) National Conference in Spokane, Washington, July 13-16.

Mental Health & Wellness at the 2022 ACF National Convention

Chef Melinda Dorn will host a daily morning meet-up at convention to discuss ways to take charge of our mental health. Chef Dorn has worked in restaurants for nearly 30 years. While food trends have come and gone, Chef Dorn noticed a few things never left. Addictions, poor mental health and the side effects of workplace culture remained threats to the collective wellness of the industry. Chef Dorn now serves as industry peer support and outreach coordinator for Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness (CHOW), a Denver-based nonprofit led by a passionate team of industry veterans. We caught up with her to find out more about the organization.

NCR: What is CHOW?

MD: CHOW offers the kind of support that many of us needed — but didn't have — for decades in the industry. CHOW discussions are hosted by trained industry peers, who not only provide safe spaces for folks to share thoughts and ideas and to create community outside of their workplace, but who are also equipped with local and national resources to help attendees connect with what they need to stay mentally or physically well. We strongly encourage culinary schools to incentivize their students to attend CHOW's free mental health training to learn what's generally not taught in culinary school: the up-skills necessary to become

personally effective co-workers, chefs and managers. Attendees receive a certificate of completion as evidence of attendance.

NCR: Who founded the organization and why?

MD: CHOW was founded by John Hinman, owner of Hinman Pies, prior to Anthony Bourdain's death in 2018. John recognized the pain that used to live behind his own eyes reflected in the eyes of workers in restaurants where he delivered his products, and so he decided to start the first CHOW discussion circle in his own bakery. Every week since then, hospitality workers from all over the world have Zoomed in to share personal/professional struggles and successes.

NCR: How can chefs get in touch or reach out for help if they need it?

MD: CHOW is about 'us helping us,' and so anyone working in a hospitality-related setting can join us at one of several weekly discussion groups found at chowco.org/meetings. There, they can connect with a trained industry peer who can assist them. Alternatively, anyone interested in learning more can complete the ‘contact us’ form online or connect through Facebook or Instagram @CHOW_org.

Salut

The ACF White Mountain chapter held the 43rd annual Taste of New Hampshire Chefs Choice Dinner in May after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The event, which had 225 attendees, took place at the Eagle Mountain House in Jackson, New Hampshire. According to Chef Gary Sheldon, CEC, AAC, chapter vice president, all of the food was provided by White Mountain chapter members; 15 chapter chefs and eight ProStart students from Kennett High School prepared the dishes for the evening while the school’s band played background music (the chapter donated to the band in thanks). Two students received scholarships — Liam Narducci received $2,500 for the Culinary Institute of America next year and Isabelle Balch received $1,000 to attend White Mountains Community College in the fall. A total of $7,500 was raised for future scholarship awards. “We started the dinner in 1975 as a way to bring us all together as chefs and produce a great meal together,” Chef Sheldon said in published reports. “We were all in our own restaurants, all spread out across the state. It’s a great night of culinary fun, all for a good cause.”

Chef Samuel Spencer, president of the ACF Metro Mobile chapter, reported that the first group of 10 Hispanic students (pictured below) has graduated from Bishop State Community College’s Adult Education

"Culinary Skills with a Latin Flavor" program. The 12-week program provided integrated education and training to Spanish-speaking students who express long-term interest in careers in the food industry. Students earned three national certificates: kitchen

cook, restaurant server and a food handler’s permit through Mobile County. The project was initiated by partners of Javier-Calametti, LLC, with a competitive award grant from Mobile United and the support of the Hispanic American Business Association of the Gulf Coast. Bishop State's Akareem Spears and Dewanda Davis coordinated the class, which was taught by Chef Sheila Osborn-Beck.

Seniors from The Villages High School Culinary Academy received honor cords for their ACF certifications. The Villages High School is an ACFaccredited program in both Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry located in The Villages, Florida.

Chef-Instructor John Woods, CEC, CWPC at The Villages High School Culinary Academy; Kyla Royals, CFC; Jackie Tuggerson, II, CFC; Abigail Mckee, CFPC; Front row (from left): Erica Wyatt, CFPC; Berkley Barton, CFPC; Emily Calkins, CFC; Autumn Carr, CFPC.

Do you have news to share? Email your stories to communications@acfchefs.org, and you can see them printed in NCR!

Back row (from left):

NEXT GEN SCHOOLING

Community colleges are stepping up their culinary education for students

By Amanda Baltazar

Culinary courses at community colleges are becoming more sought after than ever, due to the thorough education they offer with a lower price tag than larger culinary school programs.

And students are leaving the schools after one- and two-year programs with degrees and certificates, many of which are ACF-certified.

To cite one example, the culinary and hospitality programs at Prince George’s Community College in Largo, Maryland, received a significant investment from both the school and the county four years ago, and enrollment now is booming. There are 297 students, and it’s expected that there will be 650 by the end of the year — that’s roughly a 118% increase.

For students with fewer economic means, there are also scholarships available, provided by community organizations and industry partners.

At Flint, Michigan’s Mott Community College, which is in the process of becoming ACF-accredited, scholarship funds come from local businesses and from two student-run Coffee Beanery outlets — one on campus and one at the school’s Culinary Arts Institute in downtown Flint.

“Coffee Beanery waives our franchise fees, and we in turn use the profits from sales for culinary student scholarships,” says Chef Matthew Cooper, CEC , the school’s culinary arts program coordinator.

WHAT’S ON OFFER?

Prince George’s Community College offers two associate degrees, in culinary and in hospitality, as well as a ServSafe certificate.

Students learn skills ranging from knife skills to international cuisine and hospitality. “Whatever area of the industry the student goes into, they can be successful,” says Denise Ware-Jackson, chair of the college’s wellness, culinary and hospitality department.

Prince George’s, which is in the process of obtaining ACF accreditation and has several ACF-certified chefs on staff, is attracting a diverse student population with some students as young as 16, says Ware-Jackson, who is working on agreements with local high schools offering culinary programs so that students can get credits for classes taken at Prince George’s. Other students are in their 20s or older, already working in culinary or running their own businesses but looking to advance their careers, she says.

The 300 students at Mott have the choice of studying to earn an associate degree in culinary arts or baking and pastry arts (the two most popular choices); an associate degree in foodservice management; or a one-year certificate in professional cooking or professional baking (Certified Culinarian).

Typically, students begin with the certificate, then add a second year. “We offer on-site ACF written and practical exams on campus for our students,” Chef Cooper says. “Once we finish the accreditation process, our students will be certified culinarians upon graduation.”

INVESTING IN CULINARY PROGRAMS

A $20 million investment into Prince George’s culinary program in 2018 increased the number of kitchens from one to five, Ware-Jackson says. These include a baking kitchen, a restaurant kitchen, a specialty kitchen (for international cuisine), a community kitchen (fundamental skills) and a garde manger, which the school will use for its new culinary medicine program.

Mott is also lucky enough to have a new culinary facility. This includes several culinary and baking laboratories, a garde manger classroom, a chocolates and confections laboratory and a temperaturecontrolled wine cellar and dry-aged meat room.

Another school that’s getting a face-lift is Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas. This fall, the culinary program will benefit from a new building featuring a full pastry kitchen, full culinary kitchen with production kitchen, induction ovens, store room, walk-ins, classrooms, garden area and

an event space for private and public events, “where students can learn and pick up extra techniques,” says ACF Chef Luis Peña , executive chef and culinary arts chair.

Butler is not ACF-accredited, but the school maintains a partnership with Johnson County Community College (JCCC), Overland Park, Kansas, which is ACF-accredited. “Through this partnership, and once students

Chef Matthew Cooper, CEC, with a student in the kitchen at Mott Community College in Flint, Michigan (left); a pastry instructor and student at Mott, which is in the process of becoming ACF accredited (right).

“IF THEY ARE EXPOSED EARLY ON, THAT CREATES THE PARTNERSHIP, AND THEY CAN BRING WHAT THEY’RE LEARNING INTO THE CLASSROOM.”

- CHEF DENISE WARE-JACKSON

complete the requirements of the specific pathways, they can test out for the Culinarian or Certified Sous Chef ACF certifications,” Chef Peña explains.

This partnership means Butler students can earn ACF certifications. Students can enroll in JCCC practicum classes, which qualify the students to test for ACF Culinarian Certification and ACF Sous Chef Certification. Through these classes, students will gain work experience as paid chef apprentices with an ACF-qualified chef.

WORKING LIFE

All culinary and hospitality students at Prince George’s complete either paid or unpaid internships, which start early in the students’ two-year program. “If they are exposed early on, that creates the partnership, and they can bring what they’re learning into the classroom,” Ware-Jackson says. “You shouldn’t wait to the end to do the internships.”

Students at Mott stay on campus for their work experience. They work in an upscale-casual campus restaurant, as well as a coffee shop, where it’s expected they’ll get experience in all aspects of the foodservice industry.

Butler students also stay at the school for part of their work experience, Chef Peña says. Before they graduate, students have to develop a menu and operate it out of a campus food truck. They also complete 100 hours of an off-campus internship.

Upon graduation, Prince George’s students go into all kinds of positions. Many set up their own businesses, and others go into restaurants or nearby senior living homes.

Mott’s students go on to varied careers: Some launch food trucks or catering businesses; others go to restaurants or local hospitals.

“It’s a very practical education,” Chef Cooper explains. “A lot of culinary is rooted in some French standards, but we try to move them into the more practical part. When they leave here, they should know how to use every piece of equipment and be ready for the industry.”

