National Culinary Review Nov/Dec 2023

OPENING DAY TWO ACF CHEFS DEBUT THEIR FIRST RESTAURANT

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

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FEATURE STORY

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Chapters Supporting Chapters This grassroots effort began with just a few ACF members, but it’s become a new Task Force for chefs helping chefs — with events, meetups, membership recruitment and more.

DEPARTMENTS

12

Management

22

Main Course

26

On the Side

28

Classical vs. Modern

36

Health

38

Segment Spotlight

50

Pastry

56

Special Report

An ACF Culinary Team USA member shares his experience with opening his first restaurant.

A trip through the Napa Valley vineyards ends in a crash course about one of the most sustainable meats around: domestic lamb.

ACF Chef Rich Rosendale, CMC®, prepares a farm dinner using tricks and tools when plating for a crowd.

ACF Chef Nick Hamilton prepares and plates a duck confit and risotto two ways.

This K-12 ACF Chef is changing the face of school foodservice — one tray, one student at a time.

Private chefs detail their day-to-day jobs and how they’ve made this career path work for them.

This country club pastry chef shares tips for when you have to do more with less.

We catch up with members of ACF Culinary Team USA as they prepare for the IKA Culinary Olympics in February.

IN EACH ISSUE

16 Chapter Close-Up

5

In This Issue

20 Chef-to-Chef

6

President’s Message

42 ACF Chef Profile

8

On the Line

48 Digestif

10 News Bites

54 The Quiz

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NCR | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

Cover photo: ACF Chef Ted Polfelt, CEC®, CCA®, CEPC®, AAC® (left), opened hist first restaurant, Brood, in Salem, Virginia, with ACF Chef Josh Wasky, CSC®, CWPC®, helming the kitchen (credit: Eli Schopp).

RECOGNIZING THE CURRENT AND ACTIVE ACF CHEF MEMBERS WHO ARE FEATURED AND QUOTED THROUGHOUT THE PAGES OF THIS ISSUE Chapters Supporting Chapters

Main Course

Jason “Jay Z” Ziobrowski, CEC Susanne Ebacher-Grier, CEPC Autumn Patti John Casto, CEC, AAC Derek Ivancic, CEC Barry R. Young MBA, CEC, CCE®, AAC Robert Velarde, CEC

Ed Leonard, CMC, AAC

Management Ted Polfelt, CEC, CCA, CEPC, AAC Josh Wasky, CSC, CWPC

Chapter Close-Up Jacques Wilson, CEC, AAC Bert P. Cutino, CEC, AAC, HOF, HBOT

Segment Spotlight Jacques Wilson, CEC, AAC

Bert P. Cutino, CEC, AAC, HOF, HBOT

Angus McIntosh

Chef Profile L. Fernando Mojica, CEC, AAC

On the Side L. Fernando Mojica, CEC, AAC

Rich Rosendale, CMC

Rich Rosendale, CMC

ACF MEMBER CONTRIBUTORS Chef-to-Chef John Lucchesi, CEC, MBA

Pastry Jennifer Reed Adams, CC, CPC

Jennifer Reed Adams, CC®, CPC®

John Lucchesi, CEC, MBA

Classical vs. Modern Nick Hamilton

Digestif Nick Hamilton

René J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC

René J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC

WEARECHEFS.COM

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| President’s Message | Un Mensaje Del Presidente |

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, Patricia L. Fitzgerald, Lauren Kramer, Howard Riell 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 of Directors President René J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC Immediate Past President Kimberly Brock Brown, CEPC, CCA, AAC National Secretary Jeff Bacon, CEC, CCA, AAC National Treasurer Kyle Richardson, CEC, CCE, AAC American Academy of Chefs Chair Joe G. Aiello, CEC, AAC, HOF Vice President Central Region Rajeev Patgaonkar, CEC, AAC Vice President Northeast Region Ray McCue, CEC, AAC Vice President Southeast Region Bryan Frick, CEC, AAC Vice President Western Region Greg Matchett, CEC, AAC Executive Director Christopher Tanner, CEC, CCE, AAC Advisor Thomas J. Macrina, CEC, CCA, AAC, HOF, HBOT The National Culinary Review® (ISSN 0747-7716), November/ December 2023, Volume 47, Number 6, 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.

The National Culinary Review® is mailed, and periodical postage is paid at St. Augustine, Fla., and additional post offices.

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

As we approach the holiday season, I want to take a moment to reflect on the importance of family, friends and the spirit of giving that defines this time of year. It is a season of warmth, togetherness and sharing, and as chefs, we have a unique role to play in making it truly special for others.

I'm pleased to report that our organization is running smoothly, thanks to the dedication and hard work of our national office. The ACF is continually evolving to serve all its members better, and I am excited about the future possibilities. Our various committees and task forces are in full swing, working tirelessly to address the needs and concerns of our members.

I am confident that they will contribute significantly to the growth and development of our organization.

I would like to extend a special thanks and shoutout to all of our members who participated in Childhood Nutrition Day on Oct. 16 and International Chefs Day on Oct. 20. I would also like to thank the members of our new ACF International Chefs Day Task Force, chaired by my wife, ACF Chef Vanessa Marquis, CEC, AAC, for helping us make a positive impact on the next generation. Beyond just these two days, we have many opportunities to introduce our children, students and young chefs to healthy cooking and the joys of our profession. You can cook with them, share your culinary knowledge and even start a garden together to foster a deeper appreciation for food and nutrition.

On an international note, the ACF Culinary Team USA is gearing up for the prestigious IKA/Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, Germany, taking place Feb. 2-7, 2024. This event is a true showcase of culinary talent from around the world, and our team represents our nation with pride and skill. I encourage you all to send them your well wishes and support them in their journey. You can also contribute to their cause by donating at acfchefs.org/team.

Let us remember the importance of our profession. We are not just chefs; we are caretakers of traditions and creators of memorable experiences. Your tireless dedication and efforts are truly appreciated and acknowledged. Still, I urge you to carve out some time for yourself this holiday season. Your wellbeing matters, and I encourage you to prioritize it.

Lastly, let us help others by extending our compassion to cook for those in need. It’s a simple but profound way to make a difference in our communities and spread the joy of good food. Also, consider providing a buddy check to those who may be alone and send your thoughts and prayers to those serving in the armed forces.

Thank you for your dedication and commitment to ACF. I am proud of this incredible community of culinary professionals, and I look forward to all we will achieve together in the coming months.

Sending warm wishes from Florida for the holidays and as always, Chefs, I got your six!

René J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC National President, American Culinary Federation

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NCR | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

A medida que nos acercamos a la temporada navideña, quiero tomarme un momento para reflexionar sobre la importancia de la familia, los amigos y el espíritu de generosidad que define esta época del año. Es una temporada de calidez, unión e intercambio, y como chefs, tenemos un papel único que desempeñar para hacerla verdaderamente especial para los demás.

Me complace informar que nuestra organización está funcionando sin problemas, gracias a la dedicación y el arduo trabajo de nuestra oficina nacional. La ACF evoluciona continuamente para servir mejor a todos sus miembros y estoy entusiasmado por las posibilidades. Nuestros diversos comités y grupos de trabajo están en pleno apogeo, trabajando incansablemente para abordar las necesidades y preocupaciones de nuestros miembros. Confío en que contribuirán significativamente al crecimiento y desarrollo de nuestra organización.

Me gustaría extender un agradecimiento especial a todos nuestros miembros que participaron en el Día de la Nutrición Infantil el 16 de octubre y el Día Internacional del Chef el 20 de octubre. También me gustaría agradecer a los miembros de nuestra Fuerza Especial para el Día Internacional del Chef de ACF, presidido por mi esposa, la chef de ACF Vanessa Marquis, CEC, AAC, por ayudarnos a generar un impacto positivo sobre la próxima generación. Más allá de estos dos días, tenemos muchas oportunidades para presentarles a los niños, estudiantes y chefs jóvenes la cocina saludable y los placeres de nuestra profesión. Puedes cocinar con ellos, compartir tus conocimientos culinarios e incluso cultivar un huerto juntos para fomentar un aprecio más profundo por la comida y la nutrición.

A nivel internacional, el equipo culinario de la ACF de EE. UU. se está preparando para las prestigiosas Olimpiadas Culinarias/IKA en Stuttgart, Alemania, que se llevarán a cabo del 2 al 7 de febrero de 2024. Este evento es una verdadera muestra del talento culinario de todo el mundo, y nuestro equipo representa a nuestra nación con orgullo y habilidad. Los animo a todos a que les envíen sus mejores deseos y los apoyen en su viaje. También puede contribuir a su causa donando aquí acfchefs.org/team.

Recordemos la importancia de nuestra profesión. No somos solamente chefs; somos cuidadores de tradiciones y creadores de experiencias memorables. Su incansable dedicación y esfuerzos son verdaderamente apreciados y reconocidos. Aun así, les insto a que reserven algo de tiempo para ustedes en estas fiestas. Tu bienestar importa y te animo a que lo priorices.

Por último, ayudemos a los demás extendiendo nuestra compasión para cocinar para los necesitados. Es una forma sencilla, pero profunda de marcar la diferencia en nuestras comunidades y difundir la alegría de la buena comida. Además, considere ofrecer una verificación de compañero a aquellos que puedan estar solos y envíe sus pensamientos y oraciones a quienes sirven en las fuerzas armadas.

Gracias por su dedicación y compromiso con ACF. Estoy orgulloso de esta increíble comunidad de profesionales culinarios y espero con ansias todo lo que lograremos juntos en los próximos meses.

Les envío cálidos deseos desde Florida para las fiestas y, como siempre, chefs, ¡tengo tus seis!

René J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC National President, American Culinary Federation

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| On the Line |

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.

Feeding the Kids Series Recapping from Childhood Nutrition Day and International Chefs Day in October, hear from ACF Chefs Michael Garahan, CEC, Ashley Keyes and Lizzie Luchsinger on how they work with young people to teach healthy cooking and nutrition.

Member Spotlights Keep checking here (and on our social media channels) for frequently updated posts about you, our esteemed members!

Recent profiles have spotlighted ACF Chefs LJ Klinkenberg, CEC, CCA, AAC; Keio Carter Gayden; Chris Scrivano (pictured); Anthony Brooks; Nick Barrington, CEC; and others.

ACF ChefsForum Webinar Series The ever-popular ACF ChefsForum Webinar Series continues! Recent webinars have covered healthcare trends, contemporary holiday buffets and more. Next up: Celebrating the Cuisines of Mexico with ACF Chef Alejandra Kauachi. Missed a webinar?

All recorded sessions are available online.

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.

ACF’s Online Learning Center 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:

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.

Hover your camera here to view recipes from the pages of NCR and shared by members!

@acfchefs @acfchefs @acf_chefs @acfchefs

Tag us on Instagram!

@acf_chefs

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

American Culinary Federation

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NCR | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

WORLD CUISINES UTILIZE TURKISH INGREDIENTS

DORADE CEVICHE PERUVIAN CUISINE

BRANZINO A LA VERACRUZANA MEXICAN CUISINE

BRANZINO CRUDO ITALIAN CUISINE

TURKISH INGREDIENTS

TURKISH INGREDIENTS

TURKISH INGREDIENTS

DORADE (SEA BREAM) JALAPEÑO PEPPERS DRY OREGANO SUMAC ALEPPO PEPPER EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

BRANZINO (SEA BASS) ROASTED RED PEPPER TOMATO PASTE SUN DRIED TOMATO GREEN OLIVES GHERKINS CAPERS ROSEMARY OREGANO SUMAC ALEPPO PEPPER

BRANZINO (SEA BASS) BLACK OLIVE GREEN OLIVES EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL OREGANO ALEPO PEPPER SUMAC

TURKISH TASTES IS LAUNCHING A SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM FOR RESTAURANTS & COUNTRY CLUBS. CONTACT US TO FIND OUT MORE. INFO@TURKISHTASTE.ORG

| News Bites |

NEWS BITES

ACF MasterCraft Summit Series

2024 National Convention in Phoenix It’s never too early to register for next year’s convention in Phoenix! Register today at acfchefs.org/convention.

If you want a reminder about how fun convention is, just check out photos from this year’s event in New Orleans on the ACF Flickr page at flickr.com/photos/acfchefs/albums.

That’s a wrap for the year! The most recent one-day summit, the ACF Advanced Culinary Summit at The Breakers in Florida in September and ACF Advanced Pastry Summit in North Carolina in October, each had a great turnout. Thank you to all who joined as we mastered the latest innovations in culinary menus and pastry creations from cutting-edge culinarians during these summits designed for those working in culinary leadership roles. For recaps of this year’s summits, visit acfchefs. org/events. For photos of the events, select the summit albums on the ACF Flickr page, flickr.com/photos/acfchefs.