ACF Chef Luis Peña, executive chef and culinary arts chair teaches a class at Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas (right); a student at Butler, which maintains a partnership with ACF-accredited Johnson Community College in Overland Park, Kansas, to offer ACF certification for graduates (left).

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Tails of the Unexpected

chefs are finding new uses for lesser-known fish

by amanda baltazar

Understanding, purchasing, preparing and serving seafood is swimming in uncharted waters these days. With sustainability front-of-mind, many chefs are turning to lesser-known seafood and finding ways to prepare it that will appeal to diners.

Chef Andrew Thompson , chef de cuisine at Jack Dusty, the seafood-focused restaurant at The RitzCarlton in Sarasota, Florida, serves a different species every day.

“We take what the fishermen have,” he says. “We try and get as much Gulf fish as possible and work with local fish companies and fishermen.”

Because of this, every day is different at Jack Dusty. Only local black grouper is featured daily since a lot of customers come for that specifically, but otherwise, seafood largely runs as specials.

Chef Thompson regularly receives local varieties such as Gulf swordfish, mahi mahi, corvina, cobia and tripletail, but often buys even more unusual types. A recent catch was Japanese barbecued eel (also known as kabayaki or unadon), which he served simply with greens, lemon and lime juice, some sushi seasoning, pickled ginger and wasabi.

For the most part, because his seafood is so fresh, he doesn’t do a lot to it. “Our philosophy is to keep it

simple and let the fish shine through,” says Chef Thompson, who typically pan-roasts or steams the fish. Sometimes he serves it skin-on and cooks the fish skin-side-down for a contrast between the crispy skin and the tender fish flesh. “People want a simple meal they can recognize,” he says.

On the other side of Florida is St. Augustine’s Blackfly, which serves fish including snapper, mahi mahi or oahu and more recently swordfish — now that it’s been removed from the list of threatened seafood. Sometimes more unusual species, such as pompano, cobia or sheepshead, are featured. Cobia is usually served almandinestyle, while the sheepshead and pompano both go well with a light butter-based sauce, often a lemon-caper beurre blanc. “We always pan-sear them as they are more on the lighter, flaky side of things,” general manager Nick Massie points out.

invasive species and other lesserknown species to offer more variety and help prevent overfishing.

Coastal restaurants like Herb & Sea in Encinitas, California (pictured), are menuing bycatch, “garbage” fish,

On a typical day, Blackfly features three to five “fresh catch” dishes, which change daily, Massie says. There’s always a white fish, salmon and tuna on the menu, too. The restaurant prepares different presentations like lemon-caper beurre blanc, etouffee, baked in papillote, baked almandine and curried. “We’re trying to do twists on the classics to keep it fun,” Massie says.

Massie considers any seafood he can get within 24 hours of being caught as local — mostly from the Carolinas around into the Gulf, he says. “We go out of our way to make sure everything is sustainably fished.”

Using ‘Waste’

Herb & Sea in Encinitas, California, serves species such a sheepshead, opah, thresher shark, black cod and rockfish.

Thresher shark’s flavor and texture are similar to pork, Sous Chef Marissa Williams says. She likes to serve it with a well-spiced crust and charred on top of a wood burning grill, usually with a sauce to keep things moist.

And she likes to hard-sear opah steaks on all sides for no more than 30 seconds. “It's not a fish you want to cook through; it will get dry and almost stick to your teeth,” she explains. Chef Williams likes to serve opah with a roasted bell pepper relish with some lemon juice and herbs, which “makes it a really nice light summer dish.”

Sheepshead, a white flaky fish, is nice with the skin left on because it turns crispy and a reddish golden brown when seared, she says. “This fish really loves a sauce or a butter base; it will hold on to any flavor you decide to give it,” Chef Williams says. “I really like to use this fish pan-seared with just a sprinkling of salt, then a simple lemon beurre blanc.”

A favorite of Chef Williams is spot prawns. They are not underutilized, but because the prize (the meat) is in the tail,

the heads are typically wasted. “Instead, we grind up the heads into a fine powder, mix them with spices and use it as a powder in our roasted cauliflower dish,” she says.

Chef Frank Turchan, CEC , campus executive chef of Michigan Dining at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, serves a lot of what he calls “garbage fish,” or scraps that other establishments might not want. This includes scallops that are too small for restaurants that he can feature in stews or stir fries — plus small pieces of redfish, skate wing, and monkfish.

Chef Turchan prefers not to bread these fish and make the delicate seafood flavor unrecognizable to students. Instead, he quickly sears the skate and serves it in a hoisin ginger barbecue glaze. For the monkfish, he rolls it in Italian herbs and roasts it. This typically comes in small, 3-ounce pieces, “but we’re hoping for a bit bigger so we can carve it up to-order,” he says.

For redfish, Chef Turchan tends to steam it with ginger by placing the chopped ginger into the steaming water, and then serving the fish in a flavorful broth of lemongrass, garlic and white wine with a scallion garnish. This fish also would work well in a tempura batter, he points out.

Creativity Unleashed

Every day is an adventure at Jack Dusty for Chef Thompson. “I get offered things [from my

Chef Frank Turchan, CEC, executive chef of Michigan Diningn at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor often menus skate wing, monkfish and redfish (pictured), along with “garbage fish”, often scallops that are too small for restaurants but that can be used in stir fries (above); Sheepshead (opposite, above) and thresher shark (opposite, below) dishes on the WILCOAST Fresh Catch rotating menu at Herb & Sea in Encinitas, California.

purveyors] I’ve never heard of and love to play with them,” he says. “It keeps me on my toes, and it keeps my cooks intrigued. They keep on growing and are learning about sustainability.”

Pre-shift, Chef Thompson talks to the servers about the fish, its flavor and texture profile and where the fish was harvested — information servers can pass on to guests, which really helps sell it, he says. “The more information we can tell the servers, the more we sell.”

Working with lesser-known fish is always an adventure,” Chef Williams says. “I'm learning how to work with different types of fish, from ways to butcher and what parts of the fish can be used. It's fun because not only am I learning, but I'm able to flex my creative muscles to create new dishes that highlight these lesser-known fish species in a way that surprises diners.”

Herb & Sea also uses social media to talk about sustainability, featuring posts about visits to the docks, posts that highlight partners and information about the environmental benefits of eating lesser-known seafood species. The restaurant is also planning a series on social media to spotlight a lesserknown fish for the month. “We'll have videos of how to break them down, which fish parts can be used, and two or three creations,” Chef Williams says.

Chef Turchan educates students at the point of sale with signage at the station that includes information on the fisherman, where the fish was caught, other names for the fish and details about that fish.

Fishing for Relationships

Getting the best seafood comes down to relationships, Chef Thompson says. “It’s through networking, working with fish purveyors you trust and you know they’re working with local fishermen to sustain the environment,” he points out.

Chef Turchan talks to fishermen regularly about byproducts they’re catching, such as redfish and skate wing. “There’s so much abundance there, so we get a great product at a great price.” It helps his relationships that he can guarantee he’ll buy large quantities.

Working with local fishermen, Chef Williams says, “is the toughest and most rewarding part. It's about keeping a constant chain of communication with our fishermen and fishery partners. We text at least once or twice a week to see what they've caught or what fish isn't moving.”

But at the end of the day, most diners continue to order what they’re familiar with, like tuna and salmon, she points out. Though hopefully, with more exposure, restaurant guests will start ordering more lesser-known fish.

Chef Andrew Thompson of Jack Dusty at The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Florida, showcases a variety of lesser-known catches, such as Gulf swordfish, corvina, cobia and tripletail, in this case as part of his populary Sarasota Cioppino with Cedar Key clams, mussels and scallops.

Know Your Lesser-Known Species

Opah is a large, firm fish, shaped along the lines of halibut or flounder, that’s found in tropical waters, especially near Hawaii. Opah is typically cut into steaks that can be served raw, such as a tartar or crudo, or hardseared. This fish also has a dark-colored abductor muscle that has a meatier texture, which “is something you can use as a really nice tartar mixed with capers, something more on the saltier side and served with a toast,” Herb & Sea Sous Chef Marissa Williams says. “It’s something that isn't eaten very often or most likely trashed, but it has such a light flavor profile you can manipulate it into almost anything.”

Sheepshead, a flaky whitefish found in coastal Atlantic waters near Southwest Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico, can be used almost universally with anything, but it does especially well when pan-seared. “Take care not to overcook it; it easily gets dry. You want to have it right above a medium to keep the flavor inside along with the moisture,” Chef Williams says.

Pompano, also known as sunfish, is found in warm waters from Massachusetts to Brazil, has a mild flavor and is versatile to cook. The flaky fillets are typically a uniform thickness so cook evenly, ideally under the broiler or panseared and finish simply with herbs, lemon and butter, recommends Nick Massie, general manager of Blackfly in Florida.

Cobia are found in the Gulf of Mexico and near the Florida Keys in inshore waters with inlets and bays and around buoys, pilings and wrecks. Cobia has a firm texture and mild flavor and pairs well with many things; itcan be grilled, steamed, roasted or panfried. It also makes good sashimi, according to Massie.

How to Plank Fish

Chef Larry Forgione, hailed as the “godfather of American cuisine” and a pioneer of the farmto-table movement, was also known for introducing planked salmon to the dining public back in the 90s. It was at his acclaimed former restaurant, An American Place, one early morning in February 1993 that the “Great Chefs” television team filmed Chef Forgione preparing a cedar-planked salmon with wilted greens and toasted pumpkin seed vinaigrette. Since then, planked salmon (and other fish) has become a common menu item at restaurants around the country and in the kitchens of home cooks. “That style of cooking fish has become very popular again,” he says of the “traditional cooking technique” reminiscent of the way Native Americans cooked fish over fire.

For his latest rendition, Chef Forgione sources steelhead trout from Mount Lassen, a sustainable microfarming fishery in northern California that raises fish in the spring water sources at the base of the volcanic mountain. “A lot of freshwater fish farming is done in concrete tanks, but [Mount Lassen] diverts water from the river and brings it into the farm so the fish build muscle by swimming upstream against the current as if they’re in the wild,” he says. “The other big problem with fish farming is the amount of fish waste, but in this case, the water is strained and cleaned and put back into the river while the fish waste becomes fertilizer. We’re getting a great product and helping the environment with this fish.”

Here are Chef Forgione’s tips for cooking fish on a plank:

• Remove the skin so that the fish can get as much flavor from the wood as possible

• Season the bottom side of the fish but don’t brush butter or oil on it

• Lightly “toast” the plank before you put the fish on it (for thinner planks, soak in water for a half hour to prevent flare-ups) Leave plenty of room around the fish when you set it on the plank

• Set the plank under a broiler or open flame so the wood gets an earthy flavor

• If you haven’t soaked the plank, make sure to have an itemizer filled with water to hit the plank with a spritz of water in case of flare-ups

• You can also wire a whole fish or large pieces onto a big piece of cedar or oak and hang the plank upside down over a woodburning fire

Chef Forgione will demonstrate a dish using the trout at the ACF National Convention.

An ACF chef and NatCon presenter talks about his heritage cuisine //

by Kenya McCullum

Chef Chris Viaud, 31, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, who was a contestant on Season 18 of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” didn’t originally plan to embrace his Haitian roots when he started his career. After his experience on the show, however, the Chef/Owner of Greenleaf, a seasonally inspired farm-to-table restaurant in Milford, New Hampshire, was encouraged to share his heritage cuisine with his community. Chef Viaud is the son of Haitian immigrants and says some of his earliest childhood memories were his mother grinding herbs and spices for the braises and soups of his heritage cuisine. In 2021, the same year Season 18 aired, he opened Ansamn, a pop-up concept that operates out of Greenleaf and is focused on Haitian dishes. In this interview, Chef Viaud talks about what makes Haitian cuisine so special.

Q: What makes Haitian cuisine unique?

A: I would say the time that is involved in the cooking process and each step that kind of goes into everything from washing the meats with a citrus marinade to ensure that any bacteria is killed off — which, of course, adds an acidic flavor to it — to the ingredients that are being used. There's a lot of herbs and spices and peppers that go into the cooking. A lot of the dishes are stewed for long periods of time to break down the proteins or break down the vegetables. And it's full of flavor, full of stories. It allows the opportunity for families to come together and be able to tell stories, to talk about their days, while they're preparing the vegetables or meats for the meals.

Q: What are some hallmark Haitian ingredients and spices?

A: Epis is a blend of herbs, peppers and citrus. My version contains garlic, parsley, scallions, bell peppers, onion, thyme, habanero pepper, olive oil, lime juice and salt. Pikliz is a condiment that's made with cabbage, carrots, bell peppers and scotch bonnet peppers. It's typically seasoned with white vinegar and garlic.

Q: When you were in culinary school, did you initially think you would steer away from Haitian cuisine? Was there something else you were interested in pursuing?

A: There was never really much opportunity for learning or exploring Haitian food through the restaurant scene at all. It was more so — you want to go French, Italian, Asian and kind of just follow the teachings of the chefs that came before you.

Octopus in Epis (left) and Poule Nan Sos (right) on the menu at Chef Chris Viaud’s Ansamn, a pop-up concept operating out of his restaurant Greenleaf in Milford, New Hampshire.

It wasn't until recent years that there's been this resurgence of chefs saying, ‘You know what, all that is fine, the French, the Italian, they did their thing. Now it's our turn.’ Now we can really dig into our history and kind of learn and explore some of the food that makes us unique as people and how food can relate to family and togetherness. We’re sharing this rich history that has been so overlooked in regard to food and has now been such a major platform to be represented.

Q: How do the French and Italian techniques taught in most culinary schools differ from Haitian techniques?

A: The ‘mainstream’ types of cuisine definitely have more structure built in, and you can tell that there's a history of teaching that has been passed on from generation to generation. In Haitian cuisine, there is that sense of being passed on from generation to generation, but it's a lot more without boundaries, per se. It’s a lot more laid-back. There's less confinement when it comes to cooking. You cook by taste, by touch, by feel, by smell. And there are no real exact recipes or measurements to the ingredients going into the dish. You just cook with what you have essentially. There are so many different recipes that are produced, but nothing will ever be exactly the same. The Viaud family sat down together to create concise documents that do have recipes to ensure they can be passed down from generation to generation and that each Ansanm Sunday Dinner and/or pickup menu is consistent for their customers.

Q: How often are Ansanm Sunday Dinners?

A: Typically once a month, but this could change depending on what events we have scheduled. If we cannot host an in-person event, we try to provide a takeout option to replace it.

Q: What are some of your favorite Haitian dishes and why?

A: Poule nan sos, which is stewed chicken in Creole sauce. It's comforting and brings warmth to your soul. Labouyi is a dessert porridge seasoned with cinnamon and star anise — it’s super creamy and reminds me of my childhood. Soup joumou is another favorite.

Q: What is soup joumou?

A: It’s a soup that enslaved Haitians would make for their masters. Once they gained freedom from the French on Jan. 1, 1804, they began making it for themselves. Now it’s something Haitians make every January 1 as a celebration of independence from the French, and it’s otherwise known as freedom soup. Can soup joumou be prepared and eaten outside of January 1? Yes, of course. But it’s important to remember the significance behind preparing and eating it on January 1. Soup joumou was even awarded protected status by UNESCO. It’s a great feeling to know and witness that others are starting to respect our culture. This will help lead a longer-lasting impact on the generations of Haitians to come.

Q: For someone who isn’t familiar with cooking Haitian food, what advice would you give?

A: Research the cuisine, and if there are any Haitian friends in your circle, ask for help in understanding the cuisine and culture from their point of view. See if they’re willing to share recipes for you to try at home.

See Chef Viaud in person at the 2022 ACF National Convention, where he will be presenting about Haitian cuisine.

"WE’RE SHARING THIS RICH HISTORY THAT HAS BEEN SO OVERLOOKED IN REGARD TO FOOD AND HAS NOW BEEN SUCH A MAJOR PLATFORM TO BE REPRESENTED." -CHEF CHRIS VIAUD

A Haitian pâté handheld made (left) made by Chef Chris Viaud (right), a speaker at the 2022 ACF National Convention.

SMOKIN' IT

Plant-based dishes get a whole new flavor when you add barbecue techniques //

By Lauren Kramer

Use a smoker and you get a unique opportunity to completely change the depth of flavor of a dish. That’s been ACF Chef Jason Pooker’s experience. The executive chef at Springfield, Missouri-based Prime, Inc., one of the largest trucking companies in North America, Chef Pooker runs the in-house cooking program, which delivers up to 900 meals each day.

While his two smokers — a pellet smoker inside and an outside smoker for use in the summers — get a good workout on animal proteins, Chef Pooker also loves using them to experiment with vegetables and plant-based products. “I love making smoked tomato and onion jam for our burgers,” he says. “The process involves splitting whole onions and tomatoes, smoking them for 90 minutes and mixing them with molasses and brown sugar to make a jam.”

Another dish he has played around with is a play on a traditional poke salad, using watermelon instead of tuna. “I diced the watermelon and used a smoking gun to infuse it with smoke before mixing it with chopped macadamia nuts, green onions, sesame seeds and poke sauce,” he says. “The look and texture of

watermelon really simulated tuna and the dish worked out beautifully, so it’s on my list anytime I need a good vegetarian or vegan option.”

Chef Pooker usually uses a mixture of cherry and mesquite pellets in his smoker, but will also use hickory, applewood, alder or peachwood, if available. What’s great about smoking plants, he says, is that it’s a much faster process than smoking meats. “With fruit and vegetables in the smoker, you can get your desired flavor in 30 to 45 minutes, and it can be a game changer with respect to your depth of flavor,” he says.

SMOKING SQUASH

ACF Chef Jeffrey Schlissel , owner of the Bacon Cartel, a smoke shop focused on meal preparation, catering, private chef services and consulting, also loves using his smoker to create plant-based

barbecue dishes. One of his most popular plant-based dishes is a butternut squash chili. “I take a whole butternut squash, rub it with grapeseed oil and smoke it for up to two hours,” says Chef Schlissel, president of the ACF Palm Beach County chapter in Florida. “The grapeseed oil is the fat that helps encapsulate the butternut squash. Once the squash is tender, I chop it up and add it to the chili, and it gives this non-meat dish a great meaty texture.”

Over the past five years, he has often played with smoke to add complexity to his dishes. “The smoke is the supporting actor in the show, and the type of wood you use has a drastic effect on the end result,” he says.

Chef Schlissel has charred whole oranges (“Charring an orange gives it a charred, caramel flavor that infuses a dish with magic!”) and thinner-membraned fruits like peaches. The duration of time for smoking depends heavily on the thickness of that membrane and the size of the fruit or vegetable you’re working with, but done well, he says, “smoking imparts a type of complexity to your dish that’s tough to determine, and that makes diners wonder, ‘How did he do that?’”

COOKING WITH CHARCOAL

At Andros Taverna in Chicago, Chef Doug Psaltis uses his charcoal hearth for a little char and to create that smoky, barbecue-esque flavor. “Using

Smoking imparts a type of complexity to your dish that’s tough to determine, and that makes diners wonder, ‘How did he do that?