National Apprenticeship Week in November The ninth annual National Apprenticeship Week runs from Nov. 13-19. NAW is a nationwide celebration where employers, industry associations, labor organizations, community-based organizations, workforce partners, education providers and government leaders host events to showcase the successes and value of apprenticeships. The theme this year is “Registered Apprenticeship: Superhighway to Good Jobs.” In honor of NAW, we’re highlighting how ACF Chef Robert Corle Jr., CEC, CCE, a chef/instructor at the Lebanon County Career and Technology Center in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, partnered

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NCR | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

with a 2004 alum, ACF Chef Sam Brod, CEC, executive chef of The Landings Golf & Athletic Club in Savannah, to develop an apprenticeship program at the club. The program, launched this fall, is ACF-accredited and offers 4,000 hours of culinary and pastry experience; it will allow apprentices to rotate throughout the club’s four clubhouses and casual restaurant. An optional associate degree in culinary arts will be offered through the nearby Savannah Culinary Institute. To learn more about the program, visit WeAreChefs.com. For a list of ACFEF-approved apprenticeship programs, visit acfchefs.org/education.

ACF Nominations and Elections Committee

2024 Awards Applications

Elections for the Nominations and Elections chair and committee members closed in October. The following will serve a term through the end of the 2024 ACF National Convention:

Applications and guidelines for the 2024 ACF awards and national competitions are now posted at acfchefs.org/ awards. The deadline to submit an application to participate in regional qualifying competitions for the national awards is Jan. 15, 2024. The deadline to apply for the Dr. L.J. Minor Chef Professionalism Award is Jan. 31, 2024.

• Committee Chair: ACF Chef Paul C. Jensen, CEC, CCA, AAC • Central Region Representative: ACF Chef Kristopher W. Cyprian, CEC • Northeast Region Representative: ACF Chef Robert Walljasper, CEC, CCE, AAC • Southeast Region Representative: ACF Chef Lisa M. Ramsey, CEC, CEPC, AAC • Western Region Representative: ACF Chef Joshua L. Martin, CEC

In Memoriam ACF Chef Knut Apitz CEC, CCE, AAC, founding member of the ACF Chefs of Milwaukee, owner of the acclaimed Grenadier's Restaurant in Milwaukee, and culinary instructor, Milwaukee Area Technical College

ACF Sustainability Corner

ACF Chef Peter Vossenberg, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC, culinary instructor, Helms College, and former president of the ACF Augusta Chapter

Check out the ACF Sustainability Corner with articles and infographics to help educate you, your team and students on sustainable concepts to help minimize cost and increase profit while reducing your carbon footprint. Each month features a different sustainability topic. Earn two hours of continuing education credit by completing the quiz on the ACF Online Learning Center. Learn more at acfchefs.org/sustainability.

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| News Bites |

Read This!

Download the ACF App! Download the ACF Chefs mobile app today! Here’s everything you can do on the app:

The Chicago Chefs

By ACF Chef John Kaufmann, CEC, AAC, HOF, and Joanne Madura Discover how the members of The Chicago Chefs organization helped Chicago become a culinary destination for people from all over the world. Stories and photos of ACF Chicago Chefs and affiliates are showcased throughout the pages of the coffee table book, spanning multiple decades. The book will be on display this spring during a new exhibit called “Food” (in partnership with the Smithsonian) at the DeKalb County History Center in Sycamore, Illinois.

Mastering Fermentation

By ACF Chef Keith Sarasin

Whether you’re seeking the health benefits of fermented foods and drinks or just want to take advantage of seasonal produce all year long, this cookbook takes the stress out of fermentation. ”Mastering Fermentation” features over 100 delicious recipes, including fermented fruits, veggies, jams, pickles, kimchi, krauts, kombucha, hot sauces and more. There is something for everyone, from novices making their first brines to seasoned fermenters hunting for more advanced methods.

The Complete Recipe Writing Guide

By Raeanne Sarazen

Are you looking to perfect your recipe writing skills for editorial outlets and consumer marketing needs? This is a one-stop resource for developing, writing and producing recipes for cookbooks, magazines, online food publications and social media platforms. Readers will learn timeless recipe development techniques and best practices for each stage of creating and sharing recipes.

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NCR | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

• Register for events • Check out the latest ACF news from The Culinary Insider bi-weekly newsletter • Link up to the latest articles on WeAreChefs.com • Read this issue and past issues of NCR on your phone or tablet • Connect with ACF’s social media channels • Renew your membership • Review and share your profile information with others

Salut More than 300 people attended a fundraiser for the daughter of ACF Chef John Selick IV, CEC, CCA, AAC, and Allysun Selick, Hannah, who spent over 100 days in the hospital after suffering from seizures that resulted in a coma, brain surgery and quadriplegia as a result of Acute Motor Sensory Axonal Neuropathy (AMSAN) GuillainBarré syndrome (GBS). The extremely rare condition has a prognosis of 18 months of full rehabilitation with an 85% recovery rate. The medical emergency has put an immense strain on the Selicks, who need to provide 24/7 care for Hannah, as well as her younger sister and stepbrother, who is on the spectrum. More than 40 chefs, including many ACF members, joined forces to offer samples and tastings at various stations. Attendees in support included members of Chef Selick’s chapter, ACF Cleveland Akron-Canton Chapter, and other ACF Chefs from around the country as well as family, friends and the public. The fundraiser was the brainchild of ACF Chef Ky-Wai Wong, CEC, and Chefs Brian Okin, Jeff Jarrett and Jen Lawson from Dinner in the Dark (one of Chef Selick’s favorite charitable events hosted pre-pandemic). The event was underwritten by the Michael D. Symon Foundation, The Chef 's Garden, Sandridge Crafted Foods and Sirna & Sons Produce and supported by the Carlee & Corey Seelbach family. In-kind donors included Smart Soda, Lasting Impressions and Images on Ice. ACF Chef Amy Sins, executive director of Fill the Needs, worked with her network to mobilize a 747 jet airplane loaded with supplies to Maui, Hawaii, to support victims of the recent fires. Every item on the plane was requested by a victim and survivor in Maui.

ACF Chefs of Northwest Indiana with Chapter President Gabe Rosado, CEC, hosted “Taste of the Farm: Chefs and Farmers of the Region” at Design Barn in Hebron, Indiana, benefiting the chapter’s education foundation and Food Bank of Northwest Indiana. Roughly 225 people attended

the event, which featured food from many local chefs as well as ACF National President René J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC, and ACF Chef Jim Churches, CEC, CCA, AAC, with Land O’Lakes. ACF Central Region Vice President Rajeev Patgaonkar, CEC, AAC, and AAC Chair Joe Aiello, CEC, AAC, HOF, were also in attendance.

ACF Chef Michael Romine of the ACF Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association completed a 730-mile bike ride in eight and a half days from Detroit to Washington, D.C., for Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry. He raised just over $10,000 for the organization working to end childhood hunger.

ACF Chefs de Cuisine Association of San Diego in conjunction with the Chefs de Cuisine Education Foundation hosted a fundraising event to support the chapter’s “Cooking with Chefs” program focused on teaching healthy cooking to school-age children. The event took place at Tommy “The Fish Monger” Gomes’ Tunaville, a seafood shop at Driscoll’s Wharf, with ACF Chef David Chenelle and other chapter members offering “turf ” dishes to pair with the seafood offerings.

ACF Chef Clyde Tanner, CEC, program chair for culinary and business at The Art Institute of Dallas and The Art Institute of Tampa, program chair for business at Miami International University of Art & Design, was awarded the Presidential Award of Excellence this year from the ACF Gulf to Lakes Chefs & Cooks Association.

ACF Chef Travis Johnson, CEC, senior executive chef, Levy, Notre Dame University, won the college/ university segment for the Produce Excellence in Foodservice awards presented by the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA).

Have news to share? Email NCR Editor Amelia Levin, alevin@ acfchefs.org.

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| Management |

Opening Day How a busy ACF Chef and Culinary Team USA member opened his first restaurant

By Howard Riell

A

decade-long career as a respected culinary educator and a place on the 2024 ACF Culinary Team USA apparently left ACF Chef Ted Polfelt, CEC, CCA, CEPC, AAC, too much free time — so he decided to open a restaurant.

“It has always been a goal of mine,” Chef Polfelt says. “I grew up in the restaurant business, and I have always loved it. It has changed so much since I started, in a lot of ways for the better. I want to foster that same passion that I learned when I started, create an environment that I would feel comfortable for my own kids to work in, and create a good work-life balance for our staff. I want them to have great pride in what we are doing. I always kind of joke that opening this was like having a baby; there is no perfect time, but when it’s time, it’s time.”

Called Brood Restaurant and Bar and located in Salem, Virginia, the concept is Southern-inspired modern American with a European influence. “When we were first designing the menu I wanted most of it to be naturally gluten-free,” Chef Polfelt says. “My oldest daughter has celiac disease, and I have always tried to teach her to eat naturally for her dietary restrictions.”

The doors opened in July with ACF Chef Josh Wasky, CSC, CWPC, helming the kitchen on a day-to-day basis. The dining room seats about 40, and there is a two-seat bar with three cocktail tables. Notable on the menu are such dishes as chicken schnitzel with grits, collard greens, Alabama sauce and pickled mustard seeds; and braised short ribs with horseradish crumb, mustard jus, white cheddar mashed potatoes and broccoli with parmesan and lemon.

The process took 10 months. “We were fortunate enough to fall into a beautiful space,” Chef Polfelt says. “The previous restaurant that was there, Blue Apron and Red Rooster Bar, was a staple in Salem, and

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NCR | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

was left in great condition. When we looked at the space we knew we had to do it, no matter the timing. My partner, Crenshaw (Reed), and I have opened several restaurants with our former restaurant group, so we already had a checklist and some experience with that part. My wife (Lindsay), who is also a part owner, handled a lot of clerical work that, to be honest, is not the strongest part of my game.”

The previous owners had kept roosters in various places around the restaurant, so Chef Polfelt says that’s where the name comes from: “brood, meaning a family of chickens. Some of our family members worked there, and (that is) the connection that we wanted to have with the wonderful community of Salem.”

Chef Polfelt advises colleagues who also dream of opening their own restaurants to make sure to “have the experience so that you know what ACF Chef Ted Polfelt, CEC, CCA, CEPC, AAC (left), opened hist first restaurant, Brood, in Salem, you are doing. It can be Virginia, with ACF Chef Josh Wasky, CSC, CWPC, a lot. I would just say do helming the kitchen (credit: Eli Schopp). the work: work for other people so that you can see different ways that people operate, from front of house, back of house, processing paperwork, etc. Then decide how you want to do it. But you cannot replace the experience of working in the industry with professionals. There is always something to learn. Be humble. If you don't have a passion for it, you are in it for the wrong reasons.”

Clockwise from top left: The name “Brood” hearkens back to the former restaurant in the space; Chicken “schnitzel” with heirloom grits, braised greens, pickled mustard seeds and Alabama sauce; Honey glazed salmon with star anise, cardamom, peanut crumb and fennel pollen with a chilled curry scented wild rice salad; Pickled pineapple at the bar (credit: Eli Schopp).

Balancing the restaurant with his teaching position and his spot on Team USA calls for dexterity — and assistance. “I am blessed to have a lot of great people around me,” Chef Polfelt says, “my wife and family especially. Team USA has been a phenomenal experience. I never in my wildest dreams thought that I would be fortunate enough to be involved with so many brilliant and legendary chefs from all over the country, from my teammates to coaches and advisors. It is hard work, but anything that is worth it always is.”

He is quick to point out that “balance doesn’t mean that everything is always in balance. Sometimes you have to put in extra time with the team, or the restaurant or family. It all happens, but knowing that it is OK, and then having the knowledge that it all has to swing back to maintain that balance” is important.

One challenge for anyone operating a restaurant is recruiting and retaining staff. “I think right now you have to pay professionals what

they are worth,” Chef Polfelt says. “You get what you pay for in many instances.”

“We are dedicated as a company to providing an environment in which people can have a good worklife balance,” he continues. “Right now we are only open for five days a week, just for dinner service. We could be open more to drive profit, but we want to make sure that everyone gets two days off a week, at least. We always want to be a place where professionals work. Everyone has to be respectful, professional and hospitality-driven. Not all places are like that, but that is what we want at Brood.”

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| Chapter Close-Up |

ACF MONTEREY BAY CHAPTER CA083

By John Bartimole

A

s president of the ACF Monterey Bay Chapter in California, ACF Chef Jacques Wilson, CEC, AAC, believes strongly not only in helping current chefs thrive but also in attracting and nurturing to-be chefs as well.

That philosophy was — and still is — crucial as the chapter, like so many others, has had its membership numbers recover after the COVID-19 pandemic, and is bolstering its efforts to attract new chefs to the profession.

Through it all, the chapter has held steadfast to its mission statement: “To make a positive difference for culinarians internationally through education, apprenticeship and certification, while creating a fraternal bond of respect and integrity among culinarians everywhere.”