-ACF Chef Jeffrey Schlissel

Many chefs like to char butternut squash and other vegetables to bring out their naturally sweet and savory notes (top) (credit: Andrew Thomas Lee); Chef Doug Psaltis of Andros Taverna in Chicago uses his charcoal hearth for many of his nonmeat dishes, including these charred, lemon hasselback sweet potatoes (below).

READ THIS!

Nashville restaurateur and pitmaster Pat Martin’s recently released book, “Life of Fire: Mastering the Arts of Pit-Cooked Barbecue, the Grill and the Smokehouse,” features many plant-forward recipes in which vegetables get the same smoking, charring and grilling treatment as meats. In his book, Martin (the founder of Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint and HughBaby’s BBQ & Burger Shop) also shares how to build your own outdoor grill pit, along with other pitmaster techniques for veggies and meats alike.

high-quality charcoal allows you to cook over high heat while still imparting gentle smoky flavors that enhance whatever you choose to grill, and without masking your food from the harsh flavors often found in gas or poor-quality synthetic charcoal,” he says. “I absolutely love to grill root vegetables like potatoes. Cooking them slowly allows the vegetables to pick up the amazing flavors of the charcoal.”

Time and temperature are important when working with charcoal. “It’s as simple as taking the time to let the coals burn and produce a beautiful bed of glowing embers before you cook,” Chef Psaltis says.

Chef Jorge Pineda of Omakaseed at Plant Bar in New York City uses a charring method for edamame, which he pairs with miso-marinated Japanese eggplant and potato matcha soup “for an eye-catching combination” of colors.

Chef Pineda also likes to mix and match textures when creating his plant-based sushi. Like Chef Pooker, Chef Pineda also swaps tuna for smoked watermelon, which is then paired with slow-roasted pineapple and a yuzu kosho and pickled kelp meant to “play with the flavors of sour and sweet and incorporate a variety of textures that are complimentary on the palate,” he says.

Slow-roasted pineapple nigiri (above) and smoked eggplant nigiri (below) by Chef Jorge Pineda of Omakaseed at Plant Bar in New York City.

PLANT-BASED SUBSTITUTIONS

For Chef Jay Ziobrowski, CEC , a corporate R&D chef at Morrison Healthcare and board chair for the ACF Chefs of Charlotte chapter, shredded jackfruit is the fruit of choice when it comes to substituting meat during smoking. “It takes on any flavor profile, like tofu, but it has a better texture, so when you’re looking at alternatives to animal proteins, this works really well,” he says.

Chef Ziobrowski buys his jackfruit shredded and frozen, adds a dry rub and then smokes it at 250 degrees for an hour before adding barbeque sauce. “The jackfruit itself is like a blank canvas, but it’s a great carrier of flavor,” he explains. “By spicing it up, smoking it and adding your flavor profile, you can use it as a salad topping or on a sandwich.”

When he has used jackfruit in a sandwich as a substitute for pulled pork, he has found that diners have had trouble discerning the difference because the consistency and texture is so similar. “Smoking it adds the authentic flavor of barbeque,” he says.

Chef Pooker would agree: “What smoking can do to elevate the flavor and appearance of a dish is truly astronomical.”

Chef Matt Jackson switched his diet to all-vegan several years ago for health and humanitarian reasons but hasn’t suffered at all since. A barbecue fan (who’s in the process of opening a plant-based barbecue concept in New Hampshire), he leans on certain ingredients and techniques to coax out that “natural smokiness that comes from bacon and meat. People shy away from liquid smoke, but when used in moderation, it adds a nice element,” he says.

Chef Jackson often uses a combination of liquid amino acids, soy sauce and paprika to add a smoky-umami element to vegetables. He also adds a bit of those ingredients to a dairy-free

cashew cream sauce made from the blended nuts, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and a touch of nutritional yeast. “Then I’ll spread that out on a sheet pan and cold-smoke the entire sauce before folding it into a mac ‘n’ cheese to replace the smoky bacon element,” he says. Most recently, he’s had some fun recreating musubi, a

favorite snack in Hawaii, where he lived and worked. Musubi is essentially a sushi roll with Spam and rice wrapped in seaweed. For a plant-based musubi (pictured), Chef Jackson sous vide-cooked raw pumpkin slices in a marinade of red plum vinegar and furikake until tender and then cold-smoked the squash for a couple hours. “I made a reduction of the pumpkin juice and used that for a glaze and then seared it off to add a smoky, charred element,” he says. “Everyone thought it was meat!”

Catch Chef Jackson in action at the 2022 ACF National Convention, where he’ll be teaming up with Chef Ron DeSantis, CMC, for a special demo and presentation on vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian dishes.

Chef Jay Ziobrowski, CEC, of Morrison Healthcare, smokes jackfruit for a pulled pork-style barbecue sandwich on his menus.

Classical

A classic mole sauce brings back strong childhood memories for Chef David Carachure, CSC , executive chef for Center Stage Catering, Inc., based in Rocky Mount, Virginia. “It’s something I always had as a kid because my mom and dad made it all the time,” says Chef Carachure, who was born in the U.S. and raised in Virginia by his American mother and Mexican father. For a flavorful base, Chef Carachure reserves the stock used for cooking the chicken and then adds about 30 different ingredients to the complex sauce to simmer for about an hour. The prep begins a few days prior, however, when he roasts all the chiles, including smoky guajillo chiles, spicy ancho chiles and dark, earthy and slightly fruity mulato chiles that help give mole its color and flavor. He also toasts and grinds all the spices and seeds, including pumpkin (pepitas), sesame and cumin, and freshly grinds mole’s other signature ingredient: unsweetened dark Mexican chocolate. For the classic plating, the cooked chicken leg and thigh get smothered in the sauce and served alongside seasoned rice.

Photos by Eli Schopp, Shot by Schopp

Modern

For a modern mole, Chef Carachure starts with the same prep and simmer to develop that rich, flavorful sauce that features — in addition to the aforementioned ingredients — other spices like Mexican oregano and cinnamon, as well as roasted plantains for sweetness and charred tortillas as a thickener. But for a more sophisticated plating, he pulls out some of the sauce ingredients when plating to showcase all the steps that go into making the dish. He pairs a chicken lollipop — also simmered in a mixture of water, jalapenos, onions, tomatoes, Mexican oregano, pepper and cloves for that strong stock base — with crispy fried plantains, some queso fresco, pepitas and locally sourced edible squash flowers over a bed of mole. Chef Carachure spoons more of the mole over the chicken and delicately sprinkles on some of the toasted sesame seeds for contrasting color and texture. At events, he has served his popular mole-covered chicken lollipop for a one-bite treat.

For recipes, visit wearechefs.com.

COMPETITION COURAGE COURAGE

trophies and medals

By Jody Shee

Chefs and culinary students alike find one certain common truth: Life is a competition. You compete every day for your piece of industry share, says Chef Randy Torres, CEC, AAC, who is executive director of the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay, an ACF Culinary Team USA assistant manager and chair of ACF’s Culinary Competition Committee. Chefs compete for customers not only with nearby restaurants but also with grocery store prepared foods, food trucks, delivery from hither and yon and more. Students and chefs also compete

for jobs with resumes pitted against each other.

Yet some culinarians choose to make competition a more formal affair to hone confidence-building skills. And a bonus is that those competition skills are transferable, Chef Torres tells people considering whether to compete. If a job interview requires cooking for a would-be employer, your competition chops kick in and you cook with confidence as if you’re competing. Here, Chef Torres and others share the benefits of competing that they have enjoyed over the years.

As athletes of the kitchen, chefs who compete earn more perks than just

Chef Randy Torres, CEC, AAC, is executive director of the Oregon Coast Culinary Institute at Southwestern Oregon Community College, Coos Bay, as well as ACF Culinary Team USA assistant manager. He has participated in numerous culinary competitions and regularly coaches students for competition. He currently serves as chair of the ACF National Culinary Competition Committee.

Simply attending such culinary

competitions as ACF Culinary Team USA and IKA, informally known as the Culinary Olympics, gives a glimpse into the making of culinary trends. “A lot of R&D is done for you in that world,” Chef Torres says. Observing new dishes, he finds inspiration to implement them in his own way.

All the exposure to others’ takes on dishes and techniques helps one evolve as a chef. “The chef I was 10 years ago isn’t the chef I am now,” he says. “Food is saying different things to me now than it did before.”

Team competition preparation leads to analyzing dishes at length from every angle. “We’ll talk about one plate for hours on end, asking all kinds of questions,” Chef Torres says. “For example, would another country recognize this as American cuisine? Are we respecting classical cuisine enough to do something like this? This process provides food-development training

CHEF GEOFFREY LANEZ CEC

Chef Geoffrey (Geo) Lanez, CEC, is executive chef at The Patterson Club, Fairfield, Connecticut, and has competed in more than 25 competitions. In 2017, he was one of six chefs selected to be on the ACF Culinary Team USA, which represented the U.S. in the World Cup in Villeroy, France, in 2017 and the Boch Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg, Germany, in 2019 — earning two silver medals. The team then went on to compete in the 2020 IKA/Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, Germany, where the team received a silver and a bronze medal. Chef Lanez recently competed in the 2022 Le Best Chef competition in New York, where he placed second.

Honing techniques may be one of the biggest benefits of all that is involved in competing on a high level, Chef Lanez

says. Critical thinking, time management, knife cuts, fabrication, sauteing, braising, roasting, poaching, blanching and all the rest were already in his wheelhouse. But through competitions, mentors and coaches guided him in the best ways to do those techniques consistently.

“When you do all those in competition, you’re under a magnifying glass,” he says. “If you’re inefficient, someone will critique you and tell you your approach wasn’t the best or show you how they did the technique for the CMC exam.”

Correct portioning was one area Chef Lanez honed through competing. “I’d eyeball a lot of things as a sous chef,” he says. But in competitions, he sharpened measurements with the calculator to determine exact weights per dish, which is

second to none.”

Additionally, the friendships and camaraderie you develop in the competition process and the opportunity to visit different facilities makes you a richer person. For Chef Torres, “Going after a job was never difficult. I had a special in,” he says.

As the current chair of the ACF National Culinary Competition Committee, Chef Torres has heard many reasons why chefs choose not to enter the sphere of competitions. “I’m not good enough. I work full time. I have kids,” are just a few. He reminds chefs that those who compete have all those same challenges and then some. Competitors have learned to put aspects of their lives in their own places. “You have to go through it to realize you can do it. You just have to be to the point where you want to,” he says.

necessary to replicate and multiply recipes for specific portion counts.

Chef Lanez doesn’t let the critiques fall to the ground. Realizing he has learned technique perfection from the best, he brings the intel with him back to the kitchen, where he mentors and coaches his staff.

Chef Ted Polfelt, CEC, CEPC, CCA, AAC, is corporate chef for Jefferson Street Management Group, Inc., Roanoke, Virginia, as well as a culinary instructor for Virginia Western Community College, Roanoke. He has participated in about 30 competitions; he competed for ACF Chef of the Year in

CHEF TED POLFELT

CEC, CEPC, CCA, AAC

2016 and won the Southeast Chef of the Year at Regionals. He won Best in Show at MCI ACF Culinary Salon, Cincinnati, in 2017 and won Chef Best in Show at the 2018 Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Supply Show of the Southeast, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He competed at the tryouts for ACF Team USA in 2017 and 2020 and was selected as a member of ACF Culinary Team USA 2024.

Long ago, Chef Polfelt identified identified competition as his passion and says he owes a large portion of his development as a professional chef to competitions. “I look at all the competitions I’ve participated in as my higher level of learning after culinary

CHEF RICH ROSENDALE CMC

Chef Rich Rosendale, CMC, is chief vision officer for Leesburg, Virginiabased Rosendale Collective, the umbrella organization for Roots 657 restaurant and the various classes and events offered at the restaurant’s culinary lab. He has competed in more than 50 culinary competitions and spent many years competing in Bocuse d’Or. He also led the 2004 and 2008 U.S. Culinary Olympic Teams. In 2005, he received two gold medals in the World Master’s Basel in Switzerland — his first international competition — and in 2006, he received a rare perfect score and two gold medals at the EXPOGAST Culinary World Cup international culinary competition in Luxembourg.

In the beginning, Chef Rosendale only expected culinary competitions to hone his skills, allow him to travel, expand his education and help him get better. But later into it, he discovered that the organizational skills he developed in the process — along with attention

to detail, planning and logistics — were transferable into other projects, and ultimately to what he does now.

For example, in early April 2022, Chef Rosendale was tapped to prepare food for a two-night Las Vegas show featuring the popular South Korean boy band BTS. “Cooking in another state takes a lot of organization and planning,” he says. “My culinary competition sharpened the saw for that kind of planning.”

Achieving success in competitions, Chef Rosendale says, is only possible with teamwork and when you are surrounded by talented people who help carry the load. “At [my restaurant] Root 657, I believe and I tell my employees [the restaurant] is successful because of them,” he says. “I created the menu and the recipes, but [my employees] have the direct relationships with the customers.” In other words, any positive reviews come from the hard work of the team as a whole. Chef Rosendale is keenly attuned to the importance of putting

school and after running kitchens for a few years,” he says.

For example, from watching others and participating in competitions, he learned how to set up stations more efficiently and how to work more flavor into dishes. “It informs how I teach at the community college and how I build my menu and work the dishes,” he says.

The travel involved in the competition circuit has taken Chef Polfelt to cities he would never have visited otherwise, where he meets chefs, tries new foods and meets students along the way. “We’re a family and a camaraderie. I know I can reach out to those resources any time,” he says.

the right people in the right position and delegating jobs and duties so that employees are poised for success.

Additionally, “Aside from ego, there’s not a lot to lose in a competition,” Chef Rosendale says. “You can fail in a competition, and you’ll be fine. But if you fail out in the real world, and your restaurant fails and you’re not meeting expectations of the membership or the guests, there are consequences.” Bottom line is that in competitions, you earn those gold medals and awards by the failures you’ve worked through. “You fail in order to succeed,” he says.

CHEF GEORGE CASTANEDA CEC

Chef George Castaneda, CEC, is executive chef and founder of GC KITCHENSTUDIO, Nashville, Tennessee. He has participated in more than 50 culinary competitions. In 2014, he won the Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup in individual cooking in Luxembourg. In 2016, he was part of ACF Culinary National Team USA, which competed at IKA in Erfurt, Germany, and finished fourth in the world overall. He currently is head coach for the National Olympic team of Spain.

Through culinary competitions, organization is etched into the life of Chef Castaneda. Mise en place applies not only to cooking, but to all areas of life, he says.

Additionally, competing helps to develop a sense of humility with patience. You may have ingredients, ideas and

menus in your head for three months before they culminate on a plate in front of the judges. “And then, you might be told that’s not good enough,” he says. “Only if you have humility and patience to receive that feedback can you evolve.”

All of his competition experience has developed him into a caring mentor for those passionate about the craft who want to compete but are less experienced. “You have a better understanding of what they are going through,” he says. “I can care and offer feedback to one in my position a few years ago.”

After participating in more than 50 competitions himself, Chef Castaneda still learns as he observes how younger participants imagine food. “They are excited about developing new ways to do things,” he says. “There are a lot of classics

being reinvented by young minds of chefs putting their creativity into it. You never stop learning.” For example, although there is a specific technique to making a classic beef Wellington, he observes that younger chefs are more apt to log in to cooking platforms online or turn to social media for variations and other sources of inspiration.

CHEF ANGUS MCINTOSH JR CEC

how your skills stack up compared to others during the development stage of your career — especially when you’re a younger chef, Chef Angus McIntosh Jr. says. “You find out if you’re lacking in certain areas or if you are excelling. It’s a great tool for learning.”

Chef Angus McIntosh Jr., CEC, is a private chef for a family in Palo Alto, California. He has competed in about a dozen competitions, earning many medals, including gold in ACF’s regional Chef of the Year competition in Chicago in 2017. In 2015, he received the bronze medal at the Bocuse d’Or American Finals competition in Las Vegas.

Pitting yourself against the best in the industry in a competition reveals

Over time, your perspective begins to change, and you see others less as competitors and more as friends from whom you are able to learn. “You may see skills in those competitions you weren’t aware of,” he says. “Suddenly you see things you’d never have been exposed to and you start to think that maybe you can learn some new skills. You become more three-dimensional in your cooking.”

In Chef McIntosh’s case, when preparing for the Bocuse d’Or, he was

keenly aware that his well-rounded teammates were pulling from their own food experiences and recipes to create competition menus, demonstrating they already had the necessary skills. “I had to start from scratch, creating something from nothing,” he says. This challenged his career path, and by leveraging his relationships, he went on to stage at The French Laundry in Napa Valley, which led to employment there and eventually led to his current career as a private chef.

Like others, Chef McIntosh boils down the essence of competing to mise en place — proper preparation. “It’s not just about food, but how you outline your daily life,” he says. Competing helps you develop and translate those career skills to life skills.

CHEF TIMOTHY RECHER

“When I first joined the ACF, I entered my first competition for fun, having no idea what it was about. I was fortunate enough to earn a silver medal and ended up winning the show I was a part of. I was instantly hooked. At that first one, I met Certified Master Chef Rudy Speckamp, who really became someone I looked up to and admired. His advice and encouragement led me to compete more and more, driving halfway across the country to cook and meet so many people. They became not only friends but also the mentors that really helped me build a professional career. Competing was truly a turning point in my professional life and drove me to where I am today. Many of those chefs were a part of Team USA over

the years. To have been offered a chance to try out and subsequently make the team is beyond humbling to me. To be able to participate at the same level as my mentors is an honor and one I do not take lightly. It's a chance for me to be a part of U.S. culinary history, legacy — and hopefully offer an opportunity to those that follow us, just as I followed those before me.

WINNING QUALITIES

Not everyone has what it takes to actually win competitions. Six winning chefs share the qualities they think are necessary to pass muster.

NO FEAR

“Don’t be afraid to fail or to be uncomfortable. Yet know your limits.” – Chef Randy Torres, CEC, AAC SELF-ENCOURAGEMENT

“Develop and display a good attitude when you lose. Smile and summarize that you showed up, did your best, showcased what you’re about and did everything you were told.” – Chef Geo Lanez, CEC

ACCEPT CRITICISM

“Develop the ability to take criticism from a judge, learn from it and move that dish forward.” – Chef Ted Polfelt, CEC, CEPC, CCA, AAC

COMMITMENT WITH BALANCE

“Commit the necessary time to develop menus, recipes, style and skills and be 100% in it to win it. Meanwhile, develop balance between work, family and being mentally/ physically fit.” – Chef George Castaneda, CEC

COOL HEAD

“Learn to maintain composure in a crisis. When you can’t control what happens around you, hold it together so that you don’t lose your head during competition. Additionally, be humble so that you project an attitude that encourages and welcomes feedback.” – Chef

Rich Rosendale,

CMC

UNDERSTAND THE AUDIENCE

“Know the audience for which you are cooking. Tailor your dishes and presentation for that particular competition and those judges’ expectations. Then be prepared and consistent.” – Chef Angus McIntosh Jr., CEC

CEC, AAC, CWX 2021 ACF Chef Professionalism Award Winner

PRACTICEPERFECT MAKES

As COVID-19 restrictions have relaxed, the ACF Culinary Team USA has been able to have more in-person practice sessions, including one in March at Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, Virginia, and one in April at the Metropolitan Community College Institute for the Culinary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska. The team is working on menu development for the Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg this year and the 2024 IKA Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, Germany.