The Monterey Bay Chapter COVID-19 Relief Fund was launched during the throes of the pandemic to help cooks, dishwashers and sous chefs who lost wages during and after shutdown. The chapter contributed a $5,000 dollar-for-dollar match to help those affected. During heavy rainstorms earlier this year, ACF Chef Anthony Guajardo, owner of Mijo’s Taqueria and a member of the chapter, drew on relief funds raised to assist local Capitola cooks, dishwashers and sous chefs who lost wages. That kind of outreach not only helped sustain those in need, it spoke to the core of the chapter’s mission — promoting and preserving the profession.

“Our chapter is very vibrant,” Chef Wilson says.

“Typically, we have averaged about 80 members over the past eight to 10 years, except for during COVID, when we dropped to 54. But, as of right now, we’re up to 79, so we’re back to where we usually are.”

But the core of the chapter’s membership is active in a variety of the organization’s activities, many of which focus on working with youth and young adults, including: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County, MEarth, Rancho Cielo Drummond Culinary Academy, Monterey Peninsula College and Palenke Arts, as well as other local youth organizations.

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Clockwise from left: Longtime ACF Monterey Bay Chapter member Bert P. Cutino, CEC, AAC, HOF, HBOT; ACF Monterey Bay Chapter President Jacques Wilson, CEC, AAC; Monterey Bay Chapter members during the Cooking for Capitola fundraiser.

"YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PASSION FOR THIS PROFESSION IF YOU’RE GOING TO SUCCEED. AND YOU ALSO HAVE TO HAVE A PASSION ONCE YOU’RE IN TO CONSTANTLY LEARN AND IMPROVE.” -CHEF JACQUES WILSON, CEC, AAC

The Monterey chapter has two scholarships managed by the Community Foundation for Monterey County; one is for young culinarians attending culinary school to become a chef or a pastry chef. This scholarship is named after the founder of the chapter, Marc H. Verdrines. The other scholarship is for the professional chef or pastry chef in the kitchen looking for opportunities for continuing education to enhance skills.

The other scholarship offered is named after ACF Bert P. Cutino, CEC, AAC, HOF, HBOT, an ACF member since 1972 and early Monterey Bay Chapter member; co-founder of The Sardine Factory Restaurant, a 55-year-old institution in Monterey; current Monterey Bay AAC chair; and past national AAC chair. Chef Cutino, a Monterey native, founded the Culinary Classique d’Elegance, a fundraising dinner benefitting Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula. Last year was the 26th annual event featuring 26 guest chefs held at the Inn at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach; the next dinner takes place Nov. 18.

Since its inception, the event has raised $5 million. Earlier this year in March, The Monterey County Hospitality Association presented the Hospitality Professional of the Year Award to Chef Cutino at the association’s Annual Awards Gala at the Portola Plaza Hotel & Spa in Monterey.

In addition to these scholarships, Chef Wilson says, “we have partnered with the Drummond Culinary Academy and Monterey Peninsula College to inspire the next generation of chefs. What’s encouraging and heartening is that we often see Monterey Bay Chapter President Jacques Wilson, CEC, AAC, these opportunities as an encouragement to the next generation.” presents scholarship awards.

Chef Wilson looks to such programs to help inspire the passion he and those of his generation have for the culinary arts.

“You have to have a passion for this profession if you’re going to succeed,” he says. “And you also have to have a passion once you’re in to constantly learn and improve.”

The ACF Monterey Bay Chapter Board Toward that end, the Monterey President: Jacques Wilson, CEC, AAC Bay Chapter’s passion is education and Chairman of the Board: Soerke Peters helping the community. The chapter’s Vice President: Mitchell Vanagten vision statement — “Building Secretary: Crystal Birkemeier Communities Through Food and Treasurer: Paul J. Lee, CEC Education”— is reflected in many of its Membership Chair: Mitchell Vanagten activities. Recently, chapter members Certification Chair: Jacques Wilson, CEC, AAC participated in Salvage Social Hour, an AAC Chair: Bert P. Cutino, CEC, AAC, HOF, HBOT event celebrating Earth Day and Food Chef & Child Program Chair: Pamela Burns Waste Prevention Week, featuring Sergeant At Arms: Estevan J. Jimenez upcycled foods. Proceeds benefited Board Member: Tene Shake the University of California, Merced Committee Chair: Ken Goebel Basic Needs program, which helps Committee Chair: Anthony Guajardo those struggling with food shortages Executive Director: Claudia P. Quirarte and hunger.

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| Chapter Close-Up |

ACF Monterey Bay Chapter members pictured during the Cooking for Capitola fundraiser; ACF Bert P. Cutino, CEC, AAC, HOF, HBOT, receives the Hospitality Professional of the Year Award from the Monterey County Hospitality Association during the association’s annual awards gala; ACF Chef Pamela Burns participates in a Childhood Nutrition Day event; Monterey Bay Chapter Presisent Jacques Wilson, CEC, AAC, pictured with local culinary students.

The chapter was honored in February with ACF’s Community Outreach Granted program for its volunteerism with the Boys & Girls Club of Merced County teaching basic cooking skills. The program introduced earlier this year celebrated chapters and ACF members who give back to their community with a monthly opportunity to win a $250 grant.

Also recently, several of the chapter’s chefs — ACF Chefs Anthony Pangelina and Jonathan Gutierrez and Chef Mitch Vanagten — hosted a “Meet the Farmer” event, held at University of California, Merced.

The event featured Marchini Farms, a large-scale radicchio grower, which proved popular with members.

ACF Chef Pamela Burns, chair of the chapter’s Chef & Child program, inspired youth at Palenke Arts with her baking skills.

When it comes to attracting new members, “Our emphasis on education is helpful,” Chef Wilson says.

“Sometimes, a chef will bring a spouse or student to an event and they’ll see what we’re all about, and it sometimes results in a new member or a career.”

The chapter hosted an ACF practical exam as part

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of the certification process in June, and Chef Wilson says the chapter’s goal is to try to do at least two certification practical exams per year, depending on participation.

The chapter enjoys good involvement at its general meetings, but tours are especially popular with its members.

The chapter enjoys “great support” from its vendor partners, Chef Wilson says, particularly local ones such as Monterey Farms, an artichoke supplier.

Chef Wilson traces his own love for food and cooking to a decision he made just after high school, prompted by an instructor who had provided an introductory internship in culinary skills.

“After that experience, I wanted to learn more,” Chef Wilson says. “Many of my friends were going off to the military, but my instructor urged me to go to the Culinary Institute of America. That was when it really hit me that was what I really wanted to do.”

At home, Chef Wilson enjoys a good meatloaf and “cooking in the Pacific Rim style.” Even after decades in the kitchen, that love and passion for cooking hasn’t abated, and he and his fellow chapter members continue to help current chefs to thrive — and to bring new chefs into the profession.

ACF Thanks Our Loyalty Partners

C R E AT I N G M E N U I N S P I R AT I O N

| Chef-to-Chef |

OPEN SEASON How to Safely Harvest and Handle Venison From the Field to the Table // By ACF Chef John Lucchesi, CEC, MBA

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began hunting when I was in culinary school after being introduced to it by one of my classmates. Cooks and chefs should value and respect the food we eat. We should know where our food comes from and what it has been eating. Hunting provides this connection along with quality meat if you handle it correctly. It is not legal to serve your harvested bounty in your foodservice operation but there is no reason you cannot feed yourself, your family and your friends from the bounty you bring in from the hunt. Hunting is not only a

source for food, but also a source of relaxation, a way to recharge, reflect and simply enjoy what Mother Nature provides. My hunts find me pursuing venison, rabbit, bear, turkey and wild hog, plus there’s the occasional fishing trip with my brother-in-law. If you enjoy hunting, here are some guidelines you should follow when harvesting my favorite prey, the whitetailed deer.

STEP 1: CLEANING/GUTTING The cleaning (gutting) of the animal should be done as quickly as possible so that the animal can cool down, thus preventing spoilage of the meat. Be sure to handle your deer with care even when bringing it to your cleaning location. Banging it over rocks and downed trees or tossing it into the back of your four-wheeler or the bed of your truck will only cause bruising of the meat and will result in off-tasting flavors in the final product. If you need to gut in the field, do so as cleanly as possible and avoid getting grass, dirt, mud or twigs in the open cavity. If you are fond of offal cuts, such as the heart (my favorite), liver and kidneys, I suggest packing a few resealable plastic bags and a small cooler with ice packs in your field kit. Be sure to remove these organs and put them in your cooler as quickly as possible.

STEP 2: HANGING/AGING/ SKINNING Hang the deer head down by using a gambrel secured through the hind legs. This will allow any fluids to flow to the head and out the mouth and nose instead of into the hind quarters where it will pool and taint the flavor of the meat. Also, if it is that trophy buck you just landed, you will not mar or damage the neck or antlers with rope scars or hide damage of your soonto-be mount. DO NOT rinse or hose out the cavity of the deer. This can drive any traces of dirt or bacteria into the meat, especially around the wound area and contaminate your meat. If there is visible dirt or debris in the cavity, a damp wet cloth and some gentle wiping is the way to go. Crack the garage or barn door and run a fan to aid in air circulation. Hang for a minimum of

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SCAN THE QR CODE FOR CHEF LUCCHESI'S VENISON LOIN WITH BOURBON CHERRY SAUCE

72 hours (about 3 days) as rigor mortis needs to work its way out of the muscles, which will also improve the flavor and tenderness of your meat. Skin from the tail to the nose as this will prevent hair loss from the hide and keep your meat hair free; this is another reason to hang the deer with the head facing downward.

STEP 3: BUTCHERING Butchering your own deer allows you to control all the yield and cuts. If you would rather have someone else process your deer, be sure that person is reputable and runs a clean operation. A sharp hunting knife or boning knife is all you need to process an entire deer. Occasionally a small saw is a useful tool to have depending on which cuts you are going for. As you butcher your deer, keep the cuts as clean and as cool as possible. Store the primal cuts in a refrigerator or cooler and process the secondary cuts after the entire carcass is broken down.

STEP 4: STORING Invest in a seal-a-meal vacuum sealer machine.

There are many exceptionally good, inexpensive countertop models on the market, and they are well worth it. Much of your venison will end up in the freezer for future consumption, and these machines allow you to keep your meat free of freezer burn and

help maintain quality and freshness. My personal sealing machine was about $200 a decade ago and is still going strong today.

STEP 5: COOKING Venison is a lean and healthy meat and should be cooked no more than medium rare. The practice of carefully handling your venison from the field to the table will also result in a better-tasting product. The “venison is too gamey for me” comment many of us hear from those that we share it with is usually due to the handling of the meat after the kill. A quick, humane kill, proper field handling and dressing, as well as proper hanging, processing and cooking, all affect the final flavor and quality of the product. Implementing these guidelines from the field to the table will result in a much more satisfying plate of venison the next time you gather around the table to share your harvest.

ACF Chef John Lucchesi, CEC, MBA, has worked in the foodservice industry for more than 23 years. He received his formal training from Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan, and his career has spanned many segments, from fast food to fine dining. Chef Lucchesi has held positions with Ritz-Carlton hotels, the former Palace of Auburn Hills and the Detroit Pistons. He currently serves as an instructor of culinary arts and food services management at the Culinary Arts Institute in Flint, Michigan. He is a loving husband and father of one and enjoys hunting and cooking with his family and friends.

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| Main Course |

FROM PASTURE TO PLATE How American sheep farmers are grazing for a greener, more delicious tomorrow // By Amelia Levin

“W

quickly nudged back in line by a massive, white-haired hy do you like sheep so much?” guard dog sitting nearby who seems almost annoyed I ask this of Robert Irwin, owner of to have had to get up from her seat in the grass. I see Kaos Sheep Outfit, as we walk through the vineyards what he’s saying about the intelligence stuff. in Napa Valley*, the bright green grass emerging from Irwin’s comments about sheep herding seem the ground beneath our feet thanks to a much-needed simple, but there’s a lot more to his passion. downpour after a wintertime drought. There’s a dewy, You see, Irwin’s father was a sheep farmer. His pleasantly musty smell in the air and a few rays of grandfather was a sheep farmer. Irwin’s mother warmth as the sun peaks from behind the clouds. In was a well-renowned veterinarian who specialized the distance, I see fuzzy tufts of white bobbing up and in lamb and sheep health. Over many years, his down between the gnarly vines that are just beginning family — and other domestic sheep farmers — have to sprout some buds. made huge strides in animal husbandry by studying, Irwin laughs a little at the bluntness of my question. OK, maybe it does sound a little rude on documenting and promoting the sheep and lamb industry in the United States. Irwin wanted to follow paper but after listening to all the stories about sheep herding and everything in his family’s footsteps that goes into it and how since he was a little boy challenging it can be at times, growing up in Oregon.

I think it’s a valid question.