Kevin Storm, Victor Dagatan, Ted Polfelt, CEC, CEPC, CCA, AAC, James Storm, Recher, Dan Holtgrave and Troman Felizmenio; Chefs John Schopp, CEC, CEPC, CCE, CCA, AAC, chef-instructor at Virginia Western Community College, host of the spring practice session and the setting for these photos

Clockwise from left: 2024 Culinary Team USA Pastry Chef Coach Susan Notter, CEPC; Team Chefs Timothy Recher, CEC, AAC, CWX and Dan Holtgrave, CEC; Team management (left to right): Chef Randy Torres, CEC (assistant manager), Chefs Steve Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC, and John Coletta (advisors) and Chef J. Kevin Storm (manager); Group shot (left to right): Chefs Notter, Jilleba, Torres, Coletta, J.

(left) and J. Kevin Storm (right) (credit: Eli Schopp).

MEET THE 2024 ACF CULINARY TEAM USA

Chef John Coletta Team Advisor

Chef Kevin J. Storm CEC, AAC Team Manager

Chef Randy Torres CEC, AAC Team Assistant Manager

Chef Dan Holtgrave CEC Team Chef

Chef James Storm Team Chef

Chef Ted Polfelt CEC, CEPC, CCA, AAC Team Chef

Chef Steve Jilleba CMC, CCE, AAC Team Advisor

Victor Dagatan Team Pastry Chef

Susan Notter Pastry Chef Coach

Troman Felizmenio Team Pastry Chef

Chef Logan Christensen CEC Team Chef

Chef Timothy Recher CEC, AAC, CWX Team Chef

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Chef Anita Lo // B y John Bartimole

strong New England roots. I had nannies who were Hungarian and African American, so it was a very diverse upbringing. “We did a lot of traveling as a family,” she says. “Food was one of the important ways we used to experience culture.”

While those early experiences imbued in Chef Lo a love of various cuisines, it wasn’t until she went to college at New York City’s Columbia University that she really began plying her cooking skills. “Really, my cooking career began when I started in college,” she says. “And cooking was a natural extension of my background and my love of crafts. I always enjoyed working with my hands, and cooking certainly requires you to do that.”

With her family’s emphasis on food, culture and diversity, Chef Anita Lo embarked on her culinary journey at a young age. Today, that journey shows no signs of stopping.

The ingredients to foster a passion for cooking appeared early and often in Chef Lo’s life: a family’s love of food; its inherent multicultural diversity; a yen for traveling and exploring; and the introduction of people of various ethnic backgrounds to the family.

Chef Lo says she grew up “in a foodobsessed family.” And that obsession led her down a path in which food remained not only an important fixture in her life — it became her profession and helped her to become a successful chef, restaurateur and entrepreneur.

“I grew up in a very multicultural family,” she says. “My mom was from Malaysia, but she was Chinese. My dad was from Shanghai; my stepfather had

Chef Lo majored in French literature in college but realized she needed a different option for her career path. “I mean, what was I going to do with that major? Work at the UN?” she says with a laugh. That choice of majors was still serendipitous, leading her to studying at Reid Hall, Columbia’s French language institute in Paris. And that’s where she fell in love with the food and culture of the French people. “While there, I enrolled in Ecole Ritz Escoffier, a storied French culinary institution, and also went to work in a French restaurant, and my love for French food continued to grow,” she says.

Back in the States, following stints in New York City at David Waltuck’s Chanterelle and at Mirezi, where she earned a two-star review from the New York Times, Chef Lo opened her own concept, Annisa (which means women in Arabic). The intimate restaurant earned Chef Lo another two-star review from the New York Times, and Food and Wine magazine named her one of the “Best New Chefs in America” in 2001.

Chef Lo is aware of the importance of her presence in what has traditionally been a male-dominated career. “I do think representation is important,” she says. “I believe seeing women owning their own restaurants is actually very important to the next generation. We’ve had a lot of women come through my kitchen, and it’s gratifying.

“Unfortunately sometimes women are still being harassed in our industry,” she says. “Once I made a little bit of a name for myself, people — especially women — started coming to me. It’s crucial for people to know that women can succeed in this business.”

Chef Lo is also keenly aware of her role as a mentor to those who work with her. “As a chef, I always wanted to nurture as a leader, rather than to yell,” she says. “Though,” she adds, “I’ve had my moments!”

She’s learned, however, that a better way of leading is to teach people why things need to be done a certain way. “By doing that, people want to work and stay with you because they are being educated, respected and mentored,” she says.

Chef Lo remains proud of the longtime tenures of many of her restaurant staff (she closed Annisa in 2017 following a difficult knee replacement, which curtailed her ability to stand for long stretches of time). “For example, I had one chef stay with me for eight years, others four to five years. Those and others were and still are part of my restaurant family.”

Chef Lo now works with Tour de Forks, an organization that sponsors destination-based culinary trips that allow participants to visit and observe with local providers and top-level chefs to experience and enjoy the food and culture of the region.

She also appears on various cooking shows and publishes cookbooks. Her second book, “Solo: A Modern Cookbook for a Party of One,” grew out of her personal need to often cook for just herself

— and to show readers how to combat waste that often results when preparing for just one person.

The elimination of waste will be one of her key points during her presentation at the 2022 ACF National Convention. “Back in the day, when I was being taught, we threw away a lot of food, and it was really shocking,” she says. “Now, we try to use everything. If we use just the florets of the cauliflower, we save the stems and core and puree it to use later. If we have good scraps of fish, we save those and eventually, you have enough to make a nice bouillabaisse. It’s about honoring and respecting the food, the people who grew it and those who transported it.”

Catch Chef Lo in action at the 2022 ACF National Convention.

“AS A CHEF, I ALWAYS WANTED TO NURTURE AS A LEADER, RATHER THAN TO YELL.”

- CHEF ANITA LO

ACF CHEF’S ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA, INC.

// By John Bartimole

Since becoming a member of the ACF Chef’s Association of Arizona, Inc., in 1985, Chef Lenard “Lenny” Rubin, CEC, AAC , has seen changes in membership and in other aspects of the organization — but one thing has not changed.

“Our overriding, big philosophy is to give back to this community that has so supported us over the years,” says Chef Rubin, who works as executive chef at Hilton Phoenix Resort at the Peak and is serving as the chapter’s president for the third time. “So many of us in the chapter have had great careers, and we want to show our appreciation and support for the community.”

Community Engagement

The chapter, which now has 90 members, endured the pandemic, but not without some attrition.

“We used to have more student members, but some culinary schools ended their programs and that affected us,” Chef Rubin says.

Just as it did to the rest of the country, the pandemic caused the chapter to move to Zoom meetings, and then to hybrid, and now, back to all in-person “and growing in attendance,” Chef Rubin says. But the real cost of the pandemic to the chapter was the personal toll.

“Quite simply, some people lost their jobs in the pandemic,” he says. “We tried to be sensitive and responsive to that. We tried to be there to help people find

positions; we tried to discourage those who were thinking of quitting their profession to hang in there. Even as the pandemic ebbed, finding help was a huge challenge, and we tried to help with that, too.”

Fortunately, Chef Rubin notes, of the chapter’s 90 members, there are 19 senior members who remain the core of the organization. “They are retired, but serving as mentors to our younger chefs,” says Chef Rubin, who notes that 11 of the chapter members are American Academy of Chefs fellows (Chef Rubin himself will become the 12th this year). Of those, three are AAC Hall of Fame members.

Restarting Recruiting

Another focus of the chapter’s members is to inspire younger chefs. “We want our younger

members to get hungry and to get passionate about our profession,” Chef Rubin says.

Part of the passion is cultivated by remaining active in the community. Chef Rubin says the chapter’s chefs combine to feed almost 5,000 homeless individuals and refugees annually. “Many of our chefs also get involved in other charitable endeavors, such as creating food boxes for the homeless and other low-income individuals.”

Chef Rubin says some former members who lost their jobs during the pandemic simply couldn’t afford to pay dues or left the profession entirely, at least for now. “We open our meetings to anyone who’s interested,” Chef Rubin says when asked about his recruitment efforts. “You don’t have to be a member of the ACF to attend. We tell people, ‘Come and see us. We would love you to join, but if you’re unsure of making the commitment, see what we have to offer and then decide.’”

A Focus on Education

The chapter makes a concerted effort to recruit educators and students into the profession. “Education is virtually just as important as anything else we do,”

Chef Rubin says. Toward that end, the chapter invests some of its assets in a program called "Careers in Culinary Arts Professions,” which is widely known as C-CAP. “C-CAP helps to train the teachers of students in high school culinary arts programs,” he says. “And they run cooking competitions for kids from mostly underprivileged areas. I have been judging and mentoring for so long — for 26 years — that now, I see some of the kids I judged so many years ago now as executive chefs, owning their own restaurants or even as instructors at the schools. It’s very fulfilling and gratifying.”

An example of one of the training programs that the chapter also offers is a four-day seminar in which the chapter brings in 20 high school culinary instructors. “The course costs $850, but we give out at least three scholarships to

Opposite: ACF Arizona chapter Chefs Richard Starkey, CEPC, CCE, Chef Jamie Wang and Chef Mike Santa Cruz of Freshly, Inc. (left to right); Above from left: Arizona chapter members at a recent C-CAP event (back row, left to right): Chef Jay Perry, JP Concepts & Culinary Consulting/Culinary Opinion Clothing, Chef Jasmin Smith, Suss Pastries (C-CAP alum), Lonnie Schatz, CULT Artisan Beverage Company, Chef Angel Joy, US Foods, Chef Logan Webber, Brix Restaurant (C-CAP alum), Chef Andrew Helmandollar, Casino Arizona; (front row, left to right): Executive Sous Chef Rebecca Tillman, The Phoenician, Arizona Chapter President/Chef Lenard Rubin, Pointe at Squaw Peak Resort, Chef Gladys Rangel Torres, Montelucia at Omni Resort & Spa (C-CAP alum), Chef Dezirea Contreras, Fancy Situation (C-CAP alum), Chef/Membership Director Dina Altieri, ACF.

teachers who otherwise couldn’t afford to take the class,” Chef Rubin says. “At the end of the course, the participants will have the skills and the opportunity to take the practical exam for ACF certification, giving them more credentials and more knowledge. For many years we have given a scholarship to one student, but the bonus from the course — and our donation to three teachers to take that course — is that those teachers can now go and teach those skills and give that knowledge to hundreds of students.”

Above and beyond what the chapter provides to the community in education, Chef Rubin says many of his members devote a good deal of their own time and money to helping students get ready for various competitions.

A focus on certification is also part of this mission toward education and on building careers. “We’re trying to bring the realization that ACF certification matters, and it is important to have. The certification process in the ACF has gotten more vigorous over the years,” Chef Rubin says. “You have to dedicate yourself to it, study, practice and earn it. Because of this, certification shows value to employers that it’s a designation that has a certain skill set behind it.”

All in all, Chef Rubin remains optimistic about the chapter’s future. “We want to be a force in our community,” he says. “When I first joined, we did a lot of events, and we’re getting back to that now — getting back to being prominent in the community.”

Chef Lenard Rubin, CEC, AAC (left), with chefs from China at a World Chefs Without Borders Myanmar Tour for Humanity cooking for 5,000 people at the Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in the country in Myanmar.

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Leaving Las Vegas

A look at the off-Strip independent restaurants heating up ACF’s convention city // By Amanda Baltazar

Las Vegas: Lights, glitz and glamor, celebrity chefs, gambling and high-end restaurants. This is what everyone’s looking for, right?

Wrong, it turns out. While the famous Las Vegas Strip will never be eclipsed (as evidence by the new Resorts World restaurnats; read on to learn more), dining off-strip in Las Vegas is heating up, with neighborhood restaurants that are aimed at locals — though drawing some tourists — and run by chefs and operators keen to step away from the bright city lights.

This move started around six years ago, says Al Mancini, a longtime Las Vegas food writer who’s recently created a restaurant guide app called Neon Feast. “We had a lot of talent who were used to running these multimillion-dollar enterprises on the Strip and working for celebrity chefs, ready to strike out on their own,” he says. Now, “what’s happening off the Strip is just as exciting as what’s happening on the Strip.”

Chefs Elia Aboumrad-Page and Christian Page opened Boom

Bang Fine Foods & Cocktails at the end of 2021 in Henderson, 20 minutes from the Strip. While the chefs are married to each other, they also married their food influences: American classics, Mexican and Lebanese, and French training.

“It’s a mix, not a fusion; it’s what we think American food is today,”

Chef Aboumrad-Page says. Adds her husband: “When we came up with the idea [of this restaurant], we didn’t

think of what’s missing, but of what we wanted to do together.”

The mix of influences comes through in dishes like spring chicken with za’atar, which Chef Aboumrad-Page makes in her grandmother’s style but portions in a French way with a watercress salad. Other menu items include mushroom carpaccio, duck confit, sole meuniere and spaghetti carbonara.

The Pages’ goal was to open a neighborhood restaurant, though they do draw customers from the Strip.

And, Chef Page adds, the restaurant draws a lot of foodies because Las Vegas has a lot of them. That, he says, “makes operating a restaurant more fun and more challenging. You’ve got to be on your game.”

Other Mama is an Asian-influenced 50-seat seafood restaurant with a heavy focus on its raw bar in the Spring Valley neighborhood.

Roast chicken with lentils from Boom Bang Fine Foods in Henderson, Nevada (left); The seafood tower at Other Mama (right).

The bar at Barry’s Downtown Prime on Fremont Street in Las Vegas.

Three-quarters of guests are locals. “There’s been more interest in eating off the Strip and people get tired of the overpriced steak,” says Executive Chef/Owner Dan Krohmer. “People are looking for non-touristy places and are picking our restaurant because it has a strong human factor. We shake hands and know people’s names and remember them coming back.”

Chef Rob Moore has worked for many famous chefs but this spring opened his own restaurant, Rosa Ristorante, in Henderson, aiming to attract locals.

During quarantine, he realized it was time for him to exit the Strip rat race. Being at home helped him rediscover his joy of cooking, which he now hopes to share in his role as executive chef.

“We’re breaking it down to basics — good food, good hospitality, good drinks with neighborhood-friendly prices, so people can come in multiple times,” he says. “When you’re doing 500, 600 covers a night at a big steakhouse, you don’t get to know your customers and provide that hospitality.”

Entertaining the plant-based crowd

Back on the Strip, this spring, Crossroads Kitchen, a fine-dining, plant-based concept, opened in the new Resorts World Las Vegas with a menu developed by Chef Tal Ronnen. “Everyone is starting to eat more plant-based food,” he says, “for health reasons or the environment, so it’s becoming more popular. The time is now.”

The food will be similar to the menu at the original Crossroads Kitchen location in Los Angeles, with an a la carte offering featuring familiar foods like pizzas and pastas with dishes including a spinach and artichoke tart; English pea and ricotta anolini with chive butter; and pumpkin seed tofu marsala. However, some of the menu items will be “more decadent” in Las Vegas to suit the clientele, Chef Ronnen explains.

Despite plant-based diets’ rapid rise to fame, vegan food can still sometimes be a detractor for some guests. So, like the L.A. restaurant, the Las Vegas Crossroads will feature no overt signs that the food is vegan.

“A lot of folks hear it’s vegan and come kicking and screaming, then they become our biggest fans,” Chef Ronnen says. “It’s interesting to see those people come back so often because they feel good and never imagined they’d feel satiated after a plant-based meal.”

On Boom Bang’s menu, there are vegetarian dishes such as a mushroom tart with wild and cultivated mushrooms, goat cheese mousse and verjus. Pasta puttanesca is also popular.

“You have to have a strong plant-based program these days,” Chef Page points out, though the restaurant is steering clear of processed proteins and focusing more on cooking fresh produce and grains.

Chef Barry Dakake might own a Las Vegas steakhouse, Barry’s Downtime Prime, but he is very aware that plant-based items are important and offers a full vegan menu. This features dishes such as vegetable meatloaf, vegan ceviche (hearts of palm, red onion, cucumber, heirloom tomato, cilantro, quinoa-toasted pistachios, taro root chips) and creamy cauliflower soup. This spring he’s adding two vegan desserts — London rose cake with 24-carat rose gold and a Tahitian vanilla bean cheesecake.

“You have to give people options, and people are eating differently these days,” Chef Dakake points out. “I said we have to do a vegan menu and we have to make it seasonal. We have people come in for the vegan menu, and meat eaters [sometimes] eat off the vegan menu.”

Lobster fra diavolo from Rosa Ristorante (top); Spaghetti carbonara from Crossroads Kitchen Las Vegas (bottom).

Thrills and extravagance

Despite all this excitement in Las Vegas neighborhoods, the Strip is still an exciting place to be. “It has the budgets and manpower to do things you’ll never see anywhere else,” Mancini says.

He adds that the biggest trend right now is venues offering it all: pre-dinner cocktails, dinner, a show, after-dinner drinks and maybe even a nightclub, all without guests leaving the property. While this started at The Mayfair Supper Club, guests can now enjoy the same at Delilah and Superfrico.

And there’s still a lot of excitement happening on the Strip: Delilah, Brezza, the aforementioned Resorts World, a third Nobu and a sixth Gordon Ramsay concept are just some of the new restaurants.

Says Mancini: “The Strip is at its best when it pulls out all the stops, when it’s cooking for the people who want the once-in-a-lifetime experience, who want to spend more money than they would have at home.”

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A steak dinner at Rosa

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How To Commit To Your Health

By Chef

Now is that time of year when perhaps we’re eating lighter and moving more — or wanting to do more of that. Just like when we clean out our closets, it’s also good to clean out our diets from time to time. When we do this, it can have lasting effects on our day-to-day energy levels and mental health and help us reach our longterm health goals. Here are some ways I help my clients that might help you in your efforts.

Get in touch. In order to get started, we need to get in touch with how our body feels. When I work with clients, I always ask people to identify what it is they are not feeling that they'd like to feel. They have to have a mindful intention for making change. For chefs, it’s like creating a delicious dish. Why would you add that garnish? Why would you add that ingredient? Why would you add that herb if it's not going to add something

to the presentation or taste of the dish? So, identify what you want to change. Is it your energy levels? Is it the way you're feeling? Is it your mood? Could it be food related, or is it the way your body structure has changed?