“Some say this “People say sheep are profession is the second dumb, but they are actually oldest or even the oldest,” very intelligent animals he says. “You’re doing your and are even a little passive best to care for the animal and provide a great life. aggressive,” he says. “It’s hard My uncle used to joke that to explain why I like sheep so sheep only have one bad much; I’m happiest as a human when I’m able to turn sheep on day and that’s the last day of Robert Irwin (center, in plaid) with wife Jaime (second from right) and fresh grass and see them all fat their life.” sheep herders with Kaos Sheep Outfit in Northern California (credit: and happy and their mouths When Irwin was 14, his American Lamb). family sold off the sheep full of grass and leaves.” business, but he followed the course, hanging onto Suddenly, a stray lamb ventures away from the a flock of sheep and renting a 20-acre field for them. herd inching toward the electric fence (which gets me When the sheep ate all the grass and that rent was up, later, and let me tell you, it hurts). The little lamb is

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Irwin became somewhat of a nomad, moving the flock around the Oregon wine country while he hauled grapes. It was then that he realized how good the sheep are for the earth.

“They don’t only provide resources like wool and meat, but their active grazing adds so much to the soil,” Irwin says. “They remove fuels, help native plants grow and improve soil quality.”

Here’s how the full-circle cycle works: The grass grows in the spring.

The lambs eat it.

They are moved by herders and dogs to another field or vineyard. They eat more grass.

Meanwhile, they ahem, use the restroom outside. Those nutrients go back into the soil. The soil grows more grass for the lambs. Sometime in April before the heat hits, their wool is sheared — giving them relief from the heat and us a way to make clothes.

They get fat. They become meat. We eat them.

More baby lambs are born in the fall, roughly in October, and timed with the grape harvest.

The cycle continues.

Biodynamic and organic wineries started to catch on to what Irwin was doing. They soon realized the benefit of using sheep instead of gas-guzzling tractors to plow through fields and vineyards. Sheep also prevent the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides because not only does their grazing improve soil health, they literally feast on the parts of the vines where leafhopper pests lay their eggs.

“They don’t only provide resources like wool and meat, but their active grazing adds so much to the soil. They remove fuels, help native plants grow and improve soil quality.”

Robert Irwin Owner, Kaos Sheep Outfit

The Irwin family has been producing sheep and working with biodynamic wineries since the early 2000s (credit: American Lamb).

“We’re actually working with researchers right now to determine the difference between using sheep and not using sheep when it comes to pesticides and herbicides,” Irwin says.

By ‘we,’ he’s referring to his wife, Jaime, whom he met in 2008 and married a few years later. Thanks to her environmental science degree, knack for marketing, penchant for posting fun stuff on Instagram and shared love of sheep, the duo formed the perfect partnership for their business. In the early 2010s, sheep in tow, they made the move from the Pacific Northwest to Northern California to find more wineries that might want to work with them. The couple even lived out of their car for a few months.

“Eat Lamb. Drink Wine. Wear Wool.”

That’s the tagline the Irwins came up with when they landed a few major wineries and made Kaos Sheep Outfit official. It’s even printed on the mugs and merch they give out.

But beyond wool, meat and soil betterment, there’s even more that sheep do for us and the earth.

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| Main Course |

Above and below: Sheep graze in the hills of Northern California’s wine country (credit: American Lamb).

Napa Valley and Northern California have seen a number of devastating wildfires in the last decade that only seem to be getting worse. That’s why environmental protection agencies and organizations are working with the Irwins and other sheep farmers to graze wide swaths of forest and grassland to prevent overgrowth.

“When grass is mowed or trampled down by sheep or [farm equipment], the fire doesn’t get up in the air,” says Robert Irwin, who has been evacuated from areas several times and narrowly missed watching his house burn down. “There’s a lot of ground in California where ungrazed fire can get up to two feet in the air and when the wind gets under it, it becomes a major wildfire.

Sheep eat 80% of the ground cover, which lowers the fire canopy and slows the fire down drastically.”

In addition to working with municipalities for fire protection around the Sonoma Mountain wilderness, the Irwins also have contracts with homeowners associations to manage grass growth and prevent fires around homes. “During the Valley Fire in 2015 we saved about 1,300 homes in Middletown, and more during the Atlas Fire of 2017 and the 2020 fires,” Robert Irwin says. The sheep are even used for invasive species management, particularly in the battle against star thistle, a thorny plant that made it here from Australia and can take over entire forest areas.

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It's impossible to talk about sheep and not about the dogs, as Jaime Irwin reminds me. “We have about 20 border collies for herding and about 30 guard dogs for livestock protection,” she says.

Some of the pups are bred on their farm, and the Irwins also work with other farms around the country to get the best dogs for sheep herding. Both dog types “have so much instinct. The border collies work hand in hand with the herder and they get very loyal and attached.” The guard dogs — those huge, white-haired Pyrenees mixes

American lamb shoulder confit from ACF Chef Ed Leonard, CMC, AAC. (credit: American Lamb).

— are super cute and friendly with people and the Irwins’ two young kids and their sheep. But they’ll fight coyotes and sometimes even cougars to the death.

“I think we would lose a lamb a night if we didn’t have a guard dog,” Robert Irwin says.

All this is great, you might be thinking, but we’re chefs, so what about the meat? What happens to the lambs when they’re done eating grass?

Working with local slaughterhouses and meat packers, the lambs “are harvested between the first of June through August,” Jaime Irwin says. “The meat gets flash frozen and sent to the distributors.” The Irwins work with JJ Supply Company but are working toward starting their own label. Elder sheep are retained for breeding purposes and eventually sold for meat.

Some might turn up their noses at the thought of buying frozen meat. But in this industry, you actually want that. “I’ve never met a lamb farmer who eats fresh lamb; having a yearround supply of fresh lamb is really hard to do in this country and no one wants second-grade lamb just to have it not be frozen,” Jaime Irwin says. The harvest time and flash freezing are super important for maintaining that freshness when thawed properly.

And we don’t just have to eat lamb on Easter or Passover; with the advent of global cuisine, lamb dishes on menus have grown in recent years. “Of course I’d like people to buy and

SCAN THE QR CODE ABOVE FOR THE SEASONED LAMB CONFIT RECIPE BY ACF CHEF ED LEONARD, CMC, AAC.

eat Kaos lamb, but I would say buying any American lamb is helpful,” Jaime Irwin says. “We’ve met many American sheep producers, and they all have a really interesting story. What Robert and I and other sheep producers in this country are doing is incredibly difficult and there’s so much historical knowledge passed down from generation to generation. As a firstgeneration sheep producer, I could never do this by myself without Robert. If that knowledge goes away and is not passed on, it would be impossible to run this business. That’s why just the appreciation of these stories and knowing how fragile our industry is right now is so important.”

Robert Irwin says, “plenty of people made fun of me about my love of sheep growing up,” he says. “But to me, the constant learning about their growth and nutrition and purpose — as a way of making a living there’s nothing purer than keeping another animal alive and healthy.” *The publishing of this article, and all of the opinions and statements herein, were made at the full, editorial discretion of NCR’s editor following an educational press trip sponsored by American Lamb. No financial transactions occurred in exchange for this article.

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| On the Side |

DISSECTING THE DISH How one ACF Chef thinks through high-volume, fine-dining plating // By Amelia Levin

A

CF Chef Rich Rosendale, CMC, owner of Rosendale Collective, was invited to speak at the Roots conference held this fall at Farmer Lee Jones’ The Chef’s Garden and Culinary Vegetable Institute in Ohio, where chefs, farmers, purveyors, food writers and documentary producers from around the country came together to talk about regenerative agriculture and the future of the restaurant industry. For a vegetable-forward, eight-course farm dinner on the second night of the conference, Chef Rosendale served this smoked beet and brisket taco (pictured). Sounds straightforward, right? Wrong.

This dish and its various components took several days to conceptualize, plan, cook, properly pack and transport. Because so much was done ahead of time, Chef Rosendale — with two tightly packed cooler boxes in tow — needed only a sous vide machine, extra-strong blow torch and 30 minutes to retherm and prep all the plates for the 140-person dinner, which brought no less than 25 chefs under one tent outdoors with limited space and electricity. One would expect nothing less from a Master ACF Chef, successful restaurateur, entrepreneur and seasoned competitor who has competed on the ACF Culinary Team USA and had just returned from Bocuse d’Or tryouts.

Chef Rosendale worked closely with his head of R&D, Chef Miguel Contreras, and leaned on his state-of-the-art equipment at the RC Culinary Lab, a 4,000-square-foot production kitchen in Leesburg, Virginia, supporting the restaurant group’s various restaurants, catering operations, special dinners and events around the country, along with the RC wholesale and retail product lines. Everything from the tortillas to the mole sauces to the cheese, brisket, purees and beets was prepared days in advance and

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ACF Chef Rich Rosendale, CMC, owns Roots 657, in Leesburg, Virginia, and R3 in Atlanta as well as a catering business, culinary school and Rosendale Culinary Lab, where he and his team conduct daily R&D and fulfill orders for Rosendale Online; Opposite: Chef Rosendale’s Smoked Beet and Brisket Taco served during the Roots conference at The Chef’s Garden in Ohio (Credit: Michelle Demuth-Bibb/The Chef’s Garden).

put in a blast chiller to quickly preserve the product without producing any ice crystals and to get it ready for packing in cooler boxes that were transported directly on the plane.

In addition to the carefully thought-out prep work, once on site, the actual plate selection proved important, too. Out of a generous offering of plateware provided by Steelite and Singer Equipment Co., Chef Rosendale’s team carefully selected ridged plates “with a lip” for extra stackability. This way, the team was able to at least get some of the elements down on the plate, including the tortilla, cheese and sour cream droplets and then stack them up to 10 plates high to start the plating process. Without this particular plate, for plating, “we would have needed way more people, and it would have taken way more time,” Chef Rosendale says. After just a quick torch of the tortilla and cheese, the other elements could be quickly added and slid down the line for service. Even the microgreens were pre-portioned into little cups for easy plating with tweezers.

“These are the tricks and things we try to think about when plating for high-volume events,” says Chef Rosendale. “We have a Raiders game coming up where we’ll be serving over 1,000 people outside at stations.

Organization is a really big part of our planning. We’re a little unorthodox for a restaurant group in that we’re doing R&D all the time.”

BRISKET “We wanted to offer some meat but do it in a way that still put beets at the center of the dish. We did an 18-hour smoked brisket in our smoker at the lab with various spices and then blast-chilled the meat into packs so they were almost like cooler packs in the shipping boxes. They just needed a sous-vide bath to bring to temperature on site.”

TORTILLA “We made a beet tortilla by dehydrating beet powder worked into traditional tortilla dough with a little brisket tallow added for malleability.”

MICROGREENS “We were able to pick various microgreens from the greenhouse when we arrived at The Chef’s Garden — we chose coriander bloom, micro cumin and begonia and citrus marigold flowers for the garnish.”

BEET-CO DE GALLO “This is a play on pico de gallo — we rolled whole beets in a mixture of salt, soybean oil, water and AP flour, which helps draw out all the moisture when roasting at 375°F for a concentrated beet flavor and dark, rich color.”

CHEESE “We made a cheese-based ‘dough’ with egg yolks, parmesan, gruyere and crème fraiche that we spread into sheets, cut into rings, blastchilled and vacuum-packed so that when it was time to plate, we could just torch the entire tortilla with the cheese and it would melt nicely but stay perfect in the shape of a ring and not run all over the place.”

ELOTE-STYLE ROASTED BEETS “We took golden white beets sent to us from The Chef’s Garden, roasted them in the oven and scooped them into little spheres that we brushed with mayo on the outside to get the cotija cheese to stick, and we added a dusting of Tajin spice and corn husk ash.”

MOLE “We prepared a traditional mole with chiles, spices and aromatics that we finished with chocolate and some more of the beet juice just to thin it down a little.”

SOUR CREAM “We could have just added drops of sour cream, but after 30 minutes or so you might have water running out of it, so instead we added a little xanthan gum and champagne vinegar to the sour cream for a more shelf-stable mixture that we added to an ISO charger.”

AVOCADO ESPUMA “We pureed avocado with yogurt, milk, sugar, salt, vegetable stock, dill and parsley and added that to an ISI whipping canister with two charges that we aerated for the plate.”

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| Classical vs. Modern |

Classical

ACF Chef Nick Hamilton, Center Stage Catering in Rocky Mount, Virginia, always thinks about duck confit and risotto this time of year. That’s because duck confit was the first classical dish he learned to make at Frankie Rowland’s 11 years ago when his culinary career began. Since then, Chef Hamilton has worked his way up as sous chef at Sidecar in downtown Roanoke and the now-closed Blue Apron Restaurant in Salem and will serve as the head chef of The Porch, a new restaurant from ACF Chef John Schopp, CEC, CEPC, CCE, CCA, AAC, expected to open early next year. For the classical preparation, Chef Hamilton boils the duck legs in fat and then sets them in a 200°F oven overnight. On the first day, he’ll also par-cook the accompanying risotto, spread it out on a sheet pan and cool it in the walk-in overnight. The next day, Chef Hamilton will sear the legs in a cast iron pan for crispy skin and cook off the risotto by gradually adding stock until absorbed and finishing with mushrooms, a little white wine, butter and plenty of parmesan. The par-cook method cuts down on the cooking time involved in making risotto and allows the flavors to blend even more, similar to fried rice.