Make a commitment. Pick a starting day. Usually today is out because half the day is over, so let's pick tomorrow. Next, you’ll also need to communicate your intention to those you love most. If you're living with other people and you're going to make some kind of dietary change, you need to tell those other people that you might be a little cranky. When you start making changes and start pulling things out that you were enjoying, it’s natural to feel denied of everyday pleasures like your favorite treats or libation. You might be a little cranky, and you want them to forgive you.

Consistency is a must. I tell people they don't have to do it 100% of the time. How about you try it for three to four days and see how you feel? And if you feel like you're over the hump and you can keep going, keep going. If you need a reprieve day and you need just to chill and not be so focused on that, do that and start again.

Lisa Dorfman, M.S., RD, CSSD, CCMS, LMHC, FAND

Figure out what your body needs. To figure out which foods you need to change, you must know what the issue is. Is it an energy issue? What kind of energy do you feel when eating carbohydrates, fats or proteins? Where do you turn for quick energy? Are you choosing one specific food group and not getting enough variety in your diet? Are you not getting enough fiber? Are you going to the bathroom once a week, as opposed to every day?

Colors are key. I always ask, “Are you getting at least five to ten colors in your diet per day?” People need a spectrum of colors because dietary diversity is typically indicative of diet quality. Vitamin, mineral and phytonutrient content can all impact energy levels and overall health. More often than not, when people are stressed, they tend to go very bland. Their dishes take on a brown, tan and white hue. There are little to no vegetables and fruits. There's nothing exciting going on. Could you imagine getting plates of food at a restaurant like that? You'd send them back or you wouldn’t go back.

Avoid situations that get you in a jam.

To me, it's kind of like exercise. If you just put those darn sneakers on, you're more apt to get out there. If you don't put your sneakers on, you're not going to walk on the treadmill today. So put the sneakers on. Don't pass through the drive-thru. Don't make plans to go out for beers after work if you're trying to avoid alcohol.

Talk nicely to yourself. There will be those moments that challenge our journey to optimal health. We all have this devil and angel inside of us. The devil

is telling us to “just go to the drivethru for fast food — one more meal's not going to hurt you,” while the angel is going, “No, if you just make it through today, you can do it and you'll make it through tomorrow.” Keep listening to your angel, who knows that you don't know how good you can really feel until you get there.

ACF Chef Lisa Dorfman, M.S., RD, CSSD, CCMS, LMHC, FAND, aka, “the running nutritionist,” is an award-winning, Miami-based nutrition expert, chef and consultant who has worked with Olympic athletes, Fortune 500 corporate executives, movie actors, politicians and more. Chef Dorfman is also a competitive runner and triathlete who has competed in more than 35 marathons. She will be on hand at the 2022 ACF National Convention in July to coach us through our journey and keep us in shape between all of the fun, food and drink. lisadorfman.co

Chef Lisa Dorfman will lead morning workouts at the 2022 ACF National Convention.

ICE, ICE (CREAM) BABY

By Amelia Levin

Chef Jessica Quiet, executive chef at The Lodge at Spruce Peak, a luxury ski resort in Stowe, Vermont, knows her clientele — a mashup of ski enthusiasts, vacationers, brides, wedding guests and those with a strong interest in health and wellness.

That’s why, just in time for summer, Chef Quiet developed a not-too-sweet, 100% gluten-free variety of ice cream sandwiches. She uses an almond flour macaron base for a light and refreshing take on the summertime classic, in comparison to the oft-heavy, cookie-based original. Her current dessert menu (for dining and catering) features three flavors: strawberry matcha, Tahitian vanilla and chocolate chunk. Here’s how she makes the treats.

For the macaron, “my style is to combine roomtemperature egg whites with sugar and cream of tartar and whip them to medium to stiff peaks,” says Chef Quiet, who then sifts together a ratio of two parts almond flour (for a binding agent) and one part powdered sugar. She then folds that mixture in with the egg white base, mixing in four to five turns so as not to overmix. Instead of shaping the macaron into circular disks, Chef Quiet spreads the base thin on sheet trays and bakes it at 350 degrees F with a low fan.

While the macaron cools, Chef Quiet makes a pâté à bombe mousse (which can be infused with various flavors) and spreads it across the macaron. Another sheet

A look at how one ACF NatCon presenter makes her gluten-free summertime ice cream //

Chef Jessica Quiet of The Lodge at Spruce Peak in Vermont will demo her popular nougats and bonbons at the 2022 ACF National Convention in July.

of macaron forms the top layer of the sandwich, and the whole dessert is frozen before being sliced into different square or rectangular shapes.

“If I’m adding flavor, I’ll sub out some of the macaron mix for the cocoa or matcha,” she says. For the strawberry matcha flavor, Chef Quiet whips the bright green, ground Japanese tea into the macaron base. She sources seasonal, local strawberries and folds them directly into the pâté à bombe, along with a touch of yuzu juice for a “bright citrus flavor.”

For the Tahitian vanilla version, Chef Quiet spikes both the pâté à bombe and the macaron with the “trending” spice. “Tahitian vanilla seems to be more popular right now and is different from Madagascar vanilla in that it’s more floral, fruity and slightly spicy with a little bite,” she says.

For her chocolate chunk ice cream sandwich, Chef Quiet uses the same macaron base — but infuses the meringue shell with cocoa and folds chocolate chunks into the pâté à bombe. She also adds a little cold brew coffee concentrate from local Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea Co. for a bump of “toasty” flavor.

When plating the sandwiches together, Chef Quiet draws inspiration from the bright pink, green and chocolate colors of spumoni ice cream. She drizzles a bit of chocolate sauce on the plate and cuts the ice cream bars into small square shapes of different sizes, standing them up on the plate so they vary in height. Vanilla-bean Chantilly cream, chocolate shavings, a mixed-berry compote and a light dusting of snow sugar complete the dish. “The bars are super light and eat like a cloud,” she says.

BONBONS AND NOUGATS

At the 2022 ACF National Convention, join Pastry Chef Jessica Quiet, a seasoned hotel chef and former chocolatier for the Orlando World Center Marriott, as she demonstrates roasted hazelnut nougat squares and Caledonia raw honey bonbons. For now, here are her top tips for top-notch bonbonand nougat-making.

For nougats:

“The key with nougats is to make sure you decide on the desired consistency ahead of time. Nougats are made by cooking two sugars — the higher the temperature you cook that second sugar at, the firmer the texture will be. If you want firmer, cook at 155 degrees C; for softer, cook at 130 C. I go right in between at 140 C so the nougat is firm enough for chew but won’t stick in your teeth.”

For bonbons:

“The key is to make sure your molds are as clean and polished as possible. You can polish the molds with a cotton swab to remove any sort of grease or spots after you run the molds through a dish machine. The shinier your mold, the shinier your chocolate will be. If you have a dull mold, no matter how well you temper your chocolate, you’ll have a dull-looking bonbon.”

The Lodge at Spruce Peak Executive Chef Jessica Quiet’s ice cream sandwiches are made with a gluten-free macaron base and shell.

NCR Quiz

July/August 2022

By LeeAnn Corrao, CFC®

What is pikliz?

a. A condiment made with cabbage, carrots and peppers

b. A blend of herbs

c. A traditional lamb dish

d. A variety of sweet pepper

What is the name of a Haitian dessert porridge seasoned with cinnamon and star anise?

a. Poule nan sos

b. L abouyi

c. Soup joumou

d. Epis

The in-house cooking program at Prime, Inc., delivers up to meals each day.

a. 200

b. 600

c. 800

d . 900

What type of wood pellets can be used to smoke meats?

a. Hickory

b. A pplewood

c. A lder

d. A ll of the above

Why do Haitians make soup joumou on January 1?

a. A s a celebration of independence

b. The ingredients have been newly harvested

c. To maintain the dish’s protected status by UNESCO

d. A s good luck for the new year

“Life of Fire: Mastering the Arts of PitCooked Barbecue, The Grill and The Smokehouse” features plant-forward barbecue recipes.

a. Tr ue

b. Fa lse

What is a benefit of becoming a culinary competitor?

a. E xpanded education

b. Meet other culinarians

c. Travel opportunities

d. A ll of the above

What is Tour de Forks?

a. A n organization that sponsors destination-based culinary trips

b. A n annual festival in France

c. A marathon that raises money for food insecurity

d. A f ilm about food waste

What is the key to a shiny bonbon?

a. A clean and polished mold

b. At least two layers of chocolate

c. Add ing corn syrup to the chocolate

d. Freezing the molds before adding the chocolate

According to Chef Lisa Dorfman, people need at least five to ten because dietary diversity is typically indicative of diet quality.

a. small meals per day

b. d ifferent colored foods per day

c. m eal plans

a. d ifferent sources of fiber per week

What are pepitas?

a. Toasted sesame seeds

b. Pumpkin seeds

c. A c innamon and cumin mix

d. A t ype of unsweetened chocolate

Which fish was recently removed from the list of threatened seafood?

a. Mahi mahi

b. Swordfish

c. Tripletail

d. Cobia

As diners tend to order more appetizers, sides, desserts, and alcohol.

Beef is a proud sponsor of the American Culinary Federation. Follow the latest trends in beef, including innovative cuts, tools of the trade and inspiring menu ideas at www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/foodservice

of operators say steak on the menu increases traffic2

of operators say increased demand for the product is why they’ve increased ground beef volume2

ACF National Convention

Las Vegas, Nevada

Caesars Forum

July 25-28, 2022

Board of Governors Meeting

AAC Fellows Meeting and Dinner

July 24, 2022

July 26, 2022

Register now at ACFChefs.org/Convention