Modern

For the modern version, Chef Hamilton plates the duck confit and risotto with additional vegetables and artistry. He halves, scores and sears king trumpet mushrooms; sauces the plate with a bright orange carrot puree; roasts some purple carrots; and spoons on some bright purple beet puree made using beet powder. For both dishes, Chef Hamilton makes a rich stock by reducing duck stock with red wine and seasonings.

“I wanted to go for a very fall look with the colors of the leaves changing — red, orange, brown,” he says. Edible flowers finish off the elegant look.

For recipes, visit acfchefs.org/recipes.

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CL

LASSICAL

vs. MODERN

Photo Credits: Eli Schopp, WEARECHEFS.COM Shot by Schopp 29

CHAPTERS SUPPORTING CHAPTERS This New Task Force focuses on ACF’s core mission of chefs helping chefs BY howard bell 30

NCR | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023

T

he goal of ACF’s two-year-old work group-turned task force, Chapters Supporting Chapters (CSC), is to build membership and leadership by making chapters increasingly valuable to current and potential members across the nation.

It’s a worthy goal.

“During COVID, when everybody was wondering ‘What’s going on?’ I had a call with a chef out of Cleveland talking about the ACF and how we can still be doing stuff,” recalls ACF Chef Jason “Jay Z” Ziobrowski, CEC, board chair of the ACF Chefs of Charlotte chapter in North Carolina. “‘What do you think’s going on? What is going to happen? We chefs need to be out there for our families.’ We said, ‘Let’s get more people involved.’”

Forming CSC was “a collaborative hive mind,” explains ACF Chef Susanne Ebacher-Grier, CEPC, culinary arts educator at Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Indiana, and immediate past president of ACF’s 118-member Greater Indianapolis Chapter. “We were speaking about our struggles as chapter leaders and members, and it just organically happened. The big impact of what we started was really seen at the first national convention after COVID, where Chapters Supporting Chapters was able to present and mingle.” That convention took place in Orlando in July 2021.

During the pandemic, Chef Ebacher-Grier recounts, help consisted of “connecting on ideas and concepts to support our chapters during a time of no contact.” Indianapolis quickly pivoted to doing Zoom meetings, and other chapters followed suit. “We utilized other ACF chefs and beyond to keep programming going for membership, often collaborating with other chapters.”

Some chapters have gone “practically defunct due to a variety of issues,” says Chef Ebacher-Grier. “CSC has given new ideas and concepts that have given new blood to some chapters.”

ACF Chef Autumn Patti, president of the 181-member ACF Harrisburg Chapter, and program director and associate professior for the Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry Arts programs at Harrisburg Area Community College in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, says she was onboard when CSC was first pitched. “There was going to be a collaboration of chefs through our leadership team. It really started with the chapter presidents. I was not planning on going to the convention that year, but when I heard about it I thought, ‘This is what we need,’ so I changed my family vacation plans so I could go to Florida.”

Chef Patti’s experience with chefs supporting chefs also came about during the pandemic, when she and so many other culinary educators had to figure out how to instruct students outside of the classroom. “We had to quickly come up with ways to teach our students when they weren’t in the classroom so I spent hours upon hours searching YouTube videos on cooking demonstrations that I thought were appropriate (no swearing) and professional,” says Chef Patti, who first collected videos from other schools and organizations like the National Restaurant Association. When other ACF members caught on to what she was doing, they started sending her links to videos they had found or made themselves. Chef Patti collected those links into an educational resource library (acfharrisburg.com/ online-learning-resources) on the Harrison chapter website, where they still live today.

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| Chapters Supporting Chapters |

How CSC Came Together CSC began with Chef Ziobrowski and ACF Chef John Selick, CEC, CCA, AAC, having conversations about establishing a grassroots movement to support fellow chefs and members. That led to many other ACF leaders jumping on board.

“It began with phone calls, then Zoom meetings,” Chef Ziobrowski says. “Then we started getting ACF National involved. We started talking to them about, ‘Hey, you’re going to hold an event in 2021 — this is great. We want to have a room that we can bring people together in.’ The next thing you know, at the conference in Orlando we held a small reception of all the chapter leaders that are out there, coming together, and started talking.”

The chefs shared stories and ideas, Chef Ziobrowski says. “We actually held a class that was straight to the point: what it’s about. How to run a good meeting. How to get sponsorships. How to make a f lyer that helps you in attracting the people to your meetings. Maybe change the word meeting to meet-up, so now you are meeting up with your members, not having another meeting. Who the

ACF Chef Jay Ziobrowski, CEC (bottom right), started the Chapters Supporting Chapters work group with other members initially through Zoom meetings during the pandemic; In-person meetings have taken place during convention during the last two years.

hell wants to go to another meeting after being in all these Zoom meetings during COVID? We tried to change terminology, and to give chefs out there in the chapters advice on how to spice it up, change it up and share their thoughts.”

The gathering went well — so well that at the following year’s conference in Las Vegas, CSC was provided with additional time for meetups in order to keep the networking going. “Smithfield Culinary sponsored a dinner for all of the chapter leaders to get together,” Chef Ziobrowski says. The event was a success.

“We had an amazing (event). We thanked everybody for all their hard work in bringing the chapters together and sharing their ideas. It was amazing.”

New Concepts and Ideas

Chapter presidents and leaders came together for a special event sponsored by Smithfield Culinary during the 2022 ACF National Convention in Las Vegas; ACF Chef Autumn Patti, CSC Task Force chair (bottom right).

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“I attended the first meeting and was amazed at the ideas and collaboration among chapter presidents from all over the country that occurred,” says ACF Chef John Casto, CEC, AAC, executive chef for the Good Eating Company, a Sodexo-branded concept, and the president of ACF’s 111-member Pikes Peak Chapter in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Clockwise from top left: ACF Chef Susanne EbacherGrier, CEPC; ACF Chef Derek Ivancik, CEC, and ACF Cleveland Chapter members; ACF Chef John Casto, CEC, AAC (center) says that thanks to CSC he has made lifelong friends and connected with many great chefs around the country.

The food industry was the hardest hit by the pandemic, and ACF’s national office recognized this and offered all the support and resources at its disposal, Chef Casto points out. “They offered members grace periods if membership or certification lapsed, and a monthly payment schedule if you could not afford to pay. This was unprecedented.”

Additionally, ACF offered free mental health counseling and connections to networking groups like CHOW (Culinary Hospitality Outreach and Wellness), Chapters Supporting Chapters and more. The group has proven “a tremendous resource to chapter presidents all over the country,” Chef Casto says.

Collabs and Partnerships Chef Casto says that thanks to CSC he has made lifelong friends and connected with many great chefs around the country. “We share ideas and resources, and gain inspiration and mentorship.” This has led to chapters becoming more engaged with individual members as well as ACF’s national office, and is in part responsible for the current growth taking place.

Chef Casto’s chapter recently held its most successful

fundraiser, donating $3,000 to CHOW and $2,000 to Ronald McDonald House in Colorado Springs.

Chef Ziobrowski says he has had chapter presidents tell him “they can’t get anybody to sponsor their chapter, and they don’t think ACF is worth it.” The proper response, he has found, is to talk to them about programs that can be created in a collaborative nature.

“In Charlotte we work with Piedmont Natural Gas,” says Chef Ziobrowski, noting that the sponsor simply wanted more education about cooking with natural gas, which the chapter incorporated in some of its meetups.

While CSC was formed to help chapters thrive rather than to teach kitchen techniques, Chef Ziobrowski says that some chapters may need just that. “Maybe you need to mentor chefs in the kitchen, or talk about alcohol and drugs. Maybe it’s about wellness. It could be so many different things. You just give ideas and try to open up heads.”

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| Chapters Supporting Chapters |

Local Support ACF Chef Derek Ivancic, CEC, regional executive chef for Jack Entertainment in Cleveland and president of the 200-member ACF Cleveland Chapter, says he would like to see more effort specifically oriented around helping smaller or growing chapters to execute certain initiatives or programs.

“To me, the most important thing (CSC) can do is share useful information with chapters that maybe don’t know where to go, or how to get things started,” says Chef Ivancic. “There are so many resources, but it can be daunting without guidance and mentorship on how to get things going. The strength in certain chapters is the diversity of training that they offer, and a new or smaller chapter may not know where to begin to offer different programs in their area.”

For example, Chef Ivancic says, “If it’s a chapter that wants to do a competition but has never done one before, that’s where Chapters Supporting Chapters should be able to help, to outline how to do a competition. Also, how to get a certification exam

ACF Cleveland Chapter President Derek Ivancic, CEC

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CSC Task Force Autumn Patti (Chair) Gabriel Rosado, CEC (Central Committee Member) Derek J. Ivancic, CEC (Northeast Committee Member) David J. Durante, CEC, CCA (Southeast Task Force Member) Chris Tanner, CEC, CCE, AAC (staff liaison) The CSC Task Force is currently looking for a Western Committee Member

started. All these things that chapters don’t know how to begin, other chapters that have been successful can show them how to go about it.

“Our goal is never to simply increase membership,” he continues. “We don’t necessarily go out and do membership drives. Our goal is to make the chapter stronger, more engaged and more valuable to its membership. Because of what we do, people want to be a part of it. Where CSC can help is, ‘How do you do these different functions? How do you start a competition? How do you get sponsorships?’”

Modeling the strategies and tactics of successful ACF chapters around the country must never be confused with simply adopting a cookie-cutter approach — a fact that Chapters Supporting Chapters goes out of its way to emphasize.

“We’re not all cookie-cutter, we’re all different,” insists Chef Ziobrowski. “I think that’s a great way to talk about grassroots. You can’t do it the same way that Tampa does it. You can’t do it the same way that Atlanta’s chapter does it. We have to do it our own way, take ideas from what Tampa and Atlanta are doing, and now make it our way. That’s what we’re teaching.”

The goal is “getting best practices from other chapters, collaborating with each other,” according to ACF Chef Barry R. Young, MBA, CEC, CCE, AAC, culinary arts coordinator and associate professor in the School of Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio.

When a chapter is struggling, teaming up with a nearby chapter to see what that chapter is doing is wise.

“We’ve got chapters all over the Northeast like Boston, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, that are doing group meetings,” Chef Young says. “And they are bringing vendors in, and getting people involved that way.”

CSC’s Future Where does Chapters Supporting Chapters go from here? ACF President René J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC, “sat in on our meetup in New Orleans,” Chef Ziobrowski says, “and he said he was extremely impressed.

He sees the value of these gatherings, and he’s like, ‘I want this to be bigger and better.’”

Chef Patti notes that Chef Marquis was one of the presenters at that first CSC meeting in Orlando, during which he talked about how to put on various fundraising events.

He’s since made a push to host CSC meetings during more “prime time” hours during the day rather than just during evenings at convention. At this past convention, there were two CSC meet-ups where Chef Patti estimates about 60 to 75 members attended. Given the popularity, at press time, CSC had just been formalized into an ACF Task Force (see CSC Task Force sidebar).

Chef Young also sees more emphasis being placed on CSC in the years ahead. “I think that with the board and the support of the officers, there is going to be a groundswell from the bottom and the top coming together,” he says. “I think it had been put on the backburner in some ways, but now the chapters and the leaders of each region are getting with their VPs and actually bringing events together so that we talk to each other. We can’t be siloed in Boston or Columbus or New Jersey or Seattle. If we are going to grow, we’ve got to step out of our little pockets.”

This year, Chef Ziobrowski and his colleagues focused not just on reaching out but on working to mentor a new generation of leaders. “That way it’s not just a few of us, it’s multiple people,” he says. “We are grooming the next generation of chapter leaders to take over the class and share their thoughts and feelings.” Chef Ziobrowski says the group uses a group chat on Facebook to share those thoughts, feelings and ideas — all have been focused on the positive.

“I love that this is 100% organic and created by the membership, for the membership,” Chef Ebacher-Grier says. “We want to cultivate it to also set an example of a succession plan, and not have the same people in charge over and over again. When recognizing agents of change you foster that ability, and pass the torch on to them.”

CSC early members from left: ACF Chefs Jeffrey Schlissel, Susanne EbacherGrier, CEPC, Jay Ziobrowski, CEC, Nick Barrington, CEC, Dina Altieri, CEC, CCE, AAC, M.S.Ed. (former ACF membership director), John Selick, CEC, CCA, AAC, and Polly Barrington (ACF Atlanta executive director) and Chris Aquilino with ACF National President René J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC.

CSC Resources To register or find a registered ACF chapter, visit acfchefs.org/ACFSource/Membership/Chapters.

For a list of ACF partner organizations willing to collaborate on events, visit acfchefs.org/ partnerships.

For a list of health and wellness resources, visit acfchefs.org/ACF/Resources/Wellness.

For a list of ACF educator-approved online videos created by various industry organizations and ACF chefs around the country and compiled by ACF Chef Autumn Patti, visit https://acfharrisburg.com/ online-learning-resources.

Says Chef Patti, “As chair of the new [CSC Task Force], I am honored and excited for the opportunity to keep what began as a grassroots movement going.

My term is through 2025, and I remain committed to working with other ACF Chefs around the country to make an impact and keep our movement going.”

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| Health |

SCHOOL FOOD MAKEOVER

How one ACF Chef is changing minds and mindsets about the quality of today’s school meals // By Patricia L. Fitzgerald

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here’s a persistent myth that the meals served working in school districts across the country. While to America’s youth in K-12 school cafeterias are there’s a long history of chefs turning to K-12 foodservice unhealthy and contribute to weight-related medical as a second career in the wake of hospitality burnout, the conditions like Type 2 diabetes.

Chefs Move to Schools initiative championed by then-First In truth, school meals are among the most nutritious Lady Michelle Obama in 2010 did a lot to raise awareness meals school children have access to, largely thanks of career opportunities in this area. Today, there are many to rigorous federal rules that require compliance with school chefs leading operations, developing recipes and national standards for calories, fat, whole grains, sodium menus, training staff, teaching students, partnering with and vegetables, among other categories. vendors and helping to elevate the segment.

One reason that school meals are still tagged as While many of these chefs work at the district level, unhealthy is that many districts continue to lean hard on ACF Chef Robert Velarde, CEC, is kitchen manager for heavily processed heat-and-serve Concord Elementary, one of nine items, especially those popular schools in Minnesota’s Edina Public with kids: pizza, nuggets, burgers, Schools District, in a foodservice tacos and so on. While these look program managed by Chartwells like retail and restaurant favorites K-12, part of Compass Group.

— and carry their poor reputation Beginning his 16th year with the — they have been reformulated to district, and 11th at Concord, Chef meet government requirements, Velarde has limited input on menu from whole-grain breading on planning and procurement, but chicken tenders to oven-baked he is still making a difference for fries to lower-fat and low-sodium the youngsters at his school. And mozzarella on pizza. Such items with Minnesota recently passing check a lot of critical boxes in legislation to make school breakfast K-12 foodservice, where operators and lunch free for all students contend with insufficient prep regardless of family income, daily space, aging equipment, untrained participation — and his influence staff, limited service time and a — is expected to grow this year. highly opinionated customer base.

“Everyone thinks that all ACF Chef Robert Velarde, CEC, at an ACF-sanctioned cooking competitoin last year at the St. Paul Farmers But overreliance on these products school lunches come from a central Market (he’s competed sevin times, wining five bronze can do children a disservice, kitchen that satellites the meals and two silver medals). leaving them ill-equipped to make to individual schools, and that nutritious choices in the “real” world. there is no care in the preparation of the food,” says Fortunately, times are changing, thanks in large part to Chef Velarde of his biggest pet peeve about school meal an ever-increasing presence of professionally trained chefs misperceptions. “They think there’s no cooking going on

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in schools. In reality, there’s a lot of passion that goes into preparing and presenting school meals.“ Here are four ways Chef Velarde demonstrates his own enthusiasm for serving student customers, working to elevate their cafeteria experience.

1. Salad Bars. Every day, Concord Elementary students have access to one hot and one cold entree, plus a fruit-and-veggie salad bar, stocked with a variety of produce in various forms: fresh, frozen, canned and dried. Typically the bar features seven items, and the selection mix changes each day.

Options include such vegetables as carrots, bell pepper strips, grape tomatoes, broccoli ACF Chef Robert Velarde, CEC, with his students at Concord Elementary in Minnesota. florets, sugar snap peas, cucumber slices, jicama and garbanzo beans; and fruits like orange brown rice and for sides like honey-roasted pumpkin, wedges, diced pears, apple-cinnamon slices, kiwi, berries, steamed broccoli, garlic mashed potatoes or savory grapes, pineapple, watermelon and Craisins. On select days, green beans. “Batch-cooked orange chicken doesn’t prepared combo items are available, such as fresh Caesar salad, get gloppy,” Chef Velarde sums up. spinach and romaine salad (with balsamic dressing), tropical 4. Engagement & the “Chef” Factor. “The fruit salad and marinated tomatoes and cucumber. principal and I both take great pride in telling parents 2. Tasting Initiatives. When Chef Velarde first started at that a ‘real’ chef is working at their school,” says Chef Concord 11 years ago, he launched a new food sampling program.

Velarde. It’s certainly unexpected in a segment where “Discovery Kitchen” was offered once a month and introduced cafeteria lunch lady tropes abound and chefs working youngsters to new food items like tricolor cauliflower or hummus at the district level tend to be less visible to teachers, made with fresh garbanzo beans. “It went so well at my school parents and the public at large. Each day, Chef Velarde that they’ve now rolled it out through all six elementary schools wears a black chef coat, black pants — and crazy foodin the district,” he says. “We do the food tasting on one day, and themed socks. then put that menu item on the salad bar the next day.” Chef “When I first started at Concord, the person I Velarde has worked with the district’s foodservice director and replaced was not kid-friendly, and the parent-teacher its executive chef to develop many of the renamed “Tasting Day” organization was not happy with the meals or the monthly offerings, such as a caprese-style salad, which was slated staff,” recounts Chef Velarde. “I worked hard to earn for introduction in early September. their trust and turn their opinion around, just by The two-day sample-and-serve approach is very effective in increasing the quality of the food and engaging with intriguing students with a small portion and then following up the kids.” He enjoys getting the unfiltered opinions on the no-limits salad bar while the taste is fresh in mind, before of the K-5 set and finding ways to make new food any wariness sinks back in. “There are 755 kids in my school, introductions fun. “I asked the kids if the yellow and on Tasting Day, we typically serve 600 samples,” he says. cauliflower tasted different than the white and purple.

3. Batch Cooking. Between very tight turnarounds for I had some of them convinced the yellow tasted like multiple lunch periods, insufficient prep equipment and a cheddar cheese,” he says with a laugh. shortage of staff with culinary competencies, many schools No two schools are alike, even within the same do the majority of lunch prep in the early morning or even the district, and some cafeterias are perpetuating the previous afternoon. But Chef Velarde personally batch cooks worst stereotypes. But all across the country, in greater the hot lunch entrees and sides throughout service to provide numbers than ever before, chefs and other passionate meals that have all the taste, texture and temperature qualities school nutrition professionals are stepping up to of being made to order. This may be less important when baked popcorn chicken is on the menu, but it makes a big difference overcome the inherent challenges of this segment, for items like rotini pasta with meat sauce or teriyaki beef with producing food that is nutritious and delicious.

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| Segment Spotlight |

Getting Personal A Day in the Life of a Private Chef // By Amanda Baltazar

Salade Lyonnaise from ACF Chef Angus McIntosh features a sherry-glazed hen egg, warm lardons, frisee, ribiola cheese and truffle cream.

W

hile not all chefs may be able to partake in the “work from home” rage going on, many have found success working in other people’s homes.

This is the life of a personal or private chef, a career choice and industry segment that blossomed during the height of the pandemic when so many restaurants were closed. Today, there are more than 5,000 personal chef businesses in the U.S., and the market for these services is expected to be worth $13 billion this year, according to the United States Personal Chef Association. It’s a business opportunity and career choice worth considering, especially for those looking to leave the long hours and night shifts behind.

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Here’s a glimpse into the lives of three personal chefs who have found much personal satisfaction in their line of work.

Catering to Celebrities and the Ultra-Wealthy ACF Chef Angus McIntosh started his career as a private chef cooking for the likes of Rod Stewart and Cyndi Lauper.

He shifted gears at one point to cook with a family that had five homes around the world. Now, Chef McIntosh works full-time for a family of five in Palo Alto, California. “The things you see and the people you meet are insane,” he says, referring to the lifestyles of celebrities and the “very high net-worth” who have made up his client base.

Chef McIntosh works five days per week and is on salary.

He gets good vacations — recently the family went abroad and didn’t need his services for three weeks. On a typical week he works Monday through Friday, though sometimes Sundays if the family entertains but only if it’s fewer than 20 people. For more than that, the family brings in a caterer.

For the job, Chef McIntosh visits local farmers markets where he gets to know the purveyors and builds seasonal menus. He develops menus for the week and emails them to the family; if they have any changes or requests, he incorporates them. A normal evening is a two- or three-course meal, 100% customized.

Chef McIntosh spends around eight hours, usually noon to 8 p.m., in his clients’ kitchen, where he preps all the food, plates it, sets the table, serves dinner and cleans up. His clients are very health conscious and want lean proteins, vegetables and organic products. “These are the requirements, and it’s crucial I understand the client,” he says.

Chef McIntosh worked in restaurants before entering the private chef world. Now, he says, his “quality of life is much better” and he has time to spend on the things that matter to him. One of his outside interests was entering the Bocuse d’Or culinary competition this fall, for which he spent the summer preparing.

“I wouldn’t be able to do that if it weren’t for the job I have,” he says.

Plus, though he works the same number of hours as restaurant chefs, he enjoys relatively more financial freedom.

ACF Chef Angus McIntosh has traveled the world as a private chef and now works for a family five days a week.

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| Segment Spotlight |

Serving Senior Populations Chef Monica Thomas’ company, Tailored Taste, based in Washington, D.C., services a number of clients — primarily wealthy families — in their homes.

Right now, Chef Thomas has around a dozen clients. She goes to their homes typically every other week, and cooks as many meals as they’d like. The food goes either into the refrigerator or freezer. She makes up to four different meals, which means on average, she spends four to five hours in a person’s home.

Chef Thomas set up her company in 2004 and planned to ramp up slowly, but in her first week she had two clients.

Business grew by word of mouth, and before 2008 most of her clients were busy single working women. When many people lost their jobs during the financial crisis that year, Chef Thomas pivoted and looked specifically for “older, richer people where my cost would be just a blip in their checkbook.” Now, her clients are mostly over 50 and retired “and have a certain level of wealth,” she says. “Health is also important to them, and most of my clients have some kind of special dietary need.”

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Private Chef Monica Thomas (top left) says catering parties is the best part of her job.

Unsurprisingly, business died completely during the pandemic then slowly came back, but during that time Chef Thomas realized that what she really loved was parties. Now she tends to work for private clients three days per week and works three to four parties per month.

Chef Thomas loves the events because she says, “they’re one and done. And I can be so much more creative. Also, I can prove to myself that I can get the meal on the table with all the elements done, and there’s the immediate feedback.” There’s another benefit, too, she adds: “They’re much more lucrative. I can make in one party what I make in two weeks.”

From Management to Meal Kits Chef Laura Taylor operates Honest to Goodness in Marysville, Washington, and has a staff of eight chefs. She and the chefs go into clients’ homes to cook meals, but in recent years, Chef Taylor has focused more on handling the management side of the business. She still cooks for two clients per month and works 35 to 40 hours per week.

Chef Taylor’s core customers are aged 35 to 55, “and have the income to support a service like this,” she says. “Everyone is busy or doesn’t want to

prioritize cooking. Or some people spend too much money going out to eat.” Or sometimes clients need her short-term, if they've had a baby, for example. Plus, she says, it gives clients huge peace of mind if they have problems such as celiac disease.

New clients provide information on their preferences and dietary needs. The chef then creates a meal plan based on that and what’s available seasonally. “We send it to them in advance, they approve it or not, and they can have specific requests,” Chef Taylor says.

Then a chef goes into the client’s home once per week for three to five hours and volume-cooks meals.

Prepared meals go in the refrigerator or freezer. Honest to Goodness chefs can also provide desserts, baked goods and lunch items.

Last year, Chef Taylor launched a meal delivery service, which was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this, she and her chefs work in a commercial kitchen and deliver meals for up to 15 clients per week. This part of her business is growing fastest, she says.

Other clients opt for the in-home premium service “because it offers the highest level of customization,” she says.

Chef Taylor’s company also caters events, and these are her favorite. “I love the creativity,” she says. “They’re harder because they can be more challenging, but there’s the reward in that challenge.”

However, there’s a reward with daily clients, too. “When someone can maintain their health or they’ve lost weight and they really value what we do for them.”

Private cheffing is a very rewarding job for Chef Laura Taylor (top right) who loves helping people.

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| ACF Chef Profile |

L. FERNANDO MOJICA, CEC, AAC

By John Bartimole

H

ere’s a recipe for success: 1) Take two parents who set an example of how important it is to work hard. 2) Add the opportunity to get a very early start in the culinary industry. 3) Heap generous portions of a love of Mexican cuisine, and you’re got the ingredients that helped propel ACF Chef L. Fernando Mojica, CEC, AAC, to extraordinary heights in his career.

Chef Mojica, the 2023 recipient ACF Chef L. Fernando Mojica, CEC, AAC of the Dr. L.J. Minor Chef Professionalism Award, gratefully acknowledges the roles those ingredients played in his still-burgeoning career.

“I’ve been blessed with the career I’ve had, and I’ve had so many influences in my life,” he says. “I’ve always especially looked up to my dad. Both my mom and dad worked two jobs to make sure the family had what we needed.

And I grew up watching my dad so often cook for us when he came home from work. From them came my appreciation of hard work and the importance of food, especially our Mexican cuisine.”

In fact, it was Chef Mojica’s father who gave him his first job in the culinary world. “I used to go visit him at work at the restaurant,” Chef Mojica says. “I wanted to be like my dad. So, when I was 14 years old, I told my dad I wanted a job. So, he said, ‘You want a job? OK, we’ll get you a job,’ and he did, as a dishwasher. Fortunately, I’ve moved up since then!”

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After graduating from Elgin Community College in Illinois with an associate degree in culinary arts and restaurant management, Chef Mojica worked in various restaurants and small country clubs in the Chicago area.

He eventually landed a job as corporate chef for Unilever Food Solutions working with Master ACF Chef Steve Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC. Chef Mojica later worked as sous chef for Master Chef Ed Leonard, CMC, AAC, at Chef ’s Burger Bistro in Chicago.

Chef Mojica moved to New York to serve as sous chef for the Buffalo Club working with Master Chef Joachim Buchner, CMC, and later served as executive chef at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Michigan, and Queen City Club in Cincinnati. Prior to becoming the executive chef of Wedgewood Golf and Country Club in Powell, Ohio, a position he has served in since July 2022, Chef Mojica was the executive chef of Columbus State Community College’s onsite, student-staffed, open-to-the-public restaurant Degrees.

Chef Mojica says he enjoys the life of a club chef because of “the fact that we got to have so much creativity. We can do hot dogs for lunch but then turn around and serve a wine dinner using high-end ingredients at night. The skills you can practice are very wide-ranged.”

At Wedgewood, Chef Mojica says he encourages learning and teamwork.

“When I was working for all the master chefs, they encouraged us to grow as individuals and chefs and they ran a very educational-style kitchen,” he says. “I try to do the same thing, letting my team come up with dishes and working together to fine-tune those. I try to lead by example. I am continuously learning and practicing new skills hoping to inspire my team to do the same. I try to encourage everyone to grow their skills and their knowledge so that we can all grow together.”

Chef Mojica enjoys showcasing dishes from his native Mexican cuisine. “I think what makes Mexican food special — and so appealing to so many — is that the cuisine is so diverse, so dependent on unique and regional elements. For example, we love tamales,” he says. “My sister married someone from a different part of the country, and the tamales from that region

Left: ACF Chef L. Fernando Mojica, CEC, AAC (left), with Chef Chrissy Jensen, CEPC, and Paul Jensen II, CEC, CCA, AAC; Right: Chef Mojica stands with ACF judges following a regional competition in Michigan.

are totally different. But the main ingredients that brings all Mexican food together are love and culture. That’s what makes Mexican food unique.”

At the club, where Chef Mojica oversees a kitchen of about 20 people, he enjoys working with his team to develop menus and dishes that reflect tradition but also draw in his heritage cuisine.

He recently paired a duck breast with a traditional Mexican mole, incorporating some of the signature spices from that sauce into the seasoning for the protein.

He’s also created a seafood tamale that proved popular. Lately, Chef Mojica’s been into putting savory spins on panna cotta — like those infused with vegetables like cauliflower and butternut squash — and pairing them with salad courses as cold appetizers.

Chef Mojica credits the variety of the types of Mexican cuisine to the resourcefulness of Mexico’s people.

“My parents came from a small town where everyone is either a farmer or has cattle,” he says. “People pretty much made do with what they had, and that’s how the regional cuisines developed.”

If Chef Mojica is sensitive to the influence of his heritage, he’s equally appreciative of the role Dr. Minor

played in the culinary profession.

The eponymous award is annually presented to the chef who best exemplifies the highest standard of professionalism through certification, continuing education and training, culinary competition and community involvement. For Chef Mojica, for those and one other particular reason, the award means a lot to him.

“He (Minor) was so instrumental in elevating our profession from the services category as defined by the U.S. Department of Labor to the professional, technical and managerial occupations category in 1977,” Chef Mojica says.

“That was an important milestone for our profession and for the ACF.” While Chef Mojica says he had a “pretty decent career” at its start, he credits his involvement with the ACF for enhancing his career’s trajectory.

“As happy as I was with my career, it has skyrocketed since l joined the ACF,” says Chef Mojica, who joined ACF just over 15 years ago. “I really didn’t hear about the ACF until I was in my mid-20s.

And once I did, I wanted to formalize my education. I saw all these chefs with their certifications, and I wanted to achieve that, too.”

Chef Mojica said he tries to be consistently working toward the next goal, whether it be in competitions or certification. “I’m focusing on the journey and enjoying it,” he says. “I try to learn from every experience, just as I’ve learned from my dad and from my mentors. It’s wonderful that I was honored with this award, but what does it do for others?

How do I try to pay it forward?”

Of particular importance to Chef Mojica in that regard is increasing the number of Latinos who are members of the ACF. “Our industry is filled with people of Hispanic descent,” he says, “but there are not many who are ACF members.

I’m hoping that my career will inspire others to join the ACF and benefit from it as I have.”

Chef Mojica says that at home, he doesn’t cook “as often or as I like or should. When I make myself something for dinner, I often just cook simple things with items that are left over.

“My real vocation is cooking for others,” he continues. “But whenever or whatever I cook, cooking is fun for me.

For me, it’s a way for me to honor my dad and so many people who have had a hand in my career.”

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| Special Report |

ACF CULINARY TEAM U S A UPDATE W

e’re only a few months away from the 2024 IKA Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, Germany! ACF Culinary Team USA has been working hard since the World Cup last year, holding monthly in-person meetings to practice, and refining dishes with Zoom calls in between.

At press time, the team had just returned from a practice at Madison Area Technical College in Wisconsin and was planning on regrouping for the next practice at Southwestern Oregon Community College in Coos Bay. The team consists of ACF Chef Dan Holtgrave, CEC, team captain, as well as ACF Chefs Ted Polfelt, CEC, CCA, CEPC, AAC; Logan Christensen, CEC; James Storm; Tim Recher, CEC, AAC; Shane Wilder (team sous chef) and Troman Felizmenio (team pastry chef).

“ACF Team USA is the official representative for the U.S. in major international culinary competitions and consists of a national, regional, youth and miitary teams,” says ACF Culinary Team Manager J. Kevin Storm, CEC, AAC. “We set high goals and take pride in hard work, persistence, and success.”

Other team managers include ACF Chefs Randy J. Torres, CEC, AAC (team assistant manager);

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Susan E. Notter, CEPC, AAC (pastry manager); John Coletta, HAAC (logistics manager); Christopher A. Desens, CEC, CCA, AAC (business manager); and Thomas J. Macrina, CEC, CCA, AAC, HOF, HBOT (director of culinary). Advisors include: ACF Chefs Timothy Bucci, CMC; Jason D. Hall, CMC; Steven Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC; Aidan P. Murphy, CMC; Reimund D. Pitz, CEC, CCE, AAC, HOF; and Russell Scott, CMC. Visit acfchefs.org/team to learn more about the history of the program and this year’s team.

In preparation for the Culinary Olympics, team members are responsible for specific dishes or they collaborate on a dish. In between practices, “we share photos and a progress report during a weekly Zoom meeting, and then when we’re in person, we try to treat practice as the actual competition,” Chef Holtgrave says.

Clockwise from top left: ACF Culinary Team USA Sous Chef Shane Wilder; ACF Chef Ted Polfelt, CEC, CCA, CEPC, AAC; Team Pastry Chef Troman Felizmenio (left) with Team Manager J. Kevin Storm, CEC, AAC; Team Advisors (from left) Susan Notter, CEPC, AAC, Randy Torres, CEC, AAC, Steve Jilleba, CMC, CCE, AAC, John Coletta, HAAC and Chef Storm at a recent practice; ACF Chef Logan Christensen, CEC (center) and other team members prepare dishes at the 2024 ACF National Convention opening reception in July.

During the practices, chefs from the college/university practice site (in the most recent case, ACF Chef John Johnson, CEC, CCE, professor of culinary arts at Madison) as well as team advisors provide coaching, support and “critiques” as the team runs through the Restaurant of Nations and Chef ’s Table parts of the competition.

“We rely on that constructive criticism,” Chef Holtgrave says. “But that’s one of our strengths as a group; we’re all very professional so we don’t take the feedback personally and just stay positive and work on pushing each other. We know we’re down to the wire and it’s crunch time; every time we meet it has to be gold medal level. We’ve made

a lot of progress over the past several months and are feeling really confident about our menus.”

For the Restaurant of Nations, which involves three dishes; and Chef Recher is handling the entree, Chefs Storm and Christensen are working on the fish course and Chefs Polfelt and Felizmenio are in charge of the dessert, but the team members work together to make improvements where needed.

For the Chef ’s Table, which has a newer format for the second Olympics only, the team must prepare a seven-course menu for 12 people with cold, all edible food (the format used to be non-edible for display only). Chef Polfelt’s working on butters and spreads; Chef Holtgrave, Recher, Storm and Christensen are each taking on one finger food item; Chef Storm and Christensen are working on the edible seafood platter; Chef Recher is handling a vegan course (another newer introduction).

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| Special Report |

Chef Holtgrave is handling the entrée portion of Chef ’s Table, but the curveball is the team won’t know the protein until just 30 days before competition, “giving us only three weeks to practice.” Chefs Felizmenio and Polfelt are tackling the dessert (petit fours) portion and are limited only to nonrefined sugars like honey and maple syrup.

Chef Wilder assists the team with cleaning and organizing stations, washing dishes and offering support wherever it’s needed. “I have the goal of trying out for the next Culinary Team, and working with them is going to help me tremendously in reaching that goal,” he says.

Beyond the food, cleanliness and sanitation as well as sustainability get high marks at the Culinary Olympics. “Sanitation is huge and just as important as the taste of the food,” says Chef Holtgrave, who adds that judges will even take points off for dress and uniform inconsistencies. “Also huge is what goes to compost, trash and recycling.

The judges don’t want to see us just dumping everything in the trash and they want to see us limiting single-use plastic.”

As such, reducing waste is an integral part of the planning and practice runs. Chef Holtgrave says the team has dialed in on development to not overproduce food and has invested in reusable containers to avoid using plastic wrap. For the Olympics, only 5% of non-compostable, non-recyclable waste is allowed. “In Luxemburg, [the judges] were literally going through our trash and recycling bin. In our day-to-day lives we sometimes don’t realize how much we waste, but this experience has really been eye-opening for us. As chefs we need to set a good example for taking care of the environment.”

Chef Recher says he feels positive about the team’s progress. “We have come such a long way in these few short years and are 100% laser focused on making the entire ACF community proud,” he says. “We continue to fine tune and tweak all our plates with the detailed critiques and coaching from our managers and advisors who have been a tremendous resource each step of the way. We know we have a huge mountain to climb living up to the high standards that have been set as Team USA but am confident we are up to the challenge.”

From left: ACF Chefs Victor Dagatan; Tim Recher, CEC, AAC, Ted Polfelt, CEC, CCA, CEPC, AAC, Dan Holtgrave, CEC (Team USA Captain), James Storm, Troman Felizmenio.

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ACF Culinary Team USA members meet on a monthly basis for practices and touch base over Zoom outside of those in-person events.

No drama: that’s the strength of the team. In Chef Recher’s opinion, the strength of the team is hard work without drama. “I truly believe our strength is the fact that we really are a team - no egos, no drama, all cooks that have a great and honest respect for each other; we’re always there for each other no matter what. Also, while we know what a privilege and honor it is to walk into the kitchen with Team USA on our jackets, we are not going just to participate, we are there to compete!”

For Chef Felizmenio, the experience of competing at this level has been a career-changer. “For me, this is a big platform to express my personal skills in pastry; it’s really a privilege for me to be in the group and represent the United States on an international level, he says. “I’m very thankful for the help of my teammates and the coaches; they are always there for us and are very supportive.”

Says Chef James Storm, “practices with the team have been going great! We have come together not only as a team but as friends; the comradery is one of a kind.

We have one focus and on our goal as a team, to win gold. This team is very strong in having each others’ backs and we all truly get along which has made this a once in a lifetime experience.”

For more than six years, Jones Dairy Farm has been a leading sponsor for ACF Culinary Team USA, supporting with both dollars and donated food product. This year’s team also receives support and supplies from Browne Foodservice, Middleby and NewChef Fashion, Inc. “Our sponsorships are so important to us; without them we cannot achieve any of our goals,” says Chef Kevin Storm. “It is the generosity and vision of our sponsors that cultivate our success. We have several sponsors including the ACF members that donate to the Culinary Team USA.” Want to watch the Culinary Olympics live in February? See the livestreaming excitement at olympiade-der-koeche.com/en/ika-tv/.

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| Digestif |

‘TIS THE SEASON

5 Holiday Questions for ACF National President René J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC 1. What signals the fall season for you?

Living in Florida, we definitely don’t have the beautiful fall foliage and chilly air that I used to see growing up in New England. But I know it’s fall around here because it’s my wife’s (ACF Chef Vanessa Marquis, CEC, AAC) favorite season; she decorates the house in fall colors and the pumpkin flavors are in everything at home — from cereal to pancakes to coffee, creamer, covered pretzels, candles, even Febreze. Kidding aside, the other thing that signals the holidays for us is that we always participate in volunteer efforts to feed local veterans and we volunteer at Metropolitan Ministries.

2. It’s almost time for Thanksgiving; how do you celebrate the November holiday?

Most of the time it’s here at our home.

I prepare a traditional turkey and a smoked turkey with sausage and sage

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stuffing with Bell’s seasoning, as well as an herb and apple stuffing, and gravy with gizzards with all the drippings.

We also make mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans almondine, carrot and rutabaga mash, maple-bacon Brussels sprouts and cranberry-orange relish. We also make from scratch a pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, Dutch apple pie, pecan pie and Vanessa’s chocolate cream pie and carrot cake. Yes, neighbors always come with to-go boxes.

3. Sounds like holiday baking is a beloved tradition for your family — do you have a favorite baked dessert?

Cheesecake. Any flavor you want. The latest my wife had me make for her was apple cobbler cheesecake. The cheesecake was layered with apple cobbler and extra caramel sauce drizzled on top.

ACF Chef René J. Marquis, CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC (left), enjoys making tamales with wife and ACF Chef Vanessa Marquis, CEC, AAC; Chef Marquis’ favorite desserts at Thanksgiving.

4. Many people have traditional holiday recipes passed down through generations. Is there a special family recipe you cherish and enjoy making during the holidays?

I make meat pies every year as my grandmother taught me. I miss those moments. Vanessa and I make tamales for her family tradition to eat on Christmas Eve. For the last 11 years, I have made Chinese dishes on Christmas Day! 5. The holidays often involve large gatherings and feasts. Can you share a memorable or funny kitchen mishap that happened during a holiday meal preparation?

The biggest mishap is that we ran out of room in our refrigerator so we put some of the extras in the fridge at our neighbors’ house and we forgot about it! That night they called us and said we forgot the green bean casserole and the sweet potato pie. There was so much food we didn’t even notice! Our neighbors enjoyed the extras.

For more answers to our holiday questions from ACF members visit WeAreChefs.com.

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| Pastry |

MAKING IT WORK Creating craveable pastries with limited time, space and heat // By ACF Chef Jennifer Reed Adams, CC, CPC “Make it work.”

I grew up watching Bravo! TV’s “Project Runway” with my dad and loved when host Tim Gun would say these three words to contestants when walking around asking about their projects.

There was a time when I thought I would be a fashion designer, but hospitality became my true passion. I love to provide comfort and celebration through my baking.

We all heard the words and phrases “pivot,” “think on your feet” and “adapt” during the height of the pandemic.

But I would like to share with you how I have “made it work,” ACF Chef Jennifer Reed Adams Tim Gun style, at Denton Country Club in North Texas where I serve as pastry/pantry chef. Hopefully some of the things I have learned will inspire and help you “make it work” in your kitchen or business, especially when you’re short on resources.

When I was hired as a pastry/pantry cook at DCC in July 2020, the whole world was struggling. DCC was no different as we worked to navigate CDC and local regulations while meeting club members’ needs. This is the first and only club I had worked at, so I had a lot to learn about how clubs differ from restaurants and bakeries. In addition, DCC is member-owned, which means members are extremely interested and even invested in the on-site food and dessert offerings.

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My biggest challenge when I first walked into the kitchen was the lack of a dedicated space for pastry work. We have one double stack convection oven with the bottom set at 500°F for pizzas.

Having to share oven space is the hardest part of balancing my workload. There are days when I cannot use the oven because the events team is utilizing all of the space. But I have to make it work because every day members come to enjoy my desserts. I even have one who picks out his dessert first and prefers cake and ice cream over all other sweet offerings.

My second challenge is the lack of time, since I also have to be ready to sling cold appetizers and salads by the start of dinner service. I usually work from 2 p.m. until close. Those three hours before dinner service go by quickly when you are trying to bake desserts and prep your station for service.

I have had to become efficient and flexible with my production. I also needed to check my ego.

Just because I can make it from scratch doesn’t mean I have to or should. I don’t have the time, space or equipment to do it all. I have learned to find and use high-quality convenience items that are available. I also cross-utilize many ingredients because there is limited storage space.

How do I put these things into action in the real world? I embrace stovetop desserts such as panna cotta, to avoid jamming up the oven. I use a higher-quality brownie mix to speed up the mixing time and only have to lower the shared oven 25 degrees. Another benefit of using a mix is that others can make it when I’m off and the quality is the same. It is near impossible to ruin a highquality box mix. I elevate the brownie by making a rich ganache to go with it. For service I heat up the brownie and ganache, top the brownie with the ganache and homemade or homemade-style

vanilla bean ice cream. The final touch is brownie crumbs made from the edges I cut off.

Another solution I found was to make faux crème brûlée. I came up with a good fake by making a rich vanilla bean pastry cream on the stovetop, infused with cornstarch as the thickener. I use a small immersion blender to mix in the butter and pour it into my ramekins while it is still hot and loose.

I immediately cover each with plastic directly on the top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Then I have it ready for service when I add the sugar on top and torch it.

I have combined scratch sauces with convenience cheesecake to maintain a high quality dessert offering for my members. I currently make a blackberry coulis that I use with a pre-bought New York-style cheesecake. I finish it off with some purchased whipped topping and fresh blackberries. Originally for our cheesecake offering I made a scratch cheesecake mousse (cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla). I would vary the flavor of

the mousse via the crumb layers (Oreo, graham cracker, zucchini bread) and sauces (chocolate, raspberry, caramel).

Turns out, though, that my members prefer a slice of plain cheesecake, so that's what I provide for them.

I hope this gives you some ideas for simplifying some processes in your bakeshop, especially if you’re limited on time, ingredients, staff or resources. Keep making it work!

For Chef Adams’ recipes for easy goat cheese mousse and maple bourbon blondies, visit acfchefs.org/recipes.

ACF Chef Jennifer Reed Adams, CC, CPC, is a pastry chef at Denton Country Club in Argyle, Texas. She holds a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from Texas Tech University and an associate degree in culinary arts and baking/pastry from Dallas College. She has been an ACF member since 2017. This is her first article for NCR.

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| Pastry |

No-Bake Vanilla Crème Brûlée ACF Chef Jennifer Reed Adams, CC, CPC Yield: 7 servings 4 cups milk ½ cup plus ⅛ cup sugar, divided, plus more for finishing 5 egg yolks 2 eggs ½ cup cornstarch 4 tablespoons butter 1 vanilla bean pod, split, scraped (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract) 1. Heat milk and ½ cup sugar in a medium saucepot over medium heat until scalding. Turn off heat.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, eggs, cornstarch and remaining sugar.

3. Temper egg mixture by spooning in some of the hot milk.

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4. Pour tempered egg mixture into the pot with the milk. Bring to a boil and cook until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.

5. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in butter and vanilla.

6. Pour custard into 7 (6-ounce) ramekins. Cover each ramekin immediately with plastic wrap.

7. Refrigerate ramekins until crème brûlée is set, at least 4 hours.

8. To serve, sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar evenly across the top of each ramekin. Caramelize using a handheld torch.

Tip: To play with different flavors, swap the vanilla for 1 teaspoon coconut or orange extract, 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier or fresh basil steeped in the milk in the first step.

Do you have

WHAT IT TAKES?

The ACF can help you turn your passion into a profession. Certify your culinary skills today.

Get started at acfchefs.org/certify.

| Quiz |

NCR Quiz November/December 2023

By Robert Penry How many miles did ACF Chef Michael Romine bike to raise money for Chefs Cycle for No Kid Hungry?

a. 50 miles b. 240 miles c. 460 miles d. 730 miles What dietary restriction did ACF Chef Ted Polfelt, CEC, CCA, CEPC, AAC, keep in mind while creating the menu for Brood Restaurant and Bar?

a. Gluten-free b. Vegan c. Low sodium d. Dairy-free According to ACF Chef Jacques Wilson, CEC, AAC, when it comes to attracting new members, his chapter’s emphasis on what is helpful?

a. Volunteering b. Education c. Eating d. Connections After a hunt, what is the MINIMUM time the deer should hang to allow rigor mortis to work out of the muscles?

a. 24 hours b. 48 hours c. 72 hours d. 96 hours Which of the following is NOT a benefit that sheep provide by grazing?

a. They improve soil health. b. They feast on vines where pests lay eggs. c. They scare away large animals. d. They plow through fields and vineyards.

Why did ACF Chef Rich Rosendale, CMC, add a little xanthan gum and champagne vinegar to sour cream when he knew it might sit out for over 30 minutes?

a. To prevent the water from running out. b. To keep the temperature cool. c. To make it taste better over time. d. To keep it from mixing with the mole.

ACF Chef Derek Ivancic, CEC, says the main goal of Chapters Supporting Chapters is to simply increase membership.

a. True b. False Why did ACF Chef Rober Velarde, CEC, create “Tasting Day” and implement it in his school district?

a. To introduce young students to new foods. b. To get rid of leftover food items. c. To teach students about their tastebuds. d. To give students a chance to cook.

As a private chef, ACF Chef Angus McIntosh feels like he has less time to spend on things that matter to him like competing.

a. True b. False According to ACF Chef John Lucchesi, CEC, MBA, you should handle your deer with care when bringing it to the cleaning location after your hunt because rough handling will do what?

a. Make it harder to skin the deer. b. Allow grass or dirt to get in the wound. c. Allow fluids to flow to the hind quarter. d. Cause bruising that can result in offtasting flavors.

What was ACF Chef L. Fernando Mojica, CEC, AAC’s first job at the age of 14?

a. Line cook b. Server c. Dishwasher d. Food runner Which country is hosting the 2024 IKA Culinary Olympics in February?

a. Brazil b. Germany c. Japan d. Luxemburg 13. Which of the following categories are judged during the IKA Culinary Olympics?

a. Sanitation b. Sustainability c. Uniform and appearance d. All of the above 14. What dish do ACF Chefs René J. Marquis CEC, CCE, CCA, AAC, and Vanessa Marquis, CEC, AAC, prepare on Christmas Eve following Chef Vanessa’s family tradition?

a. Meat pies b. Tamales c. Cheesecake d. Traditional turkey

See the rest of the questions, finish the quiz and earn four CEHs toward your certification on ACF’s new Online Learning Center at acfchefs.org/olc.

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CHOOSE LEAN PORK Your guide to health and flavor

Select a Lean Cut

Discover the Benefits 8 cuts of pork meet USDA guidelines for “lean”*

New York pork p chop p

Sirloin pork chop

Ribeye pork chop

Sirloin pork roast

Lean = less than 10g fat, 4.5g saturated fat and 95mg cholesterol per 100g of meat.

Pork tenderloin and sirloin pork chop meet USDA guidelines for “extra lean.”* Extra Lean = less than 5g total fat, 2g saturated fat, and 95 mg cholesterol per 100g of meat.

Pork Tenderloin is a source of 11 key nutrients.** New York pork roast

Ground pork, 96% lean

Porterhouse pork chop

Pork tenderloin

one of the is n loi er d n te k Por of pork. ts u c er d n te t s lea nest, mo

Excellent source: protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, selenium and zinc.

Good source: choline, pantothenic acid and phosphorous. **

Find recipe ideas at pork.org

© 2023 National Pork Board, Des Moines, Iowa USA. This message funded by America’s Pork Producers and the Pork Checkoff. *National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 23. Based on 3-ounce cooked servings (roasted or broiled), visible fat trimmed after cooking. **U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central, 2019. Based on 3-ounce serving cooked pork. NDB# 10093. „Excellent“ source: 20% or more of Daily Value; „Good“ source: 10-19% of Daily Value.

Join us in

PHOENIX The 2024 ACF National Convention is being held July 14–17, 2024, at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

Visit acfchefs.org/events for more information